Remembering my "Birthday Month!"

It's true. My birthdays last for THE WHOLE MONTH! This has been the subject of much conversation and consternation amongst my friends. They laugh and poke fun as they discuss the idea of one celebrating oneself for an entire month. CERTAINLY, I am a Prima Donna of the highest order, right? NOT. I am the much loved daughter, sister, mother and wife of a wonderful family and THEY get their turn, too!

One's birthday is one's very special day, therefore, one's birthday should last as long as one desires. If one can make it a whole month, all the better. It is a little difficult if the birthday falls in the same month as another family member's (my mother and brother, for instance....sucks for them!), but it is still do-able.

It is key to begin the announcements early....preferably in the month just prior to "the birthday month" so as to fully enjoy the onset of the month itself. People will tire of hearing about this every day, but they will become more amiable around the second week. They will understand by the second week that you are committed to the "birthday month" theme. Do NOT give in to the nay-sayers early in the month by changing the game plan and becoming quieted. The fun-poking fun when you say, "birthday month" will slowly but surely change to a grudging eye-roll around mid- week of week two. The non-birthday month people are easy to break. They lack the commitment and I believe, are a little jealous of the process.

This year's birthday month for me was awesomer than most. This was, after all, my 50th birthday month. It is true that my 13th birthday month (teenager...FINALLY!) 16th birthday month (sweet 16...woohoo),and my 21st birthday month (legal baby!!), were stellar but this 50th birthday month was the best yet. I was given wonderful gifts and taken to dinner at marvelous establishments. I got calls and cards from family and friends - all of whom understand the birthday month concept, I might add! My love and I took a fantastic road trip to Key West. We drove for what seemed like days to get the the southernmost point of the United States - only 90 miles from Cuba and we have the perfect tourist trap photo to document this. We talked and laughed and took pictures from the window of the car as we passed orange groves and cow pastures. Who knew that Florida has as many cows as orange trees? (I guess you need to compliment your vitamin c with your vitamin d....)

We made a few side trip stops along our vaca route. One visit was to an uncle and aunt in "The Villages." Oh, Lord. Let me not get started on that place today. That is a whole other blog. Anyhoo... we had a pleasant little chat with these folks whom we had not seen in 3 + years. Then it was on to other uncles in St.Simon's Island, Georgia. My parents had driven down from Myrtle Beach for a quick visit and the six of us had a lovely visit and a great "birthday month" dinner at the coolest place called, Mullett Bay. We were entertained on this little side trip by the "who parks in which space" antics of the uncles and the neighbors. Amazing what will entertain you when you are retired!

All in all, the trip was outstanding, but getting back home was great, too. I look forward to the next "birthday month" with excitement. After all, there are only 11 months to go!!

Live. Laugh. Love.

It's Been A While...

WOW - Hard to believe it has been 6 weeks since I last blogged. How time flies.

Speaking of time flying.. tomorrow I turn 50. Again, WOW. What an incredible journey this has been and I must admit that I am REALLY looking forward to the next 50!

I have been asked recently, as I have shared with nearly every soul that this "important date" was looming, "why I'm excited about turning 50." Well, the alternative really sucks AND I don't have a problem with turning 50. Sure, I look in my mirror as see LOTS more grey hair....big deal! Although my hairdresser is having fits trying to talk me into covering the grey, no deal. I tell her that I have seen far too many hair-color disasters and in her reassuring voice she tells me that "it will be so subtle that no one will even notice." Well duh, then WHAT may I ask, is the point?

I also have no problem with the little lines which have begun to appear on my face. Compared to the cellulite on my butt, they are nothing! The lines are laugh lines anyway, and who among us is opposed to laughter? And they say that the more you laugh the LESS wrinkles. I wonder how hilarious life would have to be to get rid of that cellulite?

And let's talk a little about the clothing we get to wear...so much less stress. We don't have to try to pull off that short skirt and boots thing; the sheer blouses with the "oh so precious" cami underneath; the hip-hugging, floor skimming, wide belted trousers; and my very favorite, the jeans with the holes all over. Lord help us.

I get to wear shorts and skirts that cover my knees and possibly my ankles, shirts you CANNOT see through ( my precious cami is reserved for my precious hubbie.), my jeans are not hole-y, and my pants might just have a little bit of elastic around the waist. HA. Dang skippy. (When I go out, I can eat and not have to discreetly unbutton - I just relax.)

Yes, life is good at 50. No pretending to try to measure up to ridiculous expectations. Just me.
Come to think of it. I might have felt this way at 40, too.

Live. Laugh. Love.

Another Tater Tale

OK, so you may get tired of hearing about "the Tater" but in our world, his "doins" are notable. "The Tater" is so much a part of the family that recounting his capers comes as naturally as gushing over our daughter, "the princess," and her hubbie. Really....not kidding. If you are "dog people" you get this, if not, you may stop reading now.

"The Tater" loves to eat. He will eat almost anything that we eat. He will often come inside and keep me company while I prepare dinner, occasionally getting a scrap of this, or tasty morsel of that. He will wander over to the trash and take a sniff, just making sure that I have not mistakenly discarded some divine appetizer. One of his most favorite foods is a sweet potato. We stumbled upon his penchant for these quite by accident. He was treated one evening to after dinner leftovers which happened to include the skin of sweet potato and several chunks of ribeye steak. Hubbie marveled at the scene while "the Tater" pushed aside the steak to get the potato skin. Since that day, we have given him the skins and watched him devour them.

This week, however, he has stepped his love of the potatoes up a notch as he has "learned" where they are kept in the pantry. He has also acquired the new skill of opening the door and helping himself! We have caught him TWICE this week with a raw potato, chomping down on it before he got ejected from the kitchen. The first time, we laughed. The second time, I scolded him and shut the pantry. His response was to bite the door stop off of the wall behind the door. I guess that is "Tater-tantrum!" Gotta love 'em.

Live. Laugh. Love.

Old Dogs

Amazingly, our dog, Tater, has finally adapted to the current frigid temps here in the normally balmy South. Though he is a Labrador and well insulated from cold weather and icy conditions, he is also OLD. Old age, in humans and pets, means slower metabolism, less muscle tone and you get cold much easier. We have also discovered that old age in dogs (this one, at least) creates the same type of "set in my ways" temperament as in many old humans. Thus, since he normally sleeps outside on the covered lanai which enables him to "watch over" his domain, he simply refused to be moved to the much warmer inside of his doggie condo. (Our son-in-law built Tater the greatest doggie condo you have ever seen. It is roomy and has a nice floor and a shingled roof - quite a pad, so to speak!) Tater, though shivering on nights when the mercury dipped to well below freezing, absolutely refused to go inside the condo. When the orthopedic doggie bed and thick camo coverlet were moved inside, he simply plopped down on the cold, hard, concrete floor. Amazing! Why would he not move inside and snuggle up?

Then it hit me. The old man (read: husband) INSIDE with me, doesn't like to change his routines either! He has been wearing the same stinking short-sleeved shirts to work througout this cold weather. Yes, he complains about and shivers in the cold. Yes, he has long-sleeved shirts and nice sweaters. But, he likes the others, so he wears them and adds a jacket and still shivers. I declare the same "set in his ways" ways run through the veins of the old man and his old dog.

The old dog barks and (if he hears it) the old man comes.
The old man whistles and (if he hears it) the old dog comes.
The old dog likes company when he eats, so the old man stands outside and talks to him.
The old man takes his left-overs and gives them to the old dog.
The old dog watches to make sure the yard is safe.
The old man paces around the house making sure the doors are locked and the alarm is set.
The old dog strains to get up when he has been sitting for a long time.
The old man's joints pop and crack when he has been sitting too long.
The old dog loves us and makes us laugh.
The old man loves us and makes us laugh.

Old dogs bless us and make our family complete.

Live. Laugh. Love.

Revolution Resolution

During the past year, many changes have taken place...some good, some not so good, some bad, and some down right awful!
* Politics are raw and division is as strong as I have ever seen it in my lifetime.
* The economy is still struggling because we have become too accustomed to satisfying our every whim - whether or not we can actually afford it.
* Terrorists still plan, attempt, and execute acts of horror upon our nation and it seems like we have decided to use "tolerance" as our defence.
* We have allowed the internet and the news outlets to determine what is truth, rather than to examine and think for ourselves.
* All of these things are certainly reasons to question ourselves and our leaders and to seek a better path, right? You bet. Let's get busy.

In 2010, I plan to pray more, study more and learn more of the right ways. I resolve to be a better me, therefore creating a better environment around me. Each time an environment changes, a larger piece of our world changes. I cannot affect change beyond myself, if I do not change myself.

My revolution will begin simply, but will bring great rewards. I will change my world for the better. I can because I believe in a God who is greater than any leader, politician, or human. He has never allowed the FAITHFUL to perish and I am grateful.

Happy 2010.
Live. Love. Laugh.

OK, I Lied!

Remember last November when I said that even though my candidate of choice did NOT win the election for President of the United States?
Remember that I said the winner would have my prayers and he would be "my president?" Remember that?
Well, that was my plan and I have given him a year but...HE STINKS!
I do pray for him, though. I pray he'll get a grip before we are speaking Chinese!
I can't watch him on TV. (AND last night he pre-empted my freakin NCIS program!)
I can't stand the sound of his voice. HEEEEE HAS...AAAAA WEIRD...CADENCE.
I can't stand the way the juts his chin upward showing contempt for "the rest of us."
I can't stand the way he seems to think he deserves defference instead of understanding that he WORKS FOR US.
GIMME 2012. GIMME 2012. GIMME 2012.
Live. Laugh. Love.

Ever Wonder How...

Did you ever wonder how some things get combined? You know what I mean. The things that don't normally fit together, but have somehow been put together and we just overlook the wierdness of it. Like...
***Hair and kool-aid colors. I don't get it. It's rarely, if EVER, attractive...yet it's done. Wierd.
***Dogs and clothes. Most of them seem to really hate being dressed like dolls. They scratch, bite and pull at the outfits. The outfits are quite costly and dogs are not welcomed in most places, so where are they going that they need to be "dressed?" Wierd.
***Speedos and men. Yuk. Men need real bathing suits, not Speedos. Wierd.
***Fried chicken and gas stations. This has to be the winner in the category of strange ideas. I just want to know who had this thought: "Need gas, check the air in the tires, change the oil, and O yea, give me a leg and a wing." Really? What in heaven's name possessed someone to put these together. I get that it's convenient. I get that lots of folks eat fried chicken. I get that we squeeze every moment out of every day, but really? Do you NOT have time to get the chicken from the CHICKEN place and NOT the GAS place? EEEWWW.
I'm just sayin...
Live. Laugh. Love.