The 1st Day of Summer

So much has happened since I last posted the end of January! I'd thought that time would slow down when I no longer was burning the work/social calendar at both ends. It's amazing, though, that time clicks off quicker than ever. I'm so busy with projects and outings and getaways, that the end of a week comes and goes without my even realizing it.  I used to wake up saying to myself - "What day is it...Tuesday? No, it can't just be Tuesday!"  Now I awake thinking - "It's Thursday already?!?" Life is all about perspective, isn't it?

I'll do a little pictorial timeline of the past few months:

We headed off to Oahu, Hawaii the first week of February with Doug's sister and husband, spending a week there in the sun and surf. We celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary and my retirement from 30 years at my job.

It was beautiful and unlike anywhere we'd ever been. We stayed at the Ko Olina Resort, enjoying the relaxing lagoons and warm, sandy beaches. The North Shore was our favorite spot, from huge crashing waves to succulent garlic and coconut shrimp. We were also fortunate to have family and friends there and had great times with them!




According to the calendar, I spent a lot of time eating out! Breakfasts at the Pancake House with my buddies Laurie and Maureen and at Mimi's with my John Denver group of ladies. Lunches with MDA friends, Georgetown with my JD buddies, and a volunteer luncheon at Cherry Creek Nursing Center.

Dinners were the best though! Dinner with Phil and Sarah before she and I enjoyed an evening of Canvas and Cocktails - a gift from her for my birthday.

Dinner with Rob and Vanessa before going to the play "American Idiot", a gift from him for my birthday.

The annual St. Paddy's Dinner at our friends', the Sonne's, preceded by a mini-Puzzle Pod with LaVon and Cyndi! (Earlier Pod, same pals!)

I spent time playing with Barbies this spring - making new clothes, sharing with my friend Carole, sprucing up the Barbie closet. All this was in conjunction with painting and reorganizing the '70's-themed guest room, or what I lovingly call my Marcia Brady Room. I was in the middle of working on it when my heart throb from the 60-70's, Davy Jones, passed away. Surreal to be listening to his music, seeing his pics and hearing of his life as I was working on the room.

March saw the excitement of my son, Phil's engagement to Sarah George, on the first day of spring at Copper Mountain Ski Resort. Since then, there have been fittings, conversations and lists filling our lives.  The wedding is set for September 21st, the first day of fall!

As the weather turned nice, I began working outside and went crazy with all kinds of projects. The first was to put a rock border around my tree, to match my neighbor's landscaping (as seen in the background of this pic.)

Once I got started, however, there were more and more places that wanted to be bordered, like under Hector (who recently got a haircut and now has nice grass growing under him)

and then along the front walk in the flower bed, and not to be outdone, around the mailbox in front. Almost 2 tons of grey rose rock was hand loaded and transported, in numerous trips, in my little Sebring, Breezy. My elderly neighbor Marvin helped with the unloading and is standing at the ready when I break down and add a new rock garden along the edge of the yard (along the road in the background). Breezy is all for being done with that project!

And then came the deck...we knew it needed replacing, as the boards under our feet were feeling quite mushy. A few places had been patched, but the time had come to just deal with it. Originally, we thought we could just take off the flooring and put on new boards ourselves.  Unfortunately, bad wood, termites and moisture had beat us to it...this is what the underpinning looked like...

After several quotes that didn't fit our budget and not much confidence that we could do it ourselves, my friend Jody suggested I have her son take a look at it. He is redoing it using pressure-treated wood and a nice composite for the floor.

We're thinking it might all be completed today!

Another project I found interesting and took up was to crochet a birthing mat for women in Uganda.  My friend Laurie mentioned that she and a group from her church were doing it, so I decided to help out.  It starts with plastic grocery bags, cut in three sections, then connected and rolled into balls of "plarn" (plastic yarn).  Then using a large crochet hook, make the mat 4' x 6'. WOW! Quite a project, taking several hundred bags and probably an equal number of hours.  It was very rewarding, though, to hand the completed mat back over to her for shipment to Uganda in June.

Here is how it looked at the beginning of the process,


















and this is the finished product!

In early May, Doug and I took a little weekend jaunt to Boston to visit our good friend Cathy. Out on Friday, back on Monday and a lot of sites in between. We saw our friend Rich Trzepacz and spent an afternoon with his sister/husband in Maine. We even tipped our hats to The Bush Compound in Kinnebunkport.

That Saturday, we went to see a Red Sox/Orioles game at Fenway Park - home of THE best sweet Italian sausage dogs! Doug's talked them up for years, and Cathy always brings packs of sweet Italian sausages with her when she comes for July 4th each year. They are just as good - no, better - than he declared!

The Orioles beat the Sox 8-2, which was OK with us, because Doug has loved the Orioles since he was a kid. 
After the game, we stopped in at Sweet Caroline's near the Park to catch the Kentucky Derby.  I had more than my share of Mint Juleps! Grand time all around!

We also had time for a little camping outing a couple weeks ago.  We shared some huge laughs (and wine) with our friends. Of particular note was the game Boochie Ball.

This stance of Mike Abbott's was over the top, for sure!

So there's the past five months in a nutshell. It was just as fun putting together the pics and remembering the moments as it was experiencing them in the first place.  Life is to be lived, and Doug and I are doing our best!

Birthdays

Yesterday was my birthday - my second favorite day of the year.  (Thanksgiving is my first, but then you know that if you've read my earlier blogs.) You know how greeting cards are written wishing you every good thing for your birthday and the coming year? And sometimes your dear friends or family will add a note further clarifying how much you deserve the very best day ever?  Well, I don't know if I did anything to deserve it or not, but absolutely every single birthday wish I received yesterday, through snail mail, email and Facebook, TOTALLY hit the mark! (OK - so Maxine's "slap-you-silly" reminder that I'm old might have been a little TOO on the mark, but my friend Maureen's quirky sense of humor is something I've come to expect and delight in!) And if yesterday's outcome was an indicator of the year, this is going to be one for the record books!

I was amazed at the response on Facebook. For a social medium that was basically set up to be "me, me, me, me", birthdays are definitely the exception. Everyone who's friended me gets to click a button and say...."today is all about you, you, you"! That's pretty cool! And very appreciated.  My wish for the coming year is that I can make those I've friended feel as special as they have made me.  And just so you don't have to wait until your birthday...

Happy All About YOU Day!



Term Limits for Congress!

How can I state what I feel is the obvious problem with our government structure without making it a political debate? Please humor me while I try.


The Legislative Branch has become totally ineffective, riddled with self-serving policy and law stalemates, as well as money-grubbing lobbyist strongholds.  it makes no difference what the policy is to be passed - if drafted by Republicans, Democrats won't vote it in, and if drafted by Dems, the Reps pass it by.  No way either will endorse something that might give the other kudos! Not to mention that if there is an important policy that all agree on, other pork or hidden agenda items are tacked to it so they are pushed through as well.


These long-term fat cat (mostly) lawyers and their lobbyist sidekicks need OUT of public office.  Off the government dole and away from what they say is in our best interest.  The only way to effectively change that is to impose term limits on the Senate and House, just like for the President.


There have been campaigns waged by voters to oust an incumbent.  But two years later the  tides have changed and impressionable voters go with whatever party hasn't made them angry lately.  Congress itself will never vote in term limits. They're not about to pull the plug on the gravy train they are riding. We must work to get term limits written on every ballot for every elected office in the country. Four 2-yr terms! No more! No palm-greasing.  No more using America as a platform for personal agendas. With few exceptions, these public servants should be ashamed of themselves! No more campaigning (politicking) (lying) that they will make things better!


Term limits will put the legislative job back in control of America - back where a broader spectrum of Americans can work to make a difference in public service.  Which brings me to the next area that must be reformed... campaign spending.  Most normal Americans wouldn't have a chance of being elected without huge special interest dollars (PAC money) endorsing them. The step from city council to senate is paved with campaign dollars. How ludicrous that $millions are spent on ads, flyers, signs and other promos to convince someone to vote for the perfect candidate. John Mayer said "Is there anyone who ever remembers changing their mind from the paint on a sign?" (Belief). The money spent on junk mail, TV slash ads, signs stuck in vacant lots and more could have gone so far at shelters, to aid those with no money for health care, to pay off the National debt! What a waste. I like to say I won't vote for anyone who litters the sides of the road with those "vote for me" signs.  But in reality, I'd not be able to vote at all!


Wouldn't it be great if the measure of a candidate was based on his track record in service to the public - funding a park or a library or a school activity? A demonstration of the commitment to the American people? Maybe the media, in its amazing ability to spin a story, could take up reporting the amounts spent on campaigning as a bad thing rather than boasting the opulence. We - the people - should place our donations into more responsible hands. The fact of the matter is, however, that public donations are but a drop in the bucket of the overall campaign budget. Corporations and lobbyists find ways to pay off politicians to sway votes in their favor. That shouldn't surprise you. It's been going on for a long time...and if we do nothing to stop it, nothing will change.

Pondering Peace

Carole with her many Santas, Sinatra Moose & Charlie

My friend Carole spends the holiday season visiting with her Christmas tree whom she lovingly calls "Charlie". In the wee hours of the morning, she can be found with her coffee and devotional, letting the glow of Christmas lights lull her into a peaceful mood while she ponders the many mysteries of the mind.  That morning time is something she carries with her throughout her busy days. I call this her time of Pondering Peace.  No matter what transpires during the day, she is grounded by those early morning musings near the branches of her Christmas tree. When Charlie has to leave, she longs for that time "together" and looks forward to next year when he will once again come to visit.


What do we use to bring us those peaceful moments? For me, a cup of Earl Grey and my basset buddies on the couch does much to see me through a hectic day. When I used to be in traffic, or waited at an airport, or stared bleary-eyed into pre-dawn reports, I'd pop onto a virtual couch trip and feel instantly at peace.


How incredible that the Lord gave us memories - playbacks of any moment in our lives we want to relive. Awesome!  And just as we can choose to watch a romantic comedy or a thriller/chiller, so too we have control over whether we want to remember our good times or bad. It's wonderful that we can ponder peaceful moments anytime we choose.

Here's to the peaceful moments of your life!

Radiating...

There's an office I visit in Brighton, CO that has radiator heat. The building is the old City Hall and still houses a few businesses. When you walk in the building, it has that old, musty oak smell. The boards creak a bit and it reminds me of my elementary school. Such a grand old building with so much to say. Coming in close contact with the radiators brought back such vivid memories of the radiators we had in some of our homes when I was a child. The only way you could describe it is really by its name... RADIATOR...


In our home, there was a big coal furnace in the depths of the basement. Something (maybe my Daddy) caused the coal to continually feed in so the fire never went out in the winter. The fire heated the water that bubbled into the pipes leading to a radiator in every room.  There was a knob on the radiator regulating how much steam was to course through the unit. Sometimes air collected in the radiators and needed "bled" off to release the pressure, a pssshhh sound. There was no fan distributing the heat throughout the room/house. The radiator "radiated" heat into the room, much as you might see little ripples in the sun/air on a very warm day.


Today everyone knows forced air heat. A thermostat clicks, a furnace turns on, and a fan blows the heat through air ducts into rooms of your home. Radiators weren't so "in your face"! There are electric baseboard heaters that have a similar concept to the radiator, in that they produce a heat source without air to blow it into the room. If compared, though, you'd find it a harsh, dry heat that tentatively fills the room rather than the radiating warmth in rooms with radiators.


In this building in Brighton, there is a radiator in the very small bathroom. When you walk in, you can feel the heat radiating across the room. It migrates and permeates down into your core.  It could be considered overly warm by some, but to me it is more like a huge bear hug surrounding me and cloaking my soul in warmth and love.

Much as God's Sun permeates our bodies and His Son permeates our souls.

Warm, rippling, comforting. I long for this radiating warmth each time our thermostat kicks on and we're blasted with forced air heat. 

Resolutions

It's that time of year when we start resolving to change things in the New Year, to lose weight or finish that novel or spend more time with those we love. Same resolutions every year...same sense of defeat that the year has passed without even one being checked off the list.  The problem is - we are too linear in our resolutions. Now, if I'd written last year that I resolved to find ways to be happier, ways to enjoy the time I DID have with my family and ways to allow the Lord's Grace to shine through me onto those around me, then I'd be looking back over this year as a full success. 


As rushed as the year was, we had so many opportunities to visit with family and friends here and across the country. I wrote, and read, a novel's worth of delightful emails and texts. Taking early retirement dropped an incredible amount of weight from my shoulders and helped me appreciate what is truly important. Every wish going into 2011 fully realized and accomplished. And that is how it should be! 


So consider what you really want in the coming year and set your goals broad enough to encompass all that promises. You may be surprised how your perspective will shift along the way. Remember, every breath you breathe is one more success story in the making!

The Holiest of Christian Holidays

Merry Christmas Morning!

It is Christmas morning. It is also a Sunday morning. The holiest of Christian holidays with the holiest day of the Christian's week. A double-header, so to speak. For me, this Christmas season was very different from so many before, for a number of reasons. Less work stress and more time made it enjoyable to plan and prepare for the more secular spin on the holiday. Time to trim the tree, bake goodies, shop and wrap. Time to spend with friends and family. Even time to reflect on this, and past, Christmases. This was the second year we did Christmas morning stockings with the boys (and Sarah) on Christmas Eve morning. So waking up today, I haven’t figured out whether I am relieved to have the flurry behind me or sad that the season is waning. How can I express letdown that the anticipation is behind me when it all played out to a magnificent crescendo? It couldn't have been better! The icing on it all will be our annual trip to Estes Park with our dear friends for New Year's. That  and our Progressive dinner with them before Christmas is always the highlight of the season!

We've not taken part in church services the past few years, but that doesn't mean that "The Reason for the Season" is not planted firmly in our hearts. Fellowship with our friends and family is very important to us, and I would hope that our actions reflect the love of Christ in our lives every day of the year. It's hard to equate dozens of presents stacked to the ceiling with the humble beginnings of our Savior in a stable 2000 years ago. I learned to separate the distinction years ago. We can enjoy different books, movies and music in the same span of time. We love our children separately, yet equally. So, too, it is possible to enjoy celebrations of winter, Santa and Christ's birth in a single breath. Santa Claus isn't a replacement for Jesus, no more than snow is a replacement for those who winter in Palm Springs. 


Expectations run pretty high this time of year. How can you afford all the lights and the presents you want to put out? How can you bake like Emeril and decorate like Martha Stewart? How can you live up to the ideal of a Christ-like life?  There's pressure to "make" the holidays work, at all cost. If you can't pull off "perfect", then you're a failure. That is where we, as a society, short-change ourselves. The holidays are a time to express ourselves however we want, to celebrate, to reflect, to enjoy.  Break the candy mold, be who you are and love it.

I hope I never forget again how incredible it is to ENJOY the Season. 

May you enjoy yours, as well.