dislike

...hating crackbook right now... I may wind up posting one or two liners here since I've gotten somewhat used to posting that way over there.... I feel better expressing myself here, though. I don't have the time or energy to get into everyone else's stuff... not all the time, anyway. It's "fun" to a point... right now it's getting a bit annoying. Whatever. I also don't like all the full exposure. I know I've posted before about what a private person I have become... what can I say? I've grown to want to keep some things to myself rather than go so "public" and open myself up for debate. Oftentimes things I post are NOT open up for debate; it's just my opinion and that is all but for some reason it is taken as more than that.

Whatever.

Joy to the World.

prayers

....requested for my sister. She just had major surgery and is need of prayer. If you see this, please pray for her recovery. This would be very much appreciated. If you want more detail, please email me.

let's see...

The other day, in this heat, we lost our electricity. Thank GOD it was off for only about an hour. Then yesterday, much to my dismay, we had brown water. Yup. Brown water. That has got to be about the 20th time since moving here that that has happened. ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!! Brown water makes me crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, I was a crazy person. When the water is brown you can't drink water, you can't cook, you can't wash clothes and you can't wash yourself! And in this heat... lemmee tell ya.... ya GOTTA wash yourself! Soooooooooooooooooo frustrating. A good friend brought me 2 gallons of her filtered water. Very refreshing and very much appreciated! Even though the lines were flushed, I still had brown water this morning with the hot water only. Yup... had to empty the hot water tank three times before the water cleared completely.

JOY TO THE WORLD.

projects

After walking in this heat - as I don't get to walk when I would prefer as I am driving Legolas to work at that time - Gimli and I made the time and went through the clothes in his closet. well... it's really a closet that both Gimli and Legolas share so technically we went through all of Gimli's clothes in the closet and his bureau. I am pleased that we were able to fill two kitchen garbage bags full of clothes which we will be passing along to "Uncle Dude" and his family this weekend when we see them.... yay! I love getting rid of and giving things away!

Now back to the laundry.... washing, drying, and folding clothes....

seasons...

I just wanted to say that I think I am probably the only person on the PLANET who HATES summer. I know it's not as hot as it can get - yet - but it's so freakin' hot to me.... is it that humid? Or am I just tired of it all? I run the other way when it comes to summer. I want to hide and NOT run outside. But I HAVE to go outside - I have to continue to walk. I HAVE to drive Legolas to work and pick him up. I HAVE to take both Legolas and Gimli to dance and drama. They have to have lives... whereas i would rather just go to the Arctic for the summer. Anyone have any tickets to the Arctic laying around anywhere?

More of the prince....

Nerdy Prince "Lew" with his lab coat on...




Cast had young ones in it... these are the Glumpwarts....

Nerdy Prince Lew with Nerdy Rapunzel and part of the cast

Nerdy Prince Lew with Nerdy Rapunzel singing a song with the Glumpwarts

Prince and Rapunzel during curtain calls...

performance...

Gimli playing the part of the nerdy Prince Llewellyn in Let Your Hair Down, Rapunzel. He is singing his song, "I always dreamed someday I'd be a Hero...."

definitions

It has become crystal clear to me that words - OUR words - our CHOICE of words - are so important. Recently, these two words in particular have been thrown at me - some with "niceties" and some without. Regardless... I'm going to post the words here and their definitions:

First word: Disappoint
dis⋅ap⋅point
–verb (used with object)
1.
to fail to fulfill the expectations or wishes of: His gross ingratitude disappointed us.
2.
to defeat the fulfillment of (hopes, plans, etc.); thwart; frustrate: to be disappointed in love.

v. tr.
To fail to satisfy the hope, desire, or expectation of.
To frustrate or thwart: "I will not disappoint the confidence you have put in me" (Wayne A. Budd).


Hmmmmmmmmm to be disappointed in someone.... that means the disappointed one had to have highish expectations of the disappointee, right? or even if not "highish" expectations, then expectations nonetheless. OK... BUT... aren't we all doing the best we can? Aren't we all treading water as fast as we can? Aren't we all paddling just as fast as we can? Shouldn't the disappointee be able to speak his or her 'peace' and give some sort of explanation to be examined? And when would this kind of thing happen? What sort of relationship exists where one says they are 'disappointed' in another? Parent/child; Authority/underling;

Let's take it a step further... if it's a peer situation where one peer states that he or she is "disappointed" in another peer.... what is the connotation there? What is the deeper truer meaning? And if such a thing were to be said to a peer, wouldn't it be more appropriate to have stated that one is disappointed in the choices said peer made? Or better yet, why not give the peer the benefit of the doubt and find out if the peer is ok and what, if anything, happened?

Does the term "disappointed in" really imply judgment rather than acceptance?

Second word: Actually
ac⋅tu⋅al⋅ly 
 /ˈæktʃuəli/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [ak-choo-uh-lee] Show IPA
–adverb
as an actual or existing fact; really.

In fact; in reality: That tree is actually a fir, not a pine.

2. In act or in fact; really; in truth; positively.

When I really began to think about this one - "actually" - I came to the conclusion that more often than not, this word is used as a corrective word such as in the example sentence listed above: "That tree is actually a fir, not a pine." I know I've used this word to correct my children, "Actually, the correct pronunciation is such and such" OR "Actually, that means this." See what I mean? A correction. Stating "truth" or a "fact" as it were.

Returning to the idea of relationships... who in your life corrects you? Parents, teachers, supervisors, those in authority. Don't get me wrong, I've been plenty guilty of correcting peers... I've just become more aware of it now. And isn't that the first step? Awareness? The first step to what? To possibly changing one's habits. The first step to realize I've been "correcting" people I shouldn't be "correcting" - making myself aware of it should help me catch myself and not do it as much - OR - at the very least, state to the individual[s], I don't mean to sound as if I'm correcting you... this is just my opinion....

Now that you've realized that... perhaps you haven't... or perhaps you disagree... nonetheless... how do *you* respond to someone not in authority over you, who speaks to you using the term "actually"? how did you respond? how will you respond in the future? how does one respond appropriately?

So over the past few weeks, I've realized some vocabulary is to be used in my opinion when one is in authority. Would you consider a peer an authority?

wisdom

One of my "friends" on facebook, as in someone I barely know but still accepted as a "friend" on facebook because of networking purposes, just posted a few really good thoughts on her status.... I'm "borrowing" them from her and posting them here:

• Life isn't fair, but it's still good. Honestly? I had never thought about it that way before. I struggle with life and fairness and 'happiness' and 'joy' so this is one for me to contemplate. Does life have to be 'fair' to be 'good'? Questioning myself, here...
• Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present. I have found this to be quite true. The more I've learned of others' perspectives, the more I've learned about me and my past and am still working on making peace or finding acceptance....
• If a relationship has to be a secret, then you shouldn't be in it. More words of wisdom...yup... realizing the truth in that statement...
• Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks. OK so this one threw me a bit and still does... change is daily - change is a constant - things can change and do change from bad to good and from good to bad... so how does that tie into God never blinking? That He will never leave [me] nor forsake [me]? That even though WE blink and things change for US, it's not changing for HIM as in He is all knowing???

The non-italicized words are [obviously] her quotes.

The italicized words are my thoughts on the quotes...

So glad I "friended" her even though I do not know her well...

One more thing...

It's funny, really, as in my "old age" I've discovered that I'm more of a private, personal type of person. I don't want to share EVERYTHING with EVERYONE. And so... I don't. And when I choose to, I don't share my opinion. And when I choose to, I do share my opinion. Sometimes I don't share because I feel as if it would all fall on deaf ears anyway, so why bother? Sometimes I don't share because I need to feel heard and understood and feel as if the individual or individuals wouldn't understand my point of view, so why bother? And sometimes, I just want to keep some things between myself and God. What is wrong with that? I don't want to feel as if I have to "report" everything I do, every move I make, every thought I think, every feeling I have to anyone regardless as to who they might be.

So let it be said.
So let it be written.

;-P

When I've recently taken the Myers-Briggs test I come out ISFJ - the first letter standing for Introverted.

Yup. That's how I feel. Like an introvert. Like I want to keep some things to myself. Like I don't want to be questioned about everything.

What's wrong with that?

so.....

it's been a while since I've been able to post any thoughts or any updates. So many things have happened since I last posted and that was only just over two months ago. I'll see if I can list some of the things:

• I'm not even sure if I mentioned that Gimli was in Let Your Hair Down, Rapunzel back in the end of March. He was Prince Llewellyn - the one who came to save Rapunzel. It was a musical comedy and he had a solo song - he rocked! He truly did beautifully.
• The next production focus was Legolas' Trouble in Tumbleweeds. Yes, another western. Legolas was the Mayor of a town who was stealing money from their provider. They got caught in the end with a bit of conning by other characters.... lots of lines to memorize and lots of rehearsals. He did extremely well.
• In-between all of this was Easter - a quiet time over here - and "spring break" - which we didn't break much at all.
• Next, we had an extended weekend visit from my sister. She got to see the boys rehearse just a bit for their [at that time] upcoming performance of The Wizard of Oz. She also got to view the Showcase DVD - that was really fun! I'm so glad she got to see them in action at the Ballroom Dance Center.
• We finished up co-op and have a follow-up meeting this coming week planning for the new year.... [seems we never get a break!]
• Legolas finished his work for the year just before Memorial Day Weekend - over that weekend, he had CPR and First Aid training - yes, he is now certified with the Red Cross - for his summer job as a camp counselor. His job began the Tuesday after Memorial Day.
• The following week was Legolas' birthday. He is 15yrs old already. It was a crazy week - the week of his birthday - as that was Theater Week for The Wizard of Oz. So many ups and downs occurred that week - too many to name or list. But I do want to say that ZooMom is amazing. She created with no pattern, a lion costume for Gimli in about 12 hours. Unbelieveable. She was a LIFE SAVER. I plan to post photos as soon as I can...
• Now that it's "summer" and so FREAKIN' hot, the boys are still taking dance and now are in drama with Mrs. Mickey.
• So Legolas is working FULL TIME and still taking dance and drama. Will this kid ever get a break? He wanted to do it, I'm pretty sure, and he had even wanted to add piano lessons to that load. I had to pull back on that, though, if not because of $$$$$, because of sanity - and rest.

So in-between all of this, as a home school mom, grades are to be assessed, collected, put on a transcript, records kept, {you know, the usual craziness...or is it crazyness?} And still trying to have a life and keep Gimli happy as well - he misses his brother terribly and Legolas comes home in a foul mood. He says the children there are BRATS - for the most part. He told a story of one little boy who is 9 or 10yrs old who pitches a fit - a tantrum - whenever he asks for something or to do something and the answer is "No." He, according to Legolas, gets down and kicks his legs - the whole nine yards and has a fit about it. Today, this same child brought in a fishing hook to fish in the pond. {ack... don't get me started with that one... when I was there a few years ago, I stepped on one of those and while attempting to pull it out of my sneaker, I cut myself. I was then advised to go get myself a tetnus shot. Off to PromptCare I went...or is it Urgent Care? Who knows? That "Care" place - and got me a shot. blech.} But I digress.... so the boy loses his fishing hook. According to Legolas, who can be prone to exaggeration, mind you, the boy sits himself on the dock and screams as if someone had just cut off his limbs. yikes, say I, and I also said, "Oh... so he was wailing?" Suffice it to say, the boy was screaming at the top of his lungs for 30 minutes. I asked if this was brought to the attention of the person in charge. The answer was, "No... if it had been brought up, we would have been told, 'So-and-so has been attending this camp for [fill in the blank] years' speech. So I didn't bother." I asked if the head counselor of his group complained. Same answer. Needless to say, Legolas has had it with these kids and it's only June 11th. He has to last another 2 months full time. I'm hoping the paychecks alone will be sufficient. Only time will tell.

Yet another issue has been facebook - or as some of my friends say, Crackbook. - as in it is so freakin' addicting. I've had my ups and downs with it all. I get tired of stupidity that is posted - stupidity that I disagree with down to the depths of my soul - and stupidity just for stupidity's sake. And the outward decadence that is shown and not realized is incredible. Disgusting, actually.

and while we're at it, let me ask you this.... if a friend of yours has a particular opinion on an issue, does that mean you have the same opinion? Or similar? Is it appropriate for you to be looped or linked with this friend who expresses such a strong opinion about an issue? Let's pick the controversial issue of abortion. If you have a friend who is strongly anti-abortion, does that mean you are as well? Does that mean you feel the same way? Is it appropriate for others to assume that just because you "keep company" with this individual that you are going to think the same way?

and while we're at it, how many people in your life have ever said to you, "I'm disappointed in you" ? And who were those people? Were they your parents? Were they someone in authority over you? Were they your peers? Were they your teachers? [authority, there], Were they your friends? Would a good friend of yours ever say to you, "I'm disappointed in you"?

chew on that and let me know, please.

shhhhhhhhhhh!

The Sunshine State's best kept secret.....

www.marineland.net

Nellie...

that's me with Nellie.... [and a trainer...] I was so thrilled to meet Nellie and pet her...

Nellie turned 56 years old the day before she and I met.

more photos...

....just outside the gates of marineland is the ocean. They pump fresh ocean water into their facility for the dolphins every day.

getting ready

Madea and I are taking off our earrings and getting ready!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


....nuff said.

Today's date...

Have I ever mentioned how much I loathe April Fool's Day? I see no real purpose in April Fool jokes. In my not so humble opinion, they are often mean-spirited. No thank you. Call me a fuddy duddy. I don't care.

Liked this...

To all my breast feeding mamas - Amen, gals, amen.

I will never understand why women choose not to breastfeed. God gave us mammary glands filled with milk just for our babies. Cows milk is for cow babies. Mama's milk is for mama's babies. It's not disgusting. It's God's creation.

Amen, thank You, God, for creating us with the ability to feed our children.

pics

In the streets of St. Augustine... beautiful horse as he pulls the carriage...

Spanish moss....

sights to see

We took a tour of the oldest house and museum....

Anyone know why the "shelf" above the table is on swinging ropes? To keep the rats off...

Originally, it was just the first level. The second level was added on after the ownership changed hands...

was unaware...

I was completely unaware that there was a word for this:

Word of the Day for Sunday, March 29, 2009

osculation \os-kyuh-LAY-shuhn\, noun:

The act of kissing; also: a kiss.

Weekend b'day trip...

Beach at St. Augustine... quite beautiful...

safe places

It's actually really amazing to me how much stuff - personal stuff - people post on facebook. I mean, no privacy whatsoever. I mean intimate stuff - I mean stuff that I really don't care to know about people. My head can only remember so much stuff... know what I mean? And not only that, why would anyone want to bare their souls in public like that? yeah, yeah, I know I blog... but usually it's anonymous - I mean it's just *me* and not listing anyone else and when it comes to people close to me, I really do my best NOT to post negative stuff about them. I mean... what good would THAT do? I don't know.... I just don't get it. I talk about my stuff here... for whomever I've shared my blogspot... but not "out there" on facebook with over 250 "friends" - yeah, right 250 "friends" - more like 250 people you once knew or even sort of knew - or just knew about... and they just sort of knew you or knew about you... not people you had any REAL relationship with... well, some of them you may have had a relationship with way back when... I'm talking more than 30 years ago, folks. And some dropped your relationship along the way.... and some picked up again but not really... and some picked up again for *real*... it's just a mish mosh... so why would I want to post my most intimate thoughts and feelings there only to be smashed? Here, I can post about NAET and how I feel it has helped my family and how I think everyone should *try* natural/homeopathic methods for health, and here, I can post how I feel about home schooling... and how important it is to me and how people complain left and right about schools, teachers, the school system but their hands are tied so what can they really do about it????????? NOTHING. I'm not saying home schooling is for everyone... it really isn't. But I am saying it *is* an option - nothing is perfect. There are pro's and con's [do those two words really get apostrophes?] - to everything. But all I can say is, man are we busy!!!! We home schoolers are so busy it's unreal. My mind can barely keep up with our activities. Would I be able to post this stuff on facebook? Not really. Sure, I *could* - I am able to... but do I want to? Not really. Most people wouldn't really care anyway... except my home school peeps. The rest just do not get it. They don't get the sacrifice. They don't get the planning. They don't get the cost and the fees. They don't get the investigating and scheduling what is best for each child. They don't get the negative comments home schoolers receive and the negative looks and the 'hey they have three heads' looks. They don't get the holier than thou negative crap received from kids and adults even in church! They don't get all the hard, hard work that goes into creating a transcript. They don't get that any home schooler who tries to get into college is worth their weight in gold... I mean why would ANYONE try to get into ANY college if they weren't a good student and interested in attending and doing well? And if they don't do well - like ANYONE who doesn't do well - they'd leave. Drop out. End it. Stop the classes.

So yes... sometimes all of the information on facebook drives me crazy. Sometimes it's just too much. Sometimes the information is beyond what I'm really interested in...

And so I come to my blog... my place of safety... my area to vent...

thinking....

Here's what I'm thinking:

• Everyone is too busy on facebook to read my blog
• OR
• No one has anything constructive to say because I'm so "radical"
• OR
• My posts are so strong they don't really leave any room for comment or 'argument'

;-P

S'ok... I blog for me, anyway....

a guest

Last week, Lizzy came to stay with us for a couple of days... she slept with Gimli [since Jesse is with me...] and here is Lizzy all comfy on Gimli's bed... isn't she cute?

edible?

Something I have been thinking about for a while now... you know people say to feed your dogs only dog food? How people food is "bad" for dogs? Well... here's my question: what did dogs eat before dog food was invented? Why do these people and dog food companies insist the dogs only eat their food? I'm just wondering.... it's been on my mind a lot lately....

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

pumped

Well... I'm all pumped up right this second - at 11PM - because I just finished watching the current episode of HEROES not once, but twice! We taped it for Legolas and when he came home, I sat and watched with him again! Even though we [the Heroes] suffered a couple of losses, I still feel like it was one of the better episodes of the season... I'm not psyched that Sylar is going to be teaming up with the bad guy whose name escapes me at the moment... that'll happen next week... good ole coming attractions...

:::deep breath:::

weary....

Sometimes I just don't have it in me. I just don't have it in me to smile and be "happy." I just don't. Today is one of those days. I'm just exhausted. I haven't slept well in at least a week - and now I'm feeling it. Exhaustion. The yellow pollen doesn't help either. Turns everything yellow - unless you have a light blue car like I do in which case the car now looks green. It's sickening. I hate it. Gimli asked if it was the same way in NY. Nope, I told him, no way. I showed him the pollen comes from the pine trees here - and other trees we don't necessarily have in NY - ... my mother told me, "No, they have snow instead." She continued, "Which would you rather have?" My answer, of course, is snow. Her answer was pollen. To each his own. I just don't like it. Perhaps if I slept, I wouldn't be so grouchy or cranky or weepy... be that as it may... today is one that is dragging... yet the sun is shining... the temperature is lovely - currently in the 50's at 10:30AM expecting to rise to the low 70's - very pleasant, indeed. Not too windy, not too humid. A perfect day, actually, temperature wise. It's just that dang pollen. Bothers my eyes - bothers my contact lenses - bothers my sinuses - you get the idea. Please pray that I get some real sleep - and for more than just one night. I'm not a cheery person naturally as it is... and this just drags me down even more.

I think the world has gotten very small... it's actually amazing how small... facebook seems to make it even smaller... not only that, it seems to me that there is no true privacy any more. Babies are born and every single minute isn't captured on *film*, but on digital and uploaded to places like facebook, myspace, even blogspot. It just feels as if nothing is private or "sacred" anymore... it feels as if everyone's lives are "out there"... in the "spotlight" for all to see... feeling a taste of what celebraties feel...??? perhaps. It's just an odd, weird, uncomfortable feeling for me. People posting pictures without checking with me first... not a good thing, I think. what if I am uncomfortable with the way I look in a particular photo? What if the way I wish to be portrayed is not such in that particular photo? And then there are those who intrude in our daily lives whether they mean to or not... they infiltrate relationships you have attempted to foster and grow... and suddenly...! There they are! Right in the midst of what you have been trying to fabricate and build. Leaves a bad taste in my mouth and a bad feeling all 'round. It feels as if they permeate each and every path taken [by me] and saturate it with their 'perfection.'

Shaking my head as I retreat to regroup....

17 March 2009

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

More faves...

I LOVED this show when it was on TV....

So much fun!
Remington Steele....

Very telling....

Nothing profound, really, to say here... except for a personal boast or boost for my ego??? Last night at Friday Night Dance at the Ballroom Dance Center, I really had a great time. I've been trying to attend most Friday nights as Legolas would live there if he could. Thankfully, the place is very near to where we live... Anyway... I have found that I love to dance Salsa, cha-cha and waltz. But last night, I danced Salsa with one of the teachers and all I can say is "Wow!" I really kept up with him. He added new steps that he hadn't done with me previously and I kept up with him! I know I'm a good follower, thankfully... and to be honest, I'm always pretty nervous and often asking, "Was that right?" "Was that what you wanted me to do?" And the teachers are now telling me to just go with the flow of dancing and ENJOY myself - have a good time - and stop being concerned with whether it's right or wrong. They want me to have fun. After I finally relaxed a bit and just felt the music and felt his lead, I found it was excellent. I'm not worried about keeping the beat. That's second nature to me... like breathing in and out. It's the fancier steps... but when I don't think about it and rather, feel it, it works. Makes me think of the movie "Dirty Dancing" when Patrick Swayze's character tells Jennifer Gray's character to feel the beat. He takes her hand and places it on his heart and says, "Guh gung. Guh gung." That's what i mean when I say feel the beat. Almost close my eyes and just feel it. It's great.

And as an aside, one of my new friends at dance, another mom who is a really terrific woman, told me that the smile on my face that is in the pictures when I am with the dolphins is the exact same smile that is on my face when I am dancing.

Very telling.

Very telling, indeed.

practicing and rehearsing....

One of the things we have been tied up with in our household is an upcoming musical theatre presentation of:

Let Your Hair Down, Rapunzel!

"It's time to let your hair down, have a little fun," chimes the company in the opening number of this fresh, vivacious musical adaptation of a popular tale. Rene Shwartzbuckle sings to her husband, Walt, about her zany obsession for a turnip-like vegetable called "rapunzel." After spotting a delectable patch of the plant in Witch Izwitch's garden, Rene sends Walt to "borrow" some. The irritated witch has her malicious henchmen, the Glumpwarts, terrorize Walt. In fear, he promises to give his firstborn child to the witch in exchange for his own freedom. Your audiences are then taken many years ahead to visit the beautiful Shwartzbuckle child… Rapunzel. (Now you know where the name comes from!) It's our heroine's 18th birthday, and Witch Izwitch follows through with her promise and places poor Rapunzel alone in a tower. From here, an exuberant, amusing rescue attempt begins! (As for the "mane" ingredient of the show, don't worry! The famous "hair climbing" scene is a breeze to stage!) Can Prince Llewellyn persevere over the powers of evil? Will the fresh, hysterical characters (such as the sages Parsley, Rosemary and Thyme) be able to help? And can Rapunzel convince the witch that it's okay to be unique? Filled with an abundant supply of delightful songs like "Just Because You're Different," "I'm a Nut" and, of course, "Let Your Hair Down," this show is zestful entertainment!

Gimli is in this presentation and he has been working very diligently with his part. If you're in the area and want to know more about it, let me know and i can send you more details... the presentation is in a couple of weeks!