44!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(43-365) I Did It!

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

(43-352) ALWAYS In Their Corner

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

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

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

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

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

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

(43-249) DETERMINATION

I've changed the title of today's post three times already, because I'm not sure exactly what I want to write about or what direction I want to go in.  I've called it everything from "INSECURITY," to "Should I Stay Or Should I Go," to "I Got Nothing," and right about now even "Pity Party" is sounding appealing.  So can you guess what's been on my mind?

I'm just you're somewhat average girl next door, so it's not EVERY day that something exciting or funny or blogworthy occurs in my life; and yet, my commitment to blog for 366 consecutive days, requires me to write about something exciting or funny or blogworthy; and today I'm at a loss.  I've decided that I need some re-direction, so please indulge me while I share ten fabulous quotes about Determination:

"Nobody trips over mountains. It is the small pebble that causes you to stumble. Pass all the pebbles in your path and you will find you have crossed the mountain." ~Author Unknown

"People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can't find them, make them." ~G.B. Shaw, Mrs. Warren's Profession, 1893

"The drops of rain make a hole in the stone not by violence but by oft falling." ~Lucretius

"I may not be there yet, but I'm closer than I was yesterday." ~Author Unknown

"Never think that God's delays are God's denials. Hold on; hold fast; hold out. Patience is genius." ~Georges-Louis Leclerc

"Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they've got a second." ~William James

"Don't let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use." ~Earl Nightingale

"Look at a stone cutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred-and-first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not the last blow that did it, but all that had gone before." ~Jacob A. Riis

 "The men who try to do something and fail are infinitely better than those who try to do nothing and succeed." ~ ~Lloyd Jones~

I feel better already!  And in the interest of (say it with me,) "The GREATER Good," I hope that these quotes provided you with some inspiration as well.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-184) Half Way There

It's SNL Cheerleader time again my friends. "Milestone, milestone, who's got a milestone?"  "IT'S ME!  IT'S ME!!"   YUP!  Believe it or not, I am half way there. With the completion of last night's post "Whatcha Need,"  I have now begun the second half of my ascent towards post # 366; and I for one, just can't believe it.  I've said it before, and I'll say it again; I have NO idea how I'm doing this; but I'm very proud of my commitment and I'm extremely grateful to those of you who are supporting me.

Now, with that being said; let's get on with getting on.  When I first started writing "The Bumpy Ride," I said that I was going to write about a multitude of things - one of them being, reality TV.  It's been a few months since I've tackled this subject; and with the return of "American Idol," I think that now is an opportune time to share my opinion.

When I wrote "100 MORE Random Things About Me," I said "I don't think "American Idol" will be the same without Simon Cowell;" and although I wish he were there;  I have to admit that I've really enjoyed the 3 episodes of "Idol" that I've seen thus far.  I like the chemistry between Randy Jackson, Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez.  And even though I find Steven to be excessively flirtatious; I also think that he's amusing and entertaining in a way that I wouldn't have expected.  I'm impressed with J-LO; (I'm sure she'll be just thrilled to hear that...)  She seems to be very caring, sincere and down to earth; and I think she'll make a great role model for the contestants.  Randy's just Randy; and it appears as though he meshes well with the newbies; so I'm totally looking forward to this season.

Although Luis and I don't frequently watch the same TV shows, we both wanted to watch "American Idol;" and last night, Luis made a very interesting observation.  We were discussing how many people they put through to Hollywood, that never would have made it in previous seasons; because Simon would have said the contestant(s) didn't have "IT;" or because they didn't have the right look.  But this season seems to be a lot more like the first season was; in as much as they're offering chances to people who are less "it" and more different.  People who can sing, but aren't necessarily commercial; and I think that there's a nice symmetry to that.  It's almost as if they're starting all over again and getting back to basics.

If you haven't watched "American Idol" yet this season, let me tell you that there are some really interesting, and  amazing contestants; and barring any interference from that heinous, votefortheworst.com;  I think that this season of "American Idol," may just be its best yet.  Lucky for me, I've got 182 more opportunities to tell you all about it.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-119) I FEEL GOOD

When I posted "A Helping Hand," on Sunday; I told you that I had made my long, overdue return to the gym, and that I was planning to go back the next day... and indeed I did.  I went today as well, so if you're counting that's three days in a row, and although three days isn't much; it's three days more than I had gone in a long, long time; and I AM very proud of myself.

I am so grateful that Lesa G suggested that we go to the gym the other day.  I KNEW that I needed to get there; and yet I just kept standing in my own way.  Now that I've gone back, and I've been reminded of how good it feels; I believe that I'm going to stick with it.  After all, once upon a time I wrote post 43-3; and look at me now.  I'm already up to post  43-119; so before you know it, I'll be telling you that I made my 119th visit to the gym; and HOPEFULLY by then, I will have lost at least 20 lbs.  It's good to have goals.  Of course I need to lose a lot more than 20 lbs; because if you recall, in "100 MORE Random Things About Me;" I shared that I need to lose 100 lbs.  I'm going to approach my weight loss just as I am this blog; and I'm going to set small goals for myself; so that I can enjoy success along the way. 

I was talking to my friend Dawn earlier today, and she was telling me that she was very happy and proud of me for getting back to the gym.  Dawn suggested that I try a Zumba class; but I explained that I go to a no frills kinda gym and they don't offer any classes; they just have treadmills, stair climbers, ellipticals, circuit training machines and free weights.  Not even a shower; but that's OK because you get what you pay for; and I really don't pay very much at all.  I must say that although a class would be nice; I enjoy going to Fitness 19 because there are all kinds of people, all kinds of shapes and all kinds of ages; so where I had always thought that I'd feel self-conscious at a gym; that has NEVER been the case here.

It's only three days in; but I can honestly say that I FEEL GOOD; and when I'm saying that, I'm hearing James Brown in my head of course.  I'm not the biggest James Brown fan, but somehow it seems unavoidable. Dadda Dadda Dadda Da!

I don't want to get ahead of myself; but the promise of what can be, is extremely exciting.  I want to look like the picture on the side of my blog again, the picture on my Facebook avatar, and NOT the woman in the pictures that my friend Tiffany posted on Facebook yesterday.  For those of you who aren't familiar with Facebook; if a friend posts a picture and you're in it; they "tag" you so that the picture is associated with your account as well. This morning I actually removed my tags from my friend's pictures because I didn't want any of my other friend's attention being called to them.  SO SAD, I know.  I emailed Tiff and explained why I'd removed my tags; and I NEVER want to have to do so again.  This is it!!!                       

Till next time...

Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-89) A Lil Pick Me Up

Throughout the course of "The Bumpy Ride," I've stated MANY times; that I want to become a professional writer.  And when I wrote "The Rules," I said that I didn't want to write a book at this point in time; because it seemed like such an arduous task.  So I ask you; what the heck was I thinking when I committed to writing a daily blog?  Like THAT wasn't going to be rigorous?  Don't get me wrong, I totally remember the reasons that I wanted to challenge myself to write daily.  I imagined that it would be monumental to record my daily thoughts, since it could possibly be the last year of my life.  I presumed that it might be compelling reading and at the very least; a keepsake for my children.  But the truth of the matter is, that extraordinary things don't happen to me on a daily basis and I don't always have the most fascinating thoughts and opinions to share.  Which leads me to fear that I am occasionally boring my readers; and that the people who previously liked reading my blog when I only posted a couple of times a week or less; will tire of me; and stop reading at all.  Whew!!

At 89 days in; I'm questioning my ability to go on with this challenge.  I feel like I'm floundering, and I second guess myself on a regular basis.  (OK, not much new there.)  I know that I can't please all of the people all of the time; but that's never stopped me from trying before. Certainly the positive feedback helps; but sometimes I just wonder if I'm wasting me time.  OK, I'll admit it; I  have PMS (yes, I know TMI; but the facts are the facts baby.) 

Because I'm not a quitter; I'm going to try and keep on truckin.  I'm going to endeavor to find new and interesting things to write about; and keep plugging away; because even if no one reads it; I know that it's important for me to do so.  In the 89 days that I've been writing daily; I think I've made some terrific discoveries about myself; and I've tried as always to provide recommendations for the (say it with me;) "Greater Good;"  and that's exactly what I set out to do.  I suppose that all I can say is; on days when my post doesn't float your boat; PLEASE don't give up on me.  Give me another chance; and let me know you're out there; because this really is a big (say it with me,) "HUGE;" undertaking.  It was one thing for me to try and write a witty anecdote once a week; but trying to entertain, inform and inspire you on a daily basis; now that's a completely different animal. 

Although they may not all have been the best posts that I've ever written, I'm proud of the work that I've done thus far; and I know that I shouldn't be so hard on myself; but hey, that's what I do.  You know, it's kind of funny.  I had originally planned to write only a blurb, and then post some links for some of my fave pick me up tunes; since I was feelin a lil down in the dumps; about "TBR."  But now, after venting and writing as much as I have; I actually feel better.  The tunes don't even feel necessary anymore; but I don't want to be a tease.  SO, let's listen to a few;  I'll brush myself off, and start all over again tomorrow.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING
 
Don't Bring Me Down - Electric Light Orchestra
Don't Do Me Like That - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Heartbreak Beat - The Psychedelic Furs
Modern Love - David Bowie
Love Train - The O'Jays

(43-7) Have No Fear

So apparently I'm doing it; I'm REALLY doing it!! I said that I was going to blog everyday, and so far I have. OK I'm only 7 days in, but still; I can' t remember the last time that I wrote 7 blogs in 7 weeks so I view this as a MAJOR accomplishment. I said that I wasn't going to sweat the small stuff; and when an opportunity arose, where previously I might have stressed a bit; I DIDN'T!! And last but certainly not least I am taking care of myself; and I'm not living in fear.

So let's go with the easy one first; THE SMALL STUFF.  The other night I saw a notice on my blog page saying that "something" had been removed, changed or relocated by Photobucket; and I had NO idea what this was.  After a while it dawned on me that my background was now grey and no longer the cute, lil shabby chic background that I loved.  I clicked on the Cutest Blog on the Block logo to see if I could find my background again; but I could not. Granted I didn't look for very long; but I looked everywhere that I thought it could be.  As time was of the essence I quickly chose the background that I have now because 1. I'd admired before and 2. It was almost a perfect match for the color settings that I had with the previous template.  I actually told myself  "just use this for now and when you have more time you can always change it again."  And for those of you who know me, you know this is TOTALLY contradictory to what I would have done before.  Oh no; BEFORE I would have looked at EVERY SINGLE TEMPLATE before deciding what to choose and then I would have changed my mind a couple of times.  So Brava for me!  I'm happy with my decision and I'm even happier that I was just able to go with the flow.

As if we hadn't been busy enough; yesterday in the midst of reorganizing, I had an appointment with my favorite Podiatrist.  OK, my ONLY Podiatrist, but I just think he's swell.  Anyway, last week I thought that I was starting to get an in-grown toe nail (YES, again;) but this time on my left foot.  Rather than trying to heal myself; as I've done in the past;  I promptly made an appointment to have it removed.  I decided that there was NO reason for me to live with pain and there was no reason for me to live with fear.  I rationalized that I'd had the procedure done before and I knew that I'd be fine.  I'd gotten the shots before and although it's not enjoyable it's something that I could get through and so I decided that I would be stronger than any fear I'd previously had and I would take care of myself; and I did.  I don't know why I used to let my fear get the better of me or why I would put up with pain; but WE don't have to.  So at the risk of sounding all Kumbaya-ish, let me just say that regardless of what type of pain you may be experiencing; you owe it to yourself to get any and all treatment possible as quickly as possible; because you never know how long you have and there's no need to suffer while you're here.  You have to be at your best so that you can enjoy every beautiful day that you're blessed with.  So with that said, I encourage you to face your fears no matter how scary they may seem and take care of yourselves.  I promise that YOU ARE WORTH IT!
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING