This "randomness" post is in honor of my son, Darrell. He has a great appreciation for "randomness" in general...
**************************************************************************
Ahhh...it's just after midnight so that's another Monday now added to the history books.
Not just any Monday, mind you, but the 2,354th Monday of my life.
Mondays get a lot of bad press. Not all Mondays are bad, though. Take today for instance. This was a very normal day. Nothing dire or horrible. No doom and gloom. It was a wonderfully ordinary day.
Of course "tax day" falls on Monday more than any other day. That's because Monday gets its own share of April 15th's as well as it being the official "tax day" whenever April 15th falls on a Saturday or Sunday. And since we're discussing painful financial events, it was in 1987 that "Black Monday" occurred on October 19th when "...stock markets around the world crashed..."
Some Mondays are downright hot-diggity-dog, life-is-good, wonderful! Take the 1,199th Monday of my life. My 2nd child was born! Even better is the fact that I labored and gave birth all on the same day and before 6:30 in the morning! Yep - that was a good Monday! (Just for the record...my kids were born on Sunday, Monday, Saturday, Saturday, and Thursday, respectively. I was born on a Tuesday.) Another example came on the 1,736th Monday. That's when my husband adopted our older girls.
In recent years, Christmas fell on a Monday in 2006. Of course that means that New Year's day did as well. Now those are good days! Easter Monday is a holiday/day off for many in the work-force. We can't forget Memorial Day or Labor Day. All fun days for the most part.
In another act of randomness I looked up songs containing the word "Monday" in their title. There are quite a few!
"Monday, Monday" "Rainy Days and Mondays" "Come Monday" "Manic Monday" "I Hate Mondays" "Today Is Monday" "Monday Morning" "Blue Momday" "Except for Monday" "Call It Stormy Monday" "Home on Monday" "Come Next Monday" "Here's Monday" "48-Hours 'til Monday" "Monday All Week Long" "Every Third Monday" "2 Days Monday"
... all that from a quick and easy search.
Wow! Monday really is unpopular in our pop(ular) culture! Talk about no respect!
Hmmm...it just occurred to me that my son had a French class final exam at school today (Monday!) I sure hope it was a good Monday for him... Maybe he can tell me how to say "Monday" in French.
Hope you have a great Tuesday thru Sunday!
Monday, May 12, 2008
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Thursday's Thoughts...
Let's see, this week...
- I'm working through my feline-related thoughts and emotions in my prayer journal. I can be really ugly there and still receive forgiveness along with a needed attitude adjustment! Friends here have been helpful, too!
- Shan had her wisdom teeth pulled Tuesday. She's 28 weeks pregnant and just moved last weekend (i.e. not unpacked yet). Not great timing, but then again, is there ever a good time for something like that? Ouch! Speaking of Shannon...
- Have you ever noticed there are some people who just can't do anything "simply?" That would be Shannon. She joined us for dinner Sunday night but needed a ride to her car and then had to get Josh picked up. Darrell needed to get back to school so I said we'd take her. Well...it wasn't quite that easy. Seems she had to go to "Point A" to get her keys. Then to "Point B" to get her car. Upon leaving "Point B" she called us to tell us her car wasn't running well; couldn't get it above 20 miles per hour. So...we followed her to "Point C" (her apartment) and had her park it. Only problem now is that Josh still needs a ride home but we don't know when. They worked it out that his sister would get him home. Ok, we head home. Turns out in the end, though, that Josh ended up walking home the 3 miles or so. At least it wasn't 30! Here's to KISS...Keep It Simple, Sweetie!
- I'm savoring this morning. Our upstairs porch (just off the dining room) overlooks our back yard. I've been out here since 6:30 this morning and now it's quickly approaching the lunch hour. Abbey's been working on her school work out here and Shannon's popped out a few times for some conversation. Christopher's been doing his school work just inside at the dining room table. Right now the kids are on a small break and are jumping on the trampoline. Izzie is keeping a close eye on them and plays nearby. My wind chime is chiming gently with the breeze and competing with the many birds chirping and singing in the background. I'm trying to take this all in - keep it in memory to be recalled at will - like the next one of "those" days. Of course, if it weren't for some of "those" days I'd never really appreciate the ones like this (yes, even the part where Izzie just ran off with Christopher's shoe..."Izzie! Bring that back right now! Izzie!")
- May...time for Moms, Dads, and Grads (and in our family Josh's birthday, Darrell's birthday, Uncle Darrell's birthday (my brother), Rob and Elisa's wedding anniversary). The graduation announcements have begun arriving and I'm so excited for the graduates. I can still feel the excitement leading to first Shannon's, then Elisa's, Rob's from Tech, and then Darrell's. I wish the kids could see the avenues open to them as clearly as I can from my viewpoint of "hindsight." The world is theirs for the taking and I hope they grab up all they can.
- Of course looking forward to Mother's Day followed next month by Father's Day. It's always nice having time with our kids.
- Last thoughts...Hugs and "Get Well" Wishes to my Matthew, Hugs to Ashley, Congrats Becca and Michael - Really, Really, Really! Elisa - I need you in my calendar, girl!
Best Wishes from the back porch...
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
"...Take another little piece of my heart..."
My cat, Mischief, is gone. Our son who was pet/house-sitting while we were away remembers seeing her sometime around mid-week. We've been home since Saturday evening and there's been no sign of her. Mischief was not a wanderer. To our knowledge if she wasn't in our yard she was up in a nearby tree. If you didn't see her one minute she'd surely saunter up the next.
One year...
Mischief has been with us for one year. Now she's gone. We went to the Humane Society where I was certain we would find her - but we didn't.
Funny, the timing - the neighbor's dogs kill my kittens - Animal Control comes out and issues warnings - we go away only to come home and find our cat is gone. So, in the 4 months since this neighbor came to my door with the message that her dog would kill my cat, we've unexplainably lost 2 devoted cats in addition to the 4 helpless, 10-day old kittens. That's some run of bad luck.
We miss you, Mischief.
One year...
Mischief has been with us for one year. Now she's gone. We went to the Humane Society where I was certain we would find her - but we didn't.
Funny, the timing - the neighbor's dogs kill my kittens - Animal Control comes out and issues warnings - we go away only to come home and find our cat is gone. So, in the 4 months since this neighbor came to my door with the message that her dog would kill my cat, we've unexplainably lost 2 devoted cats in addition to the 4 helpless, 10-day old kittens. That's some run of bad luck.
We miss you, Mischief.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Homecoming
Going Home…
As a family we usually have months to prepare for family trips. A full year in some cases. While traveling is exciting, relaxing and all the other adjectives that go along with vacations in general there’s still nothing quite like going home.
It’s great to get away but hey, home is, well, home. Doesn’t that say it all? My bed, my kitchen, my stuff, my seat on the couch, my bathroom, yadda, yadda, yadda. I’m on the first of two flights heading home. Already I’m envisioning my puppy at the gate of our backyard to welcome us. She’ll be so excited. I hope she’s not too angry with us, though, after her initial happiness that we’re back. Sometimes she’ll be snooty a few days to let us know she didn’t appreciate being left behind. It’ll be great to see Darrell for a few hours before he heads back to school. I’m anxious to see Elisa and Rob – see my daughter glow with the knowledge that she’s having a baby boy. We didn’t know that last week when we left. Shan and Josh will be in their new apartment and I’m sure she’ll look more pregnant this week than she did last week. I’ve realized it’s not the amount of time we’ve been gone – just that we’ve been gone. The distance that was between us. We go longer times in-between not seeing the kids but it’s different with distance.
I’m making a mental grocery list which of course starts out with milk and bread. Hmmm… I wonder what came in the mail while we were gone; besides bills. The thought of those make me want to tell the pilot to turn back around. Oh, I just thought of the laundry – well, at least the dirty clothes are folded. That doesn’t happen often. Yes, it’ll be nice to get back home. Be there soon, Izzie!
As a family we usually have months to prepare for family trips. A full year in some cases. While traveling is exciting, relaxing and all the other adjectives that go along with vacations in general there’s still nothing quite like going home.
It’s great to get away but hey, home is, well, home. Doesn’t that say it all? My bed, my kitchen, my stuff, my seat on the couch, my bathroom, yadda, yadda, yadda. I’m on the first of two flights heading home. Already I’m envisioning my puppy at the gate of our backyard to welcome us. She’ll be so excited. I hope she’s not too angry with us, though, after her initial happiness that we’re back. Sometimes she’ll be snooty a few days to let us know she didn’t appreciate being left behind. It’ll be great to see Darrell for a few hours before he heads back to school. I’m anxious to see Elisa and Rob – see my daughter glow with the knowledge that she’s having a baby boy. We didn’t know that last week when we left. Shan and Josh will be in their new apartment and I’m sure she’ll look more pregnant this week than she did last week. I’ve realized it’s not the amount of time we’ve been gone – just that we’ve been gone. The distance that was between us. We go longer times in-between not seeing the kids but it’s different with distance.
I’m making a mental grocery list which of course starts out with milk and bread. Hmmm… I wonder what came in the mail while we were gone; besides bills. The thought of those make me want to tell the pilot to turn back around. Oh, I just thought of the laundry – well, at least the dirty clothes are folded. That doesn’t happen often. Yes, it’ll be nice to get back home. Be there soon, Izzie!
Don't (forget to) Look Back...
Beauty in my rear-view mirror…
On our drive back to Las Vegas from California last week I happened to glance in my passenger rear-view mirror. What I saw brought me up short; the sight was incredibly beautiful. Yet another reminder of life’s many lessons for me. In our haste to always see where we’re going it’s easy to lose sight of where we’ve been.
The scene I saw in that mirror was a breathtaking view of the mountains in the glorious colors of sunset. Ahead I saw a line (over 100 miles long!) of cars presumably heading back “home” from a Las Vegas pilgrimage.
As a passenger I rarely check the side mirrors. I’m glad I happened to on this occasion, though. I believe that vision will stay with me for years to come when thinking of the stark beauty of the west-coast mountains.
While our quest is that ahead of us I hope you (and I) never lose sight of the miles behind us. The view can be truly awesome.
On our drive back to Las Vegas from California last week I happened to glance in my passenger rear-view mirror. What I saw brought me up short; the sight was incredibly beautiful. Yet another reminder of life’s many lessons for me. In our haste to always see where we’re going it’s easy to lose sight of where we’ve been.
The scene I saw in that mirror was a breathtaking view of the mountains in the glorious colors of sunset. Ahead I saw a line (over 100 miles long!) of cars presumably heading back “home” from a Las Vegas pilgrimage.
As a passenger I rarely check the side mirrors. I’m glad I happened to on this occasion, though. I believe that vision will stay with me for years to come when thinking of the stark beauty of the west-coast mountains.
While our quest is that ahead of us I hope you (and I) never lose sight of the miles behind us. The view can be truly awesome.
Time To Head Home...
Well, we’re all checked in and through security at Las Vegas’ McCarren airport. I’ve got about 30 minutes until we board so I thought I’d jot a few notes.
I promised you the most boring Las Vegas travel log ever. We don’t party, we don’t gamble and we’re generally “early to bed and early to rise.” Let’s just say we did the same things we would have done at home – only we did them here in Las Vegas and in a very nice 9th floor suite with a HUGE outdoor porch that ran the entire length of the suite. The hotel was only 11-floors which is about the size of most of the parking garages here. Ken and the kids really enjoyed the indoor pool, though. I tried to make business calls during their pool time but only scored a “so-so” in that department.
It was wonderful holding school with Abbey in the cool morning air on the porch with the view of Las Vegas and the mountains spread out before us. Christopher chose to do his school inside where it was presumably quiet since Abbey and I were working outside and Daddy was in his classes. We had a table and 4-chairs as well as 2 chaise loungers; one with a pad and one without. Since we’re in a betting town you could easily wager that the kids fought over the lounge chair with the padded cushion. They either took turns or used a towel on the 2nd one. There really isn’t much our two youngest won’t fight over.
Since we’ve been here a few times before we really didn’t do a lot of the tourist stuff. M&M World and floats at Coca-Cola World were “musts.” Obligatory visits to any Sam’s or Costco’s we found along the way. Girls only and guys only dinners one evening (Ken and Christopher chose the buffet at Mandalay Bay while Abbey requested an ice-cream dinner from Cold Stone Creamery in Excalibur), and the dancing fountains at Bellagio. We ate dinner at the Sidewalk Café in Bally’s one evening where you could place Keno bets from your table and the games were displayed on screens throughout the restaurant (we didn’t). The theme was early Vegas with pictures of Sinatra, Davis, Martin, and Bishop all around and music to match!
The highlight for me would be our California excursion last Sunday. This aging east-coast girl dipped her toes in the Pacific at Huntington Beach (after stopping at Costco for a new pair of Crocs due to sore feet from my sandals). We drove the interstates often featured on Fox News for high-speed police chases, and saw the Crystal Cathedral and California Angels stadium in Anaheim. Dinner at Chile’s in San Bernardino before driving back through the mountains to Las Vegas.
We did enjoy the manager’s reception at the hotel each evening – just enough to spoil some appetites for dinner, but great people-watching and regrouping time for us before dinner. We had wonderful breakfasts at the hotel each morning, lunches at Jersey Mike’s, Great American Pancake, Costco, Wendy’s and such. Dinners were as noted above plus a couple trips to TGI Fridays, and two nights of local pizza/wings/spaghetti/subs in our room.
We just got our boarding call so I’ve got to go for now.
I promised you the most boring Las Vegas travel log ever. We don’t party, we don’t gamble and we’re generally “early to bed and early to rise.” Let’s just say we did the same things we would have done at home – only we did them here in Las Vegas and in a very nice 9th floor suite with a HUGE outdoor porch that ran the entire length of the suite. The hotel was only 11-floors which is about the size of most of the parking garages here. Ken and the kids really enjoyed the indoor pool, though. I tried to make business calls during their pool time but only scored a “so-so” in that department.
It was wonderful holding school with Abbey in the cool morning air on the porch with the view of Las Vegas and the mountains spread out before us. Christopher chose to do his school inside where it was presumably quiet since Abbey and I were working outside and Daddy was in his classes. We had a table and 4-chairs as well as 2 chaise loungers; one with a pad and one without. Since we’re in a betting town you could easily wager that the kids fought over the lounge chair with the padded cushion. They either took turns or used a towel on the 2nd one. There really isn’t much our two youngest won’t fight over.
Since we’ve been here a few times before we really didn’t do a lot of the tourist stuff. M&M World and floats at Coca-Cola World were “musts.” Obligatory visits to any Sam’s or Costco’s we found along the way. Girls only and guys only dinners one evening (Ken and Christopher chose the buffet at Mandalay Bay while Abbey requested an ice-cream dinner from Cold Stone Creamery in Excalibur), and the dancing fountains at Bellagio. We ate dinner at the Sidewalk Café in Bally’s one evening where you could place Keno bets from your table and the games were displayed on screens throughout the restaurant (we didn’t). The theme was early Vegas with pictures of Sinatra, Davis, Martin, and Bishop all around and music to match!
The highlight for me would be our California excursion last Sunday. This aging east-coast girl dipped her toes in the Pacific at Huntington Beach (after stopping at Costco for a new pair of Crocs due to sore feet from my sandals). We drove the interstates often featured on Fox News for high-speed police chases, and saw the Crystal Cathedral and California Angels stadium in Anaheim. Dinner at Chile’s in San Bernardino before driving back through the mountains to Las Vegas.
We did enjoy the manager’s reception at the hotel each evening – just enough to spoil some appetites for dinner, but great people-watching and regrouping time for us before dinner. We had wonderful breakfasts at the hotel each morning, lunches at Jersey Mike’s, Great American Pancake, Costco, Wendy’s and such. Dinners were as noted above plus a couple trips to TGI Fridays, and two nights of local pizza/wings/spaghetti/subs in our room.
We just got our boarding call so I’ve got to go for now.
Friday, May 2, 2008
It's About Time...
Well, it's Friday and our Las Vegas adventure is almost at its end. We have only a few hours left before we pack it all up and prepare to head back home tomorrow morning.
I'm not exactly sad to be leaving Sin City. The part that's most difficult is giving back the 3 hours we gained by flying cross-country. Right now it's 11:00 am on the east coast. Here it's only 8:00 am and I'm sitting here with my flavored coffee typing away. When I wake up here at 6:00 am and feel good about getting a good jump on the day - well, come Sunday morning it will be 9:00 am and I will have slept most of the morning away!
The first few days is a little rough. We wake up based on west coast time but go to bed based on east coast time. Well, that gets old quickly. About day 3 or 4 we're firmly on west coast time. Now I'm preparing to give those precious hours back.
I think I'll go take a nap!
Stay tuned for the most boring travel log from Las Vegas ever...
I'm not exactly sad to be leaving Sin City. The part that's most difficult is giving back the 3 hours we gained by flying cross-country. Right now it's 11:00 am on the east coast. Here it's only 8:00 am and I'm sitting here with my flavored coffee typing away. When I wake up here at 6:00 am and feel good about getting a good jump on the day - well, come Sunday morning it will be 9:00 am and I will have slept most of the morning away!
The first few days is a little rough. We wake up based on west coast time but go to bed based on east coast time. Well, that gets old quickly. About day 3 or 4 we're firmly on west coast time. Now I'm preparing to give those precious hours back.
I think I'll go take a nap!
Stay tuned for the most boring travel log from Las Vegas ever...
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)