Monday.....and It's Thiry Again (Day 10)

I am sitting here trying to have faith that Monday will be gentle with me. I am also having to be pretty harsh with myself this morning as I am exhausted and it is self-inflicted. I did not go to sleep until after midnight because I stayed up watching reruns of The Nanny. I never watched the show while it was in production....but now I can't get enough of it. NO MORE Nanny after 10 p.m.. I can watch all I want on youtube, but at 10 p.m. (10:30 when I watch the news) the tv goes off. I NEED my beauty sleep!

As I sit here writing...the wind is howling. It keeps hitting my north windows with a vengeance. Apparently what was suppose to be a day in the high 50's is now turning into a day in the 40's with high winds. I warned you Mr. Weatherman that it was not a good idea to get on my bad side.....and here you go and do it anyway. I can see you and I are going to have some issues this year! Hmmph

I am so ready to make this week an exciting week with exciting possibilities. While I never stopped moving on Saturday to prepare for this new week.....I never actually started moving yesterday. I was pretty sedentary just relaxing and enjoying my day. Well....today is a new day and tomorrow will be a new month. There is much to be done and I can't do it sitting on my keester.

I found all my pictures that I need to go through, so I thought I would start tackling them today. I would like to do one BIG project per week and then several small (15 min.) ones. It keeps me feeling like I am moving forward. Believe me....this picture deal is a HUGE project and then once sorted and gone through.....I have to decide what to do with them all.

I am really excited that I have gotten quite a few idea's on for March's Adventure. Some of them are quite creative. I will have chosen by tomorrow so I can start my month hitting the ground running. It is really kind of cool that I put out the call and you guys gave me such awesome input.  And there were only a couple of suggestions that just weren't feasible. *Note....I will not be jumping off a bed, roof, or out of a plane with or without a parachute....ever! I am terrified of heights and I want to live past March. Did you not read the whole disclaimer about maiming or killing me???

Lent is just around the corner (starts not this Wed. but next Wed.) I am trying to get my Friday no-meat days in order. Trying to think up new and different fish or meatless ideas for several Fridays worth of meals is harder than you might think. Any recipes you would like to share would be awesome. Also....I am pondering what I will be giving up. It needs to be something meaningful and sacrificial. Not the okay.....I give up going to the gym kind of sacrificial. It has to be truly hard for me. The possibilities are endless!

Well it is time for the 30 Day Challenge.

Today's challenge:

Day 10 - A picture of the person you do the most messed up things with.

It seems like Berty and Thiry are reoccurring themes in these challenges....and the reason is....our lives have been so interwoven for so many years.....that it just is what it is. 

Okay...now while Berty is my friend who keeps me centered and on the right track....Thiry (as I have said before) is her polar opposite. Thiry can throw me off center in a heartbeat and change all the rules before I even know what they are.

In our younger days.....Thiry and I were fearless when it came to adventure. We took road trips (sometimes I didn't even know we were going until we got there), we changed our names, took risks and went places we never should have and would kill our kids for doing now.

Thiry has never met a challenge she couldn't handle except for one night at a club called Club International. I will spare you all the gory details, but suffice it to say....she wrecked her car trying to make a get away.....and had to pay for the repair and the damage before her parents found out.

We have rocked river parties, dragged Douglas, fought with cops, turned in hookers, and out run guys who thought helping us pull our car out of a ditch meant they got a little sumtin' sumtin'! We have crashed frat parties, gone to dubious bars, puked on each others stuff, watched UFO's, screamed to the top of our lungs, boogied to Footloose,  gone to concerts, played quarters, spit on each other (yes.....there was alcohol involved) and these are just the tip of the ice berg. You can pack a lot of foolishness and mayhem into 30 years!

Even today....Thiry is still unpredictable. I am never sure when I get in the car to go with her somewhere whether I am going to end up at our original destination....or if she is going to detour and take us to Grand Lake.

Thiry makes me laugh and never do we get together that something interesting doesn't happen. Our latest adventure/mishap/whatever you want to call it was forgetting to pay our bill when we were out a bar and then ALMOST getting tattoo's. If not for our timing....we would be tatted women today.

I don't see Thiry ever changing. I know that in our 60's and 70's she will still have us avoiding cops, driving into ditches and going on impromptu road trips. She will never not have a beer in her hand and she will never turn her back on an adventure. In fact.....I have no doubt....that someday she will end up in Tuscany.....causing trouble for all of Italy and with any luck......I'll be along for the ride.

The Sermon and Berty and Thiry Day 9

It is foggy....much like my brain this morning and my mind is going in a bzillion (love that non-word) different directions....so bare with me on this post.

The change in the weather (a warming trend) is apparently causing all of us to have allergies or something. I have spent the last 3 days sneezing my head off, David wakes up every morning trying to clear his throat and Zachary is coughing up his lungs.  I guess it is one of the not so pretty side effects of spring. I don't care though!!! If it means warmth and no more snow....I'll take it!

I went to Mass last night as I was sneezing and didn't know how I would feel this morning. We had a visiting priest as I believe our own Fr. Mike is on a retreat. I have to say that I was rather impressed with our visitor. He was fairly young....maybe 30ish and his sermon was on faith and getting what we need from God....and worry. It was basically a if you pray why worry and if you worry why pray....sermon. Again.....I felt as if the sermon was written for and directed at me. (No...there are no bounds to my belief that everything is about me!) The sermon was truly beautiful and talked about God giving us everything we need.....all we have to do is have true faith. He also spoke of those who have no faith and how often they are the ones who die bitter, angry and afraid because they feel that death is the end. Where as those who believe.....know this is only the beginning. Death is but the closing of a chapter so that we can go on to open a new one. One of eternal life.

I couldn't help but think how ironic this sermon was on the heals of the conversation I had just had with my atheist friend. I wished she could be there to hear it....but would she have? There is a difference between listening and hearing. Reminds me of the old adage....you can bring a horse to water....but you can't make him/her drink.

Others must have been equally impressed, as I looked around at one point and noticed that just about everyone else in the church were as enthralled as I was. You could have heard a pin drop and even though the sermon ran long....there was no shuffling in the pews or glazed looks. Perhaps people were struck by this young priests voice as we are used to Fr. Mikes softer tones. This man had....not a loud tone....but a raspy....yet very direct tone. I am sure I was not the only one who felt they were being spoken directly too. And my aunt who sat directly behind me grabbed me as we were walking out and said..."wasn't that a wonderful sermon?" I guess we were all affected.

And now my mind races to the next thought. Have you ever watched Tuck Everlasting? I have seen it several times over the years and I really like the movie. It is about a family who drinks from a pool of water and unknowingly gain eternal life on earth. Rather than make this a good thing....the movie touches on the negatives of such a thing and how this family suffers and merely exists....no longer really living. It was on....so I watched it again yesterday and there is a part where Amy Irving's (movie) mother is dying. She is obviously in her last moments and Irving gently crawls in bed next to her mother and holds her. I have seen the movie several times and never do I remember this part getting to me like it did yesterday. It took me back to my own mothers death. She lingered on a ventilator for several days before dying....but before they put her on the machine.....she and I talked. She was having terrible anxiety attacks as her body was shutting down and the cancer was taking hold. I spent hours rubbing her legs, her shoulders and her feet and talking to her of Christmas (which was just days away) and the future.....hoping with all my heart that there would be a future. Before she was sedated for the ventilator.....I held her hand and told her I loved her....and she me, but why did I not crawl in bed beside her? Why didn't I just lay there with her and feel her breathe, listen to her heart beat and hold on to those last minutes that I had with her? And right now what I wouldn't give to have those moments back to do them differently. Just thinking about having the warmth of my mother next to me and having that feeling of security that only a mom can give makes me tear up. It has been almost 9 years since I lost her....but today is feels like 9 minutes. Oh how I miss my mother!

Okay....moving on. Believe it or not....the bedroom/office/sitting room/junk room is clean! I would like to take the credit for it.....but I can't. Yesterday was a day of cheesecakes, cleaning, visitors and errands and I only had two hands and one brain to do it all with, so Zachary decided to take over the room. I think the ulterior motive was that he really wanted to go karaoke last night and he was trying to make points. It worked!!!!
                                  

 So to start out with....it was pretty much a mess. Over the course of years....this little room has been a bedroom, a work out room, an office, a sewing/craft room, a bedroom again, a sitting room....and finally.....a catch-all junk room.  It....like most of the rest of the house has hard wood floors that have been covered in carpet almost all their entire lives. When the carpet was pulled up though....it showed floors much in need of refinishing. The floors are badly stained and need some real TLC. Anyone know of anyone that refinishes floors cheap? For now though....I may have to get a carpet remnant and cover it until I can afford the full refinish. I would even be thrilled if someone would show me how to do it myself....as there will be many more floors in this house to refinish in the future.

The cleaned up and mess down-sized room is much nicer now. I just have to figure out what I want to do with the room. Do I want a sitting room...or a guest bedroom....or a craft room....or a room that accommodates all the above? Any suggestions????? And as you can see....the floor in this picture looks pretty darn bad!


I am still looking for ideas for March's Adventures!!! I have gotten several but still would like more. If you have an idea that you think would be a perfect Lisa Adventure for the month of March.....let me know. I am so trying to broaden my horizons and try new things.....and I am really interested in your suggestions.

 Well it is 30 Day Challenge time. Today's challenge is:

  Day 09 - A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most.






As in most of these challenges....there is no simple answer to this. While my life is certainly one that takes a village to survive, there are two people that stand out as beacons in my life.  These two women I have known since we were girls and without their support, help, friendship and love....I would not be the woman I am today.

It just so happens that these two are sisters. First came Berty....which if you have been reading my blog....you know I met her my sophomore year in high school when I bowled her over in Foods class asking her about her older brother. Berty has always had a quiet, calm, compassionate soul. She can make the worst situations not so bad....just with her calming presence. This is not to say she doesn't have a temper.....cause I have been on the receiving end of that too.....but without Berty, I would never have survived high school....nor all the years since. 

After knowing Berty for a couple of years....her younger sister Thiry started tagging along with us. Thiry is in many ways Berty's polar opposite. Thiry is not quiet (much like me), or is calm a word I would use to describe her....but like Berty.....there is no end to her compassion and she and Berty share a kindness that few others possess. Thiry has a wild streak a mile wild and adventure is always a possibility in her presence. She has helped me survive many a child raising crisis and has always helped me to keep my self worth in tact. 

Together these two have seen me through the best and the worst of my life. They have both cheered for me through all of the good and happy times and they have mourned with me and held me up through the the sad and painful times.

Not growing up with my sisters....these two have filled that void and become to me as close as any family could. Both know me better than I often know myself and they instinctively know when I need a push in a certain direction....or when I simply just need to be left alone.

There are truly no words (even for me) to fully describe what these two women have meant to my life, nor how lost I would be if ever I were to lose either of them. For thirty + years we have laughed together, cried together, fought together, and made up over and over again....and here's to thirty + more! To Berty and Thiry.....truly....thank you for being my friends!                                  

How Sick am I ...Oh and It Is Day 8....Lookout Thiry!

It is a cold and dreary Saturday....not to mention it is only 8 a.m. I could be sleeping but instead....I am blogging. Does this blogging sickness know no boundaries???? Apparently not. David is tucked in bed watching the infamous Spongebob, Zachary is sleeping and even the dogs are sleeping....and yet here I sit.

Oh well....I have a big day ahead with at least one fairly large cleaning project. It is one I have been dreading (my office/spare bedroom/sitting room/junk room). It is the latter description that has caused me to feel the need to clean it all out. I am sure there will be pictures and a blog about this in the future. Who knows....maybe even today! I know that just excites you guys to your toes thinking about a two blog day from me. By the way.....since you know I am not big on taking responsibility for my own actions....I blame all this cleaning stuff on Melissa whose is a new blogger but who is helping to keep me motivated in the cleaning dept.
http://workinprogress-melissa.blogspot.com/ and the Flylady at www.FlyLady.net. Between the two I have been inspired to clean my house inside and out. How sick am I?

I am feeling the results of my 4 days of working out this past week. Yesterdays circuit training left a mark on my muscles. As I sit here I feel the slightest twinge of ache. There was a time that I would have used that as an excuse not to move from the couch (you know....needing to ice and heat those babies and be ready for next week's workouts) but not this time. I must not give in! I must continue! I accomplished the mega ton of laundry I had in the basement yesterday....and today I must continue on with the cleaning! Will this need to clean just never go away?????

On to the challenge. Today is day 8 of the 30 Day Challenge and I like this one.

Day 08 - A picture that makes you laugh.

 This picture was taken in August of 2009 during an Old Settler's Barbecue at my friend Chris' house. (Old Settler's is an annual event that is held the 3rd weekend of August in Mulvane). In the picture is my friend Thiry. (At least she was my friend....that may change after she see's this blog...lol) We have been friends for well into 30 years and in all that time....I don't believe there has ever been a picture like this of her. I am laughing right now as I post this. I guess you just have to know Thiry.

I have no idea what exactly she was doing or what was going through her mind when I snapped this picture. (Probably..... get that stinkin' camera out of my face). I do know there was food involved.....and I am thinking alcohol too. So go figure! When I saw this picture I just cracked up. I couldn't help but post it to fb. What was funnier though was the next day when I was looking at the comments to the picture....one of her sisters obviously thought it rather funny too as she  commented.."are you on drugs?" It was one of those...you had to be there moments....but to me it was hysterical. To this day....when I am having a bad day....I can go find this picture and that comment.....and still laugh till I cry.

I am sure you guys will look at this picture and go "Really?"  and I am sure Thiry will look at this picture and say something much more colorful like "#$%@", but I stand with my choice. This picture just makes me laugh.

Typical Day full of Atheism and Treasures!

Typical day at the Elam house. Typical as in....you just never know what is going to happen. My day started out as usual, but then took a detour when the school called me to come pick up David as they believed his stomach was upset. I will let you use your imagination on what might have brought them to this conclusion. Any way....so I pick him up....bring him home and he hasn't stopped for a second. Does he look particularly sick to you? Me neither. But it is what it is. Being that he is feeling pretty darn good....there is no snuggle time, so I thought I would make the most of my afternoon and clean. Obviously that plan took a detour too.....cause look what I am doing.

Don't worry....I will clean after I blog. Priorities!!!! So back to the important stuff. Today is frigid and I am really NOT liking the snow I have seen today. Luckily tomorrow is suppose to be in the 50's which should nicely counteract any of today's nastiness. Sunday will be the good day though. It is suppose to be 70 with thunderstorms. I can almost smell spring.



So the other day I mentioned that someone asked me if there was anything that I wouldn't blog about? Well....actually the conversation was much more than that....and after thinking about it these last couple of days...I think I am going to address it.

Normally when I am on fb....I go on as being offline. It is not that I don't want to talk to people....but it is usually a case of I am in a hurry.....I want to check things out and get off. If someone starts talking to me, I will often have to cut them off abruptly....and I just don't want to do that. So being offline helps me to avoid that. However...the other evening I went on without the cover of offline and I got into quite the conversation. It was with a friend of mine who is an atheist. Now before I go further let me clarify that I have friends of many different beliefs.....everything from atheist to agnostics, Christians, Jews, Muslim and even a pagan thrown in for good measure. With many of these people I have had religious conversations. Often it has been non-religious vs. religious, or spiritual vs. religious, and on occasion.....being religious but not big on religion. Funny enough....some of my biggest conversations/debates have been with other Christians. It seems to be a popular belief among protestants that Catholics are not Christians. I love these conversations and always find that at the end of one of them...I have learned so much. However....I try never to stomp on anothers belief (or non-belief) whatever the case maybe and I always try to keep the conversation respectful.

Anyway....back to my conversation the other night. This individual messaged me after reading one of my blogs (which one....I have no idea), but she asked me if there was nothing that I wouldn't blog about. I told her....not much. Then she went on to say that she had read most of my blogs and they all seemed to have the theme of God in them. So why she wondered, would I take perfectly good writing (I am assuming this was a backward compliment) and make God a reoccurring theme? And then she asked....do I really believe all the BS (her words not mine) about God and all? After all....I seemed like a fairly intelligent person (another one of those....I'm not sure if it is a compliment or not remarks) so how could I possibly buy into all of this? And if there is a God who is suppose to be all knowing, loving, and perfect....then how come there are wars, disease, murders and all the other fun stuff in the world? How come there are people that claim to be followers of this Man of Perfection and yet they are liars, hypocrites and haters? Bottom line..."how can any thinking person put such stock in what appears to be nothing more than a myth?"

The message caught me off guard as she and I have had many conversations and nothing like this ever came out. It was as if her reading my blog had triggered either anger, or questions, or a combination of the two. The time was late and my mind was blurry...and although I love to give my opinion on just about anything....I know that there are times when less is more. So I told my friend that I was too tired to address all of her query's that night....but to keep reading my blog and soon she would see my answers. Well.....being a woman of my word....here they are.

First of all dear friend....while I respect your choice to be an atheist....I will tell you that I feel that atheism is the most narrow minded of beliefs. Atheism rules out so many possibilities and gives you nothing but absolutes and anyone who has lived knows that life is anything but absolutes. Atheism is a belief that holds no hope for anything but the here and now and gives you nothing to fall back on in times of loss, anguish or trouble.

As for God being perfect and the world not....well you are blaming Him for human imperfection. To put it in the simplest of terms....God is like a parent....much older and wiser than His children. He put us here and gave us all the same tools but what we choose to do with them is on us...not Him. Just as when we have children....we give them the tools they need to be the best they can be. However....if your grown son robs a bank or your grown daughter decides to drink and drive and then kills someone....is that your fault? Are you to blame for their bad choices? God did not create war, murder or hate....man did. So why is God to take the rap for our failings? God created man, but man created the very things you seem to what to blame God for. But like all loving parents....all we have to do is turn to God in our times of trouble or regret and He is ALWAYS there for us willing to forgive any wrong doing and help us in anyway that is in our best interest.

Far be it from me to tell you that you are wrong.....as you will continue to believe the way you believe....until you don't believe that way anymore. But as for me....I would much rather believe and then die and find out there is no God....than to not believe and then die and find out there is! So as promised....this is my answer.

Well....it is that time again. Let the 30 Day Challenge continue.

Day 07 - A picture of your most treasured item.

As usual this won't be just one picture.....it will be several because I have several items that I treasure....but they are all from the same family. The ring family.

My first item is very special to me and I wear it everyday. It is Tim's wedding ring. The funny thing was that Tim was suppose to be buried with his ring on.  The day of the funeral the funeral director gave me a packet of stuff. I thought it was just paperwork but when I got it home....Tim's ring was in it. I was immediately relieved. I put it on my thumb and I have worn it everyday since. It is as if a part of Tim is always with me.

The next are my wedding set. They are not the originals that I was married with. The originals were thin and of course second hand....which I was fine with, but Tim not so much. So I was given these our first Christmas as man and wife. He knew I had always wanted a wide band, so he made sure I got one. I no longer wear these, but I will always treasure them.

This one is my mothers wedding band. After my mom and dad were divorced (I was in the third grade), Dad for whatever reason ended up with both their bands. I think they were fairly cheap bands (seems like I remember hearing K-Mart), but I wanted Mom's. I had told my dad for years that I wanted it and he always said. Someday. Not sure why he held onto it and his own, but then I just never really understood that relationship at all. Anyway....after thinking they were lost, apparently after Mom died he found them. He gave his to my brother and he gave me Mom's. I am not sure why it means so much to me....but I do cherish it.

Finally we have this ring. My mother designed and had this ring made when she was in her early twenties. Not sure you can tell by the picture....but it is an iris set with diamonds. The diamonds are small but on a sunny day.....they sparkle. Mom always wore this until she got sick and then she put it away. I think her fingers were too thin at the time. She had always told me that someday it would be mine....but I was picturing getting it in my 60's or 70's...not my 40's. On her last visit to the hospital.....everything was shutting down. They were going to have to put a breathing tube in which would require them to sedate her first. Up until that moment she had said...."I will be fine." But then she said...."Lisa...my ring is in the hall drawer....I want you to have it." It was one of the last things she said to me.....and I think then I knew that she wasn't going to be fine. She died several days later on Dec. 22, 2002. I went to her house...got her ring....and there has not been a day since that I have not worn it.

So folks...these are the things I treasure most.

Eeeek! It's Almost March....and I Need HELP!!!!!

 I know!!!! I know!!!! Two blogs in one day on the same blog! I know you are thinking.... REALLY? Don't judge me...

Well...it's that time of the month again. NO! Not that time! I am talking about the time of the month where I need my readers to help me out. I need ideas for March. What kind of ideas you might ask (if this is your first time reading my blog)? Well....I am dedicating this year to better choices and new and different experiences. I started this last month and asked readers to give me ideas for the month of February. I got lots of good ideas (who knew that many people read my blog?) and I chose three. Two I have accomplished (cleaning my closet and watching a 1950's movie) and the other is a work in progress (training to run a 2 mi. run in June). Those were actually a lot of fun and gave me more to blog about. Now I need MORE!!!!

The only rules to this little game are:   please make your suggestions things that won't maim me, kill me, or get me arrested. Also....please remember that I am poor with a negative bank balance most of the time. So it would be helpful if the suggestions were free or of minimal cost. You can make expensive suggestions....but just remember...if your suggestion is chosen....I'll be coming to YOU for the money!

So come on everyone....get creative and help me to step out of my box. I promise if chosen there will be pictures, a blog and my helpful suggester will get  recognition in said blog. Make it fun....make it productive....or just make it crazy. Believe me....I have no fear of the ridiculous, nor much shame....so I am pretty game to go for something new and different. (Oh better say right here......keep it clean!!!)

Okay guys....put on your thinking caps and comment here or fb me, fb message me, or email me. I look forward to your suggestions and am even more excited about what adventures just might be in my future! Thanks in advance for your help....and I will be waiting!!!!!

Blogging and Day 6 Challenge

While it is not 70 degrees outside....it is storming! I woke up around 4 a.m. to the sound of what I am sure was hail. Not being able to move my body from my pillow....I just listened. It lasted for maybe 5 minutes and then was followed by hard rain, thunder and lightening which lit up my whole dark house. Ahhhh.....can spring be far away? I am really hoping the answer to that is....NO!

Yesterday I was asked...."is there anything you won't blog about?" I am not thinking that was necessarily said as a compliment. The truth however is.....yes and no! Come on...would you expect any other answer from me? Honestly....most things that come to mind, that aren't hurtful to others, aren't gossipy, and aren't dishonest......I will blog about. As you can probably tell....I am pretty forth coming with my life. Perhaps I feel that maybe there are lessons to be learned from my experience, but more than likely.....I blog about things as a release.....and you all are just taken along for the ride. However...there are things in my life that I won't.....don't.....can't blog about. Why? Probably because I haven't fully processed them yet. I am big on avoidance.....why write today about what can still be avoided tomorrow? Believe me.....if it weren't for avoidance.....I would be blogging ten times a day (now though....it just seems like I do!) Count your blessings that I am big on avoidance!

Zachary just called and he didn't get a part in the spring play. I was crushed. He on the other hand was fine with it and said I will just try and get on as part of the crew. He is obviously more mature than I....but I will write a blog about anyone who tells him I said that! Actually though....I am pretty proud that he is taking it so well....especially when I know he wanted to be able to act in every play during his high school years. Guess God has another plan right now!

Onto the other important stuff. Today is day six of the challenge.

Day 06 - A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day.

 This is incredibly easy. The person I would love to trade places with for a day would be my own little David! If only I could stand in his shoes for one day, perhaps I would be more the mother he needs....instead of often....just the one he gets.

I would love to know how he feels about things. I want to know how he feels before, during and after a seizure.....so that I can better identify them when they come and know better how to take care of him to make him comfortable in the process.

I also would like to know what he endures during a shunt malfunction. How his body reacts....and again how it makes him feel or if there is anything I am missing to take care of him and them in a more timely manner.

Finally.....I would just love to know what goes on in his mind on a daily basis. Although he communicates (in my opinion) quite well....I am sure because he is non-verbal, there are things that we just don't get. I am sure there are times when he wants us to know something and we either put our own interpretation on it....or miss the boat altogether. He either has to act out....or just patiently resign himself to the fact that we are simply never going to understand. I want to know what he truly likes, dislikes, and what he simply tolerates. I want to know if he is ever in pain and just masks it behind his laughter.....or if maybe he has had pain everyday of his life to the point that he no longer recognizes it as such.

I want to know how he feels about his environment and those around him. Does he truly like everyone or again.....does he just tolerate because that is what he has learned to do?! Who does he feel closest to? Most comfortable with? What foods does he really like? What toys? What shows (not including Spongebob?)

Thinking about all of this makes me realize that the little guy I think I know.....I may not really know at all. I may assume so much about his life.....because he is unable to correct those assumptions. It kind of makes me sad!

I saw a big bill board in Wichita the other day which said LET'S FIND A CURE FOR CEREBRAL PALSY! I had never seen one like it before. I had to stop and think how great that would be to be able to actually carry on a verbal conversation with my son or to watch him run across the front yard without braces or a walker. How exciting that would be?!

Yes.....let's find a cure for cerebral palsy. But until then.....if I could change places with one person for the day....I still think I would like it to be David!

Challenge Day 5 and Picture Help...Please!

Yesterday was pretty awesome. Not awesome as in I won the lottery awesome....but awesome as in I finally went through all the paperwork that I have let accumulate in my house for months. There was a large tub full and it took me much more than 15 min., but I did it!!!!! Today I am going to attempt to start on pictures. This will be no easy job as I have LOTS of pictures and they are scattered everywhere.

Speaking of pictures.....I need some input here. I have lots of creative friends out there (hope you are reading my blog) and I need some ideas for what to do with pictures. Is there anything creative you can do with pictures other than just sticking them in albums? If I put all of my pictures in albums....I will have a zillion albums. I want to do something different. I also don't want to put them all in frames as I don't have enough wall space in my house to promote such a project. Ideas pleas?!

It is already 46 degrees at 7:30 a.m. While it is not Sunday's 62....I will gladly take it. Especially since the next three days are suppose to only reach the 40's and be cloudy and rainy. I must say...while this isn't the worst weather we could have.....I am definitely ready for more than just this little tease we have gotten of spring.

It looks as though we may be fighting a virus in my house. Zachary came home from school yesterday feeling pretty bad (mostly nausea and a headache with a low grade temp). He had spring play call backs last night and if he learned nothing else during his Fiddler on the Roof experience.....he learned that the show must go on.....even if you have to puke between scenes. So he pulled up his boot straps and made it to call backs. We will know what part he got Thursday. Last night though.....I don't think even the show could have gone on about 3:30 a.m. He woke up wishing he could throw up with a temp and a horrible headache. He finally got back to sleep about 6 a.m. while I on the other hand.....never did. This morning he still feels yucky and is still running temp....so I guess someone is going to spend the day in bed sleeping. And honestly....I am slightly jealous of this fact. He has had his flu shot this year (not that it means much I'm guessing) but I am thinking we are just dealing with an unpleasant stomach virus which side effects are....no one in the house gets to sleep past the wee hours of the morning.

On to today's challenge....and what is today's challenge you ask?????

Day 05 - A picture of your favorite memory.

I am really liking this challenge thing....except for all the memory stuff.  Number 1.....my memory is not all that great in the first place....and number 2....even though as I have said above, I have a bzillion pictures....few of them support the memories in this challenge. Today however....I have lots of pictures for this memory....but no scanner in which to transfer them. So for now.....I will simply have to put on the few pictures I do have and hopefully add more later.

To give you a little back info on my favorite day.....on Oct. 15, 1995 (my birthday)my dear sweet Tim took me to a little bar in Clearwater (which sometime later burned to the ground) because he was singing in a karaoke contest. I was not feeling 100% that night and almost didn't go...but it was the finals and he really wanted me to be there. I just couldn't disappoint this handsome guy....so I went. Much to my surprise.....he had it worked out that this was the night he would propose to me. Everyone in the bar was in on it.....except me. As he sang Cross My Heart by George Strait.....he walked over to me, got down on one knee and proposed. Needless to say.....there weren't a lot of dry eyes in the house. It was close to my favorite memory and definitely in the top two.

My favorite memory though was the day that came from the sequence of events that resulted from the above event. In July of 1996, we had been engaged about 9 months. We hadn't even really talked about wedding plans...not because we didn't want to get married....but because we didn't have money, time, or resources to do so. Friends were getting ancy as was I. I was ready to be Mrs. Tim Elam. Then a friend suggested that if he could give me a surprise "engagement"....why couldn't I give him a surprise "wedding"? It made a certain amount of weird sense (it was definitely a Lisaland kind of sense though!) So I began making plans.

It was decided that the venue would be our front yard. The chairs would be borrowed from the bowling alley (I had connections there), my dress was bought on clearance from a bridal shop for $30, and the guys would wear white shirts, black jeans, and black cowboy hats (and all of Tim's friends just happened to have each of these pieces in their wardrobes). The girls wore bridesmaid dresses from a friend's wedding (she was also one of my bridesmaids) and believe it or not....they all fit. This same friends mom made our cake, mints, and punch and by the time it was all planned....we were out about $250. The real trick here was keeping Tim in the dark about the whole thing....especially when everyone we knew.....had been let in on the secret.

The big day....August 10, 1996 finally rolled around.....and all went off fairly smoothly. Oh....there was plenty of drama leading up to it. What would you expect....it had all the elements for drama. It had secrets, me, tight schedules, me, tight budget, oh and did I mention....ME????? We pulled it off though and even had it set up so that Tim could sing to me. It was amazing....and such a happy day. While the groom pretended to run away when he realized what was going on.....he was really happy that I had taken the initiative and taken all the planning and chaos out of his life. All he had to do was get dressed, sing and say I do! What potential groom wouldn't be thrilled about such a cushy ride to the altar?

It was a wonderful day filled with family and friends to celebrate with. Sadly not everyone that we wanted there could make it (the being last minute and all), but those who did attend got a front row seat for a "surprise" wedding. We even had impromptu guests of people driving or walking down the street and wanting to watch the goings on.

So you can see why this might just possibly be my favorite memory ever. The thing is....this little synopsis really didn't do either the engagement or the wedding justice....so you know there will be later blogs describing both. But for now....my wedding day was my favorite memory thus far!

FlyLady's and Favorite Nights

It is back to the real world today....as if getting poked with needles and cut with sharp instruments wasn't real enough. It is back to work and back to moving forward with my life. A friend whom I met through another friend (Melissa) has turned out to be a great source of both encouragement and motivation for me recently. As you might remember she was the one who suggested I run in the River Run and she has also given me the motivation to start organizing my life. (I would say my house....but who am I kidding? We all know I need a full life overhaul). I guess I must thank my blog reader Angie too for suggesting I clean out my bedroom closet. It kind of got me on a roll.

I have decided to start with small jobs (note I said "small") that I really hate. I have always found in my life if I do the stuff I really don't like first.....then I stay more motivated and the other stuff just falls into place. This week I am going to work on organizing paperwork and pictures. These are two things I despise and both seem to clutter my life and suffocate me. Once they are all gone through and sorted.....then I hope to organize everything in a way that won't get me into this situation yet again.

Melissa introduced me to a site called TheFlylady.net (I will blog more about this later) but in essence.,...The Flylady gives you no nonsense advice on how to get organized. One of her selling points for me was her emphasis on decluttering 15 min. a day. Now even on my worst day (usually) I can find 15 min. to do some small decluttering job. And while 15 min. may not seem like a lot....before you know it....you will have spent half an hour getting organized....and then an hour. And if you think about it, an hour is actually quite a chunk of time and the results can really surprise you. The way I look at it.....every 15 min. I declutter puts me 15 min. closer to an actually organized home. Perhaps by December my home will be clutter free!!!!!

So today begins day 4 of the 30 Day Challenge. Wow how time flies.

Day 04 - A picture of your favorite night.

A favorite night? Hmmmm.....by the time you reach my age.....there have been literally too many to pick from and some by now, I have probably forgotten. And since I didn't come from the age of picture phones and digital camera's and didn't get to take pictures every time I took a breath, today's challenge maybe a little photo challenged. 

I can however think of some favorite nights. My wedding night (for obvious reasons) and for the fact that I had finally found the man I truly wanted to spend the rest of my life with. The night Wesley was born. He was the only one of my kids born at night. There was a lot of pain involved....but seeing his beautiful face made the pain so worth it and in the end.....the pain was all but forgotten.

There were the nights my husband and I sat on the front porch drinking coffee and watching the kids play in the yard. The nights where my friends and I in our youth had great fun dragging Douglas (a great but no longer allowed drag street in Wichita) or going to river parties. There were nights when my mother would turn off the tv and have my brother and I do skits and sing songs to entertain her. And there were sleepless nights with a crying baby where I would walk the floor exhausted but happy knowing that I loved the little bundle in my arms and that I had the BEST job in the world. I was Mama!

Another favorite night has always been Christmas Eve. On those cold, dark nights when the world is silent and the star shines brightly....you can almost feel what the wise men felt when they too saw that star and knew instinctively that a miracle waited at the end of their journey. This for me is the true meaning of Christmas. 

And how about those summer nights when the moon is full and anything seems possible. Many is the night that I have sat on the tailgate of a truck and watched the moon lighten the dark. I have always felt that the moon was about dreams and often I have made plans and dreams under its white/yellow glow.

Finally though....my favorite night is the stormy one. There is electricity in the air....literally. There is an excitement that comes with storms (at least for me).....especially the ones early in the spring. It gets your pulse racing as the clouds form, the thunder roars and the lightening dances about. Perhaps it is the unexpected nature of the storm or the sheer force that often comes with the storm that makes me want to watch and hide all at the same time. Whatever the case.....I long for spring with all her beauty and fierceness.

So these are my favorite nights. As you can see......I have trouble just picking one....but in a life well lived (which is what I am striving for) you will always have more than one favorite night!

Day 3 and It is Cold and I LOVE Glee!

What a difference a day makes. Yesterday at this time it was in the 60's and felt like spring. Today.....it is in the 20's and it has thrown me back into the desire to hibernate. Have I mentioned that I am not fond of winter and would really just like full-fledged spring to hurry up and get here?! It really could be worse though and I guess I should not complain. We don't have snow or ice and today I get to play hooky! Okay....so not so much hooky. My boss knows about it and my reward for taking the day off????? I get to go have a bunch of irregular looking moles removed. Sounds like a day at the beach.....right? That is if your beach has no sun, warmth, water and comes with a scalpel and needles. Yee haw!

For a Monday....there is much going on in my head. I tell you...I mentally blog all the time now and I swear I woke up dreaming about blogging today. Is there a twelve step program for this issue I am having? I used to try to blog about different things....things I thought others might find perhaps, a little interesting. Not anymore. Apparently I now feel that the world is riveted by my every thought and move  and waits on the edge of their seat until my next blog is published. WHAT???? This isn't the case???

I was talking to a long time blogger friend of mine about my new found obsession and he told me....1) I am in a prolific phase and this too shall pass. Even the greatest writers have dry-spells and since my writing is nowhere close to being in the great category......my spell is likely just around the corner and then you all will get a (I'm sure) welcome reprieve. 2) Blogs were originally designed as cyber/electronic journals......and at some point....most bloggers revert back to a journal format from time to time. So basically my friend feels that even though I am aware of my blogging issues and have openly admitted them.....a twelve step program is probably not necessary. Besides, he asked me....."how many people do you actually think read your blog." With an indignant hmph I tossed my head and said....."in my Lisaland delusions.....hundreds. In reality...on a good day...10." He just smiled and walked away. Hmph!

So back to me....I am so pleased with my weekend accomplishments and along with blogging in my head....I have also been cleaning in my head. While not quite as productive as the real act....it does give me an idea of what I am needing to do and what tools I need to do it. Now if I could just work out in my head....I would be set. Hmmmm......But again I digress. I have already decided my next project and depending on how I feel after my little proceedure today...I may try and tackle it. I am learning that a bunch of short term accomplishments are much better than starting one huge job and getting bored, frustrated, or tired and not finishing it. So hopefully today I will get another small job done.

Well the weather said last night that this cold spell is only temporary and that the mercury should be on the rise the rest of the week. I sure hope the weatherman knows what he is talking about. It wouldn't do for him and I to be on the outs this early in the year!

Okay.....onto day three of the 30 Day Challenge. Today's challenge:





Day 03 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show.

I have to say that my current favorite show is Glee. I am not sure what their target audience intentions were originally, but I am fairly sure I wasn't in it. However....I know women and men of all ages who like this show. It is just one of those shows that struck an amazing chord (literally and figuratively). I have to say that this show had me hook, line and sinker when this talented cast of 20 somethings belted out their first Journey song....and they have held me ever since.

The talent alone in this show is beyond belief. From their taking little known or played songs and making them sore to astronomic heights... to taking old hits and breathing new life into them, this show rarely hits a sour note(like my play on words???)

 

Some of my favorite episodes are the ones where they do mash-ups. (For the non-Gleek speaking public) a mash-up is two different songs put together to make one amazing song such as Bon Jovi's It's My Life and Ushers Confessions.

Aside from a weekly dose of awesome music, the show actually has a great story line. The glee kids are seen as the schools outsiders....misfits....geeks, even though the class is actually graced with the likes of a couple of football players and a hand full of cheerleaders. Sadly....even their social rankings tank when they are connected more with glee than they are with the more socially acceptable football and cheer leading.

The message that this show and these kids are trying to get across is that it IS okay to be different. It is okay to not be the cookie cutter, stereo typical high school student. It is okay to be an individual. And if as an individual you love to sing and can belt out a Barbara Streisand classic like nobody's business....then all the better.

While occasionally the show may cross some lines that may make some feel a bit squeamish....all in all...the show sends a message that deep down inside we are all different and sometimes we have to fight to stay true to ourselves, but at the end of the day....it really is okay to be who we really are.

So to all my fellow Gleeks out there.....I give you a great big "L" sign across the forehead....and for anyone who hasn't tuned in....I encourage you to give it a chance.

                                                     

Forgiveness, Day 2, and Berty!

Ahhh Sunday morning. We are in the middle of February and it is cloudy and 62 degrees outside at 8:30 a.m. It feels like spring and I am loving it. Church? Check! Breakfast? Check! Lunch in crockpot? Check! Blogging? Of course. I still have to make some cheesecakes and some bread and of course watch my 1950's movies....but other than that....I am chillin'!

Father once again spoke of forgiveness at Mass this morning. His theme for 2011 and mine seem to be one in the same. He spoke of incidences where to most of us forgiveness would not be possible...and yet somewhere deep inside these individuals....forgiveness was found. Amazing. Well I have been asking for the grace to deep down inside forgive. Holding grudges is just too much work and makes me feel icky! As I said in another blog piece....I hold only a few grudges, but they are definitely there and they take a toll. I have been talking to God extra fervently hoping He would give me the tools I need to simply let go and move on. Apparently even with His busy schedule...He listened.

I talked of a friend whom I felt turned on me and not only me but my children. It really did hurt me, but I am not sure if it hurt me more because of the acts themselves.....or because "I" had put her on a pedestal and like anyone put on a pedestal.....she fell off(i.e.....humans don't belong on pedestals!) At any rate, my "grudge" has probably hurt me far more than it hurt her....as I have let it effect people I chose to be around and events that I refused to attend....simply because I didn't want to run into her. I have been thinking about all of this for awhile and it has really been gnawing at me. To top it off....I knew there were things going on in her life at the time these events occurred and I should have handled it all better myself. I was not kind to her and my words were very harsh and in hind sight.....very unnecessary. My Christianity in this situation was all but gone. In fact....one little grudge has really caused a lot of unnecessary hard feelings, lost friendships, lost social relationships, and it has not set a very good example for my kids.

I knew when this year started that I wanted to forgive this situation. I wanted to not look at her and feel angry. I wanted to see her once again as the person I knew she was....not the person I had let my mind turn her into. So I began (as I said)....talking to the Man Upstairs.  I first had an inkling He was listening when Father's sermons more and more started centering around forgiveness. There were times when I was pretty sure his sermon had been written for and directed entirely at me (apparently I feel that everything is all about me....even at church).

Well yesterday was proof that prayers are not in vain and even the worst grudge can be turned into forgiveness. You may remember that in the midst of preparing to clean my closet that I suddenly had to run to Dollar General to purchase some organizing tools. Well the truth is......I had just gotten home from running errands and going to the store and never once in all that time did it ever occur to me to go ahead and pick up stuff to work on the closet with. Suddenly though....as I was standing in my room, the urge to go to DG was over powering. You laugh...but I don't usually go to DG. I told Zachary I was going and he said..."didn't we just get back from the store?" It made no sense to me either....but off I went.

As I walked in the store....there was everything I needed. It was as if it was just sitting there waiting for me. I grabbed it and as I started to turn the corner....there she was. We walked smack dab into each other. Both of us looked embarrassed and then as if taken out of our control.....we both started apologizing at the same time. All I could think was how stupid and petty I had been and how much I wanted my friend back. She asked my forgiveness and I realized at that moment I had forgiven her a long time ago. What I had been holding onto was my anger at her NOT being perfect and the situation that I had blown out of proportion. I don't think I have ever been more ashamed in my life. After hugs, some tears and a vow to start fresh......I was at peace for the first time in a long time. I had no doubt that this was an intervention for two stubborn women who both wanted the same thing....but neither knew how to achieve it. This was most definitely a God thing.

So apparently I am still not off the hook. Father's sermon was once again about forgiveness and I and God both know that there is still unfinished family business. I doubt this will end with hugs and tears, but maybe at some point if I continue to work on it (me) there will be some kind of peace come from all of it. I just know after yesterday.....I will NOT give up trying.

Onto Day 2 of the 30 Day Challenge. Today is:

Day 02 - A picture of you and the person you have been close with for the longest.

I am going to take this as meaning your oldest friend. Now that would be Berty. We have been friends longer than probably either of us would like to admit. Until we became full fledged adults with families....we were inseparable.  Because of this....you would think there would be tons of pictures of us together.....and there probably are somewhere....I will just have to find some and add them later. For now though.....this is a picture of Berty that I dearly love. It was taken this past Christmas.

Berty has been there with and for me through every relationship, heartbreak, marriage, birth, death, joy and sorrow. We have supported each other and fought with each other and somehow....still remained friends. She is the one who has never been afraid to tell me how it really is....as opposed to how I wanted it to be. Of all people in the world...she knows how difficult I can be, how stubborn, opinionated and down right bitchy I can be....and still she sticks around. I must have some redeeming quality or she would have been long gone by now.

Bottom line is.....I am very blessed to have made such a wonderful friend as Berty....and to still be able to call her friend after all these years is truly an honor. I think I will end this with a poem I wrote about her.....some thirty years ago!

                    Berty
I once had a friend
           named Berty....
She was
            extremely flirty....
Whenever boys 
            were around....
She could
             always be found...
Smiling......
   and 
      trying........
          to look
              purty!!!!!!!

The 30 Day Challenge

I am at a loss. I simply just don't get it. It seems like everything I see, do, hear or even just think about gives me fuel for prolific blog writing right now. Notice I didn't say "good" blog writing....I simply said prolific blog writing. I think of my blogs often and I wake up at night with ideas. I find myself blogging in my head when I should be doing things like paying attention while driving and listening to my boss at work. It is as if I have become  just the tiniest bit addicted to this typing words about me....thing. Thus the second blog entry today.

Now that we have established there is possibly a problem here....I will handle it the way I handle most problems in my life. I will ignore it and move on!

Really though....I ran across something I thought was pretty neat on fb and decided it might make for a decent few blog posts. It is called: The 30 Day Challenge and it gives you a list of things to do everyday for 30 days. The list goes as follows:


Day 01 - A picture of yourself with fifteen facts.
Day 02 - A picture of you and the person you have been close with for the longest.
Day 03 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show.
Day 04 - A picture of your favorite night.
Day 05 - A picture of your favorite memory.
Day 06 - A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day.
Day 07 - A picture of your most treasured item.
Day 08 - A picture that makes you laugh.
Day 09 - A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most.
Day 10 - A picture of the person you do the most messed up things with.
Day 11 - A picture of something you hate.
Day 12 - A picture of something you love.
Day 13 - A picture of your favorite band or artist.
Day 14 - A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without.
Day 15 - A picture of something you want to do before you die.
Day 16 - A picture of someone who inspires you.
Day 17 - A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently.
Day 18 - A picture of your biggest insecurity.
Day 19 - A picture of you when you were little.
Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel.
Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget.
Day 22 - A picture of something you wish you were better at.
Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book.
Day 24 - A picture of something you wish you could change.
Day 25 - A picture of your favorite day.
Day 26 - A picture of something that means a lot to you.
Day 27 - A picture of yourself and a family member.
Day 28 - A picture of something you're afraid of.
Day 29 - A picture that can always make you smile.
Day 30 - A picture of someone you miss.

Basically it is a little get to know you (me) exercise....(like I don't already introduce myself over and over on a daily basis).  Still though....I thought it might be fun. So guess what guys? You maybe getting daily double blog postings for awhile. And NO....not reading is not an option. So here goes.

Day 01 - A picture of yourself with fifteen facts.

 Okay....you wanted a picture. Since this is a double post day...I thought I would give you double pictures too. Actually I think these are kind of funny. The picture on the left was taken in 1994. The picture on the right in 2010. Funny how some things never change. I still can't take a decent picture to save my life.

1)  I think it is obvious that I can't take a picture without acting up.
2)  I hate snakes and mice. I would just rather not have to 
co-exist  with them.
3)  I have the interesting distinction of having two families. One where I am the oldest child of two and another where I am the youngest child of ten.
4)  I was once told by a typing teacher that she hoped I never had to make a living by typing....because if I did....she was afraid I would surely starve to death!
5)  I can't dance....but I have been known to break into dance whenever the music catches my soul. (And no....it is not pretty).
6)  Given the opportunity and the right crowd....I can still get into as much trouble as I did in my 20's.
7)  Tequila really has made my clothes fall off.
8)  I believe in angels, miracles, and the power of prayer. Not because I should....but because I have witnessed all three with my own eyes.
9)  I never ate shrimp or cheesecake until I was in my 20's.
10)  I long to get a tattoo.
11)  I have a scar under my chin from tripping and catching my chin on the corner of the tv set.
12)  Cleaning drives me crazy...but a dirty house makes me insane.
13)  I have a list of everyone I would give money to if I ever won the lottery (however....I never play!)
14)  I once went down a slide face first without holding on into a bed of gravel. Can you guess how that turned out?
15)  For all of my ability to be forthcoming.....I have many secrets.

And so there you have it folks.....day one of the 30 day challenge. Did you learn anything interesting????? lol