Free Meal

You always see the phrase "no such thing as a free meal." 

Well I tell ya, having a traveling job allows me to eat out multiple times a week and not have to pay for it. 

Loving this job that gives me wonderful perks like this and allows me to meet interesting people all over the world. 

As some of my work-mates comment after attending some audits with me, " you can't make this stuff up!" No, no you can't. 

Long live auditors and "free" meals. 

It a Beautiful Day

 

Who would have thought two years ago when I was in the hospital for a potential stroke that this totally Happy day was in my future. The last two years have been full of more emotion that the last 27. I have worked and left what I thought was a dream job until I saw they weren't as committed to integrity as me. I started a job I would never have believed would be the right place for me and have ended up happier than ever. It is a perfect environment free of judgment and politics. It is moves at a good pace and stress isn't a thought there. 

I am beyond grateful for all that I have and for my two eldest daughters having found love and for my youngest about to embark on that journey. 

I have learned you never know what life will bring so you let it ride and do the best you can day by day. I am still passionate and somewhat over-bearing, but I have learned to soften a few of my sharpest edges. I still tell it like it is and believe honesty is better than telling different stories to different people which is the environment I used to be drowning in. 

This was a good day and I look forward to many more crazy, yet good days ahead.

In the immortal words of Spock: Live long and prosper. 

It's a New Day

Best Thanksgiving ever. While most of the country is still waiting for it, my Thanksgiving is complete. After taking a poll of sorts it was decided that due to a variety of other commitments of our grown children and others who attend the meal, that we would move our celebration AND also make it a buffet. An informal affair where people could eat when they want and they would sit where they want. We also cooked and baked up a variety of foods to make the day even more inviting.

We had great attendance, conversation, and everyone seemed to really enjoy this change after years of the same old thing.

It felt good. Really good. Emotions have been running high and this was a good day. A day of joy. I most thoroughly enjoyed watching our next generation talk and laugh; laugh a lot. It made my heart grow three sizes that day.

I think this feeling was what I needed and will last for a while. Thank you family for being open to this different style of this traditional day.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Gobble Gobble.

What would they say

I am still rattled four days after the national election. I am irritated that some of my extended family were complacent and didn't make a vote for the highest office. I am irritated some of them voted for no policies, hate, and misogyny. I definitely had an opinion. As an old coach friend of mine would say I want to have my cake and eat it too.

I look at all I have worked and fought for in my life. I look at my family and those around me for who I have tried to make this country a more equal place to live and I wonder what the hell just happened. I have been raised my entire life to be better, to reach for more and now we have this. I would like to think that all the women before me would be saying now - we want more than this. WE HAVE EARNED MORE THAN THIS.

My little brother is deaf, the candidate said disparaging things about the Deaf and clearly doesn't have positive policies, a no-brainer correct? But no, family votes for him. Confounding to say the least.

And now after the election, I wonder how you reconcile this. Because it's not just a vote as my mom says. It is now the direction of the country with direct impact on me, my family, and those for whom I have fought. In these days, certain persons are posting hateful things which says to me that my original concerns were correct. Disgusting behavior and hate is coming out of places I didn't know it existed. The word Christian definitely has a new definition in some households after this election.

Well, my decision is to continue to fight for equality and women's rights. I will not allow them to be taken away. For those women in my family who voted the other way, you're welcome. And for the men on behalf of the women, you're welcome. Life is about choices and mine is to make intelligent, informed decisions and to be more involved.

Tom and Atticus

I don't know if you have found them yet, but I insist that you must.

You think you know Atticus M. Finch from a particular book, but you are incorrect in this case. Atticus was a miniature schnauzer who did amazing things up in the Northeast. You can read about his life in the book 'Following Atticus' and on Facebook or Twitter by looking up Tom and Atticus.

Even though Atticus has passed, Tom still eloquently talks about him and his previous companion Will. Tom is probably the best writer I have ever read. He touches your soul with his words.

Samwise  Passaconaway is his newest friend with whom he spends his time and about whom he writes.

Reading what Tom writes is a joy. It is pure emotion and provides a visual that almost overloads your senses. I do not live in the Northeast, but I feel as though I have been there many times.

Tom's next book 'Will's Red Coat' is out in March and it will be a great read.

I love my dogs to the moon and back.

Ten Truths about Having Three Children

I haven'the written in a while and then I came across an article that grabbed my interest about truths on raising three kids. I have my own truths.

Here are my 10 truths from my vault of having 3 beautiful, intelligent daughters:

1. You don't have enough hands so you get a kiddie leash and teach discipline.

2. They are all very different and even when you think you know them, you have no idea.

3. You think you love each of them with this amazing "I will kill anyone who even looks at them wrong love" and they are thinking "she loves her more than me."

4. I don't even understand where all that funk in the bathroom comes from, but thank God for mommy-iron-stomach genes.

5. There is no such thing as treating them all the same. They are unique and require unique treatment.

6. They will team up two against one whenever it serves them unless they require the Power of Three to defeat the Momma.

7. There is usually an informer.

8. Quiet is not an option.

9. You always have an opportunity to retry some parenting that didn't work the first, or second time. Yep, did that...which gets back to a bit of #3.

10. When all is good, and even when its not, there is so much love, so much.

Did we really just have this conversation?

I laughed really hard last night. The conversation topic though was one I never would have thought I would ever have - with my daughter. We were on our way to the gym.  To yoga. Yuck. Yoga.  Who does yoga. And why.  Anyway...

We are driving along and all of a sudden Emmy looks up on a pole on the corner and says, "hey, is that new?"  It was a horn. Like a tornado siren.  But the conversation went instantly south. "So that's what they will use for the Hunger Game or Purge announcements if Trump is elected.  What district do you think we will be in?"  WTF is what I am thinking.  "What?!" I say.  She says, "so are we going to be like agriculture because of Dad or like science and technical because of you.""Clearly, we are going with smart and technical because of me!" I instantly belt out.  Agriculture my ass...if we're going out, we're going out on top.  I've seen the movies...

"Well, Mom, we need to find an architect. You know someone who can design a wall or a sturdy electric fence for the purge night."  WTF again.  "Em, all we need is a room. A safe room. We just have to survive 24 hours in a safe room and avoid hackers too." "And bombs, like nuclear bombs...," she says, "if he gets elected, so we have like six months."  "Nah, it would take a little longer for him to pass the Hunger Game or Purge laws so we would have a little longer." I said...WHAT AM I SAYING.  What are we talking about, actually laughing about. This election has created conversations that are hilarious, ridiculous, and scary all at the same time.

I love that we get to have conversations like this.  I love that we laugh like this.  I love that we are above the age that would get selected for the games.

Deep Dark Secret - Update!!!!

So it's been about a year since I posted the information below about DNA testing. Well folks, it gets juicier. My youngest daughter decided to do 23 and me another type of DNA service. Ha! Lo and behold it comes back telling her that she has a grandmother (24% DNA match) in Australia as well as several first cousins. You may say what's the big deal?

The big hairy deal is that her grandmothers live in Indiana...well my adopted mom and Michael's mom so guess who that makes living in Australia with her grown children...yeppers, you guessed it - my biological mother and subsequent born children. That's quite the information overload for us and can you imagine when the email came to them? So whatcha been hiding from us mom? Ah, technology. Makes this world smaller than it appears. 

I still blame Ancestry.com. 

-------------------------------------------------- 

I blame ancestry.com for all of this.

This story begins 50 years ago in a small city in Indiana. Where a woman decided to give up her child for adoption.  From here there are two chapters to this story. One that tells the joy of the couple who receives the child when they couldn't have one of their own. The other that is never told and the child never existed.

Queue the time travel music to fly us to 2016. The child is now 50 and has had a life that has had amazing ups, downs, and she has a family of her own that makes her beam tremendously with joy.  Her kids' persistence along with her own curiosity moves her to ordering the ancestry DNA test. She sends it in and learns a bit about her heritage.

Then it happens. Someone else takes the test too. Someone from the chapter never told. It shows up in the system and they send the grown up child a message. The message contains names of families previously unknown.

In her excitement she responds to the message not thinking about the fact that for this other person, they are unaware that the existence of the child was likely a deep dark secret - until now.

So now she has information to find out where she came from. What does she do? Does she do anything at all? So many questions...Does she want any answers?

Stay tuned until next week's episode to find out what happens next.

Damn you ancestry.com for pulling us in.

Jello Cookies

If anyone tells my mom I posted this I will vehemently deny it and remove all evidence of its existence. That being said...

Every year my mom makes quite the assortment of cookies at Christmas.  Usually she tries some new recipe each year to see how it does. Many years ago she tried the Jello cookie.  Those of you who remember the Jello cookie incident of 1993, you have just blown cola threw your nose. 

You might think that this cookie would be soft and pliable. I thought that too. It was round, about the size of a half dollar, and light pink - really eye catching. Me being one who would try this good looking cookie picked one up and bit into it.

I thought I lost two teeth. That was the hardest damn cookie I have ever tried. I banged it on the ground. Other members of the family joined in. Then my mom saw us. She was unamused. The holiday can be stressful and making fun of my mom's cookies is like asking to be removed from the will. The jokes went on and we had a really fun time, be at a bit of her expense.

I lived in North Carolina at the time so we traveled back after the holiday and I had forgotten all about the cookies - until the package showed up at my job.

I had no idea what it could be. I opened it in front of my workmates and sure as shit, there was those jello cookies and a note.

My mom said she hoped I would appreciate having them since they brought me such joy at Christmas. Ha! She said she set them out for the squirrels since no one had eaten them, but quickly realized the squirrels were throwing them at the house in rebellion and she was pretty sure she had seen one squirrel flip her off. 

Those cookies come up in conversation now and again when we encounter un-eatable food.  I still remember bouncing those cookies off the ground and they didn't even crumble. Jello my ass.

Such an emotional weenie

I already know I can't go to live theater where emotion is involved.  Yes I am the one who stood up during Miss Saigon and yelled Noooooooooo! when she killed herself and the one sobbing uncontrollably during An Almost Holy Picture when she tried to shave off all her hair.  

Now it's movies. There have been several movies lately where the story was really emotional or someone has died or been killed and I just wasn't ready for it. It's a good thing it's dark in a theater.  I now at least take Kleenex and can keep my sobbing more quiet. Even when I see it coming. It doesn't matter if it's fairy tales or scifi. 

I used to try to be cool about it, now I don't care. I just try to keep the nose blowing to a minimum. If the director is trying to figure out if the movie will elicit this kind of feeling, s/he really ought to have me in the focus group.

Today was Star Wars -The Force Awakens.  Friggin' JJ Abrams. Had to go and do that. I have known these characters 38 years. The only thing that made me chuckle a bit in my tears what the fact that the Kylo Ren actor was just the youngest brother in This Is Where I Leave You. He was such an idiot in that movie. 

With more Marvel movies coming out soon I need to find a way to recover quickly. Maybe I should experiment with a movie stress ball.

Stroke of Luck

A week ago I had a TIA, a tiny stroke.  I was eating dinner with my husband and youngest daughter when out of nowhere I was talking jibberish. I knew what I was trying to say, but it wasn't coming out right. The harder I tried, the harder it was to say anything. Then my words were just gone. It only lasted about an hour, but the fear factor was incredible. Away to the hospital we went, where after a CT they promptly announced I had a stroke. I just started to cry. 

My neurologist found this all quite a mystery. I just don't have the risk factors. He said I was very lucky and that this is a warning. Okay, I'm listening! 

I know the event was scary for me but it was almost more so for my family. I think my daughter and I have a stronger relationship now. Much to my chagrin she knows I am human after all. If I had any doubt how much my husband loves me after all these years, that is gone. The fear in his eyes when he knew he could not protect me was overwhelming to me. I am not the most lovable person, but by God my family showed me how much they love me. I am very blessed and very lucky. Maybe in some weird way this was the only way to deliver a message to me. Don't be so hard on yourself. You don't have to be superwoman, we love you unconditionally. 

The one thing that hurts me is that I missed my middle daughter's graduation from graduate school. I know how disappointed she was. I wish I could fix that. 

I am thankful for my family and friends. I love the texts asking me how I feel today and the daily phone calls. As much as I am thankful for the outpouring of love, I hope this doesn't happen again. 

At least I kept my sense of humor...

It did not fall out

It was a pretty common occurrence for my mother to question the whereabouts of my brain as a teenager and well okay, til I was about 40. 

Shelley Ann, did your brain fall out of your head?

What the hell kind of decision was that, is there anything in there (knocking on my head)?

If I look in this ear I will probably see your dad on the other side because there can't be anything in that head of yours!

Well, I am here to tell you that my brain is indeed in my head. You know how I know?  Because I just had a neck MRI and lo and behold you can see every bit of my beautiful brain in there.

It's in every damn image. 

So as for those all those situations I got into and all those decisions with which you disagreed? That was just plain stupidity. 

Just rip it off

So my month long stay in Italy was cut short.  Have you ever had a pinched nerve?  Let me describe it:

Take a dozen forks and keep poking your neck and shoulder with them, hard, then

Take your left arm and tell someone to twist it just until you think it will rip apart and have him just hold it there, then

You only know your left hand is there because you can see it and touch it , but it has no feeling and you are still apologizing to the guy that you spilled tomato juice on on the airplane from Amsterdam to Atlanta cuz you forgot you couldn't feel your hand when you reached to take the drink from the stewardess, then

Just to make it interesting have absolutely no meds that make it feel better and you can't get into a neurologist in the Indy and surrounding area until Aug 4th. 

Thanks to BCD travel for getting me out of Italy within hours of being cursed with this wonderful event.

And finally after 3 weeks abroad I have these things to be thankful for in the great USA:

English

Salad Dressing

Ketchup

Mustard

Any other food than Italian

AIR CONDITIONING 

 

God Bless the USA and if you haven't chosen a profession, please be a neurologist because clearly there aren't enough of them!

Playing nine pin

As the summer storms roll by this evening I am taken back in my memory by the thunder. Back to when I was a child and loved to learn about and read fables, folklore, and fairy tales.  One in particular stored itself deep in my brain and was awakened today after slumbering for many years.  

Don't worry my dear, don't let that thunder frighten you. It is only Henry Hudson playing nine pin in the mountains... Indeed it is.  I am not afraid.

http://americanfolklore.net/folklore/2010/07/henry_hudson_and_the_catskill.html

It's alive!!!!

Funny how a thing like assuring a butterfly makes it into the wild makes you feel like a champion. 

I bought this little dude last weekend at a farmer's market.  Today was the magical day that it emerged from it's chrysalis and was ready for the world.

Fly, be free! Live a wonderful life!  

Today is a very good day!

An old soul

I have always loved talking to older people. When I was a kid I would spend more time with adults than kids, especially when I was a teenager. I was always at my Uncle Hank's, the Falbos, or my Aunt Thelma's. I never had a problem talking to them. It was easy. I think that's why I didn't develop a lot of friends my age. I didn't know how to behave with them or act like them. 

It's kind of funny because even now when I meet older folks just about anywhere they usually strike up a conversation or I do and it's a good time. 

Now that I'm almost 50 I seem to be growing into myself.  Some of us are slower getting there than others.  I am really enjoying my life now.  I feel now like I did when I was with them - at peace, at ease, loving me for who I am.

I am so glad to have shaken off the BS from just a couple of years ago. I love everything I have and I am thankful for it. 

Let the search begin

I pride myself on how hard my Easter egg hunts are. If it takes over an hour, I have done my job as a good mom. No adult child should be given any breaks in the theater of egg hunting.  They will need all their senses for this one; all their land-nav   skills. This hunt is at night.

They've seen riddles so hard they needed to team up to find their eggs.  They had them hidden so creatively, we forgot where they were and discovered them months later.  This year will be the best yet.  We start at night and hunt til dawn or until we go to Eric's to eat THE BEST pizza in the universe. 

Let the games begin!!!! 

Maybe you need to think before committing to next semester

Open letter to all Indiana Public Universities from a humble student:

Thanks for your letter telling me how much I owe in student loans and how I should consider this debt before I sign up for another semester. Yes because not finishing my degree and working in the fast food industry is why I started down this road to begin with. I never meant to make my life better by earning more money after getting my degree, paying my student loans, and then living a great life. I have a letter I would like you to read.

Dear <name of senior administrator here>,

I have evaluated your costs and need you to seriously consider a significant flaw in your program before you take more money from young people trying to better themselves. I see that your graduation requirements requires me to take a wealth of courses that have absolutely nothing to do with my major. You make me pay for these "elective" courses. These courses make up about 50% of the cost. 

How about you eliminate those meaningless courses, save me some money, and teach me what I really need to know to be a successful graphic designer or analytical chemist who can provide true value as soon as I walk through my new employer's door. Skills that allow me to flourish so that I don't hear, "well, we really need you to have more experience performing these activities before we can hire you." Gee, how about partnering with local companies and giving us some real world experience? This helps us get true learning, college credits, and companies get cheap labor.

If you only require me to take courses I truly need, I will only be in college for 18 months, maybe 24 total. The cost is less, the skills are better, and I am an immediately productive member of society who can really support my family. 

Think about that before you force another chemistry student to take ceramics or a graphic design student to take stress management because there aren't any of the required major courses this semester. 

Sincerely yours,

A student who is tired of wasting her time and future money for loans on worthless college courses.

I love technology

Sitting at the airport waiting for Emmy. Then I think hey remember that episode of Starsky and Hutch where the chemist is mad at Hutch, poisons Starsky, and then the race is on for Hutch to find a cure in 24 hours? I do. 

Let's go on the Internet and see if it's out there. Amazon Prime...1976, season 1...episode 21 A Coffin for Starsky, BINGO. 

$1.99 and it's all mine. YAAASSS!

I used to pretend I was Starsky's daughter and I was the one poisoned while they raced to save me. It was quite dramatic.  If I'm bored tonight maybe I'll pretend that again. Starsky comes out of retirement to save me. No Ben Stiller; that was a damn tragedy. 

Ah, plane here. Until I get home. I love technology.

'Merica I love you

America I love thee how do I count the ways? After being away in Italy 3 of the last 5 weeks I realize more and more how much I do enjoy the USA. 

1. Ketchup

2. Red sauce on pasta

3. No air traffic controller strikes on Fridays

4. Two lane roads are really two lane roads.

5. Personal Space

6. No smoking in restaurants 

7. No smoking well everywhere

8. Food variety

9. Streets wide enough to drive on

10. American beef 

The great thing about being away is coming back. I enjoy working there, but I love working here and living here.