Soccer days come to an end

Jordan got two goals today...I was so excited! This was the last game of the season. We had a pizza party afterwards and the kids got their trophies. It was a great season with a great coach. We also loved the teammates and their parents. I hope next spring will be as good. Jordan will be moving up to the next league and the competition will increase, I am sure. She is dedicated, but not very aggressive. She is too polite to take the ball away from the other team. It's funny how we teach our kids to be polite everywhere until they take the field and then we want a blood bath.

We were going to the Hapeville street party last night, but we were just too tired. I really wanted to go and had been looking forward to it for months. We will definitely hit some of the concerts this summer. Next weekend we are going to the Renaissance Festival. We have not been able to go because of soccer, but now we will get our chance and I am looking forward to that as well.

I will be glad to be back at church tomorrow. Only one week missed and I feel like I have been away forever! Two weeks ago I did the sound board and I have to say that even though those "5 million" knobs are intimidating, I don't have to concentrate as hard as I do when I run the slideshow. Once everyone is happy with their highs, lows and monitor levels, then I can kind of relax whereas when I do the slides I have to really pay attention in case somebody decides to sing something different than the norm. Which does happen more often than not. But I do enjoy working on the tech team. It keeps me busy and keeps me from making excuses not to go.

Another tid bit...as if four phones were not the creme de la creme of communication, now I can add skype to my list of devices. We added skype in order to join the Israelisms group podcast coming up in June. So now, I have another headset in my pile of tangled wires. Oh joy!

"Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter." Mark Twain

Phone Land

AHHHH!!!!

Happy Mothers Day!

What a great day! We went to Atkins Park Tavern in The Vinings and had lunch to celebrate Mom's day. The food was good, but the company was great. My Mom, Dad, Suzanne, Josh, Jordan and myself always have a wonderful time and a lot of laughs. The restaurant was giving out crocuses to the moms (my personal favorite bulb). We then went back to Suzanne's new condo for a bit and then dropped by Josh's apartment for a minute before heading home. It was a great Mom's day for me. Josh (okay, actually Jenn did the shopping) gave me a gift bag with all kinds of burt's bees stuff and a book and some other goodies.

I have to say, however, that the real treasure is my kids. That is what being a mom is all about. I have good kids. They are loving, kind and really smart. Josh is a Ga. Tech math major and Jordan is a second grader who excels at whatever she does. Jordan scored a goal yesterday at soccer and she was so proud (yeah, I was too). We did some shopping to celebrate! That kid was born to shop (I just don't know where she gets it???). Josh's brain wraps around stuff I can't even fathom. We do have some very interesting philosophical discussions. When he starts talking economics or some mathematical theory, my mind shuts down. But, when we talk about movies, relationships or metaphysics, I just love it! Both of my kids are great and I take a very small amount of credit for that.

"Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father: prepare to die." Mandy Patinkin in The Princess Bride

Shock, horror and telephones

Chris, Chris...where for art thou, Chris?

I can't believe it! I am too shocked for words (okay, not true...I am never without words). My beloved Chris is gone. How did this happen? Where are his fans? Everyone I know was sure Chris would win. Maybe it's just the crowd I hang out with. I am sure he will have a career in music now, regardless of being voted off. He is really talented. At Starbucks this morning, we were all talking about it. I sip this mocha frappacino to comfort myself and to toast Chris for a job well done.

Now, I must share something. On my desk (I work from my home office) I have four phones. Two belong to the companies I do the majority of my work for ( I have a couple of other side projects that fortunately don't involve phones). Another is my cell and the last is of course my normal garden-variety land line. When one rings I have to get out index cards and a protractor to determine how I should answer! And then, as if I don't have enough tools to communicate with, I also have at least five email accounts and a couple of instant message accounts. A few years back I decided to "simplify" my life. Have I succeeded? NO!

Another thing about telephones (remind me to complain to Alexander Graham Bell the next time I see him), I get these strange calls from time to time. They leave me suspicious. People are always telling me that I read too much into to things. I am sure they are right. But, if anyone out there is calling and not identifying themselves...SAY SOMETHING!!! If you want to communicate...trust me...I have the tools and I have the talent.

"It can even be a single note which defines the entire song." Leon Redbone

Mondays

I feel defeated today. I can't even think of anything fun or witty to discuss. Sometimes I wish I wasn't a person of great feeling and emotion. Life would be so simple then. But, I am. I feel deeply and I feel for a long time. I look at circumstances and I know I shouldn't. I should be looking up, but I look around instead. I know how the psalmist felt when he looked around and saw the person with the bigger palace, the more successful kids, the great marriage and by all outward appearances - the perfect life. I see others who to seem to "have it all". I know in my head that is not true. They may have material wealth, but do they have salvation? If they don't then it is all for nothing. Unfortunately my heart yearns for a happier life. I have many good things in my life and I truly am blessed in many ways. But one area of my life is very near its end and I truly wish those circumstances could have been different. The funny part is (maybe I can find some wit after all) that I no longer have emotion in regard to that area of my life. Dead as doornail - as they say (who is they?). I used to weep and pray for healing, but now I am just ready for it to die. This poor dead horse has been beat for far too long.

I know I need to laugh. I need to find something funny and on purpose and out loud I need to laugh. I know this will help with my personal healing.

It's lonely tonight. I put words out, but nothing is coming back except my own echo. God, please tear down the walls I have built and let me hear another voice besides my own.

"“My philosophy, like color television, is all there in black and white"” - Monty Python

Friday...

Yipee it's Friday. I should be more excited, but I am not because this weekend looks to be very busy. We have soccer. We are helping Suzanne move. And then there is church on Sunday. I am nervous about church because Rex won't be there and anything that goes wrong will be on my head...AHHH!!! I am sure everything will be fine as long as there are no power surges. The sound board scares me when I am alone...be afraid...be very afraid. I see technically inept people!

I have to tell about two weird things I have done since childhood. These are very strange and I really don't notice them much anymore. The first is that I always imagine someone is with me. Not your typical imaginary friend sort of thing. No, this is a real person that I imagine somehow has the ability to be invisible and watch me. Now this person changes all the time. It could be my mom, an old boyfriend or anybody really. It's just whoever is on my mind at the time or what I am doing may remind me of that person. I have done this since I was very small. I was an only child (well, until I was 16 anyway) so I guess I just started doing this and it became a habit. I don't really know how to break it or if it really matters, but anyway that is weird thing #1.

Now, #2 is not as strange, but still something I have done since I was itty bitty. When I watch TV, I tend to turn my head to one side. Now my hearing and vision seem to be the same on both sides, but for some reason I have always done this. My head turns to the right so that my left ear and eye are more towards the TV. I don't think I do it at movies (I am not sure), but I definitely do it with television. And especially when the show is very intense. When I notice I am doing it (or if someone mentions it to me) then I always correct myself. But most of the time I don't even notice. How weird is that???

"In fact, I would go so far as to say that I am playing emotions and expressing them in a coherent public language called music." John Fahey - Musician extraordinaire

Great Day!

Today was Jordan's field trip to the Farmer's Market. We had such a wonderful time. But, I have to say that letting me loose at the Farmer's Market with cash in hand and a debit card is not a good idea! Especially at the plant nursery areas. My only saving grace is that by the time we got to the plant-buying I was so tired that I wanted just to hurry...get what I wanted...and go home...Woo Hoo!!! I also got some fruits and veggies. I got my first bag of vidalia onions this year. Yum! We toured the market and we toured a plant where they distribute wholesale potatoes and onions. I tried very hard not humiliate anyone by pressing the "organic" issue. And the items I got today were not organic, but I will wash thoroughly and hope the pesticides don't kill me.

I got a new book this week called House by Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker. I am nearly finished with it and it is soooo good. I can't wait for the ending. I will finish it shortly. It is supposed to be a movie by next year. Speaking of movies...I think Jordan and I will go see "Akeelah and the Bee" this Sunday afternoon. It looks like it will be very good.

AND...Paris is gone. I really didn't think she would last as long as she did. Not because she isn't a good singer...she is very good...but because I thought Pickler would last longer. She had that "cute" southern thing going on that a lot of people liked. Of course my speed dial is always for Chris. I love him and I love Taylor. Elliott is also a very good singer, but my money is on Chris and Taylor.

AND...I haven't watched Lost from last night yet. I will get to it when I can. Tonight is also Survivior. I can't wait to see what happens with psycho Shane. Good grief! That guy is really nuts (I am being convicted that it's not nice to call anyone psycho or nuts...sorry 'bout that!).

"George Bailey, I'll love you 'til the day I die" - Mary Hatch, It's a Wonderful Life

Happy Colon

What an interesting title. Mark had his colonoscopy today and all went well. The last couple of days have been hectic with making sure he was ready and trying to hide all evidence of food from him (he had to fast to prepare for the procedure). The doctor said all looked good and there would be some pathology results to come, but he was confident that everything was in order.

Now we just have to get his mouth healed and continue working on the pre-cancer sun spots on his scalp. What a year he is having! Of course my last year was weird also. Pregnant in the spring, miscarriage in the summer, tubal in the fall and hernia repair in the winter (a result of the tubal). But my health, except for the skin issues, has been good since then. We have changed over a great deal of our eating to organic...and even when it's not organic we are still sticking with fruits, veggies, meats, dairy and some grains. We have both lost weight and feel pretty good. (Okay, I know the mocha frappacinno's are not organic, but they are my one thing that I indulge in...well...everyday, but still they know me at Starbucks and they can't live without me!)

Work is going okay (blech!). I really should have been a "kept" woman. I like being the mommy and going on field trips and taking care of everything at home much better than having to provide an income. I am still waiting for Tucker and Company to get up and running so perhaps that can be my contribution instead of having to answer to someone else. I need autonomy. Being micro-managed stresses me out. Plus, at my age, I am really snappy and don't care too much what everybody else thinks. I liked working for Eric because he would just send 20 emails a day with everything he needed. And he only called a couple of times a week. He also gave me carte blanche on most projects. Ahhh, those were the days!

Tell me, O Octopus, I begs,
Is those things arms, or is they legs?
I marvel at thee, Octopus;
If I were thou, I'd call me us.

Ogden Nash (a great American Poet!)