Facebook update today:
In Germany, my dad was eating outside when he noticed at a distance a group of German women waiting to eat their food scraps. Through tears he told me, "They were just women, not soldiers, helpless victims, starving." Even at 89, he has vivid, somber memories of WWII. Hearbreaking. Thank you, Dad, for serving so that my kids and I can live the way we do, in freedom. God bless all innocent victims of war, too.
Here are pics from my "Aloha, LOST" party Sunday night. You can speed up the show by clicking on the + sign. My two favorite decorations were the cake, featuring palm trees and a polar bear and a plane crashing into the ocean, and the "Smoke Monster," which was four bags of batting adhered together with spray adhesive and then spray painted black. Smokey rocked. :)
The food was great, but I couldn't get the pics to upload. Trust me. It was great.
The "Dharma" wrappers on water and chocolate bars were from the show, as well.
There are people in this group that we work with and go to church with, mainly. There is one picture where I'm sitting between two women on the sofa. The one to my right is Cindy, who got me hooked on LOST many years ago. The woman on my left is Debbie, who I turned on to LOST a couple of years ago. So you have my personal LOST legacy there on the sofa.
There was also a group on Facebook who I first met through blogging here at 2nd Cup which talked each week on line during commercials. That was so fun, too. I wished they could have been at the party. I will miss those weekly chats! For us FB LOSTIES, it was a matter of "Watch together or be confused alone," a take-off on the main character's tag line: "Live together or die alone."
We had so much fun! Sad that it's over, but this is one fan who was not disappointed in the ending. What a ride!
*Edit* Come back on Wednesday to link up and see pictures of my party. I'm still recovering!
*EDIT* You can catch the two very first episodes originally broadcast in September 2004 on ABC tonight at 8:00. 
As you watch this 2 minute clip, keep these ideas in mind:
10. Best plane crash scene. Ever. Watch the debris come into the beach and be mesmerized.
9. The bald man who pulls himself up in the wreckage should not be able to do that. He is paralyzed. But not, it would turn out, on the island.
8. The juxtaposition of "Make Your Own Kind of Music" and other such peppy songs in the midst of horror and gripping fear reflect the incongruous emotions of the characters and eventually the viewers.
7. Some characters in this clip are blood relatives but do not know it yet.
6. The man at the computer is compelled to hit buttons at exactly every 108 minutes or something terrible will happen. He does not know exactly why he is driven to this kind of existence, but he is ... for a while.
5. Many of the main characters have had issues with their biological fathers. Because of that, some are criminals, some are addicts, some have savior complexes.
4. Self-sacrifice; evil vs. good; destiny vs free will; forgiveness; ends justifying the means; faith vs. science; blindly following a charismatic leader; damaged familial relationships; trust; living in community ... all themes in the series.
3. Symbolism galore, from the names of characters, from "Dr. Jack Shepard" (who steps forward in season one as the "shepherd" and "healer" of the survivors); John Locke (philosopher); Aaron, Jacob, Benjamin, Christian, Naomi (biblical names); a young girl named "Charlotte Staples Lewis" to symbols of ancient Egypt and the Garden of Eden, black & white, etc.
2. Critically acclaimed well-written plots and sub-plots.
1. The most riveting cliff-hangers ever produced and the most engaging characters ever created. A friend put it like this: "It's like watching a book. The characters are so rich and compelling, and the plot is so multi-layered. It's not like a TV show."
It has been a fun ride, and I hate to see this one end. My all-time favorite series, ever! Saturday night there is a 2-hour re-cap of the series with pop-up notes connecting those episodes with the last ones, and then on Sunday, a big extravaganza stretching from 7pm to 1am. And guess what? I'm having a LOST party Sunday night!
You can be sure I'll post pics!
Here's Linda's prompt this week:
Tell about your senior year in high school. Were there any special traditions such as getting a senior ring? Were there lots of activities and parties as you neared graduation? Were you in any extra-curricular activities that had traditional "rites of passage" or "passing the baton" too the next class? Were awards given out - either serious or fun? Did you send out graduation announcements? Did your school have a Baccalaureate Service in addition to the graduation ceremony? If you attended church, did your church recognize/honor Seniors in any way? Did you keep your tassel - did you hang it from the mirror of your car or do something else special with it? What sorts of things did you get for graduation gifts? Was it a tradition to display the gifts in your home?
First of all, let me say there's nothing like having a menopausal hot flash exactly at the moment you're posting a Flashback Friday entry. Go, me! Awesome!
So if I'm a bit cranky today, that is why.
I was also cranky my entire senior year because after having been a cheerleader throughout school, I was inexplicably cut in that year's tryouts.
So even though I knew I was going to college to become a high school English teacher, I joined a business group called DECA that allowed me to leave at noon every single day and work at the mall in a store called Stuarts.
Which, may I add here in a sentence fragment, allowed me to purchase lots of clothes, which will be relevant in a moment. Thus, I did not take senior Shakespeare, which upon entering college soon did biteth me in the "Bottom," who we all know was actually a Shakespearean character transformed into an "ass." Yes, if the moniker fits, etc.
Did I mention I was also grieving the loss of a previous boyfriend I dearly loved who had gone off to college and had already himself transformed into that same character?
So I sulked my entire senior year and dated a boy who was not good for my moral development. (Not Jorge.)
Where was I?
Back to fashion. So because I worked in a cool clothing store, I had nice clothes and was voted "Best Dressed Girl" and "Cutest Blonde" in our senior elections. I ended up marrying the guy voted "Best Male Body," although he HATES for me to tell people. So I mention it whenever I can.
Here are the ancient, dilapidated school newspaper results of the elections. Yes, that is the Jorge. Jorge the Jabanero. No, he is not Hispanic. That was his name in Spanish class.
And then I graduated. My parents tried to take a couple of pictures, but we were mostly unsuccessful with cameras back in the day, producing snapshots eerily close to the quality of the ones I keep producing of my kid running on the cross country team. It's a genetic gift. So I don't have any good ones at my disposal.
One highlight of the ceremony itself was that I spoke at commencement. From the stage, I noticed my manager at Stuarts in the audience making strange hand motions, sort of like the ones to the song "Deep and Wide." In a moment of humiliating clarity, I finally understood she was signaling: "CLOSE YOUR LEGS." Yes, apparently my gown did not cover my lower extremities very well. As a result, I flashed the audience for the longest few minutes of my life.
True. Story.
We had open houses back then, something similar to a gift-giving shower for graduates, including cake and mints, etc. Nowadays, these events have escalated to epic proportions resembling lavish MGM productions here in the Midwest. You would not believe the amount of planning and money spent on these, complete with "shrines" depicting the stages of graduates' lives from infancy to 18. Yes, I have produced two of these open houses myself for Katie and Jordan. Two down, one to go next year.
Don't know where the tassel is now. It was not my best moment, not my best year, but there you have it, and I would not go back and re-live it for anything, including trading off menopausal hot flashes.
At least if I "flash" people now, I'm fully cognizant before the flashing. I just don't care. Ah, the beauty of aging.
Today is Tuesday. That means you read the prompts and perhaps compose your answers. Tomorrow you publish your answers and link up at my site, which will, we hope, generate traffic to your site. If you can, be sure to visit others and leave at least ONE nice word. (That's a play on a theme I went with this week at the Random: ONE.)
Good morning. Enjoying my first and second cup of coffee in my jammies on my little deck, contemplating what's on my list for this gorgeous Saturday. The birds are singing what seems like dozens of different songs. Finally, we have a dry weekend.
I'll probably check on Facebook friends, make a grocery list, take a morning run, go the store, and strip a wallpaper border in my master bath. It is time. I think the bath has been the same for 10 years.
Sorry I've been extra sluggish on here lately. You who commented yesterday are right in reminding me that grief comes in waves. I can feel happy or even silly in one moment and then come down just as fast.
I have spoken openly here before about battling depression 13 years ago, and it has crossed my mind that some of that might be creeping back in, but I think what I'm feeling is just normal.
It is normal to feel down once in a while. But when you write a blog mainly filled with quirkiness, you kind of feel like a square peg in a round hole on your own blog when you're Debbie Downer.
BUT, life is still goofin' on me. I have two prime examples to share.
1. It is not uncommon for me to come across road kill on my runs. But yesterday's was weird. Sadly weird. Comically weird. Two squirrels, entangled in what appeared to be a Romeo/Juliet embrace, we smashed together for eternity on a road in my neighborhood. Who knows what that forbidden love story was all about, but it sure looked like a suicide pact.
2. While rounding a corner I was stopped at so that traffic could clear, a young man slowed his pickup truck as he rounded the bend to flirt with me: the classic "Woo-hoo." Clever. Anyway, he had a giant afro, and through this afro was a small twig off a bush or tree with all the leaves still on it. The twig was pushed through one side of the afro and came out on the other side, a la Steve Martin's arrow in the 70s. It was the funniest thing I'd seen in a long time.
Monday:
So you see, random stuff is still happenin' here in the old brain and in my world. It's all good. Speaking of random, I'll catch you back here tomorrow for your prompt. Have a nice Monday!
Eventful Wowmart trip, as usual. Little girl in lot outside her car with alarm blaring, sobbing, NO ONE helping, gma in the car not long for this world, Mom in store somewhere looking for Funyons, no doubt. Sweetest little defenseless thing, scared, embarrassed. Took her in & found Mom-of-the-Year strolling around. Grrrrrrr.
Last night: On the deck watching the sun set and clouds drift. Missing Diane.
Feeling a little sluggish. I'll be back on here soon. (Not my photo. Photo stolen.)
I hope you had a great weekend; I sure did. Saturday, I went with my lovely mom to her church for a Mother's Day luncheon.
At 84, she was the oldest mother there, so they asked her to say the blessing before we ate. I was so appreciative to spend another Mother's Day with her. Yes, she is 84, but doesn't look it, I know.
I'm a convert to her skin care regimen now because I am a believer. However, the first and foremost reason her skin looks so good is that she never sees the light of day for more than 20 seconds or so. My dad has been dropping her off and picking her up at doors since about 1950. I cannot abide the "no sun" rule, even though I know the consequences. Other than that, I'm adopting her guidelines. Let's hope the genes are strong, that's all I'm saying.
Saturday night, we sent our baby off to her first junior/senior prom. She wore a dress that Katie wore a few years back in the Delaware County Junior Miss Pageant, and I think she looked great. They both happen to be petite girls, so it fit perfectly. She even had shoes to go with it.
In fact, the only items on which I spent money were a clutch, some makeup and the prom pictures. Am I cheap for mentioning that? Perhaps. But she went with a friend and was not emotionally invested in the event at all, just went as a fun thing to do. So I was glad not to have spent a ton of money on the dance. Maybe this will not blow you away like it did me, depending on where you live and what the prom custom is, I suppose, but I was floored to learn that one girl spent $500 on her dress. That's actually more than I paid for my wedding dress.
The best part for me was watching Katie do Kristin's hair and makeup. I don't have a sister, so witnessing this tender, fun-loving moment meant the world to me. It was an early Mother's Day present. Katie has been acting as a 3rd party mediator lately, and I appreciate her so much!
You'll notice one picture features my toilet. I'm sorry about that, but Katie snapped a pic of Kristin texting in the middle of preparations, and I loved that picture because it so represents her and kids nowadays that I had to include it. Sorry for the toilet and the wall mirror that makes it appear as though I have double toilets in one bathroom.
After that, Jorge and I drove to the nearby town where Katie (graduate) and Jordan attend college because Jordan's girlfriend graduated Saturday. We are SO happy that she is in his life; I could not have chosen a girl any better for him. And thrill upon thrill, we met her parents, brother and grandparents. They were completely lovely people and made us feel so welcome. We were even treated to dinner at Ruby Tuesday's. In short, it was a wonderful evening, a real blessing in so many ways.
By the way, Jordan's girlfriend's mom confessed that she occasionally reads this blog. (GULP!) You all know I get a little wacky on here sometimes, and who knows what she expected when we would eventually meet, but I think she bestowed grace upon me for Jordan's and her daughter's sake!
After dinner, Jordan took us to see his new apartment in an old house on campus where he will be living for the summer. (Gulp again.) Very old, slightly scary at night for me, but he seems happy enough. Their fish is still alive, by the way, but we've had a cold spell and his house has no heat, so the fish is doing that playing possum thing where you'd swear it is dead but it's not. I know you appreciate the grandfish update.
By the way, what a relief to know that my grandfish's other set of grandparents is fabulous.
Sunday morning, we went to church, then I chose where we had lunch, which was Pizza King, a place I've mentioned once or a hundred times on here. It's an Indiana thing, and if you're born and bred here, you love it like nothing else. The piece de resistance is called the "Royal Feast," and that's what I ordered, as you will see in the pic. Also, you will see that when you sit in a booth, you pick up an old fashioned phone to place your order. And then when the pizza arrives, you have to decide which is better, the edge pieces or the center, and you can never decide, so you just keep eating. 
After that, Jorge took me to see the movie "Babies," which I highly recommend if A) You like babies B) You're interested in learning about other cultures. Four babies are featured from Tokyo, Mongolia, Namibia and San Francisco. I happen to be partial to the story of the Mongolian baby because the culture is so near the Kazakh culture, which is of Mongolian descent.
The only thing is, the movie had not yet come to our town, so we had to drive to Indy to see it, about 60 miles. Then when we got there, it was sold out, so we bought tickets for the next show and shopped in a mall and got a skinny vanilla latte until it was time for the show.
I received lovely gifts from the kids, but the best part was seeing each of them and putting my hands on/arms around them. Oh, how I love those three people and their father.
I am a blessed woman--a blessed daughter, wife and mom. I don't deserve my life. I am so thankful!
Sometimes, our grass is long. Always, our dog is short. It's a good thing she knows how to swim.
Here she is helping Jorge straighten his drawers. See her?
I love this little dog. :)
This weekend includes a Mother's Day luncheon with my mom at her church, then helping my youngest daughter get ready for prom, then off to a celebratory dinner for my son's girlfriend who graduates from college. Did I mention we're going to meet her parents for the first time at dinner? (What am I going to wear??)
So there's a lot going on, and of course, there's some prom drama. I will summarize it by re-posting my Facebook status update:
God gave me two daughters because He knew that someday one would have to serve as a 3rd party diplomatic mediator between the other and me. Read: prom preparations. However, the diplomat has also offered to draw angel wings on the other's back with a Sharpie and add, "Prom 4 Evah!"
I have seen purgatory, and it's not pretty.
One of my GG friends, Madelyn, aka "Madwoman," sent me this link. My eyes watched it and my ears heard it before I could make my arm and finger muscles stop it. Now it is too late, for I have seen it.
Maybe you who like musical-type stuff will enjoy looking at it and then basking in the hilarity of what it did to me. If you are allergic to musicals like I am, however, shut your computer down now and RUN! Run, I tell you!
Sometimes, good things happen.
Like one day, you open up your email and there is a message from someone offering you free chocolaty ice cream goodness.
A company called Edwards sent me a few coupons for their Singles A La Modes just to try, just for the heck of it, probably because the word "chocolate" appears in this blog approximately 9,763 times, so it was a safe bet I might say "yes" to the offer.
But far be it for me to hoard the chocolate.
OK, it's not that outlandish to think I might hoard some chocolate, but I'm not going to. I have 7 coupons left for one package of any Edwards Singles A La Modes in any variety, which includes:
Molten Lava Chocolate Cake
Chocolate Chip Cookie
Apple Crumb Cake
Turtle Brownie
Apple Crisp
Fudge Brownie
If you'd like to receive a coupon, leave a comment, and I'll let you know if you are randomly selected. Also, you can request a coupon for a free sample from their website.
I chose the Turtle Brown, and Mmmmmmm.
OK, I'm ready to share the love. Who wants some ice cream and chocolate??
I'd like you to meet Myla Smith, a songwriter from Memphis, who wrote a song called "Lilttle Caleb" for her best friend's son after he was born. She's releasing it as a free download for Mother's Day, and you can catch it right here on her website. It's a very sweet song with clever, heartwarming lyrics. Myla's voice is pure and sweet and a joy to listen to.
This is a pic of Caleb with his mom, the inspirations for this song.
And here is Myla to tell you about the song in her own words.
So please head on over to Myla's place and give "Little Caleb" a listen, download it, and share it with friends! Thank you for the gift, Myla!
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