a list! Day 9 of NaBloMoPo

I was blank tonight … so I shamelessly stole this blog, and am planning on posting it in two different posts .. the questions are too long! haha! You can visit **April** to see her answers.

1. It's 2AM and you are not home. You are more than likely: Driving with Cyn to find another sunrise on Maine’s coastline!

2. What's the last thing you spent more than $100 on? If we’re not counting groceries … oh my goodness .. I really can’t think.. hahaha, I remember now… back in March.. my first actual splurge on me. I traded in my diamond rings, and upgraded to diamond earrings. It was a great recommendation, because I wanted to have something for my teenagers, and my rings had negative energy .. but the new earrings are for them.. it’s an “even” gift when the time comes.

3. What do your bank checks look like? Checks? Just kidding .. I have the basic cheapy kind … I’m a debit card user.

4. Where did the shirt you are currently wearing come from? It’s old and from Old Navy

5. Name something that will be on your Christmas wish list: For sure a camera lens.. but then again..I don’t enjoy Christmas.. so can it just be on a wish list?

6. What color is your toothbrush? White and blue

7. Name something you collect and tell us about it. I’m not a collector .. I inherited my dad’s  polar bears which  I started for him .. but not a great love for knick knacky stuff .. too much clutter! ..

8. Last restaurant you ate at. Who were you with? 99 Restaurant .. they have fabulous onion soup. … I was with a friend

9. Who was the last person you bought a birthday card for? I honestly don’t remember… I think it would have been Julie since her birthday is the day after mine, and I always know she’s going to have a funny card for me.. it’s a competition thing!

10. What is your worst bad habit? oh… I don’t have any …. hahahahahah lmao! I think you should ask others and take a poll! I have to always eat something every two hours ….

11. Name a magazine you subscribe to? I’m so excited .. I just renewed my Runner’s World!!

12. Your favorite pizza toppings? sliced tomatoes, feta, spinach on top of olive oil with crushed garlic….

13. Whose number were you looking up the last time you used a phone book? Pizza shops .. ordering lunch for work meeting!

We’ve finished half the week … next week the teenagers go away for four weeks …>>>>>

Anyway

I found this stuck in my old address book. I used to keep it in my Daytimer years ago …

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;  Forgive them anyway…

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; Be kind anyway…

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; Succeed anyway…

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; Be honest anyway…

What you spend years building, someone may try to destroy overnight, Build anyway…

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; Be happy anyway…

Give the world the best you have, it may never be enough; Give the world the best you’ve got anyway…

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and GOD; It was never between you and them anyway.

Things that make you go hmmm!

So, yesterday I thought it would be a  good idea to bake a strawberry pie since I was craving something sweet. Thinking that strawberry pie would be better than a pound of M&M’s …

LMAO … Betty Crocker says that one slice of that delicious pie cost me 615 calories! … Dare I confess that I ate about 1000 calories just in one sitting …

What does it have to do with the picture? Well, in my baking madness, I decided to add an extra 2 cups of strawberries.. for extra “healthy sweet” …. obviously I am NOT Betty Crocker … because Betty would have known that extra strawberries would result in a messy oven. There was major “bubble over” …

When I heated the garlic bread in the oven tonight, the lovely robot lady in the smoke detector screamed out             “FIRE, FIRE, FIRE…”  I didn’t know a screaming lady lived in my smoke detectors! I’m not sure what would have freaked me out more in the middle of the night .. a screaming meemee or the fact there is smoke in the house ….Things that make you go HMMMMMMMM!!

My balls .. I found them!

As you all know, I just recently moved; and with my lack of furniture, I still have some boxes in tact because I don’t have a place to hide store my things. Today, feeling a little ambitious, I decided to empty one of the boxes. It brought me great joy, because in it I found my flying pig, my Texas boot … and my bowl. You see, knowing the bowl was in the box, meant that the blue balls would soon follow … but alas, I got to the bottom of the box, and my blue balls were missing!
What’s the big deal, you ask? Well … there is a little story behind my bowl and blue balls … let me explain .. right before we moved to Texas, four years ago, I had spotted these ceramic balls in a store, two hours from home … I fell in love with them .. of course I didn’t buy them. (Spending money stresses me out .. and goodness forbid I purchase something that isn’t practical!!)  So for several weeks I regretted the non-purchase. My ex (who wasn’t an ex then) had to go back to Portland .. and I gently said in passing that if he passed the store, and so happened felt the urge to buy me something .. would he mind ….
Well, that evening he returned with eight blue balls … he was quite proud, because he had scour the store, since they hadn’t placed the balls in one place. (Please understand that this man did not have a fondness for this store .. it was quite a feat for him!) At this point we were packing up the house, and getting ready for the big move to Texas, so I just put them away. Fast forward to arriving in Texas, and opening boxes .. there were my balls, nicely wrapped, ready for display. I knew at this point I needed something  to put them in, and found this gaudy bowl.
About a week before Anthony was to be deployed, I was cleaning the table, and inadvertently  knocked over the bowl with the balls. Well, let me tell you … ceramic balls and a ceramic kitchen floor just doesn’t result in anything positive when they meet by accident! I was devastated! I thought that surely this was a bad omen … the balls shattering right before Anthony leaving for Iraq .. I just bawled like a little baby!
Out of the eight, only two survived … and there sat my bowl, empty….
About a month into his deployment, the phone rang. On the other end was a woman, identifying herself as a customer service manager, from the store where the blue balls had came from. Apparently Anthony, in his free time, when he wasn’t dodging IED’s, had sent an email requesting new blue balls to be sent to me, but had forgotten to include the mailing address and would I please be so kind as to give it to her. She also added that since this man was in Iraq fighting for our freedom, she would like to send them to me at no charge. Once we were done with our exchange, I hung up the phone completely speechless ... ( and bawled like a baby again!)
Hence my panic today when I couldn’t find my balls. In my midst of great good organization, I had stored the box away, along with all my other boxes of photographs (yes before the digital times ..) what a great find!
Even though my marriage is over, I’m glad that I can reflect back and realize that we had moments of goodness ..

Giving In … day 5

On Friday I had this crazy craving for deep fried ice cream. I couldn’t get any accomplices to come with me .. so I made the deep fried ice cream come to me!

I went to the grocery store and bought the necessary evils .. and painstakingly started the process once I got home. Deep fried ice cream is some thing that takes time and patience .. it must involve hours of planning and preparation ….

Soften the ice cream, crush the cereal, beat the eggs, scoop the ice cream….. dip and roll, dip and roll …… freeze for 8 hours …. beat the eggs, crush the cereal .. dip and roll, dip and roll …. freeze for 6 hours (although the last step couldn’t wait that long) .. heat the oil …. and deep fry the ball of sweet desire!

Heat the caramel, pour hot fudge and caramel and if you wish .. whipped cream … and just savor the yumminess!

The picture doesn’t do it justice … it was delicious..

I like to use Cinnamon Toast Crunch, the original recipe calls for rice krispies with cinnamon .. my like-minded daughter suggested to use Oreo cookie crumbs as the crust next time …..muhahahaha!

Pure evil!

Day 4 .. NaBloMoPo .. Friday Fill in

 

To play, click here

1. _Big body of water, whether it is a beach or lake, I would consider __ is my favorite place to travel to.
2. When I think about my childhood, I often remember _some of my moments with my dad_.
3. _An honest heart_ makes for a good friend.
4. The wind in the trees, the rain on my skin, _uh-oh, Reynaud's is kicking in_.
5. __the thought of going to Bay of Fundy_ is so exciting!
6. My best friend knows _me_.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to just being home with a glass of wine , tomorrow my plans include _some house cleaning, maybe a run and movie night_ and Sunday, I want to _relax and do my nails_!

Happy weekend!

Day 3 of NaBloMoPo .. Thursday 13!

So .. today at work I had to assist a patient with his eyes … my first thought was ‘hmmm kind of cute..’ but then when I had to look at his date of birth, and realized he was as old as  less than   half my age, in a fairly big way … I  quickly moved on! One of the other ladies recognized his cute looks .. so we giggled, and she accused me of being a cougar! uhh not just no, but H*ll NO!…. I will never, ever .. ever.. ever never want a younger male as a potential suitor.  So, she and I discussed what the needs would be for any man to be appealing!! Hence my T13 …. hahhaa … let’s have some fun! …. and .. if you want to play along, click HERE!

1. In Suzy’s words … “money … and one leg in the grave…. oh and money! (okay .. those were her criteria’s not mine!!)
2. First and foremost he has to be athletic .. preferably a runner. Nothing is sexier than a pair of runner legs! (Although at some of the races I have been .. I noticed the men there are really crunchy .. ugh … not that type of runner! More like the Peyton Manning runner … mmm)
3. Must be older than me .. starting at about 2 years and up, maxing out at 10 yrs older.
4. If he has to have children … the youngest must be older than my youngest.
5. someone told me once that I should find someone who is willing to put his ego aside .. and actually be happy to say “yes dear…” and really mean it ….. hahaha .. is there such a person?! Honestly, I don’t know what I would do with that .. I have never met a man like that … oh wait, that isn’t part of my list!!
6. Oh … did I mention that the man MUST BE not committed to anyone else … not even separated …  Totally Divorced, Widowed or Single … (Lately the men that are chatting with me fail to mention that they have a significant other ..AND they don’t wear a wedding band … what is up with that?!??!?)
7. Tall … not too tall, not too short! I want to be able to wear my heels and not worry!
8. Along with athletic … needs to love outdoors… kayaking … hiking … walking … love long walks on the beach … hahahaha!
9. Must like to watch football, Peyton in particular! (and not feel insecure when I am wiping my drool off my chin … oh, does that mean #5 is in effect?!?)
10. Must love dogs! Bruce is going to be in my house for a while longer … I need to know that I won’t be judged by my crazy @ss dog … (oh, and my needy cats who have decided that 4 am is a perfectly good time to have a conversation…)
11. working …
12. traveler … I want to go to Australia in a few years and just hang out with my cousin …..(here are those wicked thoughts: ….3 more years!)
13. Last but not least ……. patient … after all, I am staying focused on my teenagers for right now. I only have a few more years with them and then  .. Their needs  will come before anyone else.

There is it … my list for Thursday! Weekend is here soon!!!

Day 2 of NaBloMoPo .. Wicked Thoughts ..

I have already written two other posts for today, and then decided to not save either one … I was in one of my rants about teenagers and work… instead I decided I would be better to focus on what soothes my screaming soul …

Tomorrow will start a new day .. am I an evil mother for having thoughts like “ … they are almost done with high school .. and off to college they go ..” … “empty nest syndrome .. not in this little tree house ….”

I can’t believe I actually said the words “I work my butt off so that I can provide the best for you …… all I want is some appreciation and respect ….”  Did that really come out of my mouth?? OH MY!!!

>>>FOCUS:  breathe .. kayak …. breathe …paddle, paddle … breath .…. wax on, wax off ……(oops .. wrong mantra) <<<

Day 1 of NaBloPoMo

So .. it's Tuesday .. June 1 .. wow!! We are approaching the middle of 2010.. what the heck happened this year? I've been reflecting a lot in the last couple of weeks days..(okay, okay ..months)... and have noticed that I am losing my zing for blogging. I always check out all my favorite bloggers and noticed A Slice of my Life had rejoined National Blog Posting Month ..something I had contemplated before, and thought that perhaps NOW was a good month to do it. Of course.. it helps that NOW is the theme for NaBloPoMo .. basically I have committed to blogging every day for a month ....

So today, June 1 here is my first blog for the month!
Yesterday Cyn and I got up at 2am and hit the road at 2:30 to catch the sunrise from East Boothbay .. what we didn't realize was that Canada had big brush fires and the smoke had circled Maine! Well, our persistence and fortitude didn't stop these ladies!

We had a great day ...I'll save the other pictures for moments when I am looking for an idea!!

Happy Monday..err Tuesday, happy June .. summer is here!

Friday Fill in ..

It's that time again ... to play, click here

1. _Wine, cheese and crackers -- the best food to take on a picnic. Although it's been 30+ yrs since I've picniced!

2. Summer _is here .. Maine standard.. we hit 93 this week!_.

3. _Finally no more__ flip flops.  Oh, that's not what you intended ... hahahhaha!

4. To love someone is  going to take some time ..

5. _This summer I'm going on_ a long hike.

6. When I crave food, it's usually _everything... just kidding .. usuallly its trail mix__.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _chillin' possibly wine __, tomorrow my plans include _kayak excursion and a long run__ and Sunday, I want to _possibly more kayak, and then Monday .. early morning road trip to Boothbay for sunrise pictures___!

I love being back in Maine!!!

Thursday 13 .. Thirteen Things in May ..

Last Thursday of the month, and it's time for T13 ... Click here to play!

A picture of:   I went to the beach for some photo opportunities

Current Scent:  I'm still not smelling good ... hahaha!

What I am reading: Funny story .. I went kayaking and brought a book with me, only to find out that I already read the book. I am so excited to receive the book that I won from A Slice of Life!!

Newest music added to my playlist: It's been a while .. I'm contemplating Bare Naked Ladies ..

Movie I saw: Last week Nelson and I saw Alice in Wonderland ... interesting!


Something yummy: ahhh... i had a bowl of oreo ice cream and a brownie ... yesterday Strawberry pie .. and tonight for the first time .. Chocolate Raspberry Whoopie Pie!


The last place I ate at: Miquel's last week ... wow, I'm getting predictable!


Something that made me cry: tonight someone made the comment "You must miss your dad".... uhhhh....thinking about him always puts a huge lump in my throat .. I was able to control the tears .. truly something that made me cry? ya ... i won't go there!


Something that made me laugh: As much as I grumble about the teenagers .. I love listening to their banter at times .. especially when they have their friends over.. they can just be so funny!


Something that I look forward to in June: I'm nervous for June .. the teenagers are going away for four weeks ... I have never been apart from them for that long .. the longest was 2 weeks ... I hope to do quality "me" time = kayaking! A road trip to Quechee Vermont .. hot air balloon festival .. photo opps!!!


Something I want to remember from this month:  the feel of summer coming!!

Something that I am thankful for: always, always my kids, my job and my health ... and for the month of May ... Julie,who showed me the kayak world 11 years ago!

A photo I took this month: taken with my Iphone!!

This weekend was so great .. the weather was perfect for being out on the water!

Happy  Thursday everyone .. weekend will be here soon!

Thursday 13 … a thought or 13…

So, it’s Wednesday night, and I have been scouring around looking for something to post for Thursday13  .... how about 13 ideas to post for t13 …

1. 13 reasons to keep running
2. 13 reasons to stay in bed and not get up at 4:30 when it’s 37 degrees out, and you can hear the wind ….. (oh… I’m digressing!)
3. 13 random thoughts
4. 13 foods I would like to eat without feeling guilty
5. 13 reasons why Bruce drives me crazy … (the golden)
6. 13 reasons why i am better off without him (d@mn! I’m still thinking of him!)
7. 13 items i would like to buy if money wasn’t an object
8. 13 reasons why I blog
9. 13 life lessons i can pass on to my teenagers ( … i can see them rolling their eyes at me!)
10. <okay.. grasping..> find a recipe with 13 ingredients
11. 13 vacations getaways …
12. 13  secrets
13. 13 people that have been an inspiration or changed your path in life ..

Happy Thursday … the weekend will be here soooooon!!

Sunday best

You know when you get that feeling in your belly, the one you recognize as “yes, this is right..” … that is always what i get when I see my kayak on my truck. So, today was the first kayak trip of 2010 .. I went to our local “pond” … and just enjoyed the paddling. This trip I was gutsy and brought my camera ! (105 pictures later!!..)

What a great day I had today … the weather was great, and the turtles all cooperated!

Thursday 13 .. a new thing..

So .. yeah … T13, always my favorite meme .. crazy, perhaps… but during my runs, I always think about T13 and what the list should be about … there is some cheating going on .. I noticed that on the last page of the People magazine, (not that I am a subscriber, but it is the one magazine I will choose to read if I’m stuck in a doctor’s /orthodontist/dentist office … gotta keep up with the celebrity scoop!) there will always be 5 random questions .. so I compiled and copied 13 of them…. (yes, this took three weeks to do) so … feel free to copy and go! and make sure to link back to T13 and sign up!

Here we go:

1. Hidden Talent:  haha! none! okay, I’ve spoken about this in my old blog (wait4thenews.blogspot.com) .. I have monkey toes that can grab things!
2. Celebrity Crush:  mmm can i pick more than one? Kevin Costner .. Clint Eastwood .. Gerard Butler .. Mel Gibson … okay, okay … I’ll stop
3. Addicted to:  the feel good after a strong and long run
4. Makes you cringe:  Witnessing poor customer service
5. Favorite chore:  Folding laundry (hey, don’t knock it, it’s relaxing … and you can see progress)
6. Favorite Fast Food:  do 12 grain bagels from Tim Horton’s count? okay, I had a small fries from McD’s tonight … (ready to run tomorrow morning!!!) Seriously, popcorn chicken … KFC
7. I will never…… : “love again, oh boy you left me speechless” (Lady Gaga) .. oops, I said I wouldn’t wine whine about him …
8. Weirdest Habit:  hmm .. I don’t think I have weird habits .. haha … perhaps I try and arrange my grocery list in accordance to the order of the aisle?
9. Someone who makes me laugh:  laugh like “ha-ha” … or the “ha-ha-you’re kidding-right??” One of my best friends in NC .. .she’s always threatening to come back to Maine to kick my @ss because I’m not a good listener … think I’m purposely not listening so perhaps she’ll move back???
10. Always bring my:  my baby, my Canon Rebel … (can’t wait … I’m kayaking on Saturday to get turtle pictures!!! woohoo!)
11. Favorite vacation spot:  I love Abol Bridge Camp ground .. the mountains.. the river … beautiful. Years and years ago, we would go to the beach … I love the beach.. for me vacation is water and sun, a good book ..
12. Pet Peeve:  coming home to a messy kitchen … for crying out loud: clean up after yourself! and then to top it off … I have ‘special’ foods that I buy for me … and friends of teenagers eat them …. grrrrr
13. Travel Essential: laptop and carry on only (does that count?)

Happy Thursday everyone …. weekend is almost here!!

Words from the teenager …

“Mom, you’re crazy .. you want a relationship with a man who doesn’t want a relationship with you …”  Spoken straight from the mouth of a babe! I have always known my girl to be a little older than her true age … but she blew me away when she made that comment to me a couple of weeks ago. It truly made me stop and think about where “that relationship” was going … and then I started wondering what she saw, since obviously she didn’t know all the true in’s and out’s of my relationship …… or did she??? Her perception of life is really pure .. in that, I mean she looks at things without adding outside thoughts to it … almost a black and white, with no gray. When did we start putting gray into things? I love her observations .. I can always trust to get the obvious truth from her .. whether it is about her, or about what she feels.  Trust me, when those true stories come out .. hold on! She’s a power house when it comes to opinion, she has no qualms telling you how she feels. One of her many talents is her creative thought .. she will randomly write little quotes .. here are a few:

“I don’t want to fall; because I don’t want to land.  I don’t want to spend; because I don’t want to waste. I don’t want to love; because I don’t want to lose. But I don’t want to land because I never fell.  I don’t want to waste because I never spend. I don’t want to lose because I never loved.”

'”As the love dies another hate grows, to consume the life you used to know. Just say goodbye to what used to be, and say hello to what you can now see.”

This was taken a year ago … what a difference a year makes!

Happy Mother's Day!

Every night, before I retire fully, I go through and read the different blogs. There is one that I love to go to .. she doesn't write frequently, but when she does ... it is so beautiful .. here is a taste:

"There’s no footworn path. No You Are Here red arrow. There is only before, and now, and next. No moment that feels closer to the end than the beginning. Just each moment that is what it is.



Just this bit of ground under my feet that could be any random point between two vanishing horizons, but seems meant, somehow, for making a stand."       Well written by jennifer at  Thursday Drive ... go take a peek, you won't be sorry!

Happy Mother's Day!! My day was great ..  my teenager son made a strawberry pie for me!Everything from scratch, including the crust! I should've taken a picture ... because it'll probably be the only strawberry pie he'll ever make! It was delicous.
Hope everyone had a great day!

Friday Fill In

 

It’s time for Friday Fill In …

1. Salsa and _chips from Miquel’s___.
2. _fresh baked pretzels___ and you've even got mustard.
3. By the time I get home _I will have fed most of the teenager’s friends, since they all descent at my house after school. The proof is in the mess that is left behind on the kitchen counters__.
4. _While in Texas, getting fresh, made to order sushi from the sushi place in the commissary__ is what I look forward to most when grocery shopping.
5. And I was dreaming _until Tyson woke me up with his constant chatter … I swear it sounds like he is saying “hello”_.
6. _Deep fried ice cream from Miquels_...is there anything else better?!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to taking the teenagers to … Miquel’s_, tomorrow my plans include work and cleaning_ and Sunday, I want to _make a nice breakfast for my Ex-MIL, and have a quick coffee with Cyn, possibly run ….. oh, and hopefully get to enjoy a strawberry pie made by teenager son_!

Happy Mother’s Day and happy weekend!

Meet Tyson ..

What do you mean …. ? Really? I’m a cat?

Thursday 13 ..lyrics

So here is Thursday .. and in accordance to how my week has been, I am allowing myself one more post to feel some self-pity from a sad heart ... but after this >> I'm done! No man should be allowed this much energy! My running is back on par .. doing well .. I love my shuffle! During one of my runs, I decided that for T13 I should post 13 lyrics from break up songs! HAH ... very high school-ish  ... so name that tune ... and I promise, this is the last of the whining ...I'M OVER IT! Happy Thursday .. weekend is nearing!
To play ... click here!

1. Guess I'd rather hurt than feeling nothing at all ... (I so totally disagree with this line)
2. Unbreak my heart
3. I'll never talk again, oh boy you've left me speechless ..
4. Holding on, the days drag on, stupid girl, I should have known
5. They say, time heals everything but I'm still waiting
6. I'm still alive, but I'm bearly breathing
7. Nobody wins, when everyone is losing
8. There is one thing you should know, I don't have to live this way
9. You visit me in my sleep, my darling, who knew
10. The story ends, as stories do .. reality steps into view
11. Well you couldn't be that man that I adored
12. Now it's too late for you and your white horse to come around

My version of the bleeding heart:

Not just another race ..

 

Saturday was another race day … just what I needed to get back a little bit of that ‘feeling’. I’ve been in a funk lately, not really wanting to get up in the morning to go running. I’m not sure if it’s the late night blogging, treadmill burnout .. or just life. I was in an “undetermined-to-what-type-of” relationship, and a couple of weeks ago it ended completely. Sad doesn’t quite cover the range of emotions I am going through .. so trying to get back into my normal groove has been difficult. I’m frustrated with myself .. normally I am stronger than this. All my girlfriends have told me to move on and  move forward .. I’m struggling!! I think the Dixie Chicks sang it best when they said “somebody tell my head to try to tell my heart, that I’m better off …” .. I realized yesterday that I feel lost! I’ve never felt lost before … how is that possible? I think I have always held him at a distance, not wanting him to come in too much. .. but perhaps I fooled myself. Damn, don’t you just hate it when your self gets the better of you?

oh, I digress .. yes, yesterday was race day .. it felt good to run again.. I’m looking to find my focus again .. I’m hoping this is it.. the next race is a 15k race in Sugarloaf .. it’s a long ride  .. a couple of my friends are going .. and so now I am debating it too.

Yesterday’s race put some of my running into perspective .. there were over 70 yr old women running, and the 1st place runner (in the over 70 group), beat my time by a lot!!!! That’s what I want to be like .. in 30 years!! Now I just need to tell my hips to cooperate .. !