The Bumpy Ride

A Brand, New Ride

2012-01-22T12:08:00.001-07:00

Safeway is not usually my supermarket of choice (no offense Safeway); but it does happen to be the closest grocery store to my house, so I run in there -(OK - if you know me in real life, you KNOW I don't RUN anywhere); rather I stop there for any last minute necessities or bagels. I'll give them that. Compared to their competitors, for a supermarket, they have a decent bagel - but I digress...

So I stopped at Safeway for a couple of things and as I was attempting to select some bananas, I was mesmerized by the woman who breezed by, picked up a bunch, put them in her cart and moved on. "REALLY?" I thought, "It's just that easy for her? No perusing for bruising or checking for firmness? Just - oh these are bananas, I'll just take em and go? Wow! What must THAT be like?

Now I'm sure you're thinking (because you know I HAVE to tell ya what I think you're thinking.) "Seriously? No blog for five months and she just starts off about picking some bananas like that has ANYTHING to do with (say it with me), "The Greater Good?" But alas, it does... Somehow, standing there and thinking those thoughts I knew it was time for me to get back to "The Bumpy Ride", which some might say, is for the "Greater Good."; and that is why I chose to start out this long, overdue, post by telling you about the bananas rather than lamenting over what I've been doing and why it's been so long since I've written.

Trust me when I tell you that I don't consider myself any busier than the next person. Which is to say, that I don't think you need to hear my excuses about how busy I've been and why I haven't been able to write. I can assure you that I am fully aware of the irony of my situation. It baffles me how I managed to write "The Ride" everyday for a year last year and yet this is the first time in months that I've been able to make time to write. But I swear to you, it's not for lack of wanting to. If you're not a first time Rider, then you know I'm the Queen of COMMITMENT and over the past several months, I've had MANY. So rather than telling you why I've been busy - in the interest of (say it with me) "The Greater Good", I'll tell you what I've learned... One of the most important jobs of a parent is advocating for the best interests of your child - academically, athletically, emotionally, and psychologically. It's often hard to know what to do, but it's your responsibility to figure it out and do all you can to help your child achieve all that they're capable of. I learned that perseverance and honesty pay off. I learned that forgiveness is freeing and that confidence is the cure for anxiety. I learned that no matter how full your home is, there's always room for one more. I learned that making people feel good, safe and happy is one of the greatest things I do and its reward is more precious than money. I've learned that old dogs can learn new tricks. I've learned that even if your pockets are empty and times are tough, you can always find ways to be charitable. I've learned that (as I've suspected), I really do have my finger on the pulse of what's hot and upcoming. Yes, last year alone, I wrote about Alex Guarnaschelli and how awesome I thought she was and now she's like the Food Network's next big deal. Just check them out, she's popping up on all their shows. Also, you may recall that I predicted Billy Crystal would host the next Oscars and HELLO, have you heard?? I've learned that time can heal wounds, that help sometimes comes from the most unexpected places and that "Can't" means you haven't REALLY tried. I've learned that you need to love and accept yourself even when you're not exactly as you'd like to be. And lastly, (well probably not lastly, but lastly for the sake of this list), I've learned that I'm not ready to give up on my dream. And so, if you'll have me, I REALLY want to try and get back on track and start sharing my stories with you again. There will be tales and pictures from my New York trip, I promise! As well as all the observational humor that I can muster, and as many recommendations that I can make for yes, (say it with me again) "The Greater Good."

A GREAT big thank you to all of you who've encouraged me to start writing again and to everyone who has missed me and "The Bumpy Ride." I've made a few changes, such as "The Ride's" new appearance, (please share your thoughts on that), my updated profile picture, AND I've decided that since all the things I am or am not Queen of, really just make me who I am; I'll now be signing off -
Till next time...
Paige

Blog Hop and Giveaway…Join Us and Create Your Future at CRAFT!

2011-09-13T07:00:00.011-07:00

Welcome to the
CRAFT: Creating Reflective Art for Transformation
Blog Hop!

This event is brought to you by our team at Scrapbooking from the Inside Out, the premier source for inspiration to explore your inner world. Six talented and well-known instructors will be leading creative and meaningful workshops using our generous sponsors’ latest and greatest products at this intimate, boutique event right on the beach in beautiful

Santa Monica, CA, November 11-13, 2011.

You’ll spend a magical weekend focused on embracing who you truly are and gaining the skills, techniques and tools to use our craft to understand yourself more deeply on an ongoing basis.

Are you just beginning at this blog? Make sure you stop at all the blogs on the list so you don't miss all the project, venue and special event sneak peeks
and your chance to win one of six kits!

Here's a sneak of one of my favorite parts of the event - the beautiful and beachy decor we're creating to make you feel welcome, comfortable and creative!

If you get lost, a list of all the stops on the hop is at the end of this post.

CRAFT:

Three full days of crafting, creativity and camaraderie for only $450

(three consecutive monthly payments of $150 each.)

Spots are still available for this unique, pampering and heart-expanding getaway.

WHAT’S INCLUDED:

• 6 emotion-focused, technique-teaching personal workshops ~ All CRAFTers participate in every class. No need to choose ~ they're ALL yours in
CRAFT’s ocean-view, beautifully styled, creative space

• 4 special Art and Soul experiences

• Scrumptious breakfasts and lunches from Hollywood hot spot Urth Caffe

~ Friday, Saturday and Sunday

• Sweets, treats and beverages all day long

• Transportation from The Ambrose to and from the Annenberg Beach House for all workshops and activities via the CRAFTy Cab

• Oodles of workshop supplies
(you’ll just need to bring your basic tool kit – checklist to be provided later)

• A fabulous welcome gift, a CRAFTy tote filled with goodies,

valuable giveaways and fun prizes!

*Lots more details on girls’ night out dinners, airport transportation, location, hotel and event venue and more are available HERE.

For questions, comments and special requests, please email me here.

The Dates:

November 11-13, 2011

The Times:

Workshops from 9-5 each day, broken into two sessions.

WHY SHOULD YOU COME TO CRAFT?

What really sets CRAFT apart is unique mission of Scrapbooking from the Inside Out, kit club, inspiration source and online community. Thousands of participants all over the world have used SFTIO’s resources to explore their deepest emotions. They’ve lifted themselves and each other exploring Freedom, Gratitude, Anticipation and Wonder. They’ve faced their inner doubts and fears delving into Regret, Yearning, Loss and Vulnerability.

SFTIO’s trademarked and industry-exclusive approach to artistic motivation is the heart and soul of what makes us unique. Our monthly inspiration page with hand-selected music, stock photography, quotations and deep journaling prompts elevates scrapbooking to an expressive art form where members are guided to truly explore their inner worlds.
Click here for links to past Inspiration Pages to see more.

SFTIO raises the bar even more by providing challenges using the prompts that add a design twist, teaching members to use ‘visual journaling’ – powerful symbolism – to combine right and left brain expression. The result? Meaningful, rich, pages and projects that reflect all of who you are, Inside and Out.

CRAFT workshops will incorporate a variety of tested, proven multimedia inspiration tools combined with the special talents and techniques of a stellar teaching staff, supported by Art Therapist Rita Coufal, PhD and Artist/Therapist Joy Mauldin, PhD.

Growth is a journey…not a destination. And it’s a most personal one…only you know what you need out of this experience. In the intimate, supportive setting we've created for you, you’ll have the opportunity to practice being more and more yourself.

Our take on scrapbooking and creativity isn’t about a quick fix, or a set of ‘positive thinking’ reminders. It’s about a deeper approach, telling your truth – pretty or not, looking at both sides of the coin, and leaving our weekend together with the
creative skills and tools to be more fully expressed in your life.

THE INSTRUCTORS:

While you’ll be learning amazing techniques, styles, tips and techniques in every workshop, these are not cookie-cutter sessions – you’ll be challenged to dig deep, learn about yourself and personalize your project to reflect who you are and who you want to be.

American Crafts Design Team and Product Designer

Hambly Screen Prints Design Team

Mixed Media Designer

Copic Certified Designer

Creating Keepsakes Dream Team 2011
Lily Bee Design Team
Jillibean Soup Design Team

Copy/Creative Editor for Northridge Publishing
American Crafts Blog Hostess/Design Team

Founder and President,
Scrapbooking from the Inside Out

Creating Keepsakes Dream Team 2011
Prima Design Team

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? REGISTER NOW.

And now for a giveaway!

In celebration of CRAFT, SFTIO is giving away FIVE kits to FIVE lucky readers…make sure to leave a comment (before Noon Pacific Time on 9-15) on each blog you visit in the hop to increase your chances of winning. Tell us please, in your comment, what emotion you’d love to explore in your scrapbooking! Winners will be chosen from all blog comment entries and will be announced on 9-16 on the SFTIO blog.

For your next stop, make sure to check out Amy Tan's Blog here. Good luck and we hope to see you at CRAFT!

Hop List:

SFTIO: http://scrapbookingfromtheinsideout.blogspot.com
Stacy Cohen: http://stacycohen.blogspot.com/
Linda Barber: http://milesofpaper.blogspot.com/
Paige Ramos: http://thebumpyride.blogspot.com
Amy Tan: http://amytangerine.blogspot.com/
Paige Evans: http://chrisandpaige.blogspot.com/
Tammy Onderdonk Klass: http://createdreamlive.blogspot.com/
Seven Gypsies: http://www.sevengypsies.blogspot.com/
Ly T. Le: http://www.lytlescrapper.com/
Melissa Elsner: http://theprofoundbrunette.blogspot.com
Jillibean Soup: http://www.jillibeansoup.typepad.com/
Rita Barakat: http://letsembellish.blogspot.com/
Kai Baldwin: http://www.enjoytheridetoday.blogspot.com/
CRAFT Blog: http://craftbeachretreat.blogspot.com/

Till next time...

Queen of EVERYTHING

Loose Ends

2011-08-13T21:42:00.000-07:00

Hello riders, I'm baaaacccckkk and I can assure that I haven't absconded with Mari's beautiful BELIEVE charm; nor should you attribute my absence to my sulking over the mere two entries in my first EVER give away attempt (because I certainly wasn't.) AND based on that almost inexcusable run on sentence, you can probably tell that I'm ready to start writing again and I promise that I'm gonna do my best to make "The Bumpy Ride" better than ever!

So first things first... I'd like to congratulate Bernice, as she is the winner of Mari's incredible, inspiration charm. I apologize for my delay in posting this announcement, but I have found that writing my blog is very much like going to the gym - once I don't do it for a couple of days, it becomes easier and easier to put off. Although I don't feel good about admitting that or doing it; so I'm going to make an extremely conscious effort to resume both regularly.

If this isn't your first time at this rodeo, then I'm sure that you can't believe that I'm starting my third paragraph and I have yet to mention my birthday OR my trip to New York; so I'll say this - in a word, it was AMAZING! AND this - I plan to write about my trip extensively and include many pictures; but I'm going to break the trip up into several posts - so please stay tuned...

There are few things in this life that I like better than vacation; but getting back into your routine AFTER a trip is exhausting. I've had a ridiculous amount of work at my job, I'm sadly trying to get my kids ready to go back to school on Monday, I've been helping DJ Louie V choose songs for the '81 reunion that he's DJaying tonight AND I've been in pursuit of a new background for "The Bumpy Ride", because I feel like I wanna give it a fresh new look for my brand new year. SO with that bein' said, I would GREATLY appreciate any recommendations of sites with free blog backgrounds. I'm lookin for somethin vintage-y or scrapbook-ish so if you know of a site that you think I should check out, PLEASE lemme know.

Once my blog has been redecorated I'll be back again and raring to go. I'm thinking that I'll try to write a minimum of once a week, and use some of my other time to get my work seen by more than just my five readers. And in the interest of (say it with me) "The Greater Good", I have to say that it would be very easy for me to feel dejected and disappointed in the lack of response to my contest, BUT I'm choosing not going to waste my time feeling that way. After all, to quote Victor Kiam, "‎"Even if you fall on your face, you're still moving forward."
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

44!

2011-07-28T17:43:00.000-07:00

Today I am 44, and other then when I said "I do" to Luis, or "Hi, I'm your Mama" for the first time to Nicky, then Lyndzi, then Kelsie - there have been never been words that I wanted to say more.

When I posted "100 Random Things About Me" # 14 was "My parents and paternal Grandfather all died at the age of 43 and that WON'T be me." I firmly believed that when I wrote it, and so upon my 43rd birthday I decided to challenge myself and write my blog every day for the year plus my 44th birthday. I liked the idea of taking the opportunity to make something terrific out of something terrifying; and, if you've been following me for a while, then you know that last night "I Did It" and I wrote the final post of my 43rd year.

So here we are; I'm sure that you're wondering what more I could possibly have to say after 365 consecutive posts; but you knowme, I'm a giver and I like to spread my happiness so I had to come back and celebrate my victory with you.

I've received more well wishes and congratulations for my birthday and my blog, than I could have ever imagined and I feel truly blessed. So in honor of my birthday, I've decided that I'm going to give a gift to one lucky rider. Yes, for the first time EVER on "The Bumpy Ride", I'm doin a giveaway and I hope that you will all participate and SPREAD THE WORD!

You may recall that when I posted "ASPIRE" I told you that my incredibly, talented friend Mari had been making what I called "inspiration charms", and she graciously offered to make me one and ASPIRE was my word. Well Mari's thoughtfulness and generosity didn't end there, because she has now donated one of her beautiful necklaces.for me to give as a gift to one of you. Mari asked me to select the word for the necklace and I chose one that I feel encompasses the message that I've been trying to impart throughout "The Bumpy Ride" - BELIEVE!

Yes my friends, this stunning, handmade, original necklace can be yours, if you leave me a comment.  Now being that I am the Queen of FOLLOWING THE RULES , ya gotta know that there are a couple, so here we go:

1.   In order to win you must follow "The Bumpy Ride" so if you're not already signed up; please do so, because I would hate for you to miss this fabulous opportunity.

2. Leave your comment with the name of your three favorite posts (BUT they can't be any that were mentioned in this blog.)

3. Because I know that it will take a while to meander around my previous posts, the deadline for comments will be August 5. Take your time, look around, read an old favorite or try something that you may have missed.

New riders are absolutely eligible to win as long as they sign up to follow, so in the interest of (say it with me) the GREATER GOOD; please make sure to to refer your friends to "The Bumpy Ride."

I'm really excited about giving this gift away, and ALL that this new year has in store for me. Lyndzi and I will be taking the red eye to New York tonight and I can't wait to come back and share all of my Big Apple adventures and reunions with you.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-365) I Did It!

2011-07-27T21:14:00.003-07:00

In honor of this auspicious occasion, I can think of nothing more appropriate than to quote Dora the explorer and say "I did it, I did it, I did it - HURRAY! Ya I did it!" I know that Dora says "we" not "I", but my monkey sidekick had nothing to do with writing "The Bumpy Ride" for 365 consecutive days, so I hope you'll permit me some creative license on that one.

When I wrote "43" on July 28, 2010, I said that I was committing to write EVERY day for a year PLUS my 44th birthday, so in fact my journey is not quite over; but I think that since this is the last night of my 43rd year it's appropriate for me to review all that I've learned during this excruciating endeavor so that tomorrow I can make a fresh start on a brand new year and the rest of my life.

To quote myself in "43", "I believe this needs to be a year of recollection, reflection, observation, appreciation, and change; and I plan to do this right before your very eyes." And, I'm delighted to say that I believe I have. I've taken you on many walks down my memory lane. Some strolls were happy and amusing while others were painful and heartbreaking. I told you "My real life love story", and many, many tales of trial and tribulation. I got definitions published in "The Urban Dictionary" and entered and lost my first essay contest. I've written about fear, courage, optimism, perseverance, grief, empathy, sympathy and laughter. I've shared quotes and songs from various genres, and demonstrated my prowess at Six degrees of Kevin Bacon. I reported on a season each of soccer and swim team, enlisted your assistance with an art contest and battled an Art Nazi! I've had thrills and spills, a number of firsts, and made several discoveries. I found and fell in love with my cousin Jackie, I got three new jobs, I renewed friendships, strengthened friendships and ended friendships. I've taken chances and advocated for myself like I never have before. I gave support, advice, and of course, recommendations for the (say it with me) GREATER GOOD! And I truly couldn't be more proud of myself than I am right now.

When I wrote "Five Hundred" I mentioned that writing "The Bumpy Ride" every day for this year had been both a blessing and a curse. I didn't elaborate on the negative; because ya know I like to accentuate the positive. Yet I will admit that this challenge was far more taxing than I ever imagined. The truth is that I usually give more though to what I'm gonna have for dinner than I did to what a big (yes) HUGE undertaking a daily commitment would be. No matter how physically or emotionally tired I was - I had to write. No matter what fun activity was awaiting me - I had to write. No matter my location -I had to write. And so with pad in hand I wrote as night fell upon the drive in. I typed in a word document at the lake, in Laughlin, and while camping. Then I had to go find a public place with wi-fi so that I could capture the perfect picture to accompany the post and publish it. I wrote from Las Vegas, and California (twice), not to mention having to get up extra early so that I could publish a post before spending the day in Disneyland. Each blog took anywhere from half an hour to five to write. And the award for the blog that took the longest to author, goes to "The Hostess With The Mostess", which I wrote while attending the best crop EVER at Mari's hobby house. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining at all. For me the pros definitely outweighed the cons AND now that I know for certain that I really can commit to doing something EVERY day; I'm gonna get my butt back to the gym, so that (hopefully) this time next year, I'll be able to report that I finally lost the hundred pounds that I've been talking about FOREVER.

If I've learned anything this year, it's this: First, I can do ANYTHING that I set my mind too. Second, if you want to change your circumstances YOU can. Third, you are only as limited as you allow yourself to be. And fourth, to quote RuPaul "What other people think of me is not my business."

Once again I want to thank everyone who has joined me on "The Bumpy Ride" this year and I implore you to keep coming back for more. Even though this is the end of my year, it is really only the beginning. I am so looking forward to sharing "44" with you tomorrow, so please make sure to stop by, as I'll be revealing a very special surprise.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-364) If I Were A Flower...

2011-07-26T22:41:00.000-07:00

It may come as a surprise that with less than forty eight hours remaining in my 43rd year, I don't have some big, profound thoughts to share tonight. But you know I like to keep you on your toes. AND, I sure would hate for you to think I was being predictable. So instead, I'm gonna do probably the last thing that's expected of me on this monumental 364th out of 366 posts and I'm gonna share a topic from Mari's "Memories & Thoughts" jar.

My kids and I looked through the many choices that I still have left and I chose "If you were a flower, you'd be a..." Kelsie immediately screamed out "A Rose", and although I'm fond of them; that's not what I'd be. No, I'm not as stoic as a Rose, as prim as a Rose, or as perfect as a Rose. Nor would I want to be.

If I were a flower, I'd be a Gerber daisy. Or Gerbera if you say tomato. Gerber's are straight forward. They are what they are and they make no excuses. They're brightly colored, happy flowers. Little rays of sunshine if you will. In fact, I've never seen a Gerber that I didn't like and I actually can't say the same about a Rose.

When I see a Gerber daisy, I get a smile on my face. Their simple beauty is a joy to behold, and I definitely wouldn't mind if someone thought the same about me. Gerber daisies are affordable and they're pretty low maintenance; so I can't imagine that there's anyone who wouldn't love them. And after all, isn't that what we all want - to be loved and appreciated?

So what about you? If YOU were a flower, you'd be a...
Please leave me a comment and let me know.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-363) Five Hundred

2011-07-25T22:01:00.000-07:00

As the "43" series and my 43rd year are soon coming to an end, I'm reaching all kinds of milestones. For instance, tonight's post is entitled "Five Hundred" as this is my 500th all time post on "The Bumpy Ride"!! It hardly seems possible to me, but when you take into consideration that tonight's post is also my three hundred sixty third consecutive blog; it's not so difficult to understand how I arrived here.

I remember deciding to take a stab at writing a blog like it was yesterday. I'd been having such a great time spewing my opinions about the Oscars and the fashions, that when Michelle M suggested that I write a blog, I thought I'd give it a shot. Even though quitting's not my nature, I almost threw in the towel when I found out that I had to create a title, a sign off name, and commit to what I was going to write about, because the tasks seemed so daunting. But in no time at all - I knew. To call my blog "The Bumpy Ride" only seemed natural, since I really do write like I talk -which is one of the reasons that (as you may have noticed), my punctuation isn't usually correct. This in and of itself makes for a bumpy journey - I know; but the name also derived from my storytelling style - which to this day I think fits it perfectly. As for the subject matter, I've stuck to what I know. My real life (bizarre as it is sometimes), pop culture, and my observations about anything and EVERYTHING.

Over time, "The Ride" has evolved into recommendations for (say it with me) "THE GREATER GOOD", and life lessons as I learn them. In 500 posts I have yet to figure out why, although I'm so self-conscious, fear ridicule AND criticism; I never hesitate to share my most embarrassing moments, and my frequent faux pas with you.

From moment one, I explained that I wanted to become a professional writer, and even though I still may be a long way off from that ever happening; I feel like if even in a very small way, my stories have somehow made a difference.

The "43 " series has been the brunt of my 500 posts and deciding to write is has been both a blessing and a curse. I've chronicled the year that theoretically could have been my last. I was distracted, I was observant and I didn't miss a minute. I documented my life past, and present and now have a testament to everything that I thought and did this year; which if nothing else, will be something that my children will be able to remember me by when I'm gone (a long, long time from now.) So yes, ultimately I truly do believe that it was a small price to pay for the inconveniences.

My hope is that one day 500 will be the number of followers that I have, or the number of lives that I've positively impacted, or the number of dollars that I'm being paid for an article or to speak publicly.

I owe a debt of gratitude to everyone who has encouraged and supported me throughout my 500 posts. Thank you to anyone who's shared my link, left a comment, or took the time to read. I look forward to getting started on the next 500.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-362) Five For Five

2011-07-24T22:18:00.000-07:00

If I were a cartoon, at this very moment you'd see my picture with the light bulb turning on over my head. So here are the facts: including today's post, I have just FIVE to go up to and including my birthday. Being that I only have FIVE posts to go, I felt like I should incorporate FIVE of something in this post; just because I've mentioned how much I love when someone on the Scrapbooking from the Inside Out message board comes up with a new "Gimme Five" topic. AND I've even shared some of them with you before.

Given those details, I racked my brain to try and come up with a "Gimme Five" theme; but for the life of me I couldn't think of one. The only thing that I kept going back to was "Happily Divorced", Fran Drescher's new show - because I've been wanting to write about it for a few weeks now and tell you how funny I think it is.  I thought about choosing, Five new shows that I'm / You're watching now; but as I could only think of three; that wasn't a good choice. Then all of a sudden it dawned on me (hence the light bulb) that one of the reasons I'm enjoying "Happily Divorced" so much, is because I really love Fran Drescher. There's something about her that I find endearing.  Although I'm not thin, or gorgeous, and I don't have a thick New York accent, I realte to her and I'm always in her corner. I think she's hysterically funny and loving and strong. Fran is one of those stars that I could see myself being friends with; if in some weird kinda universe that was possible. SO, with that being said Gimme Five famous women that you think you should be friends with. And here are mine:

#1.  Fran Drescher - My inspiration for this post.

#2. Ricki Lake   - I've been a Ricki fan ever since she was in the original "Hairspray." I find her to be easy going and down to earth and she seems like a lot of fun. I've seen her as a guest on talk shows and she and I have a lot in common, including our desire to become a doula (a woman who assists during labor and after childbirth.)

#3. Rosie O'Donnell - Now I can't say that I feel this way right at the moment but when Rosie had her talk show (pre going off on Tom Selleck ) I really felt like I had a connection with her and that if by chance we ever met; we would definitely be friends.

#4. Marisa Tomei - Again just that easy going, down to earth kinda gal. I think she has great energy and depth.

#5. Annabeth Gish - For some reason I feel like I have to remind you of who she is. It just so happens that Annabeth was in three of my ALL -TIME favorite movies EVER... She played Julia Roberts younger sister in "Mystic Pizza." She was in "SHAG" and She played Timothy Hutton's girlfriend in a film that coincidentally starred Rosie O'Donnell in one of her best roles - "Beautiful Girls."   I don't know as much about Annabeth as I do about my other choices, so it's possible that I'm picking her based on the characters that she's portrayed; but I get a feeling that it's more than that and since this is JUST a game, I'm gonna stick with her and my intuition.

So now it's your turn... Gimme Five famous women that you think you should be friends with. As always you can comment here, on Facebook, or email me.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-361) DJ Louie V

2011-07-23T22:44:00.000-07:00

If you've been riding for a few months, then you may be interested to know that tonight was DJ Louie V's debut. Yes, tonight Luis DJ'd my company's very first reunion, and although I woulda been nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rockin chairs, (I must be channeling Dolly Parton) - Luis was cool as a cucumber.

Luis has been practicing for several weeks now, and I think that he got really comfortable with the equipment and I have to say that I was REALLY impressed with how confident he was; AND how great his mixes sounded.

I had planned to go to the reunion for few hours, just to support Luis but my boss enlisted my help, so I greeted people and helped them find their name badges. Once again I found myself in the midst of a sociological smorgasbord. Between the fashions, the shoes, and the demeanors; I was in my people watching glory.

Sadly, just as people were getting on the dance floor, it was time for me to get back home to my kids, so I can't tell you how successful the reunion / Luis, was or wasn't. BUT regardless, I am SO proud of Luis for pursuing one of his dreams. He's always wanted to be a DJ and tonight he got paid to do so. So if you ask me, Luis ROCKS!!

Now since I'm in total dance mode after spending a few hours at the reunion, I'm going to share a dance video that Luis forwarded to me. Check it out and ENJOY!!
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-360) PEARLS...

2011-07-22T18:51:00.001-07:00

I feel the need to lighten things up today. Was that a sigh of relief I heard? "My Story - Part 1 and Part 2" took a lot out of me - and I suspect you. So today I wanna share some real pearls of wisdom that for the most part come from a rather unexpected source.

Luis joined Facebook a lil late in the game and even once he did, he rarely got on. I'm not sure what caused his change of heart but now it's safe to say that he's definitely a fan. More often than not, he seems to post his statuses while he's at work, so I have no idea where or how he's obtaining the gems that he's been sharing; but for the last week or so - he's had some great ones.

Now don't get me wrong, Luis is not suddenly a poet or philosopher; I mean he IS the man who posted and I quote, "IF YOU SEE SOME ONE SEXY SAY HEYYYY.. HEYYYY POOH..!!" ( He was talking to me, when he said "Pooh.") He was pretty proud of this post and he told me to go look for it before I ever saw it. He said that it was a line in a song that he couldn't get out of his head. I later heard the song and determined that he was listening to it with his accent, because that's not EXACTLY what it said; but I was flattered nonetheless.

The statuses that followed were the ones that I was even more impressed by. Now he doesn't always give credit to the authors, so to some less knowledgeable Facebook friends, he may appear to be one profound dude (and he is); but my point is, I'm not going to go look the quotes up and credit the authors today. I'm just going to share exactly what Luis has posted:

"Love others as they are, not as you want them to be."

"Books alone don't make good students. Kids need caring teachers at school and loving parents at home."

"Trust yourself. you know more than you think you do."

"There is nothing wrong by been different!" (OK, on this one he must have been spelling with his accent because I'm pretty sure it should have said "being" different.)

"Love all. Trust few. Do wrong to no one."

" When I'm sad, I stop being sad and be awesome instead."

"Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new."
~ Albert Einstein

"Anything worth doing is worth doing slowly." (Now that one got varied responses...)

"If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten."

"Courage is being afraid but going on anyhow."

Rest assured, that I absolutely had his permission to share his musings with you, (my comments and all). And although I'm certain that it appears like I'm pokin a little bit of fun at him - trust me when I tell you that I am so appreciative of the fact that these concepts are important and noteworthy to him. Talk about (say it with me) "The Greater good."
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-359) My Story - Part 2

2011-07-21T16:28:00.000-07:00

Let me start off by saying that I truly appreciate the heartfelt comments that I've been receiving in response to yesterday's post "My Story - Part 1". Perhaps most bloggers wouldn't start chapter two of a story that way, but then again; I'm not most bloggers.

If you read part 1 of my story, then I probably don't need to warn you that this is not a happy tale. In fact, today's recollection is much more difficult for me to tell -  but I'm going to do it no matter how uncomfortable it is; because I want to leave a written record of what my life was like and how I got to be who I am now...

I did not speak to my mother at my father's funeral. I didn't know what to say, and at the time I still believed all of the horrible lies that my father had told me about her. My father's girlfriend made arrangements for my boyfriend and I to spend a week with a friend of mine who lived in Maryland; and upon my return she told me that I had to meet with my mom because I was going to have to go back to live with her. There were a lot of hurt feelings on both ends I know, but my mother welcomed me back with open arms; and slowly but surely I reciprocated.

We had my Sweet 16 as planned, and a few days later I was admitted to the hospital for Arthroscopic knee surgery; which also had been scheduled before my father had passed away. School was set to start a few weeks after that, and I didn't want to go to the high school that was by my mom's house since I had been teased terribly throughout Jr, high. Because my mom understood how important it was to me to remain at Tappan Zee, she made arrangements with my Principal so that I could use a friend's address and continue going to school there. As a result of my knee surgery, I had an enormous cast on my left leg, from my ankle to my thigh and since TZ was a good twenty minutes from my house, my mom went out of her way to drive me to school every morning and she paid someone to drive me home.

I got on with my life, adjusting to not having a father and getting reacquainted with my mother. Then one day I was called to the Principal's office. I was informed that I had enough credits to graduate that spring; but since I was only sixteen and had just gone through a truly, traumatic experience, I didn't feel ready to leave my new home. I opted to stay with my mom, who had been in remission from her Cancer and took classes for college credit during my senior year. My house became the party house, and all of my friends loved spending time with my mom. She was different. She was honest with us, and she was fun, and funny and I had far too little time with her.

After being weight listed for my school of choice, my mom and I took a last minute trip to visit two of the Long Island University campuses. Ultimately she and I agreed that Southampton was the right place for me; but imagine my surprise when on the first day of school, every other person I met was a marine biology major and I was there for Pre-law. I thought there must have been some mistake.  I mean science was definitely not my forte and pardon the pun, but I felt like a real fish outta water. I came to be assured that there were other majors at LIU-Southampton; it was just that most people did go there for Marine bio. Most people, like my suite mate Michele Q.

During our getting to know you exercises Michele Q and I discovered that we had the same birthday. And at the time, other than our birthdays and our residence, I thought that was all that we had in common. It wasn't that I didn't like Michele Q; in retrospect, maybe I was just jealous. She was vivacious, and confident and she walked around singing (beautifully) at the top of her lungs, and maybe just maybe I felt a little threatened by her.

My mom came out for parents weekend, and she looked great.  I suppose that's why it was such a surprise that she ended up back in the hospital by Halloween. Her cancer had come back, and I needed to get home to see her.  I was scared and I didn't want to go alone and when I asked if any of my suite mates would go home with me, Michele Q was the only one to say she would. Michele enlisted our other suite mate Monique to come with us and they managed to turn a very frightening experience into a life changing event. Michele came home with me every weekend to go see my mom in the hospital. She had become my best friend; my sister.

We almost lost my mom at Christmas time, but she managed to hold on. I returned to school after the New year, but a week into my second semester, my Uncle called to say that my mom was being released from the hospital as there was nothing more that they could do for her, and I needed to withdraw from school, come home and take care of her.

When I got back to my mom's house, I found her in a hospital bed in our living room. My grandparents had said that they would stay to help and there would be home health aides coming daily as well. I enrolled at Rockland Community College, and I got a job at a bakery because I couldn't stand to be at home watching my mother deteriorate. I would get up in the middle of the night when she called me for help, but I did so begrudgingly and that is a cross that I will always have to bare. I won't make excuses for myself, but I do realize that I was 18 and for the second time in three years I was going to lose a parent.  I was watching my mother be slowly tortured and it was killing me; so no, I wasn't in good spirits when I tried to assist her and I will forever regret that.

While the Cancer took over my mom's body and she had no idea who I was; I had reapplied to the American University School of Justice in Washington D.C and got in. But knowing that it wouldn't be long before we were going to lose my mom, I decided that I should stay closer to home for my brother's sake and I made plans to return to LIU in the fall.    Feeling like I was going to need to focus on more than just academics, I had applied to become a Freshman Student Assistant and after an extensive interview process I was selected for a position. FSA training was scheduled for a week before school started, but knowing that my mom's end was near, I couldn't bring myself to leave. I called Michelle Q, who had just arrived home after spending the summer in Suriname. And as soon as I told her how dire things had become with my mom, she literally dropped off her suitcases and got on a bus to come up to see me.

In the only moment of lucidity that my mom had experienced in weeks, she told Michele that she needed to pack me up and take me back to school. I didn't want to go because I knew that I would never see my mom again, but Michele insisted as it was my mother's dying wish.

I don't remember saying goodbye to my mother, as the person that I left in that hospital bed was a mere skeleton and not the exquisite, exuberant mom that I had grown to know and love. I think that I must have cried almost all the way to school, but Michele reassured me that she would be there for me; and she was.

A few days after classes had started, I got the call that I knew was inevitable. On September 11, 1986 my mom had lost her long, battle with Cancer and at the age of 19, I was parentless. Michele and some other school friends took me home for the funeral and I attempted once again, to get on with my life.

My Uncle had moved in with my brother, as he was 17 and still needed to finish high school. I tired to go home for Christmas, but I felt so uncomfortable there, that I never went back. My Provost knew about my situation and as I wasn't eligible for work study, he created jobs for me so that I could live on campus during winter and summer breaks.

I worked as an FSA, I was Student Government Secretary for a year and a half, and President my senior year.  I changed my major to Sociology because I decided that I didn't want to be a lawyer and I didn't want to lose all of the college credits that I came in with from high school and I decided not to attend my graduation because even though Michele and my dad's old girlfriend would have been there for me; I thought that it would just hurt too much.

After I lost my father, I thought to myself that losing someone so unexpectedly must be so much more awful than knowing that someone was going to pass away. But after watching my mom suffer the way she did, I can honestly say that in my opinion, knowing is by far worse.

I know that this story is an unusual one, and I readily admit that these experiences have left me with profound scars. But each day I try to be the best person that I can be and I endeavor to be a person that my mom would be proud of. I don't hold a grudge against Richie Howell, I just don't have any fond memories or good thoughts about him. Yet despite him and the course that he set in motion for my life, I am happy. I know that although I lost a lot at an early age, I also have so much more than most people, in the way of those who love and care for me.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-358) My Story - Part 1

2011-07-20T20:42:00.001-07:00

To quote Steve Martin in "The Jerk", "My story? OK..." I know Big V appreciated that reference, and hopefully it gave a smile to any other "Jerk" fans out there; and I'll give this disclaimer now, that's probably the only mildly amusing part of tonight's post. 358 days into my 43rd year and I realized that although I've mentioned numerous times that both my mom and dad passed away when they were 43, I never told you how. Because their deaths and the circumstances surrounding their passings are such a big part of who I am and why, I feel that I can't let this year go by, with out telling you my story.  So settle in, and be prepared to sit a spell, because this just may be the bumpiest ride EVER.

I remember that when I was a kid, people used to tell me that they never knew a couple more in love than my mom and dad. I suppose this is why many were so surprised by their separation - but not me. When I was in sixth grade my dad had heart failure and ultimately it was determined that he needed to have open heart surgery.  One night, a few weeks before his operation, he came up to say goodnight to me and he told me that if he survived the surgery he was going to leave my mother.  Being 11 I had no idea what to do or say so I kept this information to myself. He had the surgery on May 17, 1979 and did survive, but he did not move out until November when I was on a weekend, class trip to Washington D.C and my mom was one of the chaperones. We came home from what had been a really great trip, only to find out that he didn't live with us anymore.

I've mentioned before that Richie Howell never seemed too interested in being a dad. But once he'd moved out, he started paying more attention to my brother and I. We went to Broadway shows, and restaurants and he even asked us if we wanted to come and live with him. I was conflicted about where I wanted to live, because for once my father was paying positive attention to me and my mom was dating a man that I did not like and he was coming between us. I felt that my mom chose this man over me one night when I asked her not to go out because I'd had a tooth pulled, but he convinced her to leave me. I called my father upset (remember I was 12) and he came over; but when my mom got home and found him there, she was not too happy with me.  After my father had left, I told my mom that I didn't like this man and she slapped me across the face. It was this altercation that made me decide to go and live with my dad and forever changed the course of my life.

Shortly after arriving at my father's I realized that he was using my brother and I so that he wouldn't have to pay money to my mother. We lived in a two bedroom apartment. My dad had bought himself a beautiful bedroom set and the furniture store had given him a loaner set till his was delivered. As they never asked for the set back, he put it in the second bedroom that I had to share with my brother. The bedroom sets were the only furniture in the apartment other than a card table and four folding chairs. It wasn't that my dad couldn't afford to furnish the apartment, because believe me , he could. It was just that he said he didn't want to buy furniture for the apartment when he intended to buy a house once their divorce was final, and then he would have to buy new furniture again, which he didn't want to do. We lived this way for two years, although my brother would move back and forth between my mom and dad's a couple of times.

While I lived with my dad I didn't talk to my mom, because he had convinced me that she'd been saying terrible things about me. We had no relationship to speak of and that is the biggest regret of my life.  I was a child, being badly influenced by her father, and it wasn't until he died that I learned the truth.

During my first year of high school, my father informed me that my mom had been diagnosed with Cancer. He suggested that we might move back home with her, but ultimately he decided not too. Then the summer before I went into tenth grade, my father went into the hospital to have a hernia operation and he had a heart attack as he was coming out of the anesthesia. His health deteriorated throughout that year, but I have to be honest and tell you that his addiction to prescription drugs definitely contributed to his illness, AND I believe that he had a death wish. For some reason he ALWAYS had it in his head that because his father passed away at the age of 43, he would too.

It was the summer of 1983, I was 15 years old, planning for my Sweet 16 party and in love for the first time. My brother was living with us again, because me mother threatened to take out a PINS (Person In Need Of Supervision) petition on him, and if my father didn't take him back he would have had to go into foster care. It was only fair that my father take him, because upon my father's orders my brother had been trying to drive my mom crazy and that included verbal and physical abuse.

I was at my boyfriend's house and my brother called to ask me if we could take him for a haircut. When I said "No", my father told him to take the bus. He did, but when he got off, a car hit him and he was rushed to the hospital. My father called me and told me what had happened and he insisted that we all go to the hospital to see my brother. We did, and on the way home, it seemed like my father was trying to prepare me for his departure. He was telling me things like, "when you're older this, " and stuff like that; but I didn't make anything of it. As the air conditioning happened to be broken in our apartment, my father left me and my brother's girlfriend to sleep there, and he went across the street to sleep at his girlfriend's apartment.

The next morning HE went to get a haircut, and when he came back he told me that he didn't think that he was going to make it to my Sweet 16, (which was less than one month away). I asked if that was because he was going to have to go out of town, and he said "No, it's because I don't think I'll be alive." I begged him to stop talking like that, and not in so many words, told him that I thought he was exaggerating; and he told me "You're a selfish, little bitch and you're going to be sorry." He went back to his girlfriend's apartment and left me alone.

A couple of hours later his girlfriend called to tell me that my brother had been calling non-stop because he wanted to be picked up from the hospital. She said that she was going to stop by my apartment to get my father's phone book in case they needed to call the doctor, because he hadn't been feeling well.  She asked him if he wanted to talk to me, and he said "No." When she stopped by a few minutes later, I decided that I would go over to her apartment to check on him. Barefooted I crossed the street and she shouted to me that her mom was going to her car to get something and I could just let myself into the apartment. I went in and found my father slumped off the couch. I called to him and tried to shake him, but he didn't move. I ran outside and called to his girlfriend's mom, "Please come quick, something is wrong with my dad." She came up, saw him and called 911. When the paramedics arrived, I went to get my shoes, and then rode to the hospital with the police. They asked me for some history, which I gave to the best of my knowledge. When I arrived at the hospital, they had me sit in a private waiting room, and after some time, my brother, his girlfriend, my boyfriend and my dad's girlfriend showed up. The doctor then came in and told us that my father had suffered cardiac arrest and died. He said that he was dead when I found him and I was in shock.

My father's self fulfilling prophecy had come true and my life as I knew it was about to change dramatically.  Not only did I have to face my mom, who I hadn't seen or spoken to in two years; I now had no choice but to move back to live with the woman whom my father had turned into my enemy. Interestingly enough, all of my father's plotting and scheming were for nothing as by the time he passed away, they were nowhere close to settling their divorce and he and my mom were still married. The only thing that he succeeded in doing was robbing me of two years with my mother, for his own selfish reasons, which is why I refer to him most often as Richie Howell, instead of my dad.

I know that this is a lot to absorb for one night; so please return tomorrow for part 2 of my story.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-357) Follow Me

2011-07-19T22:02:00.000-07:00

Every day I look at the numbers at the side of my screen to see how many followers I have; and for a pretty long time now, those numbers haven't changed. I see ten followers through Google and 67 through NetworkedBlogs, and I'll be honest, I guess I really hoped that somewhere along the way, I would have picked up more; just like Julie did in "Julie and Julia."

I know that on a couple of occasions I've asked for your help before, as increasing my readership has always been one of my goals; but sadly, it just hasn't happened. So, at the risk of seeming pushy, I'm gonna ask just one more time; since I'm nearing the end of my 366 day commitment and it's more important to me than ever that more people read my blog. Think of it as an early birthday present for me if you will. If each person that follows "The Bumpy Ride", could recommend it to a couple of friends that they think might enjoy it, and if even just one of those friends signs up to follow this blog, then I could actually double my followers. Heck, I'd just settle for making it to 100 followers by my birthday.

Making this plea, somehow reminds me of the Tony Orlando and Dawn song "Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree." If you're familiar with the song, and you've been a rider long enough, that MAY just make some sense to you, but if you've never heard the song (it's an oldie but a goodie, so take a listen.) With that being said, if you know anyone that you think might get a laugh from my nonsense or may be interested in my suggestions for the (say it with me) "GREATER good", then I urge you to share "The Bumpy Ride" with them, and encourage them to sign up to follow either through Google or Networkedblogs (on Facebook.) If you yourself are a regular rider but you've never signed up to "follow" then I implore you to do so now, just so I will know that you're really out there.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-356) Arizona Rain

2011-07-18T22:01:00.000-07:00

Quite some time ago, I posted "A Lil Bit About Arizona" and I explained that Luis and I had moved from Florida to Arizona, sight unseen in January, 1997. January was a good time of year to move here because it wasn't hot at all. In fact I was super, surprised to experience rain almost every day that month. And if you've never been to Arizona then this is probably news to you too.

Just because we live in the desert doesn't mean that we never get rain, nor does it mean that the temperature doesn't cool down. The truth of the matter is that typically from mid-October through mid-May our weather is delightful; and we do experience a rain storm from time to time. The summer months and September are usually when we endure our highest temperatures; but it is true that it's a dryer heat, so it's not usually as uncomfortable as a high temp accompanied by humidity. Don't get me wrong; I'm not gonna try and convince you that at 118 it's not HOT, cause IT IS; but at least we're not sweating profusely.

Anywho, this afternoon Kelsie and I went to Super Wal-mart for a couple of things, and as I was checking out I heard this unfamiliar, loud sound, pounding on the roof. I asked the checker what was going on and he said "rain," to which I replied "if the rain sounds like that, it must be pouring." I finished my transaction and went to look at the door and sure enough, it was torrential. Kels and I decided to wait the storm out a bit in the McDonald's that's in the store. After I thought the rain had subsided, we decided to head to the car. We walked through the cool rain, commenting that despite the wind it really wasn't so bad. We reached our minivan and I let Kelsie into the car. Then just as I was about to put a bag in, she yelled "Mommy look, there's a tree on our car!" And this is what I saw:

The tree ran the spans of our windshield. The wind had been so strong that the tree snapped and fell onto our minivan.

Kelsie asked how we were going to get the tree off of our car, and I'll admit, I wondered the same thing. I was hoping that I could just back out slowly and that the tree would slip off. But being that things don't always work out the way I think they will (ie "An Accident Waiting To Happen"); I wasn't certain that I was right in my thinking. Nonetheless, not feeling like I had many options, and with the rain persisting, I decided to give my plan a try - and thankfully it worked like a charm. Our car suffered a bent antenna, but no other damage that I could see. As we were pulling out I snapped another pic just so I'd have more to share with you and Luis. My minivan was under where the tree is lying in the parking spot; but what you see here was only a portion of it.

Kelsie and I drove still in shock over what happened, but proud that we'd gotten out of it as well as we did. The worst part of all is that as we drove home, I realized that our Disney soccer antenna ball was missing. I loved that antenna ball because it always helped me locate my car in a parking lot. Oh well, something tells me I'm gonna be in for a bunch more parking lot related incidents until I replace that antenna ball.

So for those of you who thought it doesn't rain in Arizona; now you've seen proof.

Till next time...

Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-355) What I've Been Missing...

2011-07-17T20:46:00.000-07:00

The other day I read an announcement that had me very conflicted. It said that James Spader would be joining the cast of "The Office." Since I've mentioned James Spader in a number of previous posts, it should come as no surprise that I'm super happy that he's returning to television, BUT as I've never seen an episode of "The Office" in my life, I fear that I'd be starting a lil late in the game. I suppose that if I had a good deal of time on my hands, I could try and watch a couple of episodes, but we all know that time is not something that I have a lot of AND the truth is, I never really had any interest in watching it, which is why I've been content to miss it. I KNOW that "The Office" is very popular, so some of you may find it difficult to believe that I've never watched it; but just as I've missed some classic movies  there have also been several shows that I have never tuned in to.

Since my "Missing Movies" got such a good response, this seems like an opportune time, to share some TV shows that I've never seen. Since #53 of "100 Random Things About Me" was "I have NEVER watched an episode of Star Trek." I don't feel the need to put Star Trek or any other Sci-fi type show on this list. If it's a show that's Sci-fi, or futuristic, you can pretty much assume that I've NEVER seen it. Ironically enough, #52 on that same list was " I will miss James Spader and "Boston Legal" terribly."

So what else haven't I seen? There are probably TOO many to list; so far now, since I am the Queen of FAIRNESS, I'll just 25 like I did with the movie post.

1.    ANY "CSI" show
2.   "House"
3.   "Everybody Loves Raymond" (OK, I saw an episode in syndication once,   but just once.)
4.   "Home Improvement"
5.   "Newhart"
6.   "Modern Family"
7.   "Frasier" (OK, maybe once but that was it.)
8.   Any "Law and Order" show
9.   "In the Middle"
10. "Malcolm In the Middle"
11. "Dexter"
12. "Talk Radio"
13. "The New Adventures of Old Christine"
14. "Baywatch"
15. "America's Got Talent"
16. "Parks and Recreation" (Though I would like to check this one out)
17. "My Name is Earl"
18. "30 Rock"
19. "The Simpsons"
20. "According to Jim"
21. "Two and a Half Men"
22. "How I Met Your Mother"
23. "Scrubs"
24. "LOST"
25. "Mad Men"

I probably could have made two separate lists, one for dramas and one for comedies; but we'll just let this suffice for now. If you'd like to weigh in, on if I should start watching "The Office," or if you have a favorite show that you'd like to recommend, feel free to leave me a comment here or on Facebook, or you can email me.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-354) Better Than First Place

2011-07-16T16:23:00.001-07:00

When I opened my eyes this morning I had absolutely no idea what day it was. I thought for a moment "is it Friday, and I have to get up to work?" I considered it and then thought "it might be Saturday." Feeling pretty confident that it was in fact Saturday, I checked my cell phone for the time, saw that it was 6:45am and yelled "WE OVERSLEPT!!!!!!!!!!!" Luis woke up immediately and asked what was wrong, and I frantically said "WE OVERSLEPT, we're supposed to be at the pool in five minutes." And the pool was a good 20 minutes away (15 if someone other than Luis was driving.)

We woke the kids up, explained that we overslept and rushed everyone to get ready. I texted Kailene to let her know what was going on and asked her to save spots for us. The truth of the matter was, we did have a little time to spare, because the only thing that we were truly late for was getting their early enough to wait online, so that we could get a good spot. The kids didn't really have to be in the pool until 730, and the meet wasn't supposed to start until 8.

My family did a great job of getting ready on the fly. I had Luis take Nicky and Kelsie up to the pool, and Lyndzi and I made a Dunkin Donuts and McDonald's run, because there was no way that I was gonna wake up without a big ole Iced coffee and Luis wanted a couple of breakfast burritos. Including my two stops, I managed to pull into the parking lot at 734 and I was quite impressed with myself.

Once everyone was settled in at the meet, and I had a minute to think, I recalled another day when I'd overslept in a similar way, and suffice it to say it didn't end as well as today did. It was May 1984 and I had a VERY busy weekend. That Friday night I went to my friend Russell's senior prom. The next day, Big V and I, along with several other friends, went to Great Adventure. We arrived home MUCH later than we were supposed to, which I do admit was my fault; and my mom was none to happy with me. I was SO exhausted that I didn't pack for our choir tour which was leaving first thing the following morning. I went to sleep and woke up to a panicked call from my friend Melissa. She asked what I was doing because two buses of people were waiting for me so that we could leave for our choir tour. "Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God!" I had overslept, my school was a good twenty minutes away, no matter who drove and I wasn't even packed. I begged my mom not to make me go; but she was not so sympathetic and she ordered me to throw some stuff in a bag and get my ass in the car. I felt humiliated as we pulled into the parking lot and saw the two huge buses sitting there. I climbed onto my bus as mortified as could be. I tried not to look anyone in the face, for fear that they would give me the stink eye, or worse. I climbed into my seat, and tried to look invisible, but that only lasted a few minutes, because I burst out into a loud laugh when my friend Patti's mom asked "does anyone want something hard to suck on"? heck, I'm laughing about it now. How immature am I ? Before our choir director would allow the buses to pull out he insisted on making an announcement over the loud speaker, crediting me for our late departure and advising that at each and every stop we made, I was expected to be on the bus no less than ten minutes before everyone else. I guess that was a small price to pay, so I accepted my punishment without objection and the buses pulled out, for New Orleans.

I shared this story today with Lyndzi and Kelsie, sans the hard sucking candy part and I think that they felt bad for me. No need to though, because at least I can look back and chalk it up to experience. A bad experience, but an experience.

Our lateness didn't effect my kids at all. Both got to warm up on time, although Kelsie wasn't needed in the meet since the top eight swimmers were in attendance. Nicky swam his race and came in sixth, exactly where he was seeded, and I am delighted to say that he was very happy with that. I guess we really got through to him; an that for me is better than a first place medal.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-353) Nicky's Turn

2011-07-15T23:06:00.001-07:00

Tonight was Nicky's turn at the swim team (Semi) Championships. I guess I really should call it the championships because that's what the league refers to it as; but then what do you call the final meet that only the top 8 swimmers and two alternates qualify for? I've heard someone refer to that meet as the finals, so if we're going with that, then tonight Nicky swam in the championships. That sounds confusing to me and I WAS there, so I'm sure that must have caused a re-read or six, but hey - what's the name of this blog?

So the way that it worked was each swimmer could choose three strokes to swim in. Then all of the people in the league that chose to swim that stroke, were put into heats and lanes based on their best time in that stroke. They didn't call the places out, because the city of Glendale was kind enough to run our meet and brought with them, their electronic timing machines. In addition to the machines, there were two time keepers on every lane, and they had to press a plunger like device when the swimmer reached the wall, as well as record a time per a stop watch that each lane duo was provided with. Go ahead, ask me, you know you want to . Here I'll help, "how is it that you know so much about the electronic score keeping and what's involved"? AND you know you know the answer to that one, so just go ahead and say it, "I know because the coach requested that my friend Kailene and I be timers in exchange for a parking pass, which precluded us from having to park in East Jabib; AND free cold water." Sorry, I know I was telling you about the meet and got carried away by my FREE stuff. So anyway, after each of the heats, the kids went to the awards table so that they could be presented with their appropriate medal. Afterwards, all of the times from each heat of a particular stroke were calculated and the kids with the eight fastest times in each stroke, were the ones who had qualified for "the finals" on Saturday.

With this knowledge in his pocket, Nicky was nervous about today's meet. Both Luis and I reassured him that this wasn't a big deal and that he'd be fine. But he's his mother's son and he worried. Nicky's first race was the 50 meter Freestyle, for which he came in 5th and was very dissatisfied. Nicky came over to us and he looked like he was on the verge of tears. I tried to comfort him, and tell him how proud we were of him, but he was still too frustrated with himself to hear it. A while later Luis decided to take a walk over to where Nicky was, to try and get him to think positively and try his best. He came in third for breaststroke, and although he did better, he still wanted to come in first. I explained that he had done beautifully, and he'd come so far, that he should be thrilled with himself; and I think that he wanted to be, but he just couldn't. Not too long thereafter, we found out that Nicky had qualified for "the finals" by coming in 6th overall. And finally he cracked a smile.

Feeling good about himself, Nicky swam in his last race - the butterfly. He was doing very, very well and came in third, but they disqualified him for doing a Breaststroke kick at some point during his race; and that sent him right back into depression mode. I implored Nicky to focus on the positive, and what he'd achieved, as opposed to concentrating on the negative, and what "might have been." But sadly it's not his nature to do that.

When all was said and done, Nicky had qualified to swim in the finals for the Breaststroke, and that is a big (yes) HUGE accomplishment. I'm so proud of him! And while I'm busy being proud, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Kelsie actually qualified as an alternate for her age group Breaststroke. Kelsie had come in fifth for the race, but she had the tenth best time in the league, which is why she's an alternate.

I think that we've all learned some valuable lessons during the course of this swim team season, and I can't wait to see Nicky (and possibly Kelsie) swim in "the finals." No matter how they do.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-352) ALWAYS In Their Corner

2011-07-14T23:11:00.000-07:00

If I had a nickel for every time I've said "time flies" during the course of writing "The Bumpy Ride"... BUT it's true, it does; and the fact that swim team is already concluding this week is just more proof of it.

It seems like just yesterday that my kids were starting swim team prep. Remember I wrote "Love Gives You Courage" and I told you about that horrible, girl "Brenda"? Then school ended and I was so looking forward to our summer and our swim meets. I told you about sitting at the judges table, and how "awful, Brenda" was putting herself in races with slower swimmers so that she could come in "first place." What I didn't tell you, was that this was not the best swim season, by a long shot - for either of my girls.

It's not that I didn't tell you because I was ashamed or embarrassed about how they were doing. It's was just that there wasn't a whole lotta story there at the time. I mean they each had a couple of good races; but something was different this summer, for the both of them, and ultimately neither was as successful as they had been in seasons past. I kept telling them that it didn't matter what place they came in, as long as they were having fun; but what can I say, they're their mother's daughters and hence they are competitive by nature. (Lyndzi more so than Kelsie.)

Ultimately it wasn't the best meet for Lyndzi or Kelsie, but they did have a couple of really good races. Lyndzi got 2nd place for her Freestyle, 4th place for her Butterfly and 8th place for Backstroke. Kelsie got 3rd place for Breaststroke, 6th place for Backstroke and 7th place for Freestyle. Tomorrow it's Nicky's turn and interestingly enough, he's been having a phenomenal season, but I digress.

As a parent who is always looking for the lesson that can be learned, I wanted to reinforce the idea that as long as they tried their hardest and had a good time doing it; what place they came in was irrelevant to us. I would rather have them come in last and have really tried, than to come in first because they were swimming against kids with less aptitude. I told them that I would cheer them on whether they were come in second or seventh place because they're my kids and I'm ALWAYS in their corner. Besides, if you usually come in first, I don't think that you appreciate it as much as if you've had a couple of eighth's and fifth's throughout the season. To truly appreciate the splendor of first place, you have to know what it's like to be in the other places as well.

I am very proud of my girls for the commitment that they made to swim team and for the effort that they put forth. It is my pleasure to watch them swim and compete regardless of the outcome. I am sad that swim team is over for the summer, but I look forward to the extra time it will give us together.
Till next time...
Queen of Everything

(43-351) Addicted To Words

2011-07-13T22:27:00.000-07:00

When I went to Michelle M's on Sunday she was raving about her iPad. Considering that I barely know the difference between and iPad and iPod, a demonstration was definitely in order and let's just say - ME LIKEY!

Although I'm a big (yes) HUGE fan of playing games, I've never been a video game player; but the games available on the iPad, are SO much more than that. Michelle peaked my interest by showing me "Words with Friends" (which is basically SCRABBLE) which techie girl that she is, she also plays on her Droid phone. I myself have a rather antiquated phone, sans Internet connection; but I digress. She sang a round of "glee" karaoke, we tried our hands at Family Feud , and interestingly enough, the topic was "things associated with the devil." I should have given MICHELLE M as an answer, considering  I would just about sell my soul for an iPad now.   Ya know, I'm taking literary license there.  Truth is, in a million years, I never woulda thought that I would want an iPad, or anything like it, but the fact that it comes with a Kindle, AND a Nook just made it all the more desirable to me.

Knowing that an iPad is NOT in my immediate future (and by immediate, I mean like several years), I decided to check on Facebook to see if they had a SCRABBLE game, and sure enough they did. NOT Queen of FACEBOOK, The INTERNET or THINGS THAT REQUIRE FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS, I was pretty proud of myself when I figured out how to invite friends to play SCRABBLE with me, and actually got some games going. Now this may sound silly to some I'm sure. But in all of the years that I've been on Facebook, I've never played Bejeweled Blitz, or built a city or a farm or had a Mafia War. The ONLY game I've ever played is word challenge. Do we sense a trend here or what? I am addicted to words. One of the things that I like best about SCRABBLE on Facebook is that you and your playmate don't need to be online at the same time and don't have to play a full game at once. I started by requesting a game with the devil herself on Monday night. We each made a few words, and then tabled the game till Tuesday. I like the fact that when I log onto Facebook, I can check to see if it's my turn in any of the games I'm participating in. Make a word, and go about my b'ness. Another feature that I like, is the chat. Go figure. Instead of the usual Facebook instant messaging, you can actually chat with your opponent and leave a message that they'll see when they make their next word.

OK I'll admit it, my name is Paige and I'm a Facebook SCRABBLE addict.  It just took one play and I was hooked. And then, to seal my fate I made a word using ALL of my tiles. I got 72 points for ANOREXIA. It was the most points that I've ever earned on one word, and now I know that there is no turning back. I don't want to stop!   Now let me make this clear, I'm not the best player by far, and I don't care if I win or lose, I just like to play. Dare I ask you to enable me and send me a SCRABBLE invitation on Facebook?    You know you want to. Just one little word? One small game?
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-350) No Easy Feat

2011-07-12T23:12:00.000-07:00

Check out the number folks, I'm ALMOST there!! Just fifteen posts to go after tonight. I can hardly believe it. But with that being said I feel compelled to take you on some of the best Bumpy Rides EVER, so now the pressure is really on.

In last night's post I mentioned that Michelle M and I went shopping for a pair of sandals to go with "the perfect black dress." Now if you've taken this ride before then you know that shoe shopping is no easy feat for me ( OK, pun intended), given my ridiculously long, narrow, flat, feet. On a good day I can purchase a size twelve, but there haven't been that many "good days' for shoe shopping for me in the past couple of years; which is why I've resorted to living in flip flops. With my New York trip impending, I KNOW that I need to purchase a sandal to go with the dress that I bought to wear to "Mamma Mia", as well as a pair of something other than plastic flip flops, for the rest of my trip.

When I was in college I could squeeze my foot into a size ten shoe if it ran big or was a little wide, because although my feet are a quadruple A, the width kinda made up for the length. When I wore a ten, most other women wore an eight; but that's not the case anymore. Size ten is a much more popular size in women's shoes, and girls are growing taller than they previously did; which leads me to believe that the shoe companies should be producing more styles in larger sizes; but apparently they haven't gotten that memo yet. Without many shopping options, I typically resort to looking for footwear at Payless; but this summer their selection has been less than satisfactory (in my opinion.) With this in mind, Michelle accompanied me to Nordstrom Rack, but alas the only thing that would have fit me there, was their boxes. We then strolled over to DSW and they had a couple more pairs than Nordstrom's did, but not many to speak of. The selection was meager and I left empty handed.

Desperate and dejected, we decided to hit Payless "just in case". As I suspected, there was nothing of interest to me and I joked that I might need to find a shoe store for drag queens; until I had the sad realization that drag queens wear heels, and I don't.

It seems that I have no choice but to start looking online, which is a real challenge for me, since Internet shopping frustrates me. BUT, unless I plan on wearing those Nordstrom boxes to "Mamma Mia", I'll have to put my best foot forward (so to speak) and find me the perfect pair of sandals. Wish me luck!
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-349) On Second Thought...

2011-07-11T21:33:00.001-07:00

I like to give credit where credit is due and I didn't include Kelsie as a member of our clumsy, clan when I wrote "An Accident Waiting To Happen." Perhaps I didn't mention her because she's not prone to tripping over her own feet the way that Lyndzi and I are; but upon reflection, Kelsie has endured plenty of accidents.

There was the soccer tournament two years ago, to name one. Lyndzi was playing goalie and she booted the ball outta the goal and it smacked Kelsie right in the face. Even though Kelsie was the one who got hurt, Lyndzi felt terrible as well, she ran out of the goal paying no attention tot the fact that the game was still going on, because she was so upset that she had hurt her sister. Then just last week when we were in California Nicky accidentally kicked Kelsie in the face while they were in the pool, and Kelsie is still sporting that black eye. Well tonight we had Michelle M, her son, Max and her niece, Lilly over for dinner, because Michelle graciously agreed to go shoe shopping with me, so that I could look for a sandal to go with "The perfect black dress". While I was getting out our condiments, Kelsie let out a cry that let me know something had gone terribly wrong. We rushed into the playroom and Kelsie was holding her nose and wailing. When I got her to calm down a bit, she told us that Max and Lilly had been throwing Hershey's ball at each other and Max missed Lilly and hit her in the nose. My poor baby! Between the remnants of her black eye and the bump that was coming up on her nose, you couldn't help but feel sorry for her. I truly think her only consolation was the fact that I told her that she was gonna be the subject of tonight's "Bumpy Ride," and in more than one way, she sure is.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-348) The Lazy River

2011-07-10T22:27:00.000-07:00

Let's pick up where I left off in "An Accident Waiting To Happen." I did in fact spend a couple of hours, floating around the Wet 'n' Wild lazy river, and although there were some challenges involved - ultimately it was quite relaxing.

Now I'm sure that I can guess what you're thinking, "How can the lazy river be challenging?" Well, ya know I'm gonna tell ya; so put on your seat belts... So you'd think just getting your butt into an inflatable tube and floating away wouldn't be very complicated; but I seem to have a knack for making simple things difficult. The truth is that getting into the tube has only become a problem in recent weeks, because I fear calf spasms. "WHAT?" I hear ya... well the thing is that my mom used to occasionally get these terrible spasms in her calves (in the middle of the night) and I remember that she would cry out in pain. I think it was 1996 when I experienced my first calf spasm (in the middle of the night), and I've gotten them a couple of times a year ever since. If you've never had one, consider yourself LUCKY, because not only does it hurt like a biotch at the time, but there is residual pain and cramping the next day that I wouldn't wish on anyone. Anywho, a couple of weeks ago I went to plop into my tube and as I was trying to do so BOTH of my calves went into spasm at the exact same time. I was totally surprised and in extreme pain - so that has scarred me off of attempting the direct jumping up and getting in method that I used to employ. Having to devise a new technique for getting my ass into the tube, I tried bringing the tube to the steps so that I could kinda step into the water and sit down on it but this can inconvenience others, and gosh knows I hate to do that. Well the first time I that I got into the lazy river yesterday, I tried that method and it worked fine but when I went to get in a second time, the lifeguard at the entrance was very strict and I was afraid that she was going to yell at me. I know - I'm not sure what sounds more pathetic, the fact that this teen life guard was "mean" or the idea that I was afraid of her yelling at me; but you know what I mean, I wasn't "AFRAID" I just didn't want her to say something to me and call attention to the fact that I had to get into the lazy river like such a spaz.

OK, so now I'm floating comfortably in my tube, but it's Saturday night at Wet 'n' Wild and the lazy river was quite busy, so people were bumping tubes left and right, and while bumping tubes, they'd also bump into my foot or knee. Ya get it now?    It's OK to laugh at me, I'm TRYING to entertain you.

Anyway, we were floating around the LR and I really was relaxing. My friend Jenny had met us there with her kids, so she and Luis and I were happily chatting as we went round and round. At one point I said to Jenny, "by the way, if you ever lose anything here, make sure that you go to lost and found promptly, because we went in there to look for a dress and swim suit that we believe Lyndzi forgot there and we were told that they only keep items for a week and then donate them to the Salvation Army because they have a small-ish closet for the lost and found articles so they can't retain them long." Um, hello Wet 'n' Wild, THIS STINKS! People can't always get back to you or your lost and found within a week. Heck sometimes it takes longer than that to even realize you've lost something, and hello, I spent good money on the dress and swim suit that Lyndzi lost. I think that you make enough money to perhaps, I dunno BUY A BIGGER CLOSET maybe. Sheesh! (That shoulda been a job for Rosanne Rosannadanna but I didn't want to confuse the matter even more. But if you fancy an extra giggle, just re-read that part in her voice, and you may be extra amused.)

OK, so you'll never guess what happened next. Just after I finished telling Jenny about the lost and found, she started reaching into the pocket of her swim suit and she got this perplexed look on her face.  I asked what was wrong and she told us that what I was saying about the lost and found made her want to check that her season passes, driver's license and debit card were in her pocket, and in fact they were not. She said that she'd put them in a plastic baggy but they weren't there now. She said that she "might" have left them in her bag so she was going to go check, but given the amount of time that she was gone (2 laps round the LR) Luis and I didn't think that she'd found them. We got out of the LR to check on her and I saw two employees putting on diving masks and getting into the LR. I imagined that they might be doing this to help Jenny and sure enough, they were. Jenny said that she'd gone to the lost and found but her things weren't there. She said that they were re-printing her passes and that they'd have workers go check the filters. Jenny was remarkably calm and she said we could all just get back in the LR; and THIS is when I had great difficulty doing so. With Luis' help I managed to get situated in a tube, but I was highly embarrassed.

By the time we left for the evening, I was limping even worse than when we got there; and no, Jenny's belongings weren't found. When I got up this morning, I felt sore but better; so I guess all that soaking really was beneficial because when I took my kids over to Michelle M's today, she and I got in the pool with them for a while, and I even managed to play two rousing games of water volleyball with them.   We played a couple of great games and had a terrific time.  I'm thankful to say that I am feeling MUCH better now, and I think I owe it all to the water. As for Jenny, her things were not found, but she's got the matter under control.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-347) An Accident Waiting To Happen

2011-07-09T15:05:00.000-07:00

It's not a secret by any means, but in case you don't already know, I am Queen of the Klutzes. I'm basically an accident waiting to happen, although I must admit it's been a while since I've suffered an injury - until today.

I've been clumsy all my life and Lyndzi follows closely in my woobly footsteps. I don't know if it's that I'm not paying attention or that I just don't perceive situations clearly or I misconstrue my surroundings; but somehow or other, I manage to bump into things left and right, trip over my own feet and cause unnecessary damage to myself on a regular basis.

After returning from our swim meet this morning, I tackled straightening up my house. Because I'm convinced that I can do more than two things at once, I was picking up stray items while on hold with the new gym, and I ventured to walk over a pile of bags (and a small cooler) that Lyndzi had moved into our family room. I swear that I knew that this wasn't a good idea as I was attempting it, but did that stop me? NO! With various items (including a half full coffee cup) in one hand and the phone (to my ear) in the other, I mindlessly took (what I thought was) a giant step over the pile o stuff, lost my balance and tripped. I went down like a ton of bricks and managed to injure my foot, my knee and even though it's substantially padded - my butt. I couldn't help myself when I let out a cry, which immediately caused Luis and my girls to report to the scene of the accident. Luis asked what happened, and his next question was the one that I'm sure is on most of your minds - "What were you thinking?" I had / have no good answer to that question. Why didn't I walk around? Yah, I have no clue. And trust me - it was NOT so I'd have something to blog about today.

After sitting on the floor for a few minutes, I picked myself up, brushed myself off, and limped away - but I'm hurting. My foot and knee are really sore; but I'm hoping a couple of hours in the Wet-n-Wild lazy river will cure that.

The good news is that I think I REALLY learned my lesson this time, and I'm going to do my best to keep from making these ridiculous misjudgements again.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-346) Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon - Challenge #3

2011-07-08T22:01:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to make some birthday and thank you cards for a few weeks now, so when Mari invited me over to scrapbook, I jumped at the opportunity to spend some time with her. As is typical, my day got away from me, and so before I can endeavor to make a card, I need to write tonight's post. Having nothing particularly witty, amusing or interesting to share today, I'm gonna try to impress you (yet again) with my prowess at Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.

I asked Mari to challenge me, and she went blank. We discussed some actors and actresses, and she mentioned Amanda Seyfried. I didn't want to take that challenge since it was fairly simple times two. Amanda Seyfried to Bill Paxton in "Big Love" Bill Paxton to Kevin Bacon in "Apollo 13", or Amanda to Meryl Streep in "Mamma Mia" and Meryl Streep to Kevin Bacon in "The River Wild."

Mari gave it a little more thought, and challenged me with Valerie Bertinelli. So here goes: Valerie Bertinelli to Betty White in "Hot In Cleveland", Betty White to Sandra Bullock in "The Proposal", Sandra Bullock to Dianne Wiest in "Practical Magic", and Dianne Wiest to Kevin Bacon in "Footloose".

Now I fully understand that most of you don't find this as fun and fascinating as I do; but lemme tell you that it thrills me no end and since I like to share things that make me happy, I hope you'll excuse this indulgence. I'm not quite sure how it is that I've come to acquire and retain all of this useless knowledge but it does come in handy when playing this game. As always I welcome you to provide your alternate route for this challenge or submit another. You can email me or leave your comment here or on Facebook.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-345) INDEPENDENCE

2011-07-07T22:31:00.000-07:00

This month's kit theme at Scrapbooking from the Inside Out is INDEPENDENCE. Not the kind of Independence that we celebrate on the fourth of July, but the kind that should be celebrated every day. The ability to be our own person, stand on our own two feet and to succeed based on our own merit.

Rachel wrote a fabulous post about the Independence kit for the Creating Keepsakes blog and I highly recommend that you check it out. If you leave a comment, you'll actually have the opportunity to win this fabulous kit, in addition to gaining some great perspective.

After reading Rachel's article, I reflected on my own independence. Unlike most, independence was not something that I opted for. Instead, it chose me. Since I lost both my mom and dad by the time I was 19, I had no choice but to make my own way. Sure I had friends to encourage and love me, but I had no safety net. No security, no one who was going to tell me what I had to or needed to do in order to take care of myself. I just had to wing it.

From an outsider's view, I suppose I would have appeared very independent; but I knew the truth. I kept wishing, hoping, searching for some guy to take care of me. Not to tell me what to do, but to make me feel important, worthwhile, and loved. It was my desire to be validated by another person that truly meant that I was not independent, because my belief in myself was not enough for me. And I believe that this is true for most women.

RuPaul is known for saying "If you can't love yourself, how in the hell are you gonna love somebody else?" And I couldn't agree more. I know so many people who will tell others that they like themselves, they love themselves, but just because they can say the words, it doesn't make it true.  You have to know that you can and will be happy regardless of if you have a partner to share your life with; as a partner is not a guarantee. And if you spend your life searching for one, you may miss out on some of the most fantastic experiences that would have been just as spectacular with or without someone to share it with.

Trust me when I tell you that I'm speaking from experience. I can look back now at some of the schmo's that I dated and convinced myself were "the one." Quite honestly, I even had a bit of a nervous breakdown at the end of my senior year of college because my boyfriend had broke up with me and I had really believed that we were in it for the long haul. I kept thinking that he was supposed to be my happily ever after, and if I blew it then I would never be happy. It wasn't until several weeks later that I had an epiphany and realized that if he didn't stay with me, then he couldn't have been "the one", and I still had a chance at finding my Prince Charming. How sad is that? I mean bravo for me figuring this out on my own, but yet I was headed back to the drawing board in my all important quest for security, which I had been providing for myself all along (but didn't realize it at the time.)

I love Disney movies as much as the next person, but all this talk about Princes rescuing the damsels in distress is really setting up our daughters to believe that every girl needs a man to rescue them, to complete them, in order to live happily ever after; and that's just not true. I know a lot of happy, single women who are doing great things with their lives. Do they wish that they had a partner? Perhaps, but they don't let that stop them from living full and rewarding lives.

On the other hand, I also know many women who were like me. They wanted to believe that "someone" loved them, and that they would show them how much they loved them by committing the rest of their lives to them, but then ultimately they got divorced because they really weren't right for each other.

By the time I met Luis, I believe that I was independent which is why we were able to have a successful relationship. I had already decided the ways in which I was going to move ahead in my life, regardless of having a boyfriend or husband and I figured out what was going to make ME happy.

In true Bumpy Ride fashion, I've gone all around the mulberry bush with this one. So what's my point? Well, it's that if you are not your own person, you can never really be someone else's.  You need to walk the walk not just talk the talk. Because if you were faking your independence, and your self-confidence, it will leave room for others to control you rather than respect you. It will not turn out to be exactly what you're searching for, because you were looking way too hard. In order to have a truly rewarding relationship, whether it be with a partner or with a friend, I honestly believe that one must be independent in both words and actions.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-344) Twenty Questions

2011-07-06T23:10:00.002-07:00

It's been a while since I chose a writing prompt from Mari's "Memories and Thoughts" jar, so I went diving in looking for a topic. It was getting late and I didn't want to choose something that I'd have to give too much thought to; but overachiever that I am, I found several that appealed to me. I put my thinking cap on, let my creativity flow, and decided that tonight I'd answer Twenty Questions. So, in no particular order:

1. "Is there a brand of tortillas that you MUST buy?" Funny thing about this question is that Kelsie read it to me, and I considered using it, but providing my answer for tortilla chips (Santitas) instead of tortillas, because I'm not as particular about the tortillas as I am the chips. Anyway, I considered doing a whole post on this and telling you about Luis' Guacamole recipe, so I put that piece of paper aside. A while later I decided to do the 20 questions thing and thought that this would be a perfect one to use, but I couldn't find the piece of paper. Kelsie and I went through the pile that we'd put back in the jar, and I went through the pile that I'd put to the side; but we never found it. A while later I realized that I'd seen a piece of paper that said "Is there a brand of TOILETRIES that you must buy?" So, I'm thinking that Kelsie misread toiletries for tortillas; and that answer would be "No", so on to question #3.

3. "What kinds of things are you working on right now?" Well, of course there's my job, which entails both commission collection and high school reunion coordination. I'm currently working on five reunions that will take place between Sept and March. I'm the event coordinator for the CRAFT Beach Retreat by Scrapbooking from the Inside Out, I'm the secretary of my kids soccer league and tonight I had to revise a contest announcement, a camp announcement and a cleat swap announcement. I'm trying to re-organize my house, prepare for my trip to New York, lose weight, write my daily blog, AND be the best wife, mom, cousin and friend that I can be.

4/5. "What is your favorite fantasy? What have you done to make it happen?" It's an oldie but a goodie! English announcer's voice "Now dancing the Samba, Observational humorist Paige Ramos and her partner Maksim chmerkovskiy" Sadly, other than writing the DAILY "Ride" I haven't done anything to make this happen. Which leads me to #6.

6. "In the next year you plan to..." Work on getting my writing published! Instead of writing my blog daily, I will write one to two times a week, and use at least two other days a week to submit articles or writing samples.

7. "Do you like taking naps?" I'm sure that I would if I could, but I can't so I don't. Unfortunately, unless I'm sick or totally exhausted, I can't seem to nap.

8. "What was your first car?" A 1984 White, Buick Skyhawk

9. "When's the last time that you made a new friend?" A couple of weeks ago at the pool. My friend Kailene introduced me to her friend Kristen, and we're now part of the same swim team cheering squad, as well as Facebook friends.

10. "You're truly afraid of..." Death

11/12. "Do you visit your local library? Do you remember to have books back on time? I LOVE to visit my local library and they have a very reliable reminder system, so I don't necessarily HAVE to remember to have the books back on time; BUT if they didn't have this system I feel confident that I would get the books back on time.

13. "Is writing a form of Self therapy?" Most definitely!

14 /15. "Describe your yard as a child? Did you help with the yard work?" The yards at the condo were very small.

Richie Howell prided himself on his as he had it decorated like a small Japanese garden, including a little pagoda in the center. My mom tended to her Peonies and hydrangeas and Richie Howell took care of the rest, so I wasn't required to help with the yard work.

16. "What needs cleaning in your house?" EVERYTHING!

17. "You feel ___ years old inside because..." I'll say 26. At 26 I met and married Luis. It was the happiest time of my life, and things have only continued to get better with each addition to our family. I may have previously said that I feel 16 but at 16 I didn't really know anything about life and by 26 I knew more. I had experience, but I was youthful, and I still feel that way.

18. "When you're over-stressed, you..." Get a knot in my stomach and can't stop thinking.

19. "What's the most adventurous thing you've ever done with your hair? That's a toss up between dying a curl cotton candy pink, during my senior year of high school, and getting my hair cut really short, almost three years ago.

20. "You would call your autobiography _____________ because:" "The Bumpy Ride" - Need I say more?
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-343) There Are No Words

2011-07-05T22:01:00.000-07:00

I don't like feeling helpless. I'm not comfortable with feeling out of control and it is crucial that I make the ones that I love feel better. Yet, when sickness and death are involved; we are all helpless. We are all out of control, and there truly is nothing that any of us can say to make our loved one feel better. Life is beautiful and yet cruel. We build relationships with family, friends, pets, co-workers, and yet we are supposed to accept their illness or loss and just go on with our lives... We all know that's not true.

My father was the first person that I personally knew who passed away and his passing was totally unexpected. Yes, he'd been sick; but I had no idea that it was as serious as it actually was, and the fact that I'd been estranged from my mom for two years, just made the situation that much more precarious. Things were complicated and no one really knew what to say to me, and at the age of 15 I just accepted that.

Just three years later when my mom's cancer came back and she started to get sick, I found that friends withdrew from me because they didn't know what to say or how to comfort me since death and such circumstances were something that was unfamiliar to them. The truth of the matter is that someone who is suffering doesn't need you to have the perfect words, they just need your love and support and empathy and time. No one can expect that someone else is going to have the magic words to make you feel all better, because those words don't exist.

There are no words that can stop our loved ones from hurting in such situations, and really, NO ONE expects us to have them. All that we can tell those who are suffering or nearing a loss is that we love and care for them, and that we are so sorry that they are hurting. I know that it will make you feel helpless and out of control but there are some things that are just bigger than us.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-342) The Pizza Incident

2011-07-04T21:43:00.000-07:00

Before we came out to Jackie's we all agreed that we were gonna just go with the flow, take it very easy and that's exactly what we've done. We all slept in, got up leisurely, had breakfast and just enjoyed each other's company. We've gone to the pool, we went to the rehab center to visit Jackie's dad; and meal times have kinda been delayed - not that anyone went hungry.

I don't think we ate lunch yesterday until 230 and just before 7pm Jackie, Kelsie and I took Hershey and Molly for a walk that lasted well over an hour. We had been planning to order pizza and salad from Amici's, to go along with our keep it simple plan; but around 830 when we got our order together and Jackie called, she was told that they weren't taking any more orders because they couldn't handle the business and they were going to close. Jackie couldn't believe what she was told, so she called back to inquire more. She asked why they were closing and the person who answered the phone said that they were just TOO busy and couldn't handle the business, so they were going to close for the night. Now from a business standpoint, I think they should have capitalized on this opportunity by telling everyone that there was a two hour wait for pizza because they were so busy. Of course people wouldn't have ordered, but they would have had the impression that Amici's pizza was a commodity, and that they should call earlier from now on. But instead, by closing they just ruined people's plans (namely ours) and made themselves appear unprofessional.

Unable to order from Amici's we had to come up with a plan B. Given the choice of fast food or Pizza Hut, we opted for the latter because everyone had been looking forward to Pizza. Big mistake (yes) HUGE! We ordered three pies, but Luis and Gene only came home with two, and to say they were slightly burnt would be generous. Jackie called about our third pizza (which she'd already paid for) and they agreed to deliver it within 40 minutes. Luis, Jackie and I waited to eat until the last pizza arrived, and suffice it to say that it wasn't burnt, but the dough was a tad (OK a lot) undercooked. Nicky had made the comment that the pizza "was better than nothing"; and we really appreciated that. Nicky seemed to get that this weekend wasn't about what we ate, just that we ate it together.

When we all remember this weekend, the pizza incident will give us a good laugh, but it wasn't important in the least. Besides, at least it gave me a story to tell.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-341) "HOME"

2011-07-03T18:42:00.000-07:00

The very best thing about my 43rd year (other than surviving it), has been that I've formed a beautiful relationship with my cousin Jackie and her family. I've told you before that Jackie is more like my sister than a cousin, and in the seven months that I've known her, she's brought an abounding love and contentment to my life.

Jackie and I are in communication one way or another on a daily basis and even though we're going to New York together on the 28th, we wanted to have a family visit as well. Luis and I thought that it would be special to spend our anniversary and July 4th weekend with Jackie and her husband, Gene, so we drove to California yesterday so that we could all be together.

Since I lost my parents so many years ago, I haven't had a "home" to go home to; so whenever Luis and I would go to Puerto Vallarta, I would say that we were going "home." But, I now feel like even though I'm not from where Jackie lives, and I'd never been there before a few months ago; wherever I see Jackie, that's "home."

I've told you repeatedly that I have the most fantastic friends; and I'm so fortunate because they all go out of their way to make me feel welcome and comfortable in their homes. Needless to say I'm so very appreciative of that; but their is a feeling in my heart when I'm with Jackie, that I've NEVER felt before. There's an unspoken reassurance, an understanding, a commonality, a kinship, an acceptance and a love that I can only imagine comes from knowing that she's my family; and for once, I feel like I truly belong somewhere. Amazingly enough, I can see the same reaction from Luis and my kids; and it is so comforting to know that they feel the same way too.

We didn't want to make any big plans for this weekend. No theme parks, or special activities; just family time at home. We swam,played Scrabble, and just spent time enjoying each other's company and I don't think that any of us would have wanted it any other way.

I am a firm believer in expressing my gratitude. If you're a regular rider, then you know that I thank my family, I thank my friends, and I thank my readers on a very regular basis; and I do so because I think that if there's something that makes your life special, then you should show your appreciation for it as often as possible; because sadly, you never know when that something might be gone. So thank you to my cousin, Jackie and her family for embracing me and my family with open arms and making our lives so much richer. And thank you to you, for taking the time to join me on "The Bumpy Ride."
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-340) 17 Years

2011-07-02T23:00:00.000-07:00

17 years ago today, I married the man of my dreams. After a very brief courtship, (which I told you about in "My Real Life Love Story"), Luis came to New York on a fiance visa. This type of visa stipulated that we get married within 90 days of Luis' arrival in the U.S. or he would have to relinquish the visa and return to Mexico.

Even though we hadn't known each other long, Luis and I knew that we were going to be married before he ever even arrived in the states. We discussed what type of wedding to have, as none of his family would be able to attend (since they didn't have visas), 90 days wasn't enough time to plan a wedding in New York, and we didn't want to get married at city hall because we only wanted to get married once, and in a way that would be as special as our relationship. While looking through a bridal magazine, I saw an ad for Disney Fairytale weddings and I told Luis about it. We thought that having a Disney wedding would be perfect for us because it would allow us to have everything that WE wanted in a wedding. AND I was able to plan everything over the phone and fax.

As there were going to be less than ten people at our wedding (including us), we were able to arrange our wedding in an a la carte manner. We chose to have our ceremony in a gazebo, in the rose garden at the Disney Yacht and Beach Club. We wanted to be able to have a first dance (to "I Swear" by All 4 One), have a champagne toast (with Pink Fairytale wedding champagne) and have a wedding cake (German Chocolate.) And with the help of our Disney wedding planner ALL of this was possible. We wanted to take our guests (bridesmaids) Stacy F and Michele Q, (Best man) Russell, his wife Randee and Michele's (now husband) Tony, out to dinner and the photographer recommended that we go to the character buffet at The Grand Floridian, because it was an ideal place for photographs and he reasoned that if you were going to get married at Disney World, you might as well have Mickey and Minnie in your wedding pictures. He was right, our pictures were spectacular and the food was excellent.

One of the benefits of getting married at Disney was how natural it was to walk around in a wedding gown and tux. We were treated like royalty, and at one point a mom came up to us with her son (who couldn't have been more than 7) and she said "He likes you both very much." I think that he thought that we were a prince and princess; and for that night, we sure were.

After dinner we all went to Pleasure Island (Disney's nighttime entertainment complex) and again we were treated like celebrities. Our wedding party never had to wait in line, and we were congratulated and wished well by more people than we ever could have imagined. It was the most magical night of our lives; and everything that we could have hoped for.

The day after our wedding, Michele, Tony and Stacy, joined us at The magic Kingdom. It was the first time that Luis had been to Disney World and the experience was priceless. Luis had told me that he'd seen commercials for Disney World when he was a kid and he'd asked his dad if they could go, and his dad said "probably not." So to have actually been married there, was VERY special for him too. We said goodbye to our friends at the end of the evening and spent the rest of our honeymoon alone. Two weeks after we returned to New York, we hosted a brunch at a Mexican restaurant so that the rest of our friends could celebrate our marriage with us. We played our video, shared our pictures, I threw the bouquet and we had cannoli cake. It was a wonderful way of incorporating our other friends into our jubilation.

17 years ago and it seems like just yesterday to me. I guess it really is true that time flies when you're having fun!
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-339) The Perfect Black Dress

2011-07-01T15:33:00.000-07:00

I have way too many balls in the air today; and you have to know that if I'M saying that - I AM BUSY! I worked for four hours this morning, did I don't know how many loads of laundry, took Kelsie to Kohl's, Target, Subway, The library and Wal-mart; and yet I still need to write this post, pack up for our swim meet, go to our swim meet and pack to leave for California. Whew!

I have to say that I totally lucked out though, because I've been thinking that I need to start looking for an outfit to wear to "Mamma Mia" and when I took Kelsie to Target to look for a new swim suit; I just so happened to find the perfect black dress. I tired it on, and much to my surprise, it was a great fit. Kels thought it looked cute, so with her reassurance I bought it. I modeled it for Luis, Nicky and Lyndzi, when I got home and they all thought that it was a keeper; so at least that's one errand that I can check off my list.

I texted Jackie to let her know that I unexpectedly found a dress, and she wrote back, "That's what happens. When you're looking you don't find and when you're not looking, you do find... like our husbands." I thought it was ironic that she said that because tomorrow Luis and I will be celebrating our 17th wedding anniversary; and she's absolutely right - I found Luis when I WASN'T looking. But more about that tomorrow.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-338) Scary Pain

2011-06-30T23:28:00.000-07:00

On Monday, I bit into a chip and experienced the most unpleasant shooting pain in my tooth. In my life, I had never felt such a bizarre and terrifying pain in my mouth; but thankfully it did not persist. Then
last night I was eating a salad, and I experienced a similar pain - though not quite as brutal. Since twice I'd felt the pain in the same part of my mouth, I started to panic. Huge Dentalphobic that I am, I feared that the pain meant that something was going wrong with one of my teeth; and I got scared.

Now when I get scared about a tooth pain, what typically happens is that I obsess about it, and I manifest the pain that I fear so much. I took some Ibuprofen, and an Alprazolam (for anxiety) because I didn't want my fear to make the pain worse. I slept through the night (which was a great sign that nothing was wrong;) but when I got up, I was sure that my tooth hurt (even though I couldn't tell you which one it was.) I took some more medicine and went to work. I IM'd Luis and told him that I was nervous about my tooth; especially because we were going out of town on Saturday and he suggested that I go to the dentist.

The old me would have waited till the last possible minute to go to the dentist; but despite my fear I scheduled an appointment for today at 2 because I wanted to ensure that I'd be pain free for our trip. I was REALLY proud of myself, because not only did I go to the dentist promptly, but I didn't take any Alprazolam prior to my appointment. I kept telling myself "If there is something wrong with the tooth, it will feel better after that appointment, so there was nothing to be afraid of." I told the receptionist, the dentist and his assistant that I was really hoping that it was a sinus problem or even nothing at all. I said that if they couldn't find anything wrong then I knew I'd look crazy, but that was a chance I was willing to take, because I'd rather be safe than sorry. They took x-rays, tested hot and cold, tapped on teeth picked at teeth and thankfully, nothing caused me any pain. The Dentist explained that I may have bit into the chip the wrong way (and for me biting into a chip at all, is THE WRONG WAY.) And even though you can't bruise a tooth, he explained that what he thinks happened to my tooth was the equivalent of bruising it.

When all was said and done the dentist assured me that he didn't see any sign of infection or abscess, and said that I should go to California, relax and have fun because nothing should go wrong with my tooth this weekend. I thanked everyone profusely and left with a great sense of relief. I was and am so proud of myself for not procrastinating, and I am hopeful that I won't ever feel that pain again.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-337) Back To Normal

2011-06-29T20:57:00.020-07:00

Hip Hip Hooray! My air has been repaired and life as we know it, is getting back to normal. What a big (yes) HUGE difference a day makes. With power cord in hand I was able to put in a full day of work; inclusive of an hour long conference call with the reunion group that I'd attempted to speak with on Tuesday night. The kids got to swim again, and although I wasn't able to join them, I could see them splashing around, from where I sat in the clubhouse; and that was lovely.

Around noon, Luis informed me that he had spoken with our AC guy and the fan and capacitor were both under warranty. Woohoo! Luis finished work, and went back to our house to meet the AC fairy, and by 5pm, he said that the kids and I could come home. We wasted no time packing up, and by 615 we were in our home HOT home but Luis assured us that it would cool down shortly; and it has.

When all was said and done; the AC repairs only cost us $160 so we are considering ourselves VERY fortunate. We were blessed during this inconvenience in SO many ways. From the graciousness and generosity of Luis' boss, to my cousin Becky's consideration and hospitality and certainly by our AC serviceman, who was honest, helpful and extremely affordable. We are all very happy to be home; at least until the 2nd - when we leave for California.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-336) AC Update

2011-06-28T23:08:00.000-07:00

Shortly after publishing my blog last night, the battery on my laptop was just about exhausted. I asked Luis to grab my power cord out of my bag, only to realize that in my heat exhausted state, I hadn't packed it. This changed the game big time. Without the power cord, I wasn't going to be able to work and there was no way I was driving 45 minutes back to Peoria last night, so I had to take the day off today.

Now most would think that a day at a resort in Scottsdale would be a good thing. And typically I'd agree, except for the fact that in addition to leaving my power cord at home; I also forgot my swim suit, so I wasn't able to join my kids in the pool. I didn't want to run home for the power cord and swim suit in the morning, because the AC guy told Luis that he'd come over some time after 12, and I figured that depending on what time we had to meet him, I could get my things then. My next order of business was to try and re-schedule Nicky's orthodontist appointment. I called around 830, but was told that he was scheduled for a 40 minute appointment today, and there would be no way that they could fit him in for that when they see Lyndzi next week, so I agreed to keep my appointment for today at 4.

So here's what I knew about today: 1. I couldn't work, write my blog, do the music play list for SFTIO, or most importantly, swim with my kids. 2. I had to be in Peoria for a 4pm orthodontist appointment and 3. I had a reunion conference call that I had to make at 630pm.

With all of these things in mind, I had to figure out how to occupy myself while my kids were swimming. I went to the gift shop to get a magazine, and much to my surprise, they had the worst selection EVER. I mean there was not one article from "O" to "Cosmo" to "People" to "Good Housekeeping" that looked like it was worth reading. So I borrowed a fashion magazine and headed back to the pool. I watched my kids swim and flipped through the magazine, which was a big (yes) HUGE waste of time. When I returned it, Luis' friend Yolanda (that works in the gift shop) said "You don't like to just sit still, do you?" And she meant it in a nice way, of course. I explained that I felt like I was wasting time because there were so many things that I coulda and shoulda been doing - including swimming with my kids; so I was feeling frustrated. And she got it.

By the time Luis got off work at 230, we still hadn't heard from the AC guy, and I needed to head back to Peoria for Nicky's appointment. Luis took Hershey and I took the kids; and I made it to the orthodontist with five minutes to spare. The visit took all of 15 minutes; so I wasn't thrilled; but what could I do. I had told Luis to take Hershey to Petsmart because we needed to get her some food, and she was allowed in that store. He hung out with her there, until I met up with him.

I headed back up to Scottsdale with my kids, Hershey and my power cord. I didn't have time to grab my swim suit, so Luis said he'd bring it back to the hotel for me. I contemplated stopping by the Cheesecake Factory to see my cousin Becky, and get carry out for dinner. I thought that Hershey and I could stay in the car for my conference call and my kids might wait in the restaurant; but as I was passing the turn off, I realized that it would be 20 minutes until the conference call plus call time and I didn't want to put Becky out, so I took a chance that I'd make it back to the hotel in time; and I did. Funny thing is, the reunion chairperson missed the call; and ultimately we're going to have to re-schedule. BUT, that's just par for the course today.

After concluding my call, Luis called to say that the AC guy was doing a diagnostic on the unit - it was just after 7pm. My kids and I went to see Becky for dinner; and we had a great time. After sitting outside in 118 degree weather, I wanted to order something on the light side, and I opted for the Luau Salad. The salad had a lot of different ingredients, like macadamia nuts, sesame seeds, red peppers, yellow peppers, green beans, chicken, cucumber and crispy wontons, in a vinaigrette. I didn't tell you ALL of the ingredients, but I can tell you that it was the best salad EVER! We got some cheesecake to go, and now here I sit.

Luis reported that it seems like the fan went out on our AC unit and our serviceman will be checking tomorrow to see if it's still under warranty. He told Luis to call him at noon; so I'm hoping that by tomorrow evening, we'll be back in our house. Fingers crossed.

Even though I wasn't as productive as I could have been today; I am always thankful for uninterrupted time with my kids; and a chance to see my cousin. The AC saga continues; but I'm optimistic that there will be a happy ending.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-335) 95!

2011-06-27T22:49:00.000-07:00

95 !- I wish I could say that's the number of pounds that I've lost this year, or the amount of money that I won at a casino, or the number of new "Bumpy Ride" followers; but in reality, it's the temperature that my house was, when we vacated for the evening.

Yesterday, my kids and I spent the afternoon swimming at Michelle M's; so when we got home for the evening we were well cooked. We turned down the air, to a lovely 79 and slept in delightful chilliness. When I awoke this morning, I actually had to raise the temp because it was downright cold; and the house was very comfortable until around 1:30.

Out of the blue, the house felt particularly warm, so I asked Nicky to go upstairs and tell me what the temperature was. I was alarmed when he told me that it was 88 because during the day in the summer, we usually keep it at 82. I asked Nicky to lower the temp to 80, but within a half hour the house didn't seem any cooler, so I called Luis and asked him to call the AC guy. Luis left a message for him, and by the time he arrived home, the inside of our house was a toasty, 91 degrees.

Luis tried to figure out what was wrong, but it wasn't as easy a fix as our fridge had been. He called one of the AC guys from his hotel, for some advice, and he spoke to our AC guy, but he said he couldn't make it to our house until some time on Tuesday; so we knew we needed to evacuate for the evening.

I contacted the Drury Inn and Suites, because Mari and Julie had just spent the weekend there, and when I stopped by to see them, I was impressed with their accommodations and the price. The clerk couldn't have been nicer, and hooked me up with a travel agent rate for a suite; but as I was packing up, I realized that if my AC wasn't fixed before checkout, the kids, Hershey and I might have no place to go; AND I'd have to work. With that in mind, Luis called his boss. When Luis told him that our AC had gone out, he immediately told him that we should go to the hotel. I was embarrassed to call the Drury back; so I asked Luis to cancel that reservation, and he gladly did so.

By 715 we arrived at the hotel and were finally able to relax and cool down. We have no idea if the AC will be fixed tomorrow, or the next day; and we are very grateful that we have a beautiful place to stay in the meantime. We're hopeful that the AC will be easily and inexpensively fixed, but as long as we're all together, we know that everything will be fine.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-334) Wanna Laugh?

2011-06-26T22:28:00.004-07:00

How many times a day do you laugh? I'm not even sure what my answer to that question is. I just know that I like to do so as much and as often as possible; and I am very blessed to know some pretty funny people. Heck, we all know that I even laugh at myself on a very regular basis.

A couple of days ago Nicky said something that I found very amusing, and there goes that memory again, because I can't even remember what is was; but nonetheless, I commented that he was my funny child and he was VERY happy to hear this. (More so than I ever would have expected actually.) As a matter of fact, he's brought it up to me a number of times since then. He'd say "blah, blah, blah, because I'm your funny child, right Mama?" And of course I'd agree. Truth be told, all three of my kids are very funny in their own way. Lyndzi is a riot; and she too gets great satisfaction out of the fact that I think she's funny. And Kelsie, well she's just such an all around character, that she can't help but be funny.

So last night we went out to dinner, and Kelsie was reminding me of this charming thing that she'd said about Nicky a few days ago. She had made the comment that "Nicky is a shy guy so he's like a butterfly in his cocoon and one day he's gonna come out and be a really beautiful butterfly." And I have to say that when she first told me this she just reinforced my belief that she is utterly brilliant; and so amazing; but nonetheless, Luis hadn't been privy to her analogy so I asked her to share it with him; and when she did, she gave the performance of her life. After listening to her I said "Kelsie you're such an actress." To which she replied "Well, I have no interest in being on TV. I have no interest in being in movies. I have no interest in being in commercials. I have no interest in being in a commercial about a movie. The only thing that I'm interested in showing, is my ears." And I laughed like I have not laughed in I don't know when. I had no idea why she said that. So I asked and she said something about liking her ears because they're soft. OK, they can't all be profound, she is only seven ya know.

Now you may recall that when I wrote "43" I said "I believe this needs to be a year of recollection, reflection, observation, appreciation, and change..." So, let me say how very much I appreciate and am thankful for LAUGHTER. A good laugh can make anything better; and I am so grateful for all those who bring laughter into my life, and to all those who permit me to bring laughter into theirs.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-333) The Meaning of 333

2011-06-25T19:45:00.000-07:00

As you can see, today's post is number 333 in the 43 series. Besides for that number being astounding to me - since it represents the number of consecutive blogs that I've written - I thought that I'd do a little research (YES research), and try to find out if the number 333 had any special meaning.

According to Lightworkers,"333 means DECISION: You have a decision to make. The decision will lead to either 666, which means you must repeat the lesson again in some other way, or it will lead to 999, which is completion and you have learned the lesson."

According to Spiritual-Path.com "333 indicates that your Spirit Guides agree with your thoughts and feelings and could be interpreted as a Cosmic 'Yes!' to questions you have asked or ideas you may have."

I also read that in numerology 3 means Communication/interaction and neutrality. AND that when you add 333 it totals nine, which in numerology means the highest level of change.

While doing my research , someone in one of the forums that I perused, mentioned that 333 meant "Past, Present, and Future", which I kinda like considering the entire 43 series focused on my past, present and future. BUT, when it comes right down to it; (for me) 333 means that I have 33 blogs to go until the daily ride is concluded. How bout that for a repetitive number? Should I EVEN go there...

Now don't let me mislead you. "The Bumpy Ride" will not be coming to an end on my birthday; it will just return to it's weekly or bi-weekly format. (I haven't decided which yet.) I'm open to your suggestions of course, unless your suggestion is to give up the blog, in which case I'll thank you to keep your thoughts to yourself. But if you'd like to see "The Ride" continue, please tell me how often you'd prefer to read it. As always, you can comment (positively) here, on Facebook or you can email me. Queen of SENSITIVITY that I am, I might just mistake your silence to mean that my birthday blog should be my last; so if ever there was a time to share your feelings; I would really appreciate it if you do so now - for my (say it with me) "GREATER GOOD" of course.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-332) A GREAT Staycation Rate

2011-06-24T18:52:00.000-07:00

Today's blog is being written while I'm poolside at Chaparral Suites Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. I'm not sure that I ever mentioned the name of Luis' hotel before, but there you have it. Luis is the Front Office Manager and Manager on Duty at the lovely, Chaparral Suites Resort.

We've been fortunate it enough to stay at Chaparral on a number of occasions and we always have a terrific experience. Once upon a time, The Chaparral was an Embassy Suites, and they still follow their model by offering a Manager's cocktail reception from 530 to 730 every evening and a cooked to order breakfast. Breakfast is all you can eat and they'll prepare whatever you choose from eggs, to breakfast burritos, pancakes, french toast, bacon, sausage, hashbrowns, etc. etc. They have a selection of cereals and fruit, danish and muffins, coffee, tea and juices. All of the rooms are suites; hence the name; and they all come equipped with either two double beds or a king in the bedroom, and a pullout sleeper sofa in the living room. There is a door that closes between the bedroom and the living room, and each suite also has a microwave and refrigerator. (Not a full size of course, but not quite a mini.)

The Chaparral Suites Resort occupies more than two acres of beautifully landscaped property, with two large fountains situated throughout. Although I'm only 45 minutes from home; whenever I'm here I always feel as if I'm on vacation because of the ambiance.

The Fourth Floor Grille is Chaparral's restaurant and I highly recommend it any day of the week. They have amazing burgers, delicious pizza and scrumptious salads. They have an extensive menu with everything from salmon to ribs and they even make their own salad dressings. You can't go wrong with anything that you order; and as if the quality of their food wasn't enough, the portions are always very generous. By the way, if you wanna check them out and NOT stay overnight, you can purchase a Restaurant.com gift certificate and have a fabulous meal at the fraction of the regular cost.

Chaparral Suites Resort has been offering a reasonable summer rate for several years, but this year they have a deal that can't be beat. $109 (plus tax) for a night and you receive a $50 food credit which can be used towards food or drinks. Now is that a GREAT Staycation rate or what?

The Chaparral has two refreshing, pools, a gym, and tennis courts. They offer a complimentary airport shuttle, free Wi-Fi, and dogs (under 50 lbs) are welcome to stay for just a $25 non-refundable deposit.

Being the Queen of LOOKING OUT FOR YOUR (say it with me) "GREATER GOOD", I'd be remiss if I didn't share this outrageous opportunity with you. And because I'm always curious to know who takes me up on my tips, please leave me a comment (here or on Facebook) or email me and let me know how your stay was. For now, I'm going to go enjoy my complimentary margarita.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-331) First Place

2011-06-23T23:42:00.002-07:00

A couple of months ago I wrote a blog called "Love Gives You Courage", and I told you about this girl (who I called Brenda for the sake of the blog.) I explained that Brenda had been very rude to Nicky and that Lyndzi had stuck up for him. I also told you that I wasn't a fan of Brenda's, partly because she's mean and has a phony smile, but also because she's inconsiderate and obnoxious. I know that those are strong words to say about a child and I apologize if I seem harsh; but I don't know what other words to use to describe her behavior. This isn't exactly something that I can consult my Thesaurus about, and when I tell you what I'm about to tell you; it may be apparent why.

I've mentioned on more than one occasion that during home swim meets, Luis and I (along with my friend Kailene) sit at the judges table and figure out what place all the swimmers come in. Although this position can be a little stressful, we do get a front row seat for all the action and there's something to be said for that.

If you're not familiar with swim team procedure, I can tell you that we swim two different strokes and one relay, during each swim meet. Also the kids are divided into three age groups during Lyndzi and Kelsie's meets, as well as three groups at Nicky's meets. We will run as many heats (races) as necessary, in order to assure that all swimmers are given the opportunity to swim. Typically the coach will put his/her fastest swimmers in the earliest heats; so imagine my surprise when Brenda chose to swim in the fifth (out of six) heats. I noticed that she was doing this a number of weeks ago, because Brenda is a very good swimmer and she is particularly fast; but I can't help believing that she does this so that she can come in first all the time.

My kids do swim team for the daily exercise that it provides and because they like competing. It would be very easy for me to tell Lyndzi (for example) to wait to swim towards the end of the heats because there were weaker swimmers that she could surely beat; but I'm not about that. Although I like when my kids do well, because it boosts their self esteem; I'm also OK if they come in dead last as long as they tried their best and had a good time. Coming in first EVERY time is not going to prepare "Brenda" for the reality of life. And truth be told, it's not the placing that counts; it's actually your times. My feeling is that 1. Brenda needs to let the girls in the later heats, compete against each other and let some of them enjoy success.
2. Brenda needs to challenge herself and compete against people whose aptitude for swim is more similar to hers. And lastly, she needs to learn that it's OK not to come in first all of the time.

There are very few if any, individuals who come in first each and every time they do something; so I think Brenda needs a lil dose of reality. And she needs to learn what it means to play fair and be a good sport.

We couldn't help but discuss Brenda during the meet, because it was obvious to every one that she intentionally swam in a less competitive heat, so that she could come in first and even though this is a recreational swim team, it was inappropriate to do so.

I find it very sad that coming in first is so important to Brenda and yet I know that there are a lot of other people out there like that. It seems to me that Brenda is basing her self-esteem on how well she does in a swim meet, but she's doing herself a great disservice. And as someone who loves children, I find this disturbing. Apparently Brenda's parents don't have a problem with what she's doing and if I took a wild guess, that's probably because coming in first is the only thing that matters to them, no matter the means.

I hope that my children know that just like they're not a 4.0 or an award winning painting or a first place ribbon; it's the process that counts, and you should be proud of yourself regardless of your place or time. If you believe that you tried your best and you enjoyed yourself while trying; that's a greater prize than any ribbon.
Till next time,,,
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-330) "the glee project"

2011-06-22T16:53:00.000-07:00

Are you a GLEEk like me and my kids? Have you somehow missed "GLEE", but enjoy music or musicals? Do you enjoy a good competition series? If you've answered yes to any or all of these questions, then you should be watching "the glee project" Sunday's at 9/8c on Oxygen.

"the glee project" was developed by "GLEE'" creator, Ryan Murphy as a way to search for the next "GLEE" cast member, since most of the current cast should be graduating next year. The winner of "the glee project" will appear in seven episodes next season; and the competition has been fierce.

Each week the contestants are given "homework" - an assignment that focuses on a specific theme. The first week they concentrated on individuality and this past week theatricality was the topic. Along with the concept they're assigned a song to work on as a group. Each participant is given a part and they have to demonstrate the theme in their segment of the performance; and all I can say is that both performances could have easily been shown on an episode of "GLEE." Once the performance is over, one person emerges as the winner of the homework round and they are given a special feature in the video that the group will film that week, as well as a mentoring session with whoever the guest star of the episode is. So far they've been visited by Darren Criss who plays Blaine on "GLEE", and Tony award winner, Idina Menzel ("RENT" and "Wicked") who played Rachel's birth mother, Shelby.

The second assignment of the week is a group video. The cast work with a choreographer and music director to make a video for whatever song that the producer's assign. My kids and I have found both videos to be very entertaining and GLEE-esque; so if you're missing your weekly dose of "GLEE" no need to go through withdrawal any more; just tune in to "the glee project."

After the conclusion of the video viewing, the producers announce which contestants are called back. The last three contestants must perform a song of the producer's choice and then one is eliminated.

This series has ABSOLUTELY everything that I love in a show. Great musical performances, dancing, competition and reality. The participants are all unique. They could all be written into the cast of "GLEE" just playing themselves. They're all different, and unique, and I'm sure that there isn't a person out there who couldn't relate to at least one of them.

So even if your busy on Sunday nights or your DVR is fillin up; make some room for "the glee project". I think you'll be really glad you did.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-329) Melon Lessons

2011-06-21T21:46:00.000-07:00

It's now officially summer; and one of the things that I like best about this season, is it's fruit. OK, let's face it, I love pretty much everything about summer, but of all the seasons, I have to say I'm most partial to the fruits of summer.

Now fan of fruit that I am; I've never been sure about how to pick them. Obviously I know that I don't want bruised nectarines, or cherries; but when it comes to the melons, other than givin a Cantaloupe or Honeydew a sniff; up until a few days ago, I had no idea how to tell if they were ripe. Funny story about sniffin a fruit. A couple of weeks ago Luis and I were in Sam's Club and I saw some beautiful, Pineapples. I picked one up and went to smell it and man I must have forgotten what I was dealing with because I put that baby so close to my nose that I scratched it up. The Pineapple had a terrific scent, and the center leaf pulled out easily, so we put it in our cart, and I promptly wondered why my nose was hurting. I touched my nose and realized that I had scratched it with the Pineapple and I felt like a first class moron. BUT, I have to say that the Pineapple that bruised me, was indeed delicious.

On Sunday Kelsie and I went to do some grocery shopping. While we were in Sam's I saw Cantaloupe for a really good price, and while I was smelling them, a lady turned to the demonstrator that was nearby and asked her to show me how to tell if a Cantaloupe was ripe. I was anxious to know the real method, and encouraged her to explain. She told me that I could smell them, as I'd been doing, but you could also push on the little button area and if it had give to it, it was good to purchase. I chose two (because I told you - the price was really good) and I cut them up tonight and both were perfect.

After Sam's Kels and I went to Super Wal-mart, where I found watermelon on sale. I mentioned to Kelsie that I had no idea how to choose a Watermelon as they didn't usually give off a smell. Kelsie told me that I was supposed to thump it, and when I asked her how she knew that, she told me that she learned that from "Olivia" (the cartoon .) I asked why I was supposed to thump it, but she didn't know so I took the initiative to locate a produce clerk and ask for help. The clerk told me that you thump on it (he must watch Olivia too - hahaha); and when I asked why he said that if it had some give to it, as opposed to sounding dense, then it was ready. It wasn't quite as easy a concept to grasp as the Cantaloupe method, but I chose a Watermelon, and according to Kelsie, (who I couldn't cut it fast enough for); it was fantastic.

I'm always so happy to learn a new domestic trick. Unfortunately, losing my mom so young, there were a lot of lessons that I missed out on. Perhaps many of you already knew how to test your fruit; but in case this is news to you too, I'm so happy that I could share my new found knowledge. If you have additional fruit testing tips for me, please leave me a comment here or on Facebook.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-328) Look Who's Cooking...

2011-06-20T20:56:00.000-07:00

To say that my children are picky eaters, would probably be an understatement. Of the three Nicky is the worst of the bunch; which I guess stands to reason since he's my first child. Lyndzi will try more things than either Nicky or Kelsie and eats more of a variety of things. Kelsie will try more than Nicky, but there is many a night that she'd prefer not to eat meat (of any kind) and / or others when she'll request cereal. Kelsie is the snackiest of the three but most of what she snacks on are healthy things like fat free yogurt, fruit, or a granola bar.

Being that they're kinda choosy, lunch during the school year is a bit of challenge. They don't care for school lunch, which is fine with me, but they're also not that fond of sandwiches. This past school year I think that Kelsie took PB&J for all but maybe two weeks total. Lyndzi would eat a turkey or ham sandwich (dry, with nothing on it) and Nicky would take either a salami sandwich or roast beef and Havarti w/ dill sandwich (dry, with nothing on it.) I know, you must be wondering how this picky kid came to like Havarti with dill, but all I can say is that he uncharacteristically tried it once at Michelle M's and liked it; so since it's something that he enjoys, I'm more than happy to buy a couple of slices a week for him.

Now that summer's here, the kids would prefer not to eat a sandwich everyday, so I suggested that one day we could make macaroni and cheese and perhaps another, grilled cheese and the kids happily agreed. The first day that I was going to make mac-n-cheese, Nicky offered to cook it if I instructed him, and I took him up on his proposal. Nicky carefully followed my directions, and made one gosh darn good batch of mac-n-cheese. He was SO proud of himself, that I couldn't wait to have him cook again; and I think that he's made it at least one more time since.

I didn't make it to Fry's to buy deli meat yesterday, so I asked the kids if they'd like to have grilled cheese and Lyndzi then asked if I would teach her to make it. Lyndzi has helped me cook before, so I decided to let her have a go at it; and I have to say that she did a great job. She followed my instructions, she was careful and only burned one piece of bread, which was probably my fault. When the piece of toast burnt, she remained calm and went with the flow, which I think is an important requirement in cooking. Lyndzi made sandwiches for Nicky and Kelsie before cooking her own; and she too was SO proud of herself.

I think that having my kid's learn to cook is a super, summer activity. It builds their confidence, it adds to their list of things that they know how to do, they can become more self-sufficient, they can help me AND it's something that we can do together. Lyndzi felt so good about cooking lunch that she asked if she could help me with dinner, and although I only gave her small jobs, she was a big help.

It's great to see kids feeling successful, and I think we should give them as many opportunities as possible to do so.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-327) Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-19T23:05:00.000-07:00

If you've read "The Bumpy Ride" before, then you probably know that I didn't / don't have a very high opinion of my father; which is why when I refer to him, I call him by his name (Richie Howell) instead of saying my dad. Richie Howell was (as you may remember) a Private Investigator; and he worked A LOT. He travelled often for business, and I never got the feeling that being a father was high on his list of priorities. In his defense, this could be because he himself didn't have a father for very long. His parents divorced when he was only three, and his dad passed away at the age of 43, when RH was just 13. The only thing that his father,Wolf Howell, (YES, you read that correctly - Wolf Howell), left him with was the belief that he too was going to pass away at the age of 43 - and he did.

I suppose that having a father like Richie Howell just makes me that much more appreciative of all the great dads that I'm privileged to know; starting with my husband, Luis. So on this Father's day, I'm sending out a big (yes) HUGE thank you to all the dads who coach one of their kid's sports teams, change a baby's diaper, cook a meal, mow the lawn, go to the store, fix something that's broken, lend an ear, give someone a hug, tuck someone in, play at the playground, water park or pool. All those dad's who do homework, go to concerts, banquets, sporting events, dance recitals, kid's movies, watch cartoons, play the Wii, or PlayStation, or Chess, or Monopoly. All those dad's who take the time to teach their kid's how to fish, or bake, or clean or throw. Thank you to all those dad's who let their kids have a dog even if they don't want one. Those who cheer for their kids in hundred degree weather or freezing cold. Those who love their kids enough to tell them no when need be and those that say yes when feasible. Thank you to all those dad's who make a child feel loved and safe and confident and happy.
Happy father's day to ALL THOSE DADS; especially my husband, Luis!
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-326) BEWARE!

2011-06-18T16:53:00.000-07:00

When I wrote "Thank You B.O.A", I explained that my gym had closed down without warning; and that my bank had placed a recurring stop payment block against them. So imagine my surprise when I logged onto my bank account and found a gym deduction under the name of ANOTHER GYM. That's right, they managed to deduct my gym fee from my account because it was a different gym name.

I immediately called B.O.A and ultimately reached a customer service associate who provided me with some very frightening information - and in the interest of (say it with me) "The Greater good, I'm going to share it with you. John (the rep) told me that a lot of companies try charging you under the name of another business, so that they can continue to collect money from you. He also told me that they have been known to change the amount of the deduction by a penny, so that the charge can still go through. For example, if my gym deduction was $23.51 and that's the amount that I blocked, but the company charges $23.50 or $23.52 the charge could still go through. Scary huh? I disputed the charge, and then John recommended issuing me a new debit card number so that the gym would not be able to get another charge through at all; and I agreed.

When I got off the phone with BOA, I attempted to call the "New" gym, but the number that was associated with the charge, was not one that could get me to a human being. I then tried calling the closest gym location to my house and left a message for the manager. As I had to go out and I hadn't heard from her, I called back to leave my cell phone number. A few hours went by and I still hadn't received a call; so since I just so happened to be in the vicinity, I stopped in. The manager was in a meeting, but the receptionist was quite helpful. I told her what had happened and after providing her with my phone number, she was able to locate my membership in her computer. Apparently the "new" gym bought the old gym, and Luis and I now have full membership privileges at the "new" gym; which truthfully is much better than the old gym. I was assured that our membership fee would not be going up; so in the long run, although the situation wasn't handled appropriately; alls well that ends well.

Believe it or not, I'm actually excited that I have a gym to go to. The "new" gym offers classes in addition to the equipment and the old gym didn't; so I'm already getting a lot more for my money. I called B.O.A and released my dispute as Luis and I are gonna give the "new" gym a try. I would venture to say that most unauthorized charges don't end this well; and now more than ever, we all need to really beware!
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-325) Friday Field Trip

2011-06-17T16:40:00.000-07:00

Today my kids and I joined Mari, Julie, Lisa B, their respective kids, various nieces and friends; for a tour of The Stuffington Bear Factory. Mari had arranged this excursion of the oldest stuffed animal factory in the United States; and in the interest of (say it with me) "The Greater good", I have to tell you about it. Now, when I say in the interest of the Greater good, that would be the greater good of local Arizona residents, who are looking for an inexpensive activity to do with their children.

Stuffington bear factory is NOT Build-A-Bear although they do a lot of the same things. At Stuffington, they actually make the stuffed animals that the kids then get to stuff, fluff, clean and care for. The friendly and informative staff offer daily tours of the factory where the kids are taught about the history of the Teddy bear before seeing how the stuffed animals are made. They even showed us the custom stuffed dogs that were made for President Obama and Vice-President Biden.

The cost of our outing was just $9 per child and that included a bear of their choice; from their Gummi bear collection. Now you may think that $9 sounds like a lot, and I might be inclined to agree with you; but after taking the tour and seeing how much fun ALL of the kids had ~ I think it was $9 well spent.

Till next time...

Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-324) Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon - Challenge #2

2011-06-16T23:00:00.001-07:00

Keepin it nice and light tonight with a quick, Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon challenge. Now if that means absolutely nothing to you; let me do some splaining. When I posted the good ole, "100 Random Things About Me" ,#18 was "I excel at Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon." Now again, if that means nothing to you, I'll splain a lil more. Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon is a game that requires a group of players to try to connect any film actor / actress in history to Kevin Bacon as quickly as possible and in as few links as possible. it was modeled after the theory of "Six degrees of separation" which was popularized by a play written by John Guare. Six degrees of separation "refers to the idea that everyone is on average approximately six steps away from any other person on Earth, so that a chain of, "a friend of a friend" statements can be made, on average, to connect any two people in six steps or fewer; according to "Wikipedia."

Now with all of that said; I LOVE to challenge myself and play this game. So tonight I asked Rachel K to name the person that I would try to link to Kevin Bacon in 6 moves or fewer and she chose Jamie Lee Curtis. It took me a few minutes to think about it, and I came up with:

Jamie Lee Curtis to Arnold schwarzenegger in "True Lies".

Arnold Schwarzenegger to Sharon Stone in "Total Recall". And Sharon Stone to Kevin Bacon in "He Said She Said."

Now I think it's impressive to link Mr. Bacon in as few moves as possible, BUT I can also go in reverse and try to draw it out to see how many people I can connect. So we can go this way too: Jamie Lee Curtis to Kevin Kline in "A Fish called Wanda". Kevin Kline to Glenn Close in the "Big Chill". Glenn Close to Michael Douglas in "Fatal Attraction." Michael Douglas to Sharon Stone in "Basic Instinct." And Sharon stone to Kevin Bacon in "He said She said."

That was fun! Wanna play? Go ahead and see if you can come up with alternative connections for Jamie Lee Curtis to Kevin Bacon in six moves or less. Then post your answer either here or on Facebook. OR if you want to challenge me with a new actor or actress to connect; just comment or email me, and I'll take a stab at it.

Till next time...

Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-323) Veggies

2011-06-15T20:54:00.000-07:00

I think that I could probably be a seafood eating -vegetarian, IF only I didn't enjoy bacon and steak so much; AND if I could manage to work more fruit into my diet. It's not that I don't like fruit, because I do. It's just that up until about two weeks ago, I hadn't been eating much of them on a regular basis.

Ironically enough, my friend Jenny is a seafood eating - vegetarian (and with her permission), I can tell you that she likes far fewer vegetables than most people I know. I recently found out, (from Jenny) that I enjoy some vegetables that aren't considered very popular; and since I've already done my tribute to "Fruits", being the Queen of FAIRNESS, I'm now gonna dedicate a blog to veggies. Can you tell I have 43 days left or what?

I've mentioned before that my mom was a terrific cook and I think I've alluded to the fact that Richie Howell was a pretty demanding fella. So in order to make him happy she made dinners per his specifications and they typically included at least two vegetables, if not a salad and a vegetable. My mom was a big fan of broccoli, or at least I think she was because she made it almost every night. Perhaps that's why, if I never ate a piece of broccoli again, that would be just fine with me. Now this is not to say that I WON'T eat broccoli. I actually enjoy it in Chinese food and I'll even eat a few pieces of the broccoli salad thing at Sweet Tomatoes; BUT it is not a veggie that I really like to cook. Although my kids like it, so I'll make it for them.

What do I like? Well there's brussel sprouts. Which I think get a really bad rap. But I must say in their defense that if they're cooked well, they can be absolutely delicious. And I'm happy to say that I now have Lyndzi hooked on them too.
Another one of my faves is Asparagus. I think that I could eat asparagus with every meal and never tire of it; and I could say the same about cauliflower. Perhaps most don't like beets; but I for one surely do. Then there's parsnips - yum-o! Of course I'll eat corn; but I don't think I've ever met anyone who wouldn't. (Barring a food allergy of course.) I like Okra, though I'll admit that I've only ever had it fried; and what doesn't taste good fried? We've previously established that eggplant is one of all time favorite foods in general, as are mushrooms and I enjoy just about everything in the squash family. Peppers? Sure, but I prefer not to eat the green ones. Onions? On just about everything - please!

So what's that leave? Spinach? Ahh, not so much. I'll eat it raw, and my mom served it creamed; but cooked; I'd rather not ~ thank you. speaking of rather not, please don't serve me a Lima bean, nor a canned pea; though fresh or frozen are fine by me. Now I'm rhyming about vegetables and that wasn't even intentional. My take on carrots is much like Meg Ryan ordering dessert in the dinner in "When Harry Met Sally." I like carrots raw, or I'll eat them if they're glazed. But if they're not glazed and they're just warm ~ then I wouldn't want them. And even though I don't particularly like red radishes, I'm a fan of horseradish and enjoy mixing it into mashed or baked potatoes.

And now's the portion of "The Bumpy Ride" when I sit back, re-read what I just wrote and ask myself, "do you seriously think that people care about what vegetables you like?" But it's too late to turn back now. I ask myself, "what can I do to save this post?" But truth be told, I'm amused by how utterly inane I can be and how much I can find to write about vegetables ~ so I'm just gonna flow.

As always, I'd love to hear back from you; so please feel free to comment hear or on Facebook and let me know if there's a less than popular veggie that you enjoy, or even one that you can't stand. As for me, I'm already thinking about tomorrow's post.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-322) ASPIRE

2011-06-14T22:27:00.000-07:00

I've written about my friend Mari on numerous occasions. So much so, that I'm sure at times "The Bumpy Ride" seems like I'm campaigning to be the President of the Mari fan club. But if you've ever seen any of Mari's scrapbooking layouts or craft projects, then you KNOW that I have not exaggerated her talents one bit. And if you haven't had the privilege of viewing any of Mari's masterpieces;let me just say that I can't imagine that it will be long before you do.

If you're not a first time rider, then you know that I frequently mention my interest in the (say it with me) "Greater good." Usually I refer to the Greater Good of mankind, but I'm also dedicated to encouraging individuals to strive towards achieving their "personal" Greater good; which is why I praise Mari so much. I think that Mari has an incomparable talent and I see how happy her creations make people.  One of Mari's current projects is what I'm going to call, "Inspiration charms";and last night while we were chatting about them, she asked me, what word I would choose if she was to make me a charm. M first inclination was to say "BELIEVE", but I really wanted think about it and make sure that I chose the most appropriate word for me right now; and then I said "ASPIRE."

The definition of ASPIRE, per Dictionary.com is:
1. to long, aim, or seek ambitiously; be eagerly desirous, especially for something great or of high value (usually followed by to, after, or an infinitive): to aspire after literary immortality; to aspire to be a doctor.
2. Archaic . to rise up; soar; mount; tower.

YES, I think ASPIRE is the perfect word for me right now, as I feel incredibly, inspired, not only by Mari but by another frequently mentioned friend -  Rachel K. I have been so impressed and influenced by Rachel's achievement with Scrapbooking from the Inside Out and how her dedication and diligence have manifested itself into the CRAFT Beach Retreat.   Registration opens for CRAFT on Saturday, June 18th at 9am Pacific time and I'm so excited about it, that I added the CRAFT blinkie to my sidebar.
If you haven't been following the CRAFT blog to date, please check it out. Not only because you might be interested in attending; but because I want you to see what my remarkable friend has created. (OK, with a little help from me.)

To quote James Howell, "A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle."
Well Rachel truly is a candle.  Rachel has been able to pursue her dream and at the same time promote and encourage others to reach their own potential - myself included. Rachel's example inspires me to ASPIRE; and I hope that I've done the same for you.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-321) "Gimme Five" - Broadway Musicals

2011-06-13T23:59:00.001-07:00

I couldn't have been more than nine (the age Lyndzi is now), when I saw the movie "Funny Girl" with Barbra Streisand for the first time. I remember watching it on TV with my mom, who was a big Barbra fan, and thinking that it was the best thing that I'd ever seen. Shortly thereafter, "Grease" was released at the movies, which just affirmed my affinity for musicals. It wasn't until a few years later that I saw my first, live Broadway show - "Barnum" with Jim Dale and Glenn Close, and I was hooked. I fell in love live theater, and raved about the show so much, that Richie Howell actually took me back to see it again a few months later.

My fondness for musicals drove me to volunteer for the make-up crew in High School. By my sophomore year I actually became the make-up director and I thoroughly enjoyed watching all of the rehearsals and contributing to our productions, which is why #15 of my "100 Random Things About Me" post was "I love Broadway Musicals." # 37 happened to be "I've always loved award shows. (But now, I keep it down to the Oscars, the Tony's, The Emmy's and The Golden Globes; oops, And SAG and Critics Choice.)" Now if you know me, or you've taken "The Ride" before, then you know that the Oscar's are a big (yes) HUGE thing for me, but my very, next favorite awards show is in fact "The Tony's," and they were just on this past Sunday night, which is one of the reasons that Broadway is so much on my mind tonight. The other reason is because Lyndzi and I will be going to see "Mamma Mia" when we're in New York and she herself is becoming more and more enamored with the the theater. We were talking about our upcoming trip today , and she actually said, "I bet when you walk through the theater door it's just magic." That's my girl!

So in honor of "The Tony's", I thought I'd play "Gimme Five" - Broadway Musicals. Which really should be, "Gimme Five" - Favorite Broadway Musicals, but I didn't like how that title ran into a second line. (Go figure... ) Anyway, as an added bonus, I'm including one number from each show / movie.

1. "Funny Girl"

2. "Hairspray"

3. "RENT"

4. "Wicked"

5. "Hello Dolly"

I could go on and on; but since it's "Gimme Five," I'm gonna stop now and let you have a turn. I'd love for you to play along, so if ya wanna join in, just leave your comments here or on Facebook.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-320) Playing Games

2011-06-12T18:08:00.000-07:00

Our camping trip was a little too short but very sweet. We spent two and a half days relaxing in the high country. Now we're home, showered, and semi-un-packed; and believe it or not, I can't wait to go camping again.

One of the things that I like best about camping is the time it affords us to play games. I LOVE playing games of all kinds, although it's not something that we've had a lot of time to do lately. Because I'm such a big (yes) HUGE fan of continuity; in keeping with the short but sweet theme, today I'm going to "Give ya five" of my All-Time Favorite Games:

1. Backgammon - I learned to play when I was about eight years old, and as long as I have a willing opponent, I could sit and play for hours.

2. Scrabble - Lover of words that I am, this must seem like an obvious choice. But if you're ever played Scrabble, then you know that it's not just about the words, it's about the placement of them as well, and since I'm a big strategist, this game suits several parts of my brain.

3. Farkle - If you've never played this game, run don't walk and download the free directions. All you need are six dice and you're in for hours of fun. This is a game of luck and chance and if you're someone who enjoys games; this one is not to be missed.

4. Rummikub - Another oldie but goodie. I learned to play Rummikub when I was about ten I think. I liked the idea of playing the tile game since it reminded me of Mah Jong, which my mom played weekly. This is a great game to play with other adults or kids.

5. Poker - I'm not the best poker player by far - mMostly because I have a terrible Poker face. But I really appreciate the variety of this game. There are so many different games under the Poker umbrella, I don't think that I could ever tire of it.

Before we left Payson we were going to stop and get Pizza with our friends; provided that we could dine on the patio, since we had Hershey with us. The patio was full so we decided to grab fast food instead and get together for Pizza tonight. I'm gonna bring my games, so that we can put the perfect finish to a wonderful weekend.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-319) White Feathers

2011-06-11T16:41:00.000-07:00

On Thursday morning I was working in my office, and I thought of my Uncle Harry (Jackie's father.) I wanted to text Jackie to see how he was doing, because he has Leukemia and was recently admitted to the hospital; and all of a sudden I saw white feathers drifting in front of my face. I'm pretty sure that I said out loud, "What's with all of these feathers," but then I think that I immediately forgot about it.(Almost like it hadn't happened.) Then, a minute later I saw a single, white feather float in front of my face and I KNOW that this time I said out loud "What's with the feathers?" I grabbed the feather, because I wanted to have proof of the occurence. My friend Kathy and I were the only ones in our office at this time, so I asked her if she was seeing feathers; and I probably don't have to tell you that her response included something to the effect of "Are you nuts?" I told her that I'd seen some feathers and I showed her the one that I grabbed. Neither one of us knew what to make of it, but I immediately thought ANGEL - and texted Jackie to check on her dad.

I put the feather in my wallet while I anxiously awaited Jackie's response. All she said was that he was depressed, but that's OK; at least he's still with us. I didn't tell her anything about the feathers, because quite honestly, I didn't know what to make of it. Of course I thought that my mom had paid me a visit, and leaving a few feathers was her way of letting me know that she was there. Interestingly enough, at his swim meet that night, Nicky swam better than he ever had. He took first place for breast stroke, first place for butterfly and his lane took third place in their medley relay. Was there an angel watching over him?

Wanting to know a little bit more about the significance of seeing white feathers, I did a little research. YES, research; and I found the following "possible" explanations:
KGBabswers states: "According to spiritualists a white feather falling on you may mean that you have been visited by an angel." "Some people believe that when you receive a white feather it's actually the angels letting you know that they are with you, surrounding you with love. Be safe!"

According to the " Symbolic meanings blog by Avia Venefica" It is commonly thought in most cultures that feathers are symbols of higher thought, spiritual progression. The line of thought here is that birds were considered divine creatures in primitive/ancient cultures because they are creatures of the sky (heaven) and therefore closer to God.
When you find feathers upon your path it could be taken to mean that you are on a higher spiritual path (whether you accept it or not), and it may be a sign of encouragement as you philosophically travel on this path.
Finding feathers on your path is also symbolic of having a lighter outlook on life or a particularly situation. When we see feathers in our midst it is considered a message that we need to lighten up, not take things too seriously, and try to find the joy in our situation."

Wikipedia states that a white feather can either be "a sign of cowardice,or pacifism and in the United States, of extraordinary bravery and excellence in combat marksmanship. In religion, a white feather has been interpreted as a message card of peace from angels."

If I had seen the feather in my home or some place where there were pillows or blankets, I'm sure that I wouldn't be giving the feathers a second thought. But in my office? I find that peculiar. Nonetheless, as Freud said "sometimes a cigar is just a cigar." So what do I think? I think that people choose to believe whatever they find comforting. I like the idea of believing that my Mom paid me a visit. Maybe she was there to reassure me that now was not my Uncle's time. Perhaps she was their to look in on me because now is NOT my time. Maybe she popped by to reassure me that she's always with me; or because she wanted to join me for the kid's swim meet. Or maybe it was just a fluke, but I don't think so.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-318) Three Times The Charm...

2011-06-10T23:02:00.000-07:00

Today I posted my Facebook status as “All packed up, just waiting for the Messer's so we can go camping!!!!! YES, Camping!!!!! ” And my friend Thom responded “finds this cool, yet amusing at the same time!” To which I replied ”I can understand why you'd say that Thom. I feel the same way! LOL"

I know that it’s difficult for people who knew me back in the day, to picture me not only camping, but enjoying it; but ya know I do. Now just in case you’re new to “The Ride”, or by chance you’ve forgotten; camping for my family includes a tent that fits two Aerobeds comfortably, and my Aerobed is a high rise that I would gladly sleep on anytime, anywhere. I bring my pillows and plenty of blankets and pardon the pun - but I’m a happy camper.

In a number of previous posts, I told you that I wasn’t sure if camping was worth all of the work that goes into packing, and setting up for a trip; but then I always wind up saying that it is. So this time I was determined that things would be different. I didn’t want to pack everything up last minute and be exhausted before we even headed out, so a few days ago I told my kids what kind of clothes to gather up, so that we could start packing. Well best intentions be darned. The kids got their clothes together, but I didn’t, nor did Luis. And as far as the rest of our necessities, yup, those got packed up this morning. I tried to be proactive and I made a list of everything that we needed to bring, so that I could check them off as I packed them up. I thought about posting the list of everything from Cherries to a can opener, but you probably don’t really need to see it. Suffice it to say that after 4 straight hours of packing; we were ready to go.

We arrived at Houston-Mesa campground in Payson at about 430; and I couldn’t help but think, three times the charm. On two other occasions we had reservations at this location, and both times we had to cancel. Once we arrived, I was so glad that we had given this campground another try because it is beautiful. It’s a lot more woodsy than Pine Grove, and the campsites are lovely. The clearing for our tent is under a canopy of trees, the picnic table is in a shaded area, and our particular site has two large logs which just add to the ambiance.

As soon as I was able to take in our surroundings, I was once again convinced that camping is worth all of the work that goes into it. I love being with my family and friends and enjoying nature. Yes, you read that correctly “old” friends, I said “enjoying nature.” No I’m not going hiking or anything radical like that, but I think that there’s something about camping that just makes everything BETTER. Luis makes really good burgers at home; but at camping – they’re GREAT! I’m at peace when I’m camping, and no one can be more surprised to hear me say that, than me.

It’s now time for Smores and the computer isn’t conducive to that activity, so I’m going to say good night.
Till next time...

Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-317) 50 Things To Do In New York

2011-06-09T23:23:00.000-07:00

Just 50 more days till I'm in New York. So, since you know from "100 MORE Random Things About Me", that I make lists; and I've demonstrated numerous times that I'm a big (yes) HUGE fan of continuity - I think it's appropriate that I do a 50 things that I want to do in New York list. Interestingly enough, most of them involve friends and food, but that should come as no surprise. So in no particular order...

1.   Go to the cemetary to visit the graves of my Mom, my maternal grandparents and my great aunt and uncle.
2.   Take Lyndzi and Jackie to "The Condos" so they can see where I grew up.
3.   While at "The Condos", visit my old neighbor Elayne. (She knows we're coming)
4.   Show Lyndzi and Jackie where I went to elementary school.
5.   Take everyone on a tour of New City. I think it will be really interesting to see what's changed.
6.   Go to a diner in Rockland County
7.   Spend the afternoon with Ruthie (AKA Big V) and her husband Joe and daughter, Olivia.
8. Go to The Rockland Bakery. I have memories of walking in and having the delicious smell of fresh baked bread hit me in the face; and catching HOT rolls as they came shooting out of the oven. Now that was heaven.
9.   Try to catch up with Stefanie S.
10. See my friend Patti from High School.
11. Visit with my old roommate, Tammy and her daughters Allie and Isabelle. Although I've never met Tammy's girl's, I have a feeling that Lyndzi and Allie are gonna be the best of friends.
12. See "Mamma Mia"
13. Meet up with at least two of the girl's (now women) that I used to work with when I was a Social worker.
14. Have lunch with my friend June.
15. Although I haven't called her yet, I REALLY want to see my mom's best friend, Millie. I'm not sure when or how I'll be able to do so; but no trip to NY would be complete without seeing her.
16. Eat and buy New York Bagels. It's the one thing that Luis has asked me to bring home.
17. Spend as much time as possible with the magnificent, Rachel S.
18. Never let Michele Q out of my sight.
19.  Go to The Hamptons
20. Show Lyndzi and Jackie where I went to college.
21. I was going to say Eat Splat (Fresh clams, shrimp, steamers, mussels, and lobster) at the Lobster Inn in Southampton, but I've read mixed reviews. I'll have to check with Michele Q on this one and if in fact it's not as good as I remember; we may just have to make our own.
22. Go to Central Park. I'm a native New Yorker, and in the 26 years that I lived in NY, I'd never been.
23. Go to the Statue of Liberty. It's the one place that Lyndzi has asked to go, and additionally, another place that I've never been.
24. Have a NY hot dog from a cart.
25. Go to China town
26. Go to Little Italy
27. Hang out with my childhood friend, the SLENDIFEROUS, Judy.
28. Enjoy the company of my dear friends Dawn and Michael.
29. Visit with the magnificent, Rachel S' extraordinary mom, Penny.
30. Meet my cousins.
31. See my friend Jasmine
32. See my friend Bobbi
33. Spend time with my friend Stacy S.
34. Catch up with my friend Stacy F.
35. Meet the wife of my senior prom date, Berger.
36. Enjoy as many meals as possible with as many friends as possible.
37. Eat Challah french toast
38. See my beautiful, friend Stephanie M while I'm in The Hamptons.
39. Go to the beach
40. Laugh
41. Hug all of my friends - A LOT!
42. Snuggle with Lyndzi
43. Introduce all of my friends to my incredible daughter and my wonderful cousin.
44. Go dancing in The Hamptons
45. Take lots of pictures!
46. See everyone and anyone who wants to see me; even people who haven't made plans with me yet - hint, hint!
47. PLAY
48. Eat Pizza
49. Shop!
50.  Relax. - Really, I'm gonna try.

No matter how many of these things I actually do, I know it's going to be the best trip EVER! Can't wait to tell you all about it.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING