Full Moon, Empty Head

If You Take a Man to Napa

2011-12-05T10:43:00.000-08:00

(in the spirit of Laura Numeroff's book, "If you give a Mouse a Cookie.")

If you take a man to Napa,
He's going to buy some wine.
When he gets home with the wine,
He'll want a eurocave to store it.
Waiting for the eurocave's arrival will require
four hours (and No Tennis!) waiting for the delivery men.
When the delivery men arrive, you'll have to text the man.
He'll rush home from his meeting to help set up the eurocave.
Setting up the eurocave will remind him
that he'd like to return to Napa.
And if he returns to Napa,
chances are... he's going to buy some wine.

Holiday buffet graze

2010-12-26T08:08:00.000-08:00

This year I thought I'd try a twist on the traditional sit-down Christmas dinner: an easy-going, grazing Holiday buffet. My husband and mother-in-law were slightly shocked to say the least. They are conservative and prefer their traditions. The extra guests I'd invited thought that was a terrific spin.

Here's the menu with recipe links if applicable:

Deep-fried Cajun turkey

Cornbread Stuffing with sausage (oven-baked, not turkey stuffed).

Green Bean and Fingerling Potato salad
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Green-Bean-and-Fingerling-Potato-Salad-10194

Sweet potatoes with Cranberries, Pecans and Goat Cheese
http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/11/sweet-potatoes-with-pecans-and-goat-cheese/

Roasted vegetables (asparagus, red onion, acorn squash, button mushrooms seasoned with Good Seasons Italian dressing packet and olive oil)

Cheesy mashed potatoes

Pears with bananas, kiwis and pomegranate seeds

Green salad with cranberries, pomegranates

Numerous sugar cookies, petit fours, two caramel apple pies, one cherry pie, one peach pie and one home-made angel food cake.

And last but not least, the wines served were:

Highflyer Aviator, William Hill Chardonnay, Four Vines Naked Chardonnay and started all with an Italian Lambrusco.

And everybody still wound up sitting down at the tables for dinner. Oh Well! Can't change tradition, but you can shake it a bit.

Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme

2010-12-10T06:23:00.000-08:00

TodaysMama (link to: http://bit.ly/tmwishlist) and GameStop (link to: http://bit.ly/gamestop10) are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What is your holiday wish for your family?
Peace and love.

2. What is your Christmas morning / Hanukkah Nightly tradition?
One person, dressed in Santa hat, passes out the gifts from under the tree. We open gifts, open our stockings and have a leisurely breakfast.

3. If you could ask Santa for one, completely decadent wish for yourself, what would it be?
A custom-built cabinet/chest, with pull-out drawers, that would hold all my piano and violin sheet music.

4. How do you make the holidays special without spending any money?
We'll get in the car and drive around town looking at the Holiday decorations while listening to Holiday music. We spend time together playing games and being with one another. This year, we'll Skype the family members we cannot be with.

5. What games did you play with your family growing up?
My grandfather would buy the family one big game and we'd play it Christmas day/evening. We played a lot of games - anything with cards.

6. What holiday tradition have you carried on from your own childhood?
One game every year. Since we always had large family gatherings and I do not always see my family on Christmas, I try to invite friends over to celebrate the day with us.

7. Where would you go for a Christmas/Hanukkah-away-from-home trip?
A ski trip.

8. Check out GameStop (link to: http://bit.ly/gamestop10) and tell us, what are the three top items on your GameStop Wish List this year?
Wii games: Epic Mickey, Just Dance 2 and Rock Band 3.

Wanderlust or Fernweh

2010-09-25T12:45:00.000-07:00

I'm happy traveling. Journeying some place new gives me inner peace. Sometimes definined as Wanderlust, a German word which translates to a "strong desire for or impulse to wander," or in the modern definition, meaning "to travel and to explore the world." Wikipedia suggests a "more contemporary equivalent word" would be "Fernweh." It's literally translated as "an ache for the distance" or "far-sickness."

Many years ago, my father gave me a sweatshirt that had these words on it -

"Lured by the thrill of adventure,
modern day wanderers such as I are
driven by an inexplicable
force to roam. Restless at heart
and curious of mind,
we ramble about, forever
in search of new lands that open our eyes to
strange sights and our minds to the ways
of the world. Wanderlust as we know
it, is not meant to be understood
but to be experienced."

Kevin Pang dishes up Anthony Bourdain

2010-04-23T00:48:00.000-07:00

Kevin Pang, Chicago Trib's dining reporter, has a delicious interview with Anthony Bourdain. I love Bourdain and his Travel Channel Show, "No Reservations." Bourdain is beyond cool. (Though I must admit I don't always agree with some of his personal views.)

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-100420-anthony-bourdain-chicago-interview,0,2803455,full.story

Don't buy this in 2010 (link provided)

2010-01-05T06:44:00.001-08:00

Interesting...

http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/108504/10-things-not-to-buy-in-2010

Wine Time

2009-09-17T14:27:00.001-07:00

Hurray! The vino's arrived. I'll pick it up while the little one's playing tennis. Will try & update/correct the dinner review later.

Wine Space Review of Four Vines by Ron Anderson

2009-09-16T12:52:00.000-07:00

Here's what Ron has to say about his 4 Vines tasting... (www.thewinespace.com)

4 Vines Tasting Room and Winery Visit…….Winery #6 Paso Robles

This was our final stop on our Paso Robles wine region trip that led us to none other than 4 Vines Winery right on Highway 46 in Templeton, Ca. We had experienced high end, family run, and commercial style wineries, so the laid back sort of cool atmosphere was a fun way to conclude our tasting tour…..

When we entered the parking area at 4 vines we noticed an adjacent vegetable garden in raised boxes. Apparently 4 vines will have a farmers market with organic produce grown on the site, in the near future………....Great idea!

When we entered the tasting room, we realized everything was under construction….Our loss, but a “curious” gain to those who are fortunate to visit once it’s completed. We could tell by the atmosphere, the classic rock playing in the background and the fun and wild names on the wines, that this tasting room was full of life! We were greeted by one of the tasting room staff members. Conversation was lively, fun and our pourer was pleasant, informative and began explaining the wines. With wine names like “Naked” Chardonnay, “Maverick” Zinfandel, “Sophisticate“, “Biker“, “Dusi“, “One tree hill block“, “Killer Canyon“, “Peasant GSM“, “Anarchy“, “Heretic“, “Loco“, And “Monarchy…….we knew we were in for a interesting time. Actually we know this winery will be a lot of fun when the construction is done, and a must stop at location to experience when driving through, while in or around Paso Robles wine region.

http://www.fourvines.com/

We were asked what glasses we would like to sample the wines from. They had a collection of wild named glasses to sample wine. These glasses match a lot of the wild names of all the wines,. Somehow KD was convinced by the staff that the Zinbitch glass was going home with her (That took some convincing). Ron picked Heretic and away our tasting began! We sampled Maverick, Sophisticate, One tree hill block, Killer Canyon, Anarchy and Heretic……and by the time we got to Heretic wine our palates were completely gone!!!!!

As our minds were somewhat clouded from the previous testing’s at the various winieries, (even though we did not “Drink” everything we were poured) we needed something bold that would stand out and give our systems a jolt. 4 Vines wines did just that. Their bold reds and their naked chardonnay were just what the crazy ass doctor had ordered! Our palates however were going into overtime and we quickly realized we needed to come back when we could start here first!

As a side note: We did feel like Right Said Fred was serving our wine “Sing with me” (I’m to sexy for my shirt, too sexy for my wine, to sexy oh yea!) all in a days good fun and a great way to have a unique wine experience thrown into your day of tasting. Then again maybe it was the wine talking……..

The only thing missing was a monkey on a grinder wearing a Harley jacket drinking a bottle of ANARCHY singing AC/ DC‘s Black in Black!!!!!!!!!!

The bottles that made it home with us from 4 Vines Winery were……….

4 Vines The Heretic Petite Sirah ‘07 Cost approx. $40.00

4 Vines Sophisticate Zinfandel ‘07 Cost approx. $25.00

4 Vines Syrah ‘07 Cost approx. $40.00

4 Vines Anarchy Rhone Blend ‘07 approx. $40.00

We will describe the wines wine more in depth as we pair them with an entrée in the future.

We rate the Wine (Good)

We rated our experience………… (Great)

Here are our Ratings: / Pass / Fair / Ok / Good / Great / Fantastic

Disclaimer: Just because we like or dislike a wine or winery does not mean that you will have the same experience. Of course it’s always worth a try………tell us what you think………..in other words post a comment!!

Aloha,

RON & KD

Four Vines Winery - Paso Robles, California
Source: www.fourvines.com

Wine Tasting Dinner & an Order

2009-09-16T12:25:00.000-07:00

I attended a wine tasting last night at a local resturant. The owners are good friends. The back room was packed with xenophiles & foodies eagerly awaiting the tasty treats.

*Blogger's note: Alas, I didn't have the foresight to bring a notepad with me. I wrote my notes on the order form. Since I ordered 2.5 cases, my notes went with the order. I've reconstructed all this from memory. I'll try & add to this post when the wine arrives later this week (by Friday, it is hope).

Porter Zana (?) Lambrusco served with Polenta cake topped with a hearty bolonaise sauce. A dry Lambrusco - can you believe it?! Fruit forward and full bodied. A nice apertif to start the evening.

Four Vines Naked Chardonnay served with a creamy Cesar salad. Wow! At last a California Chardonnay that tastes like something other than oak or butter. I have friends who absolutely rave about Toasted Head Chardonnay. While it is a great wine for a small price, I think it has a heavy, melted butter flavor. I want to eat butter, not drink it. (Of course, when I was in high school, one of my friends suggested rubbing butter on herself for sunbathing, but, ewww, that's just gross.)

My friend, Ron Anderson, actually visited the Four Vines Paso Robles vineyard earlier this week. He & his wife came home from that tasting trip to a crashed server. Ron's been scrambling to repost all the blogs. (I'll include his Four Vines blog in a later post.) Here's his blog anyway: www.thewinespace.com

The next course featured Sicilia Nero d'Avola served with a wild mushroom risotto. This is an Italian grape varietal that's becoming more popular. It had a nice bite to it.

Cantele Salice Salentino served with a beef stew, potatoes & steamed broccoli. A heavier wine almost similar to a cab, but without the mouthful of red. One of my fellow foodies thought my husband would like it. "It's a good wine for those who like beer," he said.

Dessert was tiramisu with a tawny port. (Obviously I wasn't impressed with the port. And I love, love, love port.)

All these wines are inexpensive and ready to cork and drink now. It was a delightful evening. I promise to remember my notes for the next wine adventure.

How Preschoolers Play Hide & Go Seek

2009-09-15T14:38:00.000-07:00

Once they agree to play. Ian bossily tells Joe, "You will count first while I hide. But you must count to 83."

Joe is confused. He's never counted that high. Instead, Joe counts to 8.

"Ready or not, I'm coming to get you!" he shouts.

Ian, who has "hidden" himself in the soccer goal's netting, waits until he sees Joe crashing through the flower bed. Ian then runs around the yard at full speed while Joe chases him.

Then, by some miracle, they decide Joe will hide. Ian announces he will count to five.

Ian counts backwards from five while Joe scrambles to hide under the picnic table. When Ian finishes counting, he shouts, "I counted in reverse from five."

Joe shouts back, "well, it's time to find me."

Ian says, "Not now, I just counted in reverse from five." Ian then proceeds to count to five. Joe asks Ian if he's coming to find him yet. Again, Ian insists he again needs to count in reverse.

"Are you ready yet?" Joe impatiently asks.

At last, Ian is ready. He runs to find Joe.

Joe sees him coming and runs to his mother.

A safe place. No more tag. And no more hide and go seek.

G-Force - 3D-style

2009-08-03T12:44:00.000-07:00

My kids & I have become 3D movie junkies. This is different from when I was younger. Now you wear sunglasses that turn the screen into the 3D world. No longer do you have to fight with cardboard glasses and colored film lenses.

To date we've seen Up! (Me: great story/message for all ages. Kids: Too slow)
Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (Me: yawn. Too many intestinal odor-related jokes. Kids: 4-yo took off glasses and buried his face in my shoulder. 7-yo loved the jokes I didn't like).

We eagerly awaited G-Force. Jerry Bruckheimer is a great director and I loved his suspenseful, clever films. The kids told me they loved the fast-pace. My husband thought it was finally a "real 3D movie," that things actually appeared to fly off the screen toward you.The animation was good.

I was bored. I thought it would be funnier & the plot dragged.

The down-side to 3D movies are the ridiculous charges - $8 for a matinee! And that's without popcorn. But there is a bin for recycling your glasses (which you still have to pay for new pair every time you attend). Maybe next time we'll just hold onto the glasses & see if we can opt out of the charge.

Now I'm looking forward to "X-Games 3D the Movie"(limited release on Aug. 21). The kids want to see "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs."

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Quest

2009-05-29T09:11:00.000-07:00

Dined at Todd English's Olives last week in Vegas. Had a strawberry-rhubarb crumble that was simply out of this world. It's led to a new obsession. I've found a new-to-me cooking web-site I'd like to share: http://smittenkitchen.com. I'm off to find some fresh strawberries.

The Notebook

2009-05-01T20:50:00.001-07:00

Caught the last 45 minutes of the movie, "The Notebook," tonight. Schmaltzy story line aside, it had some rather poignant thoughts.

Should she choose between her fiance or her first true love? Someone who will take care of her, whose personality she knows or someone who is a wild card but passionate and meets her mind on ideals?

Of course in the movie, she promptly "finds herself" and knows her needs. It's not so simple in real life. There are responsibilities: community, family, children, etc. A person gets used to shoving his/her needs aside while going through the daily motions. Then a wake-up call arrives. You find yourself wondering, now what? It's more than just two people. And it impacts many varied things.

You need to take time to think, figure out your needs, weigh options. Not involve the other person because it's simply wrong (though on some level it seems right).

Then your're also left wondering, I hope I didn't lose a dear friend.

April's Full Moon

2009-04-12T00:29:00.001-07:00

For whatever reason, I wound up sleeping in the guest room the other night (ok, snoring once again after a late guy's night out). It took a while to fall asleep, but it was nice listening to the rain on the eaves. I woke later because of a bright light. Lightning struck our area, taking out the computer modem and our weather radio.

The modem took a number of hours to fix. I swear I am still turning on and off the computer, plugging in and unplugging the chords. I found an extra adapter that was still installed in the power strip, yet not attached to anything. It was left from the last modem we replaced - 3 years ago.

Now we have a smaller modem, with easier instructions.

And after being up until 2 am most of this week, I bid you adieu.

Stop Reminding Me About The Reality

2009-03-02T17:57:00.000-08:00

I still don't understand how people can still take trips and sip cocktails at the Ritz-Carlton. I've stopped watching NBC's "Today" show. The anchors are so negative that it's depressing me. Yes, I know it stinks right now. I don't need them to tell me. It wouldn't be so bad if it was just the two of us. When you have children, it changes everything. I'm holding off buying new shoes, but their feet grow so fast. I've always been rather frugal when it comes to buying their clothes: we shop at discount stores, second-hand stores and watch for sales. In the past it was just because they are so hard on their clothing. It's not worth it to pay a lot of money for shirts and pants that will come home from school with paint or marker stains or a hole in them. Luckily, they have stopped asking to eat at McDonald's. Why don't these morning shows talk about what we can do to save some money here or there? Please start my day with some happy news instead of reminding me of the depressing reality. Of course, these shows might be running these stories. I just don't know because I'm not watching anymore.

Remember your library

2009-02-28T08:48:00.000-08:00

I recently rediscovered an oft-forgotten perk of public library membership: you can check out music CD's and movie DVD's.

The boys are really into Indiana Jones as well as anything Star Wars right now. This week we checked out "The Spielberg/Williams Collaboration" (John Williams with the Boston Pops Orchestra) CD. We also checked out "Raiders of the Lost Ark" on DVD. We will have it for two weeks and it cost nothing. Free! Plus we won't get any phone calls from Blockbuster's home office stating we've not returned the movie (even when you drop it off in your pajamas in order to meet the return deadline). I refuse to say more about my Blockbuster feelings.

I checked out the "Wall-E" movie soundtrack. I enjoyed the movie, so it's been fun to listen to the "space opera" soundtrack. It's not something I would purchase, but I'm enjoying listening. We are on a waiting list for a CD of film favorites from Steven Spielberg.

"Travels" by Michael Crichton

2009-02-13T08:18:00.000-08:00

I am a huge fan of author Michael Crichton. Unfortunately, he died Dec 2008. He was a Harvard medical school graduate, who turned author/moviemaker. Among his novels/movies are: Jurassic Park, The Great Train Robbery, The Andromeda Strain, etc.

I recently read "Travels," which is his self-discovery journal. He thought the best way to discover himiself was to travel to obscure, remote areas. He was a mountain climber, hiker and scuba diver. What follows are a few things I learned. In some places I've quoted directly. I've cited the pages where I got the information. Please read the full book to get the whole story. You very well could take away different things through his journeys.

Page 60 - We cause our diseases. We are directly responsible for any illness that happens to us...it is helathier to assume responsibility for our lives and for everything that happens to us. When we take responsibility for a situation, we also take control of it. We are less frightened and more practical. We are better able to focus on what we can do now to ameliorate the illness and heal. Doctors are not miracle workers who can "magically" save us, but rather, expert advisers who can help us with our own recovery. We are better off when we keep that distinction clear.

Page 129 - Keep an objective record of a subjective mood. Put a mark at the page edge of an unmarked diary page. The top of the page is the best mood and the bottom is the worst mood. After a few weeks, review. Read Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography.

Page 148 - We all can work ourselves into hysterical panic over possibilities that we won't look at. What if I am faced with some terrible thing that I don't know how to deal with? That hysteria always goes away the instant we are willing to hear the answer. Even if the answer is what we feared all along. Then the question becomes, What are you going to do about it? Subsequent emotions may not be pleasant, but the hysteria stops. Hysteria accompanies an unwillingness to look at what is really going on; it promotes an unwillingness to look. We feel we are afraid to look, when actually it is not looking that makes us afraid. The minute we look, we cease being afraid.

Page 146 - Institute of Mentalphysics in Lucerne Valley. The science of mentalphysics ("The Faultless Philosophy of Life") was founded by Edwin J. Dingle, who had been to Tibet in the 1920s. Brugh Joy was Crichton's teacher.

Page 261 - People who get angry and complain are bores. It is ultimately reassuring to see all the diferent things that upset people. It makes you less harsh with yourself. We are all in this togther. Nothing is better or worse. They are just exmamples of getting stuck, making yourself miserable by your opinions and beliefs. As if protecting your opinions is more important than having a fresh experience and rolling with the punches.

Page 261-262 - If you stand beside a person who lies on his back, and move the palm of your hand slowly down the midline of his body about a foot above the skin, you will feel some distinct warm spots. These are the chakras. Sometimes the chakras don't feel warm, but tingly and breezy instead - as if the body had little fans that blew breezes up against your hand. You need to be relaxed to feel the chakras, but it isn't a special or spiritual kind of relaxation. You need to calm down for a few second before you begin. It requires about as much calming as you would need to thread a needle. Most people discover that one hand is more sensitive to energy than the other. After a while, some peple can't feel anything in their hand any more. Your subject shouldn't wear belts or jewelry. The energy looks like streaks of yellow mist extending beyond your fingertips. The mist is strongest close to the fingertips. It looks like yellow fuzz around your fingers. You should be relaxed to see the energy. Once you know what to look for, you'll see it.

Page 263 - People get rigid when they assigned fixed values to things.

Page 352 - Sometimes it's better just to sit and watch. There are plenty of people to help on inner explorations. Keep looking until you get what you want. Watch out for anyone who implies they have the answer. Nobody has the answer for you except you. Personal development is only temporarily associated wtih any particular group. Watch out for those interested in your money. Expect results, but not overnight. Don't be afraid to experiment. Trust your instincts.

25 Random Things

2009-01-19T07:41:00.000-08:00

Someone tagged me on Facebook. So I thought this would be fun to post here.

Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you.

1. I have two sisters and one brother. My mother has no granddaughters.
2. I went to three different junior high schools in two different states and three different towns.
3. My mother would punish me by taking away my books for the rest of the afternoon.
4. I love my husband. He makes me laugh. I'd be lost without him.
5. My first job was working in a Jewish bakery. I would visit with the Holocaust survivors when they came in for their morning bread.
6. My favorite phone question when I worked at the (Omaha) St Cecilia's Cathedral rectory was: "What time is midnight Mass?"
7. Our first child was born the day before our 10-year wedding anniversary.
8. I miss my grandparents who kept us together emotionally after my parents' divorce.
9. I love to travel and wish I could do it more.
10. I was the non-athletic one in the family. Now I can play tennis (somewhat).
11. I love Broadway shows, especially musicals.
12. "Les Miserables" is better than "Phantom of the Opera."
13. I have too many hobbies and not enough time.
14. I like reconnecting with old friends on Facebook. I also like meeting new friends.
15. I thoroughly enjoy being a member of Friends in Council, the oldest continuing women's literary society in the USA.
16. Remind me of #15 when it gets closer to writing and presenting my paper.
17. I played violin for 8 years and piano for 10 years. Now I have a hard time reading the bass cleft notes.
18. I need to say "No" more often; slow down and enjoy the moment more.
19. I worked in the district office of a state rep and state senator when they were the only downstate legislators in Illinois Leadership.
20. I think Belgian dark chocolate is the best vice. It used to be Diet Coke.
21. I often wonder what happened to my grade school friends from Lincoln Elementary in Fremont, Nebraska.
22. I was grounded from driving the car for a silly late curfew incident. The punishment started on my 16th birthday and lasted one month.
23. College taught me to show up, not procrastinate and meet the deadline. Then go enjoy a good party. That stated, I admit I detest meetings.
24. I love talking with my children and exploring the world through their eyes.
25. I definitely think life is too short to drink bad wine.

Lazy weekend

2009-01-10T18:16:00.000-08:00

We've had a lazy weekend. It started when my son came home early from school Friday with a low-grade fever. He's a little better now, but still not eating very much.

Anyway, tonight is a big deal night for Full Moons. Here's why: tonight's full moon will be the biggest one during 2009. According to Space.com, "Saturday night (Jan. 10) the moon will be at perigee, the closest point to us on this orbit."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20090109/sc_space/saturdaynightspecialbiggestfullmoonof2009

Sailing with the Mouse

2008-12-13T12:14:00.001-08:00

We were not the pristine Disney family (as you will see), but I'd still recommend going on a cruise. We had a good time irregardless.

Our dining room servers, Deneval and Jonathan, were fantastic. They have worked together for a long time and complement each other well. They also brought us our dinner to our stateroom the nights we left early. We tried a lunch seafood buffet in Parrot Cay. Oh my gosh - the sushi & sashimi were fantastic.

We dined at Palo one night for dinner as the brunch and tea reservations were already filled by the time we could book on-line. The sun sets early, so it was dark by our dinner's 6:30 pm reservation. The food was good. The server (Cecilia from Argentina) was terrific.

My DS(7) was horribly seasick. Christian (who I later found was Asst Cruise Director) was a huge help showing us where the Health Center was, handing us the free Meclazine (please note our first visit was after hours). He quickly got us an elevator and sent ginger ale from room service after DS(7) vomited in the hall. Tim, the Health Center's nurse, was a big reassurance and instructor about meclazine doses as well as sea-sickness. He also opened 15 minutes early upon our second visit. I also think our stateroom hostess (Rosa) went above and beyond the call of duty due to DS(7)'s seasickness. She was gracious every time. I know if I was her, I would have been happy to see us jump ship.

Key West was ok. It was the first time we've been there. DS(7) enjoyed the maritime museum. DS(3) arrived later in the day as I made him take some "chill time" in our room. We (DS-3 & myself) were victims of a typical Key West joke. When I asked some natives where the museum was (so we could meet the rest of our group), they sent us back to the Pier and around the ocean side (later it turned out we were less than one block south of it when we originally asked these people directions). It made for one tired little boy later. DS(7) enjoyed reading some of the signs to us. We also picked up some extras we'd left at home at the Key West CVS.

The DCL officials were really good about dealing with bad weather in Grand Cayman. Many excursions were cancelled and the ship had to dock on another side of the island because of the ocean currents. People who didn't have excursions were told to meet in the Buena Vista theater. It took some time for the tenders to go back and forth from ship to shore; thus the tender wait was a little long (note the tenders held about 80 people). One passenger in particular was rather nasty about it. The rest of us were like, what kind of example are you showing your child?

We took the boys into the town and stopped at a little shop to purchase something we missed 17 years ago on our honeymoon. The shop was still there. Since it was windy and we obviously weren't going to have 7-mile Beach time, we returned to the ship. Frankly, we would have liked more days at sea. There are so many things to do on ship. Don't make yourself crazy doing all of them.

The kids loved the Mickey pool with its slide. Speaking of which, someone told me you have to be age 4 to go down the slide. I am only aware of height requirement, which is shown on the bottom stair leading up to the slide. My DS(3) met the minimum height requirement by a few inches. He's also used to swimming pool water slides and swims (with proper supervision).

In Cozumel our group took two taxis to Chukanaab ($15). It was really nice. There was a protected beach area for the kids next to a playset and a restaurant. We go to Mexico fairly regularly. The restaurant's prices were tourist-oriented (steep for Mexico), but the food was fine. The cerviche had too much lime, but the guacamole was fantastic. We also walked around the little park later on. From our beach area, we could watch the dolphins jumping as well as see all the groups going to swim with them.

We missed our Pirate Dinner because DS(7) threw up in the dining room. Yes, we shocked everyone around us. I quickly left with him. HazMat arrived quickly to clean and quizzed the rest of our party about his behavior. I realize they have to look out for everyone in case of that nasty flu virus, so I don't blame them. I learned the next day from Nurse Tim that Meclazine, once it is given, should be given on a continuous basis until you're off the ship. Our servers brought us our dinner in our stateroom that night.

My SIL was disappointed that by the time we were able to see the movie, "Morning Light," it was scheduled at the same time as the book signing by Roy Disney and the other two producers. It was a very inspiring movie. It would have been nice to visit with them about the film.

We figured out that DS(7), once on a scheduled Meclazine dose, seemed to do well going to early dinner with Kids Camp (Oceaneer Lab). Its mid-ship location didn't bother his sea-sickness. They also reassured me they gather all the kids for group activities instead of letting them play computer games the whole time. DS(3) was another story. I will preface by stating he is not an angel, but his behavior rather upset me. By the end of the week, one person (I think it was Donna, who seemed to be in charge) told me they were having problems with him hitting other children. When they were at Castaway Cay, she told me he got together with another little boy whom they had problems with all week and both little boys were hitting each other. When we dropped him off before dinner on the last night, I told them to page me should there be any problems. He had dinner at 5:30 with the club, then the staff paged us at 8 pm. We brought him down for dinner with us and he ate everything rather ravenously. I wish they had paged me earlier in the week. I also am going to check to see if he's hypoglycemic at his 4-year medical check-up. Speaking of paging, I saw one woman on the ship early in the week telling a DCL employee she was tired of her children paging her because they were bored. Just remember to be flexible for the kids camps: it might work for some children and it might not work for other children. I was actually sorry to see the kids picking Oceaneer's Club over spending time with us, but it worked out just fine.

One of our favorite spots on ship was the Sessions bar. It's a quiet spot for a pre-dinner drink. The piano player is really good and has a great voice. Ylena, the bartender (who also bartends in the Cove pool), has a great sarcastic wit.

Castaway Cay was fabulous. Disney sprinkled some pixie dust that day: the sun shined and it was the warmest day. What a beautiful island. After playing with us on the beach and in the water, the boys asked to go to lunch and stay in kids camp for the rest of their island time. Oceaneer's Lab sends a page notifying you they will close by 3 pm on Castaway Cay.

Right now other details escape me. It's your family memories that stay with you. DS(7) sang his first karaoake. "It's easy mom. They had a tv with the words on it." DS(3) patiently waited in line to see Peter Pan & Wendy. One of our kids' favorite things (especially since we spent time in our stateroom) was to get in pajamas, climb into bed (alternating who slept in the top bunk) and watch classic Disney cartoons. DS(7) saw "Pinocchio" and "Mulan" for the first time.

Tis the Season

2008-12-12T20:07:00.000-08:00

It's fun enjoying the Holiday season with children. My youngest celebrates his 4th birthday next week. He learned a new song this week. I asked him what it was.

"It's Jinger Bewls," he said as he started singing again.

We were driving through town. He started screaming, "Look! Look Mom! I see Santa! Look! Over there!" I told him Santa Claus was keeping a close eye on him to see if he was naughty or nice. He couldn't wait to tell all his preschool friends that Santa Claus was in town.

Later, as we drove in the driveway, he said, "I want you to decorate for Christmas for my birthday."

This from the child who wants everything he sees on television.

A Karaoake Star is Created

2008-11-27T10:32:00.000-08:00

On our recent Disney cruise, our 7-year-old son sang karaoke for the first time. He chose "YMCA" by the Village People. He didn't do too terribly - rather monotone, but you could hear him and he sang most of the words on tempo. The rest of the room was getting into it by performing the actions to the song. After it was finished, he gave a sweeping bow. He told me he really enjoyed it.

"It's so easy - did you know they have a tv with the words on it?" he said.

Presidential Election, First Grader style

2008-11-01T17:15:00.000-07:00

My oldest son today told me he has switched his vote. "I'm no longer for Barack Obama," he said. "I am voting for McCain."

When asked why, he said, "The Kids' Pick Poll shows Obama as winning. But he's just going to make us kids pay more taxes."

Cancer hate

2008-10-22T18:57:00.000-07:00

About two week's ago I called a good friend to see how her needle biopsy went. Her mammogram signalled something that needed closer inspection.

"It's not benign," she said.

"Wait! No...not...that's not good," I stammered.

"It" is invasive ductal sarcoma - AKA breast cancer. No family history. No sign on previous mammograms.

The world came to a screeching halt. She's been meeting with the surgeons, arranging childcare, convincing the children she'll be fine, and just trying to live a normal life. It's been a roller coaster of emotions, hope, depression. Her third-grader is taking it very hard. The guy who performed the biopsy nailed it - the area is slightly smaller than one centimeter. At first she was hopeful she'd only have to do the lumpectomy. No chance. It's Stage 2, therefore, she'll also have to do radiation and then take a drug for six months. If she takes that drug, no alcohol during that time.

We girls dearly love a glass of good wine.

We live in a small town. She told me she's "given full blessing to talk" about it with people. She's too tired to repeat the story each time. She laughed as she told me she heard she was the conversation topic at a local preservation party she did not attend last weekend.

"I'm finding I'm the elephant in the room," she said. (Maybe I should tell her she's the Pink Elephant in the room.)

She's gathering people to walk together in this weekend's Pink Pass It On walk. Proceeds will benefit our local hospital's breast cancer center scholarship to pay for mammograms for women who cannot afford it. "It's personal now," she explained. http://pinkpassitoninthedistrict.blogspot.com

She called today with Monday's MRI results. The latest finding: her lumpectomy is now a bi-lateral lumpectomy. Yep. Both sides.

Her surgery is Wednesday, October 29. Please send positive thoughts her way.

Parenting 101

2008-10-20T13:09:00.000-07:00

I learn a lot every day about being a parent. This school year's lesson is distancing myself from my son's behavior. He is now in first grade.

Last month the principal had me sit in her office while gently breaking the news that she had a report on him.

"He flooded the restroom," she said.

I was so shocked, I couldn't talk coherently to her for the rest of the conversation. I asked if he stuffed paper towels into the toilet.

"No, apparently if you cover the urinal sensor with your finger, it flushes continuously," she replied.

She assured me that he's a boy and that he's experimenting right now. I forgot, in my shock, to mention he'd asked me what it was like to go to the principal's office a few week's earlier. My husband and I decided it was best to let her talk to him and use Love & Logic for our part(Oh! You got in trouble? I'm sorry. I'm sure you'll remember not to do it again."). He's never mentioned it to us. Even when asked what happened that day.

Today when I was volunteering in the class, his teacher told me he's been in some trouble today. I looked at him and he quickly looked away. When the kids went to recess, the teacher told me he was farting on people. The whole class talked about that type of behavior and why it wasn't a good idea. She also spoke with him individually. I wound up laughing, while thinking, Dad better be on board with this one.

I'm from a family of mostly girls - sisters, cousins, aunts. My little brother was the first boy born in our generation and he's eight years younger than me.

OK, so if these things happen in three's, what's next? Family dinner is going to be rather interesting tonight.

Fall Festival time

2008-10-19T12:28:00.000-07:00

Our elementary school had its Fall Festival Friday night. It was a lot of fun and rather well organized. The menu was "Walking Tacos," applesauce and cookie. Walking Tacos are a great idea for kids. Clip open the side of an snack-sized Doritos bag (Nacho Cheese was the preferred chip), then pour your seasoned taco meat over the chips, sprinkle with lettuce, tomato and cheese. Voila! Walking Tacos.

Different rooms were open for Bingo, pumpkin toss, Place the nose on the pumpkin face, cookie walk (like a cake walk) to Halloween music, and a craft area to make a treat bag to use later. One teacher was dressed like a pirate queen. She read spooky stories in the library, which was transformed into a spooky pirate ship. Finally all the kids lined up and walked around the building "trick or treating" at the various rooms.

Our kids had a fun time and did not want to leave. Our soon-to-be 7-year-old was repeatedly asked why he didn't dress up. I guess I need to tweak his Weather Channel meteorologist costume a bit more. He wore a t-shirt that said Weather Channel across the front, with his orange raincoat and headphones that look a little like the ear pieces reporters wear.

The three-year-old was excited to wear his "Speed Racer" costume. People would say, "Hey! It's Speed Racer." He'd go, "Thanks for recognizing me." Then he'd say, "Mom! Mom! They know me!"

Garage Sales

2008-10-12T10:39:00.001-07:00

Thursday evening, Christine called to ask if she could borrow a table for an impromptu, unadvertised yard sale. No problem, I said, but I'd like to sell some things, too. Two hours later, her husband had their garage cleaned out and ready to go. I chased down extra tables from both sides of town. Another gal decided to join us as she needed to raise money for her lawyer's retainer fees. (She recently received a ticket for going around a school bus parked in front of a school.)

Gathering items to sell was not a problem as I ususally store out-grown clothes together and I knew the items that absolutely needed to leave the playroom. I stayed up late pricing.

We didn't advertise as it was too late. Christine posted to Yahoo! Groups, Garage Sales. We garnered a little business from that. Our hours were 4-7 Friday and 7-10 Saturday.

We finally called a babysitter at last minute Friday. The three 3-year-olds needed more attention than we could give them.

Was the garage sale worth it? We found out Saturday there was a Monster Garage Sale downtown. I made enough money to cover my share of the pizzas we ordered to feed our hungry children, the babysitter and ourselves. I brought over three mini-van loads of stuff. I returned home with one and a half mini-van loads. The items I didn't sell are now in the basement, priced and waiting for my American Cancer Society's Relay-for-Life team's garage sale next spring. I'm also shipping a box of summer clothes to my friend who moved to Hawaii. (Do you think I could ship myself?) It was also fun sitting and chatting with the other two gals. And the gal with the retainer fees made enough money to cover 98% of the fees!

Arking the Full Circle

2008-08-22T00:31:00.001-07:00

Well, I've come full circle here on this blog. Once again it's a full moon and I can't sleep. I celebrated my 40th birthday on Monday. My 3-year-old celebrated swimming the pool's width during his swim lesson that day. I am so proud of him! Earlier this summer when we visited my parents, he slipped into the pool with just a noodle and without his "bubble." His "bubble" is the Swim and Play trainer from Kiefer products (http://www.kiefer.com/Kiefer/dept.asp?0=dept%2Easp%2Cdept%5Fid%3D6%26Tree%3D%2CLearn%20To%20Swim&dept_id=65&Gift=false&GiftID=&mscssid=5CCE35A12C7E4E08B65EA43087E415C0). It is not a life-saving device, but it gave us peace of mind when he was in the pool. Anyway, back to my story, the noodle slipped away from him and thanks to my mom's watchful eye, we were able to avert a drowning. It scared the adults. We told him he was never to be around the pool without his bubble.

When we returned home, he started private swim lessons. Plus he was afraid to be in the pool without his bubble. When his instructor mentioned him swimming without the bubble, he became hysterical. We had to stop the lesson after 15 minutes.

Thanks to the lessons and many pool "play" sessions this summer, he told me last week, "I hate my bubble." We talked about no bubble, no Deep End. He likes to hang out in the deep end where his big brother is. We went to the pool twice without the bubble during the weekend as it was lost. I later found it hidden under some coats in the laundry room.

Monday at his lesson he told his instructor, "I lost my bubble." She started him a few feet from the edge and kept backing away each time as he swam to it. At one point, he was three lanes away from the edge. The next thing I knew, he had swam across, with her next to him. She told me he kept asking her to hold him, so she'd "tickle" him, but not hold him.

That was the major milestone we celebrated on Monday. We've made an arc from his pool fear to him conquering the pool.

Celebrating the Rubies

2008-08-14T09:02:00.001-07:00

Tonight my girlfriends are throwing a 40th birthday bash for me - 4 days early. The gem associated with 40 is ruby or garnet. I'm looking forward to seeing many friends - the rubies in my life.

Cardio T - Rappin the Racket

2008-08-05T07:07:00.000-07:00

I like Cardio T.

Keeps me from gettin' heavy.

Bill, Todd, Monica and Jim

feedin' us balls again and again.

There's Coach Terry on the bench

With his clipboard he is schemin'

For another drill. that. sends. me

SCREAMIN toward the back court flippin round to see

the ball Todd tossed

way too high for me.

iPod bites the dust

2008-07-21T20:06:00.000-07:00

This week I mourned the loss of my 4th generation, 60GB iPod (AKA iPod with color display or the iPod with photo). My sister-in-law gave me a white nano for our Christmas gift exchange in 2005. I immediately upgraded to a black 60GB to compliment my husband's white 60GB.

What genius minds work at Apple! How wonderful to have one's music collection at one's fingertips - literally! It took many hours to load our CD collection onto the computer. Thank goodness Apple's technology forsaw the library sharing between a few iPod's. I don't think either one of us could have handled loading everything twice. That library grew as we accumulated more CD's and added songs from college and high school, albums and cassette tapes via iTunes. Our music library now has 8,055 songs on it - including holiday, children and classical music.

Music defines my life. Music is my love. To paraphrase Ewan McGregor's song in Moulin Rouge: "(Music) lifts us up where we belong, (music) is a many splendored thing, without (music) we are nothing."

What caused my iPod's demise? During our latest vacation, it laid under a damp napkin overnight in the Pacific Coastal Mexico's high humidity. The next morning it showed condensation on the screen. When I returned home, it took about 5 hours just to recharge the low battery. I reset and restored it twice - only to find we could no longer hear the music as it is playing; either with the headphones or the sound-dock station.

In its honor, I held an Irish Wake. For more information on that, check out this web-site: http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art42808.asp . Since my iPod doesn't drink, I thought something rich and sweet would honor it nicely: a bowl of Breyer's natural vanilla ice cream topped with melted chocolate chips. (Too bad I no longer have my music to get my exercise jumping as I'm going to need it after that!)

And now I'm eyeing a new updated iPod with movies.

Golfing in the Mist

2008-07-10T20:56:00.000-07:00

Last night, the girls called me while I was watching my son's tee-ball game.

"Come join us," they commanded. I waited for the game to finish. My husband left me (!) during the last inning to exercise. I had no babysitter.

I took the kids, ball glove, hat and ice cooler filled with that night's extra game treats and returned home.

I had the kids change clothes, walked the dog, bar-b-qued chicken and microwaved frozen green beens for dinner.

I noticed the garage door was open. My husband had returned home, but was visiting with our yard gurus.

"Hey!" I called. "I've been waiting for you. I'm going out for a drink with the girls."

"What?!" he said, astonished. (It's a long time since I joined the girls on Wednesday night.) When he walked into the kitchen, he said he smelled "charred chicken."

I glared at him, "This is NOT funny. They kids ate. Your dinner is ready. Good-bye."

I grabbed my keys and skipped down the stairs.

I fled my responsibilities. (hee hee, he can put the kids to bed)

Calling the girls on route to the course (which was accomplished via many missed calls, etc.), I found they skipped dinner in favor of an impromptu 18-hole 4-lady scramble. They were only on hole 13.

I called ahead to the Pro Shop. Mr. R. answered after the third attempt. He loaded my clubs on a cart so I could catch them when I arrived.

First I stepped into the club bar to pick up some Coronas for the course. I then realized I'd left my locker key at home (I thought we were dining, not golfing). I was wearing my Merrills, thus, was not wearing "proper golf (shoe) attire."

One of my girlfriends (who is a Great Golfer) was preparing to dine with her husband. She graciously lent me new socks (as in tear off the plastic part holding them together) as well as a pair of spikes. "Which color would you prefer with your outfit?" she generously asked.

I then convinced her to ditch her spouse and join us on the course.

The 4-lady scramble became 6. We joined the 4-some on hole 14.

The weather was perfect! The sun was setting, thus, the temperature had cooled. The result was a heavy mist rising off the grounds, giving the empty course a fairy-tale setting. B. still wore her work clothes, so removed her heels to putt. She soaked the hem of her cream-colored pants with dew.

Halfway through hole 14, I wondered why I joined them. Once again, I am over-my-head in athletic competition. Three of the six women played 18 holes in the first part of our Club Championship that morning. #5 didn't play, but could have bested them all. #6 worked out-of-town that day. She'd returned 15 minutes prior to my dragging her away from her husband.

This scramble was a lot of teasing and betting - female-style.

A. complained her father wouldn't give her an iPhone. She also said she wanted to see a hole-in-one on #17 - a Par-3. Club tradition holds that a hole-in-one person opens the bar for everybody present - free cocktails for all! I told her, "If I make a hole-in-one, (my spouse) would give (her) an iPhone, but the bar is closed." (Please note I am the worst player present. These women score less in 18 holes than I do in 9.)

My drive landed about one foot (12 inches) in front of the pin. It was the closest drive from all six women present.

After that the sun sank fast. We left balls in the grass if they were hit out of the fairway. We surreptitiously dropped balls, then hit others if people were talking too much. (ha ha) Expletives peppered the damp air. We congratulated one another on our fluency.

It was a great time with nature, the weather and, especially, a golf course to ourselves.

Reality hit when B. had the foresight to remember the kitchen closed at 9:00 pm. She called ahead. The staff graciously offered to wait for us to arrive to place our dinner order.

But for a few hours, we forgot who we were. We were no longer mothers, or employers, or employees, or students.

We were simply females with clubs and nature, stretching back time to our forebears.

For those few hours: we were the game.

Wild Horses...keep draggin me away

2008-07-07T19:57:00.000-07:00

We just returned home last night from the Sutherland (NE) Rodeo - celebrating its 71st year - as part of a mini-family reunion. Though I grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, I didn't set foot on a farm, err, ranch until I was 22-years-old. I thoroughly enjoyed myself as usual. The kids had fun. My youngest said, "Look Mom! Cowboys!" One of my forgettable comments upon seeing a bull refuse to corrall after bucking off his rider: "Oh, look! That bull doesn't want to kennel."

The rodeo ends with the Wild Horse race. Teams of three men (women are too smart to waste time with this one) capture a wild horse out of the shoot, throw a halter on it, put on a saddle, ride it around two barrels, take off the saddle and halter and finally race to the finish line. It sounds easy, but it's not. Of course, the horses are scared - heck, they're wild. Also one of the tricks to getting the horse to stand still while the saddle gear is thrown on him, is to have one team member hold the halter and bite the horses's ear.

17 years ago, many of the guys we knew who did it were drunk. I'm not so certain any more as competition was good and quite fierce this year. Three teams competed the first night, which was disappointing. Usually all shoots are full. We had a tie the second night.

Thought for the day

2008-06-30T21:03:00.001-07:00

Just remember: this, too, shall pass.

Flooding Thoughts

2008-06-18T20:29:00.000-07:00

Our levees have broken. The river is seeping into the freshly-planted fields. One of my dear friends commented this morning, "You'd think it would gush and come in with a huge flood. Instead, it just quietly seeps. A few hours later and parts of the field have little lakes." She also later said, "You just sit there and watch your year's income soak away." Her husband is a commissioner with the Lima Lake Drainage District. That levee failed at 1 am today. He came home at 3:30 am and left again at 6:30 am within the past 18 hours. These pictures were taken with my camera phone atop a bluff in Riverview Park about 7 am today. We heard on WGEM-AM radio that the Indian Graves Drainage District levee failed at 6 am. It's thought that the levee break is a quarter-mile wide. National media has shown videos of that break throughout the day.

When we returned from vacation last Saturday, we were shocked by how high the river was. The national media wasn't doing anything with coverage. We had no clue how bad it was. Apparently sand-bagging started in earnest Friday, June 13. Officials closed our oldest Mississippi River bridge at midnight on Saturday, June 14. The approach is rather low. Our other bridge was built from Illinois levee to Missouri levee. However, if the Missouri levee breaks, then the bridge is of no use for that road is not above flood stage. Ironic, huh? But we would not be completely cut off from the world - after all, this is western Illinois. There's a road network to the north, east and south.

My 6-year-old was concerned the flood was going to "hurt us" and "carry us away." I had a difficult time calming him. I reminded him again and again that our town sits high on the bluffs; that the river is only spilling over little breaks into the low ground beside it. I need to find out how high the bluffs are. He was also concerned that the crest will be 32.2 feet (ties the 1993 flood record). He's only 54 inches.

There are different reports about when the "crest" will arrive. The crest is the highest point the water level will be (in simple terms). You can follow the crest as it passes through official water level markers along the Mississippi River. On Monday it was reported we'd get a crest of 31.9 feet on Friday, June 20. Tuesday, the crest forecast was 32 feet on Thursday, June 19. Today the prediction is 32.2 feet on Thursday, June 19. The height would tie the 1993 record set. Ironically, with a levee break, pressure is taken off other levees. It also drops the river's water level. Overnight our town's river level dropped from 30.8 feet to 30.4 feet.

During the 1993 Flood, I threw sandbags on the Sny Levee in southern Adams county. It was hot, sweaty, buggy work - nasty flies and gnats. This time the weather is cooler, but, I have young children. Though I know I'm doing the right thing keeping them occupied, I still have guilty-pangs about doing more. The older child might actually enjoy helping, but the 3-year-old is a handful. He'd only get in the way. One of my friends took her 3-year-old, 5-year-old and 7-year-old to fill sandbags. She said the 3-year-old was running all over the place; playing King of the Mountain on the big sand dunes from which they get the sand to shovel in the bags. I was told this morning they've asked people with little children to please stay away from the bagging sites. My husband and his friends went down and sandbagged for a few hours after work today until the site closed.

It wasn't until Cedar Rapids, Iowa, flooded that it seemed the national media diverted its attention to the Mississippi River. Now our town is crawling with helicopters, small planes, plus lots of rental cars from St. Louis, Missouri, etc.

The funny thing is the comments we're getting from friends not in the area: "Wow the National Guard is in your town. Does this mean you're in trouble?" "How close is it?" Luckily most of them remember what we told them 15 years ago (about the town is high on the bluff). This time, however, officials are really concerned about the city's water treatment plant, which is at the river's edge. It remained unscathed during the last flood. They are praying it stays for this one, too. A large sandbag pile has been built to protect it. Officials are cautioning people to stock a little water, just in case.

Furthermore, law enforcement officials are now guarding the levees for unintentional or potential sabotage. I can't believe some idiots are actually toiling around walking around on top of the levees "sight-seeing." Come on people! Don't add more stress to the poor earthen mounds topped with white plastic sandbags.

There's many good volunteers helping in addition to sandbagging. The Salvation Army is feeding and providing water for the volunteers. The Quincy Humane Society has opened extra branches to shelter people's pets (and I think some livestock) when people are evacuated from their homes.

And then there's the icky, smelly, mucky clean-up...but that's for another time.

**I apologize for any inaccuracies. If you find some, please tell me.

Disneyland in June

2008-06-13T10:11:00.000-07:00

Went to Disneyland yesterday. Of the five other times I've been there, this was the most crowded: many school field trips and grandparents with grandchildren. Naturally the little one didn't want to ride in the rented stroller we obtained to help his stamina for the day. The older one rode in it to show him a stroller is cool. He didn't buy it. He wouldn't meet any of the characters after the Main Street Parade. Instead he stood to the side with his arms folded over his chest, pouting. The older one was slapping high five's with the characters.

After riding the Matterhorn, the oldest told me, "That's not much of a roller coaster, Mom." I thought the younger one would pass out after riding the swirling tea-cups. We lunched at Pizza Port, just missing Buzz Lightyear. Captain Nemo's submarine adventure has been updated to include scenes from the movie "Finding Nemo." The kids enjoyed driving at Autotopia. The younger one, however, informed me that the "NASCAR track at Legoland is better."

We spent a lot of time in Toon-town. The boys patiently waited in line to meet Mickey Mouse. I was amazed some of the parents' rudeness. Disney allows line-cutting for handicapped people. I think that is a wonderful practice. Since Mickey Mouse's house is handicapped accessible, line-cutting is not allowed here. At least two families left angrily saying, "This is not worth our time." Would it really hurt them to stay in line for a little bit. Please note there were other wheel-chair bound people in line who thought it worth the wait.

We wandered around the park on our way to our favorite ride, Pirates of the Caribbean. It, too, has changed a little - adding more movie characters and voices.

We were trying to decide what to do next when we arrived at the Indiana Jones ride. Since the younger one was too short to ride, the operator gave us a switch pass, even though there wasn't a long line (ahh, Disney, master of line trickery - Dad and older son waited 20 minutes - but it could have been 60 minutes without the pass).

While we waited, the Indiana Jones actor finished his outside exhibit. As he was running toward his stage for his next show, I told the youngest, "Ian, turn around and look." The actor stopped and patted Ian's head, saying, "Hi Ian. Are you having fun?"

Talk about missed camera shots! They were too close to my lens for a proper photo! However, it totally changed Ian's demeanor. Like a chameleon, he went from moody, pouty, tired toddler to star-struck fan. "Mom, Indiana patted my head!" he said dreamily. The rest of the day was heavenly thanks to that pat from Ian's new hero.

After we arrived home, when people asked Ian who he saw at Disneyland, he would say, "I saw Indiana Jones...oh and Mickey, too."

Weather IQ

2008-06-03T22:54:00.000-07:00

Last night we had some horrible storms - lightning, hail, wind. I dreamt I heard the tornado sirens about 2 am. I slightly opened my eyes, listened sharply; then decided it was just high winds whirling around the house. I turned over my pillow and went back to sleep. Today I found out it was, indeed, the tornado sirens. The sirens alert people that a tornado has been spotted and to take shelter in the lowest part of the basement immediately.

I've been away from Tornado Alley for far too long.

Memorial Day

2008-05-26T07:17:00.000-07:00

Today we honor the veterans who fought hard to continue our American freedom. In this spirit, I honor the memory of my grandfathers who participated in World War II. They taught me about our freedom and respect for the American flag.

My paternal grandfather landed at Omaha Beach two days after D-Day. He fought under Gen. George Patton, who he respected immensely. He never talked about the war until after I telephoned him after having watched "Saving Private Ryan." My grandfather helped build roads and bridges and also participated in the Battle of the Bulge. He said Gen. Patton was rough and gruff, but he made everyone participate in religious services on Sunday. My grandfather and grandmother were active in the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), the Eagles and their church. We would sometimes accompany them on Memorial Day as they made their rounds of the cemetaries, putting flowers on the graves. He was also a member of the Color Guard. One of my favorite pictures of him appeared on the Omaha World-Herald's front page Memorial Day 1987. He was standing at attention, holding the American flag with the color guard unit during a ceremony at one of the local cemetaries. My maternal grandmother sent it to me as I was away at college. It crushed him when he could no longer participate in the color guard: He was hooked up to oxygen because his lungs were failing - from a Camel cigarette habit developed during the War. (When he first went on oxygen, he used to unhook himself and walk outside for a smoke. Eventually he had to quit as he couldn't do much without the oxygen.)

My maternal grandfather was embarrassed about his war participation as he never saw overseas combat. He felt he wasn't as worthy as the fighter pilots he trained. My family often teased him about being a "chicken colonel." In my naitivete, I thought it was because he wasn't able to go overseas. I only later found that was actually the slang term for colonel - that "chicken colonel" stems from the eagle that represents the rank of a full colonel. Unfortunately he died when I was 19-years-old. I was never able to fully question him about his experiences. He participated in the Army reserves for many years after his WWII service. I also heard my uncle mention that my grandfather was asked to help during the Korean combat, but he refused. I don't understand that - how can one refuse military orders? My favorite picture of him is in his lieutenant colonel's uniform, sitting on a cannon overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Bless our troops! Without them, we would not have this great land.

Herding sheep (the follow-up)

2008-05-25T20:13:00.000-07:00

By the following Thursday, we had 65 yeses, 18 no's and 44 no responses. The movie theatre manager told me that even if we had the 100 people necessary, she doubted the producion company would allow it. Apparently the production company is approving midnight showings on May 29/30th at select cities around the US. So now we're going on June 3rd at 7 pm - earlier time and free popcorn. I just thought I'd post what happened. It was a fun idea, but I doubt I would have stayed up that late, quite honestly.

Herding sheep

2008-05-19T12:24:00.000-07:00

During a girls' night out a few weeks ago, we decided we wanted to see the movie, "Sex and the City" when it hits theatres on May 30th. After we looked at our calendars, June 3rd was the night that would work. When I talked with the local theater manager about tickets, she mentioned we could fill out a special screening request to see it May 29th. The clincher is we need 100 people minimum to fill out the request. Then we have to wait for the production company to approve it. We live in a small town. 100 people means a small effort.

I sent an email to about 93 of my closest friends. I have more friends, but I don't have their email addresses. As you know that many emails takes less time than dialing(and my youngest thinks a telephone by my ear is the signal to talk to me). I sent the detailed email at 5 pm Friday. By Saturday noon, I had 35 positive responses and about 8 no's due to vacations and one child's baseball game.

So where are the other 57 people? Did the email get stuck in spam/junk account pergatory? Do the people assume I will include them? If the production company approves our special screening request, I don't want to get stuck with $1568 theatre bill (224 seats at $7 each). One gal had the nerve to ask who was "in" so far. As if!

Speaking of if's...if it does happen, then....
We're also planning a Cosmopolitan party prior to the movie. We're also planning to dress the character you're most like (go to ivillage.com and search for the Sex and the City character quiz). It'd be really cool to have limos transport us from the party to the screening.

All this so we have the golden opportunity to see a movie prior to it's official release date. And only if the production company approves.

I hope so.

Full Moon, Empty Head

2008-05-18T23:43:00.001-07:00

As we watched the moon rise tonight over the horizon (or in my case: the trees), my son and I gazed in awe at how large, full and bright it was. I trembled, because I knew then, as I now know: I am not sleeping tonight; although I am exhausted from too much fresh air and weekend fun. A girlfriend told me her energy levels wax and wane with the moon cycle. I laughed, as I agreed that I, too, have more energy when the moon is full. Only tonight I realized that it is only when the moon is full and the sky is clear. When it is cloudy, like it was last month, I slept. My bedroom is dark. My husband isn't snoring. Yet, I cannot sleep. Part of me relishes the extra time. Part of me moans knowing I'll have difficulty waking later this morning. But still, I do not sleep.