(43-360) PEARLS...

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

(43-351) Addicted To Words

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   

(43-282) In Honor Of Mothers

A couple of days ago I was on Facebook and I noticed that my friend Andrew had changed his profile picture to one of him and his mom, and in his status, he posted "Passing along the idea to honor our Mothers by including them in our profile pictures and keeping it until Monday May 9. So change your profile picture to a picture of your mother (or you & your mother). If you like this idea, please post as your status so everyone gets the word and see how many beautiful mothers we can get on FB! "  I have to admit that when I saw this I thought that it was incredibly sweet, but it also made me feel a little sad, because I have so few pictures of my mom; and I wanted to share one.

Well, yesterday I remembered that I had once posted an old picture of my mom and Richie Howell, right here on "The Bumpy Ride," so I grabbed it up and changed my Facebook profile picture after all. Now I know that I've shown this pic before, but just like I've posted my picture of me and Maks on more than one occasion, I'm going to share this one again as well, because it's such a beauty.

It would be very easy for me to get depressed about Mother's day and missing my mom; but I'm not going to do that.  Instead, since I'm certain that my mom would prefer for me to have a smile on my face while remembering her; I'm choosing to share some quotes about mothers.  Some funny, some profound and ALL true.

“A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie.” ~Tenneva Jordan

 "Sweater, n.: garment worn by child when its mother is feeling chilly."
~Ambrose Bierce

"There is an instinct in a woman to love most her own child - and an instinct to make any child who needs her love, her own."  ~ Robert Brault

"Mother's love grows by giving." ~ Charles Lamb

"My mother's menu consisted of two choices: Take it or leave it."  ~Buddy Hackett

"Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing." ~ Phyllis Diller

"A mother is she who can take the place of all others but whose place no one else can take." ~ Cardinal Mermillod

“A mother understands what a child does not say.” ~ Jewish Proverb

“There is no way to be a perfect mother, and a million ways to be a good one"
~ Jill Churchill

"Loving a child doesn't mean giving in to all his whims; to love him is to bring out the best in him, to teach him to love what is difficult." ~ Nadia Boulanger
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-275) ROYALLY Messed Up...

For the past 24 hours or so, I've been a little discombobulated; which is HIGHLY unusual for me.  No matter how much I've got going on, I'm typically VERY organized, and detail oriented and yet; I've had a few mishaps that have made me look nothing short of flaky.  I'm going to table telling you about my first faux pas, until tomorrow; because it ties in with what I believe my next blog topic will be.   So on to, today....
  
It's Thursday, so I went into my office instead of working from home.  During my lunch break I logged into my Facebook and found this as Michelle M's status "In honor of the big wedding on Friday, use your royal wedding guest name! Start with either Lord or Lady. Your first name is one of your grandparents' names. Your surname is the name of your first pet, double-barreled with the name of the street you grew up on. Post yours here. Then cut and paste it into your status. =) I am Lady Elvira Kirk-Darien!"

Well as much as I have NO interest in the Royal wedding; I just thought this was hysterical,  so I decided to play along.  I posted my name as Lady Gertrude Lady-Heritage.  How AWFUL is that?  I chose Gertrude because I thought it sounded stuffier than my Nana's name, which was Anna.  (My apologies to any Gertrude's who are reading this.  I'm certain that you are all perfectly lovely, and spirited people.)  I thought that this exercise was so funny that I told my co-worker Kathy about it and when I shared my name she said "You're supposed to use Lady in the beginning."  I told her that I did, but because my first dog's name was Lady, I had to use it again.  How boring is that?   I also told her that I posted my name hastily because I had made a mistake in using Heritage.  Although the beloved Condos were on Heritage Drive, that was not in fact the first street that I ever lived on; as I resided in Yonkers on Pennsylvania Avenue for the first four years of my life.  When I gave it more careful consideration than it probably deserved; I also realized that Lady was actually not my first pet; since my parents had a bird from at least the time that I was born, and her name was Tseyndy (which is a derivative of the Yiddish word for teeth - how scary is that?)  Why would would my parents name a bird after teeth?  What the hell must this bird have done to warrant such a name?  But I digress...

After all too much consideration, it became quite apparent that I ROYALLY messed up.  My royal name should have been Lady Gertrude Tseyndy-Pennsylvania.  And after all of that, I can honestly say that it doesn't sound at all better than Lady Gertrude Lady-Heritage.  Oh butter biscuits!  How bout this one... Richie Howell had gotten our Beagle, Lady from the ASPCA.  Ironically enough, Lady turned out to be a howler herself; so Richie Howell returned her to the pound after only a week.  Not that long after, he brought home two kittens and mine was named Beau.  Since Beau was REALLY my first pet;  I'm going to go with Lady Gertrude Beau-Pennsylvania.  Still not great!  Guess I am not meant to have a royal name; but it is mindless fun.  Go on, try it.  Please leave me a comment here or on Facebook where my blog appears and share your royal name, using the criteria that I posted from Michelle's status. 
Ta ta for now.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING (now that's more like it!)

(43-237) "Reel Life Wisdom"



 When I first got involved with Facebook; I used to post a status everyday.  Sometimes several times a day.  But then I became one of those people who only posted a status when I had something worthwhile or exciting to share; and sometimes I had to go looking for it.  Over the past few months, I've gained some valuable perspective from quotes that I've discovered; while looking for something meaningful to post as my Facebook status, and I even managed to parlay some of the quotes into blogs; as many of you know.  So yesterday, I again went in search of some inspiration.  I didn't really have a specific topic in mind; when I came across "Reel Life Wisdom," The movie quote directory  but it's proven to be an amusing and useful find.

The Reel Life Wisdom site has a multitude of categories to chose quotes from.  They break it down first by SELF, LIFE, LOVE & RANDOM BITS OF WISDOM.  THEN, they disseminate the quotes further, based on additional themes. For instance, under SELF, you may find quotes about Identity vs. Image, Perspective, Purpose, Hope and character; just to name a few.  For LIFE: Choice vs. Destiny, Freedom, Decision making, Achievement and Change.  Under the heading of LOVE you could find quotes about Men, Women, Feelings, Friends, and Sex, amongst others.  And RANDOM BITS OF WISDOM includes such subjects as Adversity, Reality and Truth, Respect, Responsibility, and Regret.  You'll have to check this site out for yourself; because the topics that I've listed are truly, only the tip of the iceberg.  They even offer teacher/parent tools so that movie quotes may be used to generate meaningful conversations with kids about self-management.

When I chose to write about "Reel Life Wisdom,"  I decided that I'd pick a topic and  share some of  the quotes that made an impact on me.  So, in the interest of,  (say it with me,) "The GREATER Good;" it should come as no surprise, that I've selected movie quotes about  MEANINGFUL LIVING...

“If you listen real close, you can hear them whisper their legacy to you. Go on, lean in. Listen, you hear it? Carpe diem, seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary.”
"Dead Poets Society" 1989

“Life is too short to be wondering, ‘What if?’” 
 "Paper Heart"  2009

“Take part. Contribute. Be interested in everything and everybody.”
"Now Voyager"  1942

“The effort must be total for the results to be meaningful.”
"Wit"  2001

“If you’re not excited by it, why do you do it?” 
 "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian"   2009

“For what it’s worth, it’s never too late to be whoever you want to be."
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"  2008

"I don’t want to survive, I want to live!"
"WALL-E"  2008

Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-219) Judge Judy

There are some days (OK, many days,) when I have no idea what I'm going to write about.  On those days, I do everything from review my Facebook for ideas and inspiration; check out my old blog posts, look for quotes, as you well know; or delve into Mari's "Memories and thoughts" jar.  Well today I thought I had a topic; but I think that it's one that I need to let brew for a lil longer; so I went searching.

While I was reviewing my Facebook friend's, posts, I saw that someone, I won't say who; posted "Judge Judy is a bitch;" and by the time that I saw it, 6 people had agreed with her; and one person commented "I dare you to say it to her face."  I wanted to comment, because I actually hold Judge Judy in very high regard; but I wasn't sure what to say; so I'm writing this post.

If you've ever read my "100 MORE Random Things About Me" post; then you may recall that #93 was "When I was a Social Worker, I appeared before Judge Judy (before she was ever on TV.)"  Yes, in fact I had to go before her for a TPR (Termination of Parental Rights;) and I was beyond nervous.  Even when Judge Judy was a NYC Family court judge, she had a reputation for being ferocious; BUT, it was because she wanted what was best for the children in the foster care system and she wanted to insure that everyone who came into her courtroom, was well prepared.  I'll never forget it.  She posted a sign in the hallway, right outside her courtroom, that said "Foster care is not a permanency plan," and she meant it. What that means, for those of you who are unfamiliar with the foster care system; is that she wanted each lawyer, social worker and parent, that entered her courtroom to know that we better have plans for the child that didn't involve keeping them in foster care on a permanent basis.  We needed to have a goal - either family reunification, adoption, or preparation for independent living.  In my opinion, the children in the NYC foster care system had no better friend than Judge Judy.

On the day that I was appearing in front of Judge Judy, I was very fortunate to go to court with my good friend / co-worker, who just so happened to be Judge Judy's cousin; and we were invited to sit in her gallery and observe other cases until ours were called.  As someone who wanted to be a judge once upon a time; I remember sitting there in awe.  Judge Judy was a force to be reckoned with and I felt honored to sit in her courtroom and later present a case to her.

Now when I saw that post on Facebook today; I honestly didn't know if my friend meant bitch in a good way; like she admired her, or bitch as in; she's unnecessarily mean and rude. I can tell you that Judge Judy KNOWS her stuff; and she impresses me EVERY time I hear her speak; whether she's a guest on a talk show or she's giving out her shoot from the hip, straight talking rulings on her show (which I don't watch; but I see clips of from time to time.) I think that she's brilliant, fair and VERY wise.  A bitch?  Yah, in the BEST sense of the word.  I think that more people need a Judge Judy in their lives.  They need someone who's going to be honest; call it like they see it and hold them accountable; instead of coddle and enable them when they need to make crucial, life changes.  As much as I am a lovey dovey; positive reinforcement kinda girl; I also have to say that I wholeheartedly endorse Judge Judy's manner of speaking, because it comes from a place of intelligence and experience.
It's certainly uncalled for, when someone is just nasty for no reason. But if someone is perceived to be a bitch because they've told you a truth that you don't like; then I think that the problem is more yours than theirs.  I'm just sayin...  I'm absolutely, 100% positive, that Judge Judy doesn't need me coming to her defense; but since appearing in her courtroom, watching her in action and working with children whose lives she tried to protect and preserve; I have the utmost respect for her and I just felt the need to comment.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-198) The Missing Piece

I am so EXCITED, that I don't think I'm going to be able to sit down long enough to write this post; so I'm going to keep it brief.  YES, brief.  On November 11, 2010 I posted "Just What I Needed;" and I told you about how I found my first cousin, Jackie (who I never really knew,) on Facebook.   Jackie was equally delighted that I had found her; because although her parents are still alive; she didn't grow up with a lot of extended family around either.  We've been getting to know each other through text, email, Facebook IM and phone calls, ever since; and we are constantly amazed at how similar we are.

Early on Jackie and I tried to plan a time that we could get together for a weekend; but between the holidays and soccer we had to wait until February 10 - which has finally arrived!!  I remember counting down the days from about 59 or so, and it felt like February 10 couldn't come soon enough; and now it's finally here; and coughs and congestion be damned; we're still going.  Of course that was mutually agreed upon by Jackie and her family, as I would never show up coughing and sneezing without forewarning someone; let alone bring five people in that condition, without having her total consent.  But, we're family; and Jackie is prepared for whatever germs we might share; along with our love.

I'm getting giddy just thinking about it.  Getting to know Jackie these past three months has made such a big (yes) HUGE difference, in my quality of life; and I think that one of the things that I am most happy about, is that it's not only Jackie and I who are thrilled about finding each other; but our spouses and children are all ecstatic too.  I think that we all knew in our hearts that something was missing from our lives; and now we feel like we've found it.  It's going to be a lovefest for sure!
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-183) Whatcha Need

The other day, my friend, Michelle M posted, "I finally know what I want;" as her Facebook status.  To which I was tempted to reply, "Is what you want, whatcha need?"  Which is a line from  Mama Odie's song, "Dig a little Deeper" from "The Princess and The Frog."   For the sake of this post, The relevant lyrics are: "You got to dig a little deeper
Find out who you are
You got to dig a little deeper
It really ain't that far

When you find out who you are
You'll find out what you need
Blue skies and sunshine guaranteed"

I'd venture to say that "Princess and The Frog" is one of my all time favorite Disney movies; and one of the biggest reasons why, is that; it makes a lot of sense.  It's not an old fashioned fairy tale.  One of the messages is as simple as what the song suggests; "what you WANT isn't necessarily what you NEED;" and you need to take the time to figure out who you are, and what it is that YOU in particular NEED, to find your happiness.  People may think that they WANT a lot of money; BUT, they don't necessarily NEED a lot of money to be happy.  As for me; I WANT to be a writer; and I do believe that this is also what I NEED to do. 


I suppose because I never posted that comment to Michelle, the idea of whatcha need, remained on my mind.  Coupled with the fact that my kids have been watching "Princess and The Frog" quite a bit lately, and I' can't get the catchy tune outta my head.  BUT, I also found another perfect example of this what you want vs whatcha need concept; when I was watching an episode of "Your OWN show" on OWN (The Oprah Winfrey Network.)  Now if you haven't seen this show; basically, Oprah is having a reality competition show, that would provide the winner with, right; their own show on OWN.  Say that a couple a times fast.  Anyway, the contestants are divided into two teams, and each week one contestant is eliminated; and in the episode that I'm talking about, Arsenio Hall was the guest mentor

Aunt Flora

and this woman, who goes by the name of Aunt Flora, insisted that she be the person on her team to interview Arsenio; even though some of her other teammates would have been better suited for this task.  Now before I go on; I wouldn't be me if I didn't say; "doesn't Aunt Flora resemble Mama Odie?"   But I digress.  So here's the thing ~ Aunt Flora WANTED to interview Arsenio; but it's not what she NEEDED to do; because she stunk at it. Interviewing in a late night TV show format was not her forte AT ALL.  The woman claims to be a cook and seems to want to have a cooking show; but she saw Arsenio, and got really excited; I mean REALLY excited.  Basically she said "I want to be the one to interview Arsenio," and then she gave her team no choice in the matter.  So they let her have her way; and she had her way, all the way out the door, as she got eliminated from the show. See there Aunt flora; ya shoulda listened to Mama Odie. What you wanted was absolutely NOT whatcha needed; and now your opportunity is lost. I don't want the same to happen to you guys. SO, in the interest of (say it with me,) "The Greater Good," listen to me; listen to Mama Odie; and find out who you are and you'll find out what you need.

Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-181) An Immediate Connection

When I wrote "What's Going On..." I told you that Lyndzi had been sick for a few days; and I really want to thank everyone that's expressed their care and concern.  I took Lyndzi to Urgent care on Sunday, because I didn't want to wait until Monday to get her treatment.  She was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection and they're treating her for Bronchitis too; due to her Asthma.  She's been taking steroids, antibiotics and breathing treatments; and she is starting to feel better, but I was told to keep her home on Monday; at the least.

We're a very snuggly, cuddly, family; and that is especially true when someone isn't feeling well.  Lyndzi likes me to sit next to her and comfort her while she's having her breathing treatments; and I'm more than happy to do so; which is why I used a sick day today.  Since I work from home the majority of the week, it is often difficult to justify needing a sick day; but I knew that Lyndzi needed my undivided attention and I was not going to deny her.

I got Nicky and Kelsie off to school, and once Lyndzi awoke we began her breathing treatments and medication.  After 24 hours on the steroids, she seemed to be doing a little better, so I suggested the possibility of taking a  ride to meet our cousin Becky, (Jackie's daughter;) at The Cheesecake Factory (where she works) and Lyndzi very much wanted to go.  Now I know that a lot of parents wouldn't have done this; and that's ok; I felt I was justified.  First off, Lyndzi wasn't contagious, secondly, she LOVES school, so I had no reason to fear that she would seek additional days off, expecting lunch and outings; and lastly, Becky's Grandpa (my Uncle Harry) was having surgery today, and we expected to receive the results at the time that Lyndzi and I would have been with her; and I wanted to be able to lend our support if the outcome hadn't been good ~ so we went.

When I wrote "Just What I Needed..."  I told you about how I found my cousin Jackie on Facebook; and I shared that her daughter, Becky; lived right here in Arizona ~ but, our surprise visit to her today was also our first.  Lyndzi and I walked in to The Cheesecake Factory and asked the hostess for Becky.  Someone went to get her; and as she approached the hostess station, I recognized her from her Facebook pictures, but she clearly had no idea who I was.  The hostess told her that I was the one who had asked for her; and once she came over to me, I said "Hi, I'm Paige;" and she gave me a huge hug.  I then introduced Lyndzi and they hugged as well.  I told her that Lyndzi and I had taken a sick day, so we thought we would come see her; and she was very happy that we did.  She asked us to stay for lunch; and we gratefully accepted.  OK foodie friends; I know you want to know what we ate; and ya know I hate to disappoint; SO... Lyndzi ordered the kids pasta Alfredo, (which I tasted and it was DELICIOUS;) and I ordered the grilled eggplant sandwich, which I had considered on several previous visits to the Cheesecake Factory; but since I had never been there for lunch before; I thought this seemed like the perfect opportunity to try it.  In addition to the grilled eggplant, the sandwich had roasted red peppers, grilled Bermuda onions and a garlic aioli.  I chose a salad, instead of fries; and it came with a fabulous vinaigrette; which I really enjoyed.  Becky was able to sit down with us a couple of times; and we discussed our upcoming trip to Disneyland next month; and how excited we all were to be going together. We discussed where we live in relation to each other; and I told Becky that our house was her house and that she was always welcome.  We talked about soccer and swimming, and Just Dance, for the Wii.  We discussed "Master Chef" and "Iron Chef," and taking a trip together to Sedona, when her mom comes out for a visit. And then, Becky said the magic words, that I'm sure Lyndzi was elated to hear; "Would you like some cheesecake?"  I said that Lyndzi could get a piece to take home and share with Nicky and Kelsie; and Becky said, "well, let's get a couple;" and she whisked Lyndzi away to the bakery.  When Lyndzi returned to the table, she was very excited to tell me that the baker asked if she was Becky's sister; and Becky said "no, she's my cousin."  THIS made Lyndzi's day; and we discussed it quite extensively, both at the table and after we left.    Lyndzi said "I'm not sure why that comment made me so happy;" and I suggested that there was something very special about having an immediate connection with a relative that you'd never met before.  I went on to say that Becky really was a stranger; but by virtue of being related to us; we immediately loved and accepted her; and we wanted her to do the same; and that's exactly what she did.

After saying goodbye to Becky, Lyndzi and I left, hand in hand and very happy.  Lyndzi said "I bet I know what your blog is going to be about tonight;" and I said "I think that's a great idea."  As poorly as Lyndzi had been feeling, I know that meeting Becky really lifted her spirits.  We are both so thankful to have our new cousins in our lives and we look forward to getting to know them better and better.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-164) Rubber Bands & Common Sense

This week, I told a Lyndzi story, in "The Princess of Positivity," and a Kelsie story, in "What A Girl!" so last but not least; I DO have a Nicky story.  This was a tough week for Nicky.  On Tuesday he went to the Orthodontist and they put heavier wires on both his top and bottom teeth; and then, as if that wasn't enough to get used to; they gave him rubber bands as well.  The Orthodontist's assistant came out and explained everything to me; and then asked me to come back with her so that she could show me how to put the rubber bands in; if Nicky were to need some help.

I walked over to Nicky, who was still sitting in the Orthodontist's chair; and he looked like he was on the verge of tears.  Nicky was in pain from the heavier wires AND he was frustrated because he was having difficulty putting the rubber bands in.  I assured Nicky that he was going to be fine; and I told him that if he could figure out how to play all the video and computer games that he plays; he can figure out how to put the rubber bands in.  I told him to think of it like a game, as he tried to hook the rubber bands to the 3 brackets; and he rose to the occasion.

Nicky asked to stay home on Wednesday, because he was in so much pain; and I let him.  I totally remembered how miserable I used to feel after I would have my braces tightened, or wires replaced and the addition of rubber bands on top of it, just may have been to much to bear.  I gave Nicky Ibuprofen and bought him some mashed potatoes and a vanilla shake from Culver's and by the time the girls got home from school, Nicky was feeling a little better. 

With Nicky going back to school; I was concerned about him changing his rubber bands after lunch; but he told me that he managed; and I have to say that I am very impressed with how well he's adapted.  Nicky has yet to need my help putting the rubber bands in or taking them out; so maybe my suggestion to think of it as a game, was a good one.

Now, as if the braces adjustment wasn't enough of an inconvenience for one week; Nicky met with another.  On Wednesday night, I discovered that Nicky's Facebook account had been deactivated; and I didn't know why.  We decided that he should wait 24 hours before trying to log into his account, but even after the time elapsed, the account was still inaccessible.  We submitted an inquiry and were advised that they would email his account.  A little while later, Nicky asked Luis and I what the email meant; but as we hadn't read it, we couldn't explain.  Luis asked Nicky if he'd read it; but he hadn't, so Luis instructed him to do so.  Nicky went to go read the email, and when he returned, we asked what it said, but he had deleted it.  WHAT?  I couldn't figure out why in the world he'd delete the email before understanding it, or showing it to Luis and I; and I guess I should say, that not only did he delete it from his inbox; he permanently deleted it; so there was no way for Luis and I to see it and assist him.

Long story short, if I'm being perfectly honest, I suppose you could say that I chastised Nicky for deleting the email and after Nicky went up to bed; Luis called my attention to how hurtful what I said may have been to Nicky.  I went up to see Nicky, because the last thing that I would want to do is hurt him.  I explained that what he had done, showed no common sense; and that it was important to have common sense, because common sense can keep you out of trouble.  I told Nicky that you can have a 4.0, straight A's, and be the smarted person in the world; but without common sense; you could get hurt; both physically and emotionally; and I would hate to see that.
I reviewed what had transpired with the account, and explained why it would have been necessary for us to have seen the email.  Ultimately, I think Nicky understood; and by this morning we were able to re-activate his account.  It turns out, they suspected that it may be a "fake" account, and suggested that Nicky send more friend requests, put more status updates and send messages to friends; in order to be recognized as a genuine account.

I explained this to Nicky, and encouraged him to try and use Facebook more actively.  Now there's a twist.  Most parents of pre-teens probably don't have to prod their kids to use FACEBOOK; but then again, Nicky IS NOT most kids; and I am so grateful for that.  Nicky is a kind, thoughtful, sensitive, caring, young man.  He is hard working, diligent and wise; so when he doesn't use the good sense that he was given; I find it frustrating and disappointing.  I never want anything bad to happen to Nicky (or any of my children, ) but I have to insure that if something bad did happen; they wouldn't fall apart and they would be able to rely on their common sense to know how to handle the situation.

I know that sometimes, it may seem that I'm very strict; but the truth of the matter is; I lost both of my parents before they were done teaching me a lot of valuable lessons; so since we never know how much time we're going to have; I try not to miss an opportunity to teach my children something.    Nicky has learned some very important lessons this week, and I think that he'll be all the better for them.  He'll get there; I know he will!
Till Next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-157) Ten For 10'

If I had to choose a word to represent MY 2010; without a doubt, it would have to be DISCOVERY.  This past year I have learned so much about myself, my family, my friends, and life in general.  Although I've frequently written about my discoveries on "The Bumpy Ride," since this is the end of the year; I would like to share TEN of my most important discoveries with you.

This year, I've discovered:
1.  Change is good.  Change can often be scary; but if things always stayed the same, they would never grow.
2.  You HAVE to be true to yourself.    Everyone has their own path, and you and only you, are responsible for yours.
3.  Age is just a number.  You're as young as you feel and you should never let your age stop you in any way.
4.  I am strong.  I have strength of character, and strength of mind. I am strong in my commitments and my values; and I am getting stronger every day.
5.  Family!  I have found cousins that I never really knew; and I am so ecstatic to have them in my life.
6.  I have made a difference. By reconnecting with some of the girls that I worked with when I was a Social worker; I now know that my efforts were appreciated; and meaningful.
7.  I have a lot left to do.  I have not nearly reached my potential, as a wife, a mom, a friend, a writer a person.
8.  Reciprocity is crucial.  Life is a two way street, and even though you may be accustomed to always being the person who does or gives; you also HAVE to let others do for you.
9.  Karma!  It's the guiding force behind (say it with me,) "The greater good."
10. It's OK to ask for what you need.  I've never really been good at this.  And I know that just because you ask for something, doesn't mean that you're going to get it; but certainly if you don't ask; you're assured not to get it.  And so, once again, I'm going to ask for your help...

This post is number 157 of 366 and number 294 for all time.  Hard to believe; I KNOW.  And as we all know; I still have a long way to go, at least to get to July 29, 2011.  So with that being said; once again I would like to take a grassroots stab at increasing my readership; and this is where you come in.  If you enjoy "The Bumpy Ride," and believe that my messages and stories are those that others would enjoy or benefit from; PLEASE share me with a friend.  I'm ASKING that you tell at least two friends about "The Bumpy Ride," in the hopes that they will join me on a regular basis and tell two more friends, etc. etc.
Now sometimes, telling someone about something isn't enough; you have to show them, SO in keeping with my Ten for 10' theme, I'm going to provide the names and links for the ten posts that I think were my best of 2010.  Then you can just forward this blog onto your friends, with suggested reading built right on; OR, you can copy and past one of the posts into an email, so they can read me for themselves; PLEASE!!

Ten For 10': 
43
Acceptance
My Something Special  
A Gift Horse Tale
The Dirty Word
What A Mom's Gotta Do
Red - A Retrospective
The Protectors
What You Choose To Believe
A Blueprint for a B.F.F


There are so many ways for people to join "The Bumpy Ride." If they visit my blog itself; they can sign up to have "The Bumpy Ride" emailed to them each time there's a new post. If they're on Facebook, they can sign up on Networkedblogs, and follow me that way; or they can sign up through Google reader. Let us not forget, they can also show their support by joining The Bumpy Ride Fan Club, on Facebook. I'm starting to feel like a bit of a broken record; BUT, if I don't ask you; then you won't know that I need your help; and boy, do I NEED your help.

Well, that's it for me. I'm so pleased with how this year has gone. Even though it hasn't always been easy; it's ALWAYS been worth it.  I'm so excited to see what 2011 holds in store for us all.  I wish you love, peace and good health.
Till next year...
Queen of EVERYTHING

                                                

(43-153) A Note Of Gratitude

Today I received a most unexpected phone call; and it gave me a VERY big smile.  My old friend, Rachel S; called me from New York and without any provocation from me (NO, really;) she totally boosted my confidence.  I've known Rachel since my Pines days; and she has always been a voice of reason, counsel and support.  From time to time I'll get an email from Rachel, regarding something that I've written; and I'm always so flattered to know that she's reading and enjoying "The Bumpy Ride."

Amongst other things; Rachel told me that she always hears my voice in her head, as she's reading my posts; but she felt the need to hear my voice live; so she gave me a call; and I was truly, delighted.  I thanked Rachel for continuing to read my blog, and for encouraging me.  We discussed how difficult it is for me to write the blog on a daily basis; and how I often struggle, to find something entertaining or motivational to share.  I expressed my gratitude for her interest AND I want to publicly do the same for a few others as well.

To my friend Joni; I try my best to email you regularly to thank you for commenting on my blog; but I want everyone (well, the five people besides you, who read this;) to know how much it means to me, that you always leave me a comment; after you've read a post.  Now with that being said, I'm not inferring that I want every one (all five people,) to leave a comment, every time; I'm just thanking YOU for doing so.  It means so much to me.  And for those of you who've read Joni's comments; rest assured that her questions don't go unanswered; I just typically email her privately.

To my kindred spirit, Dawn; I cannot express how grateful I am for all of the thumbs up that you've given me on Facebook; and for all of your wonderful, heartfelt, thought provoking comments.  I admire and respect you so much; so the fact that you enjoy my blog, is a big (say it with me) "Huge," compliment.

To my amazing, Mari; Although you don't write your comments publicly; your emails, texts and phone calls are ALWAYS so appreciated.  I know that I've thanked you for your marvelous, "Memories and thoughts" jar on numerous occasions; but on behalf of my other five readers; I want to thank you again for the jar's contribution to "The Bumpy Ride."

Now surely I jest, when I say that I have five readers, plus whomever I was writing about.  I KNOW that I have a few more than that; and although I can't thank everyone who drops by "The Bumpy Ride," tonight I'd like to thank Julie, Judy, Cheryl, Shannon, Jenifer, Russell, Bobbi and Michele Q, (my sister of my heart;) for letting me know that they're keeping up with me regularly.

I know that you all are really busy; and the fact that you make the time to read my blog, just validates my effort and makes my day.  I'm gonna keep plugging away; and hope that I hit more often than I miss; and if you get in the mood to drop me a line some time and let me know how I'm doing, then I would be ever so obliged.  In the meantime, I found this quote by Karen Ravn, and I posted it as my Facebook status tonight because I think that it represents my current philosophy perfectly...

"Only as high as I reach can I grow,

Only as far as I seek can I go,

Only as deep as I look can I see,

Only as much as I dream can I be."

Till next time...

Queen of EVERYTHING

                                                         

(43-135) Our Tree Is Growing

As cliche as it sounds; time flies.  It really is true that the older you get, the quicker it goes.  Case in point; I can't believe that the 11th will be one month since I found my wonderful, cousin, Jackie.  The 11th will also happen to be Kelsie's seventh birthday; which is just MORE proof that time flies!

Now, if you've read "The Bumpy Ride" before; then you probably know that I fancy myself an amateur detective; AND you also know that when I want to accomplish something, NOTHING will stand in my way.  Well on November 11th, I posted "Just what I Needed," and I explained that I had found my cousin, Jackie on Facebook, while I was in pursuit of an idea for that night's blog.  You see, I have a usual list of people that I periodically try to find; and you never know when one is just going to pop up.  A couple of times I had tried to look for my cousins, Mitchell and Steven (Bubby's sons;) but I never had any luck.  Well, I put on my PI cap, and I remembered that Steven had 2 daughters (whom I'd never met;) so I tried to look them up, AND... I found them.  I looked on their friends; and I found my cousin Mitchell; and then I looked at his friends; and that lead me to Jackie; and her daughter Becky.

I sent Mitchell a message on the 11th, just as I'd done with Jackie; and on Thanksgiving I received a note from him, followed by a friend request; and then a phone call.  It was really nice to catch up with Mitchell.  Bubby is my mom's older brother, and both of his sons are older than me (Mitchell by 6 years, and Steven by 10;) so we were never that close as kids; although I spent more time with them than any of my other cousins.  Since our conversation, Mitchell and I have instant messaged a couple of times on Facebook; and I know that now that we've re-connected, we'll stay in touch.  

Just a couple of days ago, Steven popped up on Facebook; so I sent him a note and a friend request as well.  He emailed me and caught me up on his life; and then we spoke tonight.  I then sent friend requests to Steve's 3 daughters; Tiffany, Jessica and Brittany and I got to know Jessica a little bit tonight, through instant messaging.

Jessica is absolutely GORGEOUS and she has beautiful 3 year old twins, (a boy and a girl.) I asked the twins names and as it turns out, her daughter is Mackenzie Lee.  I recalled that her middle name was Lee as well; so I asked if it was and she confirmed it.  I told her that I thought she was named Lee after my mom.  She replied "Lee for Leona;" and I said "Yes; she was my mom;" and I almost cried.  She went on to say that her family always told her that she looked like her; and since I could see a resemblance and she's stunning, just like my mom was; I agreed.  I told her that yesterday would have been my mom's birthday; and I'll admit, it made me sad to say; but I was happy as well.

In my wildest dreams; if you would have told me a month ago, that I'd suddenly have a new found family; I never would have believed it.  After being on my own for so long; to suddenly have all of these people in my life, is overwhelming; but totally in a good way.  My kids are definitely confused, because it seems that every time I'm on the computer lately, I'm showing them pictures of another cousin; and our family tree is growing by leaps and bounds.

After I had explained to Jackie, why I'm writing the 43 series on my blog; she commented "Just maybe the best things in life are the "unexpected". something WONDERFUL happend to you at 43.....you found me. Now 43 will be a posiitive number...." I knew that she was right; as soon as I read it; because finding her has improved my life immensely; and it just keeps getting better and better.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING 

(43-132) True Or False?

On Friday night I was meandering around Facebook and noticed that a number of friends had changed their profile pictures to that of their favorite, childhood, cartoon character.  Some had  additionally posted "Change your profile picture to a cartoon character from your childhood. The goal is to not see any human faces on FB until Monday, December 6th and to be surrounded by good childhood memories. Join the fight against Child Abuse and invite your friends to do the same!" 

This sounded like a fun and helpful thing to do, so I promptly  changed my picture to teen Pebbles (since I couldn't find a good picture of Josie from "Josie and the Pussycats.") Come to think of it, EVERY time I've wanted a Josie something; I've had to settle for the next best thing.  I remember that when I was in first grade I wanted to be Josie for Halloween, and my Mom wound up buying me a Melody costume instead; complete with plastic face mask with the elastic string.  NOT that there was anything wrong with Melody; she just WASN'T Josie.  How funny that even in first grade I was more inclined to be the spunky red head, the leader of the band; rather than the cute, lil blonde.  EEWW, way off track; let's round the bend...

So I was teen Pebbles; and I asked Luis which cartoon  character was his fave; and quickly turned him into Foghorn Leghorn.  Nicky said that he liked many characters, but he never waivered in his decision to change his picture to Woodstock.

It was really fun seeing all of the different cartoon characters that people were choosing; and other than Tinkerbell, I didn't see any duplicates.  My friend Ronni, actually posted a "Josie AND The Pussycats" picture; and another friend chose a Penelope Pitstop that I'd considered.  I was never the biggest cartoon watcher; but I did enjoy those "Wacky Racers."  I saw many different Snoopy's, an Underdog and a Polly Purebred.  Captain Caveman, Mutley, and Shaggy from Scooby Doo.  I was struck by the number of people who joined in on this call to action; but then on Sunday night, I saw a post from my cousin, Jackie, stating "apparently the group asking everyone to change their profile picture to their favorite cartoon is actually a group of pedophiles! They're doing it because kids will accept their friend request if they see a cartoon. Nothing to do with supporting child violence! It was on that TV show that warns you about internet fraud...Its on Tonight's News! PLEASE pass this onto everyone who has a cartoon profile picture."  AGGHH! I felt like an idiot; and I immediately changed my profile picture back to what I had pre-cartoon; and changed Luis' and Nicky's as well.  I felt so irresponsible for having fallen prey to this trick; but I never could have imagined that something that seemed so harmless could truly be something terrible.

I didn't re-post the note that Jackie shared, because by the time I saw it, I knew that people would be changing their pictures back on their own.  I decided that I was going to look into the matter more; which I should have done before changing our pictures so quickly; but what I found was nothing factual; and I have to say that I'm REALLY relieved.

According to Snopes, changing your Facebook profile picture to that of a cartoon character in order to help end child abuse AND the claim that this suggestion came from a group of pedophiles; are both FALSE. I found the entire article to be very thought provoking; and certainly a comfort.

I for one am guilty of believing a good deal of what I read.  I don't typically turn to Snopes to confirm or disprove every request that I receive; but for the sake of acting responsibly, I suppose that I'll have to get into the habit of doing so.  I've definitely passed along warning forwards that turned out to be false; AND now I've posted then removed my cartoon character; but thankfully none of these actions hurt anyone.  We all have to be so careful with everything that we share in our texts, our emails and undeniably,on our Facebook pages.  I liked being teen Pebbles for 48 hours; and maybe, just maybe and just because I feel like it; I'll choose to be her again one day.

Till next time...

Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-120) Forty Three Reasons That I Am THANKFUL

Thanksgiving is my very, FAVORITE holiday.  It always has been, and if you tune in again tomorrow; I promise that you'll find out one of the biggest reasons why... 

Now if you've read "The Bumpy Ride" before; then you know that I am all about giving thanks, and expressing my gratitude, for even the simplest of things.  And since this year in particular, I am grateful for EVERY day that I draw breath; I've decided to share my list of Forty Three Reasons That I Am THANKFUL this holiday.

In "100 MORE Random Things About Me;" I told you that I make lists; which is kind of ironic, considering that , in and of itself, that blog was a list.  But, at the risk of being repetitive or God forbid, predictable.  I'm going to have at it again; and in no particular order; here we go.

I'm Thankful:

  1.    To be alive
  2.    For my 3 AMAZING children; Nicky, Lyndzi and Kelsie
  3.    For my INCREDIBLE husband; Luis
  4.    For my cousin Jackie, and all of the love that she is bringing into my life
  5.    For Hershey, (my bilingual Chihuahua) and her daily companionship
  6.    For coffee
  7.    To live in the United States of America
  8.    For the men and women in our armed services; who keep us safe
  9.    For bottled water
10.    For my children's teachers
11.    That the Art Nazi is no longer working at my kid's school 
12.    For my kid's soccer coaches (ESPECIALLY the one who's a good kisser)
13.    That I have healthy children
14.    That I am my own person
15.    For people who take the time to read "The Bumpy Ride"
16.    For everyone that encourages me to keep writing "The Bumpy Ride"
17.    For my wonderful In-laws (ALL of them!!)
18.    For my laptop; which enables me to write my blog any time, anywhere
19.    For FREEDOM (each and every kind)
20.    For laughter and everyone that inspires it
21.    For ALL of my friends; old and new!
22.    For Facebook
23.    For my creativity
24.    For my ability to write
25.    That my children always thank me for every meal that I give them
26.    For email
27.    For fresh air
28.    That I'm determined
29.    That Bristol Palin didn't win "DWTS"
30.    For comfy pajamas

31.    For Dreyer's Slow churned 1/2 the fat ice cream (you can't taste a  difference; REALLY)

32.    For Diet Dr. Pepper Cherry and Diet Mountain Dew

33.    For our home

34.    For my job

35.    For Luis' job

36.    For unexpected surprises

37.    For Kohl's - their sensational sales and unbelievable return policy

38.    For The Macy's Thanksgiving day parade

39.    My health

40.    For new experiences

41.    For books

42.    For EVERY minute that I share with my family and friends

43.    That my husband understands the importance of waiting until the day AFTER Thanksgiving to put up our Christmas lights

In honor of Thanksgiving, I think it's important to take a few minutes and remember many of the reasons that we have to be grateful.  No matter how bad any of us may think that we have it; I'm absolutely certain that there are many who would be all to happy to trade places with us.  Thanksgiving is a time to acknowledge all that you have and not dwell on what you have not.   It's a time to be appreciative of experiences past and present; and all that we are blessed to have, from things that we take for granted to things that make our lives a little easier and things that we couldn't live without.

I wish you all a TERRIFIC Thanksgiving, and I hope that you gobble till you wobble.                                                   

Till next time...

Queen of EVERYTHING