A Concert, A Dog and a Funeral

Today just seemed like a REALLY good blog day. So much to say that I really don't know where to begin. Perhaps I will start with.....I am one of those facebook people that my mother in law and many others "hate"! Why???? Because I actually use fb to it's fullest. Between fb and my blog....there is really very little that people who read me don't know about me. That is not to say there isn't more to know or that I tell all the family secrets....but I am pretty forthcoming with everything from the kind of day I am having, to prayer requests to desperate pleas of "please help me find my dog"! Just to be clear though...I post only about myself and only that which I am comfortable with. I never post gossip and I try very hard to stay out of others business. Other than that though.....fb and blogging are my basis for free expression and you simply never know what I will post. Okay....now that that is out of the way....and really has little if anything to do with today's blog (except for maybe the dog posting part) let us continue.

Today is the first day of summer. Hmmm....funny as it has felt like various stages of summer around here since March and my electric bill has certainly been reading like summer for several months. Again though...I digress. Today is the first day of summer and what a day it has been. I guess though it started a few days before. This has just been a stressful week. I knew there was a funeral in my future and I don't do funerals well. However...there are just some people in this life that deserve to know you cared enough to attend...not so much for the departed but more for those who have to go on and deal with the days, weeks, months and years that almost seem insurmountable at that particular moment.

On the complete opposite end of the spectrum...I also knew there was a concert in my future. It was my first one in about 13 years and was also to be Z's first. There is a little bit of pressure on a parent when you are responsible for your kids first concert and the fact that you are driver and escort too.....means it all better be really good.

Along with this....friends made sure this last weekend that when they came and picked up David's hospital bed that I too would have a bed to return to upstairs (my old one is no longer). The mile stone came and the hospital bed is gone and last night was David's first night since early April that he slept in his own bed and I in mine. The only thing that could have made it any better would have been if I had actually slept!!!!

So as you can see there has been a lot going on. As usual though....things slip in and out of sync (like naughty little dogs running off) causing what I like to call speed bumps throwing things out of whack and throwing everything off track and that leads me to this blog!

Last night was the night! Z and I had tickets to see Ted Nugent, STYX and REO Speedwagon. We even had really great seats and this was to be Z's first concert. His real first concert would have been Avenged Sevenfold but he had to choose between that and theater. He chose theater and has had regret ever since. So I figured some old school rock would be a great way to get him started on his concert going years. And lucky him....as a bonus....he got to go with me! As I said....I felt the pressure of making this a great experience for him and all seemed to be on track. It was actually a great concert and I even felt my heart skip a beat or two as Ted took the stage. It made me realize that this really was a memory that Z and I were making together and no matter how many concerts he sees in his life.....he will always remember his first one and going with his mom. Little did we know that there would be more reasons to remember this night later on.

Ted Nugent rocked like no 60 year old man I have ever seen. While growing up I knew some of Nugents music however I was never a hard core fan but the man can put on a concert. As I looked around at the audience there was a mixture of people my age and a lot of kids Z's age. Obviously there were many parents and kids sharing the concert experience. It was also kind of cool to note that these bands had withstood the test of time and they had a fan base not only in my generation but also in my sons. Just wondering when Z prepares to take his kids to their first concert if bands like Avenged Sevenfold will have weathered the years as well as these guys have?

After Nugent left the stage.....then STYX made their appearance. Okay...I must admit that my heart did the teenage girl flip when Tommy Shaw took the stage. How is it that this man looks just like he did in the 1980's? With only two original members remaining....I have to say that they rocked the house. The replacements were phenomenal and Lawrence Gowan really did not leave me missing Dennis DeYoung at all. During Grand Illusion and Come Sail Away I was transported back to a time when STYX was new and I fell in love with their music all over again. I looked in Z's eyes as they played and I realized that the love of STYX was being carried on to the next generation.

After an encore performance STYX finally left the stage and then it was REO time. I don't know whether my ears were just ringing or what, but I really couldn't hear the music at this point. Perhaps after two high volume bands and being just a few rows from the stage....my ears were starting to remind me that I no longer had the hearing of a twenty year old and these middle aged ears could only take so much. At any rate....just a few songs into the REO set we received a text that David's dog Spud had escaped the back yard and was no where to be found. It took Z and I about two seconds to decide that REO would have to wait until another time.....we had to find Spud.

Once home Z and I and some really awesome friends....took turns driving the streets and calling for him. Of course my mind went to the worst possible place as we live just a couple of blocks from the railroad tracks. We did find someone who had seen him running about 5:30 p.m. so he obviously made his escape just minutes after we took off for the concert. Finally at 2 a.m. we gave up the foot/car search and I took to fb posting pictures and asking anyone who might have seen him to contact me. I then tried to sleep in my new bed. David slept quite comfortably in his bed but sleep was not about to come to me. Each time I closed my eyes I was sure I heard Spuds collar or felt him nuzzle up against my leg. This would bring me straight out of bed and I would head for the front porch and call for my wayward four legged child. Then I would head for the backyard hoping that maybe he had found his way back in. Only the wind greeted my calls and still no Spud! Finally about 4 or 4:30 exhaustion over rode worry and my eyes shut, but not without dreams of waking to find Spud waiting on the front porch. At 7 a.m. my eyes bolted open and I rushed for the porch. No Spud. So this was what this day was going to be like. Great!

I tried not to think about Spud while I dressed for the funeral but that was difficult as David kept looking for him, his counter parts Izzy and Shane kept crying at the gate where he had made his escape and Z looked like he had lost his best friend. Yeah...I was having an awesome morning.

I left and picked up Berty and then we headed to the funeral. It dawned me as we were ushered in and sat down that this was the first non-Catholic funeral I had ever been to. I was pretty sure though that aesthetically.....most funerals were basically the same. I was right. The wife had picked out wonderful music and it played as pictures of his life appeared on two large screens. I had not really known him and had only talked to him a few times but through the pictures you saw a life well loved and well spent even when cancer came, stayed and often tried to take center stage. After the family filed in and the minister began....he assured us that this was not about sadness but about celebrating a life and that this man was celebrating in heaven. I liked what was said and was sure that the wife had helped to form many of the ministers words as I knew these were many of her sentiments about his life and his death. I did well during the funeral....partly because I liked hearing that this was a celebration and partly because Spud was heavily on my mind. It got dicey for me though when the song "What a Difference You Made in My Life" by Ronnie Milsap began to play. The room was silent except for the song and you had no choice but to hear the words. I could feel the tears trying to surface as I heard others sniffling around me. I don't know whether it was because I kept having flashes of Spud, or whether it was because thoughts of my own husband were hitting me or because I truly knew the loss this young woman was facing and I knew the mark this man had left on her life. Whatever the case....I didn't dare look at Berty because I knew if I saw one tear....I was done for. Luckily the funeral ended soon after and other than a single rogue tear....I survived without the dam breaking. I later learned Berty was not looking at me for the very same reasons.

As much as I hate funerals...I dreaded going home worse. Walking back through that door meant I had to face that a family member was missing and honestly....he might not ever return. I also had to see the faces of my children and deal once again with the "what ifs" of finding him or not finding him. I drove home feeling the double whammy of funeral and lost dog. It is not a pretty combination. As I walked in the door....I was greeted by.......Spud! Someone had found him the night before, taken him home, cared for him and then called the vet this morning to find his owner. On seeing that silly puppy face and knowing he was safe at home.....it was then that I cried. All the firsts, the mile stones, the lost family member and the funeral finally hit me like a brick......and I cried like a baby.

So today it starts. Z has moved onto the older teen portion of our program...where concerts will be a part of his world. He was started out well thanks to Uncle Teddy, STYX and REO. Spud is home safe and hopefully his roaming days will be halted as my trusty hammer and nails will be fixing any bad fence boards. The funeral/celebration is over and now a new and different life await my young friend whose husband now walks on golden streets among the mansions of heaven. What a day! And so this is what you get when you have a concert, a dog and funeral all in a 24 hour period! The End.

And Once Again.....Pot and Kettle Meet

I think I may soon be winning a Nobel Prize or something as I have just come up with a ground breaking piece of information for all creative types. If you feel as if you have a creative block....just start thinking about all the "chores" you have to do and should be doing and suddenly the cobwebs disperse and the ideas start to fly. Or maybe that is just me and just one of the thousands of ways I find to procrastinate. Yeah....that is probably it.

Anyway.....after having a lengthy discussion with a little blonde friend of mine this morning we were disconnected by my cell phone dying and then further disrupted by a neighbors visit. All of this while I was attempting some self hair color in hopes of saving a few dollars (am quite sure I will be heading back to a professional before all is said and done). Yes...I am gray (really gray) and I don't care if I am 90 my hair will still be some version of auburn/blackish/purplish/redish...anything but grayish!!!! Anyway after talking to my friend I thought about our conversation...alot.

This little woman drives me crazy. She is beautiful, smart, funny and she knows everyone (or at least everyone knows her) in our hemisphere. This girl has gotten up in the middle of the night to meet me at the ER when David was taken in. She fixed my family an entire Thanksgiving dinner when David had surgery over Thanksgiving and she has been a supporter of me in many cases....some she doesn't even know I know about. That being said....she has never seen herself as the woman that those of us who know and love her.....see her as. A lot of this self doubt...which often times results in self sabotage comes from family.

Isn't it amazing that family is suppose to be our safe place and our comfort zone, but often times it feels more like a war zone? Sometimes it is biological family and sometimes it is extended family....but they all seem to have a hold on many of us that effects how we see and/or feel about ourselves. In her case...for a lot of years....extended families attitude has been a reflection of how she see's herself. If you are torn down, broken down, and told you aren't good enough....enough times, then that starts to be the perception you have of yourself. It can hold you back and effect how you interact with others. I spent almost the entire conversation telling her how the people who love her and truly matter in her life see her and it is a far cry from how she has seen her self over the years. I was amazed that she didn't realize that it is usually the people who put you down the most and make you feel the worst about yourself that actually would give their right arm to have half of what you have going on. I have believed for years that this is what has been going on with her and I am so proud to say that in the last few years she has started coming into her own and seeing herself more as the person she truly is instead of the person that some around her tried to make her believe she was.

As I washed the color out of my hair....I thought about all of this and realized that the kettle had just met the pot. No...I am not some great person, but I do have my attributes and I can do some things that others cannot....not out of choice....but because I had to. For years though....I have lived on a steady diet of hearing what a lousy person and parent I am. I was brought up with the attitude that I was not smart enough or pretty enough to ever make it in the world so whatever I got....I would have to just settle for. I was even told one time that I was such a horrible person that I deserved every loss, every pain and every problem I ever had. Harsh? Yeah, and in one way it makes you feel lousy about yourself but in another it makes you stronger. After awhile you really quit caring what others think....especially if you are busy with a life that has nothing to do with them and they have no real comprehension of. Still though...when they are family or extended family.....you can't help from time to time seeing yourself as they claim to see you. It is hard not to take their words personally and not to wonder why they would say those things if there is absolutely no merit to their words. It is also hard not to identify yourself through others words.....but doing so can be a slippery slope....one I have fallen down more than once.

I know that my little blonde friend and I are not part of a mutually exclusive group. There are many of my friends and acquaintances that have gone through this too. Some have pulled into themselves totally believing the "family hype" and never once realizing that possibly the attitude behind the words had little to do with what that person or those people really thought of them, but was born out of jealousy or unhappiness. Happy people seldom go out of their way to make others unhappy, but unhappy people will jump through hoops to do so. Jealous people will even go one step further and try to topple anything good in the lives of those they are jealous of just so they get the satisfaction of watching them fall.....even family members. Those that don't pull into themselves often try to find other ways to ease the pain....drugs, alcohol and bad relationships....just to name a few. Finally....there are those of us who fight the good fight when necessary and spend the rest of the time trying to distance ourselves from those that feel the need to make rude and running commentary on our life. We struggle to keep our true identity and the identity that others try to impose on us separate. Does it work???? For the most part...... and a really busy life also helps.

So yes....I listened to my own words today. Hopefully little blonde one heard me too and realized that there was a lot of merit in what I said. I was right/am right and like I try to tell people all the time....if we could just keep the fact that "I am always right...." as a given....then the world would be a much better place!!!!!!!

I'll Meet You at the Line...(Clothesline that is!)

Okay...so we all know I have a love hate relationship with technology. I love to blog, play on facebook and pintrest and at the same time.....technology hates me. That being said...I am of the mind that maybe technology has sped this world up to an overdrive speed and because of this, we have lost sight of some of the really good things in life.

This last week I spent time at my mother in laws (MIL). She is an oxymoron if there ever was one (and thank you Ada Jaax for that word). She has a really nice new computer....but she refuses to turn it on. She hates facebook and most things technological...although she loves to text. She has a dishwasher that she is also not fond of using and most importantly (in my book anyway) is the fact that she has a brand new clothes dryer and she seldom uses it. Now I am in no way putting her down for her dislike or maybe more accurately her disinterest in modern convenience. Perhaps she is actually onto something or maybe she just understands certain nuances of the world that us techno-slaves have overlooked.

In my life I am crazy most of the time (shut up Steve). I grab for any convenience that is available and maybe those conveniences make us lazy or maybe they just make us lose track of some really great things in life. I remember the first time I went to my MIL's. At the time I don't believe she had central air, she had never owned a dishwasher and although she had a washer and dryer....like now, her dryer seldom saw any action. She lives on three beautiful acres and stretching across her backyard is a phenomenal clothes line. Yes...I said....clothesline! I was in awe. Growing up.....we had clothesline posts in our yard but never in our lifetime had they seen a line. I think the reason for this was that my mother grew up with chores like hanging clothes on the line and she did not find the simpler way of life a very Zen experience....so when she could afford to not have to hang clothes anymore....she jumped ahead and never looked back. So in my childhood....clotheslines and hanging clothes outdoors were just folklore to me. Stories of a time long ago in a place far away.....and nothing more. It was not until I went to MO that first time that I realized that people actually still practiced the art of clothes hanging.

Yes...I called hanging clothes out on a line.....an art. It truly is. There is actually an art to hanging them so that the clothes pins leave no marks and so that the clothes won't rip away from the line if the wind is strong. I was truly enthralled at my first experience and when Tim and I came home, I made him string our currently stringless lines. Once strung I truly loved hanging my clothes out. It was a time of solitude, peace and bonus....it saved on electricity. At the time...I often had four kids running in out and constantly changing clothes. I could easily have kept a dryer going 6-7 hours per day. Hanging clothes out also cut down on laundry time. It takes about 20-25 minutes for a load of laundry to wash. It takes about 30-45 minutes for that same load to dry, but if hung out on the line with a nice breeze...they are often dry within 20 minutes and no electricity is used. 

When first starting out with the whole hanging clothes thing....I did have a few issues with my clothes drying rather stiff out on the line. I quickly learned that adding a good fabric softener to your laundry helps you to avoid the stiffness and also leaves your laundry smelling fresh. Hanging clothes also keeps them from having extra shrinkage in a hot dryer. The bonuses just go on and on....but my favorite part was/is just that time when I am alone with my thoughts. It is time that I could be alone without feeling like I was shirking my family responsibilities. After all....I was working and doing a vital family chore. And you can't rush hanging laundry on the line (at least I can't). You have to turn each piece right side out and hang it so that the pins don't leave marks. Each load I hung was a new plan, a new idea or just alone time in my head. I could plan birthdays, meals and my next chore. Blogs have been born from laundry time along with short stories, poems and conversations I needed to have and schedules I needed to make.

Sadly...the last couple of years have left me in rush mode. Whatever was quickest and took the least amount of my time and energy was what I opted for. With working, taking care of David, Z and the house....along with making cheesecakes, there simply was no time to practice my art nor air dry my clothes. However....after spending time at my MIL's last week, once again I was introduced back into a simpler life. I used my computer maybe once while I was there, I did many dishes by hand....and yes....I hung clothes. Once again I was lost in the peace of it all and the simple joy of working while letting my mind wander. It was heaven. I couldn't have been happier and because of this bliss.....I resolved!

My family (and especially David) once again keeps my washer and dryer on full tilt most of the time. In fact....I am of the mind that my basement is where clothes go to mate and reproduce as I can have piles of laundry accumulate over night. It is really not natural. At any rate though...my feet barely hit home soil before I was out in my yard tightening my clothes line and wiping it down. I hunted up all my clothes pins threw in a load of laundry and I haven't looked back yet. Each load has been a time of thought and self revelation. I have thought about things I have done, things I shouldn't have done and things I would still like to do. I have mentally planned my backyard overhaul and come up with new ways to help David with his physical therapy. I have reminisced about the past and planned (I know...there is that word again) for the future. It has been like opening the door to an old friend and remembering just how much I missed them.

Does it sound a little corny here in this day and age when we can talk to our phones and they can talk back; when we can not only talk to someone thousands of miles away but also see them while we are doing it; and we can keep track of everyone we ever knew on a single website?! Yeah....maybe it is, but also....maybe some of the old things are what helps to keep us centered. Maybe a trip to the clothesline or doing a sink full of dishes while looking out the window is just what the doctor ordered instead of anxiety pills and depression meds?! Okay....so who am I kidding? I don't pretend to know all the answers and maybe convenience will always override nostalgia....but I do know that in the here and now....my clothesline and I have reunited and I see us being pinned and not going off line for a long time to come. ;)

The Three Day Rule

It has been awhile since last I blogged. Almost two weeks to be exact. I am sitting outside in MO and enjoying my last night here. I am watching a hummingbird sip from a feeder and listening to the sounds that can only be heard in a rural setting. The birds are chirping in the muggy heat  and the evening sky holds a haze which is a mixture of burning and humidity. The breeze from the day has settled into stillness and for the first time in a awhile....I am alone with my thoughts. This trip has definitely been one for the record books.

My boys and I are our own kind of crazy. We have our routines and we have our non-routines! You take us on the road and you have a special kind of crazy that not everyone (even family) knows how to take. Mind you...we are aware of our craziness and we are also aware that moving in on others for several days is a lot to handle. We try our hardest to be respectful and helpful and always show our "traveling" manners but sometimes the crazy just seeps out.

When my dear sweet husband was alive...he was full of words of wisdom. Like any adoring wife....I ignored most of them or rolled my eyes...but as time has passed, some of those words have proven to ring true. One of Tim's favorite things to pass along to all who would listen and also something he lived by was....no matter how close you were to someone outside your immediate family (be it family or friends) if you were going to go visiting....there should always be a "three day rule." The three day rule was based on the number of days you should stay with others. It went like this: The first day everyone is happy and excited to see each other and everyone gets along great. Day two is still fairly comfortable but when someone eats someone elses cookie, leaves their stuff in the wrong place or leaves all the work for the host or hostess.....the smiles get strained. By day three...the host/hostess wants their house back and the visitors are longing for home and in order to keep the friendship/kinship in tact.....there just should NOT be a day four.

In all our years together....I don't believe Tim, I and the kids ever stayed with family or friends longer than three days and always by day three....home looked really good. Apparently though.....with age...I have lost my mind! I decided that I really needed a break and that a few extra days would not hurt when visiting. Boy was I wrong! Now don't get me wrong. I don't really blame anyone here. It was just poor judgment on my part as my family's craziness is not really that much fun in a long term setting. Add to that, poor David still healing from his surgery and not feeling the best and it set the stage for some interesting times.

Looking back at our stay and pulling only the good from it, I have to say that overall...it was good. Z got some great fishing time in with his uncle, David got attention from Grandma and all sorts of aunts, uncles and cousins and I got some time where I didn't feel I had to do it all by myself. I also learned a lot about myself, the choices I make and the way I tend to handle situations. I was sick most of my trip this time (allergies apparently attacked me the minute I crossed the KS/MO border) and I am sure my temperament left much to be desired. Add to that the fact that David woke up anywhere from 6-8 times a night...causing me sleep deprivation.... and the fact that my mouth filter is all but non-existent and this trip ended up proving the tremendous resiliency of the entire family.

The truth is...we have a really great MO family. Even through the allergic haze, the sleepless delirium and my less than stellar moments, the trip has ended with with us all still speaking (I think!) and an invitation to come back at the end of June for David's next appointment.Trust me...that could have gone a completely different way.

So as the sun fully sets, the yard lights begin to flicker on and the lightening bugs begin to dot the air, I realize that I will miss these nights. The nights of sitting up til midnight in the yard just visiting; the nights of playing washer toss with family and the nights of just enjoying the peacefulness that is rural MO.

We know we always have a home here (temporary though it maybe), but next time for everyone sake....I think we will simply go back to the three day rule and keep everyone's sanity in tact!

Spoil Me at Wheatland Acupuncture and Massage

So when I like something....I usually talk about it. However....when I LOVE something I usually blog about it! That is what I am doing today. I am blogging about my love of a new find. Well...actually old friend...new find.  For those of you who are local...you should feel lucky...very lucky in fact. And for those of you that live far away from our little section of the world...you should feel very jealous.

Several years ago when I was working out like I was suppose to....I had the privilege of having a personal trainer for awhile. This particular trainer, Shelly Callahan was great at her job....but I would have jumped through burning hoops for this girl....because when the workout was over.....she always finished up with a massage. Usually it was arms and back, sometimes legs depending on what we worked on that day and I never left but what I didn't feel 100 times better than when I started. Not only did this girl give the best massage I had ever had (and she only had about a 10 minute time span to do it in), but she was also one of the most impressively busy young women that I knew. She was going to school, doing personal training and also working at a doctors office as a massage therapist. I was so impressed with both her massages and her knowledge about the body, what was good, what was not and the natural remedies that she talked about that I even went to her school during clinic hours and had both massages and acupuncture (which actually helped my headaches).

After a while, time passed, life took over and I had a hiatus on working out and eventually her life became too busy for her to continue with personal training. We never lost touch though as we had become facebook friends. She would order the occasional cheesecake from me and I would follow her life progress from graduating to finding her place in the working world. Last week she posted on facebook about the opening of her new business Wheatland Acupuncture and Massage located at 1721 E. Osage, Suite 320 Derby, KS. She is doing massage therapy and acupuncture right across the street from my doctors office in Derby. I was over the moon. I immediately called her up and made an appointment to go. I figured after the last few months and sleeping on metal every night....my body deserved it. I sprang for an hour long massage session which she was running a sale on and I awaited anxiously for this day to come.

I have been dealing with a pinched nerve in my back for a while now along with left side pain due to how I lift and hold David. As she worked on my back I could feel her work on and release those spots. It was amazing. However....the best part was when she worked on my feet. Don't laugh! I normally can't stand for anyone to rub my feet but that was part of today's massage so I tried not to flinch. It took me about 5 seconds to realize that this might possibly be the best part of any massage I had ever had. As I mumbled some remark about "how great it felt," she commented that we carry everything in our feet. It makes perfect sense. We are on them all the time and I knew from the little bit about reflexology that I had read, that the nerves in our feet can control everything from migraines to back aches. Trust me...if you have never had a massage therapist rub your feet.....it is a must try!

The hour flew by and even with my cell phone ringing off the wall while I was there (have to keep it close by in case David's school calls) I was a relaxed pile of mush when she finished. It was the best "me time" gift I had given myself in a long time. I asked Shelly about how busy she was and she said she was getting very busy. She is busy enough that I decided not to wait and went ahead and booked another one in a month. Sometimes we (especially women) get so busy that we forget to take care of ourselves. I know that a massage seems to some like an extravagance that is hard to work into the budget, but trust me....if you can come away after an hour feeling as good as I did....it is well worth every penny. Today is the first day in literally years that I haven't had the tingling in my back from the pinched nerve. I have no idea where it went or how she did it....I just know she did it. I actually feel energetic and this is even after me being sick all weekend.

And as I said....Shelly doesn't just do massage. She also does acupuncture. For anyone who is skeptical....trust me, I was too. If it hadn't been Shelly talking to me about it....I probably never would have tried it. She worked on me twice and after she did.....it was literally months before I had another migraine. The acupuncture is painless and yet there is some kind of healing power behind it. It does work. If you have chronic pain, migraines and I believe even certain allergies(don't quote me on that though)....acupuncture can help.

So today was a wonderful experience and I am thrilled to be able to support a small up and coming business. So for graduation, a late Mother's Day gift, Father's Day, Birthday or just a "spoil me" day.....give Shelly a call and book an appointment. Trust me....you will NOT be sorry!

Wheatland Acupuncture and Massage
Shelly Callahan
305-3958

A Night of Nostalgia

It is 7 a.m. on a Saturday. I have no place to be, no cheesecakes to get out and nothing I really need to do and yet here I am....wide awake. I have been up since around 6ish. Did I mention that I didn't go to sleep until around 2 a.m.? Yeah....something has gone horribly wrong in my sleep patterns. Ah well...rest assured that I will likely fall asleep while doing something dangerously important later on today. It all evens out. At any rate...why waste good awake hours? Thus I blog.

I was up so late last night because we did something as a family that was kind of cool. Before I spill the beans (those of you on facebook already know what we did last night), let me say that this summer I have a summer bucket list of sorts. I actually hate the term bucket list as its intent is something I would rather not think about. But in terms of my list....it is things to accomplish before summer 2012 ends. I refuse to let this be another summer where all we do is sit around and try to avoid the heat and get on each others nerves. So our summer bucket list has begun.

Any way....last night I gave my kids a first in their life time and we did something that I myself had not done in probably 30 years. Curious? Well be jealous because last night we went to the drive-in!!!!! It was just like I remembered in many ways with a few changes here and there. I remember as a kid up by the screen they had swings and a little playground for kids. That is no more. Also no more are the metal speakers you used to have to place on your window to hear the movie. While the speakers still remain on their stands they are used more as a sound system for music and announcements before the movie. Now in order to hear the movie...you tune your radio dial to a certain fm frequency and viola....sound!!! The cool thing about this is....if you get chilly you don't have to leave a window down in order to hear. You can roll those windows up, be toasty and still hear the movie. Ain't technology grand?!

I have been trying to get to the drive-in for years with my kids. It seems like every year though...something (usually life) happened and before I got turned around....it was closed for the season. I refused to allow that to happen this year. I mean after all...who knows...drive-ins are quickly becoming extinct and we are fortunate to still have one. Before we know it....the Starlite could go the way of Dragging Douglas or Joyland (Wichita references) and once again my kids would have missed out on a piece of my youth that I would have loved to have shared with them.

When I was young...the Wichita area was full of drive-ins and being a kid growing up in the late 60's, 70's and 80's it is what we did in the summer time first with our families and later on with our friends. I remember as a really young kid, us kids would get in our pajamas and mom would always make egg salad sandwiches. Don't ask me why egg salad but apparently to my mom....egg salad was drive-in food as we never had it otherwise. Anyway, we would take pillows, blankets and our drive-in food and head out to one of the many drive-ins Wichita had to offer. When I was really young we would always go to the Meadowlark were I saw such greats as The Jungle Book and Goldfinger.....and as I got older we usually went to the Landmark (now the Starlite) because of location.

As a teenager, many a summer Friday and/or Saturday night was spent at the drive-in. Truck loads and car loads of teenagers with blankets and lawn chairs hanging out and seldom actually watching the big screen. It was a right of passage to go from sitting in the folks station wagon and watching to sitting in the bed of a truck with your friends watching, socializing and yes.....making out to whatever the latest drive-in flick was.

After high school...it seemed like one by one the drive-ins began going dark. Families were no longer doing such family things and for teens....the mall and arcades replaced the the drive-in dinosaurs. It was a national tragedy happening right before our eyes and no one realized it.

I am not sure when it happened but one day Wichita went from having six or seven drive-ins all over the city to just one. I was raising kids and from time to time I would think about the drive-in but then you would hear the rumors that going wasn't really safe. I kept hearing about gangs hanging out there and it all being a bunch of wild teens and as a young family....that wasn't how we wanted to spend a Friday night.

Jump ahead to the last few years and more and more people I know have been talking about going to the drive-in. Every year come March, our radio stations begin the jingle "Starlite drive-in brings you more. Dial 524-2424." And each time I heard the catchy little diddy the impulse to throw on my jammies and make some egg salad became a little stronger. Finally...Thursday I decided that we were long past due and if we didn't do it now...this summer like every other one would be here and gone and no drive-in.

I have to say that as we pulled up...I was pleasantly surprised at what I saw. First of all....it said that the gates open at 7:30 p.m. We got there about 7:15 and there were already lines of cars waiting to get in. Way to go Wichita!!!! I like that one....... we are supporting the last drive-in in the area and two that families and kids are coming back to this type of entertainment. Once inside....it is still a two screen theater so we had our choice of which set of movies we wanted to see. Driving in I have to say that I was transported back in time a bit. Drive-ins just have that certain feel about them and as we searched the rows to find that "sweet" parking spot, you could see families....lots of families pulling out the lawn chairs and the blankets getting their pajama clad kids settled in for an evening of good old family entertainment. Through the dormant yet still working speakers the frequency was tuned into some great music and people played catch, visited and walked back and forth to the snack bar waiting for it to get dark and the movie to begin. There were no gangs (that I could see), no wild teens (possibly because they have a strict no alcohol rule and the rows are monitored) and the grounds were neat and clean. Z went to the snack bar and he said that too was clean and the restrooms were surprisingly clean too. I couldn't help but think to myself that this is a piece of Americana that should NEVER be allowed to die away.

I looked around and I saw couples of all ages, families of all sizes ($10 a car load) and teens hanging out. No one got unruly, no one got loud and everyone really seemed to enjoy the movie. While I can't speak for the other screen....on our side it was packed and the snack bar appeared to do a very healthy business. Z I think really enjoyed it and David with his legs propped up and his seat reclined never made a sound other than the occasional "uh oh" or "yee haw!"

We saw The Avengers (that was the first movie) and all of us loved it. It was a great first time drive-in movie, but I am old. One was all I could make it through and being that I forgot to bring Davids night time seizure meds....we made it an early night in drive-in terms. Z assured me though that this was definitely something he would like to do again before summers end and I couldn't help but smile knowing that we had marked something off our summer bucket list and had a really good time as a family in the process.

As I drove home last night, my mind went back to my drive-in experiences. I remembered walking those rows many a time, Berty losing a contact in the rocks and never finding it and my car stalling at the gate when it was time for people to leave. I remembered snuggling in the back of a truck, making numerous trips to the snack bar to see if there were any cute guys and us girls crowding each other out for mirror space in the bathroom. Those were the good old days and apparently I am not the only one that thinks so as there seems to be a resurgence of drive-in nostalgia going on. Finally.....there is actually something that time has not taken away....that I can share with my kids!!!!

Can You Say....Same Sex Marriage Manipulation?

So this week I wasn't sure whether to be amused, appalled or completely insulted as I watched Mr. Obama make his speech about same-sex marriage. I could actually only watch a brief bit of it as apparently my son David is not an Obama supporter and he screamed and cried until I turned the TV back to Spongebob. And there you have it....apparently at my house we would likely vote for Spongebob as president over the other possible candidates...that is if he were running! Fortunately, Spongebob is too smart for any of that....but I once again digress.

Mr. O's new found love for the gay community has been all over the news, the web, facebook and the streets. Halleluiah....the president loves the gays! To that I have to say....REALLY????? As I asked on facebook...has anyone looked at a calendar recently? That's right it's election thirty and Mr. O is campaigning his hind quarters off. Thus we have our new found administrative love affair with all things gay including same sex marriage. Does anyone else smell a manipulative rat???? How is it that in 2008 this same man claimed his belief was that marriage was defined by a man and a woman and when don't ask don't tell first came up.....Mr. O didn't want to talk about it and skirted the issue for as long as he could. Suddenly though...half way through an election year, he is now a full on supporter of gay marriage. Hmmmm! Sounds awfully coincidental to me.

Two things come to mind with all of this. First of all....if this is an actual 360 switch then who else but me is scared? After all...we are talking about someone who holds the highest office in the country and he is THAT wishy washy. I mean really....support gay marriage or don't support gay marriage but for pete sake pick a side and don't wait until it is time to try and get re-elected to start waving your rainbow flag. That kind of reeks of desperation...and if this man is this indecisive about such a huge issue that effects so many people....then what else is he going to take back? It is not his first indecisive stand and it should make us all wonder about his qualifications and how he will be if this country ever really needs a leader.

The other thing that comes to mind and this is what I think is closer to what is actually going on is.....Mr. O needs votes! How do you get votes? Make someone happy and they will like you. If they like you...they will more than likely vote for you. It is simple grade school playground dynamics. The gay vote is a big one and many have been fighting for the right to marry for a very long time. Now they are backed by the president! Or are they? I can't help but wonder if anyone but myself sees the manipulation here. Why isn't the gay community furious? Why aren't they insulted beyond belief? These people have fought for years for this and now it is being used as a bribe. Mr. O obviously thinks these people are not smart enough to see what he is doing which is a slap in the face to the community as a whole and to the efforts they have made thus far. And is anyone worried that since this man is so wishy washy that if he found he could get a bigger vote by not supporting them he might change his mind on the subject yet again? If we have learned anything from his four years in office it is that nothing is impossible if you choose to make your own rules!

I will be honest here....since obviously the president isn't. I really don't know where I stand on gay marriage. I believe I lean toward the fact that love is love and finding true love with whoever you find it with is wonderful and should be celebrated. Many will be angry with my saying this and tell me that the bible condemns homosexuality and gay marriage. Maybe it does...but this is where I personally stand on the subject. I was brought up in a small community where homosexuality was looked on as bad, a sin and even a disease. Still....I grew up with kids that where gay and their lives were miserable because they had to spend their time trying to be something they were not. They had to be the vision of "normal" that society believed in and not who they really were. This damaged a lot of lives and even entire families. What I took from all of this is: Why would anyone choose to be gay in a world where they are humiliated, ridiculed and ostracized? They wouldn't. It is not a choice. It is the way God (my God) made them.That being said...I don't want to know what anyone else does in the privacy of their own home. I don't want to see half naked people tossing their sexuality (gay or straight) in my face while marching down a street. I find it much easier to accept that which is not shoved down my throat and/or forced on me. Basically....I won't shove my heterosexuality (and all that implies) in your face if you keep your homosexuality (and all that implies) out of mine.

And as for my thinking on the morality and the religious connotations of all of this....I follow the Ten Commandments. They were put forth by God and given to Moses. They are timeless and fit into any society. They speak of lying, killing and coveting....but no where does it say you should not love because of sex, color or creed. And if we are going back to the bible and picking out bits and pieces that suit our beliefs...how about we go to 1 Corinthians 13:13 Three things will last forever--faith, hope, and love--and the greatest of these is love. It doesn't give criteria for love....it just says "love!" 

So my final thoughts? If you believe in same sex marriage and you have fought for it...then be leery. Be very leery. What is being offered by Mr. O is not camaraderie or acceptance. What is being offered is manipulation and with this administration....that which is given can obviously be just as quickly taken away. Please remember that come November.