Not Exactly Grin And Bear It...

This weekend I am finishing up the paperwork for the divorce process. It's more like clench my teeth and bear it as well as bare it... no not nudity, my finances. Thanks to a caring friend, some of the issues of how to handle my obstacles are now resolved. I can think of many other things that I would rather be doing. My main comment for all of this? This is not fun!

My quote for the day:

"Things could be better, things could be worse, but they couldn't possibly be any more frustrating!" Rhodent

Zoey's First Beach Trip

Gotta love this face!

The above pictures were actually taken before the picture of Zoey in my previous post, but I just today received them. You can see that for a few days Zoey's ears thought that they wanted to be up before they decided to become undecided. The young man in the water with her is her owner, Charles.

Zoey On The River

Miss Zoey is getting bigger everyday! If only her ears could just decide whether they want to be up or down...

Tomorrow, Tomorrow

I was out of the office today. Tomorrow will require a bit of catch-up. Sigh. It's always there waiting for me, laughing and scheming my eventual demise.

Life Is Full Of Legos

I first discovered Legos when my oldest child was born. I fell in love with Legos of every size. I loved playing with them with my kids, and often without the kids. I loved the creative things they could do with them… like "“Frankenstein on roller skates"” who was their all-time favorite. One thing however, has always bothered me about Legos… Legos deal in right angles, and there are so many neat things with curves.

My life is kind of like that… while I seem to only have pieces to fill it that have right angles, I am constantly compelled to make things curve. How do I smooth out some of the harsh right angles and create some softer curves? I just can'’t seem to accept only straight lines and right angles in my life. It is frustrating, and I tend to be rebellious when confronted with "have tos" and "musts," the heavily trodden path, and other such straight lines. Having only straight lines inhibits creativity, yet life without any straight lines would also be unacceptable to me.

Isn't it better to throw a few curves into life so that there is always the possibility of surpises or serendipidous discoveries? I am a creature of habit and security... to a point. I am not one to constantly take chances... and yet when I do, I tend to do so in a big way.

How could I be open to God working in my life if I am only willing to accept straight lines where I can always see what lies ahead? Where is faith when things are always as expected. When the road curves and I cannot see what lies around the bend... that is when faith and trust come into play.

Somebody please find me some Legos with curves!

It's Nice To Have Friends You Can Count On

My weekend was a good one as was my week. On Friday I took some time off from work to take Allison shopping for some clothes. We had a good time, even as brief as it was. Then I went to a St. Patrick's Day party and had a very fun time. The food was outstanding, too! ...Absolutely the best corned beef I have ever had! On Saturday afternoon I went in to work for a few hours. I got a lot done so that Monday should be a little less hectic. I went to Mass while I was there, and therefore I could sleep in a bit this morning.

So what made my week and weekend so good? During the week, I had great news from my son, Matt about his job interviews. I am so proud of that Kid! The party Friday night was a really fun time. My time with Allison was wonderful. I got a few things done around the house. I had some wonderful conversations with a friend that really lifted my spirits. I think that I am a very lucky lady to have kids who I can talk to and who listen, like friends... blogger friends who leave supportive comments... and friends who spend time in conversation with me...both in serious conversation and laughing.

Angels come in many forms. Sometimes, they come in the form of special friends.

Have A Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Hope you are part of the wearin o' the green today. I can't help but enjoy the day with such a jovial group of Irish priests around. Tonight I will go to a St. Patrick's Day party, and I am really looking forward to it. I have no doubt that it will be great fun.

Here's hoping that you all have a wonderful day, and whether or not they are Irish, I hope your eyes are smiling!

Just Remember...

... beach weather will be upon us before you know it!

Have a great day! :o)

We All Need Good Friends

"“I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn'’t trust me so much." -Mother Theresa

Well, I know that God would not give me anything that I can't handle, but he also gave friends to help me handle it. Today, I am grateful for good friends... friends that have an ear to listen, a hug when I need it, and a shoulder to cry on when I need one. Friends also help me to laugh, and I do believe that old saying that laughter is the best medicine. Medical science has also found that having friends reduces stress and that laughter in your life improves your immune system.

So make sure you spend some time this week with your friends and with laughter, or both! Thank God for them both! And while you're at it, don't forget to be thankful for those furry creatures that also brighten your life. (It's okay if they are not rodents)

Have a great day and a great week.

It All Depends On Your Point Of View

It could only happen in Florida. This is a true story I heard from a friend on Thursday night, of a recent experience she had in Northern Pinellas County...

My friend, Linda, had a visitor from out of town. The visitor was her best friend and roommate from college, named Pam. They were having a great visit when Pam asked to go to a club in Ybor City (Tampa). Linda and her husband did not feel like driving all the way to Tampa to visit historic Ybor even though it is thought of as an area of popular night spots. The also passed on going to another popular night spot in Tampa at the upscale International Mall called the Blue Martini. Instead they chose to go to a place closer to home in Palm Harbor.

Now, Linda was convinced that they would be the oldest people there. However, this changed rapidly when going into the club they passed a couple of 70 year olds leaving. Okay, so maybe they weren't going to be the oldest ones there.

They stepped into the very crowded club. Techno music was being played... no band, just recordings. The only seats they could find were way on the other side next to some elevated platforms where people could dance. They sat down and ordered their drinks and tried to have a conversation over the music while occasionally glancing up at the multilevel platforms which would from time to time have a dancer or two.

It wasn't very long before a women, probably in her sixties (it was hard to tell her age) who looked like she was a crack addict, got up on the platform to dance. She was very skinny and was wearing a silver lame' top with a miniskirt. The outfit showed her midriff and the skirt was certainly shorter than you would expect to see on someone in her age range.

Miniskirts and raised platforms do not make good a combination... at least in this instance. The view from their seats showed them far more than they wanted to see of this silver lame' adorned woman. They could hardly control themselves when they looked up to have a clear view up her skirt at...

...her very visible pair of Depends. Yup... It all Depends on your point of view.

Glad I Stayed Up To Watch

Last night I watched one of the best Jay Leno Tonight Show programs I have ever seen. Terry Bradshaw, who I think is hysterically funny, a lady who revived a chicken by CPR, the chicken, and Russell Crowe.

Russell Crowe was on promoting a new CD with his band. Appealing, I think. Terry Bradshaw was on promoting a movie... it's hard to tell with him, I don't think he has a serious bone in his body. Leno showed some of the scenes from his movie where Terry was naked in his nekkid room. I will definitely go see the movie. The chicken lady was hysterical. Between she and Terry, I could not stop laughing. Funny stuff! I wish I had recorded the show!

My evening started out with the Friday Night group at a Greek restaurant. We always have a good time. Often it is the highlight of my week. I shared with them a story that I had heard the previous night at Girls' Night Out. I actually started to post about that story last night, but cut it short to watch Jay Leno. I will finish the post either later today or tomorrow. In the meantime, if you know anyone that recorded the Tonight Show last night... ask them to let you watch it!

Ran Out

Yup, I'm Still Hangin In There

It's Been A While, And Today Is Wednesday

I haven't done a Wednesday Blog It Forward in quite a while, so I though I would correct that this morning... especially since I have a blog that I would really like for you all to see. At the bottom of "My Favorite Links" is a link to a blog by the name of Yanpic. There is no text, just wonderful photography. Take a look and leave him a comment.

Feeling Frustrated

Bad day in Dry Gulch

What a depressing few days this has been. I finally left my own office and went to sit at the desk of another staff member. Why? My office is a tomb. It has no window. It has ugly black filing cabinets and an old brown filing cabinet. It also has an ancient rusty safe... still really in good shape, but not pretty to look at. It is right opposite of my desk about 3 feet in front of me. I have way too much paper sitting around to deal with and am lacking the will to tackle it effectively. I don't know if it is raining, sunny, night or day when I am in my office. At lunch we sit in a lunchroom with no windows. I was going to eat outside but the lawn service was there mowing grass and blowing leaves around. The oak trees are also in heavy bloom right now. Sigh. I miss the sunshine, especially at this time of year when it is so beautiful outside. So I ventured into another office that has a wonderful window with a great view of the garden. It helped somewhat. It was dark when I left to come home.

Tomorrow is another day. I think I will eat my lunch outside. No lawn service tomorrow!

Singing For You...

"...Sooo tired
tired of waiting
tired of waiting for yooouuuu..."

Basking In The Light Of Unpopularity

Evidently my posts of late have been lacking something. My readership has plummeted. I am an insecure individual who needs warm fuzzies and praise. Hmmm. I guess I need to come up with something different. Think, think, think...

As I recall, when I resorted to the subject of toilets, my readership skyrocketed. So I suppose more bathroom humor must be in order. This time I request input from other bloggers....

Most everybody I know has run out of toilet paper at one time or another. I wonder what people do when they run out and are in need of said substance. I keep baby wipes in my bathroom for when little ones visit. That works in a pinch. I also try to keep a box of kleenex handy in the bathroom. They are fairly friendly to septic tanks.

I know someone, who when a poor college student and living in an apartment, resorted to coffee filters when out of toilet paper and funds. I was flabbergasted by that one! College students are known to abscond with rolls of toilet tissue at various restaurants and gas stations when short of funds. Leaves when out in the woods could be used, but I would first make sure that I could identify poison ivy or any other rash-generating vegetation.

So what do you do? What have you or someone you know done in the face this need!

They Are Good To Their Mom

When my two youngest visited their older brother in Connecticut a month in January, they took this picture and sent it to me. I love it! I think I have the sweetest and cleverest of offspring! Thought I'd share it with you tonight. I'm off to try my luck at a few Sudoku puzzles before sacking out to see if there is a good movie on tonight.

A Bit More Picture Fun

This picture reminds me particularly of Useless Advice From Useless Men. I think it pretty much covers it all for them. What do you think?

This next set of pictures is for Rurality. Since she is so multi-talented, several pictures are required to capture her persona. Her love of nature is obvious in her many posts...

Let's not forget her chicken posts and her soap-making...

She has some of the best photography on bloggerland...

And now we come to Lemming Fodder. Jason is definitely a quirky guy. Just ask his mother! Among other things, he is witty and intelligent...

absent-minded... sort of an absent-minded professor...

He has also been know to throw some extraordinary parties...

And now for the twirp that introduced me to blogging... Random_Speak. I would have to say that her quirk's have twists. She corners the market in languishing in utter despair...

Has a thing about hats...

Is berry delightful to snack with...

And she never goes anywhere without an "emergency book" or two.

So for now that will be it. I need to locate a few more pictures for a few more blogging buddies. I hope you are enjoying the pictures.

Tomorrow Begins The Season Of Lent

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday which in the Catholic Church is a day of fasting and abstinence that marks the beginning of Lent. Practicing Catholics will go to mass and receive a sign of the cross in ashes on their foreheads to remind them that they come from dust and to dust they will return. The ashes are from the burning of the palms from last year's Palm Sunday. Most often these days, the ashes are ordered from companies that supply liturgical items for Catholic churches. So they will come in little containers that help keep everything neat and easy to distribute.

Catholics are ususally easy to spot on Ash Wednesday and are used to people letting them know that they have "dirt" on their forehead. To Catholics this day marks the beginning of 40 days of prayer and preparation for Easter. Abstaining from meat on Fridays is only a portion of what we do to prepare. Many people sacrifice during Lent something important to them. Other people will try to do more for others. The whole point is to focus on prayer, repentance, and sacrifice and to go beyond what we would normally do to acknowledge Christ's sacrifice for us.

Normally during Lent there are extra daily masses. I like to make as many of the lunchtime masses as I can. But I also like the quiet morning masses. There is something comforting and peaceful about morning mass. It is a good way to start the day. It is too bad that I don't take advantage of it more often during the rest of the year.

So if you see any "dirty" foreheads tomorrow, be sure to wish them a meaningful Lent. And don't forget that Passover comes just before Easter this year. It is a day that should be meaningful to Christians and Jews alike. Shalom! Peace be with you!