You Light Up My Life

This past weekend I was fortunate enough to be able to get together with some dear friends of mine.  The way that we love each other despite the fact that some of us snort when we laugh (me), show up late (me), or bring their kids along to a girls' night out (me), is proof that our friendship is unconditional.  This circle of women that I am blessed to be a part of knows when to listen and when to speak up.  Each of us is an elixir for the other...a healing balm when needed.  Each of us has multiple irons in the fire.  Each of us longs for a chance to slow down and enjoy.  And that is exactly what we did the other evening.  As the sun set over the cedar filled hills we sauntered out of the kitchen and into the pool (our feet did at least).  The echoing calls of the resident peacock and the gobble of the pet turkeys served as our evening's soundtrack.  The farm cats lazily set the mood and we quickly followed suit.  It's so nice to be able to completely relax...to not give a flip about excess skin or sloppy posture.  Like the lounging cats, we flopped ourselves poolside and enjoyed the stories that are only funny to us.  Even though laughter was involved, some tears welled up as well.  As women, each of us has emotional strings that are alternately pulled and tugged.  For some of us the triggers are children getting ready to graduate from high school in a matter of weeks.  For others it is the fact that major decisions have to be made.  No matter the situation, the fact is we have each other with us as we plow through these moments.  As I become more and more who I was meant to be, I have noticed that God has lead me to be in the presence of people who make me better...people who build me up...people who I want to be like....people who love me.  I am grateful for the people whose light has made my path a little brighter.  I am thankful for the rainbow of love that has been reflected back to me via the prism of women I am happy to call my friends.

Friends Unearthed

I recently had the pleasure of visiting the home of a dear friend of mine.  This lady is just that...a lady...in every sense of the word.  Her home was a true reflection of the genuine and elegant nature she exudes in person.  Her private and personal world felt welcoming and real...and I love that in a person as well as in a home.  Through the years I've been blessed with a group of women to surround myself with.  It has been said that you become like the five people you hang around with the most...and if that proves itself true then I am in great company! 

My friend's home got me thinking about who we really are at our core.  Who we are when no one else is looking.  Home has always been a refuge for me...the place I long to be more than anywhere else.  I have a sign hanging in my house that says, "Surround Yourself With Things You Love," and to me, that includes our friends.  I am extremely fortunate in the fact that I get to work with and interract with these wonderful ladies every day.  This leads me to believe that these women were placed in my life for a reason.  Each of us has our own passions and quirks and each of us loves the other for them.  With each passing year our group learns more and more about the other; and as each layer of our persona is unearthed we becomre more and more exposed for who we truly are.  As both the years and the layers have passed by and peeled away we have only grown closer and loved deeper.  My dear friends...you are my home and I love you all.

"I Cry For Happy!"

This one's for all "my girls" out there!  (You know who you are!)  I miss the laughter...the "you had to be there" moments.  Being off work for the summer has its perks, don't get me wrong....but the women I work with...share my day to days with....well I miss them....terribly!  There is something to be said about comaradarie...especially among women.  Now that I am a part of the community of women who wet their pants everytime they sneeze I fell in love with this sign I saw in a shop window on the main street in Ruidoso, New Mexico during a recent road trip.  Even though the store was closed for the night that didn't stop me from taking a quick picture with my cell phone and sending it to all of my partners in crime.  It's moments like these that make me realize that life is all about our relationships with others.  It is about building memories out of moments that, at the time, don't seem that funny.....but.....later on down the road bring tears to your legs.

Pressure Keeper

If I could check my blood pressure I know that it would be high right now...dangerously so. I can feel my heart beat pressing against my rib cage. My chest is tight and a burning sensation is spreading its way through my torso. Before you rush to make a 911 call let me assure you I am not having a heart attack. I am merely having a reaction to a preteen. I don't know what it is with children...the innocent little beings us mothers birth. We care for them; we love them; we nourish them; we want them; we delight in every little thing they do...and all of this before they are even born! And then-WHAMO! They get in your face and talk back to you and roll their eyes at you. WHY?! Why do they do this?! Why can't they just pleasantly exist...doing all that they are asked to do? I know I always did. And maybe that is the real problem here...I was just too good of a kid. Honestly I never felt that I needed to buck the system. I am still that way today. Could it be so simple as to say that she and I are wired differently? There are times when I am secretly glad that she is so strong willed and tough. I know it will benefit her in many ways as she gets older. I just wish she would understand that I am on her side...really.

Big Red Float

I had done so well

My reasoning valid

I gave up tacos

For a plain old salad

The ruffage was needed

My body would thank me

I was well on my way

To feeling so skinny

I swallowed my water

Eight glasses my quota

No more carbonation

No more evil soda

And then came my dad

Bounding into the kitchen

And wait 'till you hear

Just what he did mention
"How would y'all like

A Big Red Float?!"

I could instantly feel

The onslaught of bloat

But this was no time

To dismiss his request

For that would be rude

And I was their guest

While sipping my drink

As if I were three

I wished my parents

A Happy 42nd Anniversary!

Life is Good

With the boys out of the house our home turned into an all girls' retreat last night. I was surrounded by my daughter, a friend, my sister-in-law, and my niece. I love being around women who love you back. After a day spent with my daughter at the movies, in the stores, and in a restaurant I ended up at my sister-in-law's house eating a delicious pizza she made just for us. After our meal we all walked over to my house--homemade brownies and Blue Bell's Coffee Ice Cream in tow. Our flashlights led the way as Snickers dashed in and out of our path. I threw down as many comforters as I could find and we all changed into our comfy-cozy pajamas and settled in to watch Mama Mia. After we had our fill of laughter and tears we headed to the kitchen and scooped balls of ice cream into our brownie-filled bowls and poured on the syrup...Life is Good!

5 Golden Rings...

On the first day of Christmas vacation

I simply gave to me

The opportunity to visit with friends.

Tonight I am going down the road to a neighbor's home to spend some time with some dear friends who have been living out of the country. They are in town en route to visit their family for the holidays so a party is in order. Several people whom I enjoy being around will be there and I am looking forward to kicking off the start of my Christmas vacation in this manner.

In the photo above the inscription on my ring reads: "Live Each Day To The Fullest" and that is what I am trying to do. However, my idea of "fullest" is often quite different from what many would expect. Dare devil I am not, but I do enjoy witnessing a miracle. My notion of a full life involves opening my eyes to see the beauty in the world around me. I love capturing moments throughout the day and if humor is a part of it I'm all for that to. I like to keep God in the forefront of my thoughts as I think through and plan my next step. I believe in family and friendships. I honor stillness and welcome silence. I have learned that the salt in my tears reminds me that I am made of something more than just water--that I am a substantial person. I am a happy soul who believes in smiling. I care not whether my rings are made from the finest gold in the land or whether they will turn black in the morning...I simply cherish them for the memory attached.

BFFs!

I brought my 11 year old daughter along for an all girls' weekend with my two best friends from elementary school. We spent the night in Dana's lake cabin and it felt every bit like the quintessential pre-teen slumber party that it truly was! Being the only one with a daughter I wanted to include my daughter in the plans because she loves all things "girl." She adores my girlfriends and they return the love. I am so fortunate to be able to share her with them.

We massaged our feet, painted our toenails, played the flute, and flipped through magazines. We ate coconut meringue pie for breakfast and had Mike &Ike's candies for dinner. We laughed until we peed in our matching froggy pajamas!

We exchanged fun gifts the likes of peppermint hand sanitizers, vanilla creme lotions from Bath & Body Works, fun candles, and old copies of Judy Blume books as tokens of our lasting friendships! Per my daughter's request she and I picked up some cozy fleece pjs and stuffed animals for all the girls.

At one point in the night someone gave my daughter a Sharpie Marker with the instructions to "Mark the 1st person to fall asleep"...guess who dozed off first? Yup....'twas I.

Dana built us a roaring fire in the wood burning stove that sustained us all through the night. She and my daughter stood their ground and defended the cabin against the angry mob of hornets that once lived inside the pipe of the stove. We all played M.A.S.H. (mansion, apartment, shack, house), and we popped each other's backs. We fed the stray cats that hung out near the front door (though they looked as if they hung out at every cabin door--no ribs showing on these felines). As it turned out we were more than warm and slept, as I had earlier predicted, with the doors open. We had prepared for freezing temperatures and had the electric blankets to prove it. We discussed our favorite authors and we wend on a nature walk.

All in all it was a great getaway...it was great in the fact that I could have my daughter along with me while "out with the girls." It was great in the notion that good old fashioned corny silly fun is still great fun! It was a strong reminder that girls are girls no matter their age...we all just want to belong to a group of people who love us and accept us. We all need someone who we can confide in, tell our secrets to, share a ped egg with. I pray that my daughter will surround herself with some truly great girlfriends who will embrace her and encourage her the way my BFFs have done for me...and thank heaven...who do so for her too! Thanks, girls!!!!

Are Your Roots Showing?

Ahhh...the holidays...no longer are we able to exist as surface level beings. We are forced to visit with the bottom dwellers...to get to the root of why we are the way we are...enter: THE FAMILY GET TOGETHER. All across the nation families are planning gatherings. Good intentions will be served but all too often the food gets too cold too quickly. Why is that? Why can't we all just get along?! Perhaps it is because there are too many cooks in the kitchen once all the kids have grown up to become adults themselves. Lives change and people move on. But the grudges and the infractions linger through the ages.

No matter how long ago we flew the coop our roots run deep-always searching for their source of original sustenance. Sometimes our roots branch out and find other means through which to thrive. But come the fall and winter months, when most of us would rather hunker down and hibernate, the winds of change blow our way and expose the things we tried to keep hidden. Our roots are exposed and they are not a pretty sight. Now we are stuck. If we cut off our roots we are sure to sever ourselves indefinitely. If we try to transplant we are never fully whole. So what are we to do? We are to drink from the well, but lean towards the light. And if all else fails...find yourself and excellent stylist!!!

Straight Up

The stage was set: I rushed home after work, deposited my kids in the house,
touched up my makeup and then backed out of the driveway...I was on my way to San Antonio...by myself! I had waited all day long for the work day to end so that my living could begin. I was going to listen to Stephanie Klein, author of Straight Up and Dirty and Moose, speak at the Jewish Community Center for and hour and a half.

Imagine my surprise when one of my best friends in the whole wide world walks through the front doors! How cool was this night going to be?! This was THE friend who introduced me to all things inappropriate...all things taboo...ALL THINGS PERIOD!!!How perfect that she and I would be sitting in the front row listening to a woman use the f-word when describing her mother-in-law!!!

Even though my friend and I are within walking distance of our forties (me more so than her...dammit!) we can't help but to revert back to prepubescent girls whenever we get together. She shares my love of books, reading, writing, and movies, and we have always been there for each other. There is another "one of us" who was not present that evening, but who would have loved it just the same. There is something to be said about girls, womanhood, friendships, and bonds. We are so fortunate to have been able to have been in each other's lives, in one way or another, for over 30 years (gulp).

We are in the process of planning a girls' weekend at the lake cabin again so that we can shake loose the heavy hats that we wear. Each of us needs a safe place where we can let down our guard and just be. In each other's presence we did not have to hold in our stomachs and we can sit cross-legged without fear of comment. We are able to be who we are.

Stephanie Klein was very emphatic when she insisted that we are not our past or our mothers...we are who WE are. She drove home the fact that it is better to be not so perfect as long as we are happy with who we are. When she and I talked after she was finished speaking she looked me in the eye the entire time I was speaking---despite the fact that there was a line snaking around the corner. She listened and she laughed. She even suggested that, perhaps, she and I could get together for coffee...can you imagine?! You heard it here first folks!