Message from an America Soldier

I got this email today with a video link in it titled "Powerful Message from an American Soldier." I watched the video as soon as I got to work and you know what? I wanted to hug each & every one of our service members. Hope it's as powerful for you.


http://www.flashdemo.net/gallery/wake/index.htm

Wardrobe Malfunction

Ok, I typed this long post and in my effort to change font color, it disappeared .... damn technology!

So, here's a brief recap of what I wrote:

I was looking at my laundry a few weeks back and realized my undies were in pretty sad shape. I don't rush out to buy new hardly ever. No one's looking so why bother. Comfort is #1. Well, I grabbed 3 packs from the Hanes display while shopping with mom, checked out and never thought twice about it. That is until this morning. I grab a pair and can't understand why they keep rolling down. I changed once and ran out the door to catch the bus to work. By 11:00 I couldn't take it any more. Everyone was in the office so I couldn't tug & pull like before so I went to the bathroom and took them off. Yup, O-F-F, off! Turns out I bought Fruit of the Loom with my 2 packs of Hanes. Who knew there's such a difference in cut? Well, live, learn and ladies READ CAREFULLY!!!!
PS - this is kinda groovy in a 1960's-burning-your-bra-liberating sort of way. LOL

To my cousin Corries who's laughing hysterically that this point ....... glad I could make your day! :)

Pix are finally here, now where's Froggie???

Hi all, just got the pix from Caron's shower. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Now if Froggie would just hurry up and get here! He's (or she's) due here tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed!!

Ash Wednesday 2007

Today is Ash Wednesday an while I'm no where's near a "religious" person, this is one day I make a point of going to church on. Every year for the past 4 years my girlfriends and I make the loooonng pilgrimage to Westminster. Ok, it's not that long of a journey, actually, it's just next door. Rev. Yorty just has THAT voice. The soothing voice that can calm any fear and just leaves you feeling wonderful so I was really looking forward to today's service. Well, April, Rosing (her first time with us) and Gayle (also her first time with us) walked in and got settled in our seats. I was looking through the bulletin and was pleasantly confused. Rev Yorty wasn't doing the service but instead Rev Delgado was. She's an associate pastor who's been with them I'd say 6 mos or so. I had talked to her previously on a friend's behalf so I was curious to see what she looked like. She's short, pleasant and older than I expected. She also seemed very nervous. Odd since she's not new to the cloth. She read just about everything from a paper - verbatim - and we had self service ashes! Oh No! What is going on? Is a drive-thru on the way? This I did not like and you could see everyone else was confused to. While the service was enjoyable, I think next year I'll call to see who's doing it. On a high point, I found out the church has a knitting club!!! LOL :-)

Kari's now 11

Well, Kari turned 11 yrs old yesterday - pix to follow - and what's a kid with a winter birthday to do for something fun & different? Pages Pleasure Island Resort. Well, it's not really a resort. It's an indoor waterpark right in Depew, New York on Transit Road. It wask Kari & 4 friends who got to swim for an hour, they ate for 1/2 hr then had 1/2 hr in the game room. All for the discounted price of $100. They even had a rock climbing wall and laser tag. All of the decor came from the old Kahunaville after they closed. It was kinda nice to remember all the good times there. LOL Anyway, right after we left (I had a doctor's appointment) the ceiling caved in on the pool area!! Two adults were taken to the hospital but no serious injuries. The roof had a leak no one knew about so all the water & humidity from the pool area just gathered up there and made it cave in. Glad we were out of there at that point!

Alexa the Super Model!!

Afternoon everyone!! Here's a picture of my friend Nicole's daughter Alexa. As cute as she is, it seems we really aren't biased! Here's the picture that will appear on the box of Dress Up Spring Time Dora & in the Fisher-Price catalogue. Run out and get your copies. I'm sure she'll be happy to autograph it ......... as long as you don't mind it being in Crayola! LOL Congrats Miss Alexa!!!

A bathing suit for Kari

We went shopping yesterday for a bathing suit for Kari. Her birthday's 2/19 and she's having it at a local indoor waterpark. She'll be 11 so keep that number in mind. As we went to K*Mart, there were NO suits. So we went to Target and guess what, the little girl ones just weren't cutting it. We had to go to the women's department. Yikes! First of all, mom wasn't ready for the sticker shock. She hasn't bought a bathing suit of her own in ages. Well, we found a really nice chocolate brown one for $20 ($10 a piece because of course they don't sell them as sets anymore) which kari really liked. She's an adult Small!!!!! The bottoms fit well but the area we were really trying to cover was a bit north. Yikes! Talk about growing up fast. She's 10 going on 20! To all those who have baby girls, look out!

Candy Gram?? Nope! It's a Lobster Gram!!

Ok, so I just have to tell you all about this. Last night mom & dad were watching the food channel. I was kinda tired so I really wasn't paying too much attention ......... until I saw this. A commercial comes on for Lobester Grams! Lobster Grams you ask? Oh yeah. I couldn't resist so I jumped up and went online to www.livelob.com to check it out. You can order whole lobsters, lobster tails, crabcakes, clam chowder and other seafood yummies. They are, as you can imagine, not cheap. they'll ship them anywhere in the U.S. and gift certificates are available to be maild outside the U.S., but need to be redeemed within the U.S. - I know, a bit confusing. The best part about the site was the instruction page!!! It tells you to start off by having a "gulp" of your favorite beverage. It gets even better. Check it out!!!

Origins of the Chinese Auction

Renita posed an interesting question today at work. Where did Chinese Auctions start and why do they call them Chinese Auctions. This of course came up when Dave asked her what special event a certain account ran. I of course googled the question and here's what I found:

As a youngster (mid-'40s to mid-'50s) growing up on Long Island, New York, US, the story about Chinese Auctions that was told was this:
In the early 1900's a wealthy American socialite (believed to reside in NY) was looking for a novel idea to use for one of her fund-raising events for a charity in which she was involved. She came up with several ideas, but quickly rejected them because they were not quite novel enough for the times. (At that time something novel and unique quickly became the rage and if you were the socialite that introduced it then your social standing was elevated.)
The socialite came up with the idea of a different type of auction to raise money for the charity. Various items would be displayed at the event and in front of each item would be a container (basket, bowl, jar--whatever). The guests would be invited to bid on the items by writing their names and the amount they wished to bid on a piece of paper and placing the paper in the container. It was all very discrete, private and unpublished--no one really knew who was bidding on what or what amount they were bidding.
At that time anything and everything to do with the Orient or Orientals (as those terms were then in use) was considered mysterious, intriguing, secretive, exotic and maybe even a little provocative. The socialite came up with the phrase Chinese Auction because she felt that this type of auction was mysterious, intriguing, secretive.
Assuming, arguendo, that this story is true, I would suspect that the socialite was being creative and perhaps a bit pretentious (a la Hyacinth Bucket--it's Bouquet!) in that she felt that if the phrase Chinese Auction was printed on the invitations then the curiousity of the recipients would be piqued to such a degree that they would quickly Rsvp in the affirmative thereby increasing the potential success of the fund-raising event.
For those familiar with the BBC program "Keeping Up Appearances," the socialite's thinking was not dissimilar to that of Hyacinth in the episode where she invites guests to a "Waterside Buffet with Riparian Entertainment" to lend an exotic flair to a "picnic by the river."
I cannot attest to the truth of this story, but if nothing else it is an interesting sidebar.

A shower for Froggie!!

Today's the shower for my friend Caron who's due to have a baby in a few weeks. She likes frogs so the baby has affectionately become known as Froggie. LOL We've got about 25 people coming to the shower and as usual I'm worried if there's gonna be enough. Do we have enough plates, napkins, cups, food!!!! Everyone's been asked to bring a dish so I'm sure we'll be fine. April's made this great smelling chicken dish that's been sitting in a crock pot 2 cubes up for the last couple of hours. I can hardly wait to dive in! It was my job to make the "fun" cake, photography was also my responsibility. So I hired this teacher from mom's school. He takes great pictures and I'd hired him to do the photography for mom & dad's anniversary party. Well, the bill came in and I just about died. $122.89 for 2hrs!!! I totally feel I'm being ripped off here. I mean, he only charged me $100 for 6 hrs at their party. Well, it was my choice to bring him in so I'm footing the bill. I could have just taken the pix myself but I really wanted it to be nice. Let's move on to the cake. I wanted to do a frog but I just didn't have time to practice the shaping and working with fondant. So I ordered a cake pan from www.Wilton.com and it's in the shape of a 3D duck. Sounds easy right? Apparently not. On Monday I had to make 1 more scrapbook page for Caron's group gift (we each took a month to cover the baby's first year). Tuesday I'd planned to bake the cake. One small problem. You need strinig to tie the 2 halves together and I can't find it anywhere!!! Wednesday dad stopped at Wegmans on the way home and got some with his other groceries. I throw the cake in the oven and hope I can get it out before bowling .... no such luck. So I tell my brother that it's got 12 minutes left to bake, there's instructions on how it needs to cool which is for 4hrs. I figure while I'm at bowling the I can shower, grab a bite to eat, decorate and be in bed by midnight. So I take my time when I get home and go up just before 11:00. HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM. The cake didn't rise to fill the top 1/2. So here I am with 1/2 a duck and no idea what to do. On goes the light bulb! I throw a 9x13 in the oven and go to Tops for frosting. The cake comes out, I shower while it cools - I hope - and Im ready to go. I cut the cake in 1/2, stack one part on top of the other and frost it to look like a birthday gift, complete with satin ribbon. I guess the cake wasn't cool enough because no matter what I did frosting ran, the cake cracked and by 3:00 a.m. I'd had enough. The bow went on, it went in the fridge and enough was enough. Getting up this a.m wasn't easy but I did it. Got dressed and hauled my cake downstairs (pix to follow) and sure enough, it does look like a birthday gift ..... just wrapped by a child. Caron saw a picture of it and loved it. Heck, she's loved everything about today so far. Tonight I plan to curl up in my jammies, watch Grey's Anatomy and crash out early. Hmm... wonder if I can PTO tomorrow. Nah, unless it's really bad I'll be here. Travis has 40 days of leave to use up and I'm still hoping he'll be here for a couple of those days. Well, maybe more than a couple. Traveling from Korea's not exactly here to Cheektowaga! LOL

Cold, Cold, Cold

After having one of the warmest years in recorded history - yup, including the surprise storm in October - winter has finally arrived in Buffalo. With windchill's taking the temp to -22 even we began to freeze up a bit. Schools were closed on Monday & Tuesday without staff even having to report. It left the southtowns buried in snow. Dave lives in Derby and he had 46". Makes me glad I live in the city!!!!

10 Thoughts to Know ...

I found this on my friend Chris (love ya girl!) N's. blog and I just loved it. It's a great and inspirational article that we should all have a copy of in our wallets. ~K

10 thoughts to know before changing your life

I loved this thoughts in this article which I've posted almost in its entirety:
By Susan Crandell"Reinventing Your Life: Trust Yourself"Two years ago, as the 5:46 commuter train whisked me north along the Hudson River toward the future, I didn't know where my adventure would lead me, but I was sure of one thing: I was in very good company.By quitting my job and reimagining my career at 52, I was joining a mass movement of people who were refusing to go quietly into middle age. We were, after all, the generation that shook up the old order and dared to dream big. Now, instead of sinking into what used to be called a midlife crisis, we channel the yearnings, the dissatisfactions, the deep questions into a powerful call to action.As a founding editor of this magazine, I had assigned innumerable articles about transformation. But when I decided to reinvent my own life, I discovered there was much more to the transition than I'd suspected. I yo-yoed through unprecedented emotional highs and lows as I rewrote my own job description and learned to see myself in a new way. Once I'd gotten through it, I had even more admiration for the reinventers who had paved the way and wanted to celebrate and understand their motivations and strengths, so I wrote a book (Thinking About Tomorrow) on the subject, profiling 45 women and men over 40 who had swapped careers, launched businesses, bicycled around the world, or competed in the Hawaii Ironman triathlon. They amazed me with their ingenuity and courage, and helped me truly understand this wave of reinventers -- our friends, our colleagues, ourselves -- who are reshaping not just their own lives but the very concept of midlife. Here are 10 things I wish I'd known that day I cleared out my office.

1. Size doesn't matter.
I call this the rearview-mirror effect. You know that little sign that reads: "Objects may be closer than they appear"? Well, reinvention is bigger -- by magnitudes -- than it may appear. That's because what matters is not how momentous the change seems to the outside world, but how it feels to you. My career makeover -- from editor to writer -- barely nudged the needle on the reinvention Richter scale, but it was an earthquake in my life. It wasn't until I started talking to people who were making massive life changes -- a baby at 50, ditching a lucrative career as a cooking celebrity to become a personal trainer, losing 90 pounds and running a marathon -- that I realized my fears and worries were the same as theirs, and every bit as legitimate, because they were just as real to me.This look-small, feel-big phenomenon means you may not get the affirmation you crave from other people. Adopt a baby at 52, and friends will be awestruck. Make a subtle career change like mine, and they'll congratulate you, but that's about it. When you reinvent yourself, whatever the dimensions of the change, consider that by acting on a dream, you are becoming a role model to yourself and you don't need the world's applause. Focus on that; then when apprehension strikes, you can let it just wash through you.

2. Learn the power of letting go.
During a trip to British Columbia last year, my 27-year-old daughter, Brook, and I were ascending a climbing wall. A spot about two-thirds of the way up required a dynamic move, a fancy way of saying you have to push off from -- and surrender -- a foothold in order to reach the next handhold. You've lost your security before you know whether you'll be able to grasp the next little orange knob. Brook finally conquered the move. After that, she had no hesitation. She trusted herself.Watching her on the wall, a bell went off in my head -- ding! ding! ding! Metaphor! The dynamic move is precisely what makes so many of us shy away from changing our lives. We focus on the foothold we've got rather than the handhold up there waiting for us. We concentrate on the things we're going to have to give up, rather than imagining the satisfactions and pleasures that could lie ahead. Amazing things happen when we open ourselves up to an unknown future.Yes, you may say, but here's the problem with that metaphor: In life there is no belay rope, the safety line that protects climbers from falling too far off the wall. Actually, the safety line is usually there; we simply have to recognize it. Like a bungee cord, it derives its strength from the braiding together of many filaments. We have concrete assets, such as the savings we've accrued, the degrees and credentials we've earned, and the network of influential colleagues and friends we've amassed over the years, as well as intellectual and emotional assets, such as the seasoning and judgment we've developed and the emotional equanimity and maturity we've achieved.When times get tough, picture how effortlessly chimps move through the trees. As they swing one arm forward, they let go with the other; they know they'll be able to grab the next branch. In your heart of hearts, so do you.Admit Fear, Invest in Yourself & Prepare

3. Drop the game face.
When we're 2, we throw tantrums in the supermarket. At 13, we stalk to our room and slam the door. By the time we're 40, most of us have learned to suffer silently. We're so accustomed to cushioning blows for everybody around us that we become grand masters of denial when it comes to our own uncertainties. Our culture calls this maturity; I call it dumb. Once you let that game face slip and admit the fears and frustrations that are endemic to a life do-over, you will discover a miraculous thing: You are not alone. Other reinventers will confide the difficulties they too have faced. It's then you'll share both agonies and remedies.So go ahead: Admit to the secret fears that bloom in the wee hours. It will assure a brighter day.

4. Put your money where it counts.
We've all read the statistics about the unprecedented pot of family money that our generation will inherit. A number of people I interviewed took their inheritance and invested in themselves, using it as seed money to start a business or as tuition for a college degree. One woman used it to learn to dive and now maps underwater caves and runs a nonprofit cave-diving museum. Don't be shy about investing in your happiness. It's a legacy to make an ancestor proud.

5. Don't worry what people think -- really!
It's a common claim at midlife that we're confident enough in our judgment and comfortable enough in our skin that we no longer worry about what people think. Well, yes, except we still diet toward a standard set by crazy-skinny Hollywood stars. We don't feel at ease at a big boardroom presentation unless we're wearing the right suit and shoes.That worry can affect not just outward appearance but psychological outlook. If you find yourself visited by similar demons, remind yourself of an essential question: Whose life is it, anyway?

6. Practice, practice, practice.
I never believed that little steps could prepare you for the big one. I figured that reinvention is like bungee jumping: You stand out on the edge of the platform, and you either do it or you don't. Now I understand that you can ease into change. Do something a little hard, somewhat scary, and when you succeed you'll be better equipped to attempt the next intimidating thing. After all, you don't start kayaking in white water. There are ways to break a reinvention down into digestible bites. If you're dying to go back to school, enroll in a course. If you want to start a business, ask for a leave of absence rather than quitting your job. If you dream of climbing the Matterhorn, try the Rockies on for size.Trust Uncertainty & Find Passion

7. God isn't in the details.
Most great ventures arise in uncertainty. Did Lewis and Clark know they would make it to the Pacific? Did Watson and Crick (not to mention Rosalind Franklin) feel sure they could decode the structure of DNA? The hallmark of an adventure is not knowing the outcome, trusting in the flow of events. I'm an obsessive planner, but the wisdom of not micromanaging a life change crystallized for me when Helen Hand, who became president of Colorado Free University after the death of her brother, founder of the school, characterized him this way: "He'd cast his line way out there, and then pull himself toward it." I love that metaphor: Reaching for a goal without knowing your exact path, being open to the possibilities and buoyed by the belief that you have what it takes to get there.As I heard story after story about ventures set in motion on sheer hope -- from a charity to feed the homeless to a racecar-rebuilding business -- I realized that the least successful reinventers were the ones who had figured everything down to the last decimal point and therefore were closed to new methods, new ideas.Don't get me wrong. Planning is important. You need the right scaffolding to paint the picture of your new life. If the scaffolding is 8 feet high, you're never going to paint a 12-foot mural. But you needn't worry that you don't know what every square inch of the painting will look like before you pick up the brush. You're smart; you can make some of it up as you go along.

8. Reinvention has a fast track.
It's called a hobby. Find a passion and chase it. Whether you breed Percherons or bake bread, refinish furniture or hike every trail in a forest near home, you'll redefine yourself in your own eyes. You're no longer just the woman with the so-so marriage or the boring job; you're on a mission. And it doesn't have to upend your marriage or your career. I talked to a woman who took up tennis in her early 40s; three years later she was winning tournaments. Another finally quenched a lifelong aspiration by buying a motorcycle at 42. A third put her passion to work; at 45, she began supporting herself for the first time by painting murals and decorative furniture.If a major renovation of your life isn't in the cards, know that you can still brighten and enliven it. A well-chosen pursuit has a potentially huge emotional return.

9. Singles aren't the only heroes.
Whenever I read a story about an unmarried woman who made a big change -- moving to a new city, launching a business, having a baby alone -- I awarded her special "You go, girl!" applause. I've been married as long as I can remember, so to me, flying solo is for the bravest, a high-wire act without the safety net of a spouse: the emotional support, the extra income.Barbara Wild updated my view. Sure, it's hard when you're alone, but it isn't easy in a marriage either when you're going against the grain. After a long career as a drama and music teacher, Barbara decided, at 50, with her daughters grown, to get a doctorate of musical arts, a long-deferred dream. When Barbara was accepted at Boston University, it meant moving from New York. Her husband, Michael Nelson, was supportive -- he told me simply, "There are two people in a marriage" -- but his client base was back home and he spent all of his time traveling on business. So, he returned to their old town. Barbara is now teaching in Connecticut, and they spend weekends together. It hasn't been easy for them, but they've taught me that committed couples can forge a new kind of life together -- and apart.

10. Reinvention isn't a trend, it's a revolution.
When I began reporting for my book, I knew there were a lot of women out there reimagining their lives, but I worried about finding enough good stories for the book. The reality was just the opposite: There were thousands of them. It seemed that just about everyone I knew was either reshaping her life or knew somebody who was. It's a generational movement that echoes the great social revolutions of the 20th century. I believe we're showing the way for future generations, by refusing to surrender to a gentler, quieter midlife. The ultimate lesson I learned is that there is no gene for reinvention. I used to think there was, and that I just didn't have it. Now I understand that reinvention is an equal-opportunity occupation: Anybody can do it. Just see lessons one through 10!
Originally published in MOREmagazine, December 2006/January 2007.

Afraid to hug??

I was playing a quick game of Jewel Quest last night - taking a break from making a friend's baby blanket - when my sister asked me for a hug. She was laying on the couch and I think she just was't feeling so great but it got me to thinking. When did we become afraid to hug? Or to just ask for a hug for that matter? An adult who goes around hugging people is given weird looks and has their sanity questioned but as kids we're fearless, we don't care and we hug freely and asked to be hugged in return without thoughts of our request being rejected. At what point do we develop that fear? Is it our teenage years when we're "too cool"? Is is our 20's when we're too busy trying to make sure we're on the right path for life and making headway. I haven't gotten into my 30's yet but I'm pretty sure the fear developes before then. But as adults we have fewer hugs and more cups of coffee. We need the buzz of a cup of coffee to keep us going, going, going. So the question then morphs into ..... Is Coffee the New Hug???