Strong Women!

Here are a couple of strong women! Take a good look. One has lived with Stage 4 Cancer for five years and all kinds of major physical CRAP - for want of a better word. The other has lived with hard times, disappointments and physical struggles. Both are - for the most part - positive people. Both keep on going - getting tough when the weak fall behind. My hat is off to you - JUNE and KORI.

Ever feel this way?

Gripes. Here are a few of mine. I hate it when people talk to kids like they are stupid. I mean like......elementary school aged children. My ex has put us through Hell and still thinks we shouldn't talk about these things to our 8 year old. Like she has no perception of what's happening around her. Like she can't feel when Mom is upset?

I don't know how close you are to your children but they know, right? Don't get me wrong, I am not a huge Drama Queen (in real life) so if I lose it when my kid is around.... I am having a hard time. Why do we feel we need to shield our kids from EVERYTHING? Like Life is just one lovely walk in the park? Whoa.

Isn't there some happy medium? I think I'd rather my kid have some information than left to wonder..."is it me?"

Here's another. Do we give kids too many chances? I mean...when they screw up do we say...okay THIS time for sure....? Do we set them up for big falls in Life when they get a resounding NO out there in the cold cruel WORLD? How do they cope if they have never had to deal with it in a controlled environment?

Sigh. I love my child as much as anyone else loves their flesh and blood. It just BUGS me when adults can't walk in their children's shoes for a moment. For a MINUTE.

How do we explain accountability when our Mayor and his Girlfriend lie under oath and then get busted big time? When do adults have to own up and BECOME ADULTS? When do we have to own up to petty behaviour worthy of a 6 year old? I must admit I have had my share of petty, pouty behavior but it doesn't last long and it's usually done in private. I realize....All right, you've had your 15 minutes.. GET OFF THE PITY POT AND MOVE ON.

Wow, can it be that some adults don't know they are whiners? Maybe, huh?

That sucks.

http://jolli.wordpress.com/

The title of this posting is a wonderful website that I visit most days. It's done by a guy whose family owns the Jolli Lodge on Good Harbor Bay - one of my most favorite places on earth! If you want to see some really lovely wintry photos I would highly suggest checking out the site.

Yup, it's Winter again here. We are walking into the annual January deep freeze.

Below is a photo of two gal pals - long term gal pals. Kathy is on the left and Michele is on the right. Kathy I have sung with for 20 years and she is a blast and one of the few who can sing Led Zeppelin tunes at the drop pf a hat.


Michele is my best friend and was my Maid of Honor at my wedding. We met when we were 15 /16 years old while doing our high school musical, Oklahoma!. We've been friends ever since. Although we have spent very little time in the same state/country, we have a friendship that has always been one you could pick up at any time. She is one of my 3a.m. friends - the ones you call when you are freaked out/mad/sad/lonely at 3a.m.

Both these ladies represent moments in my life and mean different things to me. I am so happy they were with me to share my special day and both are dear, smart women. Thanks guys!!

At it again!

Here we are - geez was this photo from almost 2 years ago?? - Lisa and I, getting ready for another show. This is my friend who is the Creative Director of the theatre group I work with.

I am the Vocal Director for the company. This has been a great collaboration for me. I've done 6 shows with the group and am now embarking on my 7th. The Youth Theatre celebrates it's 5th year in existence this season. Cool, huh?

I'm off to rehearsal!

I got the BUG

The Travel Bug. It has been an embarrassingly long time since I was out of this great country of ours. This is a shot of me in Rome - outside the Colosseum no less. (No, I did not carve my name into the wall! But yes, that is my name and date. A whole other story............)

Geez! I have been all over the USA but not outside the country since....gulp....1997. Really! Really? Before then I was all over the place. Money is a factor, for sure. But wow! For someone with this strong of an addiction?

It ain't right!

Best Man and Best Gal

I watched my wedding DVD the other day - was it only 8 months ago? This photo is so cute of our best man and our lovely junior bridesmaid. Mallie was NOT going to be a Flower Girl.
"Mom, it's a fluff job". Everyone looked so good and so happy. It is nice to have an enduring piece of history where your friends and family remain forever in nice clothes and smiles. Love that technology!

The kings have come and gone

Here we are, happy Christmas Family. Epiphany has come and gone and my tree is till up. I always have it down by now but I'm dragging my heels this year. Why? The tree is so lovely and we got some new ornaments from friends and family this year. And it does make the living room glow very nicely. I often think that I will have a Winter Tree one year. Take some old branches - not hard to find after last night's storm - and bring them in and add lights and some left over tinsel. Keep the cheeriness going for a little longer through the yucky months. Sigh. If only the snow would return - sorry snow haters. I love it and it makes the winter so much easier to deal with - for me. This weather is just so ......nothing. It inspires nothing - in my book. There are no bulbs pushing up to excite me. There are no tree buds to make me think of warm summer afternoons. Whoa! It is POURING right now. Major rain. Wow.

Snow is gentle and quiet and serene, I feel. It makes us slow down and think more, don't you find? Warm rain just makes you pull your collar closed and move more quickly into the store. Luckily, I live in the frozen north so I'll get my wish sooner than later. It just seems a shame that we lost all the stuff we had last week.