Today's reflections are for the many, many men & women who have given the ultimate sacrifice for their country. My father died during the Korea "conflict", but let's call it what it is, WAR. He did not die in action but was in the military at the time. He shouldn't have died, but for whatever reason, which I won't make any judgements on, his jeep overturned & he died of a broken neck. No roll bars on military jeeps in 1953. So I think of him & honor him in memory today.
What does it take to go wherever the military, our government, tells you to go? How do men & women make the choice to enlist? What kind of courage does it take to know when you are shipped out or deployed or whatever the correct word is, that you could die during your tour of duty? Is it a sense of honor, duty, or even a bond so strong to your fellow men/women in arms that makes you strong enough to endure a possible fate of not coming home? Just how do they do it?
Living in a largely military area of the country, I see men & women in uniform quite often. My former husband was in the military & I lived in the military community from 1977 to 1999. They have their own language, as any profession does, they have their housing, their own clothing, their own stores, & they are a very tight-knit group of military & civilians. They take a great deal of pride that their loved ones serve their country even if they don't always agree with the politics, they have a different mentality. Their only concern is to protect in whatever way they are asked. I think no matter what your reason for joining the military, it is an honorable way to show, in this case, live your patriotism.
How patriotic are you? What kind of pride do you take in our country? Right or wrong, do you participate? I get very uncomfortable with my apathy that I sometimes feel as I grow older. Not that I'm not still voting or have an opinion! I've got lots of opinions, but it's the politics that really get me down. But I digress here from my point.
I am thoughtful of so many who have died for their country. The losses during all the wars our country has fought. It's not just about today's wars, but Vietnam, Korea, WW I & II, & so many other wars.
May they rest in peace.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Sunday, May 22, 2011
A Daughter's Love
Friday, May 20 I had my barnacles removal surgery. The doctor made a fairly small cut along my hair line & removed the two lumps that had grown on my skull. Everyone said they really didn't notice them until I pointed them out. However I noticed them & they bothered me. So I had them removed. I went in at 8 am & left at 1 pm. No excitement to report. All went well. Recovery has been easy although my forehead is swollen & I look like a creature from Avatar since today the swelling moved down between my eyebrows. I'm taking tomorrow off from work & I hope the swelling will be gone by Tuesday when I return to work!!
The best part of Friday, Saturday & Sunday has been the love my daughter has shown me. She was with me the whole time & took very good care of me. She was the best. We actually had quite a few laughs along the way which I think helped my spirits. She was very prompt with making sure I took my post surgery medications & she checked on me every hour while she stayed with me the rest of the day. She helped me Saturday as well. The best part of Saturday was she & her family came over. She & hubby brought & made a great dinner while the kids played. Grandchildren always raise your spirits. I could really feel how much she wanted to help me & how much she loves me. It was funny watching the two of them working in the kitchen together. It was a hoot, but they did a good job turning out a delicious dinner. Great team work. They also brought over Gulliver's Travels with Jack Black. I hadn't seen it so it was fun to watch. A really perfect evening.
What a wonderful thing to have happen. She showed me the best of herself with compassion, caring, & love. She's been taking college classes to become a nurse & I think she really will make a good one. She's so smart she could do anything. Nursing is a great choice for her. I'm so proud of her.
She's inspired me as well. I am looking into Strayer University's program for a Business Administration degree with a concentration on Human Resources. I already have a lot of credits for the degree so maybe I'll be able to get my bachelor's degree a little quicker. We'll see. But the bug to get my degree is back.
This has been a very successful experience all around. All to help me find out who I wannabe.
The best part of Friday, Saturday & Sunday has been the love my daughter has shown me. She was with me the whole time & took very good care of me. She was the best. We actually had quite a few laughs along the way which I think helped my spirits. She was very prompt with making sure I took my post surgery medications & she checked on me every hour while she stayed with me the rest of the day. She helped me Saturday as well. The best part of Saturday was she & her family came over. She & hubby brought & made a great dinner while the kids played. Grandchildren always raise your spirits. I could really feel how much she wanted to help me & how much she loves me. It was funny watching the two of them working in the kitchen together. It was a hoot, but they did a good job turning out a delicious dinner. Great team work. They also brought over Gulliver's Travels with Jack Black. I hadn't seen it so it was fun to watch. A really perfect evening.
What a wonderful thing to have happen. She showed me the best of herself with compassion, caring, & love. She's been taking college classes to become a nurse & I think she really will make a good one. She's so smart she could do anything. Nursing is a great choice for her. I'm so proud of her.
She's inspired me as well. I am looking into Strayer University's program for a Business Administration degree with a concentration on Human Resources. I already have a lot of credits for the degree so maybe I'll be able to get my bachelor's degree a little quicker. We'll see. But the bug to get my degree is back.
This has been a very successful experience all around. All to help me find out who I wannabe.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Purple Haze
All those who remember Jimi Hendricks, raise your hands! Oh put your hands down, you just look silly. (hee hee ~ heard that one on the radio station I listen to) Which is where I heard his song again. I haven't heard it for a really long time. A flood of memories came rushing back. I could picture him with that guitar, Afro, open shirt or no shirt, crazy hippie clothes but not really crazy so much since we all wore the bell bottoms and were oh so cool. But man could he play that guitar! Purple Haze was really big. It was new & the music was so impressive at the time. It's like, where did he come from? Couldn't get enough of his music. Then he was gone. But we all kept smoking the weed. Janis Joplin checked out but we all kept drinking. That happened a lot, too much I think. I didn't really make the connections at the time. I just kept on listening to the music & dancing.
I loved to dance when I was a kid. First it was ballet. When I was really small, and yes I was actually tiny at one time, I loved ballet. I loved it with all my heart. I felt special when I danced & no one could take that away from me. For that hour I was on my own away from my mother, in the studio with a flamboyant teacher & a class full of pretty little princesses all wanting to grow up to be ballerinas. I don't remember the other kids at all. My memory is like it was just me & the teacher, Roya Curie & her teaching assistant, Barbara Rhodes. I loved them. I loved the classical music. I love the wood dance floor. I loved the toe chalk flying up in the air like little clouds of white dust. I loved the ballet barre (I think that's the French spelling for it) Anyway you get the idea. It was a really special place for me.
Of course that all changed with our on-going family drama. I know there's a book to be written somewhere in there. I wasn't able to dance for about a year and a half, but I missed it so much I asked if I could start again. It was sometime in the summer after 4th grade. My mother said she wouldn't drive me to the studio anymore since it was "downtown" & too far away I think that was the reason . So I don't remember if she came up with it or I did, but there was a ballet studio in our neighborhood, but she still wouldn't drive me. Now I was only 9 I guess but I wanted it badly enough that I said I would ride my bike there if she would pay for the lessons. And so she did & so I did. I think that summer through 7th grade or close to it I rode that big old bike down & back. Or maybe I took my sister's bike. I'm sure she wasn't using it by that time. : )
Why did I stop dancing you ask? A number of things contributed. I couldn't get there regularly without any parental support. I started to get discouraged. I started getting really really awkward around 7th grade since, you know, it was the "blossoming" time of a little girl's life. The winter's were hard to ride your bike in the snow. It got dark earlier in the winters & I was afraid to be out in the dark after the lesson. Just a lot of stuff.
The dancing didn't actually stop. Just the ballet lessons stopped. My sister had a record player, I'll explain what that was at some other time, and she used to play 45's & 78's?? I can't remember what the bigger vinyl records were now. Senior moment. Anyway, she had all the new cool music. She taught me to dance in our basement. This was something else altogether. Certainly not ballet. But I liked it. It was fun. I love to play the records over & over. I'd sing with Bobby Vinton's Blue Velvet, Frankie Avalon's Venus, Bobby Rydell's Volare. Even Shelley Fabrares had a big hit record. She was the sister on the Donna Reed Show. Man, that's when my love for dancing & music really went wild. I couldn't get enough of it. To this day, I still love music. Everything. Oldies from the early 60's all the way up to today's music.
And all this because I heard Purple Haze on the radio tonight when I was driving home from work. Hmmm...remember when the music died? Well, it didn't for me. The old & the new I take with me wherever I go. Even on my way to finding out who I wannabe.
I loved to dance when I was a kid. First it was ballet. When I was really small, and yes I was actually tiny at one time, I loved ballet. I loved it with all my heart. I felt special when I danced & no one could take that away from me. For that hour I was on my own away from my mother, in the studio with a flamboyant teacher & a class full of pretty little princesses all wanting to grow up to be ballerinas. I don't remember the other kids at all. My memory is like it was just me & the teacher, Roya Curie & her teaching assistant, Barbara Rhodes. I loved them. I loved the classical music. I love the wood dance floor. I loved the toe chalk flying up in the air like little clouds of white dust. I loved the ballet barre (I think that's the French spelling for it) Anyway you get the idea. It was a really special place for me.
Of course that all changed with our on-going family drama. I know there's a book to be written somewhere in there. I wasn't able to dance for about a year and a half, but I missed it so much I asked if I could start again. It was sometime in the summer after 4th grade. My mother said she wouldn't drive me to the studio anymore since it was "downtown" & too far away I think that was the reason . So I don't remember if she came up with it or I did, but there was a ballet studio in our neighborhood, but she still wouldn't drive me. Now I was only 9 I guess but I wanted it badly enough that I said I would ride my bike there if she would pay for the lessons. And so she did & so I did. I think that summer through 7th grade or close to it I rode that big old bike down & back. Or maybe I took my sister's bike. I'm sure she wasn't using it by that time. : )
Why did I stop dancing you ask? A number of things contributed. I couldn't get there regularly without any parental support. I started to get discouraged. I started getting really really awkward around 7th grade since, you know, it was the "blossoming" time of a little girl's life. The winter's were hard to ride your bike in the snow. It got dark earlier in the winters & I was afraid to be out in the dark after the lesson. Just a lot of stuff.
The dancing didn't actually stop. Just the ballet lessons stopped. My sister had a record player, I'll explain what that was at some other time, and she used to play 45's & 78's?? I can't remember what the bigger vinyl records were now. Senior moment. Anyway, she had all the new cool music. She taught me to dance in our basement. This was something else altogether. Certainly not ballet. But I liked it. It was fun. I love to play the records over & over. I'd sing with Bobby Vinton's Blue Velvet, Frankie Avalon's Venus, Bobby Rydell's Volare. Even Shelley Fabrares had a big hit record. She was the sister on the Donna Reed Show. Man, that's when my love for dancing & music really went wild. I couldn't get enough of it. To this day, I still love music. Everything. Oldies from the early 60's all the way up to today's music.
And all this because I heard Purple Haze on the radio tonight when I was driving home from work. Hmmm...remember when the music died? Well, it didn't for me. The old & the new I take with me wherever I go. Even on my way to finding out who I wannabe.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
It's Been Awhile......
I'm back. Both literally & figuratively. I just returned from the Wild West. Well, maybe not so wild anymore, but definitely the West. I spent the week with my youngest son & his beautiful bride. I had such a wonderful week. The weather didn't actually get super hot till the last 2 days. That was a bonus. The sunshine was awesome since it's been kind of a rainy Spring here at home. I really needed the sunshine. For people who have depression, sunshine is like the light in your soul gets turned back on. You feel like you've been recharged & can face life again. Before I left, I have to admit to being a little down...well, a lot down. This last week really helped.
I enjoy the company of all my "kids" & their families so it came as no surprise how much I enjoyed these "kids". Sunday was Mother's Day & we were joined by my daughter-in-law's grandma, aunt & uncle. All three of us are mothers. We had a great Bar-Be-Que lunch. And I do mean great. Grilled steak, grilled asparagus, grilled corn-on-the cob, big pasta salad, big green salad, vegetable shishkabob, pineapple shishkabob & for dessert, yes that's right, she made dessert too, a fabulous pineapple/cherry cobbler with vanilla ice cream on top. Holy Moley, what a spread. My son manned the grill & out-did himself. He looked right at home. They both love to entertain & I can see why. It was a lovely mother's day. Really, really great.
Monday was a quiet day, daughter-in-law at work, son finishing a final for a class. Me in front of a huge flat screen HD TV to die for with recorded episodes of Oprah. Well, pinch me did I go to heaven?? It was great to relax for a day & settle in, but not for long. I did say they love to entertain, right? Well, a very small group of girlfriends whom my daughter-in-law, that's tough to keep typing so for anonymity, let's call her JFS, were was I? Oh yes, JFS won't see them for awhile so we had a nice little gathering for them to make plans & say goodbye just for a little while. Once again, son manned the grill & girls brought some food & we had a really fun night.
Then the next day, my son took me to his community college where he studied until this past December. I was able to meet the person who was the most help to him with getting the support he needed at the school. He brought a thank you card to all in the office staff as well as some cookies for them to all share. What a nice thing to do! I wonder where he gets his good manners & lovely sweet tender heart??? Personally I think he was born with it, but since this is my blog, I'll take the credit.
One of the reasons for taking this particular week to visit was that he was going to "walk" for his graduation. He had the gold sash for Phi Beta Kappa Community College Honor Society. He had a gold medal hanging from a ribbon for being an officer of the afore-mentioned honor society. And he wore the gold "ropes" (I don't think they are called that, but will suffice for my purposes) for high achievement. All in all, a lot he & his bride, not to mention his mother, could be very, very proud. That happened Friday evening & JFS & I had a lot fun too. Some very nice gentlemen sat next to us. One of them had a wife graduating which is why he was there & two friends attended for support & friendship. I thought that was very nice especially since they all seemed to be, well mature individuals. The two friends were dressed a little, ah casual shall we say. I asked one if he rode a motorcycle, get the visual, & he cutely said, oh no no. Then smiled & admitted they all rode together. We talked to them during the evening, okay I admit it was mostly me that talked to them & they were so nice they even cheered for my son when his turn came. I'm sure to hear what sounded like a crowd cheering must have been quite the surprise. One of them even got up to get a bottle of water & brought back one for each of us. Very nice. So that little experience just added to the over-all joy of the night.
Let's see, I'm getting ahead of myself. The graduate also took me to tour his new college campus where he has continued his undergraduate studies in Construction Management ~ Arizona State University. What a great place. We took some pictures, which somehow I have to learn how to down-load to the computer & then place them on my blog, but don't expect that too soon. But what? Another adventure to add to Ms. Wannabe's list!! Yes, that is a very good challenge to add. I've got to get "with-it" with all this technology & the advantages that it brings. I'm in the dark ages compared to the rest of the world & it's keeping me from being the best of all that I can be!! I digress but a good idea none-the-less. We went looking for an ASU mom's shirt, but they were wiped out since the preceding Sunday had been mother's day. So I finally found a "sticker" for my car window that says ASU MOM. Perfect. They can get the shirt for Christmas ~ hee hee. We also looked at rings for his graduation next year. That was fun. There were two reps there, one from Josten & the other, Balfour. They each had some options the other did not have so that gave my son variety to choose from. We took the information home to show his wife & help make the decision. The next day, back at the school, he ordered the ring. Now that was special for me to be a part of.
Let's see, then there was another entertaining opportunity. This time the party was for my son who is leaving in a week for Texas for his PAID internship at a big construction company. I hope they don't mind me telling all their business like this, but it was such a fun week to be a part of. Guess who manned the grill? I just love being around all the young people. Lots of couples starting out with their careers, marriages & yes, there were some young kids too! It was a great family oriented party with lots of good wishes & THE BEST cake I think I've ever had! Good Golly Miss Molly!! So awesome I can't do it justice. Let me just say chocolate to die for. Okay, 'nuf said. Another thing that made it special for me was seeing the kids from home that have also moved out West near my son. In fact, that reminds me I have to call their mother!! All in all, a very nice evening.
Well, there's more like JFS looking in my mouth, professionally speaking of course. Now there's something you don't see every day. A dental hygienist daughter-in-law who willingly gives her mother-in-law a little look-see for advice about what to do or not do with dental issues. Now she's good at what she does, I mean really good, so I was not sure she would want to look at me especially since she works so hard with maybe up to 15 patients a day!! But she's a sweetheart though & there I was in her chair getting the once over. It was something else to see her in action at her job. I had enormous respect for her before, but there is something about seeing someone do their job & be in their world that makes you see them in a whole new & different way as a professional. It was a very good experience. Even the dentist she works with came in to talk to me, which I really wasn't expecting, but I got to meet him & most of the rest of the office too! And it gave me another challenge for my list. Yes, she helped me to finally decide to do something about my teeth that I have longed to do for some 15 years or more. And that is get the baby teeth removed, replaced & get braces to spread & straighten my teeth. Besides for aesthetic purposes, it will help prevent the receding gums & any future problems I may have due to these imperfections. I'll have to plan it for next year so that I can put the money away in case the insurance won't cover it although there are health reasons that they may accept....or not. Either way, I'm doing it!
Well those are a few highlights of my vacation with the "kids". I had a very very good time with much needed rest & away from the office time. I think I will be able now to write about some of the things I had on mind this past couple of months. Don't panic, not now. I'll save it for another time!!
So that's two things to add to my list of adventures: computer skills/computer technology AND dental work to include braces. YAY!! What a fun way to discover more things that will help me find out who I Wannabe!!
I enjoy the company of all my "kids" & their families so it came as no surprise how much I enjoyed these "kids". Sunday was Mother's Day & we were joined by my daughter-in-law's grandma, aunt & uncle. All three of us are mothers. We had a great Bar-Be-Que lunch. And I do mean great. Grilled steak, grilled asparagus, grilled corn-on-the cob, big pasta salad, big green salad, vegetable shishkabob, pineapple shishkabob & for dessert, yes that's right, she made dessert too, a fabulous pineapple/cherry cobbler with vanilla ice cream on top. Holy Moley, what a spread. My son manned the grill & out-did himself. He looked right at home. They both love to entertain & I can see why. It was a lovely mother's day. Really, really great.
Monday was a quiet day, daughter-in-law at work, son finishing a final for a class. Me in front of a huge flat screen HD TV to die for with recorded episodes of Oprah. Well, pinch me did I go to heaven?? It was great to relax for a day & settle in, but not for long. I did say they love to entertain, right? Well, a very small group of girlfriends whom my daughter-in-law, that's tough to keep typing so for anonymity, let's call her JFS, were was I? Oh yes, JFS won't see them for awhile so we had a nice little gathering for them to make plans & say goodbye just for a little while. Once again, son manned the grill & girls brought some food & we had a really fun night.
Then the next day, my son took me to his community college where he studied until this past December. I was able to meet the person who was the most help to him with getting the support he needed at the school. He brought a thank you card to all in the office staff as well as some cookies for them to all share. What a nice thing to do! I wonder where he gets his good manners & lovely sweet tender heart??? Personally I think he was born with it, but since this is my blog, I'll take the credit.
One of the reasons for taking this particular week to visit was that he was going to "walk" for his graduation. He had the gold sash for Phi Beta Kappa Community College Honor Society. He had a gold medal hanging from a ribbon for being an officer of the afore-mentioned honor society. And he wore the gold "ropes" (I don't think they are called that, but will suffice for my purposes) for high achievement. All in all, a lot he & his bride, not to mention his mother, could be very, very proud. That happened Friday evening & JFS & I had a lot fun too. Some very nice gentlemen sat next to us. One of them had a wife graduating which is why he was there & two friends attended for support & friendship. I thought that was very nice especially since they all seemed to be, well mature individuals. The two friends were dressed a little, ah casual shall we say. I asked one if he rode a motorcycle, get the visual, & he cutely said, oh no no. Then smiled & admitted they all rode together. We talked to them during the evening, okay I admit it was mostly me that talked to them & they were so nice they even cheered for my son when his turn came. I'm sure to hear what sounded like a crowd cheering must have been quite the surprise. One of them even got up to get a bottle of water & brought back one for each of us. Very nice. So that little experience just added to the over-all joy of the night.
Let's see, I'm getting ahead of myself. The graduate also took me to tour his new college campus where he has continued his undergraduate studies in Construction Management ~ Arizona State University. What a great place. We took some pictures, which somehow I have to learn how to down-load to the computer & then place them on my blog, but don't expect that too soon. But what? Another adventure to add to Ms. Wannabe's list!! Yes, that is a very good challenge to add. I've got to get "with-it" with all this technology & the advantages that it brings. I'm in the dark ages compared to the rest of the world & it's keeping me from being the best of all that I can be!! I digress but a good idea none-the-less. We went looking for an ASU mom's shirt, but they were wiped out since the preceding Sunday had been mother's day. So I finally found a "sticker" for my car window that says ASU MOM. Perfect. They can get the shirt for Christmas ~ hee hee. We also looked at rings for his graduation next year. That was fun. There were two reps there, one from Josten & the other, Balfour. They each had some options the other did not have so that gave my son variety to choose from. We took the information home to show his wife & help make the decision. The next day, back at the school, he ordered the ring. Now that was special for me to be a part of.
Let's see, then there was another entertaining opportunity. This time the party was for my son who is leaving in a week for Texas for his PAID internship at a big construction company. I hope they don't mind me telling all their business like this, but it was such a fun week to be a part of. Guess who manned the grill? I just love being around all the young people. Lots of couples starting out with their careers, marriages & yes, there were some young kids too! It was a great family oriented party with lots of good wishes & THE BEST cake I think I've ever had! Good Golly Miss Molly!! So awesome I can't do it justice. Let me just say chocolate to die for. Okay, 'nuf said. Another thing that made it special for me was seeing the kids from home that have also moved out West near my son. In fact, that reminds me I have to call their mother!! All in all, a very nice evening.
Well, there's more like JFS looking in my mouth, professionally speaking of course. Now there's something you don't see every day. A dental hygienist daughter-in-law who willingly gives her mother-in-law a little look-see for advice about what to do or not do with dental issues. Now she's good at what she does, I mean really good, so I was not sure she would want to look at me especially since she works so hard with maybe up to 15 patients a day!! But she's a sweetheart though & there I was in her chair getting the once over. It was something else to see her in action at her job. I had enormous respect for her before, but there is something about seeing someone do their job & be in their world that makes you see them in a whole new & different way as a professional. It was a very good experience. Even the dentist she works with came in to talk to me, which I really wasn't expecting, but I got to meet him & most of the rest of the office too! And it gave me another challenge for my list. Yes, she helped me to finally decide to do something about my teeth that I have longed to do for some 15 years or more. And that is get the baby teeth removed, replaced & get braces to spread & straighten my teeth. Besides for aesthetic purposes, it will help prevent the receding gums & any future problems I may have due to these imperfections. I'll have to plan it for next year so that I can put the money away in case the insurance won't cover it although there are health reasons that they may accept....or not. Either way, I'm doing it!
Well those are a few highlights of my vacation with the "kids". I had a very very good time with much needed rest & away from the office time. I think I will be able now to write about some of the things I had on mind this past couple of months. Don't panic, not now. I'll save it for another time!!
So that's two things to add to my list of adventures: computer skills/computer technology AND dental work to include braces. YAY!! What a fun way to discover more things that will help me find out who I Wannabe!!
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