Life, Slow Down

This is not a funny post. For the past year I have especially tried to focus on nurturing friendships, family relationships and most of all my happiness with myself. I am failing. Don't take this the wrong way - I have great friends, happiness within my marriage and my family.

Here is how I am failing:
1. It took my sister in law and I 6 weeks to plan a lunch date
2. I am meeting a friend for lunch today whom I haven't seen for almost 6 months
3. I haven't seen family members (extended) for years
4. I only visit Granny once a year, if that (husband's Granny, but she has treated me like I am her granddaughter)
5. I am lucky if I go to my hometown once a year.

As some of you know, my Uncle died this past weekend. I am not going to pretend that we were close, because we weren't. He wasn't in a place to want to be in our lives for a great period of time, but this past year he really turned his life around. I was friendly to him on facebook, but did not see him or nurture a relationship with him. I am not blaming myself for not reaching out to him, but it has certainly once again reminded me how short our lives can be, and to make the most of everyday.

I really don't think my priorities are screwed up, I just can't find enough time to do everything I want to do. So now I am faced with the decision to accept the way things are or not be so hard on myself. Uggh, not an easy choice.

Ahhh....the Lake

I want lots of things, but one thing I really want is more time on the lake. It is one of the best childhood memories I have and really gives me great joy still today, even though certain things have changed.

I am a decent skier. I can actually say this is a sport that I am better than most people at (probably b/c it is something my parents started to teach us at a young age). Yes, admittedly, it is harder on the ol gal's body these days, but this past weekend I started to get my stride back. I was feeling much more comfortable.


Admittedly, my sister and I are not as good as we used to be, just because we are out of practice. We decided to challenge ourselves and while we did cut the wake with more of a pretty spray, we both took nose dives at one point....the not so fun part about skiing.

Now here is one really awesome part of the lake - a NEW TUBE. I call it the couch on the water. It is so much easier to ride than the old tubes. In fact, I had my Dad pull me around all by myself before I had to come back to work (boo!) just because it was so relaxing. And, not to mention, much safer for 5 year olds to ride than the one with a hole in the middle. The tube's name is Mabel and she is a beloved member of our family now. According to Minnie, she is a "good girl".

Rain and Rainbows

We have received a ton of rain in Kansas City this Spring. It has been nice for my flowers and yard, but has certainly caused lots of flooding and damage in the area.

Here is what is left of a retaining wall at my office:

I showed this picture to my roommate, the insurance adjuster, and his comment: "No Coverage". (to you laypersons, that means insurance will not cover this damage.)

A view of the best part of a storm - the rainbow afterwards!


Just so we can all feel a bit smarter today, I decided to Google to learn more about rainbows. (don't you just LOVE google? I swear, it is something I don't know how I lived without.)

RAINBOWS:
What you are actually looking at when you see a rainbow is falling rain. The falling rain causes white sunlight to bend into separate wavelengths of visible light. This is what causes the colorful bands that form the rainbow. To see a rainbow it must be raining in one part of the sky (in front of you) and the sun must be shining behind you. When you see a rainbow the sun will always be in back of you and the falling rain will be in front of you. The rainbow continually changes because each falling raindrop bends the light slightly differently. In addition, no two people ever see the same rainbow because the wavelenghts of light will be slightly different depending on where you are in relation to the falling rain.

Oh, and just if you are curious...the pot of gold is just folklore. :)

Bug Bites

I went to the lake this weekend and came home with a sunburn, bruises and most of all....bug bites!! I really wanted to take a picture of my bites on my bum but my other half disagreed. He is usually a pretty good filter so I am sparing you all the image (but now you have to deal with the mental image of my milky white rear! ha!).

Anyway, I find that bugs like me more than others. I get more bites that other people around me, and my bites are bigger than others. Don't worry, I don't itch them at all, I am used to them after 30 years.

Do you find that certain things are attracted to you more than others?

Worried Sick

So Monday night I got very little sleep. My eldest, William, chose to stay out and all night long. Now, I really don't know if he was out philandering around or if he was stuck in someone's garage. Yes, embarrassing to admit, but he has been known to snoop in garages, sneak into houses, get into cars, etc. I really need to keep better track of my son, obviously.

When he arrived home around 7 am Tuesday morning, he did something quite bizarre. He went to his sister's room and slept on her bed. Crazy because he has never done this before and ridiculous b/c he doesn't exactly fit. Don't tell him that though!

Copper Top

..no, I am not referring to batteries here, I am referring to my locks on top of my head.

Last week, as I am walking out of a restaurant, barreling along comes a dustbuster* van, and out the passenger side I hear "COPPER TOP!". I was baffled, amazed, dumbfounded and amused all at the same time. I then make the mistake of telling my roommate (who was still in the restaurant at the time) of what just happened and boy was that dumb. He has proceeded to tell several people that I now prefer to be called Copper Top. It is quite funny, actually.

*Dustbuster minivan - I was shocked that my roommate didn't know that the long nosed Minivan is also called a dustbuster. There is even a website dedicated to them.

You know you are from a small town when...

1. You are amazed at how small the old Wal-Mart is. A new one was built several years ago and it is decent in size, but the old one has been turned into a storage facility and for something that seemed huge, is small now.

2. You look forward to eating items such as a combo taco, pizza taco and Love's sandwich. Although, the Love's sandwiches have changed much to my dismay.

3. You think 10 cars outside of the bar is a good crowd.

4. You gladly walk home from the bar b/c you know it will only take you 15 minutes, max, and it is safe.

5. You want to have your hair/makeup on when you go out in public b/c it is almost guaranteed you will see someone you know. Admittedly, this is becoming less and less true as I hardly know anyone anymore.

6. The house you grew up in will always be your "home", and you readily criticize what the new owners have changed, simply b/c the changes make it no longer your home.

7. It is a big deal that the grocery store has a gas station now.