It's January.......Again

I've said it before and I'll say it again, January is difficult month for me.  I always seem to find myself at a loss.  The whole "clean slate-new year" concept is a bit overwhelming for me.  The pressure to make this year better than the last one or to be a better person than I was last year or to throw away those bad habits and adopt better habits overwhelms me and at the same time renders me paralyzed.
I don't know where to start, so I just stay still.  I'm more of a finisher than a starter anyway.  I'm slow to start but I like to finish what I start so I think long and hard before I commit and begin.

This year started even slower than most.  We ended 2014 in fine fashion by hosting a fun New Year's Eve party.  Halfway through New Year's Day we finally succumbed to the nasty cold our grandsons shared with us over Christmas.  Fight it as we may, it won out in our moment of weakness and both TJ and I spend the better part of the next two days dragging ourselves from the bed to the sofa and back.  I brought in the new year by watching hours of football and an entire season of Gilmore Girls while on the sofa cuddled up in a blanket, systematically emptying my own box of Kleenex.  Yeah, that's how you do it! Take that 2015!  Oh, I forgot to mention that it rained constantly for those two days and the temperature never rose above 43 degrees.  Things can only get better.

Yes, Rory, I feel the same way!

After about 4 days we both felt more human and it was time to finally start our new year.  The sun even came out one day and all was right with the world again.   I joined the many people who clean out their closets to begin the new year.  I felt like I was getting rid of a past life as I folded those old clothes.  Clothes I wore when I worked (so many nice dress pants and coordinating sweaters and blouses), clothes I wore when I lived in the much cooler climate in Toronto ( I loved those wool sweaters!), clothes I wore on past ski trips (turtle necks in every color!), and as much as it pains me to admit... clothes that are just never going to fit again (and I thought I was big then....).  I must say it was bitter sweet saying goodbye to all of those clothes and memories.  I really do like clothes, always have.

I joined the resolutionists at the gym on Monday and grunted through my first ever Pilates class.  Funny, they do the same exercises I did in the '70's and 80's just under a different label.  I came to the unfortunate realization that ...."damn, I was in really good shape back then and double damn, I am in really bad shape now!  This is going to hurt tomorrow!"  I did blame a little of my fatigue on the lingering cold and spending 3 days doing absolutely nothing but blowing my nose.  I think if I did that class 3 days a week I could beat my old flabby body back into an old less flabby body, but alas the class time conflicts with my ESL class which happened to be on holiday that particular day.  Yeah, I know, I could find another one somewhere, sometime, maybe....and go to it once I can walk again.

So, here I sit, looking out at the 7th gray day in January realizing there are still 22 more days of this month!  The good news is that next week will virtually fly by.  We are bringing our colds back to the grandsons while their parents take a much deserved trip to a sunny, warm, child free, tropical island.  I will get to experience real winter and will no doubt be very busy.  I hope to share some priceless moments with you if I can remember them.

One more January survival activity has been to plan our future rendezvous.  Nothing gives a gray dreary day more hope than looking at pictures like this.....

and thinking....2 more months!

 Happy January!

A Little Sermon

Today is Holy Family Sunday.  As much as I love Christmas mass and hearing the story of the Nativity every year I always find myself touched by the readings on the Sunday after Christmas.  Maybe it is because Christmas is a time we spend together as a family and I am usually basking in the afterglow of that family time.  Maybe it is because as we near the end of the year and look forward to a fresh start in the New Year this particular Sunday is a good time to reflect and put things into their proper perspective.  Maybe it's because I am exhausted and emotional after the holidays and the readings catch me in a vulnerable state.  Or.... maybe it is because I love my family and look at it as my life's greatest treasure.  Hearing words of wisdom on how to live as a holy family is the perfect way to end the year.

This is the reading that struck a chord today and the lector who read it brought it to life for me.

COL 3:12-17

Brothers and sisters:
Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,
heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,
bearing with one another and forgiving one another, 
if one has a grievance against another; 
as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.
And over all these put on love, 
that is, the bond of perfection.
And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, 
the peace into which you were also called in one body.
And be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, 
as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, 
singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs 
with gratitude in your hearts to God.
And whatever you do, in word or in deed, 
do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, 
giving thanks to God the Father through him.

We just spent a week with our grandsons, daughter and son-in-law.  Watching a young family in action!  I forget how much work goes into raising good kids.  It is a full time job!  Diligence cannot be underrated.  Parenting is one of life's most important jobs, in my humble opinion.  That being said, if your family has no children, it is still important to treat each other with kindness, gentleness, patience and forgiveness.  There is still much to be thankful for and there is still love.

If you have made it to the end of this "sermon",  God bless you and your family now and in the New Year!  Thanks for reading.

Naked Cheese

Are you a Pinterest enthusiast?  If so, you need to stop reading right now!  You have more important things to be doing instead of reading my blog.   You have halls to be decking, an elf to put on a shelf somewhere, food to be making that is not only delicious and nutritious but in the shape of a reindeer or a sleigh, gifts to wrap that look better than what is inside the box and holiday cards to print and sprinkle with glitter!  So many Pinterest ideas and so little time!  Meanwhile, people like me have time to play golf in December instead of making my ham into the shape of a Christmas ornament.  Call me Scrooge....but I might just put Martha Stewart into tears with my lack of craftiness.

Let me prove my point.
The other night I was going out to a winery with a few friends and since we were allowed to bring food to the winery, I volunteered to bring a cheese plate.  I was very proud of my 4 cheeses displayed on my pottery platter.  Proud, until I showed up at my friend, Ski Buddy's,  house.  She had also decided to bring cheese...in the shape of a very cute snowman!  My cheeses suddenly slumped into depression at their unfestiveness.

Cheese plate vs. Pinterest Cheese Ball Snowman
The win goes to Mr. Cheese Ball Snowman.

I must admit the cheese ball snowman was delicious as well as very cute.  Though uncreative, my cheeses were delicious.  I think they had a complex all night long though, they felt so naked next to Mr. Cheese Ball Snowman.  I would also like to point out that there are more decorations in this one picture than there are in my entire house.  Not really, but close!

Christmas is one of those times when my minimal efforts become glaringly apparent.  I'm just not a Pinterest person.  I find it is not good for my self esteem.  All of these people have time and energy to do all this stuff and post it on Pinterest, this makes me feel like such an underachiever. Seriously... who has time for all this stuff?  No one is ever going to be able to try everything on Pinterest.  We can't decorate our homes using all of the beautiful ideas or cook all of the yummy foods or try all of the unique and life changing ideas, there just aren't enough hours in the day, especially if you play golf!  Maybe my "all or nothing" mentality is the problem.  If I can't do it all, I just won't do anything.  I'll admit, I have used a few Pinterest ideas.  Mostly, I just look at it for about 3 minutes and get hives and click back to my Facebook page or SportsCenter.

Exhibit 2

My nativity scene:

 I've got Mary, Joseph, a shepard, some animals, the Wise men 
and I even threw in some angels and a distant church.

Ski Buddy's nativity scene.
It looks like they are in Bethlehem instead of on a shelf!  There are rocks, and sand and moss!  
So much more creative.

Of course there is also my daughter's nativity...
arranged by my grandson!
Boys - animals - girls.
Maybe she should post this on Pinterest!

If you need me this week, I'll be playing golf while my nativity set wanders around the shelf wondering where their rocks and moss are and my cheese looks for it's fluffy parmesan cheese coat.

My New Addiction

I have a confession...I have a new addiction.  It is a hokey, silly, slightly embarrassing addiction.  After my bah humbug Thanksgiving post I am probably the last person you expected to get hung up on sappy Hallmark Channel movies.  I am blaming it all on lousy weather and being home alone for a week.  I was in hibernation mode a couple of weeks ago.  Every night I seemed to end up on the Hallmark channel watching the movie of the night.  Before I knew it a couple of hours had passed and another very attractive couple had overcome an obstacle or misunderstanding and was living happily ever after under my watch.

 The constant stream of Hallmark Christmas movies is my "go to" choice when I just can't find anything worth watching on the tube.  Yes, I could probably just turn it off and read, clean the house, write my Christmas letter or even just go to bed but I get hooked so easily!  They are so predictable and yet adorable! Especially after the 3rd or 4th one you watch....it was cold and gray outside give me a break.  Obviously I have very low standards in my viewing choices and am a hopeless romantic.  Plus, I've already seen every episode of House Hunters.  I'm such a sucker for a boy-meets-girl-inevitably-there-are-complications-they-work-through-the-complications-and-live-happily-ever after movie.  There are no vampires, no explosions, no shooting, no inappropriate subject matter, only formula happily every after movies, rated G.  Yes, come to think of it I am a thirteen year old girl underneath it all.

Living Happily Ever After,
Lisa

The Grinch Who Stole Thanksgiving

"They" have stolen Thanksgiving!  The proverbial "they" have decided that Thanksgiving is not important, or at least it's not as important as say....Christmas.  I challenge you to go to any store today and find Thanksgiving decorations, table cloths, or table settings except maybe in the way back on the double discounted sale section.  They are gone!  As soon as Halloween was over the shelves were wiped clean of anything orange, brown, yellow or black and replaced with red, green, white, silver and gold.  No pumpkins, pine cones, pilgrims or cornucopias to use when the family surrounds the table on Thanksgiving.  Apparently I was supposed to do all of that shopping around Labor Day.  Oops!

I challenge you to find this section in any store today.....except maybe the grocery store.

As someone who lives in the moment (procrastinates until the last minute)  I have been a little mad and little sad that Thanksgiving will be a mere blip on the radar and Christmas has bullied its way into our stores and our psyche.   I'm blaming it on "them"...the marketing geniuses.  I like Thanksgiving!  It is about being thankful, eating lots of delicious food, being with family, plus there are no gifts involved!   Not only does the absence of  Thanksgiving frustrate me but the presence of Christmas decorations, commercials, and music makes me a little crazy.  For some reason all of this bombardment is making me anxious.  It makes me feel like I should have the house decorated and the gifts bought, wrapped and mailed by now.  I am so screwed!  I was busy trying to have Thanksgiving here.  There is so much life to live before I even start thinking about Christmas and all its trappings.

I am choosing to honor Thanksgiving and will try not to let Christmas creep into my life until December!   So cheers to Thanksgiving!  Bring on the lists of things we are thankful for and the turkey, pumpkins and pilgrims.  I, for one, will leave my fall wreath on the door until AFTER Thanksgiving!  Please join me.

Finding Extraordinary in the Ordinary

 I've been struggling with whether the blog is still relevant.  Every once in a while I'll go back and read some of the old blogs and think to myself, "That was good!"  or  " That was such an interesting perspective, I'm just not thinking these days.  I need to pay more attention or be more creative.".  Self congratulating and criticizing all in the same breath.  I'm sure you have noticed my posts are getting farther and farther apart.  I don't really want to make this a boring journal.   Who wants to read about that?  Maybe my mother....but certainly not anyone who didn't give me life.  Mothers read anything and everything their kids write and love it, that's why we love them.

At least three times every week I consider a topic for a post, and it will simmer for about five minutes, because lately that is my maximum attention span, and then I think....."Nah, I've already written that."  or "Booooring!".  Then I'll think,  "Maybe my life has just gotten too boring....or I've become boring."  Then I silently scream inside my head "Ahhhhhhh, a curse worse than death!  Say it ain't so!".  Maybe I should go hang gliding or base jumping, those aren't boring.  I can write about what it feels like to be scared to death and free all at the same time.  Instead, I have taken my dog to the vet for x-rays on her broken leg about 4 times in the last 7 weeks, that's almost the same as base jumping, right?  No?  You need more?  Me too!

She does not realize sometimes that she still has a broken leg.
Hope springs eternal!

When I read my old posts, I realize I've done a lot of traveling.  Which I'm very thankful for, it gives me something nice to write about and some beautiful pictures to post.  Every day life is so....ordinary.  I need to remember that the ordinary makes me appreciate the extraordinary. Wouldn't it be nice if I could just figure out more ways to make my every day life extraordinary?  Why do I need to wait for those "out of the ordinary" people, places and things to make me feel more alive or to inspire me to write something interesting?  I need to make the daily experiences special.

With this in mind as I look over my pictures on my phone from the last month, life hasn't been all that ordinary.

I got to see Kelly....and the Liberty Bell on Columbus Day.

My artistic photography effort,
 Independence Hall reflected in the modern Liberty Bell museum window.
There is even an American flag in there!.
Of course I couldn't resist the pink flowers.

Speaking of travel, wasn't I? Last Thursday night was one of those ordinary Thursday nights at home.  While watching TV, because that's what I do on an ordinary Thursday night, I stumbled upon Anthony Bourdain's show, Layover.  Three episodes later I was drooling over his trips to Italy, Spain, France and Turkey.  I was thinking if I had my own show I'd be a cross between Anthony Bourdain and Samantha Brown.  Not quite as profane and irreverent as Bourdain but not quite as perky as Brown.  I thought I'd provide a link for you to get the idea of what I mean and came across this You Tube video of them and it is absolutely hilarious!  It also confirms that I really enjoy both of them.  Imagine my surprise this morning as I read the newspaper and discovered that Mr. Bourdain will be in none other than Wolfeville, Nova Scotia this week attending the Devour Food Film Festival.  Maybe he and I have more in common than I originally thought...film, food, travel and Nova Scotia.  If I lived there I would absolutely check this event out, hint, hint. If you go, tell him I said "Hello, and I've been internet stalking him".

Over the last few ordinary weeks, the weather has been extraordinary.  Ever since I wrote this post the weather gods have seen to it to provide us with absolutely perfect weather.  This also explains why I have not been writing much.  I've been outside playing golf and running/walking.  I tricked myself into exercising by signing up to participate (note I did not say run) in a 5K the weekend before Thanksgiving.  I figured I needed a goal and nothing like the shame of finishing a 5K in over 40 minutes to get this 50 something year old woman off the couch and onto the sidewalk.  I'll let you know if I accomplish my goal.  Don't worry it's not a lofty goal, I'm not into setting myself up for failure!

Just one of the extraordinary days we have had lately!

Finally, I have witnessed some extraordinary football.  Extraordinarily good and extraordinarily bad.  We went to Baton Rouge for the LSU/Ole Miss game.  There is something special about going back to your Alma mater for Homecoming.  The memories just flood back!  Oh, to go back knowing what I know now....things might have been very different or just the same....and that is a whole other blog post.  The football game was epic!  The campus was beautiful.

Nice Homecoming decorations!

You know you are in Louisiana when you get drive thru daiquiris!

Even though most of the days over the last few weeks have been pretty ordinary, they have also been extraordinary.  Sometimes all it takes is a blue sky and a cool breeze or a straight drive on a beautiful golf course.

Let's Get Physical

How many of you look forward to your annual physical?  OK, you people are just weird!  I look forward to my annual physical about as much as I looked forward to final exams in school.   I wish my annual physical was as simple as taking my car in every 5,000 miles to get the oil changed and the tires rotated.  "That will be $49.95 ma'am, see you in another 5,000 miles".  Unfortunately, my aging body now resembles a car with over 100,000 miles.  I'm at the point when all the parts need to either be replaced or are on the "watch" list.

I always stress out weeks ahead of my physical. I fear the dreaded blood sucking so they can see what my cholesterol levels, triglycerides, sugars, salts, amount of wine I consume on a daily basis and whatever else a blood sample tells them.  Can't they just put a strip on my forehead like they do toddlers these days to find out if they have a fever and use it to find out all my vital blood facts?   It would be so much more pleasant for both of us that way.

After the results come in my side of the conversation goes something like this... "Yes doctor, I know that I should limit my alcohol, salt, sugar and exercise more.  I even do sometimes....really!  At least once a week  month!  Well, I exercise!  One out of four isn't bad.  And that ever creeping weight...just the result of all that good wine and restaurant food we now have the time and money to go out and enjoy....oh, and I'm getting older dammit".  Apparently, getting older results in the metabolism slowing down.  Getting older should have a few physical rewards... I'm still waiting to find them.  Youth is wasted on the young!  Can I just have my 25 year old body back?  Shoot, I'll settle for my 40 year old body, the one I should have appreciated more when I had it!  I keep remembering words I heard before, " You are never going to be as young as you are today, so enjoy today!".

I "passed" my annual physical without any red flags.  Of course, I'm still supposed to "limit" my alcohol, eat right and exercise....duh.  Just once I want to go the the doctor and have them tell me to slow down and eat and drink more!  Just once!  That is a physical I would look forward to!