Tales from the Chair Chapter 1

The following is a true story..the names have been changed to protect the guilty.....

     There were once two girls at the ripe young age of 12 years old.  "Louise"  went over the "Thelma's" house and together they came up with the great idea to "borrow"  Thelma's older brother "Brad's" blazer to drive all the way to Raley's to get a couple of drinks.  Now between the two of them, they could barely see over the dashboard but luckily their hair was tall enough that they looked much taller than they actually were.  They made it safely to Raley's but the problems didn't start until they were getting ready to leave......the Blazer wouldn't start!!!  After much panic and "freaking out"  a very nice man came to help the two pubescent girls and after assessing the situation he told Thelma and Louise that the Blazer would in fact start if it were in "Park".  The young girls were very thankful for that kind stranger that day, if it weren't for him, they would have had to call their parents and would have both been grounded!!  They arrived home safely and legend has it that they are still friends to this very day.

    The moral of the story is..if you are going to "borrow" a car, make sure you know how to park it.

TAGGED......

OK I've been tagged by reading my sisters blog.......so if you read these 7 random facts about me, you've been tagged as well.  Let me know by commenting if you are playing along as well so I can learn random things about you as well!

1.  I am allergic to alcohol.

2.  I love to go to work at 6am so I have the afternoon to do mommy things.

3.  Working out is my best therapy.

4.  I love to ride my Harley REALLY fast.

5.  I am hypoglycemic.

6.  I love to sing and dance.

7.  I am looking 40 in the face!!

why I am M.I.A.

This is why I have been missing in action.  Stevi is now taking 9 dance classes a week and going to competitions as well as getting ready for spring recital.  My sister tells me I am terrible and she took me off her blog list.....that makes me sad, but sometimes I am only home in time to pick her up and bring her to the studio.  One night we aren't home until 9:30.  It is tiring but well worth it.  She is getting so good, her specialty is hip-hop but she also does jazz, tap, ballet and lyrical.  The pictures are from her first competition in which she took home 2 rubies (equivalent to a second in points) for her hip hop solo and her jazz duo, there were 27 other dancers in her category, so she did really great.  It was a long weekend for her but we are so proud of her.  Not only is she dancing for 10 hrs. a week at the studio, she STILL has a 4.0 grade point average!!  We are sending her to Virginia Beach at the end of June to visit a good friend of hers who moved away last year.  This is the first time she will be traveling alone and I am SO nervous but after talking to the airlines, they reassured me that with all the security measures we have to take before, during and after, she will never be left alone for a second.  We will see how I do, I'm sure she will be fine.  I promise I will try to post AT LEAST once a week from now on, not that my life is that exciting, but riding season is coming up so I should have some fun, scary and exciting biker stories soon!

A girls day.....

Today was a wonderful day off, Stevi and I started by meeting our friends Maddie and Christi for breakfast at Mimi's Cafe, and I promptly ordered the banana and chocolate chip pancakes, thank God Christi ordered an egg white omelet to remind me of my resolution to eat better, so I changed it to a Fitness Omelet, mmmmmm. Then we went and did each others hair while the girls played video games. We also went to the mall and Christi had to go to Victoria Secrets, oh boy, they were having a 75% off sale on lotions and potions so I am good to go for the year! I was starting to run low so perfect timing!! They say January is the best time to shop, right after the holidays because the malls get thier new shipments in in February so they have to get rid off all old items. Glad I went, would have never gone and would have waited till I run out then went and paid full price..oh happy day!!

Thought for 2008!!

Thoughts







1. If you're too open-minded, your brains will fall out.

2. Don't worry about what people think; they don't do it very often.



3. Going to a church doesn't make you a Christian any more
than standing in a garage makes you a car.

4. It isn't the jeans that make your butt look fat.



5. Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.

6. My idea of housework is to sweep the room with a glance.



7. Not one shred of evidence supports the notion that life is serious.

8. It is easier to get forgiveness than permission.



9. For every action, there is an equal & opposite government program.

10. If you look like your passport picture, you probably need the trip.



11. Bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of checks.

12. A conscience is what hurts when all your other parts feel good.



13. Eat well, stay fit, die anyway. (Just remember how
lucky you were to get a free trip around the sun.)

14. Men are from earth. Women are from earth. Deal with it.



15. No man has ever been shot while doing the dishes.

16. A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand.



17. Middle age is when broadness of the mind &
narrowness of the waist change places.

18. Opportunities always look bigger going than coming.



19. Junk is something you've kept for years &
throw away three weeks before you need it.

20. There is always one more imbecile than you counted on.





21. Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you
to recognize a mistake when you make it again.

22. By the time you can make the ends meet, they move the ends.



23. Thou shall not weigh more than thy refrigerator.

24. Someone who thinks logically provides
a nice contrast to the real world.



25. If you must choose between two evils,
chose the one that you've never tried before.

The perfect evening

It's been almost two years since my dad passed away, and since then I realize the importance of family. It used to be a perfect evening would be to go out with my friends dancing and partying, but now the perfect evening is to be spent with family. Our day started with Little Jack coming over at 7:15 in the morning and we just hung out in bed and talked and smiled and laughed until around 11:00. Then Jack told me it was time to get up so we did and we had a photo shoot appointment at Kiddie Kandids, (he did perfect, with huge smiles in all the pictures). Afterwards Jay took Stevi, Jayson and me to The Nugget Rotisserie with a gift card he got for Christmas (can't beat a free meal with your family) I ate so much I think I probably consumed around 3000 calories (not kidding), and then Jay and Jayson brought $20 ea. to the blackjack tables and Stevi and I went up to the arcade to play. We were there longer than the boys, between the two of us we won 201 tickets and Stevi cashed it in for candy and junk. Oh well, we all left with a smile on our face and enjoyed the evening. The last time we went to the Rotisserie to eat was with my dad, I thought of the many times we went there with him and it made me smile instead of feel sad. Thanks dad for giving us the gift of realizing what is important in life and what really matters on a Saturday night. The following is from Chapter 100 in "DON'T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF WITH YOUR FAMILY" Please read it and embrace its meaning........
TREAT YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS AS IF THIS WERE THE LAST TIME YOU WERE GOING TO SEE THEM
I suggest that you treat your family members (and those you love most) as if this were the last time you were going to see them.
How often do we run out the door without saying good-bye- or say something less than kind or something critical under our breath as a parting shot as we go our separate ways? How often do we take for granted those we love and count on most, assuming we will always be together? Most of us seem to operate under the assumption that we can always be kind later, that there's always tomorrow. But is that a wise way to live?
A few years ago, my grandmother Emily passed away. I remember visiting her, knowing that each visit might very well be the last time I ever saw her. Each visit counted and was treated as special. Each good-bye was filled with genuine love, appreciation, and reflection. Looking back, it was a particularly loving time because each moment was precious.
Our daily lives can be this precious. A powerful exercise to practice on a regular basis is to imagine that this is your final good-bye. Imagine that, for one reason or another, you won't see your family member ever again after this meeting. If this were true (and it's always a possibility), would you think and act in the same way? Would you remind your parent, child, sibling, spouse, or other loved one of yet another shortcoming, flaw, or imperfection in his or hr behavior or personality? Would your last words be complaints or pessimistic comments that suggest that you wish your life were different than it is?
Probably not.
Perhaps, if you thought there was always the possibility that this were the last time you were going to see someone you love, you'd take an extra minute to give a loving hug and say good-bye. Or maybe you'd say something kind and gentle, an affirmation of your love, instead of your business-as-usual "See you Later." If you thought this were the last time you were going to see your teenager, sister, parent, in-law, or spouse, you might treat that person differently, with more kindness, and more compassionately. Rather than rushing away, you'd probably smile and tell the person how much you care. Your heart would be open.
I make this suggestion not to create a fearful environment but to encourage you to remember how precious your family is and how much you'd miss them if they (or you) weren't around to share your life with. The implementation of this strategy into my life has added additional perspective to what's most important. I believe it can help you to become more patient and loving-and perhaps most of all, to remember to not sweat the small stuff with your family.

Christmas is done for another 362 days......

It's over once again. Why do we let ourselves get so over whelmed? I know we all do, but this year we went light, I mean lighter, but I am getting better.....I learned from my mother(not the going light part). I got a sewing machine this year and I have and am still learning to knit, so my goal for this year is to really put some thought into my gift giving and actually make my gifts, (as I am not a very crafty and talented person, know that this is an extremely heartfelt gesture). I am done, yes done with my niece Sages' gift, and am currently knitting a scarf for a dear boy named Daniel who needs one and will actually use it, I had to rip it out and am on my second try with this gift, but he needs it now so I WILL finish this within the week. This year, our first, we had Jack and he is such a good baby, he stayed with us for two nights, (Thanks Chrissi!!) and I just fell in love with him even more than I already am. I encourage all of you to try to make homemade gifts for your loved ones this year, you may be surprised at what you come up with. If I can do it, anyone can!! Thanks for inspiring me once again my beautiful baby sister! I love you.