(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

(43-322) ASPIRE

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

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

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

YES, I think ASPIRE is the perfect word for me right now, as I feel incredibly, inspired, not only by Mari but by another frequently mentioned friend -  Rachel K.  I have been so impressed and influenced by Rachel's achievement with Scrapbooking from the Inside Out and how her dedication and diligence have manifested itself into the CRAFT Beach Retreat.   Registration opens for CRAFT on Saturday, June 18th  at 9am Pacific time and I'm so excited about it, that I added the CRAFT blinkie to my sidebar. 
If you haven't been following the CRAFT blog to date, please check it out.  Not only because you might be interested in attending; but because I want you to see what my remarkable friend has created. (OK, with a little help from me.)  
 
To quote James Howell, "A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle."
Well Rachel truly is a candle.  Rachel has been able to pursue her dream and at the same time promote and encourage others to reach their own potential - myself included.  Rachel's example inspires me to ASPIRE; and I hope that I've done the same for you.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING   

(43-309) Just For Laughs...

I was perusing my DVR list of scheduled recordings, and was mildly surprised by how few shows are currently on my list, compared to to the regular TV season.  I'll be adding a few more shows to my repertoire as the summer progresses; but my mind got to thinking about my TV history.

Since I'm such a fan of the Gimme Five game from the Scrapbooking from the Inside Out website, I've decided to start my own little game, and will endeavor to share my five FAVORITE TV Comedies from each decade of my life .  Now some of these shows were so successful that they overlapped decades, so I'm just gonna tuck em in the decade that I remember enjoying them most.  And FYI, "I Love Lucy" aired in the 1950's so that's why it's not on my list, even though I'm a big (yes) HUGE fan!

60's:
1.  Petticoat Junction
2.  That Girl
3.  Bewitched
4.  I Dream of Jeannie
5.  The Beverly Hillbillies

70's:
1.  Soap
2.  One Day At A Time
3.  Laverne and Shirley
4.  The Carol Burnett Show
5.  Rhoda

80's:
1.  Bosom Buddies
2.  The Facts Of Life
3.  Three's Company
4.  Family Ties
5.  Taxi

90's:
1.  Married With Children
2.  Roseanne
3.  Seinfeld
4.  Friends
5.  Designing Women

00's:
1.  The King of Queens
2.  Will and Grace
3.  Entourage
4.  Curb Your Enthusiasm
5.  Boston Legal

Present:
1.  Mike and Molly
2.  The Big Bang Theory
3.  Hot In Cleveland
4.  GLEE
5.  The Real Housewives of New Jersey  (Even though it's not meant to be a comedy; how could you call this anything but?)

Now I'm sure that I've missed mentioning some shows that are near and dear to your hearts; since afer all, five shows per decade was barely the tip of the iceberg.  So PLEASE play along with me and share your five favorite TV shows per the decades of your life.  Feel free to play here or on Facebook, by commenting on my post.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-306) Optimism

If you've ever read "The Bumpy Ride" before, then you know that I'm a big (yes) HUGE fan of OPTIMISM!  You know that I'm all about the greater good, and positivity, and all that shiny, happy stuff.  So it should come as no surprise that I am OVER THE MOON for next month's kit from Scrapbooking from the Inside Out - OPTIMISM.

A couple of days ago, Rachel K emailed me and her staff, a sneak peak of the June kit, and it's so sensational, that I HAVE to share it with you.  My apologies to all my non-scrapbooking riders, but this kit is too good to be missed; so I really wanna help spread the word. 

I'm busy, working on the song, play list that will go along with this kit.  If you visit Scrapbooking from the Inside Out, next month, you'll be able to listen to it, as well as gain inspiration from quotes and images that are also provided.  By the way, there are several monthly challenges, so you might actually win a prize for doing something that you love.  Not to mention the opportunity to chat with a wonderful community of women.

If you're a scrapbooker and you haven't checked out Scrapbooking from the Inside Out, there's never been a better time to do so.  I have to say that when I got this sneak peak, I thought that it was the BEST kit that I'd ever seen.  And with the current prices of scrapbooking supplies; it's a phenomenal value.  If you want to do something nice for yourself (or a fellow scrapbooker,) consider The OPTIMISM kit.  It's all about your (say it with me) "Greater Good". 
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

(43-258) CRAFT Beach Retreat

Don't let the title fool you.  Even if you're not a crafty guy or girl, this post isn't ALL about the CRAFT Beach Retreat per se.  In a nutshell, it's also about courage, fortitude, vision, entrepreneurship, and friendship.  It's about my AMAZING friend, Rachel K.

I have written about Rachel K numerous times, since "The Bumpy Ride" began; as we've been friends for almost 20 years, she was in the delivery room with Luis and I when I gave birth to my oldest daughter, Lyndzi, (and she is one of Lyndzi's Godmother's.)  Rachel helped me plan and execute my 40th Birthday Scrapbooking Extravaganza Weekend and she invited me to work with her when she developed her business, Scrapbooking From The Inside Out.  It's been my pleasure to watch Rachel fulfill her dream with her Scrapbooking kit club and online community and now she is ready to take her business to a new level, by offering an exclusive experience which she is calling CRAFT Beach Retreat.  

CRAFT is an acronym for Creating Reflective Art For Transformation, and the very first retreat will be held in beautiful, Santa Monica, California on November 11-13, 2011.  I'm so excited that Rachel has asked me to be a part of her Retreat team, and surely I'll have more information to follow. If you're already interested, you can sign up on CRAFT Beach Retreat so that you'll be updated with information as we share it.

I can tell you that this event will be like no other of its kind, because Rachel is one of the most thoughtful and thorough women that I know; and she likes to give people experiences that are nothing short of perfection.  I make these claims as someone who has been blessed to be on the receiving end of Rachel's gracious, generosity countless times; and someone who has been cheerleading her vision since inception.

I am so very proud of Rachel and all that she's accomplished thus far, and I feel privileged to be working with her on CRAFT.  Rachel has taught me many valuable lessons through the course of our friendship, and she was instrumental in my decision to start "The Bumpy Ride."  Rachel is a shining example of what one can accomplish when they dare to pursue their dream; and she inspires me on a daily basis.

I look forward to telling you more about CRAFT in the future and I encourage you to follow Rachel's example and pursue your passion.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-53) Full day, Full heart...

Whew!  Today was a BUSY one; but a VERY good one at that.  I asked Lyndzi to run some errands with me, but she wasn't really that interested until I sweetened the deal with an offer of pumpkin loaf from Starbucks.  Lyndzi had a change of heart and shortly after we were on our way, she told me that she was glad that she decided to join me; regardless of the pumpkin loaf, and that was music to my ears.   We adjusted our To DO list slightly, and decided to take some time to enjoy each others company.

From Starbucks we went to the mall so that I could have my diamond re-set.  We dropped the ring off, and ran back home, because I had forgotten my cell.  Just as we were getting ready to go back to the mall, Kelsie started screaming from the bathroom, "ANTS!"  OY!  I HATE ants!!  AND for some reasonwe always seem to get an out break of them at a time that Luis isn't  home.  I tried spraying the ants with some Lysol - all purpose cleaner; just to try and immobilize them, and while I was trying to find their outlet, Nicky informed me that their were a ton of ants in his bathroom as well.  OH DEAR GOD!  Nicky and I both combatted the ants to the best of our ability; and then I called in the big guns!  Luis advised me that we had a really strong ant spray in our back yard and that once I'd spray it, the problem would be solved instantaneously.  Thankfully Luis was right.

Once the ant situation was under control, I went back to the mall to pick up my ring; and it was BEAUTIFUL!  Exactly what I wanted!  And so I decided to get the bonus, diamond ring sized as well.
After the mall I stopped at Trader Joe's because I was expecting company at 2.  I picked up some cheeses and grapes and headed back home.

While I was on vacation in Puerto Vallarta this past May, I happened to receive comments on my blog from 2 ladies who both lived in the Phoenix area, and had both found me through "Scrapbooking from the Inside Out."  It seemed that I had a lot in common with both ladies and so I emailed them privately to introduce myself and thank them for their comments.  Julie and I had the opportunity to get together a few months ago; and I think we clicked immediately.  Joni and I were going to be meeting for the first time today, but with all of the parallels in our lives; right down to the name of our dogs; I feel like she's an old friend; and Julie and Joni know each other, but were going to be meeting for the first time today.

It  definitely didn't seem like this was the first time that Joni and I or Julie and Joni had met.  Both ladies quickly got to work on lays out and although I felt like a fish out of water, I pulled out a photo and some paper and got to work.  The ladies were only here for 4 hours and I actually got 2 lay outs done, which (if you know me;) is monumental.
It felt really good to be creative in a means other than writing; and I think I may need to try scrapbooking again more regularly.

Once my friends left, my entire family headed back to the mall to pick up the bonus ring, and I must say that  Capri Jewelers was 2 for 2.  The ring was stunning!!
We grabbed some dinner, went to Kohl's to get Kelsie new sneakers; came back home, I finished my 2nd lay out; and HERE I AM.

Well, no one will ever be able to accuse me of wasting a minute.  My day was full and so is my heart.  I had some special time with my oldest daughter, I got my long awaited ring, I enjoyed the company of some amazing, new friends, preserved some memories, spent time with my family; and wrote.  Life is GOOD!
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

To Camp or Not To Camp...

Do you ever feel like you are making nothing but excuses? Well, typically I don't; that's just NOT how I roll. I'm a do what I say I'm gonna do, keep me word, you can count on me kinda girl; though lately - not so much. Lately I have been feeling like The Queen of EXCUSES even though most of them are made to myself oh and yes, of course to the readers of "The Bumpy Ride," which troubles me no end. Geez, wasn't it ME, who just a few short months ago was writing that I wanted to try to commit to writing 2 posts a week? Um, yes it was. And now, not only aren't I giving you 2 posts, I'm not even giving you one. Well BELIEVE me, it's not for lack of wanting to (yup, say it with me... "HERE COME THE EXCUSES.") Trust me when I tell you that no one wants me spending time on "The Bumpy Ride" more than I do. I've told you before that I want to write so badly that I physically YEARN for it. Which is why I probably could have produced a fabulous lay out for "Scrapbooking from The inside Out" this month, since the theme for September is yearning ~if only I could find the time. Now of course I know that we are ALL busy, so before you say "Queen get over yourself;" let me provide you with a few more of my excuses...

A couple of months ago I wrote a post about me and the kids going to Sweet Tomatoes and I mentioned that Luis was at a class, though I didn't say what for. Truth of the matter is that back in the spring Luis got a second job and has been working part time as a pharmacy tech; so he is now working Mon-Thurs until 10pm. I am so proud and grateful for my hard working husband, but that means that even though he is the one with the second job; I now have a lot of second jobs too. Basically it feels like I am a single mom Mon-Thurs and lord knows I give props to all you single moms out there; but for someone who is used to having an active partner it is a big adjustment on time. I'm still working my regular 40 hour job, but I'm now responsible for 3 meals a day for 3 kids, all school drop off and pick up, all homework, all housework, and all other parental duties that 2 usually share. Now, PLEASE don't get me wrong; I'm not complaining AT ALL; I'm just giving you my excuses for my lack of time -remember? Anyway, in addition to the fam, I have been working at soccer registration for 3 weeks now and seriously by the time I finally stop doing everything that I am REQUIRED to do in a given day, it's either write "The Bumpy Ride" or do laundry; so clearly I haven't had much of a choice. Now typically I think that I am a pretty good time manager but the reality is that you can't manage something that you don't have. So blah, blah, blah, whine, whine, whine; now you know where I've been, and I do make this promise ~ more to myself really, than to anyone else, but by hook or by crook I AM GOING TO WRITE! I said that this was my year to create AND I MEANT IT; because I am a do what I say I'm gonna do kinda girl! Nuff said.

Now, with all of this extra work for everybody, we thought a get away was certainly in order, so a couple of weekends ago we got the heck out of Dodge and went camping with The Kalka's. Ahh camping! Camping is something that sounds so good when you think about doing it; but then you have to start shopping for it and packing for it and all of a sudden you realize that camping isn't really as relaxing as you think it's going to be. So in addition to all of my other TIME consuming activities I had to fit camping shopping and camping packing into the mix and by the time we got up there I was exhausted. While we headed off to do the dishes, I actually commented to Michelle K "ya now, camping is a lot of work and I'm starting to wonder if it's worth it? Don't get me wrong; I still love the peace and quiet. I love being in the Pines, I LOVE sleeping in my tent but as far as vacations go, there are definitely things that you could do that would cost the same and require a lot less work." And I started thinking "To camp or not to camp...?" So Michelle and I carried all of our dirty pots and pans etc. over to where we thought there was a faucet that we could use. Upon finding the faucet we found a sign that said that we could take the water but we could not clean our dishes there. Now here was the dilemma... the guys had forgotten to bring a water carrier which is why we schlepped the pots and pans to the faucet. In order to transport water we now needed to fill our biggest pot with it, but then it was far too heavy for us to carry back and so I made the Lucyesque decision that we were going to run a covert pot and pan washing operation in the bathroom where there was ALSO a sign telling us NOT TO WASH DISHES IN THE SINK. OK, well you know me; I am Queen of FOLLOWING THE RULES, but this time I just used a loose interpretation of them and I told Michelle "OK, here's what we're going to do. We won't blatantly disregard the rules and wash the pots and pans in the sink; instead I am going to use the clean water that we just got and wash everything in the bathroom stall." After laughing at me for a couple of minutes, Michelle agreed and kept watch outside the bathroom door. She told me that our code word was "Not you fat Jesus," compliments of "The Hangover;" and if I heard her say that, it would mean someone was coming. I managed to get everything all washed up and even though I heard her say "Not you Fat Jesus" a couple of times; no one actually bumrushed our show. We toted all of the SEMI clean pots and pans back to our site and sent the guys for more water so that we could boil it and give everything a good rinse. I know, you probably NEVER want to go camping with me now; but remember there is supposed to be a certain element of roughing it when you camp and thankfully no one got sick. Now when all was said and done with this fiasco I definitely was leaning towards - NOT TO CAMP; but I have to say that for all the hard work, when you actually get to sit down, relax and enjoy your family and friends, it is more relaxing than any other time I can think of. It is so nice to get back to basics and see the kids run around and play. It is so nice to sit by the fire and talk and sing songs and we even threw in a G rated family version of truth or dare; that I don't know if Lyndzi will ever recover from. First of all I don't know what kind of truth or dare they play in Mexico, but when it was my turn Luis said "oh, I have a question for you;" so of course our ears perked up and I even had hopes that the question would be blog worthy, but then my husband said "True or false the earth is 5 million miles form the sun?" "Um, what?" "Can you repeat that?" And he did. He was serious. And so I responded "I don't know." That's right; me, NOT the Queen of SCIENCE said "I don't know; so rather than guess and look stupid I'll just tell you that I don't know." What the ??? I honestly didn't think that Luis had married me for my knowledge of science, but THIS,of all questions that I should have to tell the truth about??? OK! So it was clear that even though no one else was asking a question in this manner, Luis wasn't paying attention and then score 2 for Luis. The kids and I got together and decided to ask "Luis, Do you love Hershey?" And we asked this because he always says that he likes her but he doesn't love her and we really thought this was going to be the time that he told THE TRUTH and admitted that he loved her, but alas, he said "NO! I like her but I don't love her" and then Lyndzi got this mortified look on her face and started crying; "You don't love her???" She just couldn't believe it and thought it was the saddest thing that she had heard. I felt so bad for my part in orchestrating such a revelation; but what was I to do..."Smores anyone??"

In his defense, Luis did explain (to the adults) that when he was a boy he had a dog that he loved very much and he hurt so badly when the dog died, that he didn't ever want to get that close to a pet again; and how could we fault him for that?

Yes, this camping trip had been a time for many discoveries. Michelle and I even toyed with the idea of opening our own private investigation company after we conducted our own mini surveillance on a gentleman that she and Mike found to be suspicious. Michelle and Mike had noticed this guy when he was walking his dog past our site. They thought that he had observed our kids for a little too long and they were concerned that he might be a danger to them. Michelle and I decided to play amateur detectives and we drove Mike's truck around the campground a few times to gather pertinent information. When we pulled up near the rest room, we had a clear view of our suspect. He was by himself, but yet he had 2 chairs and 2 bicycles which Michelle was convinced were being used as decoys to give the appearance that he wasn't alone (even though she believed he was.) We wanted to get his license plate but we were too far away. I said "If only we had some binoculars" and voila, there they were. Michelle had found some in in Mike's trunk (I'm guessing because of sporting events; but I didn't want to ask.) Anyway, The binoculars worked GREAT! I got the license plate number, gave a full report on what he was making for dinner and then I proudly announced that I didn't think this man was alone because his tent looked too complicated to put up by himself and Michelle seemed impressed by this deduction. We drove back to our site and I decided to continue our surveillance with a technique that I called "Walking the dog;" and so Michelle and I took Hershey for a walk because I expected that she would see HIS dogs, start barking at which point I would apologize to him and a conversation would ensue and we could then get a better idea of what he was up to. My plan did work, although it was his dogs who barked and not Hershey. He and the woman he was with (see I told you he wasn't alone;) started talking to us and we concluded that our imaginations had gotten the better of us and they were perfectly nice and harmless people. Case SOLVED.

I would say that despite some hard work, our camping trip was an overall success and a good time was had by all. So is camping worth it? The jury is still out on that one; but I guess I will continue to take these camping trips until I can decide for sure either way and I will be certain to let you know. In the meantime I am going to do my best to get this blog back on track. I can tell you this, it's not so much that I WANT all the posts to be long; it's just the way they are. Anything that seems worthy of writing about, just seems to take me while. Queen of brevity I am not. No one has EVER accused me of being brief or providing too little information or leaving too much to the imagination; that's just not the kinda girl I am and that's just not the kinda blog this is.

Till next time...

Queen of EVERYTHING

Not Quite The Bluebird of Happiness

My phone rang at 1AM on Monday morning, or Sunday night; however, you want to look it at. It was a man from an accounting department in a hotel in Saudi, Arabia and I believe that after repeating myself 3 times, I conveyed the message that it was 1AM, I was sleeping, the next day was a legal holiday so please call me back on what would be Tuesday here at 430AM. Now although I was looking forward to the tad of flexibility that the summer might afford my schedule, I knew that I needed to get up at 415 so that I could be ready and on my computer in case he called back. Which by the way, he did not; he sent an email.

Anyway, I took Hershey outside around 500AM and 45 minutes or so later she seemed interested in going again, so I opened the door, let her out and although I NEVER do this; I left the door ajar so that she could come back in at her leisure.

I went back to my desk and continued working until I heard her barking inside the house. I didn't think much of it, until I heard what sounded like a very distinct whistle; which startled me. I slowly got up to go see what it was; and when I went in the playroom I noticed that a medium sized bird was sitting on the top of my banister. OK, so I did what any normal woman would do (I think) I SCREAMED which naturally woke all 3 kids up and caused the bird to go flying into my picture window that doesn't open. The bird resumed its perch and although I opened the door for it to fly out, it took 2 more stabs at making out that window. After a couple of minutes the bird flew out my front door and the kids and I took a minute to talk about how bizarre it was to have the bird in the house.
I gave them breakfast and went back to work until 800 when I had to get ready to take them to the pool for swim team practice. Once practice started it seemed like it had been no time at all since we had been there last summer; and was just another reminder of how quickly time flies. Nicky practiced at 830 with the 9 & 10 year olds, Lyndzi & Kelsie practiced at 9 with the 7 & 8 year olds; but when Kelsie saw the 5 & 6 year olds start their practice, she decided that she wanted to swim with them at 930; so I indulged her for the first day. I thought she was a trooper to swim for 2 practices, and sometime before the week is through I'm sure we'll figure out what's best for her. I left the pool, went home to work for a half hour and FINALLY made it back to the gym.

I never thought that I would see the day that I looked forward to going to the gym; but I surely did today. I rode the bike for 10 minutes, used the treadmill for 35 and the elliptical for 10; and I felt good. Lesa G had been with me for the bike and treadmill but by the time I made it to the elliptical, I was on my own and without my Ipod; so it really gave me a chance to think. I was very aware that I felt SO much better about everything, when I was exercising. When I had to take time off from the gym, I was also taking time off from my blog; and although I don't know exactly what the correlation is there, I don't think it's a coincidence. It's almost as if I was punishing myself by having to let everything go. I completely recognize that I always feel good when I am at the gym and it is a great way for me to get my creative juices flowing. So, I hope that I'm not making TOO bold of a statement by announcing "I'm back!" I'm back on the path to CREATING the life that I want. The life filled with good health, and a future as a writer. And so I would like to share part of a little project that I did while I was in Santa Monica a few weeks ago, celebrating Rachel K's 40th birthday. Rachel had asked each of her guests to choose a word that represented something that they wanted to work on this year; and my word was CREATE. We made cubes "Scrapbooking From The Inside Out style;" and each side was supposed to represent our word. My 6 sides were as follows:

1. "Achieving Starts With Believing" Author unknown (and then I decorated it very simply.
2. Inspire, Dream, Create
3. "The Future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams" - Elanor Roosevelt (and then I decorated it very simply.)
4. Creation is my goal... Creating is not an option for me; it's a NECESSITY. Every fiber of my being tells me that I AM MEANT TO BE A WRITER; and it is MY ultimate goal. There is no time to waste. It is time to CREATE. - Paige Ramos
5. I will CREATE a home where the kids feel emotionally & financially safe & secure. I will CREATE an environment of positivity & understanding. I will CREATE lives that are full & rich with experiences & LOVE; for CREATION is the manifestation of our DREAMS. - Paige Ramos
6. Now dancing the Samba, WRITER Paige Ramos & her partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy.

So a bird flew into my house today; and instead of it bringing gloom and doom as wives tales would suggest; it was just a bird who flew into my house; and that is how I choose t see it. I think things are looking up; I feel recharged and I can't wait to see where my creativity is going to take me ~ Hawaii I hope. So stay tuned because I'm planning to CREATE like it's no bodies business.

Till next time...

Queen of EVERYTHING

Why Scrapbooking Matters

Disclaimer: The Bumpy Ride is NOT becoming a Scrapbooking only blog - Not by a long shot; so for those of you non-scrappers who like to take the ride; please indulge me one more time. This is actually a tale of yet another twist and turn in the Queen's journey...

Well, that sounded a little ominous, but you know me, I don't want to scare away any of the few readers that I have. LOL Now, last I wrote I alluded to a piece that I had written that was almost published and BOY am I glad that I had held off in telling you all about this (even though everyone who personally knows me, already knows) because in the long run; I would have had to have written a blog explaining why my publication NEVER happened. How's that for a Bumpy Ride - It almost doesn't even make sense to me; so I guess instead of talking in circles; I'll just start from the beginning.

On February 5, 2008 Rachel forwarded me a "call for writers." Basically, this new craft magazine that was being published in the UK was looking for writers and they asked for a submission of 50 words or more, entitled "Why Scrapbooking Matters." Well, I wasted no time, because this just seemed like the perfect opportunity for me to submit a writing sample AND on Feb 22 I received the following email from the editor:

Hi Paige,
I would LOVE to use your words below in our first issue – and wondered if you had a picture of yourself that can go along with it?

Thanks
Becks x

OK, well I don't think I have to tell you how EXTRAORDINARILY excited I was to receive this email; but I will. I was ESTATIC, I cried tears of joy, I just was so overrun with emotion and I thought that I had finally arrived and that I had a shot at actually getting paid to do what I REALLY want to do - WRITE. Hence the picture that I put up on my blog a few months ago was the one that I emailed to Becks per her request. Well, I won't bore you with all the details, but suffice it to say that my picture is being put to good use on "The Bumpy Ride" and now on "Scrapbooking from the Inside Out;" but it shall never grace the pages of "Creativity Life," ( that's the name of Becks magazine.)

I'm sure that you're all as confused about this situation as I am because it was absolutely shocking to me to go from her asking me for a picture and asking my thoughts on how she might compensate me (since I reside in the US) to her COMPLETELY blowing me off. Had I not (ultimately) been persistent, in contacting this SOB (that's S.O.B - not sob, sob as in crying) I would never have found out that "yah, things changed and ultimately they just decided not to use it." I think this Brit needs a little lesson in courtesy and etiquette because she showed NEITHER to me. Nothing like a bitter Queen I tell ya.

Well, I am trying to move on and trying not to let this discourage me; and as I believe that what I wrote REALLY is worth sharing (not to mention that I want to see these words in print one bloody way or another) I present you with my submission of "Why Scrapbooking Matters."

Scrapbooking matters because it gives me the opportunity to teach my children who we are through art. By scrapbooking I am able to recreate our holiday and vacation memories as well as capture all of the nuances of their personalities; their triumphs and joys, their worries and quirks. Scrapbooking enables me to portray who we are as individuals as well as a family; and to illustrate all of the dynamics that go with each. Scrapbooking matters because it is a way for me to give my children road maps to themselves. Scrapbooking provides me the opportunity to pass down pictures, stories, emotions and wishes all wrapped up in a canvas of my own design.
Scrapbooking matters because it is my time to reflect, embrace, create. It is my outlet, my passion, my time with girlfriends and dessert; my gift to myself and my family. I scrapbook because it is a way to satisfy the artist in my heart, and the writer in my soul. Scrapbooking matters because it is my legacy; my work of heart.

And there you have it; my first ALMOST published piece of work. Oh there will be more to come, I promise you. If Diablo Cody can do it, SO CAN I. So for now just think of me as the Queen of DETERMINATION. There are stories in me just begging to be written and well, as soon as I can find the time, they will be written, so help me they will be written!! Maybe sleep is overrated??

Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

Scrapbooking from the Inside Out

So much to tell, so much to tell; and yet I have not. I know that I often say, I've been CRAZY busy, and occasionally offer up what it is I've been busy at; yet for months now, I've had things in the works, and kept waiting and waiting to have more details to share before I filled you in. Trust me when I tell you - I have news to share! I've had a brush with actually having a piece of my work published, I've gone camping, yes that's right I said camping, I've joined the board of my kids soccer league, I've become an announcer in training / official for my kids swim team, I now work 40 hours a week instead of 36, I still try to go to the gym 5 times a week (I've now lost 25 lbs total - YAY!) and I've been flattered by the invitation to become the Assistant Design Team Coordinator for my friend Rachel's scrapbooking kit club extraordinaire "Scrapbooking from the Inside Out" which has it's official launch on July 1, 2008. Whew... That busy enough for you? Throw in laundry, dentist's appointments (the kids - not mine, THANK GOD) household chores, meal preparation, swim lessons, diving lessons, weekly swim meets, organizing monthly crops etc, etc, and is it any wonder my blogs have been so few and far between lately?

OK, so I DO NOT want to tell you ALL the details of ALL of the above at once. But I do promise that I will be back soon, with the article that coulda, shoulda, woulda been published - sob, sob, No, that's not S.O.B (though it should be; ) it's sob, sob, as in I'm VERY sad - and I am. I promise, I will offer up a blog on my very first camping trip, once I collect all of my thoughts on it; and as my 41st b'day is now approaching, I've also been anxious to write about my observations of my 40th year. BUT for today, it's all about "Scrapbooking from the Inside Out."

So, let me tell you about my friend Rachel. Rachel is a woman with courage. A woman who had a dream and stopped at nothing to make it a reality. A woman who has embraced scrapbooking not only as an art form but as a therapeutic outlet; and in doing so, published scrapbook artist Rachel Kaufman has started her own business called "Scrapbooking from the Inside Out." This club is going to be different from other kit clubs in as much as each month the kit will be focusing on an emotion "using color, design, and journaling to create pages and projects that explore your inner world." You will receive printed papers, coordinating cardstock, chipboard, paint, various kinds of stickers and ribbons, and ink, maybe a rubber stamp, and I could go on and on, but as each kit won't have the same contents each month; I think you get the idea. You get a TON of supplies and a fresh and exciting approach. For those of you who have never scrapbooked before, this might be a FABULOUS way to get started and give it a try.

I am so proud of Rachel and it has been truly inspiring to watch her pour her heart and soul into developing an online community as well as kits that will give the scrapbooker a variety of mediums to work with while exploring their inner self.
Although I personally have not allowed myself the time to scrapbook about JUST ME thus far- I am hoping to do so in the future. I am welcoming the opportunity to explore who I am as a person and not just as a mom, which usually happens in my scrapbooking. Don't get me wrong, being a mom is SO much of who I am but we all know that there is more to each of us; and in being a mom, I think it would be awesome for my kids to be able to look back and learn about me from my own perspective. It might also give them a little insight into who they are and how they have come to be that way - I know that sounds kinda serious coming from me; sorry if I've disappointed - but I just have to talk about why this venture is so exciting - Say it with me "It's all for the GREATER GOOD!!"

Now, not only will you be able to purchase the kits on Rachel's website; it will also feature a gallery, a message board and it will be supported not only by Rachel (and occasionally myself) but by the 3 brilliant designers that we have chosen for the first 6 months of this venture. I think you'll be wowed by the artistry and techniques of, Amanda Berens -Technique Speak, Nancy Doren - My Paperview and Bjay Jaminal - Pigmentations. If you are a scrapbooker, I highly recommend that you visit scrapbookingfromtheinsideout.com as well as each of these fabulous designer's blogs.

Please join us at some time on July 1st to celebrate with Rachel and contemplate Scrapbooking from the Inside Out. There will be challenges, games and an opportunity to scraplift from the best of em. Congratulations Rachel; I wish you ALL the success I the world. Think about it, you are already SO much better off just by having this experience thus far.
Best of luck!!

Till next time...
Queen of Everything