Shared Experience

Ever have one of those blast-from-the-past experiences that you want to share, but the only people who would really appreciate it are the people who were involved in the original experience? Confused yet? It's like the church trip to Mexico; I can go on and on about the splendor of Motel Sanchez, but only the people who have also been on the Mexico trip really understand and envision our favorite one star motel. Oh, the dirty bathroom floors and hard beds. Not to mention Mexican hombres hanging around outside at night. Another one is that only my cousins truly understand the PeeWee's Big Adventure obsession, because we were all in it together. Anyway... I recently had a moment that took me back that two of my friends from high school would truly appreciate. Not that that's going to stop me! I was at Petco buying food for Dobby, and I noticed that there was a new store in the shopping center. The store just happens to be owned by a woman that my friends and I knew during high school. We actually got a lot of mileage out of how weird and mean we thought she and her daughter were. At the time, we knew that the woman had been a clown/mime in her previous life but had been dealt a few hard knocks which forced her to do more practical things with her life. Fast forward a few years, we are all out of school and I am getting ready to be married and I run into this woman at the Bridal Spectacular. She had a booth specializing in Renaissance wedding dresses. Hey, some people do that whole theme wedding thing. After that, I kept running into this woman everywhere! She was at every craft fair and the Magical Forest. I couldn't get away from her, and I was getting tired of small talk all the time! Well, people must be buying her costumes, because now she has her own costume store. That's pretty cool. Unfortunately, the only people who would care much about this new development I haven't heard from in almost two years!

How does that happen? How do we lose track of friends and not even mean to? Sure, there are a lot of people from high school that I am fine with never seeing again. I'm sure that there are going to be a few I'll see at my reunion in a few years that I'll have to bite my tongue from saying, "Um... where the hell have you been these past ten years?!" One of these is my childhood best friend that I haven't crossed paths with since my sophomore year of college. I invited her entire family to our wedding and they didn't even send back the RSVP card with a regret. Fine, screw you, too! I just gave up after that figuring that I was the only one who really cared about continuing our relationship. It's too bad, because she might really enjoy the person I am today. I guess I'll find out in '07. Those of us who have been out of high school for a while probably know that it is very unrealistic to have more than a few if any high school friendships that survive the test of time. How long do you continue to try to keep in touch with people? Does there come a point when it's just not worth the effort anymore if it isn't reciprocated? Who knows, maybe someday you'll reconnect at the Adult Superstore. lol. Honestly, the friends I have made since high school have much more in common with me and care a lot more about my life and having fun together than anyone I knew back then.

I've gone through this experience with family members, too. One of my cousins and I were totally inseperable during childhood. Of course, adolescence came and made us two very different people, so we have almost no relationship today. My mom just called a few minutes ago and told me that Kellie is going to Texas to complete basic training and will then be shipped off to Baghdad. See, two very different people. My mom was urging me to call her, but what in the world am I supposed to say to someone who has made absolutely no effort to have an adult relationship? "Well, have fun. I'll look for ya' on the evening news." I don't even have her phone number! Sure, I care about her safety like I would any family member, but is a college education really worth risking your life? I respect all of our troops and the great work they do, but the Kellie I knew wasn't exactly the G.I. Jane type. Maybe I would know different if we had more of a relationship today than third hand information. Oh, well. Change is inevitable, and I have great stories and experiences that I share with a lot of people still.

I said, "Yes!"

Ok, so it was a few years ago... Today is the anniversary of Don asking me to marry him. Awwww. I get butterflies just thinking about it. It was definitely one of the most magical and happy days of my life even though my dad tipped me off. Don had asked him for my hand in marriage, and my dad was so excited that he held a family meeting BEFORE Don actually proposed. lol. The good news is that I was still surprised, because I didn't necessarily know that he would do it that same day... It's funny how far we've come and how different things are since then. Sometimes it feels like a million years ago, and sometimes it feels like just yesterday. Time is a funny thing. Days like today remind me of how giddy and exciting true love can be. There is probably no other time in life that is anything like the engagement period and planning a wedding. When else would a couple stress over a cake or matching gloves and shoes to dresses? "They'll look fine in the pictures" my foot! Aside from those stresses, I absolutely loved our engagement. It was such a special time. All the anticipation, the preparations, the parties. I was born for a wedding! After the wedding, I did go through a little post-wedding depression when all I wanted was to do it again and again. Every now and then I get that inkling, but Time has decreased the frequency. I just absolutely love weddings. I love attending them (I've never been in one other than my own. No, I was a flower girl once, but that doesn't count!). I love the excitement. Sometimes I think that I am more excited for the couple than they are! I get misty every time that I hear a couple take their vows. Right now, I'm looking forward to Louie and Ashley's wedding and everything leading up to it. She probably won't need too much help, though. I probably will give her a book I read after we got married entitled, What No One Tells the Bride. It helped address some of the newly married realities that can be a little surprising if you aren't aware. It is a transition, for sure. Of course, the Self-Help Queen would have a book ready to go! Every Christmas, I have to supress my urge to give everyone self-help books in their stockings!

Ok, back to my wedding... I can't believe that there are still people who talk about it! It has only been eclipsed in recent memory by our Fourth of July parties. Moving forward is good. We can't just live in the past. We don't get all crazy with the engagement anniversary. With my memory for dates, we'd be celebrating something every other day! Although, Don did get the new Jason Mraz CD for me today, which was very sweet and thoughtful. He has added a little bit of harmony on this one you'll be happy to know.

So, thanks for asking, my soul mate, lover and best friend! I wouldn't change a thing about the ride, and I say, "Yes" every day. This is the best thing that I have ever done. I love you!

Random Play

Not too much to say today; I'm trying to be a normal human again after the full moon that took over my personality. However, I was not alone. It seemed like just about everybody had a really crappy, ornery day sometime over the weekend. I guess everyone's emotions and hormones went crazy at once, so if you avoided the power of the full moon good for you!

I think I'm getting sick (yuck), so I am chewing on a Coldeeze bubble gum to get the all powerful Zinc into my system. The bubble gum is much easier to take than the lozenges. It doesn't leave as much of a metallic taste in your much. Plus, chewing bubble gum is a lot more fun than sucking on a gross zinc lozenge.

For those of you who are unaware, I ordered the old 80s cartoon The Last Unicorn on DVD last week. It just barely shipped yesterday (don't have a clue why it took so long!), so I should have it by the end of the week. Then we can figure out when to have our nostalgia party/sleepover/whatever! Yippee! 80s kids rock! Although, technically, I am a child of the 70s. lol.

The weekend wasn't totally crappy. I actually had some very nice times despite being temporarily insane. I enjoyed going out to the Ranch with everyone. It was nice to do something with my mom; we don't hang out enough. The show was cute. Mark and Dean were very funny, and now we have more to tease Mark about. "Now, I'm in show business tooooooo!" Trust me, it's funny. I'm actually kinda' glad that I wasn't in the show, though. Sure, it would have been great to hang with the guys, but I've enjoyed being a little more low-key lately. If I had been in the show, there would have been no rest! Plus, they have been performing outside in this killer heat and now humidity. No thank you!

Work Talk: Just a little... Debbie and I had our first catechist meeting Saturday morning, and it went so well! I am so excited about our program for next year. We have a great group of volunteers that is also very excited. The energy during the meeting was so positve and supportive. Everyone has such great ideas. Of course, a lot of the ideas create a lot more work for me! That won't be such a problem if we can actually get my increase in hours approved. Now, I'm in the process of building my case... I don't think it will be too hard. I can't wait until the meeting next week when the rest of the catechists are there. It is such a welcome change to be part of something that people are genuinely excited about.

One month until my b-day! :)

Well, I'm off to wash my really gross hair and do some housework. Fun. Fun. I hope the effects of the full moon have subsided for everyone, and the world can be in harmony again.

To Clarify:

No, I'm not going to stand next to a tall tree in a field during our lightning storm today nor do I have all my bags packed ready to hop on the next flight to Austria. (Although, I would love to fulfill my Sound of Music dreams one of these days.) I've just been a little down-in-the-dumps about some things. I'm fine. Don and I are fine. Just wanted to clear that up, because I thought about that whole interpretation thing... And, no, everyone in the world is not selfish. I know that most people really do care about each other. Love you guys!

Don't worry; I will boogey my little butt off tonight without a care in the world!

Drowning

I think I've finally been broken. There's no huge catalyst; just a lot of little things that have weakened me over time. Maybe it's clarity: finally realizing that no one really cares and that the dream is dead. So much of my energy and so much of my passion now trivialized and reduced to casual indifference. It's always a fight- struggling against everyone and everything for what I thought was a shared vision. Everyone says they understand, but if they did they wouldn't cast it all aside in favor of the most recent whim. I'm tired of standing up for something that everyone pays lip service to but no one believes in. I'm weary of constantly sacrificing for the selfishness of others. Dishonesty has made me resentful. I don't think that I can stomach hearing one more excuse. I am sad for what was once so much a part of my joy. I just can't do it anymore without support and dedication. I thought that I could make people care and show them how important it all is. I guess I was naive, because at the core all any one cares about is oneself and what is best for them. There is no altruism. No one believes in anything but their selfish wishes. "What do I get? I can have it all. I am the exception. I'll do what's right for me and to Hell with everyone else! As long as I'm happy, I don't care about anyone or anything else. Me. Me. Me." Really, it is that attitude that has finally broken my spirit. I am grieving my vision of a world in which people care about each other and bigger things than themselves. I no longer believe that exists. Look at the road ways, our neighborhoods, our church. It's no wonder that so many marriages are doomed for failure; no one can see beyond themselves to really love, respect and value their spouse. It's all about what's best for me. That is the saddest, most lonely statement I have ever heard. I'm not saying that we should live our lives for everyone else, but when what you want keeps you from showing love for another or respecting your commitments and the commitment of others there's something very wrong. Unfortunately, I think this is the prevailing attitude and it makes me sick to my stomach. My heart has been more hurt by the selfishness of others than anything else in my life. To know that you, your ideals, dreams and visions are stomped on by the self-gratification of others makes it very difficult to go on. There are many times when I have felt like an afterthought or something that's only important when it's convenient to be. I feel so heavy of heart, and I don't know what to do. Do I stay on a sinking ship trying in vain to keep it afloat only to drown, or do I jump ship and brave swimming to a new shore? I wish it were easy. Nothing ever is.

Bottle of Red

Here I sit on a Tuesday night sipping the last glass of my April 2003 Wine of the Month. No, I haven't had a whole bottle tonight. It was actually uncorked Saturday night during the Jr. High appreciation party. I am so stingy with my wines that it pained me to open it in the first place, so there is no way that I could let it go to waste, which is how you have found me finishing off the bottle as Don showers for the show. Probably TMI. Like so many things, I just like to hord my wines. Never mind that you typically drink wine; no, I just like to see it in racks on the bar. I really want to join the Wine of the Month Club again, but I have made a personal vow to drink the wine I have before adding to the collection. The only pitfall is that in our house wine tends to multiply without warning. Actually, all alcohol tends to multiply in our house. Every time that we try to use it or give it away, people bring us more! I don't think that Don and I bought any of the Margarita machine booze that kept everyone's whistles wet for three days. It was all donation if you can believe it! And we haven't even finished it all! So much for making a dent in our collection. I don't mind the multiplication of wine too much except that all my glorious bottles of red seem to be replaced by bottles of white! I must look like a white wine person, because that is all anyone brings. Honestly, I am not a white wine fan at all. Too sweet. No, the reds are my love. I'd dare say that a good glass of Cabernet is my very favorite libation. I know that white wines are safe when you aren't sure what people like; shoot, we've pulled that one before mostly because I have so much unwanted white wine! Oh, well. I will enjoy my last glass of April 2003 (it has a real name, but I fondly refer to them by the month in which they entered my rack) to the very last drop.

Sometimes I Wonder: What is the World Coming to?

I've come across a few news stories recently that just have me shaking my head. Did you know that there is a man in Seattle who is dead due to having sex with a horse? He got the horse to give him anal intercourse and the horse's penis perforated his colon. Isn't that nice? I don't even want to think of how in the world he got under that horse without being trampled let alone why the horse didn't freak out when this guy started messing with the goods. Sure, there's the saying about "being hung like a horse", but I never imagined that someone would actually think that it was a good idea to have sex with a horse! That's disgusting! I am aware that bestiality exists as an extremely deviant sexual behavior, but I wouldn't want to give the eulogy at this guy's funeral! Of all the stupid ways to off oneself (in more ways than one). What is worse is that he didn't just find a random horse out in the pasture; there is actually a farm in Washington that people who want to have sex with animals can patronize. There is no law in the state of Washington forbidding sex between humans and animals, but if you want to have sex with a goat you might get sacked with an animal cruelty charge, because goats are smaller animals like domestic dogs. So, it's ok to get it on with Seabiscit but not Rover. Yeah, there's a huge difference there. I swear, people never cease to amaze me! I didn't realize that we actually needed laws about this kind of thing. The Bible and, um, common sense do it for me.

That story reminded me of how weird and stupid people can be. This story kinda' pissed me off: There is a Christian adoption agency in the South that has denied a child to a couple because they are Catholic. Their reasoning is that they don't believe that Catholicism supports their Statement of Faith which is that "as the Savior, Jesus takes away the sins of the world... Jesus is the one in whom we are called to put our hope, our only hope for forgiveness of sin and for reconciliation with God and with one another." Oh, yeah, Catholics don't believe any of that at all; they just happen to be part of the religion that wrote it first and is the basis of all other Christian religions. It just floors me how ignorant people really are about Catholicism. They hear the name Mary and the word transubstantiation and we are suddenly a cult of cannibals. I'm sure that my fellow Catholics have had this maddening experience before: you start talking to someone about religion (already shaky ground) and say that you are Catholic and they say that they are Christian as if there's a big difference. Why is it so difficult for non-Catholics to conceptualize Catholics as Christians? We were only the first ones! What are these people being taught during their church services and Bible studies? It seems to me that they are learning to be prejudiced against other religions. That may be a huge generalization on my part, but how can you be truly Christain and advocate discrimination against other religious groups including other Christian denominations? Last time I checked, our role model in life and religion, Jesus, helped, healed and spent time with all kinds of people who weren't good standing Jews like himself. According to these people, he should have only done good things for fellow Jews. Forget the woman at the well or any of the Gentiles. Yeah, I guess Jesus would have said, "just keep to your own."

Despite some of the troubled past of the Church not to mention some troubled present, I am proud to be a Catholic and work for the Church. It saddens me that our faith is so misunderstood and discriminated against in this country. Did you know that the KKK hates us too? That just doesn't get as much press as their racial hatred. I wonder if our detractors are aware that we assist the poor and the homeless every day without ever considering what religion they are or aren't, we give emotional and monetary support to all who are in need, we teach our children to be good people not just good Catholics to other Catholics. It is so unfortunate that the good that we do is overshadowed by a few bad seeds that the media loves to berate us with. And that is all some people see until they find themselves in a situation when they have no where else to go but our door. Think of all the child molestations that happen in schools at the hands of trusted adults who aren't celibate men, but no one says that there is a crisis in our Education system because of it. All of these things irk me from time to time, but Jesus didn't say it would be easy. He said that people would hate us (all Christians, not just Catholics) and say bad things about us and just make life miserable at times because of our choice to follow Him. Lead on.

Bye-bye, Lisa; Bye-bye, Lacey

Right now both of you are on a plane back to PA. Lacey, I'm glad that you finally started warming up to Aunt Des even though it was the end of the trip. lol. Poor Uncle Don didn't even get that much! At least, you could kinda' say his name. I know that Desiree is a hard one, so I'll give ya' a break. You taught me about the Wiggles and Boobah (unfortunately. Aren't Phalic symbols for kids great?) I'm glad that I got to introduce you to the divided plate. There will always be one waiting for you here at Uncle Don and Aunt Des' place. I enjoy your company a lot more now that you don't burp-up and drool. Seriously, I may not be the most fun aunt that you have to chose from (thanks, Auntie Lo-Lo!), but I love you in my own quiet way. In a few years, we'll do hair and have sleepovers. I'll let ya' eat ice cream really late and swim all day. Have fun getting to know Daddy and all your PA relatives again. I can't wait to see the little person that you are the next time you visit.

Lisa, sorry your trip wasn't all that you had hoped for. I hope that you had a good time with us, at least. I've really enjoyed our conversations and am happy to have a better, more mature relationship with you than before. I know better than anyone how hard it is to pick up the phone or worry about things that aren't right in front of me, but we should try to keep up the conversations and understanding. I really do love you and want you, Dave and Lacey to be happy. Keep up the work. Thanks for your support and point of view.

Things I'll remember from your visit: Fun in LA. Sick and cranky Lacey (I didn't say that it would all be good!). My poor Geranium and the battle to let it go (Don, you do owe me a new one). Don's "dead" grass plant. 20 some bags of rock. You are not the same person as your sister. No more middle man. Your super tan. Neutral lips (I'll think about it). Wal-Mart photo processing. The world of picture CDs and Snapfish. Second City with the Millers (Lesson: don't ever try to volunteer someone during the show; it backfires.). The 4th! The most sought after surrogate mother by the gay and lesbian community. Don's anatomically correct baby doll. "Hi, my name is Desiree..." great customer service (at least our toes are pretty :) ). No sad goodbyes.

For next time: I hope we get to see you around Christmas. Maybe next summer you should come closer to the 4th and stay through July and part of August so that people hopefully have a little more time for you. Get Dave to come out for at least a few days. We miss him. You can stay over here some of the time, too. If we offer than it's not imposing.

Well, it's been great seeing you. I know that you are relieved to be getting home and back to "real" life. So, we're back to phones and cyberspace.

Love ya',
Des

Thousands of Words (3rd Installment)

Jessica, Don & Mark

Laura and her dang plant

Anthony & my dad being goofy

Babies!

Yeah, Second City! Catch the Scriptless show every Tuesday at 10:30 at the Flamingo

Gary, working on his artistic masterpiece

Moral dilemma: 8 year olds painting shot glasses.

Cute little juice cups.

3/4 Margarita machine ownership

Girls! Girls! Girls!

Christine & Lisa during craft time. Yippee!

Dean, Me & Mark. If you're local, go see these guys in Once Upon a Mattress at Spring Mountain Ranch. It opens this Wednesday.

Doreen, Laura and Don's dad

Don's patented Hepatitis in a Bottle.

Katie & Don swimming at 1am

My nephew, Dameon

Well, I think that's going to be it for this year. I just wanted to give a little sample of the festivities. If you missed all or most of it (and you know who you are!), doesn't it look like we had a lot of fun? Now, clear your calendar for next year, book your flights and get your butts over here next July! We only bug you because we love you so much that we want to spend more fun time with you.

Picture Karma

Just taking a little break from posting party pics to discuss photographs in general. I have recently been involved in different conversations about photos and the energy or lack thereof that is implied when capturing a person's image on film. Some people I know don't think that you should ever discard a person's photo, because it contains part of their soul and would be bad karma. Other people I know want me to throw away their pictures, because they don't want an image that they don't like floating around for mass viewing. Among other things, I do have a lot of trouble discarding photos of people. I guess I feel a little like I'm throwing the person or the experience away. I also know someone who would say that it is good and theraputic to cleanse your life of any reminder or negative energy associated with someone in a picture. This person believes that pictures trap energy, so you can free the negative energy by burning or otherwise respectfully discarding of the picture. I guess that answers the question about what to do with pictures of ex-boyfriends/girlfriends and other people that have departed your life under not so great circumstances. I don't know that I subscribe to any of these ideas. I look at pictures as a record of moments in time that you can never capture again. To destroy a picture erases that moment that has helped bring you to the present. So, maybe you aren't particularly fond of the person pictured anymore, but it is still a memory that is worth having. Pictures are the story of my life: the good, the bad and the ugly. They speak volumes without words. There have been times that I have thrown away pictures from the past, because there just didn't seem to be a reason to have them anymore or they just reminded me too much of painful times. Looking back, I'm not sure if that was the right thing to do, because now I have censored my story. I took out pieces that I didn't like or that I didn't think were important anymore. I know that it drives everyone nuts that I have a camera in their face every time they turn around, but it is so important to me to hold my memories in albums. I have found so much solace and hope in my pictures. They showed me that happiness and love existed before and would exist again. They show me the good times when all I can remember are the bad. There is so much that is awful in the world that I need these 4x6 reminders to ground me and say, "Look what you have. It's not really that bad". So, next time I put a camera in your face just smile and deal with it! I'm capturing the moment just the way it is.

Thousands of Words (2nd Installment)

More 4th Party Fun!!!

Shots! Oh, yeah!

Looking at your watch, Sharon?! Party Foul!

Awww... Katie & Don.

Girl talk and a bag of Tostitos.

Taree's Summer reading.

Awww... Cousins.

Cole, modeling the newest trend in beach towel fashion.

OMG! Ashley's Ring!

Devil Music!

There are still more to come... Hey, I took 5 rolls! Plus, Don has a bunch of digital pics that I haven't even seen yet!

Thousands of Words (1st Installment)

Here are some pictures from the 4th. I'm going to do a few at a time so that I don't overstimulate you all. Plus, Wal-Mart sucks and screwed up my photo CD. Oy vey! I thought that I gave simple instructions. Obviously not! Anyway... enjoy!

Swimming!

Dobby's First Swim!

Hey, isn't he a keyboard player?!

Yeah, Tony!

Margaret and Bob. We got on their calendar way back in April!

Duke, like our new Pope, was very upset about our "Devil music".

Don's dad

Katie Riding Shamu.

So much fun that we put Dad to sleep!

Fr. Bill, Fr. Lawrence and some more women!

Someone had to do a little table dance!

You just wait... there's more fun to come!

Singers' Worst Nightmare

I was going to write about something totally different today, but I just got a call from one of my best friends who is a singer. She just had an appointment with an ear, nose and throat specialist because of some prolonged hoarseness that she has been dealing with and found out that she has a small nodular on her right vocal chord. It's small enough that she probably won't have to have surgery if she follows the doctor's orders. The good news is that she caught it early and it could actually go away. The doctor said that it was most likely caused by stress (not only do we have to worry about singing correctly but now we need to keep our stess levels in check to keep our voices happy. We aren't the divas;it's our vocal chords!). She is supposed to keep her talking to a minimum and absolutely no singing for at least six weeks! All of us singers know how hard it is to not sing when we just have a cold, but this would be agony! She is also supposed to go to speech therepy to learn how to talk "around" the nodular. And absolutely no smoking again ever! I feel so bad for her, because a singer's voice is his/her most treasured possession and for it to be threatened this way is heartbreaking. Unlike other musicians, our voice is our instrument. We can't just go out and buy a new one when it starts behaving strangely. We have to take care of it. Of course, this situation really freaks me out, because it makes me think of all of the ways that I'm not such a great vocalist. Shoot, I'm lazy about warming up and even my breath control isn't always what it should be. In my defense, I have never smoked and I almost never scream (except when everyone made ride Big Thunder Mountain and the Matterhorn at Disneyland! I'm not a rollercoaster person. They really weren't that bad, though.). As singers, our voice is our identity and singing is our passion. It sets us apart and makes us unique. I would be miserable if there came a day when I could no longer sing. I wouldn't know what to do. It's how I express myself. That always makes me think of Julie Andrews: one of the great icons of musical theater who can barely sing today because of vocal chord surgery. What a tragedy! I'm definitely looking at this experience as a wake-up call to be more vigilant about singing correctly and taking care of the instrument that I love. I am not at all implying that this person was wreckless with her voice; it's just a reality check. Please keep her in your prayers, especially all you singers who can definitely imagine how she's feeling right now.

Maybe It's Time

Have you ever had one of those moments when you feel like it's probably time to move on? I don't know if it was just me being overly tired and a little bit cranky, but I think that I caught a glimpse of the writing on the wall. My time with the bank may be coming to a close. No, I'm not going to quit tomorrow or even next week, but I am seriously considering leaving that job. I had originally quit almost a year ago as it is. Unfortunately, the reasons that I stayed don't hold much water anymore. I didn't really stay for the money, although the extra cash in the bank account helps increase our security. Plus if I really wanted to make money in the home mortgage industry, I would not be working for this particular bank! Call me crazy, but I really enjoyed the people that I worked with and didn't want to let go of those relationships. Fast forward eleven months and the iron thumb comes down every time I bring up a topic that isn't business related and most people's attitudes have turned very sour in general. I don't respect our CEO and think that most of the politics and policy are completely ridiculous and mostly anti-employee. They do absolutley nothing to attract and keep employees. It's a dead-end road. In our office things have changed a lot. I know that everyone there genuinely cares about my life, but I'm not really a part of things anymore especially since I have the most envyed schedule and position of anyone there! So, I'm starting to wonder if any of these people are really my friends and if they aren't does it make sense to stay in a job when your initial motivation no longer exists? Sure in a geeky way, I enjoy creating loan files and helping people buy houses (even if most of them are in Pahrump). But, I don't enjoy it enough to deal with the deterioration of morale that is apparent all around me. Every other week it seems, they try to convince me to take back my full time position and I gracefully decline when inside I'm really saying, "Hell no! Are you crazy?". It's been a good job. I've learned a lot and met some really good people who have nothing to do with church, but maybe it's time for me to ride off into the sunset and do what's right for me for a change. Contrary to popular belief, I think they'll survive.

3am

That's the time that my head hit the pillow last night and our 3 day, America Rocks party 2005 came to an end. I hope that everyone had a great time (other than the unwelcome backyard advances. Don's "soooo handsome"! How 'bout those scratch marks?lol). The thing about a 3 day party is that you never know what to expect. You don't know if or when people are coming, which makes it a surprise a minute. I think that Don and I did a much better job than usual just relaxing and going with the flow. I don't know if it was the party or us that was more mellow this year! There were no marital spats over purchasing electronic devices, no corner of foreigners dissing America on it's special day, no one downing too many shots and puking everywhere, no backed up toilet and absolutely no shortage of booze, soda or food. Gee, how boring! It was amazing; there were church people, family, (insert your own adjective here) step-mother, work people, funny people, gay people, straight people, old people, young people all living in harmony. John Lennon would have been proud! Truly, the only bummer was the pool heater. Don started heating the pool Saturday morning and by the afternoon we realized that it had stopped working. I got to plead with a pool repair guy to come over and save my party. It must have worked, because he arrived in fifteen minutes. Unfortunately after two days of trying, he couldn't fix it for the party, but hopefully it will be by week's end. This guy has been such a trooper! I can't wait to get the bill! Of course, that didn't stop us from swimming over a very hot weekend. We even brought Dobby in for the first time on Monday. (All is well, Debbie. I just wanted you to know.)

Here are some other memories and observations:

We are a potluck society. People have a really hard time coming over empty handed, which means that I won't have to buy any food for the whole week!

People really like frozen drinks, and 2-3 gallons of margaritas go faster than you think! "Are they frozen yet?" Bet you were tired of hearing that one, Don!

I will never again label someone as shy, because I was proven very, very wrong! A couple drinks open up a whole new world of information!

Guests who came the farthest: the Millers from Indiana. Ok, so they didn't really come for the party, but it was great that they took time out of their vacation to stop by.

We are now on at least the semi-cool list. I guess FB really does like us!

I lied. The guest who traveled the farthest was Fr. Lawrence. England beats Indiana. Ok, so he didn't really come out for the party either, but it was nice to be part of the whirl-wind tour. Andy, as consolation, be sure to tell your mom to ask to see the pictures of his trip.

We cannot get away from church music no matter how hard we try. Let's play some Beatles, lets play some Fleetwood Mac... "Hey, will you guys sing some church songs?" So, If Today became a really great jam song. Sigh.

Church musicians do not like to be on the spot outside of Mass. They had a dismal performance in the Second City versus CTK musicians First Annual Hymn Off. "Yahweh, I know you are near... pause... pause... You got served!"

Gay men and Lesbians do in fact get along when put in a room together. So sorry that I doubted you all. (Disclaimer: This is a joke, and the people involved know. Next year we'll double book the party as a Pride convention so you all can make friends and plug radio shows and musicals you are involved in. Again, I am not stereotyping. These are all things that happened, and I love each and every one of you. Really, why do we have more gay friends then some of you? We'll ponder this one later... Oh, it's because Don is "sooooo handsome", and I used to be a theater whore. See my March blogs for that reference.)

Next year, we need to either buy Nana a plane ticket or someone needs to drive out there and kidnap her to make sure that she finally attends the party she began!

Dave, Mike and Will all need to get on a plane next year too.

Moral Dilemma: Is it morally acceptable for 8 year olds to paint shot glasses? They are just really small juice glasses.

Shout Outs:

Don, we survived! I'm really glad that we were able to continue our "little" tradition. Neither of us knows how to do anything small or cheap (I do try, though!). Here's to many, many more. Plus, how else would we get any house projects done without the motivation?! The kool deck looks great. I love you!

Lisa, you are awesome! Thank you for all of your help getting ready. I'm glad that we could get you out of the house, and it was nice spending time with you alone. When do you want to go see the Psychic?

Laura, Doreen and Debbie, thank you for all of your help during the party. You are the best cleaning and cooking crew! You have a knack for knowing what needs to be done and just doing it. You don't know how much I appreciate your thoughtfulness.

Dad, thanks for transporting grills, booze, picture framing (they look so good!) and going into the margarita machine rental business with us.

Don's dad, thanks for saving the a/c and jamming with the guys even though they were hard to keep up with at times.

Katie, thanks for showing us that you could have fun watching people over 21 drink. You've been redeemed, so Don can't give you crap anymore. At least, not about that!

Christine, thanks for being old faithful. Don't worry, all good things come in time- usually when you least expect it.

Gary, you are an artistic genius!

Congrats Ashley and Louie!

Thanks to everyone who came and helped in any way (there's my PC way of covering my butt in case I forgot someone! I learned it from the best!). Now, we have a few months to chill before starting up with next year's plans. Those of you who didn't come: you suck! Only because we missed you. Well, my pillow is calling a little bit earlier tonight, so it is time for the Goddess to head back to Mount Olympus for some sweet dreams. Good night.