On the road again

Just can''t wait to get on the road again....

Our NEXT journey (to the beach) begins in an hour. Luckily this drive is only one DVD long (in kid hours) so the kids won't get too antsy (or me for that matter). Every year we have a theme for the week which culminates in a "party" celebrating the theme. This year it is Greek Week. Given that there are ages 6-63 (+ or -) we won't be recreating Animal House, we'll in fact be getting into "character" of Greek gods and goddesses. We've even bought makings for some 'costumes'. Anyway, the fun is in the journey of figuring out how to 'make the party'. My Greek goddess character is actually a combo of two goddesses Eutychia (goddess of happiness) and Selene (goddess of the moon) just call me EutSe for short.

Off to do the last packing for the trip. Rock ON!

Muffin Top

I just ate a HUGE muffin almost the size of my head and I didn't even want it. I ate the whole thing without even realizing it. It was the definition of mindless eating. For the next 2 weeks I'll be in a bathing suit on a daily basis. The first week in Bethany, Delaware at BEACH WEEK with my side of the family. Then I head to the U.P. of Michigan for LAKE WEEK with my husband's side of the family. So...any effort to look at all becoming in a suit have been thwarted by my Muffin and many other delights I've consumed on this vacation. Every summer I intend to be "in the best shape I can" and every summer (around this time), I give in to the fact that the summer is all about relaxing, enjoying yourself, imbibing too much and eating too much...so as the story goes, I'll start back on my quest for the 'best shape' in September...but then there is Halloween candy, Thanksgiving dinner, Holiday gorging...then the New Year resolution kicks in...and so on and so forth. For now....I'll try to digest the cake-size muffin so by lunchtime when I dine out with a friend, I can gorge some more...Carpe Diem

Picture is from Monkey's 1st Birthday...that is probably what I looked like when eating my muffin.

No man is an island

One thing that I know that I am good at is making the effort to keep in touch with friends. Being a Navy Junior (my Dad hates it when I say "brat") and a nomad as an adult, I have friends strewn across the globe. I try to keep them close with communication AND if ever I'm in their 'neck of the woods', I'll make the time and effort to see them. This trip to DC has epitomized this concept. I've seen a childhood friend, some high school friends, some college friends, and friends my husband and I have made. These visits give me energy that I see as a necessity for my feeling connected. I am feeling 'recharged' at the moment. I've always said that I'd love to buy an island and have all of my close friends as neighbors...that is assuming that everyone would get along. I think they would because as the saying goes "any friend of mine is a friend of yours"....so, come join my island commune of 'love, happiness and sunshine (and moonshine thrown in for good measure)'...meanies are NOT WELCOME.

Sticks and stones

Today I got my first anonymous "not-so-nice" comment. It says "wow dude...your blog totally sucks".

I keep trying to say that it doesn't bother me, which it really doesn't at my core, but the fact that I'm even giving mention to it shows that it had some effect. Oh well. I don't mind constructive criticism, in fact I actually like it, but those words are not constructive, they're hurtful. If you are going to make such a comment, at least have the guts to identify yourself (and say it "to my face"), otherwise you look like a coward who is providing no value to my life....happiness and sunshine, happiness and sunshine, happiness and moonshine (I'm about to grab my evening glass of wine and share a nice evening with my parents). So...Mr. Anonymous...take your comments and shove them where the sun-don't-shine. There, I'm better now. Love, me!

My Epitaph

Today I attended a memorial service for our dear friend's mother. I went into it thinking that since it wasn't my mom, I wouldn't be crying...that was a dumb thought. How can you not cry when you see a family coming to terms with loss? This was my first time that I realized that my parents will some day die too, it made it very real to see my friend's sister who is exactly my age, have to stand up to honor her mother. The tears did flow and luckily I was offered a tissue. The oldest son did a wonderful job recapping his mother's life and wove the theme of what the phrase on her tombstone would read "Loving wife and mother" and how she epitomized both of those roles.

This got me to thinking what my own epitaph would read...right now I'm not 100% sure, but I do want to find the word(s) and then attempt to exceed my own expectations. At one point Party Animal might have been the phrase, but I'm not sure that fits anymore. If anyone wants to offer suggestions, I'm open!

Dancing Queen

We were all dancing queens last night at my cousin's wedding. My children displayed their awesome "talents" on the dance floor. My daughter ended the night early because my spiky heel made its way directly on her toe and somehow DRAMA QUEEN came to visit. Then my break dancing son ended with a 'rug burn' on his chest from the dance floor. I LOVE dancing at weddings and my evening was cut short by my balls and chains. All other members of my extended family enjoyed the whole evening (yes I'm envious). The trip was well worth it nonetheless. I got to see all kinds of family I hadn't seen in ages.

There was an unauthorized photo (at least in my mind) splattered on a huge screen of our whole family circa 1992...I happened to turn my head JUST as it popped up...horror of all horrors I looked hideous with my long hair that wasn't long enough at the time...I really was trying for longer...and now with age and wisdom, I ask why? I was pasty white due to the fact that I'd been sequestered away at Grad School in Oshkosh, Wisconsin (yes there is a place called Oshkosh and now you can say b'gosh because I know you want to).

A snippet from our long journey home from Kentucky to Maryland, "Mom?", "yes Monkey", "Do you know that it is hard to Riverdance when you squat your knees?", "No, really?", "Yeah I tried it last night and it is way harder than it looks". That is just a very small sampling of the many revelations my six year old son revealed on the 9 (plus) hour journey home...it is so cute to see inside his 'wide open' mind....I hope he keeps sharing his thoughts!

Gratitude X 10 (my normal Sunday topic)...thank goodness the car ride is over (times 10).

Roadtrip

When I wrote the title "Roadtrip", in my mind I'm back in college with a group of friends yelling ROADTRIP...cramming in the car and heading to anywhere, to do anything, with anybody. That is almost the exact opposite journey I'm about to embark on. I will be driving with 2 "old people" (my parents, one of whom is injured) and three young kids in a minivan. We are headed to Lexington, KY for a weekend wedding. It is a family reunion of sorts. The whole clan will be there minus a few (sadly my brother and my cousin's wife are both otherwise engaged...in Afghanistan). Anyhow, the roadtrips of yesteryear are merely a memory...but I can daydream as I hit the open road. ROCK ON!

Picture is from a Bunko party...white trash was the theme. I was SO PROUD of my hair that night because it looked EXACTLY as I did in the 80s! I'm awesome