Memoirs of a crazy childhood....Chapter 7

I remember being babysat across the valley in Cold Springs (Reno Park) during the summer and there were twin girls, older than myself that either lived there, got babysat there or lived nearby.  One day we were told to go outside and ride our bicycles, as was standard practice of all mothers/babysitters back in the day, that way you could get paid without actually doing anything, hmmmmm smart.  ANYWAYS, as we were riding bicycles, the twins rode the same bike, I guess as all twins do, one on the handlebars, one on the seat, both barefoot.  Well, the one riding "bitch" (on the handlebars)  somehow, her foot slipped into the spokes of the bike not only chopping up her bare foot, but causing the bike to flip so both twins, in very short shorts and halter tops got cut up, bloody, road rash all over them.  We were I'm guessing around two blocks away from the sitters house so we had to help both of them hobble and hop  back, as well as push the bike back to the house.  I remember a lot of blood and the babysitter actually screaming at the top of her lungs when we made it into the yard inside the fence and dropped the crying twins and the bike into the dirt.  We of course were all in trouble........umm didn't you tell us pretty much to get lost?

Tales from the Chair Chapter 12

Back on April 25th I wrote Tales from the Chair Chapter 6.  It was about loving someone much older and involved a client who had fallen in love with someone 47 years her senior.  Alot has happened since I have seen her last.  Her husband is 88 years old and all of a sudden took a turn for the worst.  They took him to the hospital and he has been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease and now can no longer be left alone.  She now has to make sure he is taken care of 24/7 so has put him into an elderly Daycare facility which he is not happy about.  Today was the first time I had ever seen her husband and from experience, (seeing my father get sick and pass away)  I know they age all of a sudden.  Let's face it, her husband is almost 90 years old and she is my age.  When she left, helping him with his walker,  Tita asked if it was her Grandpa or if she was his care-giver.  That made me sad because she truly does love him.  But as she was telling me all that was going on, I could see her broken heart through her tear filled eyes and that she wasn't prepared for this to happen. You of course want to say...."Well what did you think would happen?"  But I remember asking my mom that question when my father left and her response was....."I never thought of that."  I guess when you truly love, you don't.  Sometimes I guess I think too much, but then again maybe that is because I am not in a situation like that.   I know she has a rough road ahead of her, but doesn't love endure these things?

Ahhh True Friendship........

This weekend I got to enjoy a two day bachelorette party.  There was lots of  drinking, shopping, fun in the sun, eating and LOTS of hilarious moments, but "What Happens on Tour, Stays on Tour...."  So I am going to tell you some of my funnest memories of  "True Friendship" that you would not see at any Bachelor parties.......

1. Not getting angry when "she" throws food at you for no reason.
2. Helping up a brides maid when she falls through a Styrofoam cooler and is sitting in ice in the middle of the beach.
3. Telling your friend she has a seat protector stuck to her butt as she is walking down the beach at 2 in the afternoon.
4. Holding hair back behind the garbage cans while "she" is vomiting at the beach.
5. Carrying "her" piggyback to the car at around 4 in the afternoon from the beach because "she" can no longer even stand up, let alone walk.
6. Feeding "her" pizza while she is comatose so she quits dry heaving.
7. Getting in the shower with her to sober her up because she has vomit and sand all over her.
8. Helping her find her ring because she can't!
9. Going to get her food to try to revive her and bring it back to the room.
10. Coming back to the room to get her after her miraculous "recovery"  then spending the next hour and a half looking for her ring AGAIN while she sits on the floor in tears, then finding it in the next room behind the dresser somehow.......hmm?
11. Breaking a chair in the bar......together.
12. Hiding the knife that fell out of the guys pocket a girl was wresting on the beach in the sand for safety reasons.
13. All of us standing up for the brides maid who hid the knife and got called a C^#* because she threw it across the beach away from everybody.
14. The girls who took all of our tequila shots like a champ from those of us who were not drinking.
15. Sharing a blueberry muffin for breakfast to save on calories.
16. Holding on to the girls who could not walk straight so they could.
17. Allowing a girl you just met to borrow your evening bag because there is no way in hell you are going out because you just can't keep up and it is passed your bedtime.

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST.......

   18.  The designated drivers for the weekend.

It just sucks.....

I had lunch with my girlfriend today and I was proud to tell her that Jay has been sober a year as of July 14th.  When Jay and I talk about those "fun" days, I refer to him as "My Bastard Ex-Husband"  and he was.  I know that I could come home today and he could be back, but that is a chance I take, I also know what I have to do if he does drink again......move on.  For my girlfriend, she is going through the "fun" stage right now with her husband.  Never a dull moment.  As she was telling me about his latest debaucherous moments, tears were welling up in her eyes and I wanted to just die.  I remember how miserable I was.  I hated him, I hated me. I hated wanting to leave, I hated wanting to stay.  Why is it when you love somebody, you let them abuse you and treat you worse than they would treat their own enemies?  It is an illness.  It is also very hard to understand if you don't deal with addiction.  Her husband has fallen of the wagon yet again with more ultimatums and threats,  she is still there.  She has two boys who are now at the age where they are getting involved and sticking up for her.  When the children start to get affected you need to be strong, but she talks to me because I have been there, done that.  One Thousand people can tell you they would never put up with this or that, or wouldn't allow this or that, but until you are there.........I don't know, I guess you go numb.  Sometimes you cry yourself to sleep every night, sometimes you can't cry anymore.  When you are done you're done, when she gets to that point she will leave and maybe he can finally face his demons.  I wish I could make it go away for her, but from my experience, I can say that unfortunately it has to get much, much worse before it gets better.  Oh  my heart aches for her and I wish her luck and strength.

Guts or Balls?

 Guts or Balls?

There is a medical distinction.  We've all heard about people having guts or balls, but do you really know the difference between them?  In an effort to keep you informed, and to alleviate any further confusion, the following definitions are listed below.

GUTS-  Arriving home after a night out with the guys and being met at the door by your wife holding a broom and having the guts to ask: " Are you still cleaning or are you flying somewhere?"  

BALLS-  Coming home late after a night out with the guys smelling of perfume and beer, with lipstick on your collar, slapping your wife on the butt and saying : "You're next Chubby!"

     I hope this clears up any confusion on the definitions.  Medically speaking, there is no difference in outcome as most certainly both end ultimately in death.

MOTORCYCLE WISDOM........

I'd rather be riding my motorcycle thinking about God than sitting in church thinking about my motor cycle.

Four wheels move the body, two wheels move the soul.

You start the game with a full pot of luck and an empty pot of experience.....the object is to fill the pot of experience before you empty the pot of luck.

Never trade the thrills of living for the security of existence.

A cold hamburger can be reheated quite nicely by strapping it to an exhaust pip and riding forty miles.

Sometimes it takes a whole tank full of fuel before you can think straight.

Keep your bike in good repair, motorcycle boots are not comfortable for walking.

The best alarm clock is sunshine on chrome.

If you don't ride in the rain, you don't ride.

Catching a yellow-jacket in your shirt at seventy miles per hour can double your vocabulary.

Well trained reflexes are better than luck.

Sometimes the best communication happens when you're on separate bikes.

When you're riding lead, don't spit.

Safety is a cheap and effective insurance policy.

Never ride faster than your guardian angel can fly.

If you ride like there is no tomorrow, there won't be.

If the person in the next lane at the stoplight rolls up the window and locks the door, support their view of life my snarling at them.

A friend is someone who'll get out of bed at 2am to drive his pickup to the middle of nowhere to get you when you're broken down.

If she changes her oil more than she changes her mind, follow her.

If you want to get somewhere before sundown, you can't stop at every tavern.

A good long ride can clear your mind, restore your faith, and use up a lot of fuel.

Everyone crashes.  Some get back on, some don't, some can't.

Respect the person who has seen the dark side of motorcycling and lived.

Compliments of Bill Dixon, a friend who would drive to find me at 2 am with a pickup!!

Flowers and Butterflies...(a poem for Chrissi)

Flowers and Butterflies

Birds and the Bees

A soft summer wind

Whispering through the trees.

Love never ending

Makes your heart melt

Look into his eyes

Like nothing you've felt.

Smile to the sky

Stare at the moon

Standing too close

Can make the heart swoon.

Pink and white

Purple and yellow

The love of a strong woman

Makes one lucky fellow.

So read this and smile

And I just want to say

I hope that this poem

Says have a great day.

See you Soon!!

Memoirs of a crazy childhood....Chapter 6

Strength.

I've always admired my mother not just because of her beauty, but because she is so strong.  After my father left, there was a time it was just me, my mom and my special needs brother Steve.  I don't think my mom had a job when he left and we ended up being homeless and living in a car that a friend of hers let her use in a park on Washington St.  I think it was for around a month and it was in August so I am sure my brother and I thought we had died and gone to heaven.  She would literally work for food by doing odd jobs and sometimes the 3 of us would share a frozen tv dinner and she would let us eat what we needed and IF there was any food left, she would eat that. A mothers love.  I am actually crying as I write this.  We often say we would do anything for our children, she did.  And she never gave up.  It is amazing to me that she has always walked with her head held high, I bet she did even when she was homeless, divorced, hungry and caring for two small children.  Now that is beauty.  Thanks mom for being strong, and thanks for taking us to the park so much when we were little!!

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The misadventures of a Harley Grandma!!! Chapter 3

IT'S NOT THE DESTINATION.....IT'S THE JOURNEY.......

     Today was my good friend Kathy's Celebration of Life......she left us at 54 years young.  She passed away on July 5th in the arms of her beloved husband Kent.  As you grow in life, you learn how to be a friend and how to love people for who they are........she was in incredible kind person.  I met Kathy in August of 2003 when we rode with the Carson Tahoe Chapter for the first time after we bought Jay's first bike, an Anniversary Addition 2003 Fat Boy.  She and Kent became our friends almost immediately.  We have ridden our bike's with them for the past 5 years and been to their home a few times for visits and parties.  When Kathy had her heart attack 3 months ago, we went to the hospital and spent time with her there, she survived the heart attack, but unfortunately it was her cancer that she gave-in to.  We knew that Hospice had stepped in to help Kent so having gone through this with my father a couple of years ago, I knew what to expect.  Luckily, we were able to go to their home and sit and talk with Kent and  visit with Kathy a week before she passed away......I know she knew we were there, because Kent had put together a slide show of pictures for her to look at when she was awake, and there were quite a few pictures of us together, when they came up, she would make a noise and look towards me, occasionally a tear would roll down her cheek.  They say the mind is the last to go, and I know she was letting me know she loved me and knew I had come to see her.  Like with my father I was able to tell her how much I loved her and say goodbye and Thank her for being in my life.  So many people avoid those situations because they are extremely difficult,  I can't.  Make sure you take that time to tell those you love, how much they mean to you.  You may not get another chance, and if given the opportunity, I promise you, you will be glad you did.  Kathy taught motorcycle safety courses with her husband and always rode very safely and without going too fast, I asked her when I was there..."Who is going to keep the group in control and riding safely?"  She looked at me and tried to say something....so I told her...."I promise, I will."  and I will. Don't worry Kathy, we will honor the way you rode always and take care of Kent too.  I love you and you will surely be missed.

     And for those of you who believe in miracles, as Jay and I were walking to our bikes to put away a goodbye letter Kathy had written to her friends before she was unable to.....I read the letter and of course cried as I read it, the letter had a picture of her on the top of it.  It was 100 degrees today without a breeze, and as I carefully carried the letter to our bikes, to save it, a gust of wind suddenly whipped it out of my hand and spun it around in the air in front of me, I was grasping for it, crying and saying."oh no, oh no!"  it spun back around and down and stuck to my face, her picture actually stuck to my lip gloss for a second and as I pulled it away and looked at the picture of her smiling back at me, the imprint of my lip gloss was right smack in the middle of her picture.  I believe she gave me a kiss to tell me she was OK now.  I'm glad Jay was with me to see it, otherwise I would have thought it didn't happen myself.  Whoa.

IN MEMORY OF KATHY TAYLOR 1954-2008

Tales from the Chair Chapter 11

The names have been changed to protect the guilty.......

Men, gotta love em.  My client, "Normal Nancy" and her husband "Marty McFly"  love life, and each other.  Marty likes to make Nancy laugh, and as we all know, men usually pick the most inopportune time to entertain themselves.....oops I mean their wives.  Nancy and Marty have lived in the same neighborhood for quite awhile, they raised their children there and like where they live, so when they started putting modular homes up, they were amongst the neighbors that were against it.  When one of the modular homes had a fire, and another of the modular homes had the garage burn down, they suspected arson so started to investigate.  Of course, the neighbors against the modular homes were some of the first investigated.  

     Nancy and Marty were having a nice relaxing day at home, Marty working in the back yard, while Nancy was working inside the house.  There is a knock on the door, so Nancy answered the door and standing in front of her were two fire Marshall's.  They came in to ask a few questions and wanted to have a look around.  Meanwhile, as Nancy is showing the very monotone and somber "gentlemen" around her humble abode, they are standing in one of the back bedrooms and she is saying....."See we are very "normal" people, nothing weird around here......"  As Nancy is looking at the two very serious faces of the two men standing in her home, the expression changes very slowly on their faces.  "What's wrong?"  asks Nancy.  They just stare blankly out the window with very dumbfounded but serious expressions on their faces.  "Would you like to explain what is going on in your backyard?"  As Nancy turns around, her beloved Marty, with her bra strapped securely to his head, is flapping his arms and doing what appears to look like......trying to fly.  Great timing Marty, way to put on a show and, thankfully you had a very interested audience.  I'm guessing Marty McFly and Normal Nancy may get another visit or two before the investigation is over.......I wonder if Marty had lift off?  I'm sure Nancy did!

No Lying Quiz

1. Last beverage: Sugar Free Half decaf iced vanilla creme latte.
2. Last phone call: Jeanine Benjamin
3. Last text message: Deborah Costa
4. Last cd played: Duffy
5. Last bubble bath: 2 mos. ago
6. Last hug: Tita

HAVE YOU EVER.....

1. Dated someone twice: yes
2. Been cheated on: yes
3. Last vacation: Stateline Nv.
4. Fallen in love: yes
5. Lost someone special: too many
6. Been depressed: yes
7. Been drunk and threw up: too many times

LIST 5 PEOPLE YOU CAN TELL ANYTHING TO......

1. Jay
2. My mom
3. My sister Liz
4. Tita
5. Adriana

List your favorite colors...

1. Purple
2. Black
3. fuschia

HAVE YOU...

1. Laughed: Every day
2. Met someone who changed your life: yes
3. Found out who your true friends are: yes
4. Gay, straight, bi: married
5. Who is the best hugger: Jay
6. Want to lower the drinking age: yes
7. Do you believe in love at first sight: yes
8. Do you have something to tell someone: I usually say what is on my mind, so not at the moment.
9. Brand of shirt you are wearing: Modo (Victoria Secret)
10. How many kids do you want to have: 2
11. Any Pets: 2 dogs and fish
12. Want to change your name: No
13. What did you do for your last birthday: Had cupcakes and made homemade ice cream with my family.
14. What time did you wake up today: 5:20 am
15. What were you doing last night at midnight: sleeping
16. Last time you saw your mother: Monday evening
17. What are you listening to right now: Sheryl Crow
18. Have you donated money to a good cause: Absolutely
19. Have you ever talked about somebody behind their back:  Yes unfortunately
20. What was the last article of clothing you borrowed from someone? Headband, tank top and shoes from my daughter
21. Who's getting on your nerves right now? Nobody
22. Most visited website? blogspot
23. Coke or Pepsi? Diet Pepsi
24. Have you kissed or been kissed in the last month? Absolutely

If you read this quiz.......you have been tagged, please re post on blog or comments!

Almost killed the dogs tonight.......

Heat, 106 degrees in Mustang, which Jay worked in all day.  Dropped Stevi off at her hip-hop class at 5:30 and it was still 94 degrees in the shade.  My mom came over for mac n cheese and when we dropped Stevi off, we walked up to 7th St. and then over to Starbucks where my mom had a decaf mint choc chip frap and I had a green tea frap and the dogs......a water.  I should have got one of those, don't get me wrong, I enjoyed my cold creamy green concoction, but I think it dehydrated me.  We then walked to the doggy park on Washington St. and it was so hot, the dogs didn't even explore.  We still had a half an hour so we toured the neighborhood and I was basically dragging Dyna who is usually a bundle of energy.  I started getting a really bad headache and when we got back to the studio, we hit the Grab-n-Go for H2O.......I drank all 25 oz. in around 5 minutes..and miraculously, my headache disappeared.  Do you burn more calories when you are that hot, or when you are too cold?  I know I sweat off a few lbs. of water, oh boy........tomorrow is supposed to be hotter, and my mom won't walk with me, Jay won't go on a bike ride, so it looks like I will be stuck indoor at a pump class...in the air conditioning.....but working out.  Sorry Dyna, (she is sleeping it off!)

Bending the Rules......

We had such a wonderful time with our Grandson Jack this weekend.  We drove to Bend, Or. to see him because we already missed him SO MUCH!  I was so excited to see him.  The wonderful time we had.  Day 1 we drove 7 hours to Bend, we passed 15, yes 15 cops on the way, I am sure because it was 4th of July weekend, so we set the cruise control for 5 over the limit and made it in record time, for me.  I know I could have knocked an hour off of the 398 mile trip if it weren't a holiday weekend.  When we got there, we checked into the fabulous Econo lodge, which had the filthiest carpet we had ever seen,  we actually had housekeeping come vacuum and put a blanket down so Jack could crawl around.  Chrissy invited us over when we got into town and Kevin made all of us Angel hair Pasta with Alfredo sauce which was delicious and we had fresh sliced bananas and strawberries as well.  Then we escaped with Jack and went back to the motel, loaded up the stroller and walked up 3rd St. to the Grocery Outlet where they were selling fireworks, bought a family pack and headed back to cause havoc.  Way to go Grandma and Grandpa, but the wonderful thing is.....Grandma and Grandpa Lynch got to take Jack to his first 4th of July celebration.  He may not remember, but I know his Mommy is diligent with his baby book so someday, he will look at it and realize how much he is loved and that Grandma and Grandpa drove 14 hours round trip just to hang out with him over the weekend.  The next day, Chrissy gave us the "Golden Ticket" to go to the High Desert Museum which is generally $15 a person to get in, and we all got in free! (I encourage her to blog the "Golden Ticket" story!)  We spent around 4 hours there, and could have spent more time, but just before that we took Jack to Lava Butte National Park and climbed up the volcano with him......he wore us out!!  It was great though, in fact such a wonderful day, Jay and I decided to sponsor an overnighter next 4th of July for the HOG Chapter.  This morning, we bought Chrissy, Jack and Kevin breakfast at The Original Pancake House in Bend, they were the best pancakes I have ever had and we will definitely return to have breakfast there again!  Jay and I don't ever want Jack to think we won't be there for him, so we will take every opportunity to go and visit.  Our next available time happens to be his 1st birthday weekend.  Chrissy has some plans set for them, but we plan on riding our motorcycles up just to hand deliver his birthday gift (if the is ok with Kevin and Chrissy).  Even if we only get to see him for a short time, it will be worth it to us.  Thank you Chrissy for allowing us to stay in his life, I love you for that, and until you become a Grandmother someday, you will never truly know how much this means to us, Thank you so much, I don't know how to say how much this means to us... but I can tell you it means the world.

My Day

Hmmmmm, I always wondered how 40 would be.  I can honestly say that I had a wonderful day and let me tell you why.  This morning I got breakfast and coffee in bed from Stevi, and got my gifts from Jayson and Guoda, a cute No Fear T-shirt, key chain and hat.  I also got to sleep in until 10:40, which means I missed my step and pump class, oh well, still smiling.  I got around 25 different text messages from friends and clients by noon and numerous after noon which lets me know that I have been considerate and thoughtful to them so they remembered me.  I then went to the Purple Bean and they bought me a coffee, fabulous again.  Stevi and Jay got me an awesome picture frame for my station at work now I can show off all my loved ones to the world.  Went to the store for the ingredients I needed for a yummy chef salad, and my friend Danny Udicella, who I've known since I was 11 years old sang Happy Birthday to me as he checked my groceries at Raley's he remembered my birthday, smile again, when I went to work, Tita had decorated my station with black balloons and gave me a reed fragrance diffuser and Paige gave me a 40 year anniversary book by Time magazine, which is very cool.  My family is coming and Jay's family also and because of HellomynameisHeather, I asked for an ice cream maker, which I am pretty sure my mom got me, how fun is that!  Now we can make homemade ice cream at Auntie Beautiful and Grandma Beautiful's house and we can make it my special thing to do!!  If I don't get one, I will just have to go buy one because that is all I have been talking about all week.    I also bought myself a gift, a game called Wacky Whiddles which was created by  a guy here in Reno,  I plan to play tonight it should be fun.  I always love game night at my house because we are all so competitive  it always ends up hilarious because someone gets too serious and has to be called on it.  My family should be here in 25 minutes so I will let you know how that goes.