Just pure tenacity

I hate migraine headaches. When I get one I feel like I am in slow motion and something is sucking my brain out of my ear. And it won't stop....

But what I love about migraine headaches is someone, somewhere, in a far away lab invented a medicine that chases these deadly brain sucking headaches away. On the down side the headache is replaced with kind of a bombala fatigue that makes doing anything short of laying on the sofa impossible. However when compared with searing, brain sucking pain, a little fatigue is just fine.

But sometimes things don't go according to plan. In other words when I went to the medicine drawer where I keep Advil for constant muscle pain, Excedrin for the times I can't find diet coke and a few other things that the Hipaa privacy rule prevents me from revealing.....there was no migraine medicine.....oh the agony!

Last night I was teaching an institute class so I had to wait until that was over to drive like I was on fire to our favorite Walgreen's pharmacy. I pounce on the pharmacist at exactly 8:50...time to spare....and then I see the blood drain from her face. She knows she has to tell me that my prescription has no refills and she knows I am going to freak out.

Shut up!! How will I sleep? Better yet how will my husband sleep?

Fast forward to 8am this morning. The race has begun. I am a proud member of Health Plan of Nevada (which basically means you can only get sick in Nevada - sorry about Mikey's almost broken leg in Cedar - and it also means you pay and pay to get less and less)....on the other end of my first phone call is someone who has the power to refill my prescription. I will myself to be nice, patient and did I say nice? Could I actually pull that off? But at 8am?

For the next 40 minutes I speak with one person after another...finally at the end of the phone call (and of course one time we were disconnected - start over contestants!) I am told they will send a message to my doctor who may or may not call the pharmacist. It might be Monday, sorry.
But it is Friday I tell them frantically! (will hysteria work?) I am helping my husband cook for 300 tomorrow, I can't have a migraine. They are sorry...and then the ridiculous memorized end of the call..."is there anything else we can help you with?" I had to ask her.... "so far, what have you helped me with?"

Oops, not nice.

Suggesting to a group of people who have that much power to give you something you truly need that they indeed share a brain, is not helpful. I see any hope of getting my medicine fading quickly away.

At 11am I decide to wait no longer and simply go to the doctor's office. I can explain to them that I am in great pain and maybe they will just hand me the prescription. Off I go. On arrival I see that there is a line...what luck! When it is my turn I explain everything to the receptionist. She is quite nice and she takes my pathetic story to the nurse who may or may not go to the doctor with my request.

There is a clear chain of command.

At this point, I make up my mind to see this through. I am NOT going home without the medicine. It has become a matter of honor, or something. I imagine a group of people symbolically standing behind me, hundreds of people rejected under the same circumstances. Beaten and dejected leaving without their meds. I am doing it for all of them.

The nurse comes out after about 20 minutes, quite annoyed, to tell me that they have 2 or 3 days to fulfill these requests. I looked at her straight in the face and said, "not if you have a migraine." She told me it would take "some time" to get the doctor to write the prescription. I can wait I tell her...So I sit down for a long wait and start texting everyone I know...I saw the picture of Erin's new baby, organized a meeting, and generally caught up on life. Nothing wasted!

The nurse came out to tell me my request was called in, give it 20 minutes she says..hooray! Score! I can feel the pain lessen. Off I go to the pharmacist at Walgreen's after about 30 minutes, (I had to get some diet coke) only to be told my prescription was expired and the doctor was not responding.

What?

This is the message from last night, they don't have the new information, I am screwed, this is awful....oh the humanity!! This wild chase for geese has ended with nothing, not even geese.
And then it occurs to me...the doctor called the wrong pharmacy! That has to be it! I go back and stand in line, stand in line, stand in line....the same poor pharmacist looks at me with such pity, (or disdain?) I explain to her that they must have called the Target pharmacy..."please (I am almost begging) call them and see if my medicine is there."

No.

No? They didn't have the number (yes they do) the time (you are in business to have time) or inclination....(I am using sheer force of will for them to be inclined)
I explain I have come too far and I am in far too much pain to stop.

She blinked and then she called Target.

Score! They tell me to sit down, the prescription is indeed at Target, it is being transferred over. Give us a minute.

Finally at 1:22 I leave Walgreen's with 9 imitrex (actually their generic brothers) pills. I got into my car and took one of those pills right there in the parking lot with almost scalding water that had been in my car for who knows how long.

And I smiled.

I did it.

Rack up another metaphor of life....

Graduation

I love graduations...I love the hats, diplomas, and most of all I love a good commencement speech. Add to that hundreds of happy graduates, grateful parents,tired but fulfilled teachers and you have the recipe for total happiness.



That is what I felt yesterday, total happiness. My youngest child, my Emma, graduated from high school. She gave a wonderful, inspiring speech....her voice never faltered. There is a reason she graduated on the day of the year with the most light...the longest day, the first day of summer...that is her metaphor, she is light and warmth, and never gives up. Then at the end of the ceremony she led the student body in moving their tassels from the right to the left.

....and just like that they were high school graduates.

My feelings were so intense, and so profound...I found it hard to breathe at times. When we first got to graduation, I had this overwhelming feeling of, "Well, it's here, and there is nothing you can do to stop it" I knew there was no way to get back the days of her childhood. My little girl grew up, and I started to cry. Her life is changing for sure but an enormous part of my life is changing as well. The days of small children are past. They were great days, and I will miss them. And just like all moms suddenly faced with their children growing up...it hurts. As hard as it was, I loved it. I loved kneeling at the side of their beds, I loved the games, the gym meets, the recitals, I loved helping at their schools, I just loved being with them.

Over the years I brought crates of oranges to games, bought pounds of cookie dough and enough candles to light St. Patrick's Cathedral. I know I spent more time in my car than in my house.

We survived lost elections, lost tryouts, lost shoes, and lost games....we jubilantly brought home trophy's and ribbons, good report cards, and enough slurpees to change the economy.




It is a job I enjoyed so much...but it is a job that changes. it is hard to watch so much of the really sweet stuff just vanish...

Like the first time they don't need you to tie their shoes, or hold their hand. Or when they get their license and drive solo the first time.

Those are all good things of course, but that feeling, that feeling of obsolescence looms. You know the meaning of planned obsolescence right?

Planned obsolescence or built-in obsolescence in industrial design is a policy of deliberately planning or designing a product with a limited useful life, so it will become obsolete or nonfunctional after a certain period of time.

And that is a bit how I feel today....obsolete, I am a product designed for a limited useful life.

Dramatic? yikes!!

That isn't completely true, they still refer to me as 'mother' and they still love me...but the day to day stuff? As they tell me, "I got this, mom." And I am happy that they can fly on their own. That is a good thing.

However, that is a concept I am not doing well with today.


The truth is, I will miss kneeling at the side of their bed having prayer. I will miss watching them dance, play football, soccer, basketball, baseball, cheer, and do gymnastics. I will miss walking in the front door and seeing 25 pairs of shoes knowing that meant there were 25 teenagers in my den...I already miss their friends....I will miss making pasta for 10 then 20 and then maybe 30 teenagers.

I am blessed to have had the experience, but I will miss it to be sure...

My little girl Ashleigh was the dish who ran away with the spoon...my little Trey dressed up as every character he saw on television or the movies and wore a suit to pre-school, my little Mikey who refused to go to first grade because he thought he was never coming home again, and 6 year old Emma.......standing with the coaches on the football field, her baseball cap on backwards with a whistle and a clipboard.

Those memories along with about a million more are mine....and I am so grateful for them.

But today I am a little sad...

Murder, Moms and The Book of Mormon Musical...

I am so tired of hearing about the mother in Florida who may or may not have murdered her daughter. I try to avoid it, but because I am interested in the weather, politics and world events I still listen to the news. But it seems this is the way the news works....the temperature in New York according to the Casey Anthony trial is......we can report from the Casey Anthony trial that the Prime minister of Italy is having his problems these days. The stock market brought to you by the Casey Anthony trial, the Republican debates....a break through in medicine....incredible rescues....things so important seem to pale in comparison to a story I don't want to believe even occurred.

I kept all this to myself until I read a blog this morning called Kazzy's Pondering's. In her blog she wrote about how she ran outside, as though she was on fire, to take pictures of hot air balloons as they floated by. And all because she wanted to send the pictures to her missionary in Mexico...because it was a reminder of home. And she wanted him to feel some love from home.

That's the mom I want you to think about. The mom who loves with a fierceness that a tiger would step aside for.

I admit that some of that fierceness came out the other night as I was watching the Tony's...I usually watch the Tony's, but this year I watched with a bit of trepidation. I knew the musical, "The Book of Mormon" was going to win a lot. Out of curiosity I had listened to some of the score on NPR. Some of the songs were so profane I simply clicked it off. But some of the songs were filled with so much mockery and disdain about Mormon missionaries that I found myself feeling that fierceness only reserved for tigers.

Through my blog I have met people from India to North Carolina, from Utah to Mexico, and beyond. My new friends are divergent and because of our differences, so interesting. I have no desire to converse with people who only think as I do. I love finding out how my Hindu friends are coping with life, and my friends in New England, and Indonesia, and Texas, and North Carolina....I have not spoken about my religion much because I live by the adage, "Preach the Gospel every day, and if you have to use words." I think we are our best example...walk the walk of whatever you believe in, that is the best way to show others who you really are.

But since this blog is all about words....I have a few words, a few carefully chosen words, to say about the Book of Mormon musical. However understand that anything I say pales in comparison next to the official statement from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints....

"The production may attempt to entertain audiences for an evening, but the Book of Mormon as a volume of scripture will change people's lives forever by bringing them closer to Christ."

Succinct and to the point...no contention, a completely guileless reaction to a play that sets out to mock a religion, a culture and a people.

These are my thoughts and I take full responsibility for them.

Every play that is nominated presents a song or a part of a scene for the television audience to get a flavor of their whole production. The song the Book of Mormon musical chose to perform was about faith...this Missionary from Salt Lake City was seeing horrible things, but he stilled believed. Because that is what Mormons do..they believe. I am sure I am taking this benign view out of context, but I won't take issue with that. I do believe. And even though the audience snickered when this naive young man believed no matter what I thought, it's true.....I do believe.

This play was not just about Mormons, it was about all people who believe. Don't miss that point.



I want you to see what real Mormon missionaries look like....and they have moms like me.



They also look like this...




This is my beautiful daughter in the middle...a real missionary who believes...

A dear friend of mine came over right before my son was leaving for Costa Rica for two years...he looked at me and just shook his head. He supported what we were doing, but didn't understand it. He said to me, "I understand when parents send away their kids when they are difficult, I don't understand sending away the good ones."

My husband and I did indeed send away some good ones...but they came back better ones. They lived with a different culture for two years. They understand a language and a people completely. They found out what they could do when they only had the Lord to depend on.
This experience has been priceless. My sons were 19 years old..they left college, a job, friends and their family to serve others...all because they believed. And so did my daughter.

I hope some people will be curious after they see the play. I hope they ask questions...we may not be as catchy and flashy as the play...but we'll do.

And if you see a missionary this summer give them a cold drink or a hot dog. They are far from home and would be so grateful for a little love.

There is a professor at Harvard Business School named Clayton Christensen who wrote the most amazing essay about Why he believes...I highly recommend it. You can find it here...

http://www.claytonchristensen.com/pdf/Why_I_Belong_and_Why_I_Believe.pdf

They're Back!!!

So this mama bird is flying around looking for the perfect place to build a nest of sticks and poop. And she sees....a red door! that's the ticket! What other bird is going to have a nest next to a red door?
So being one stylin' rockin' mama bird that is exactly what she does.... just like one of her predecessors did last year.
A trend is borne...along with a couple of baby birds only a mother could love.

So the population of my house went up a couple when Stylin' rockin' Mama Bird popped out these cuties. Holy cats! They don't look like they're done do they?

Only a mother could love these little darlings....

I love what she's done with the place, don't you?

I hope they fly away soon...I am getting tired of being attacked by a Stylin' Rockin' mama bird every time I open the door. I was here first.

It's odd to have a nest in the decidedly not real wreath on my red front door. And I forget every time I open the door that I am only a guest here...and Stylin' Rockin' mama bird is in charge.

The little teamsters in the bird union should kick in on the power bill. Then I wouldn't be so cranky. But as it is the little organizers have simply taken over. Strong union.

Proves that even in the animal kingdom being unique rocks.

Happy People Are Hiding Something? So Not True....

Gather round children, I have some advice and I want you to listen closely.....when you are out there in the world and your actions suddenly cause you to say...."Quick hide!" you are doing something wrong. And when you hear it, listen to me carefully again, here is what you do.....stop, drop and roll! That's right, act as though your rear end is on fire and you have only a few seconds to keep from going up in flames.

One more time....you are doing something and suddenly you feel the need to hide what you are doing.....stop doing it. There, my work is done.....I believe I have saved your reputation, job or marriage. You are welcome.

For any of you who watched Anthony Weiner's press conference yesterday you saw how humiliating it can be to get caught in a lie, in front of the world, being interrogated by the NEW YORK press. For anyone who found joy in that press conference, well, you have never been caught taking 2 one liter bottles of diet coke into a football game where the sign clearly says..."Bring nothing into our football game - you must buy our 6 dollar soda." And with shame I will carry the rest of my life I was caught with the goods, or in this case the soda...by a 16 year old stadium attendant, who promptly confiscated my soda......my walk on the wild side never made it to TV, radio, or newspapers...I just did it in front of my dearest friends and my husband...oh, my...

Life is filled with opportunities to try and get away with something.....and you must know it never works. Someone, somewhere, knows. And. they. will. tell. Because people hate it when you try and get away with something that they secretly wish they could get away with but know that they could never get away with it and so how did you get away with it and since you did I am going to tell.

Nothing about what happened to Congressman Weiner is amusing, it is a cautionary tale, Maybe we aren't sending ridiculous pictures of our private parts to strangers, but we have our own cover ups...don't we? Although I once sent a picture of my foot in a shoe to Betsey....however I was at a shoe store and I did need to know if my foot looked fat in the shoe. She wasn't offended and it didn't make it into anyone's blog, and yes my foot did look fat in the shoe....

Maybe we should all take this time to assess our own behavior. It's a good time to clean house a bit....ask yourself, will I tell the truth even when it's hard? Can I be honest when no one is looking? And when I have the urge to hide something, can I stop, drop and roll?

Life is filled with little stops that give us pause and a chance to do better. And it's never too late to do better.

Warrior Personalities and the wisdom of Stevie Nicks

Recent events have forced me to come to terms with myself.....and as my patron Saint Stevie Nicks says in the song Landslide...."and I'm getting older too." So I am no longer going to hide behind what I believe in. There should be at least hints and bits of who I am in the words I write.

I am coming out.

I am a warrior personality. It manifests in several different ways. For instance...Sam's Club....I am standing in line guarding my milk, eggs and frozen chicken, when I hear yelling. Unusual at Sam's...Mildly curious I look several check stands over and see a young man verbally assaulting a much older man. The older man was so afraid, it was awful, and worse yet no one was doing anything, not the customers, not the wildly tattooed checker, and security? Seriously? Sam's Club? Not even a guy from automotive with a tire iron...nothing. I look around at the pasty faced cowards standing near me and say, "is no one going to do anything?" The woman in front of me says, "you don't know, he might have a gun." A gun? Well, maybe, but I have 10 pounds of frozen chicken breasts, I like my odds. So I start yelling too. And I don't stop...it was enough to at least get other people to start yelling....we were all yelling. Yelling is a great distraction. Finally, the hierarchy at Sam's strapped on a few and got out from behind the counter. They escorted the older man to his car and did some heavy staring at the younger man. I mean heavy staring...the kind Al Qaeda quakes in fear over.

I spent the rest of the day wondering why no one did anything sooner. Is this what we are reduced to? A society of people who just stand there?

Part of the problem is we don't have anyone to believe in...our leaders aren't noble any more...Where is Braveheart? I want a guy with blue paint on his face and a feisty horse.... I want someone to stand up and say right out loud who they are and what they believe in, and that you should believe in it too! No fear, no worries about how it looks....just a good old-fashioned, straight from the hip, look you in the eye, damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead kind of guy. Inspire me! Wouldn't you follow that kind of leader right off a cliff?

Recently I listened to the Prime Minister of Israel Bebe Netanyahu's speech to congress. It was amazing....I was ready to join! Forget the fact Israel is not recruiting annoying old white women. I was ready! And also forget my buzz kill friend Kedrick who wanted me to know both sides of that conflict have blood on their hands.....I loved his speech. I knew who he was and when leaders tell you who they are, at least you have a fighting chance to pick "your" right guy. But when they hide behind subterfuge and talk out of both sides of their mouth....beware my friends, you might end up with someone you don't recognize after the election.

Really?

We have big doings coming up next year. I hear 2012 is going to be the most blood thirsty election we have ever seen. Is the food at the White House that good? What is the attraction to pounding your thumb with a hammer every day during a campaign? Tell me!

And just to put everyone on notice, I am bringing my warrior personality right out on the porch for everyone to see. When folks get assaulted in this coming election because of their religion I will rally the forces of good and defend them tooth and nail.

Come on America!! If you know something is true, say it! Be courageous! Let other people hear you say it. Fear and faith don't live together...stand up for what you believe in, print it on your shirt...have cards made......and if you don't know what you believe in, for heaven's sake take some time to answer the nagging questions of your soul!

Where did you come from? Why are you here? Where are you going?

There are answers to these questions.....are you ready? Let's Roll.

Salvador Dali or Thomas Kincaid?

The name of this painting is "Hard Margins". The artist is Salvador Dali.... This painting is the reason I have no problem with politicians changing their mind on anything.

I am a flip-flopper on art.

Although I still marvel at the physical details, and I see beauty in this painting, I don't know if I would buy it today. My husband and I bought 6 Dali's the year we were married. We considered ourselves future art collectors, and it was cool to like Dali's....and if you like a head with it's brains falling out, being pulled through the ground covered by ants, then you will like it too. We were only going to buy 3 but the art dealer kept telling us Dali was going to die soon and that our pictures would be worth, "so much more." I think Dali was conveniently on his death bed for ten years. Death is a strong selling point for art dealers.

Anyway about the paintings, in the early 1950's Dali was commissioned by the Italian government to create illustrations of the text of Dante's "Divine Comedy" in honor of poet's birth. As you can imagine Italians did not like having a Spanish artist illustrating what is considered the most respected and greatest epic poem in their nations history. And to make it worse have you seen Dali? He is as unusual as his paintings.

Italians take their art seriously and they also take offense easily...

When the project was eventually dropped by the Italian government (grazie) Dali took what he had already created to a friend and art publisher the very French Joseph Foret. Dali finished the collection over the next nine years and they were published in six volumes between 1960 and 1964. The collection included 101 watercolors...from what are some of the most beautiful combinations of colors and shapes to some of the most unusual things I have ever seen.

The images are in three categories, Hell, Purgatory and Paradise. We, of course, have 2 from Hell, and 2 from Purgatory. I hope it didn't say anything about our new marriage that we didn't choose one from Paradise.

This one is called Ecstatic Visions, if you look at it long enough you will have visions for sure. Because I hate edges and heights, I always worry they will jump. So far so good.

This one is called "Betrayers to their Homeland"

or "Traitors of Monteperti". Personally I like the Traitor title. Sounds more dramatic, nothing is more dramatic than having a head pulled through a crack......

And then one more.....

Apparition of the Ancestor......My favorite, I love the colors, it doesn't matter that I have the art appreciation of a Philistine. What matters is that I like shiny objects and pretty colors. Most people don't know much about art or how would you explain the dogs playing poker pictures? We get to like what we like....and if our tastes change, well so be it. So if your taste are the old masters, or flowers, or sailboats....Thomas Kincaid or Grandma Moses...you get to like what you like. To be a patron of the arts doesn't take a degree, or even a lot of money...just a little bit of interest.

So.....What art do you like?

My contribution to "Laughter is the Best Medicine"

This is what I believe in on a fundamental level. I say, "I believe" a lot. Mostly because I believe in a lot of things. But most of all....

I believe in laughing...in fact I do believe that laughter is the best medicine. I believe in optimism, I believe in a cup half full as opposed to a cup half empty.

I believe in toughing out the hard times and holding on until the storm is over.

I believe in praying, and pleading to God for strength. And I believe He gives it to us.

I believe in immersing yourself in something that gives you joy. And staying there until you can laugh again.

I believe we have hard times. It is part of the plan. Those hard times are important and that we should be present while they are occurring. And as they wash over us just like waves changing the sand on the beach, those hard times will change us. And if we remember to laugh, then those changes will be profound.

And we will fly.

Just for fun follow the link below and laugh at a comic who never fails to make me laugh out loud until I hurt.

Happy laughter day!!

http://youtu.be/wpMkRIXhLH0

Opal Leigh, Madeline and Jerry

Put a camera on a football player after a great play and what does he say? "Hi Mom!" We all tear up, we love it....the love between a mother and a child trumps almost every other relationship there is....it is basic...it is natural...it is major.

But sometimes this relationship takes some strange turns. But that is all it is, a turn

Take me for instance I have three moms...my birth mother, Opal Leigh......Madeline the woman who adopted me with my dad, and Jerry my step mom....who married my dad when I was six.

My childhood wasn't exactly a scene from Oliver Twist, but it was different.

These three women all influenced the woman I am today. For the longest time I felt I was the most unlucky person in the world. My birth mother gave me away, my first adopted mother Madeline divorced my dad, took me with her, gave me back to my dad, and then a few years later died. My step mom married my dad when I was 6 and I never thought she liked me. On the surface that seems like a lot of rejection, and terribly, terribly dramatic. From the perspective of an eighteen year old, which is the age I decided to feel really sorry for myself, it feels like a lot of rejection. Had life dealt me a lousy hand? Or was I amazingly blessed? Thank goodness I grew up, and saw my life for what it was, and not some big plot hatched to cheat me out of happiness.

There is the story of my birth mother Opal Leigh Jones...What a gift to know her name! I didn't know it until after my dad passed away and I found my adoption papers. I also discovered she had given me a name. Patti. Patti Jones. I like that name, I bet she named me after Patti Page...I may have only had that name for a day, but it's a good strong name. And Opal Leigh? That is a great Texas name, it is as Texan as Neiman-Marcus! Being from Texas has always been my heritage....I may not know anything about my actual lineage, but I do know I am from Texas. And then after seeing my birth mother's name I knew ....my birth mother is Texan. I know it sounds odd, but that name connected me to a place, and that felt so good.

Opal Leigh did the most noble thing, she gave me up for adoption to a family who couldn't have children. Arnold and Madeline Beckman....I wandered into their lives at the age of 2 days..

Madeline was the best hunter and the best fisherman...she could also out drink everyone too, and had a fabulous pink Cadillac.

She loved to do my hair, lots of curls, lots of bows, and I had an never ending series of dresses....frilly dresses and patent leather shoes, even hats and purses to match. It's funny the things you remember isn't it?

My parents divorced when I was so little, my mother took me to Alaska, it was the farthest she could get from my dad. After awhile Madeline wasn't able to take care of me so she sent me back to my dad. I only saw her a couple of times after that, she passed away when I was 8. The day I found out she died was the hardest day of my childhood. I really didn't believe them, and I looked for her for years.

And then what had to be the hardest job, Jerry was the step mom. She married my dad when I was six....I know now that she did the best job she could, but we never had that mother daughter thing I yearned for. I remember being in a restaurant one time when I was very young. I watched a young girl about my age having lunch with her mother. I remember it so clearly. They were laughing together, and the way they looked at each other.....just a look of love, acceptance, and friendship. Jerry loved me, I know she did, but we never had that relationship. We limped through my adolescence, doing our best. My parents had lots of financial problems which kept their lives very stressful. The really good news is before she passed away we mended the parts of our lives that had been broken. As I have gotten older and have some stress in my life as well, I understand why things happened the way they did. I not only have put the negative things behind me, but I have realized how much I learned from things not being perfect.

I believe in the law of compensation And you know that time I described in the restaurant, the scene with the mother and daughter? The one I wanted so badly? I have that with all of my children. They are not only wonderful children that I love ferociously, but great friends too. I have only been married once...to a wonderful man who simply and completely loves me. the greatest gift of my married life is I have never, not even once, doubted him. So for all of the circuitous twists my childhood took, I didn't repeat the really hard parts.

Life can be a great teacher.

I want to wish my three moms a Happy Mother's Day. I honor them all, and thank them for their sacrifices, their love and for all they added to my life.

Thank you Opal Leigh, Madeline and Jerry....

Donny and Marie Marry!! I Mean Marie and Steve Remarry!!

It has been a big week for me. Kate And Will get married...have to get a gift for them...then we finally find Osama, thank goodness for GPS. And now today I have to find another gift because Marie Osmond remarries her first husband...in her first wedding dress.

Was that part of the deal? Like if she didn't fit into the dress she couldn't get married? Sort of like if the shoe doesn't fit......I think I have been reading too many fairy tales.......

Best of luck to the happy couple...

My thoughts on the wedding...

I am sure you are all sitting on the couch right now, pushing the newspapers aside thinking, "what were Donna's thoughts on the wedding?"

Love to help...

I thought it rocked. I loved the colors, loved her dress, loved that her sister looked fabulous....(she brought new life to bridesmaids dresses - no longer will bridesmaids have to suffer, they can throw it back on the bride, give me a Pippa dress!)





My two favorite moments? the first was the Queen and Camilla - the Queen shakes hands with all the Abbey boys...skips a courtesying (did I make up that word?) Camilla who went in for a kiss, oops, no kiss for Camilla...kiss for Charles, and on down the aisle in her fabulous yellow hat. No matter what, the royal gig is tough..even for Prince Charles wife.

Second favorite, actually my favorite..was when they went out on the balcony and Kate saw all of England standing there...her very real reaction? "Oh wow!"

.


And that one little flower girl...I loved her face!!



I hope the "common" part of her never goes away. When I was younger my friend Beth shared with me her thoughts about adoption. She felt adoption was a fabulous idea for any blood line...so adopting Kate into the royal family is a great move...it certainly was good for the economy of Britain. The sale of mugs alone will help the bottom line considerably!

As for me and my all-royal-all-the-time life this past week, my diction is better, my posture is straighter and I feel a need to polish the silver. All things British is not so bad actually - I have also been saying 'actually' a lot. I also feel a need to garden.....

It was fabulous that Kate looked like a medieval Queen......William the Conqueror could have been there. I loved all the trees in the Abbey and the fact that there weren't any sinister characters lurking about..that is one thing medieval stories always have, the wicked stepmother, the uncle who should have the throne..all those fabulous folks shuffling around...this was just hats, feathers, uniforms and royal subjects. See, in England even the regular people are royal!





And they were all so happy.....Isn't it good to find something to celebrate?...so with my new crisp diction, straighter posture and shiny silver, I am going to find something to celebrate every day..I can't depend on England to put a wedding together just to get me to shine my silver.

My best to everyone getting married....I hope everyone wears a hat!

Happy Birthday Trey!!

So how blessed am I? Four times a year I get to remember my children's birthdays in details only I know. Yesterday I spent the day remembering when Trey was born. There were lots of things about his birth that I inherently knew. I knew he was a boy...almost from the beginning. And on April 27th I knew he was coming. However, the good people at the hospital didn't know he was coming. In fact they told me to go home. I refused...(this began my tradition of being the worst maternity patient ever) So they sent me to the back parking lot to walk...walk until my water broke. And I did, and it did...a few hours later this sweet little boy came into our lives.......

Four sweet little spirits sailed into our lives over the years, different births for sure but the same in forever changing our lives...helping us grow up..making us into better people and giving us the opportunity to reach outside ourselves and love four amazing people....right from the beginning!

Happy Birthday Trey!

Good luck William and Kate!

I have read with some amusement people's opinions on the royal marriage. The spectrum has gone from boredom to excitement. Some folks have said they are so over it...easy to do with the never ending stream of information about a family we will never meet....never really know what they think....and because of that, never really understand.

Americans seem way more interested than the Brits are. But I doubt that...like them, don't like them, the Windsors are their crazy uncle....the one you put up with during holidays. And talk about when he isn't in the room. He is never quite functional, in fact the family is always surprised he dresses himself...yet we still set a place for him at the table.

So it is with the Windsors....we may cluck at the waste, deride the time spent wondering what she will wear and get angry we can't find anything on television that isn't somehow related to Will and Kate.....we still secretly wish that just one time we could ride down a street in a horse drawn carriage, surrounded by men in uniform......meeting our handsome prince.

Admit it....it looks pretty cool.

On another note I am amazed that when Kate gets stressed she loses weight....I would be the fat princess...getting out of the carriage with one hand on the door and one with a crumpet, or a danish or a doughnut...a little jam on my upper lip, but a smile nonetheless! I find stress is best served with carbohydrates. Kate just stopped eating...poor thing.

I just want to see her dress.

I know everything else....

The Mormon Formal

I am writing this blog to put all your hearts at ease...

Good clean fun seems to have taken a big hit....in fact there are people out there who think teenagers have no interest in good clean fun.

But when given the chance, kids prove they are interested in just having a good time....no pretense, no pressure..

I give you......the Mormon Prom...just a dance our church put on. There are Mormons all over the Las Vegas Valley, in fact over 100,000, so several stakes participated and it was a great event. A stake is just a unit of about 8 or 9 wards. Each ward has about three or four hundred members.

It started out as an inexpensive answer to the incredibly expensive (well over 500 dollars for some students) proms. Then it became an alternative to negative peer pressure. Then it became an opportunity for everyone to go, shy guys found confidence and a "safe place to fall." The atmosphere changed....pressure was off, it was just a great time to get dressed up, get a corsage, have a great dinner at no cost, and then off to a dance. They all still go to the high school dances, but this Prom is different....

The dinner I helped with was at my friend Susan Wise's house. She, along with her equally talented daughter Ashley, put together an amazing dinner. The tables were set beautifully, with fresh flowers, classy place settings with chargers, lots of forks and spoons to practice on, and candles everywhere.


The food was delicious and it was all cooked and served by their parents.

Everyone went to such lengths to make these kids feel special

It was an honor to serve these kids. This group was like every other group around the valley, student council kids, national honor society, baseball players, cheerleaders, student body presidents, volleyball players, football players, just all around good kids. Every senior I talked to had plans to attend college...doesn't that make you feel good? I loved it....

Just happy kids, enjoying being kids....

More happy kids.....

The dad's needed to take a break to watch the BYU game...

Four Centennial High School cheerleaders with the mascot - he is the one usually under the bulldog costume!

This kind of event was going on all over our valley. Small groups of kids invited to the homes of parents who make dinner at their expense, set beautiful tables, serve them, love them and then send them off to the dance. The girls choose their dresses carefully, they do agree to a dress code...nothing sleeveless, no cleavage, or too short.....you can see it doesn't take away from how beautiful all the girls are.

There might have been a lot of clean up..but no one seemed to mind...lots of hands, quick work.






Then after dinner they all left for the World Market Center in downtown Las Vegas. This facility is amazing and they had the entire top floor....and dessert. What could be better? Actually nothing...it was just the best.

A Great Day At Channel 8

So today Emma and I went over to Channel 8. Every high school nominates one senior to represent their school, and Channel 8 calls this program, "Nevada Pride."




She had to stand in front of the camera and introduce herself...no flies on Emma, she knows her name and the school she attends. So it went pretty fast...Hi! I am Emma Tagliaferri from Centennial High School..




I love this program because the focus is on good students....students who routinely give back. Emma and the student council she heads have contributed money to Haiti, shoes to Afghanistan, lunches to the homeless and collected money for a football player from Green Valley who was seriously injured in a game against the Bulldogs. I know that the parts of her high school life that she will cherish the most were the parts that had nothing to do with her, but what she could do for others.




This cute boy is from Palo Verde, Emma stopped complaining about all the pictures I was taking when we got one with Chandler. Chandler is the student body president at Palo Verde. This picture represents hundreds of hours of service, endless meetings and sleepless nights setting up for a dance, a town hall meeting, or a conference.
All great kids with a great future....Thanks Channel 8!!

Just saying

So I have been away from writing for awhile, so I have a few thoughts...nothing real serious..

I changed my perfume...I wore Ysatis for over twenty years....if you missed the memo, I am reinventing myself, changing all kinds of things about myself...you know every journey begins with a single step...my first step is huge.

New Perfume. I like it.

I am glad I am not in Libya. Muammar Gaddafi (what can you say? There is nothing funny here)........... I just heard a guy on TV being interviewed about his parents who have lived there since July and are trying to leave Libya. He said they are very low key and this is the first time they have ever lived abroad. First time they lived abroad and they chose Libya? Wow...isn't that like your first trip in a plane is on a nuclear warhead?

Our girls basketball team is really good and they regularly beat other teams by a whole lot. There isn't a lot of competition in our division so the score is often lopsided. They are a team of 10 players, no starters, she just rotates them in all the time. So she can't take the "starters" out...anyway an edict came down from on high that if the team wins by more than 50 points the coach will have to resign. The coach has never run up the score on purpose, they just play...and they play hard. They work hard....but now they are being told not to work hard, don't play hard....be mediocre. Wow.....I hope these same guys aren't in charge of say...medical school. OK all you medical students who are making straight A's....the B and C students are feeling badly....could you miss a few shots, I mean a few questions? Could you slip up in a surgery so the other guys feel better. After all we don't want you to be too smart. What's next? No Valedictorians? I bet that make the rest of the students feel bad. You know the ones that didn't do their homework or read the books? Oooooh thats the CPA, Vet, Attorney, Teacher, I want, the one who barely graduated. Jimmer is making too many shots....he has to slow down...slow down for what? To let the rest of college basketball catch up? It won't happen, sometimes people are that good, that driven...No one should be punished for working hard and doing an excellent job.

I am so tired of mediocrity being required.

I visited a remarkable friend last night. Just saying that there are amazing people out there in the world, dealing with struggles and trials with grace. I love friends that edify.

Have you ever thought about where you want to be in ten years? I have been. I would like a greenhouse....to be surrounded by plants all day would be heavenly. Oh, wait I already am surrounded by plants.....my only sustained hobby since middle school. I have plants everywhere in my house...a new leaf gives me a thrill. But I would still like a greenhouse....

The madness that is March is right around the corner...for my friends in India that would be basketball...college basketball to be specific. It takes our mind off of Libya anyway. Texas is number 5....hook 'em!!

My son called today to tell me that Spring Football starts in a few weeks. Thank goodness......hasn't it been absolute weeks since the super bowl?

Does anyone set goals? I have always been against it since it just reminds of one more thing I am not doing....

We had a really bad cold snap and so many plants outside died...but the weeds keep growing. How is that even possible?

On to the Oscars...whatever will I wear?

Christmas 2010!!

Welcome to my home at Christmas...
This post is basically a remembrance for our family. But since I love seeing everyone else's decorations and finding out why they have that same tired, broken angel in the same place every year...I thought I would show you mine.
I mean seriously how often do you get to tour someone's house who isn't rich or famous? Just a regular gal...
I love Christmas.



A few years ago I toyed with the idea of painting my door red, but I chickened out, and then my dear friend Betsey painted hers red. I admired her courage.....and it looked perfect, so I did it too.
A red door looks good at Christmas, Fall is kind of a challenge...but Christmas rocks with a red door.










More decorations.....




















When Raymond worked in gaming he would do these fabulous giveaways at Christmas time. One of those giveaways were these Santa music boxes, the supplier would give us samples and I have about 9 of them. I put them all over, on bookshelves, tables and the dining room. Every year my sons bring them downstairs, complain about it, take them out of the boxes and complain some more. When Christmas is over they bring the boxes downstairs again and complain....they put the Santas back in the boxes, complain a bit more, and then take the boxes back upstairs...when they come back down they complain a bit more. That works.





Here is one of my favorite gifts, Just look at this! Three great canisters filled with Hot chocolate mix (with a scoop!) snow man shaped marshmallows, and chocolate sprinkles...She added lovely Christmas stickers, ribbon and candy canes. Don't you love this? Thank you Susan I love it! We also need a Bleacher shout out for her daughter Ashley who is also very talented. You can read her blog at Blush and Bashful (http://colorsareblushandbashful.blogspot.com/) I am expecting great things from her, she is very inventive and creates lovely things.


These pictures are just of here and there....I love Christmas trees, and try to make them as unusual as possible. The one in the fore ground is decorated from my herb garden, I put dried basil, oregano and some Eucalyptus. I enjoy using what is growing in my yard. I dry the herbs first, and they not only smell great, they have a lot of texture.


This year the decorating of the mantle really annoyed me. I take forever to put up garland, or design the top of a table, or do anything - not so my husband. He tackles a decorating job with very little emotion so it goes very fast. ...he is in charge of the mantle and it took him 20 minutes to do this, beginning to end.
Every year he suggests a week might be too long to keep the house upside down while I decorate every light, door and table. I wouldn't understand either if I could be as fast as he is...


He did a great job....minute man.









In the dining room are some of my favorite things...





I started collecting these fairies five years ago when my friend Janet Kelly gave one to me for Christmas. I was intrigued by the detail on their faces and costumes, and couldn't resist getting more. In fact I wired a few of them to garland that hangs over the doorway in the den. I would love to show it to you, but our new dog chewed the end of the garland and shorted out the lights. So this Fairy is an example of the rest of them....this one is just bigger...the smaller ones wire into the garland so easily..




Also in the dining room is my Radko tree. When my mother passed away ten years ago my friend Theresa called and said she would rather give me some Christmas ornaments than flowers. So she drove out to my house with some really beautiful ornaments. I have gotten one or two every year since. There is a story behind each one...and each story is precious to me. I think of my mother every time I put up this tree, and Theresa, and the story of each ornament.
It is a very sweet time for me...Christmas is about remembering. I try to just remember good things.






They are just beautiful aren't they? I used gold babies breath and gold berries to give it more texture...














Did I miss anything?


This is why I frustrate my husband so much...I find a way to swag everything within an inch of its life...
These are just random pictures of the rest of the house...the stairs... wrapping that garland around the railing is not easy, but doing it and then finding out the lights have stopped working is cruel.



This is another of my favorite trees, it is always in the entry way and always decorated the same....Red and green balls, red berries, little wooden green and red hearts that I cut apart from a garland (it was so cute but I couldn't do anything with it, after I cut it apart I discovered perfect ornaments) and pine cones, lots of pine cones....
...Oh and as many bears as I can find!! Big bears, little bears...bears and more bears.

























These ceramic figures were fired and painted by my dear friend Cindy...you can see her work all through my house. Of course, when I am putting them up I think of her......don't you love the Santa and Mrs. Santa warming up their rear ends? They are my favorite...
I wrote myself a note last year to do a better job on the Library Christmas tree. And I did, then the cable guy unhooked the lights and I was afraid if I hooked them back up he would have to come back...didn't want that, so no lights on the cool tree in the library.


Just some things on the bookshelves...add a pick of some kind and it softens everything up...
And yes of course I have read all of these books...












My beautiful Christmas tree....filled with every kind of ornament there is. Some from travels, some from great sales, some hand made, some from friends......all with love.
This year we had lots of opportunities to have people use our home. One occasion we moved 3 big tables in and 24 delightful teenagers had a formal dinner here before a dance. On another day 82 student council kids ate baked ziti and laughed all their tension about school away...on another day we had a cookie exchange, and several dinners, including one with Beef Wellington that was amazing. I love having people over, I like feeding them, I love hearing them laugh....it really is the most wonderful time of the year.
















And these are the wonderful people who live here...












Aren't they fabulous? My family, and the new dog. I hope he stops eating my stuff.

Hope you had a great Christmas......my fondest wish is that we will have another Christmas together in 2011!