Today's Photo of the Day

Our little "Fly girls"

Did you hear that crash?

No, it wasn't the stock market. It was my computer. Crash.

The past few days without a computer made me realize the extent of my addiction to technology.

Growing up in the 1970s, we had television, our tape recorders, turn tables, our eight-track players and transitor radios. An antenna was perched on the rooftop of our house and periodically our father would have to climb a ladder and adjust it so we would get the perfect picture. We were styling.

We didn't even have a dishwasher in our house growing up -- with so many children, my parents knew they didn't need one. We were the dishwashers.

Now, I feel tinges of withdrawal if I inadvertently leave my cell phone at home when I leave the house. Two days without checking email?! Banish the thought. My PDA, my digital recorder, my digital camera -- all in my purse daily. They're with me, whereever I go.

Cable's not even hi-tech enough for us now. We have digital satellite, attached to at least three televisions in the house. We can rewind regular television, record it, watch it later, order a movie all with the click of our remotes.

We shop online. We connect with our friends and the world. We're technology addicts. We carry our laptops and open them up and work at restaurants and coffee shops. Who needs candles as ambience any more? We have the glow of our computer monitors.

We're addicted, and maybe we've lost a bit our own creativity and imagination in the process of depending on technology.

My son and his wife were recently dreading a cross-country trip with their 3 and 4 year olds. The portable digital television and dvd player they can strap to the back seat was not working. I suggested coloring books, crayons and puzzles. I also mentioned the "good old days" when our parents expected the passing scenery to be more than enough entertainment for us in the back seat of the car.

I also remember eating lunch, away from work and not having my boss or my clients call me three or four times while I'm eating. We're addicts.

I'm going to try to change a bit. No more cell phone on at lunch time. At least one day a week without checking email -- really. I'll let you know how it goes.

Unintended hiatus

It's been a whole month + since my last post. A rarity for even me. I've missed you all, and didn't realize how much until I ventured online and started reading some of my favorite blogs (see links.)

Strange, that I should miss people that I really don't know. Some, of course, are friends. Others, are newly acquired friends -- having met them at the Blogger Round Up in the fall. And, still others, I wouldn't know if I walked by on the street. Still, I missed you all.

The OKC Gridiron Show went off beautifully. I've been exhausted for the past week, trying to catch up on all the rest we missed.

Now, it's 25 days until the NAHJ Conference that I'm in the midst of helping plan. So, my time is still limited.

But, I'm back. I'll post. There's so much to post about these days, I hardly know where to start.

But for now. Hello, again.

The state of my life

1. Good news today. Benign cysts for certain. Trying some stuff to "dissolve it" without surgery. No more needles for a while.

2. Cold is gone. I can return to my life. I even missed the office.

3. Made it to rehearsals, it's good to be back in Gridiron mode. Do you need tickets? Damn funny stuff.

4. Enjoying the granddaughters' visit. They are currently in their princess costumes. Life is still a fairy tale for them.

5. I must be mellowing, or the Prez was really pandering tonight. I actually agreed with a lot of what he said, not all, but hey, at least I didn't scream at the TV and shut it off half-way like I have the past five years.

Brrrr...

I'm cold. Right now I've got so many layers on I feel like an onion. All the experts say layering is the way to go.

I'm still cold, and ice is still falling from the sky.

Anybody know what the temperature is like in Florida?

What's in your closet?

Our son and his family are coming to visit for a couple of weeks. We decided that meant giving the girls their own private space in the "guest" room that my youngest daughter and her husband claimed as their own when they were here for an extended stay. Much of their stuff was still there, so we decided to pack it up and move it to the closet in the office. That meant moving the stuff in the office SOMEWHERE. Holy cow. First of all, we've got way too many clothes. And yet, we were the same thing every week and gripe we have nothing to wear. So we dumped it all out and are sorting through it today. In the meantime, I managed to neatly organize two closets and a dresser-full from the guest room into the office closet (big closets.)

Today the goal is to throw out stuff that we don't wear. Haven't worn it in a year --it's gone. Doesn't fit -- it's gone. Bought this when all three children still lived at home (12 years ago) -- it's gone.

Now, I just have to find a second twin bed. All the "Monkey Room" stuff is coming out of boxes and being revived in the guest bedroom during their visit.

I was so exhausted last night that I could hardly make it to the bed before I fell asleep. But I can't wait to see them. Just what the doctor ordered :)

New Year - New look

I've decided that I'm going to upgrade the look on this blog. So, really I have no idea how to do this, but I'm planning, so be prepared.

Hubby also wants me to help him start a blog. Should be fun. I'll let you guys know when it's up and running.

On the previous post: Still sick. Still not talking. But thanks for the good thoughts.

I'll take any design tidbits that you have to offer...

Let's get the worst over with first

Fourth day of the year, and thus far...it sucks.

I've got the mother of all colds. Surely, it's not the flu because I listened to my doctor earlier this week and got a FLU SHOT. Now I'm sick. Can't breathe, can't talk.

What took me to the doctor in the first place last week was the fact that the left side of my face ballooned. He thought it was an infection of some kind, gave me antibiotics. They made me sick. You know, nausea etc. But the swelling went down enough that I was able to enjoy the weekend.

But the big news I didnt' share with all was that I had found a lump on my left breast. So yesterday I had to go through the whole torture of the mammogram. Torture because I didn't realize until then just how much pain I had been feeling. It was excrutiatingly painful (if you're a guy, well just imagine...) The tech flipped out, the doc flipped out. Needle biopsy. Yeah, that sucker hurt too. So now, I've got a cold and sore boobs.

No word yet as to the results. No news is good news, right? Yes, I know this is a lousy way to let friends know about this, but it's easier than actually talking about it. And, no. I don't want to talk. Not yet. Not yet.

The good news is that if I get all the bad crap out of the way now, this year should just get better. I think I've convinced my boss to send me to a class in D.C. in the Spring. I love D.C. So I'll just think of cherry blossoms and take more pain meds.

See looking up already.

Resolutions

It's the last day of the year, and I'm doing my usual -- cleaning. (See Dec. '05 explanation for that.)

Ever the optimist, I always make resolutions. Let's see how I fared this year. Last year's resolutions were:

1. Get healthy, lose weight, etc. On the way. I've been sidetracked a bit lately, but we're hitting the gym, diet, etc. on Tuesday. Have hired a personal trainer.
2. Spend more time with friends and family Tried to visit everyone more often this year, thus putting a *&^%load of miles on my "new" car.
3. FINISH WRITING MY BOOKs (yes, plural) Close, but no cigar. I'm aiming to have No. 1 finished by my birthday in late February this year.
4. Get rich. Not so much.
5. Hire a maid After I clean house this morning, I'm going to go buy myself a nice outfit. Does that count?


This year's resolutions:

1. Finish the damn book
2. Quit being a chicken, and apply to jobs that I know I really want, so what if I don't have a chance in hell of getting it? It's worth applying. Even if I get turned down, at least I got turned down by the best.
3. Finish the t.v. pilot script
4. Take better care of my entire body: hair, skin, weight etc.
5. Move from OKC (see No. 2)

That's enough. There's more. But that's enough. Now, I've got to finish cleaning. We had a marvelous time at a party at a friend's home last night, going to another swanky party tonight at another friend's home, having a crowd over for brunch tomorrow morning. So the year is starting off with friends, fun, laughter etc.

Happy New Year to all. May your dreams come true.

Good-bye 2006

As the year winds down and we mourn the deaths of those we lost -- whether family, friend or a part of our culture -- it's time to say good bye.

So long to old worries and sorrows.
So long to fashions and movies that didn't work.
So long to good times and great joys, successes and failures.

They'll live long in our memories.
And quietly become a part of who we are.

Hello to the New Year with all the joys and challenges yet to come, which will in turn become part of the tapestry of our lives.

Tomorrow...we talk resolutions.

Christmas revisited

I love Christmas. I hate Christmas.

I love Christmas because it's such a fun time of year that conjures up memories of our own childhoods. Times were simplier then. We truly believed in Santa Claus, and our parents pulled out all the stops to make it a fun day. Everyone lived within driving distance, and cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents would all be part of the celebration. Memories of Christmases with our children when they were young also make us feel all warm and fuzzy. We lived far away, but we had each other, and our friends who had become our family.

I hate Christmas because it brings to light all the imperfections of our family -- not so much with the people as with the way things are.

I haven't spent Christmas with my parents in too many years to count. They spent Christmas at one of my younger sister's home. She's perfect. I wasn't invited. Not that I would have gone since I have my own family and they wouldn't have been invited, but it would be nice sometimes to be invited.

My mom-in-laws dementia gets worse every day. We remember Christmas with her because she would cook and cook and bake and bake. No matter where we were in the world, she would send a huge box of homemade goodies -- breads, cookies, that special fruitcake Jinks makes in Oswego and a box of chocolates from the factory in Joplin. It was a definite highlight for the kids and they loved grandma's box. Now, we go visit her in her "suite" at the nursing home. Sit on her couch and talk to her about letting the staff do her laundry and making sure she takes showers.

My son and his family live too far away. Too far. Our youngest is still trying to find her way. We've really no idea how she spent Christmas.

We spent Christmas with our daughter and family at their home -- a too small apartment crowded with the needs of a family with a growing child. We loved the time we got to spend with she and our grandson. Some things worried us -- should we have insisted we go to Advent services? Should we have done more with our grandson? We had to leave to drive back right after Christmas dinner. Never enough time.

The ideal Christmas would be to have everyone under our roof. Our decorated house with the tree touching the ceiling and the lights twinkling in doorways seems too much to bear,now. We had thought everyone would be here for the holiday, and we've decided we're taking most of the decorations down before the New Year.

It's not so much that we're unhappy. It's a dissatisfaction with the way things are. But things change. Maybe next year.

The grandkids

Our granddaughters never like photos with Santa. They're not smiling, but at least they weren't screaming this year.



Our grandson at his Christmas program at school.

Merry Christmas ya'll

This is hubby and I at the zoo at Halloween. We have volunteered the past couple of years. It's always fun.

Yes, Virginia...there is a Santa Claus

Read an article today that tells us if you hold a camera upside down when taking a photo -- guess what -- instantly thinner.

There is a Santa Claus!

Merry Christmas, ya'll. I'd blog more but still trying to buy gifts, finish stuff at work and mail Christmas cards. All will be done by Jan. 1

Person of the Year

I always knew that one day I would be Time Magazine's Person of the Year.



I thought the honor would come after I received the Pulitzer or the Nobel Peace Prize. But no, this year. Congratulations to me.

And, congratulations to you, who share the honor with me.

Dang pictures made me cry

OK, I was holding it together about the whole Christmas thing, and then I went to the my son's blog and he has these photos posted of events in his life -- our lives. Made me cry.

Then I went to his new myspace site and it made me laugh to hear some of his old air checks and look at some of the old pics.

Still sad though. We're definitely going to have to plan a trip to the Northwest again -- soon.

On your mark, get set...Christmas

The good news is the house is finally decorated. The tree is up (we had to cut a whole foot off the bottom because I got carried away and brought home a tree that was too tall for our house!) I put lights up yesterday -- just in time for a Christmas party we were hosting.

The party -- smashing success -- people finally all left in the wee hours of the morn. Fun crowd, great conversation. I love holidays. They give us an excuse to get together with friends. And, I should have taken a photo. The table looked absolutely "Martha - ish" -- That's because I basically took her magazine, bought the stuff to "landscape" the setting, and laid out the food in these wonderful crystal trays that we've gotten from parents etc. Gorgeous.

Getting together with other friends tomorrow night, and going to the movies with a girlfriend on Monday night.

Now, I just have to go buy some presents. Oh, I've bought a few things here and there. A few -- not enough to really say that I've shopped. The good news is that we always have a list of exactly what we're buying everyone, so it should be easy finding this stuff. Right? And, we've been blessed with many Christmas cards this year, so I've got to get the lead out and mail those babies on Monday. Sorry pals.

But our Christmas plans are still up in the air. Daughter No. 1's car in on the blitz, so she can't come down. Daughter No. 2 is in another town and likely will go to her in-laws for the holiday. Son and granddaughters are in D.C. Bummer. If they didn't live so dang far, we'd load up the Cruiser. But unfortunately, I've used more than my share of vacation days this year. Personally, I think we should all get a week (paid) at Christmas as a bonus.

Should have just planned for that cruise now. More on that later -- yes, we're going on a cruise in 2007. Woo hoo.

Fortunately are New Year's plans are solid, parties, parties parties every night. Our own brunch/party on New Year's Day. Can't wait.

Hope everyone is having some holiday fun...and has THEIR shopping done.

I'm a dirty old lady

WARNING: DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU MIGHT BE OFFENDED (AKA - my children)

So, my love affair with the gym has been hit or miss lately. Really since August when my bag was stolen, it's been hard to be as persistent as I was before. And, our diet has slowly waned -- too much junk out there right now.

So we look for motivation where we can find it. Today, I was on the arc trainer, set for 35 minutes. I forgot the ear buds, so no music. I don't wear my glasses due to the sweat beads that usually form and drip down the lenses, so I couldn't see the t.v. screens, much less read the captions.

It was rorture trying to occupy my mind while I struggled along at 7 minutes, 8 minutes, then something -- or someone happened along.

Young, muscular, tanned, gorgeous and took the arc trainer right in front of me. Who needs t.v? My heart rate went up probably a little higher than it should have been when he pulled up his shirt to wipe the sweat off his face. The woman on the trainer next to me almost fell, so my guess is he was distracting others as well.

Before I knew it, time was up. Heck, I can stay on this thing a little longer...yep, I did. Then, finally tore myself away.

We find motivation where we need it. :) I guess I'll find out soon if my hubby is reading the blog regularly.

Gift ideas and a question

It's Saturday, I so should be sleeping in....the curse of being a "morning person."

Yesterday was hubby's birthday. It was low-key this year compared to the surprise bash last year. It was extremely nice. Just the two of us last night, and tonight we're meeting friends for dinner, drinks and a hockey game.

Christmas looms, and I just found a great solution for that person who has everything and REALLY doesn't need a present. A co-worker suggested this, and I love the idea! You can give a flock of chickens, geese or ducks to a family in an Third World country, or a water buffalo or goat in someone's name. Our boss is getting a flock of chickens. Here's the link to Heifer International

And now a question for all: Blogger is tempting us with their new "version." Has anyone tried this yet, and do you like it?

Unplanned hiatus

I'm losing track of days and blogging less frequently. I'll blame the holiday. Even though I just finally pulled the fall wreath of our front door yesterday and replaced it with a Christmas one. That's all I've done.

I think it was just sheer exhaustion. We just couldn't get enough sleep for the first few days after getting back from Washington.

The trip was marvelous. Gotta say, my trip to Seattle was much much different this time around. I loved it. We had so much fun, and Olympia was breathtakingly beautiful.

Unfortunately, the job hunt didn't go as well. It's just not a good fit. Ok. It would be a miserable fit, and I finally had to admit it.

That doesn't mean hubby has given up the quest. He's determined to drag me kicking and screaming to the Pacific Northwest. It won't be so bad. It was so absolutely wonderful to see our friends, K and J.

I cannot begin to tell you how wonderful it was to see our son, daughter in law, the three beautiful granddaughters. We miss them so much, and it was heart wrenching to leave them so soon. We want so bad to be a part of their lives more frequently. WE were thrilled that in the short time we were with them, they felt comfortable enough to want to ride in the rental car with us. Yeah, we got them all to ourselves for a bit. And, little Willow? Well, she's the prettiest baby ever!

But Oklahoma you're stuck with me for a while longer. I mean, I'd have to change the name of the blog anyway to something like...WAY freaking North of the Red River.

Gotta go find some Christmas cards to send now....