I'm Interested in Your Opinion

Friends, I need to know:


Will you take  a few minutes and respond to the poll listed on my side bar??


In case you are wondering, exciting things are happening.  I'll tell you about it in a few days.


Stay tuned.

Moving On.

Last week was a crazy one to be sure.  Eden graduated from middle school.  There was a flurry of activity that surrounded the occasion and it lasted all week long.  You know how it goes:  yearbook signing, field trip to the amusement park, party at the school, commencement exercises, it's non stop fun.

Friday as I sat on the athletic field waiting for the graduation ceremony to begin, I had a flash back of two years ago when I did this same thing for Claire.   I watched her shake the principal's hand, took pictures of her with friends, and celebrated by going out to breakfast with families who all had a daughter graduating that day.

And funny enough, I ended up doing the same things for Eden, with the same families that I celebrated with two years before.

Isn't it strange that most of those families have a daughter the same age, and a son the same age, and that all those kids are friends?  It was like the Twilight Zone, which I seem to visiting a lot lately.

After commencement, as we sat in a restaurant waiting for pancakes and diet coke, someone made the comment "Didn't we just do this with our girls?  Where does the time go?"  We all sat there in silence and and wondered -- "where does it go?"

I can't keep up with all the changes!  Six months ago, our sons were little boys, whose voices were mistaken for their mother when they answered the phone.  Now they are young men; shaving, borrowing their dad's dress shoes because their's no longer fit.   Young men, on their way to high school.  Before I know it, they will be off to college --  sporting beards.

They don't seem too sad about all these changes,  but I sure am.  I will miss these boys - ahem, young men.

Twilight Zone, Family Feud Edition

I dropped Eden off on the curb this morning, yards away from the  big yellow bus that was taking the 8th graders to the local amusement park for the day.  He's  been looking forward to it for months.  I waved goodbye and headed over to Walmart.

The Walmart greeter was busy chatting with one of the checkers, so I grabbed my own cart, which I discovered had a  "Jimmy wheel."   Why I didn't return it immediately, I don't know because it squeaked and would not right itself so I could push it properly.  I got a scowl from every person I passed in the isles; the squeak was that annoying.

I was on the hunt for a heat roller set that had rollers all the same size.  Couldn't find one.  So I bought a box of new and improved Twinkies with strawberry filling instead.  I thought Eden might like to take a taste test and try them out.  That's a typical Walmart trip for you.  Go in for heat rollers, come out with something completely unrelated.

I walked out to the parking lot, and forgot where I parked.  I wandered up and down the rows looking lost.  I finally had to hit the "panic" button on my key to find the car.  It was three rows away from where I was standing.  How do I manage to forget that when I've only been in the store for 10 minutes?

Next, I went to the nail salon for a pedicure.  I knew if I didn't get it done today, I would put it off for another three weeks and then I would end up in crisis mode.  I'd do it myself, but I can't see well enough, even with bi-focals.  How sad is that.

I sat down in the comfy chair, and prepared to get lost in the world of magazines, but I noticed that the television was tuned to an English speaking game show -- Family Feud.  Normally, the nail salon television is playing a foreign soap opera that I can't understand.  But not today.  So I set down my magazine and watched.

The host, known only to me as the Side-Kick of Tim the Tool Man Taylor, was reading the first question.  The camera panned over to the contestant who hit the buzzer, and shock of all shocks, it was someone that I knew!

My friend Brandy was standing there next to Side Kick, smiling her gorgeous smile. What the heck!  How in the world did I miss this?  How did I not know that Brandy was on Family Feud?  I serve with this woman at church.  At the time she was on the show, I saw her two or three times a week.   She never mentioned it once, which is shocking because she ended up winning $20,000 -- maybe even more because when you win at Family Feud, you go on to play other families.

Now this is the really funny thing.  A few months ago, I was at the nail salon sitting in the very same chair, and the very same thing happened.  The television, normally set to the foreign soap opera, was tuned into Family Feud.  And just like today, the camera panned over to the contestants and there was my friend Karen standing next to her son.   Karen, a woman know well, and see all the time. She never mentioned it either!

My best friend was on the Feud too!!!!  One or two years ago.  She never said a word, and we tell each other Ev-ry-thing!  Same thing -- nail salon, television set, Family Feud, bam!  There was Shauna.

Is there some sort of undergound Family Feud conspiracy?  How did all my friends get on this show, and why didn't I know a thing about it until I went to get a pedicure!

I really want to know!   Is the Nail Salon part of the Twilight Zone??  It must be, because every single time the nail salon changes the channel from it's regularly scheduled program, someone I know is on the Feud.

Readers . . . friends . . .  come forth if you have been on this program.   If this happens to me again, I'm going to think I'm Truman.

A Letter to My Daughter, Away at Wilderness Camp.

Hi Claire!

I decided to get up early this morning to watch the sun rise.   Seeing the sun come up makes me feel feel connected to you knowing that you are probably watching it too.  It's not easy backpacking is it?  I bet your pack weighs as much as you do.  Are you having fun?  I bet you have already learned some wicked outdoor skills.  I can't wait to see them.

It is cold again today.  And raining.  I'm always so surprised when it's this cold in May.  It seems like we should be in the early phases of hot, and here we are, still wearing sweaters.   This morning the sky was full of clouds which was a little disappointing.  It was raining lightly.  I went outside in spite of the rain and brought along my camera to see what I could see.

I wandered around the yard, bent down close to the ground and looked.  I used to do this a lot when I was little, during nature walks with my grandma.  We went on a trek every time I went to her house.  Some of my favorite memories are my wanderings with her.  We looked up, and we looked down; we peeked inside the nooks and crannies of trees and moss.  There was always something to marvel.   I remember standing with her under the cover of a blossoming willow, looking up at a nest of baby Robins.  I will never forget that moment, being engulfed in all that pink.

I think you did this with Jo Jo when she was still alive.  I'm guessing that it's one of the things you miss most about her; nature walks around the grounds of her apartment complex.

Today was no different than those days as a little girl.  There were beautiful things to observe.  It's amazing what you can find in your own back yard, if you take the time to look.  This is what I saw.

Everything looked so clean and bright.  Rain brings vibrant colors, and beautiful scents.  The wind was blowing hard.  I closed my eyes and listened, and smelled.   It felt so good to be out there experiencing the Earth.  Even Elfie was standing there letting the wind blow her mangy hair.  She had her nose in the air like she was smelling too.   I don't know what it is about making time to do that, but it is so healing.  At least it is for me.  It brings such a rush of gratitude, and spirit.  Hard to describe really, unless you've done it, and understand for yourself.  It's one of the reasons I try to make time to take a walk every day.  It helps me when I am feeling down, or stressed.  It gives me time to ponder.  You know -- stuff like "Why is that one little cloud just sitting there all alone?  It's the only one in that huge blue sky!!!" I know that drives you crazy when I ask questions like that, but I really want to know those things. 

 I heard the music of the birds as I sat there listening.  I looked up in the tree next to the drive way to see if I could spot one of them.  Sure enough, the was only one, swaying back and forth on the very top branch, rocking in the wind.  His feathers blew in such a way that it looked like he had a crew cut.

Above the bird, I saw dark, dark gray. It was just amazing how fast those clouds were moving.  When you don't take time to notice, they look like one big mass sitting still, but if you stop and look, there is so much going on, and it is so beautiful to watch.  There is dimention and pattern in constant change.

I hope that you will take time out of your day to see what the trail passes by.  Sometimes what you experience along the way is the very best part of the journey.

I love you, and miss you darling daughter!

xOXoo (Little kiss, big hug, big kiss, little hug, little hug.  Who doesn't love Nacho Libre)

Ride Like the Wind Bullseye

What do you know about horses?  I know they scare me to death when I'm standing right next to one, and that I have absolutely no idea I'm doing when I try to ride a horse that is living, as opposed to one that is attached to a carousel.  Those cowboys in the movies make it look so easy, when in fact, it's not.  I'm in awe of people who know how to drive one.

I remember one time in the 80's riding down a beach in Mazatland with a group of friends.  My horse looked like it belonged in a Warner Brother's cartoon.  He was old, and his back was bowed so much that I really didn't even need a saddle.  Flies were buzzing round his mangy tail as well as his face.  You could tell that old bag of bones was pretty much done with giving rides to tourists.  It was time for him to retire.   We set off from an old beat-up barn down a street paved with cobble stones, onto the beach right as the sun was beginning to set.   It was beautiful.

Ten minutes into the ride just after we had finished snapping a group photo, my horse reared up and ran pel mel back to the barn.  It must have been dinner time, or quitting time, or both.  I didn't know that old guy had it in him to run like the wind, but he did.    I flew down the beach, hanging onto the saddle for dear life (yes, the saddle), screaming for help, while my friends howled with laughter off in the distance.  It was quite the scene, depending on where you were sitting.

That was the last time I rode a horse.

Unlike me, Eden knows a lot about horses, which began when he had to earn a merit badge at scout camp.   He picked horsemanship in lieu of rowing, and spent the day learning how to care for the 4-legged beast. When Eden came home from camp, instead of complaining about how bad the food was, he talked about horses, and it did not stop . . . for weeks and weeks, which meant that we needed to find a place so that Eden could learn how to ride.   He finally found a passion that did not involve technology.  So we went to Green Acres,  a ranch not far from our house.  I love the name don't you?   Every time I head up the long dirt driveway past the chickens and mangy dogs, I hum the tune "Green Acres, is the place to be...."   Dumbest TV show ever, but the theme song was a keeper.

This weekend we spent a day at Green Acres watching Eden ride in his first horse show.  His skills amazed me.  Eden is a great rider. He knew how to get his horse to walk, trot, and park.  He even knew what to do when it reared up.   It was a proud parent moment.   I wish he had been with me that day on the beach.  It would have saved me some embarassment.  One of these days, I'm hoping he will teach me how to put a horse in reverse.  That was pretty cool.

The other great thing about Eden -- he loves making and editing videos.  So today you get a two for the price of one.  A video about Eden, made by Eden.  Enjoy.

Please note before you watch,  that Legacy, the hose Eden rode in the show is a "teaching horse", not a show horse.  He was very skiddish the day of the event and was dismissed from the ring for safety reasons.  Eden took it like a man.  He is a good sport.

(And P.S.  I'm back, but only sort of.  I still have a lot of catching up to do.  But, all is well.)

The Kindness of Strangers

Driving long the 101 in Arizona late this evening after a particularly hard day, I passed a highway patrol man parked on the side of the slow lane with a radar detector in hands.
I hoped he wouldn't notice the crack in my windshield and give me a ticket.
  
At that very same moment, I saw a silver truck whizz past on my left weaving in and out of lanes like he was driving on virtual race track.  


I wondered why the patrolman did not pursue.  It was quite apparent that the silver truck was an accident waiting to happen.


I even had that thought:  That guy is an accident waiting to happen.
And he was.


Less that 5 seconds later there was a puff of smoke -- 4 cars ahead.
Before I knew it, a bright yellow 1950's hotrod was flipped upside down with its top completely smashed in.
The silver truck was smashed into median divider, airbags deployed.


It was awful to see something like that happen, right in front of my face.  But strangely enough, I didn't even have time to wonder if the man under the hot rod was dead or alive, because in that very moment,  I saw the seeds of greatness spring to life.


Every single vehicle around me stopped.   None of them tried to pass the wreckage.  Not one.  I'm not talking about 1 or 2  vehicles.  It was more like 20 or 30 -- which included a Harley motorcycle gang.


Men and women got out of their cars and raced to the scene.  
They opened their trunks and pulled out blankets and emergency supplies.
They pulled an injured man out of the hot rod and administered first aid.
They dialed 911.
Some of them even put their arm around the man in the truck and stood by his side.


I got out of my car too.
But I didn't need to do a thing, because it had already been done.


So I sat there and cried because I was grateful to see that act of goodness -- people who didn't hesitate and wonder if they had time  or the ability to lend a helping hand.


They saw someone in need and went to work.

I'll be back.

There are matters that require my attention.  I need to focus.   I really must, because "focus" is my word of the year you know.

I'll be back in a few days.

I am Not Mary Poppins

Sometimes, it seems like there are people out in blogland who have the perfect body, the perfect spouse, the perfect children,  the perfect house, the perfect life.  We wish we had it so good.


Someone once thought that about me.  They actually said "You and your perfect little life, you have no idea what it's like to have it hard."


I wanted to scream "If you only knew.  You have no idea where I've been, or what's going on in my life."  But I didn't.  The comment taught me something instead.  I need to be careful when it comes to making judgments about other people.  We only see the surface, we do not know the heart.


That incident was over 20 years ago.  Though it may appear my life is perfect, it's not.  It's a good life though, and I am thankful for it.  I choose to love the life I have, not the life I wish I had.


I choose not to make my entire life public.  There is such a thing as too much information.  Instead, I choose to write about things that uplift, that make me laugh, or ponder, or fill my soul with joy.  


But let me be clear:  I yell on occassion, and have a hard time staying organized.  I have french fries stuffed under my sofa cushions, a dog that will not stop barking,  great kids who sometimes make dumb choices, and a handyman husband who leaves tools all over the house.   We have had our share of really big problems, just like everyone else.  I could tell you stories that would bring you to tears.   But I won't.   It would hurt people I care about, including those who have passed on.  And it would put a burden on you that you may not have the ability to carry.


There's only one person who knows us, and sees all that we are.  He knows our weaknesses and our strengths.  He knows our pain and our joy.  He is the person I tell my troubles to.


He makes up the difference for what I lack.  And through His mercy, I can be perfect . . . someday.


But for now, I am flawed,  just like everyone else.  So when you read my words, know that I am not Mary Poppins. 


 But I do wish that I had a cool umbrella with a Parrott handle. 

If You Wear It, They Will Come

Saturday afternoon I sat on the floor of the meeting room in the Hilton Hotel with my newly found friends -- all vendors of the Queen Bee Market.   We were muching on a bar of bitter chocolate that Emily had kindly shared with the group when a woman walked past wearing a mustard yellow jacket.


I had to yell at her.  I did.  There's something about that color that requires I make friends with whoever is wearing it.  Earlier in the day I saw Becki walking around with a yellow skirt she purchased from Stacy.   I yelled at Becki too.


I said "I just LOVE that skirt!  Where did you get it, I need one!"  Becki said "Stacy Lynn made it!"   That's when I had to meet Stacy, which lead to sitting on the floor.


Our group watched the mustard jacket walk away, and Stacy said "Mustard is the best.  I swear every time I wear it, people stop me to tell me how much they love the color. "


Lindsey nodded in agreement.  So did Emily. So did I. 


"It's the nature of the mustard people" proclaimed Emily, they just come flocking when they see a fellow fan.


It's true.  Try it yourself, and you will see.


If you wear it, they will come.

photo courtesy of Write It In Lipstick

***

More about Queen Bee after I recover from the weekend.  Hope you had a happy Mother's Day.  Mine began with the sound of the smoke alarm.  Yep, the family's attempt at breakfast in bed. :)

Off to Queen Bee Market, Be Back Next Week

Are you getting excited for Sewing 101?  I am.  I'll be working on it when I get back.  Dust off your sewing machine, and get ready to go!  Needles & Pins tutorials will begin May 19th.  Get a notebook and a pen, you will need it.

I Almost Caused a Revolution.

I made the long trek up to L.A. today for more supplies.   Most of the time, I can get there in a snap.  But on certain occasions, like today, it seems like the drive that will never end.  Traffic jams everywhere.   It makes me thankful that I'm no longer a commuter.   Back in my single years, I used to make that drive 3 to 4 times a week.   


Two hours later, I pulled off the exit ramp into my favorite parking lot, and handed  Hector my $5.00.  He was wearing a snazzy green hat today.  I said "Hector, you are looking mighty stylish in that hat!"  His grin spanned the width of his face.  Hector has the whitest teeth, and the most beautiful smile.  


I wandered down the street to visit Leah, owner of my favorite trim shop.  She waved and gave me one of her enthusiastic greetings "Helloooooo Cris-tal!!!!  How is your back doing?"  She asks me this every single time I visit her, which is going on 7 years now.


Back in 2005 I had an incident, and Leah came to my rescue.   I had two herniated discs at the time, and a little boy happened to push past me while I was crossing the street hauling a shopping cart full of fabric.  The moment he pushed me, I felt searing pain, and stopped right in my tracks, which was the center of the road -- Maple Street to be exact.  I stopped traffic as I stood there half crying and half laughing as I leaned on my cart for support.  Cars were honking so my friend Dana had to offer assistance.   She walked me over to Leah's shop where I begged for a chair so I could sit.  She gave me that, and a bag of candy.   We've been friends ever since.  


I chatted with Leah for a moment, picked a tootsie roll out of her candy dish and then began my adventure of wandering the isles of the shop packed floor to ceiling with more ribbon and trim than you have seen in your life.  I called for help so that I could get some pom pom fringe high up in the rafters.  That's when it happened.  


Leah yelled for Lyle who came running with a tape measure around his neck, and scissors in his hands.  Donned in a black tank top and jeans, Lyle climbed the ladder and pulled out the pom poms.  His head was beaded with sweat as he climbed back down to safety.  Lyle handed me the treasure, and said in broken English "I am sorry I have to wear a tank top for work, but it is so hot!"   


I was surprised he would apologize for his attire.  I said "Lyle, a tank top is the right thing to wear when you have to climb ladders in this hot room!  You need to stay cool so you don't faint on the ladder."


Lyle's friend, and co-worker Silva came over, and she said "Yes, it is sooo hot in here."  She had on a tank top too.


I said half joking "Tell Leah to turn on the air conditioning!"


Well folks, that was the wrong thing to say.  Lyle and Sylvia cast each other a glance, and I could see that I had touched a nerve.  They both yelled "Yes!  We need air conditioning.  Tell Leah, we need air conditioning!!"    


More workers hidden in the labyrinth of velcro, and elastic echoed their sentiments.    I could hear faint pleas "We need air conditioning!" 


I had no idea my little comment would cause such a stir!  I was a little worried I started a revolt, which would end my days of free candy and good prices, so I hastily paid for my booty and made an exit before the staff organized a picket line.


Note to self:  Next time I visit, I need to keep my mouth shut.


When I walked out the door I was hit by a blast of heat.    Where did it come from?  It happened so suddenly!   The thermometer in my car registered 105.  No wonder Lyle was sweating.


Get out your shorts, summer is on approach and it looks like it's going to be a hot one.

To Much to Do, and Not Enough Time.

Sorry friends, too busy to post today.  I'm frantically trying to get ready for The Queen Bee Market.    Come visit me next weekend at the Del Mar Hilton -- May 6th through May 7th.  You can read more about it here.