This Is What You Raised Them For...

Saying time flies is a frequently used idiom; but there's a reason for that - it truly does!  In fact, the older my kids get the quicker time seems to pass; which is why those Riders who I don't know personally, may be surprised to hear that my son, Nicky is now almost 19 years old and a Freshman in college.  For those who are my Facebook friends, this should be less surprising, though probably not less believable.  As his Momma, it feels like just yesterday that he was born.  For years I both dreamed about. yet dreaded the day that I would move him to college; but I'm here to tell ya, it's a fulfilling experience and one that gave me great satisfaction and joy.  If I cried at all, they were happy tears, FOR my son; and not tears of sadness for me.

Nicky and I have always been very close, so the expectation (both mine and my clan's) was that I would fall apart upon his departure; but amazingly enough, the opposite was true.  
We moved Nicky down to the University of Arizona on a Saturday, because he was going to participate in Bear Down Camp a week before the other students arrived.  Since UA is only two hours from our home, our plan was to move him in and come home; and then go back with our girls the next day, since we had to attend a brunch with Nicky as part of the camp. 
I thought that I'd be very emotional when I left him that first night; but I think that knowing I'd see him the next day, made it easier to leave without incident.  We went back Sunday morning and although I got teary a few times during the brunch, I can honestly say that it wasn't because I thought it would be difficult to be apart; but because I was so happy to see what Nicky was going to be a part of.  I was so proud of all that he had accomplished to get him to this point and I was very excited for him.  Don't get me wrong, I must have hugged him a million times, (and not little short hugs) because part of me didn't think I could let go; but I managed to say goodbye without crying, and as much as I miss having him home, I haven't shed a tear.

My close friends were good to check on me often during Nicky's first few days at school.  They asked how I was doing, and while I'm not sure that my response surprised them, it pleasantly surprised me. You see, Nicky was able to text me while he was at camp (in Prescott), but I didn't talk to him until 4 days later, when he was back on campus.  The first time that we spoke on the phone, it was if my son had come alive.  He was talkative and animated.  I could hear the smile on his face in the way that he spoke.  He asked me questions and told me about his experiences, and I felt incredibly gratified.  As the week went on, and he participated in welcome activities and went to his first classes, it was obvious that he was exactly where he was meant to be and that he was doing all that we had raised him to do.  So how could I be sad about that? 

It's so hard to believe that Nicky will be done with his first year of college in just two months.  He had a fantastic first semester, earning a 4.0 at the College of Engineering.  He's taking his first computer programming class this semester and will be declaring his major as Electrical / Computer Engineering, with a concentration in Computer Engineering.  He DJ's a weekly radio show, and he attends shabbat services at Hillel.  He's made some good friends and he's actively looking for additional clubs to join; so what more could a Momma want?

I couldn't be more thrilled for Nicky.  I enjoy hearing from him daily. I always look forward to the next time that I'm going to see him; and I guarantee that all of you Momma's who will be sending kids off to college soon, will feel the same.  Just remember my words "THIS is what you raised them for."   You raised them to go out into the world and make it a better place.  You raised them to go out into the world and make their dreams come true. To go out into the world and learn who they are, apart from you; and then one day they'll come back and while they'll still be your baby, they'll be their own person.

Till next time,
Paige 

A Brand, New Ride

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

(43-365) I Did It!

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

(43-363) Five Hundred

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

(43-361) DJ Louie V

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...

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

(43-357) Follow Me

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

(43-351) 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   

(43-350) No Easy Feat

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

(43-348) The Lazy River

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

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   

(43-344) Twenty Questions

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

(43-298) Chat

Luis has now been on vacation for five days and I'm happy to say that he's having a great time and the kids and I are handling his absence, perhaps better than we'd expected.  I have been so touched by my kind, friends who've been calling to check on me and the kids.  THANK YOU all!

Before he left for his trip, Luis set up Windows Live Messenger so that we could video chat, and I believe that this has eased our separation, although it hasn't been working quite as well as we'd expected.  Since I'm NOT The Queen of TECHNOLOGY, you might assume that I was the cause of our technical difficulties, but in fact I was not.  On Wednesday night, Luis had sent me an email via Facebook, telling me what time he could chat.  We got online at the stipulated time.  I sat on the couch, and we IM'd a bit.  He then attempted to call; and although my exhausted, face appeared on the computer, we couldn't see him.   I was a little relieved because I took this to mean that he couldn't see us either and since I wasn't lookin my best, I was a lil relieved.  I thought "tomorrow night I'd better do my make up and sit in a flattering position, so that I give Luis something to want to come home to."  We attempted a couple of phone calls, but it wasn't working.  Luis continued to type his IM's but his English and spelling were not what they typically are.  I commented to the girls, that it had only been 24 hours, but Dad seemed to forget how to speak English; and Luis' next IM read "I can hear you."  Whoops!  My bad!  He then wrote "I do too speak English."  To which I replied, "Well you don't type like it."  He said that he could see and hear us, but we couldn't say the same.  Luis told me to keep talking and he'd type.  I agreed, and then his next comment was "Any gossip?"  Well at least that hadn't changed.   It felt odd to talk  to the computer screen and read Luis' typed responses.
Perhaps if  I could have seen his face while I was talking, it wouldn't have felt so peculiar.  But nonetheless, I was very happy to talk to him.

On Thursday night, Luis was able to get his camera working, so we could see him too; but his audio was still a problem.  Luis took us on a tour of the new bathroom that his dad had built and that was terrific.  We felt like we were right there with him.  Technology is just amazing.  I mean the last time I was in the States and Luis was in Vallarta, we were only able to communicate by phone and letters.  But in the past seventeen years, the Internet, email, Instant messaging, and video chat have all been invented.  I could only imagine that I would have saved a lot of money had this been the case back then.  Not that I'd change a thing.

Only three more days till Luis comes home, and the kids and I are fine.  Besides, this really has been good practice for when Lyndzi and I go to New York in 68 days.  Time is just flying by and I plan to enjoy it all.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING 

(43-295) Famous Friends

As I started getting busier with my blog, there were two things that I found I had less time for. One as you know (especially if you've seen me), is the gym and the other was spending time at the Scrapbooking from the Inside Out website.  I missed both (REALLY.  BOTH!)  But I found my way back to SFTIO a few weeks ago and I'm so glad that I did.  (I'll be making my way back to the gym next week, now that the kids will be out of school and my schedule will be different.)
 
Anyway, since I began working with Rachel on the "CRAFT Beach Retreat"  and creating the song playlist for this month's "FRIENDSHIP Kit" it seemed like an opportune time to reacquaint myself with the SFTIO online community. I don't spend a lot of time there, but I do try to check in a couple of times a day to see new posts.  I'll play the word association game, or look at the new lay outs that people submit for the monthly challenges; and yesterday when I stopped by I was delighted to see that my friend Kai had resurrected a lil game that I enjoy; called Gimme Five.

The name of the game basically says it all.  Whatever the topic is; you list five.  This time Kai posted, Gimme Five Favorite Famous Friends.  Her list included, well, the cast of "Friends," as well as Sully & Mike (from "Monsters Inc." Will & Grace (and Karen & Jack), Lavinia & Suzette (from "The Banger Sisters"), and Pooh & Piglet.  Others posted everything from Oscar and Felix ("The Odd Couple") to Dora & Boots.   Of course they mentioned Lucy & Ethel, and Thelma and Louise.

I added my two cents; OK, five cents and  wrote the following: "How bout Laverne & Shirley?  And while we're in our time machine, I'll go with Richie Cunningham & The Fonz. There's Mary & Rhoda, And for a lil Comic Relief (Billy Crystal, Robin Williams & Whoppi Goldberg) Lastly, they're the 3 best friends that anyone ever had; the wolf pack, the men of "The Hangover"!!! "    OK, I'll admit it; I crack myself up sometimes, and this was definitely one of them.

I came up with that list in no time at all; and if you think about it, most TV shows or movies revolve around friendships one way or another.  Friendship is such a crucial part of life. A friend lends an ear and a shoulder.  A friend has your back and will save your ass.  A friend is someone that you can laugh and cry with.  They help you through your struggles and celebrate your successes.  How empty life would be without our friends. 
I've said it before (many times); but I'll say it again.  I am SO grateful for all of my AMAZING friends. I could just go on and on (you KNOW I could), but instead, i'll just say, if you feel like weighing in, I'd love for you to Gimme Five.  You can post your five favorite, famous friends as a comment here, or even on Facebook.  Getcha Game on.  Play a little.  C'mon friends, let's have some fun! 
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-283) WHAT Has Hershey Done?

If you've ever joined me on "The Bumpy Ride" before, then you may already know the following:  1.  Hershey is my 2 1/2 year old Chihuahua.  2.Richie Howell was a Private Investigator.  3.  As I am the daughter of Richie Howell, I seem to have inherited some uncommon detective-ish skills. And  4.  I have an OVERactive imagination.

So by now you've probably figured out that "WHAT Has Hershey Done?" is another installment of the "Queen of EVERYTHING P.I" series, along with  "To Camp Or Not To Camp."  (shameless plug I know...)  Anyway, I'm sure that the question on all of your minds is "WHAT Has Hershey Done?"  And THAT my friends is what I still need to figure out.

So here's what has me thinking that she's done SOMETHING:
1.  At approximately 5:05am Hershey was downstairs barking at something; when she had previously been in bed with me.
2.  I called to Hershey and told her to come back upstairs (which she usually does when I tell her to do so;) but she did not.
3.  When I came downstairs at approximately 5:55am Hershey was laying on a pillow on the play room couch.  This is in and of itself is very strange, because after Hershey gets up with me, if she can find anyone still in bed, she ALWAYS chooses someone to go to sleep with. She even plays musical beds if the child that she was sleeping with gets up, and others are still asleep.  She NEVER opts for the couch if there is someone she can snuggle up to in a bed. So staying on the couch, BY HERSELF is unheard of.
4.  When I greeted Hershey, instead of going through our morning ritual like we usually do, she laid on the pillow looking extraordinarily guilty, AND she growled at me.
5.  At approximately 630AM I went upstairs to wake Lyndzi up, and although Hershey is typically underfoot when I do so; she remained on the couch and didn't budge.

SUSPICIOUS I tell you!  Now one of these things alone would have caused me to think that something was awry, but all five of these things?  No, I was definitely convinced that somehow Hershey had been up to no good; even though she is usually a very obedient and well behaved dog.

Well, an entire day has now passed.  I started writing this blog around 930 this morning, and I had to leave it for several hours.  I was convinced that by the time I resumed writing it, I would have figured out WHAT Hershey did, but thus far we haven't been able to find a thing.  I'm not gonna close the case on this one just yet.  And rest assured that if I figure out WHAT Hershey did, you'll be hearing about.  But for now, I'll just have to chalk it up to a number of coincidences and my VERY overactive imagination.
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!)

(43-265) Missing Movies

#10 on my "100 Random Things About Me" list was "I love going to the movies; but I rarely go."  Back in the day, if I REALLY liked a movie,  I would see it multiple times in the theater.  I think I saw "Grease" at least eight times, and I know I made more than one visit to "Porky's,"  I had to have seen "Dirty Dancing" no less than three times; I lost count on how many times I went to see "When Harry Met Sally,"  AND "Parenthood," not to mention my regular attendance at "The Rocky Horror Picture Show."

As movie prices have gone up  over the years, and my schedule has gotten so much busier, I hardly find the time to see a movie even once in the theater; but I did make an exception for "Sex and The City," and "The Hangover."  Neither of these were Academy award nominated films; but they were priceless to me.  Through the course of my movie watching life I've managed to miss several popular and or iconic films, that most other people have seen.  I touched on this when I told you in "Quite Contrary," that I had never seen the movie "The Godfather;" and I was OK with that.

My friend Hilary, sent me an email after reading "quite Contrary," and she  encouraged me to post a list of movies that I hadn't seen, as she thought that she'd be surprised by it.  I told her that I'd do so at some point; and so in honor of tonight being the first night of Passover, I'm going to tell you about twenty five movies that I Passed Over. 

Now I'm not proud that I've failed to see these flicks.  But I have previously mentioned that I am Queen of B RATE MOVIES, and I'm pretty shallow when it comes to my entertainment.  For the most part I don't like to have to think too hard when I'm watching a film.  I don't want to really have to concentrate in order to understand a plot; and I don't want to cry a lot.  I like to be entertained, I enjoy laughing and feeling  hopeful; so I guess for the most part I'm a chick flick lovin, romantic comedy kinda girl.  And with that being said; you may now understand why I've never seen:

1.   "Casablanca"
2.   "It's A Wonderful Life"
3.   "Stand By Me"
4.   "King Kong" (any of them)
5.   "Cleopatra"
6.   "Lord Of The Rings" (any of them)
7.   "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest"
8.   "American Beauty"
9.   "Fargo"
10. "No Country For Old Men"
11.  "Taxi Driver"
12.  "Jurassic Park"
13.  "Lawrence Of Arabia"
14.  "Avatar"  or as I like to call it "The Avatar"
15.  "Some Like It Hot"
16.  "The Bridges Of Madison County"
17.  "Terminator" (any of them)
18.  "Black Swan"
19.  "Harry Potter" (any of them)
20.  "Singin' In The Rain"
21.  "A Beautiful Mind"
22.  "Dances With Wolves"
23.  "Schindler's List"
24.  "Scarface"
25.  "The Matrix"

I didn't include anything in the horror genre, such as "Psycho" or "The Shining," because as I mentioned told you in "100 Random Things About Me,"   "I don't like scary movies because I have a VERY vivid imagination. AND "Silence of the Lambs" was the scariest movie that I've ever seen and I still check the backseat of my car before I get in; so I can make sure that no one is hiding in there to abduct me (proving #19 right there.)"  Since I don't like Horror movies at all, I didn't want to waste a spot by stating the obvious.  I also didn't include anything Sci-fi, because the only movies that I've ever seen that would even qualify under this category are the very first "star Wars"  (which I didn't like,) and "ET'."   As I wasn't sure if "The Matrix" qualified as Sci-fi, I included it; as I have no desire to see it, EVER.

So what does this list prove?  Absolutely nothing!  Perhaps it's just a testament to how unpredictable I can be.  Wishing a zisn Pesach,( [Have] a sweet Passover;) to all those who are celebrating.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING