Be glad of life,

I read these words almost immediately after hearing of the passing of Farrah Fawcett.  Such a beautiful and courageous woman she was.   I'm sure that she would tell us all.....Be glad of life. 

 

Be glad of  life, because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars."

Henry Van Dyke
American Educator

Father's Day.

First of all, Happy Father's Day to all the "Dad's" out there. This is a pretty special day for you all, so I hope that you are celebrating and enjoying being the center of attention.

My own father is in heaven, and I'm sending a special "Love You Dad" to him in hopes that he knows that I love and miss him every single day of my life.

Dad was pretty spectacular. He had this warmth about him that just made you want to hug him all the time. He loved to laugh and when he did, his belly shook (think Santa Claus).~L~ He liked his beer and made some pretty tasty home-made wine! Potent as hell though! ~L~)

Like my mother, he lived for his family. He worked hard to put food on our table and to clothe us. He was always busy putting in long hours on the farm, but never too busy for family. Sunday drives were the best thing ever and I looked forward to them each week in the summertime. Checking the crops, getting lost on the back roads, and maybe ending up somewhere for an ice-cream cone.

Whenever Dad went to town, we (anyone at home at the time) usually got a treat. I remember him coming home on Saturday nights with a bunch of beer, pop, candybars and settling in to party - which usually consisted of watching TV (Gunsmoke, Carol Burnett, All Star Wrestling -Dad's personal favorite!) and munching on mom's popcorn. Really getting in to the groove of it would be if Ron and his family came home - then Ron would make homemade fudge! Yum!

Dad was never the disciplinarian of the family - but if he had to get involved - you'd better look out. Blaine even remembers that when "Grandpa shook his finger, you'd better take cover." ~L~ I only remember one time when Dad got angry with me - and it wasn't the anger that bothered me so much as the look of disappointment in his eyes; it nearly killed me. I vowed to never again to disappoint my father.

I see his love of family in my two brothers, Ron and Terry. They have a tough exterior but they are really marshmellows! (Don't tell them I said that!) The more I look at my older brother Ron, the more he reminds me of Dad (physically and characteristically).

Both of them have raised fine families - good kids - who carry on the values instilled in them by their fathers and my father. Ron & Terry worry that they've "done enough" to make sure that their kids have what they need to have a good life. I can assure them that they have. They've given them unconditional love, and what is more powerful and inspirational than that.

Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's out there - but especially to my brothers Ron and Terry. In case you two don't know it, you're pretty special in my book!

Wacky Wednesday

My mother said there would be days like this, she failed to tell me that they could last all week!!!!!

 

Is there a full moon or something? 

 

Anything that could go wrong, has gone wrong.  Add to that the fact that we are short staffed the rest the week AND we've instituted a new program to deal with, well.... need I say more?  

 

The bright spot is 1) It IS Wednesday, meaning there are only two days left and one of them is my 1/2 day.  (Thank gawd!)  2) Tonight is happy hour (and I do not mean the "yoga: happy hour either!) with my best buds Donna and Becky! 

 

It's going to be interesting cuz it sounds like they are having exactly the same type of week that I am.   ~L~

 

 

 

If I Had Wings

Once again, I heard a song and the lyrics struck a chord with me. Darius Rucker (Hootie, of Hootie and the Blowfish) has entered in to the Country genre. He co-wrote and recorded the song "If I Had Wings." The lyrics are powerful and the music is beautiful. Mixed with the smokey sound of Darius' voice, it's a song that I cannot seem to get out of my mind lately. Enjoy the lyrics.

Why do we hate? Why do we suffer?
Why do we make our mistakes, and constantly blame one another?
Why is there war, and why is there killing?
Have we forgotten some secret we knew back when we were just children?

Chorus:
If I Had Wings, I'd fly up to heaven. I'd look down from the clouds, on every thing....
then I could find all the things we've been missin'. I would have all the answers...if I had wings.

Verse 2:
Like why I am here, and where did I come from;
and where would I go when my time here on this earth is done,
and what would I leave that would go on forever?
Oh no, and what can I do while I'm here to make someone's life better?

If I Had Wings, I'd fly up to heaven. I'd look down from the clouds, on every thing....
then I could find all the things we've been missin'. I would have all the answers...if I had wings.


If I Had Wings, I'd fly up to heaven. I'd look down from the clouds, on every thing....
then I could find all the things we've been missin'. I would have all the answers...if I had wings.

Sometimes...

..you just need to take the day off! That is what I did yesterday, Saturday. I taught my Slow Flow class then spent the rest of my day with my sister Peggy at the kite festival in town. It was an absolutely fantabulous day for sitting out enjoying the weather and the beautiful kites being flown. There were four men from Illionois who had us enthralled with their mastery of kite flying. They performed synchronized kite dance to music. What a show!!!! Must have been for Peggy and I to spend all day there! ~L~

I took my mother-in-law out to breakfast this morning and then to the kite festival too. She enjoyed it but didn't last long in the heat. After an hour she asked for me to take her home. After a failed attempt to connect with a friend, I ended up coming home and taking a nap! I should have washed my truck and gotten rid of all of the dirt, but then I heard a 50% chance of rain and thought better of it.

So, here I am sitting at the computer when I should be doing something constructive outside. Next week! ~L~

Many of you have asked how my night turned out with my sisters! I tell you what, did we have fun! We drank some, we ate a lot, and talked 100mph! I'm pretty sure if you had your windows open you could have heard us! T asked me if I needed aspirin to take the pain away in my jaw. When I gave him a blank look trying to figure out what he was talking about he said, "you know, from all that yackin you did with your sisters!" Geeeezzzzzz!! ~L~

Here is a picture of my sisters.

Judy(left),Pat(center),Peggy(right)

We had so much to discuss that I think this might just be a monthly "meeting of the minds" just to make sure we don't miss anything! :-) And for the record, we did NOT cackle!! ~LOL~

What is on the agenda for the rest of the evening? I might take a walk later on, and maybe get clothes ready for tomorrow morning so I'm not so rushed. Then I think I'm going to sit on the deck and read a good book.

Oh! That reminds me. I woke up on Friday morning and found this beauty just outside my kitchen window.

Isn't she a beauty? I love waking up to wildlife roaming our yard!

This picture is just because it says everything about my cat, Boris.


"hey..don't mind me, I'm just hanging out at the table hoping to grab what's on that plate over there when you're not looking"! ~L~

Watch out folks, I'm in a mood!

I just told the Captain that he couldn't use the fingerprinting materials kit.  Total silence on the other end of the line.  Then I hear, "wait a minute here, I'm the Captain!"   I love it when I catch people off guard!  Just teasing Brian! Geez!

 

It's a lovely cloudy Wednesday here in the city and all is going well in my world.   We're rolling through the work week at stellar speed and my piles - no, make that MOUNTAINS - of work are on the steady decline.  Yes!!   Love it when that happens!    I'm thinking I should be somewhat "caught up" by the time 4:30 hits on Friday - just in time for a gorgeous weekend.    However, I have learned in my 40+ years not to celebrate too much in advance because Someone always wants Something YESTERDAY! ~shakes head!~  Peoples....I've told you thousands of times, "lack of planning on YOUR part does NOT make an emergency on my Part!" 

 

I'm especially happy today because I get to spend time with ALL of my sisters!  I haven't seen Pat or Judy since before Christmas!  How SAD is that - we live 30 miles apart!!  The weather this winter wasn't real conducive to getting together so we settled for the occasional phone call here or there.  My sister Peg and I were discussing this situation on our way back from the cities last week and I rectified it right then and there by utilizing the cell-phone and making the call to get the ball rolling. 

 

By the grace of all that is good, we actually settled on a date in record time.  Normally there is much phone calling being done trying to coordinate schedules (I'm sure you've all been there!), but not this time.   Peggy has graciously offered to have it at her house, so we can "cackle as much as we want and not have to worry about being so loud."  

 

 Cackle???  Schulz sisters cackle??!!!   Surely not!!!   I can see a little laughter and lots of giggles, but to cackle as in a brood of hens?  No way!    However, my husband informs me that he'll probably be able to hear us all the way out at the farm and then kindly retells the story of the "picture hanging" event at our house.      See, my sisters came out to my house to hang pictures.  The deal was that I provide food, the provide the drink.   We ate, we drank, then figured we should hang pictures, which we did. 

 

  T came home and found us all to be happy campers, and every picture on the wall hung crooked!    Judy would pound the nail, one of us would hang the picture, then all of us would stand back and make sure it was straight.   They looked fine to us!    T said, "of course they look find to you, you're all tanked!"  ~snorts~   Well, ok, so he might have had a point on the pictures, but I still don't think we cackle!! ~LOL~

 

I'm really looking forward to spending time with my sisters tonight!!  

 

 

 

 

Hey Blogosphere!

Well, I'm back from a wonderful weekend of movement, knowledge, and friendship.  I met some wonderful people at my yoga conference/training/certification.  Rushida, from India, tickled my funny bone with her anecdotes of growing up in India doing yoga with her grandfather.  Tracy, my Master Trainer, challenged me my first day by putting the class through a "power class" that had me in a continuous hot flash for 1.5 hour.   I wouldn't have traded a moment of it!

 

My nieces were fantastic and took good care of me and my sister Peggy.  We ate some absolutely scrumptious food!  I think Brasas was my favorite!  Luckily I did enough yoga both days to keep the weight at bay!

 

I had a minor Mountain III moment (think meltdown) on my 2nd day.  I struggled through the class even though my back was hurting.  Thank goodness I was able to get in to the chiropractor yesterday before I taught two classes last night.  I feel tons better today!

 

Today is back to reality though.  Bummer!  Work is piling up and I hear it calling out my name. (sigh)

 

I just wanted to let you all know that I'm back and doing well. 

 

Have a great day everyone!

 

Namaste'