The Weekend in Pictures

I'm sure that you can tell that we survived our big family weekend in LA. I had a really good time. Although there were fifteen(!) of us staying at one house and I agree with Lisa about feeling like we were in Home Alone, it reminded me of all the really fun times that I've had when my gargantuan family gets together. There's nothing like sharing a bathroom with a bunch of girls! I'm not sure that the guys ever got to use it! It was really great to visit with some family members that we haven't seen since our wedding. I learned that I have more in common with some of Don's family members than any of us thought. That's a relief for them and scary for Don! The best thing that we did was skip out on the beach and just hang at the house while everyone else got sand and sun and too much togetherness! "Where's my glass of wine?" I heard that a few times over the weekend! I can't wait to get together again. I guess the next one is the Fourth. Big fun! I'm really thankful to be part of a family that is so supportive of me and fun, too! Love you guys!

Here are a few pics from the party on Saturday. The only bummer was that everyone was there and we didn't get a group picture. Can you believe that I forgot about a group picture?! What is the world coming to? Enjoy-



Don, tending bar as usual! Yippee! Happy Memorial Day!

Lacey (she's gotten a lot bigger, too!). 

Lacey the Crank! 

Red-eyed Dameon the Turtle Hunter!  

The family that sings together... 

Debbie & me. 

Aunt Kim and Don's cousin Nicole. She's a little star after my own heart! 

Don's cousin Jacob and his fiance, Brigitte (probably spelled it wrong!). They are getting married next March. Another BIG party! Crazy Family Fact: Brigitte and I were in HS Choir together, so we already knew each other before joining the family. I knew Doreen before, too. 

More Beatles tunes. 

Summer and Lisa 

Ok, Ok, I'll admit it...

It took me a few years, but I actually actively paid attention to American Idol this year. I still feel that it is a ridiculous popularity contest and not a true indicator of a person's talent, but I got sucked in all the same. Maybe it was the increased age limit that intrigued and endeared me to some of the contestants. Maybe it was the Vegas connection. Maybe it was because Don had rehearsals or shows almost every Tuesday and Wednesday night, so I didn't have anything better to do. I didn't get so carried away that I actually voted for anyone. I would have voted if people were allowed to vote for who should have been kicked off. That would have been a lot easier to get behind. I didn't really care who won, but I did have definite thoughts about who sucked! But, who am I to talk? You didn't see me camping out at The Orleans for days in pursuit of the dream. Watching the finale last night, I actually had a little twinge of the "I could do that" jealousy. It was that musical drive and excitement that I haven't felt in a very long time. I have done such a good job of burying my dreams of becoming a famous singer that it felt really strange to be a little excited about it. When they announced the locations of next season's auditions I even let the thought of auditioning cross my mind. I really don't imagine that I would, but if I've learned anything this year it's that you never know what's coming around the corner! I used to be so determined and so motivated to have a career in the music industry. I was painfully close to accepting a music scholarship at a school in Nashville just so I could try my luck on Music Row. UNLV offered more money for my brain and the rest is history. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I had gone to Nashville. Would I have been successful at all, or would I have come home with my tail between my legs? When it really came down to it I guess that I was too scared to risk failing. I'd rather play it safe with a sure thing than take a huge risk on the unknown. Over and over I have made this decision. I have put rationalism and realism before my dreams so many times that I don't think I have any dreams left (or I'm afraid to have them, because not realizing them is too painful.). This is coming from the same kid who was out to prove to the world that she was something special. I was going to be something someday. How does the girl who was "most likely to become famous" face her peers who remember her as more than just someone's wife who works for a church? Maybe, it was just the naivette and promise of youth that made it all seem so easy to attain. I think I just got tired of pushing myself. Sure, I had support, but no one has ever really pushed me to realize my potential and do something great. It was always up to me. But, I need to know that I have a fan in my corner; someone to cheer me on. My star shone so brightly, but it burned out too soon. I am but a shadow of my former self. To think what I could do today with the determination I had then...

Dream Therapy

I have always had a really good dream memory. I also have really vivid dreams, so that probably makes them easier to remember. I can still remember nightmares that I had as a kid! This morning I woke from a dream very tired and agitated. I hate it when I wake up that way and can’t remember what in the world was in my dream that would have upset me that much, but fortunately I remember this one. I was back in school; I’m not sure if it was Jr. High or High School, because physically the school was a cross between Cashman Jr. High and Clark High School. I was between classes trying to get to my next one when I realized that I had to go to the bathroom. I had a big project due, but I figured that I still had enough time to get to the bathroom and back, so I dropped my stuff off in the classroom and went off to find a bathroom. Since this is a dream, none of the bathrooms are where they should be. I ran all over the school looking for a bathroom and eventually a little boy who looked like the little brother from Malcolm in the Middle appeared to help me. He directed me to a bathroom that was at the end of a hallway that was not very well traveled. I ran in and each stall that I went in was filthy. There was either pee or crap all over every toilet and each toilet was about to overflow with nasty water. At this point I was really frustrated. I couldn’t sit my butt on any of these toilets! Even if I cleaned them off, the nasty water was so high that I’d be soaked if I sat. The little Malcolm boy had followed me into the bathroom and showed me a stall at the end of the row that had a very clean toilet inside but no door. I had to go so bad that I decided to use the stall without the door and made the boy promise not to look. For some reason there was a door between the bathroom and a classroom that was directly across from the stall I was using. Of course, the little boy opened the door so that an entire classroom of Music kids could see me on the throne. I was mortified! As the teacher looked up from the piano, I screamed at the boy to close the door. He obeyed, but laughed and laughed at my embarrassment. To make matters worse, I was so worked up over the condition of the bathroom that I barely peed at all! I thought, “Gee, was this even worth all this trouble?!” I finished up and headed back to class. Of course, on my way back every bathroom had been restored to a normal and logical location. When I returned to my class, the lights were out and they were watching a movie. I had totally missed my project which was actually an oral presentation on the legend of Camelot. On my way back from the bathroom, I realized that I didn’t know how the legend ends, so how was I going to present on something I didn’t know? I slipped into the aisle and when I got to my seat all of my stuff was gone and John Tran (a co-Valedictorian with whom I had attended both Jr. High and High School) was sitting in my seat! I said, “Where is all my stuff?!” He said that since I had left they vacated my stuff from the area, and since I had missed my scheduled presentation time the highest grade I could get was a 50%. Then I woke up.

Now, I have no clue what this dream is supposed to mean! There are actually a few theories out there about dreams. Some people believe that dreams are the subconscious’ way of working out problems and stress that we encounter in our lives. So, everything has a meaning attached. So, maybe the dirty toilet represents an important and functional part of my life that is so messed up (or full of crap) that it can’t be used properly right now; something that needs to be “cleaned up” in my life. A lot of therapists really like this theory.

Some people say that dreams are just filled with the most recent things that you saw or thought about. Yesterday I did a lot of Jr. High work and had a conversation with a friend about how people can’t live in High School forever. The last image that I recall before drifting off to sleep was the beginning of Malcolm in the Middle which would explain the presence of Malcolm’s little brother, Dewey, in my dream. But, I can’t even remember the last time that I thought about John Tran, so what was he doing in my dream?!

There is also the belief that dreams can be prophetic and actually predict the future to a degree. This is not one of those dreams. The closest this comes to prophecy is that maybe the next time we go out of town we’ll stop at a truck stop that has a plumbing problem. Here’s where I get all new-age on ya’: I do believe in prophetic dreams or moments, because I have had a few. I’m not going to detail my experiences, but I have had a few “knowing” moments of the future that can’t be explained away.

Last be not least are the skeptics among us who believe that dreams don’t mean a thing at all. Dreams are just stories woven over the rapid fire of neuro-transmitters in the brain during REM sleep. All the excess energy has to go somewhere, so we experience dreams. They seem like they go on for hours, but dreams really only last a few minutes. I don’t subscribe to one theory over another. I can see merit in them all based on my own strange experiences. I used to write down all my dreams just because they are so entertaining! So next time you have a dream, try to figure out what you think about it.

Me?! Mean?

Reader interpretation is such a mixed bag. Over the weekend I was told by a friend that he/she was surprised that sometimes my posts seem kinda' mean. I was a little surprised, because I've only truly been angry toward someone once or twice throughout all of my posts. Oh, well. I guess it's just a lesson in interpretation. I think we all write as an outlet for things that we just can't seem to say but feel are too important to keep inside. Sometimes it's funny or absurd stuff and sometimes it's deep pain, confusion or introspection. We are all complex individuals, and our blogs do a great job of showing that. So, I'm sorry if some of you think that I am kinda' mean at times. It's not on purpose. I'm not mean- just misunderstood! :)

So, how 'bout these wonderful 100+ degrees Vegas days? I'm really looking forward to breaking a sweat the second I go outside and burning my feet on the concrete and my hands on my car steering wheel. You know it's hot when you have to push your animals outside to go to the bathroom! (They sure are spoiled!) The other thing that I love about the summer here is the extreme differential between the temperature outside and the temperature inside. Since it's 110 outside, it has to be 65 inside. The hotter it is outside the cooler it is inside. That's logical enough. There's nothing like going outside and peeling off the sweater you have to wear inside. Usually, I look forward to leaving the air conditioned buildings and just standing in the 110 degree heat to warm myself back up. The a/c situation in this town is nuts! I actually went out today and bought a light jacket for the summer, because I know that I will freeze if I stay in any building too long. I do my fair share of complaining, but the hot blooded people seem to rule the world of indoor climate control much to my chagrin. I have a lot of cute summer clothes that just get covered up with a sweater- what a tragedy!

News on the HOA front: Some of you may know that we have new neighbors down the road. Well, shortly after moving in they covered every window of their house with tin foil. OMG! I was so appalled when I first saw such a tacky display and obvious lack of pride in ownership. Furthermore, these people were in violation of our HOA CC&Rs (yes, I have read them.). I take the CC&Rs very seriously, because who wants to live next to the person who thinks that tin foil makes an acceptable window covering, the person who thinks that puke green is an attractive color for a house or the person who is a "naturalist" and thinks that desert landscaping is a lawn of dead grass and weeds? You would think that it is common sense, really. Why would you not want to take care of your property? So, I am always floored by the people who can't seem to abide by the CC&Rs. I guess we wouldn't have them if everyone had common sense or a clue about property value and the fact that other people don't want to live around your junk heap. Needless to say, the tin foil windows have been driving me crazy. Just when I was going to make a little report to the HOA or a friendly reminder to the residents they have taken them down. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! Actually, they still have it up on the door, but hopefully that will be gone soon, too, since so much light and heat comes through little windows in the front door. I know that a lot of people don't like HOAs, but I think that they are a necessary evil. Thankfully, our HOA is pretty relaxed compared to the Nazi-esque association we used to live in.

Does every holiday have to be commercialized? I went to a store today that had patriotic decorations on sale for Memorial Day. Have you ever been compelled to decorate for Memorial Day of all holidays? Sure, put a flag out front and maybe have a party, but in my opinion Memorial Day is not a decoration worthy holiday. What do we put out for Labor Day? Are we going to have to start putting out decorations for Mother's Day and Father's Day, too? How 'bout Arbor Day? Just bring out a few cardboard tree cut-outs. Now that's festive! I think I'll go out and plant a tree, so I can kill it in a few years to make more decorations. I did buy some of the Memorial Day decorations, but I'm saving them for the Fourth of July. That's a little easier to swallow.

Star Wars and a Kiss

Last night Don and I went to see Star Wars. The only other movies that I can remember going to on opening day are Batman Returns and The X-Files Movie. (I'm not a big movie person. Movie theaters gross me out!) No spoilers here. I will say that I am not a Star Wars person, but it totally kept my interest, which is difficult. I enjoyed the movie. I didn't have any preconceived ideas about it, so there wasn't much riding on it for me. I was even kinda' sad at the end, so I can only imagine how the real fans must feel! I've actually had the urge to go back and watch some of the originals now that the whole story is in place. I probably won't, but I thought about it!

I guess that none of you are bartenders based on the very limited (um, none) response to my request for cool drink recipes. Fine, I'll just make some Jungle Punch and mix it all together in a bathtub! That sounds yummy.

Sappy Alert! Sappy Alert!- Today is the anniversary of Don's and my first kiss. No, I do not have every moment of our relationship cataloged, but this one was easy to remember. It was my mom's birthday and my parents were out-of-town at my cousin's wedding. I didn't go, because I was in The Wizard of Oz (again!) at the time and I was pissed off because I wasn't a bridesmaid. My cousin had been my best friend all through childhood, and she didn't even ask me to be in her wedding. Needless to say she wasn't in mine either! I suppose that I should be thankful that I wasn't in the wedding, because then I wouldn't have been home to share such a special (magical) and pivotal evening with my future husband. It is one of the most cherished memories of my life. I always smile and feel very happy when I think of that kiss and how right and perfect it was.

I didn't know what was in store for us. God chose that path, and I am so thankful and blessed that things happened just the way that they did in the time that they did. I am never one for regrets. I believe that everything happens for a reason, and it takes a while to really understand God's plan and timing;that includes both the "good" and the "bad" things. Yes, I've been hurt along the way, but I always try to find power and strength from my belief in good and that even in the darkest night light will shine. God will not abandon us, and He doesn't make mistakes. And that kiss was no mistake! I do miss the giddiness of new love, but I'm coming to appreciate a different more mature love. Giddy new love isn't hard to achieve. Mature love, on the other hand, might not send shivers up your spine, but is more real and more powerful. It's also a lot harder to do. It takes sacrifice and compromise but also expects personal identity and integrity. How can you take care of yourself and be selfless at the same time? I struggle with this a lot. I am a people pleaser. It is much easier for me to do things to make my friends and my spouse happy than it is for me to take care of my own desires and identity. I'm working to find that balance. I guess that marriage is just a journey that we don't have much of a map for. It would be nice if you knew exactly what lied ahead. Is the high, easy trail going to end and when it does how far is the drop or how steep is the climb? But maybe the real love and strength is in what you do if you fall off the cliff and how you work together through the climb. I guess that you just have to have faith in yourself and each other and in the journey that God has put before you. God does not give you what you cannot handle. He does not set any of us up to fail. We fail on our own when we lose faith and stop trusting love. There are so many sad and broken hearts in this world, because people have failed each other and themselves and don't know how to put the pieces back together again. They think that all the power is from outside, but true strength and power is within.

So, our journey started five years ago today with the very best kiss I have ever had. My Love, I will continue to walk, climb and fall with you through pebbles in our shoes, boulders in our path and unexpected mountain cliffs. "I'll love you forever. I'll like you for always. As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be."

Quick & Dirty

All anyone can talk about today is Star Wars. Here's my contribution to the hype courtesy of our local radio personalities Mark & Mercedes. All the Star Wars characters have really weird names, and here's how you can make up your own goofy Star Wars name: Take the last three letters in your first name backwords, think of the first car you ever had and think of the last prescription drug that you ingested. The last three letters of my name backwords are Eer; my first car was a Tempo; the last drug I took was TriNessa. So... I am Eer Tempo from the planet TriNessa. Now, I have my very own Star Wars name! Pretty goofy, but I thought it was funny.

I just want to say that I have the very best friends in the whole world!!!!!! You guys are awesome!!!!!!! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! :) :) :)

Summer is knocking on the door and I can feel it. No, I'm not sweating like crazy. I feel totally fat!!! I think that I am the only person in the world who loses weight in the Winter and gains in the Summer. I hate the Summer! I'm sure that it's just water retension, but I sure do feel like a cow right now. Moo! Oh, well.

Quick & Dirty- I'm outta' here!

Over-Stocked Wet-bar

Ok. This is a reader participation post. I never thought that I would say this, but we have too much alcohol! My wet-bar is overflowing with booze. I’m really only a social drinker, so very rarely do I just poor myself a drink without the company of my friends. The only problem with that is that people with good manners bring booze with them and we drink their's instead! And if we don’t finish it off, it usually gets left here and becomes part of the great alcohol collection. This happened to us big time over the Fourth of July last year. We thought for sure that our supply would be a little depleted, but we ended up adding bottles that people brought instead of using up our own! I’m not complaining at all. We have some very generous friends which is always nice. We’re coming up on this year’s Fourth of July Party and I need to use up some of our booze to make room for the leftovers that we will inevitably acquire. So, my friendly booze hounds/mixologists I need your help! Following is a list of the contents of our bar; your task, if you chose to accept it, is to share recipes that only require the alcohol listed. I will try each one and report back with a review, and the very best one will be a special feature at our Fourth Party. Hint: I prefer mixed drinks that disguise their alcohol content but pack a punch. So here it goes:

Rum
Captain Morgan Spiced Rum
Malibu
Bacardi Limon
Bacardi Vanila
Rum Cream

Vodka
Regular
Smirnoff Vanilla Twist
Smirnoff Raspberry Twist

Other
Disaronno Amaretto
Kahlua
Delaney’s Irish Cream
Drambuie
Crème de Menthe
Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur
Sambuca
Jack Daniels
Glenlivet Scotch
Martini & Rossi Vermouth
Tanqueray Gin
Hypnotiq
Triple Sec
Jose Cuervo Especial

Schnapps
Black Haus Blackberry Schnapps
Pucker Watermelon
Pucker Island Blue

Wines
Cabernet, Merlot, Port & Chardonnay
Regular & Pink Champagne

Mixers
7-up
Coke
Grenadine
Lime Juice
Margarita Mix
Pina Colada Mix
Cosmopolitan Mix
Strawberry Daiquiri Mix
Bloody Mary Mix
Strawberry Margarita Mix
Hot Cocoa
Orange drink
Cranberry Juice

Good Luck! I’m looking forward to trying some cool drinks!

Definitely Not a Charismatic Girl!

Last week my mom was invited by a co-worker to a church function. This co-worker has invited my mom to many things, but she hasn’t ever been able to go. So, she decided that it was time to take this lady up on her offer. She didn’t want to go alone, so she invited me to tag along. I said, “Sure.” I figured that this would make-up for missing Mother’s Day. Plus, the program sounded fun: Extremely Made Over. I thought that it would be a fundraiser of some sort, and my dad thought that we were going to a make-up party.

Well… it was neither. Friday night I found myself in the middle of a charismatic prayer rally. Those of you who know me very well are probably laughing at the mental image. I had a hard time at a mainstream Michael W. Smith concert, so you can imagine my anxiety when I realized that I was far, far away from my home court. It wasn’t long before ladies (it was a women’s function) were “falling out” in the spirit and speaking in tongues. I was even cured of Venereal Disease right then and there by one of the female pastors. I didn’t know that I had VD, but just in case… (Don added his unique view to the situation by questioning the value of the healing, because if you’re in a committed relationship than your husband has VD too and will just give it back next time you have sex. Good point.)

Since I couldn’t just leave, I decided that it would be an educational experience. The Catholic Church has been losing parishioners to non-denom. Churches for a while now, and everyone sits around and wonders why. Here’s my take: Music. Music. Music. The entire first half of this thing was a big Praise concert with the congregation’s worship band. They had two keyboard players, bass, electric and acoustic guitar, saxophone, a drummer, a bongo player and four female singers wailing off to the side. Now, the music wasn’t great, but the sound sure was. They were cranked! This place had a huge sound and light board, fifteen concert speakers, subwoofer and the drummer was miced in an acrylic cage. They definitely know the importance of musical presence in the worship space. The band played almost the entire time. Even when the pastors were getting into a Spirit-frenzy the band continued to play and just augmented the fervor in the room. It was very manipulative, but it accomplished the purpose. People were going nuts! Everyone danced, twirled and jumped up and down. I felt like the fool for not participating! Over and over again, people were encouraged to dance. I guess somewhere along the line somebody told us Catholics that we’re not supposed to dance and have fun, because this kind of excitement would never be seen at any Catholic function. Back to the music: The female singers cracked me up. Their mics were pretty low, and I soon found out why. Just like everyone in the congregation was doing whatever the Spirit compelled them to do, the singers sang whatever the Spirit made fly out of their mouths. I thought one of them was going to faint, she was so enraptured! They just picked a key and went with it. I did learn a lot about music, though. I didn’t know or care about any of the songs, but the band was so into the music that even trite and repetitive songs seemed cool, because the band presented them that way. Everyone else had a good time, because the band did. They even had a liturgical dance team that worked out “real” choreography to the songs and danced along with the band on-stage. In my Catholic world that would be extremely dorky, but somehow it worked. I even learned that every church music group misses cues from time to time… the band leader called for a key-change, but he’s the only one who did it and some people didn’t catch up for a few measures. I’m sure that I was the only one who noticed, though.

I think one of the big reasons that this kind of church is so attractive is because everything was so emotional. Everything that was talked about or sung was meant to be relevant to the lives and emotions people have today. Once upon a time, I knew of a Catholic church that did focus on real lives and real emotion but withered and died in the old Catholic world of rules, ritual and rite. People don’t want a History lesson, they want to bring spirituality into their lives and know that their emotions are important and real. Any priests or liturgists who wonder and care about why we are losing so many people should go to one of these gatherings with an open-mind for how the Catholic Church can be more this way without trampling on thousands of years of tradition.

One thing that really creeped me out was the romantic view of God’s love that kept coming up. We sang about God being my lover and that one morning with the King will make me a Queen. That’s where the emotionalism goes a little too far for me. God can be my Father- But that's it!
It reminded me of our Engaged Encounter Weekend before we got married (obviously). An older couple had the enviable sex portion of the retreat. We pretty much knew what we were going to hear but paid attention any way. Along with talk of the Rythmn Method (having sex with drums playing in the background) and God's great gift of procreation, we were invited to envision God sitting at the foot of our bed while we are making love. Is God crying because you only see each other as objects of lust and are abusing His gift or is he smiling because it's a truly intimate and respectful experience and expression of your love for each other? I'm not sure any of us have gotten George Burns out of our bedrooms yet!

So, my educational attitude kept me in a pretty good frame of mind. I even put up my hands a few times when we were expected to. I’ve fought against peer pressure my whole life and there I was waving my arms around like everyone else! I thought that I had made it through the whole night without anyone noticing me, but at the end I got pulled into a blessing line with the Pastor. I was absolutely mortified! Women were falling down and convulsing all around me and before I knew it I was pushed to the front of the line! I could feel the deer-in-the-head-lights look frozen across my face. One lady even told me to just, “let Jesus in.” Believe me lady, He's "in" but it's a private affair! I wanted to say, “But I’m Catholic! I don’t do this stuff!” The Pastor finally got to me and I was made bold! I was so bold that my mom and I made a bee-line for the door. Seriously, I’m glad that I went, but I am definitely not converting!

Weed Warrior

This morning I set out on a search and destroy mission. Location: The front yard. Target: Nasty Weeds. Weapon: brute strength and chemical warfare (Weed B Gone). It was a one woman mission, and I was determined to succeed. The first weeds I encountered pulled out just a little too easily. I knew that this was a ploy to suck me in to the lair of the nasty, super root system weeds. Armed with my Weed B Gone I was confident. I pulled and any who dared to cling to the ground received a lethal spray. Ha! Ha! Ha! I may have succeeded in my mission but not without a few battle wounds. It didn't take long before they sent out chemical warfare of their own. I had to abort my mission due to itchy arms, swollen hands and decreased breathing function. Those sneaky weeds must have known my weakness! It didn't stop me from dousing their cousins in the backyard before I was forced to give in to the symptoms. I can't wait to see all their dead, shriveled up leaves!

Honestly, I don't mind yard work. It's my severe allergies that keep me from doing it for long. I usually like it at first until the itching and runny nose start. Then, I'm just miserable. I might have to hire a one-time yard guy just to finish up the work in the back. I'd do it if I could be outside for more than an hour without feeling like crap! I even like planting cute little plants and watching them grow, but my body just has a different agenda!

On another note, today I realized just how quick and easy it would be for a small child to fall in the pool without anyone knowing. Ok everyone, breathe. A small child did not fall in my pool! What did happen is that during my weeding adventure in the back yard I had to open the pool fence to get to the other weeds. When I was finished I went into the house and totally forgot to close the fence. So, I started doing house stuff and Dobby got sick in his crate, so I ushered him outside in case there was more fun to come. I got busy cleaning up his mess and as I was washing my hands I looked out the window. There was Dobby standing next to the pool, because I had forgotten to close the gate. He's never been in the pool, so I ran out to close the gate and bring him inside. It's a good thing that he's not the adventurous type, or I would have had a scared, wet dog to clean up as well. If I had let Molly out, she would have been in the pool in the blink of an eye. She loves to swim! That experience taught me a lesson about being a little more aware of those things even though no one was really in any danger. So with Summer and the swimming season about to begin, be careful about small kids and dogs around your pool. They'll be in before you can even think about it!

Two Princesses (Part III)

Over time, the Princess of Beaconsfield realized that the Dark Knight required more from her than she wanted to give, so she began to pull away. The Dark Knight was a master of deception and time after time the good-hearted princess was lured back into his chilling embrace. She was no match for his manipulation. One by one, he formed alliances with her peers which made resistance all the more difficult. Stifling her belief that something better awaited her, the princess became a willing prisoner.

Meanwhile, the Princess of Candleberry also began to test the waters of Love. Although her quest was more focused, it was not more successful. The fair-haired princess was consumed with the search for her prince. She was not interested in wasting time whiling away the hours with the young lords in her kingdom if they were not with whom she would come to share reign. In her headstrong way, the princess was also not content to wait for her prince to discover her. No, in her all-powerful belief, she would will him to appear! She was even briefly courted by the Prince of Beaconsfield, but it was quickly realized that an alliance of the two kingdoms was not in the stars. So, she continued her quest. Alas, each frog she kissed remained just that- a big, ugly, smelly frog! So, she continued to pine away for the love that hopefully would someday come her way.

One moonlit evening, the Princess of Beaconsfield was awakened from her imprisoned slumber by a sage who knew of a far off land where she could flee the Dark Knight and her kingdom. Long stifled beliefs and dreams stirred in her heart as she considered the sage’s offer. It came that the Sacred Stone called her name through the fog and guided her to a kingdom she knew not. She was compelled to obey.

The Princess of Beaconsfield journeyed to the land of ancient royalty with a jester for her companion. Upon arrival, she met many lords and ladies who were also servants of the Stone. They were lead in their service by a wizard knowledgeable in the ways of the Stone. But, it was an impish yet contemplative young lord that attracted the raven-haired princess’s attention. She was entertained by his charm and compelled by his thoughts. Despite the courage to flee the Dark Knight, the princess encountered a different darkness in this foreign land. She was not like the other lords and ladies with whom she now shared a home and purpose. Her natural introversion and reserved demeanor soon became cause to be shunned and distrusted reminiscent of her earliest experiences in her own kingdom. Even her companion, the Jester, seemed to turn away in suite with the others. The princess found comfort from the intriguing young lord whom she discovered was actually Prince Stockton. The Prince and Princess fell deeply in love. The Princess of Beaconsfield could now dream of her happy ending on the crest of the new day. However, the Wizard and the Jester cast a spell to keep the Sun from rising on the next day.

To be continued…

Technology Toddler

After years of anticipation, I have made another stride into the wonderful world of modern technology: I can FINALLY scan pictures!!!!!! You don't even know how much this new development in my life excites me. Now, I can post more pics here and I can share my good ol' film prints with my friends and family without having to make reprints (I hate doing that so much that I never do!). I'm sure that most of you are yawning about this "old news", but I am so jazzed that I can hardly contain myself! I couldn't wait to come home from the bank to scan and post before having to go to church. I even dreamt about scanning- that's how excited I am! I prefer "real" film pictures to digital, because I like to actually touch and view pictures in books and frames. The only draw back has been the sharing factor. Now, I have the best of both worlds! I scanned this picture just a few minutes ago. For those who don't know, these are our dogs, Dobby and Molly. Dobby is almost a year already!


Look at how big Dobby is!

I even cropped the picture myself (that's not a huge deal, though.). This is just one step on my way to being able to do slide shows. I am so excited to continue working with and learning about all this picture editing and production stuff. I probably wouldn't be as excited if I hadn't been waiting to learn it all for so long. It must be a delayed gratification thing- I'll appreciate it more because I had to wait for it. Whatever... Who would think it would be so easy to make me this happy?! :)

Weekend Away

This weekend we blew off church and the moms (Sorry, you guys!) and headed for very sunny San Diego. It was really nice to be away and not worry about laundry, dirty toilets and other compelling things. We actually got out on a sailboat Saturday afternoon. It was pretty cool. I didn’t even get sick! The only bummer was this old lady who was sharing the trip with us. She obviously did not know what she was getting into. She was pretty miserable the entire time. She even whined, “Oh, this is a nightmare!” I felt bad for her, but it was kinda’ hard not to laugh at the situation. Other than that it was fun, and Don was like a kid in a candy store. He was soooooo excited to be out on the ocean and even more excited that the captain let him steer most of the trip. That probably didn’t help the old lady’s nightmare ride very much, but he sure had a great time! We also visited Sea Port Village for dinner and walked all over Balboa Park. That place was amazing! They have an outdoor pipe organ that organists can come and play on Sundays. Now, I am not an organ girl, but the sheer presence of sound coming out of that thing was awesome. There was also a female trio that sang in the amphitheater, and one of their selections was actually When Love is Found. It is always so weird when you hear church songs outside the context of a service. I had to do a double take. We wanted to take in some of the night-life, but we decided to put off the Gas Lamp District until next time. So, my job before our next little jaunt is to research the clubs and bars downtown. So if anyone knows anything about cool night spots in San Diego, please recommend some.

So, now I’m back for another run-away week. The wind is so bad that I think I’m in for the night. I’ve never been to Chicago, but Las Vegas has to be a close second for the Windy City title. If there is one form of weather that I could do without it is definitely wind. It annoys the crap out of me! Plus, it gets my allergies going like crazy. My nose doesn’t need much encouragement to start running like a faucet. Pretty picture, hu?

Lots of church stuff this week: we’re still trying to finalize our summer schedule and our new and improved program for next year. There’s also Pentecost on Sunday. For those of you who aren’t churched Pentecost commemorates when the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles after Jesus’ ascension into Heaven. But at CTK, it’s a celebration of how different we all are, and we get to sing/butcher all kinds of languages. I don’t agree with this focus at all- if ya’ couldn’t tell! It will be another frustrating liturgy I’m sure.

Wednesday is the last day of Religious Ed!!!! Yippee!!!!

I indulged and bought Ben & Jerry’s at the grocery store. Yum! Yum! I can hardly wait to taste the cold, creamy, chocolate decadence as it melts on my warm, anticipating tongue… Oh, I thought I was alone.

Well, I guess I don’t really have anything else to say. Thanks for all the Prom input. We saw lots of Prom kids in San Diego, too. I even saw one or two pregnant Prom girls. Where would you find a prego Prom dress? Do they have special stores like they have special schools in Utah? (Yes, Utah has- at least they used to- special schools for pregnant girls. One of my cousins had to go there- another crazy family story whenever I get around to it!) If anyone hears about 94.1’s Second Chance Prom let me know.

That’s it for me. Talk to ya’ later…

Prom Queen

So, it’s that time of year again: Prom. Sigh. Everywhere I go, I am reminded that it’s someone’s Prom. I went dress shopping at the mall last week and was surrounded by teen girls looking for the perfect dress for their perfect night. I thought that this season’s color palette was a little different. Pea green is a great color- for soup. I saw one dress that would be perfect for Glinda in a production of The Wizard of Oz. The selection wasn’t so bad that I went away empty-handed; I walked out with my Christmas dress for next year! But, I digress. Back to Prom; I have heard so much about kids spending obscene amounts of money this year on Hummer limos, shows and dinner that I was very surprised last Saturday when we went to Macayo for dinner and saw two couples in full Prom get-up noshing on chips and dip. I absolutely love Macayo, but for a Prom date? Come on! If there are any guys reading who have yet to go to Prom, don’t take your date to a local Mexican restaurant. That’s probably not the best way to score for the night. Remember that whole 80s post from a few weeks ago? Well, one of the girls only needed the big hair to look like she stepped out of a music video from 1985. Her dress looked like a big scrunched-up, red satin leg warmer. I couldn’t believe it. I told ya’ that it was coming back!

We also happen to know one of this year’s Prom Kings. He’s a great kid, but very “unique”. Back in the day, he would not have had a chance. You had to be the super jock or the guy who was “just friends” with all the girls to be elected Prom King. This kid dyes his hair and wears eyeliner more than his girlfriend! I guess times have changed. (What an “old” thing to say, hu?)

Some of you probably didn’t even notice all this Prom stuff, but I happen to be obsessed with Proms, because I was denied the experience way back when. Sniff. Sniff. Wait. I need a Kleenex… No, Miss “Goood Morning Clark High School!” was not asked to Prom or any other dance for that matter. Shallow High School Alert: My two regrets from my high school experience are not joining the Varsity Cheer Squad when I had the chance and not attending my Senior Prom. Somewhere in my head I had this crazy notion that you had to have a date to go to Prom, but honestly I was one of the few people who could have gone alone and not been labeled a complete loser. My girlfriends tried to get me to just join their groups of couples, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. The two lesbian girls I knew where very inviting, but I respectfully declined. Even though I might not have really been a loser, I definitely felt like one. Here’s why: Even my parents felt so bad for me that they tried to hook me up with every dorky high school aged guy they could think of. My mom actually asked a guy that she worked with who was in his early twenties to take me. The fun thing about that was that she would have had to pay for his tux rental, dinner, corsage, etc. That’s a good way to build up your insecure daughter’s self-esteem- buy her a date! I appreciate that she knew how important it was to me, but I had to turn that offer down as well. In great desperation, I was even open to attending the Prom on the arm of my good friend’s 8th grade brother. Shoot! I would have taken my own brother if we didn’t have such a close resemblance! Alas, I gave up, licked my wounds and went with my mom and brother to see the re-release of Star Wars at the Dollar Theater while all of my friends got dressed up and partied the night away. I was comforted to see two other Clark Seniors at Star Wars and not Prom, but they were the anti-establishment types that probably made a conscious decision not to support such a shallow adolescent right of passage.

As the years have marched on, my brother attended Prom five or six times, so he more than made up for my not going, and I married a Prom King! Obviously, I have not gotten over missing the Prom. With friends teaching at different valley high schools, I have honestly considered volunteering to be a chaperone just so I could finally go. I swear if there is ever another local Second Chance Prom, I am definitely going. No one can stop me! I will go alone this time if I have to. I’ll slip into one of my twenty-or-so formals, put on one of my tiaras and bask in all my belated Prom glory.

Unwell

They tell me you're not well.
Did ya' really think I couldn't tell?

I care so little for what you do with your life
Bring me in;push me out.
Not anymore.
I hold this knife.

I pity you being my muse,
but you're the one who lit this fuse.

Selfish ways mask inaudable fear
Don't dare let anyone come too near.

What did you stand to lose?
It must have been too much
to try to walk in someone else's shoes.

Where were you when I was drowning in a personal hell?
I guess you were just a little too unwell.

I'm stronger than you.
I'll last longer than you.

You'll probably never see
that the more you run
the less you'll ever be free.

But, it's all about you.
The fabricated tragedy of your mind
has made you so selfishly blind.
So, I guess it's all true.

They tell me you're not well.
And I say, "Go to Hell."

Cruise Envy

It seems that everyone around me is either on a cruise or getting ready for one. My best friend and her husband are cruising the Pacific as I write (I hope you stayed up for the Midnight Buffet!), my parents are sailing into the sunset at the end of the month, and one of my co-workers at the bank is off to Alaska later this summer. I admit it- I have cruise envy! I would absolutely love to be back on a cruise again. Don and I went on a Caribbean cruise for our honeymoon and it was the best vacation of my life. We had such a great time! Cruises are the best vacations, because you can do as much or as little as you want. If you want to see a lot and stay really busy, there are plenty of excursions and activities. You can be totally laid back, too. I loved the lazy mornings in our stateroom and dressing up and dancing on formal nights. A note about the clubs: if you aren’t a fan of EuroTrans music, try to go on an American cruise. We ended up on an Italian cruise line during the off-season, which means that we had a hard time at the clubs that no one was at because only senior citizens can cruise during January. All the same, we had a blast! It is the only vacation I have ever been on that didn’t involve some family or church event, and it was super relaxing. I cannot wait to go again. I’d like to try an Alaskan, Mediterranean or another Caribbean cruise. My brother, Don and I gave my parents their cruise as a Christmas/Anniversary gift, and it was so hard to book their cruise and not add one for myself! I am glad that everyone is having such a great experience. For now, I’ll just have to live vicariously through you.

Volunteerism: an Indentured Servitude

I am so sick of people forgetting that volunteers give of their time and their lives without any worldly benefit. Too often lately, we are treated as though we are employees with job descriptions and performance expectations. As long as we say, “Yes” and do everything as expected it’s fine. But, what if we want or have to say, “No” sometimes? You’d think that people would respect you and want what’s best. Too bad that’s not the case. Sometimes, the people who are paid to do a certain job forget that you aren’t. So, how can they really expect anything? Shouldn’t they be happy and sincerely grateful for what you are able to give? I find myself on both ends of the fence now, but I think it’s a good thing. As a paid staff member depending on volunteers to make my program run, I realize the power of the volunteer. I need to keep them happy and tell them how much they do for the program. I also need to make it easy for them to be involved, because everyone is busy. I never want to forget what it feels like to be an underappreciated volunteer, because I hope that will help me to appreciate the people who help me better.

As a volunteer, my views are a little different. Yes, I expect to be appreciated by someone! But, bigger than that, I expect nothing less from my fellow volunteers than what I would give. Yeah, we’re all busy these days, but people make room in their lives for what’s really important. As a volunteer, I am very offended by other volunteers who just take advantage of everyone else, so they can have their hands in a little bit of everything they want. Commitment doesn’t seem to exist, yet it’s expected. Don was expected to do a slide show and play for a musical. We were expected to play for a special event to make a friend look good and we are expected to always be there- week after week while everyone else takes vacations and goes to birthday parties. What thanks do we get? Oh, I forgot- all the power and glory, right? No, we get paid staff members saying that we shouldn’t even get an appreciation dinner, because they don’t want to “schlep” for all the cranky volunteers. News Flash: Those volunteers “schlep” for you every week all year long and make you look good! Without them you wouldn’t have great liturgies or great religious ed programs. Oh, silly me, that’s just expected!