It Is What It Is

The post I started three times- so lets hope I can finish it

Yes- three times- I've started this post and then walked away, did about a dozen other things and then forgot about the post, didn't save it and then had to start all over again.

I know- you're thinking what the heck, Deb, what's the problem?  Well, aside from playing nursemaid to my Beloved, Eldest had surgery last week, (she's fine- she had cysts on her vocal chords removed, as well as her tonsils.)  Needless to say, I'm on a first name basis with all the drive-thru folks at Sonic...Eldest was living on their slushes. 

On top of working, nursing, trying to finish decorating for Christmas, starting about 3 other mini-projects, cooking, cleaning, Christmas shopping, and getting ready for Beloved's side of the family Holiday Christmas celebration- I was in a car accident.  (I'm doing okay- just a raging case of whiplash.) I was rear-ended by some fool with no car insurance.  

Whew- I feel better getting that off my chest....back to post I was trying to write.

 

~~~~~~~~~Doing the Pick Up

 

Don't you just love your "pick-up" friends?  These are the friends- who you may or may not have know for life- but no matter the time or the distance, when you do see or speak to one another, you just "pick up" from the last time you saw or spoke to that person? 

A couple of months ago, I had the pleasure of meeting up with one of my "pick-ups."  I accompanied Eldest to our State Capital to take her state boards.  I needed something to occupy my time- and instead of shopping or hanging at a coffee shop alone, I gave my buddy, V a call. 

I have known V since "before."  That is before husband and kids!  She was one of my very best  work friends, we were cubicle mates.  Our friendship transcended the workplace and now twenty three years later....we are still doing the "pick up."

V was kind enough to play along- go for a ride so to speak, do what we needed to do while we waited for Eldest to complete the morning activities, pick her up for her lunch break and then take her back for the afternoon. 

We started the day at place I had never gone to before.  Supposedly, this joint had been featured on one of those Food Network shows, not sure which one...but primarily to feature it's signature sandwich.

Neither one of us was in the mood for the Dagwood, so we opted for breakfast items.  We had a wonderful time catching up on all kinds of things- mostly about the kids and such.  I swear, nothing makes time go faster than having kids and living through their milestones to mark that time.  V has two boys.  When I met her, one was a baby and the other maybe four years old.  Now, they are grown, gorgeous men, college graduates and starting their adult lives- away from mom. 

We had a great time chatting and driving through some of our old haunts and checking out some new cool places.  As always, the time just flew by and before we knew it - Eldest had called to say-

"I've passed!"

We said our goodbyes- but not to worry, the next time we "pick up" will be on New Year's Eve day.  That's her birthday and the day we both make cabbage rolls.  In fact, it's her recipe that I use!

Thanks, V- it was great catching up and spending time with you.

Happy Birthday, Beloved!

Because if I could of, I would of baked you cake just like this one.....

 or maybe even this one....

I know the best present we could give you is having football season start 20 something days early, but since I can't perform that miracle....we'll just take a moment and reflect on all that Maize and Blue goodness to come. 

 

Happiest of Birthdays, Husband of Mine.   

Conversations of the Cougar Kind

A replay of a recent conversation...

Her-  You won’t believe what happened to me at the grocery store today!

Me-  Do tell….

Her- I got asked out by a younger guy.

Me- Details please…

Her- I was standing in the tissue/toilet paper aisle…trying to make a purchasing decision, and I casually make a comment about all of the choices and this young guy  responds back to me and actually laughs at my comment.

Me- Ok- tell me exactly what you said and what he said.

Her- I think I said something  like who knew tissues could have so many options, with aloe, with moisturizer,  blah, blah, blah…and he laughed and agreed with my observations.

Me- And then…….?

Her- Well, we shared a laugh and then he just said, “hey- I’m having this casual dinner thing at my house and I wonder if you’d like to come.”

Me-What?!!  Like right out of the gate he pops this question?

Her- I know , right?!

Me- Well- what did you say?

Her- I was so surprised- I just said “Oh-well, I think I’m old enough to be your mother…”

Me- WHAT!!!   You never lead with your age!

Her-  I was so taken back- I thought he was making fun of me.

Me- WHAT!?!   He asks you over to his house for a dinner and you think he’s making fun of you?

Her- I know…but he looked so young and he had multiple tattoos and multiple piercings….

Me- And?

Her- Well, I thought because he was young and had that edgy look- he was making fun of me…

Me- First –back to my original statement- NEVER lead with your age….Second- just because he had that edgy look- doesn’t mean he’s making fun of you , especially when he  asks you over to his house for a casual dinner…third- what happened after you said you were old enough to be his mother?

Her- Well- I think he said something like – ok- but because I was so taken back- I grabbed my tissues and left with my cart.

Me- Ok- Let’s reconstruct what happened, because when you tell this story to your husband, we want to make sure you come out looking good.

Her- But, I’m not interested in other men…

Me- Of course you’re not, that’s not the point.  It’s the fact that you my friend, caught the eye of a younger guy- he acted on it- That officially makes you a COUGAR….it doesn’t hurt the husband to know that he has a cougar in the house.  It’s like a raise in your stock price. 

Her- Oh- good point…

ONE WEEK LATER

Her- Oh my gosh, you’ll never believe what happened today!

Me- What…

Her- I ran into the younger guy from the grocery store….

Me- Where!? 

Her-I was at the grocery again  and turned down an aisle and I see him-

Me- And…

Her- He works there,  he was stocking the shelves….(laughter)

Me- Oh my gosh…(more laughter)

Her- I know…

Me- That kind of makes the story more interesting…I mean does this mean he’s a Cougar hunter, and the he’s working where he has the best chance to land some prey?  

Her- I know…(more laughter)

Me- So what did you do?

Her- I held my head high….  And quickly, turned down a different aisle.

Me-Well, played my friend, well, played….

1985

Calling all my Ladies of the 80's Friends- 1985 was the year- It's smack dab in the middle of this  fabulous decade of my youth.  Many notable events took place- Do you remember the following?...

·     The Food and Drug Administration approves a blood test for AIDS,

·     The first .Com domain name, symbolics.com, is registered by the Symbolics corporation. However, .edu domains, for educational institutions, still predominate over the commercial .com ones

·     Microsoft Corporation releases the first version of Windows, Windows 1.0.

·     Compact Discs are introduced to American Consumers

·     The space shuttle Atlantis is launched

·     British Scientists discover a hole in the earths Ozone Layer

·     Various artists, including Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, Cyndi Lauper, Willie Nelson, Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson, Kenny Rogers, Diana Ross, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner and Stevie Wonder, record the song "We Are The World" as USA for Africa. to raise money for famine relief

The TV shows Growing Pains, Golden Girls and MacGyver all begin in this year.

Popular Movies of this year are-

·     Back to the Future

·     Rambo: First Blood Part II

·     Rocky IV

·     The Color Purple

·     Out of Africa

·     Cocoon

·     Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment

·     A View to a Kill

·     Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

· Top Ten Singles

·

· January 1985

· 1. "Like A Virgin," Madonna

· 2. "All I Need," Jack Wagner

· 3. "You're The Inspiration," Chicago

· 4. "The Wild Boys," Duran Duran

· 5. "Run To You," Bryan Adams

· 6. "I Want To Know What Love Is," Foreigner

· 7. "We Belong," Pat Benatar

· 8. "Easy Lover," Philip Bailey & Phil Collins

· 9. "Sea Of Love," Honeydrippers

· 10. "Born In The U.S.A.," Bruce Springsteen

 

And it's the 25th Anniversary of my 21st Birthday....(not really sure if that makes me sound older than actually repeating my age or not, so I'll let you do the math.)

(me-1985 at 21 years of age.)

Here's how I spent my 21st birthday.  My sorority sister roommates start the day pretending they forgot my birthday and continue the charade throughout the day.  I have a nagging back pain all day and as I'm working kitchen duty in my sorority house after dinner, my back goes out.  (What the hell?  I'm only 21-what's up with that?!)  I go up to our suite in the house, lay down and can't get back up.  My roommates use this time to "Surprise" me with my 21st birthday celebration....unfortunately going uptown to "drink" it all in doesn't seem to be in the cards since I can't get off the floor.  My roomies panic and have our housemother call an ambulance and I'm carried out of the house on a stretcher.  (Again- WTH- this is so not how I pictured the evening.) 

I'm released from the emergency room with a nice supply of muscle relaxers with instructions to not mix with alcohol.  My roommates gather round me in our suite and consume the booze that was meant for the party and I get looped on my pharmaceuticals.  A few days later, I eventually celebrate in high style.  That was the first and last time that ever happened to my back.  Go figure.  Definitely a night I never forgot. 

How did you spend your 21st birthday?  What's your favorite 80's memory. song, movie?  Share your stories- I'd love to hear them.

I'm off to enjoy the dirty martini Beloved just handed me- Cheers!

How Did That Happen? Happy Birthday Eldest!

Today my first baby has officially become an adult!  I can hardly believe it.  Never more has the saying "In the blink of an eye" been more true.

 

Here she is right out of the womb...(well actually, she's been cleaned up a bit for the camera.  Did I ever tell you about the time that my dear daughter made me a Mother's Day Card and used the photo of her being lifted out of my womb still attached by umbilical cord?)  Anyways, I  thought I'd spare you the gory details of that part....

Here's her Dad (Beloved) looking like OMG- what now!

 

(It's 1991 people- no cutting on the extremely large glasses....I hear they're coming back into fashion, along with shoulder pads...)

  

That's me, still in a hormonal haze of bliss, thinking life will always be this sweet and pure.  Me and my adorable baby girl.

 

She was our first- we weren't perfect and there are lots of quarters in her therapy jar as proof to that.

 

And now, she's about to graduate from high school in three and half weeks. 

 

She'll be attending her Senior Prom this very night.  (More on that later.)  But before she's goes, there's a few things I want to say.  Eldest, you have pushed more buttons in me than I even knew I had.  You are a beautiful person on the inside and out.  I couldn't be more proud of the woman you're becoming.  You're funny, polite, good hearted and a hard worker.  These will take you far in your life's journey. 

 

I love you.  Happy Birthday.

Surprise!

"I get by with a little help from my friends."
- John Lennon

I promise this is the last time I will mention my birthday.  And honestly, this has less to do with my birthday than it has to do with how lucky and blessed I am to be in the friendship of some very fine women. 

 

This past Friday, these adorable gals staged a surprise birthday luncheon for me.  Can I just say how utterly and completely surprised and humbled I was by this event?!  I've never been given a surprise party before.  Talk about rockin your world.  I'm still so taken back by the thoughtfulness and generosity that was shared with me.

So this group here, weren't they all having a spectacular hair day?  Really, everyone looked so beautiful that day.  The gal in the middle, that's L and she was the mastermind behind this little shindig.  She set the whole thing up- and what a fine job she did.  Totally surprised me- even got the Beloved involved. 

 

That's K and L- they've been friends for a long time.  I was so happy to see them there.

 

G, M and C- hidden is M-

 

Still hidden, M. 

I know these aren't the best photos, (again with too much tablescape and not enough faces) but it's important for me to showcase these fabulous gals- because they mean an awful lot to me.  Not just because they came to a birthday lunch, but because this little group has somewhat become my posse- and I'm proud to call them my friends.

"The better part of one's life consists of his friendships."
- Abraham Lincoln

Isn't that the God's honest truth?  I want to also thank them for their generosity of spirit and for all the beautiful gifts they gave to me.  Again, I'm speechless and humbled.

Ok- now this is where it gets unbelievable-

 

Let me tell you about the dessert!  Well, sneaky little L- contacts Beloved and asks about my favorite sweet stuff- he says, well, she likes chocolate, you can't go wrong with cheesecake, but lately she's been craving peppermint ice cream.  Beloved thinks L is trying to come up with something to order off the menu.  NO WAY- guess what L did?  She researches recipes, can't find exactly what she's looking for- so guess what she does?  She comes up with her OWN recipe for "Chocolate Cheesecake with Chocolate ganache and peppermint."  Let me just tell you- it was spectacular!  I've been picking at it all weekend- and my diet has gone to hell.  (Holding up that cheesecake was no easy feat- I swear to Goodness it weighed about 10 pounds-before a bite even entered my mouth!)    So- to thank you- I want everyone to see just how special you are....(she's hates having her photo taken...)

 

"I count myselt in nothing else so happy
As in a soul rememb'ring my good friends."
- William Shakespeare

44 and Holding

This is the face of a 44 year old me- a self photographed -head on shot. 

 

Tomorrow this face will be 45.  I know that I have been waxing on about getting older.  You're all probably sick to death of hearing me talk about it- frankly- I'm sick of myself.  You will be glad to know that I've come to a decision- I'm embracing 45 in all it's glory.  I'm going to wear 45- loud and proud.  You know why- because I earned it!  I earned every bit of every little thing makes me the woman I am today. 

How did I come to this attitude adjustment?  Well, I had a little unintended heart to heart with a good friend  this morning.  I must say- she filled my soul with insight that I had been overlooking and/or diminishing it's importance.  These things were all notions that I knew in my heart of hearts- but sometimes you need to have it shoved in your face to get it.  I'm blessed abundantly in my life and I wouldn't wish to be at another age or time.  I'm where I'm supposed to be- right here right now.

P.S.  I will however, still talk about ways that I'd like to improve the outside package- so be looking forward to more adventures in Botox, the hope of Restyline and maybe a lift here or there.  ( A girl can dream can't she?) 

P.S.S.  This just in- (as I was writing this post) Eldest informed me that a Senior boy from her school told her boyfriend, "that I was HOT."  What do you think about that?  I'm not sure what I think about that.  My first ever, Hot comment!  Talk about a birthday present!  Thank you, Senior boy and Thank You, B for allowing me to embrace my inner Hotness!  (I'm slightly embarassed and laughing all the same!)

Flash Backs

I'm still on this reflection kick- thinking about my past- the people I knew way back then- where are they now?  What are they doing?  Of course, I have those that I stay in touch with on a regular basis.  Then I have those that I exchange the annual Christmas Card with-and don't write anything of real importance other than their name and kid's ages.  Perhaps since I'm hitting that age thing again- I'm really pondering the past as I think about the future and where I want to go.  So for fun- I thought I'd share some old pics with you.  I'll probably do this occasionally for awhile, primarily because I know how to scan a photo into the computer and then get it posted here.  (I know I'm lame beyond words.....) 

So without further ado- ME- 80's Style and some other Random stuff about me I bet you didn't know...

 

Yeah- I was a sorority girl- what of it?  Can you say Alpha Gamma Delta!  Wha Hoo- Go Alpha Gams!

 

Super Senior girls on the front porch of the Delta Tau Delta house.  Those boys were our next door neighbors.  We knew all their dirty secrets- and they knew ours.  As a matter of fact, they nicknamed us- Alpha Gamma Domino because the Domino Pizza Delivery truck was at our house on a frequent and regular basis.  One year for homecoming, the Domino Pizza Truck pulled our Homecoming float.  Mind you those pesky Delt boys were our partners and they ate a lot o' pizza too!

 

I worked at Burger King.  In fact, it was my first job.  I worked there from my Junior Year in high school until I graduated and went away to college and then for one Christmas break.  Then- stick a fork in me- I was done with the fast food! My baby sister also started there after I graduated and this photo was taken when I worked that first Christmas break.  I mean, really, what a proud moment for our parents.  Do you know how hard it is to get the grease smell out of polyester?  I was not allowed to sit on our furniture when I came home until I removed my uniform.  Now, it wasn't like I wanted to wear it for lounge wear- but still it needed to come off to sit down.  (You can't see our hair nets.)

 

Toga Party = The 80's!  Can you say "Animal House?"  Toga Parties were a requisite theme "Tea."

(TEA's are what we called parties between a fraternity and sorority.  Usually, they had a theme.  Lots of chances to dress up and play....also lent itself to lots of cocktail consumption- but there was always a KEG.) 

If only I could have those arms now!

That's enough for now- Hope you enjoyed your 80's flashback.

New Year- Old Me

January is my birthday month.  So in addition to having to worry about the New Year hoopla, resolutions and such - I actually get a whole year older right from the get go.  I like to ease into things- through the back door- Not fair!    This is a monumental birthday- the point of no return birthday- I'm half way through a decade!  Yikes!  My personal take is the half way years are much more difficult to swallow than the actual start of the new decade.  Case in point- turning 30 or even 40 really wasn't that big of deal to me.  It's once the "0" becomes a "1" and so on- that I start the palpitations.  This will be year "45."  How in the name of all that's holy did that happen?  I don't feel feel "45."  I feel this age-

   

I was 21 years old in this picture.  I don't feel a bit different mentally.   Will I feel "45" when I'm "65?"  How does this aging stuff work?   Alright, I will admit I  do feel smarter and more sure of myself at this age.  I guess that can only come with ("gulp...") aging.  So I guess I need to get over myself and remember all the good stuff that comes with "seasoning."  Truly- I'm happy with the direction my life is going.  I try to not have any regrets.  It's all about looking forward and surrounding myself with positive energy.  And really- it's just a number, right?  So, why does it feel so wrong?!

Hey-How's You're Aging?

Recently my beloved husband has gotten a new hobby- FACEBOOK.  Have you heard of it?  My eldest has been dabbling for awhile with it, but usually spending her time on My Space.  Personally, I don't do either.  However, I can see how this Facebook could really get addicting.  It seems pretty user friendly and it's a great way to connect with old friends. 

This is where the aging and my problems begin.  People like to post photos from their past and share with their "friends."  They post photos from high school, college and from their current lives.  Let me say, I don't necessarily think this is such a good idea.  Especially, if your particular vintage hasn't heldup well.  It's one thing to run into an old friend in person and then have them wonder "what the heck happened to You?"  It's an entirely different situation when folks have the ability to look at "your before and after 20 years later" side by side.  Do people have no pride?  I'm shocked at some of these photos that folks are posting.  Am I an aging snob?  Darling husband says that he personally feels better about himself and feels he's holding up well.  He actually threw me in the mix and said I'm aging pretty well too.  I'm thinking- "Compared to what?"  Those crazy girls you knew in college who obviously have no sense of boundaries in the photos they're posting?! 

I do know that since I've turned 40 I'm very self conscious about this aging process and have made it my personal agenda to try to stave off Mother Nature.  I'm not considering plastic surgery- but I'm not above Botox or the filler stuff.  Wouldn't it be great if you could photoshop your real face and not just the photos?  I'm in favor, I'm just saying....