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What I've Learned

Maya Angelou is one of my very favorite writers. She and Robert Frost are my two favorite poets, for sure. I have seen Dr. Angelou in person twice and she knocked my socks off both times. She has lived life to the fullest and she has learned a lot along the way. Here are some of her observations with my thoughts sprinkled in here and there:

What I've learned....

By Maya  Angelou

"I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow."  

"I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights."  

"I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life." 
(I don't know this first hand, but I have witnessed it.)

"I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as 'making a life'." 

"I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance." 
(this I know for sure)

"I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back."  (love the baseball metaphor...and yes, there are things and people that I have thrown back in my life)

"I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision." 
(it never fails...listen to your heart. I have had to learn to listen to mine and it is always right)

"I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one."
(Those who know me well know that I tend to deal with my own pain very silently and this is very intentional)

"I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone." 

"People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back " 
(It is also amazing how powerful a simple, unexpected smile from a stranger is)

"I've learned that I still have a lot to learn."  

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

Everything Old is New Again

I'm in such a scrambled state of being right now. I don't even want to go into all of the things that are on my mind and my shoulders at this time....but just know that I'm doing fine. I've been better, I've been worse. A year ago I suffered a loss that is just now catching up with me and I've retreated inward. I'll get through it and come out on the other side a stronger, wiser, hipper, and more energetic being.

I have been making an effort to try new things, large and small. One of the new people that I have gotten to know (virtually, through the "internets") is the author of "A Mother's Walk." It seems that although our lives are somewhat different, we are very much alike in many ways. She recently did a meme that I thought I would participate in (although I won't pass it along because I'm just doing it for fun).

It is called Honest Scrap. I'll just be telling you 10 things about myself that you may not have known (this might be difficult to pull of since my Mom and Husband and other family members that know me so well read this...and they know soooo much about me). Here goes:

1. When I was a teenager, I desperately wanted to join the Air Force and become a fighter pilot
2. When I was a young child in Chicago, I actually stuck my tongue to a metal fence post just like in the movie "A Christmas Story"
3. I was once excused from Chemistry class and questioned by the FBI because the poor kid I was dating received death threats because he was dating me (he was black, I am white)
4. I prefer Jiff creamy peanut butter to any other brand/type
5. I hate being in the car without music playing
6. Nothing irritates me more than when someone leaves their shopping cart in a place that obstructs the flow of traffic
7. I very rarely get a "good" night's sleep
8. I once had a dream about being in an airport when a nuclear bomb exploded and it was so vivid and terrifying, that I think I actually know what it would feel like
9. I could live VERY easily without TV
10. I used to play the violin, but wish that I could play the drums

Let's get it started!

Although it is the 4th day of January, it feels to me like the year really begins tomorrow. I've been on vacation since Christmas Eve and tomorrow I go back to work. The holidays are officially over, however the Christmas decorations still need to be put in the attic. They currently sit in storage bins in the living room, waiting for someone to shimmy up into the attic and put them to rest for another year.

Meanwhile, there is homemade chili cooking on the stove, cornbread in the oven and the hot tub is being re-filled in the hopes that tomorrow we can relax with hot, bubbly water all around us. Payton doesn't start school until Tuesday for some reason and Darren goes back tomorrow however, he is doing a photography class for the next 4 weeks so it isn't real classwork.

Dan is planning a mini-high school reunion type of thing at Britannia Arms in Cupertino on Feb 7th. Just a few folks who connected on Facebook and are just doing a locals thing. He's never been to any of his class reunions, so this could be fun!

As I look forward into 2009 there is a bunch going on. In the next month we will have 3 house guests. First, Dan's Mom is coming in from Hawaii for his birthday, then his sister from Washington will come down for the weekend and shortly thereafter, my Mom will come down for a couple of days from Grass Valley.

In March, Dan and I will both make trips to Scottsdale AZ, although not at the same time. I will be going on business and Dan for his annual trip to spring training with the guys. In May, Dan and I hope to take a trip to Vegas to see Dave Matthews at the MGM grand with some friends. We'll find out if we got tickets in a couple of weeks. Then, at the very end of May, Payton will be graduating from high school and then in June he'll go on a trip to Hawaii with 35 other recent grads for 8 days and nights on Waikiki Beach. Life's a bitch.

We are trying to plan a family trip to Hawaii also, but are hoping to piggy back it on to Payton's trip so that we don't have to pay for 2 flights for Payton. There will also be a few trips to Washington, at least for Dan to spend time with his Dad and the rest of the family.

So there is the first 1/2 of the year. Oh, and then there is work.

Happy 2009!

I won't apologize for being so absent. I just was. That's all.

I will be re-naming my blog soon. It's time.

Back to meal planning and blogging about life in general.

I will post more later tonight. Updates on how my new relationship with my Dad is going, about my father-in-law's cancer, about Payton getting ready to graduate and what he'll do next, about Darren doing so much better with school and his love of music.

Lots going on. Can't wait to catch up!