Wednesday, May 25, 2005

It was the best of times,

it was the worst of times.

My youngest daughter is graduating from high school. It's a great day in our household. Not only is she graduating, but she's graduating with honors, received a scholarship to UC and an outstanding student award. I'm so proud!

It's not been an easy road. If any of us look back on our own teens years, we can agree it was never easy. There were times when we thought we knew EVERYTHING. We acted without thinking of the consequences. However, the consequences were far less severe than today.

In this world of ZERO-TOLERANCE, who in the world thought of this pertaining to CHILDREN!, the CONSEQUENCES can be SEVERE and oftentimes the PUNISHMENT DOES NOT FIT THE CRIME. But it is what it is. Unfortunately.

So today's average, normal teens can't get by with too much at all. Everyone is held to a higher standard. And I don't have a problem with it, but has it solved anything? Look in the paper, check out the news cast. Has Zero Tolerance been a deterrant? I think not, in fact, it seems that crime is up everywhere.

Here's a very sad social commentary - a senior in high school living in a very affluent neighborhood was murdered yesterday by his (2 year) younger brother. Right after it happened the media was on his street interviewing neighbors. One neighbor was so blase and said something like this: well, crime happens everywhere, it's no respector of neighborhoods. IT'S SAD BUT TRUE!!

So, here I am with my baby graduating from high school. She had some ups and downs over the years, didn't always choose the best of friends, had a lapse of judgement from time to time, dated the wrong guy at least once, enjoyed being the drama queen on occasion and through it all, she was on the honor roll, she listened to me (most of the time), was rarely grounded, never in trouble with the police, made me proud everytime she turned around, but MOST IMPORTANTLY - SHE LEARNED HER LESSONS AND DIDN'T REPEAT THEM!!

GOD I LOVE THAT GIRL!! She's a wonderful young woman, a woman after my own heart but even better. She would prefer to not date than to date the wrong guy, she's a hard worker, she's a dedicated friend, she's reliable, she's just downright GREAT!!!

Thanks for being such a great daughter, but more importantly, thanks for turning out to be such a FANTASTIC human being! If we had more like her, the world would be a better, more fun place to live :)

I LOVE YOU!!

Sunday, May 22, 2005

Camping Party!!

FUN FUN FUN!!!

Wow, What a fun place, great people! Saturday we went to a camp party by the Whitewater River. This is such a great part of the area, wooded, secluded, with plenty of fun. The camp site itself was very nice, greatly maintained, and HUGE. We pitched tents, drank beer, had an ENORMOUS camp fire, and I managed to flit around and meet EVERYONE THERE! I had sooooooooo much fun.

I went with our friends from our neighborhood drinking hole. After I drink a bit, I tend to flirt as I flit. I met a great new friend, David. He was fun to hang out with, do a little harmless flirting and just hang out!! Everyone was great, lots of laughs and fun, thanks!

Thursday, May 19, 2005

Change

somethings change while others remain the same

Change can be good & healthy, it can keep us on our toes, it keeps us young, it challenges us sometimes, it can help us appreciate the old way and the new way. Change is good and ever present. We can count on things to change. But isn't is strange how when some things change - some things remain constant or unchanging for their entire life cycle. Maybe it's just the little things, but they are the things that are comforting to us in our ever-changing world.

A good example is when you move, you change where you live, but you keep your personal belongings and move them into your new place - so even though you've had a BIG life change, you still have the comfort of the small things that remain the same.

I'm looking for some big changes coming for me. It's about that time again. My last big change was welcoming Guitarman back into my life. Soon, I'm expecting some big change to happen that concerns my ex-husband. My youngest daughter will be graduating from high school - another welcome change. I have some other hopeful changes, but cannot reveal them at this point. All in due time. :)

Embrace change. It will pay off in BIG ways!

"Now this is not the end.
It is not even the beginning of the end.
But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."

--- Sir Winston Churchill, November 1942

Monday, May 16, 2005

PMP Exam

Studying

I'm going to finish this time. I am going to make the time to study, take a practice exam and pass this test. I am going to have my PMP certification very soon. It's really important and I really do have time to do it now.

It's great, I have deligated back to the PMs their parts of the projects instead of me doing their work and that has really decreased my work load. I can actually have time to work with my cilents properly and read my emails, organize my work week and try to stay caught up. Although, I've been in training the end of last week, so I do have a stack of emails to read.

But, I'll get it done!! "GIT - R- DONE"!! That saying drives me crazy, but this time it's appropriate - Thanks, Larry the Cable Guy :)

Guitarman is here, so I'm going to read emails with him. Don't know how much actual work I will get done, but it is 6pm, so I should be doing something for myself -- tomorrow's another day at work!! As long as I work hard and try to get everything done, it will come together.

Take care and be happy in love!

Thursday, May 12, 2005

The DEATH Card

Do You Tarot?

Is death the end? Is it the beginning? Do you fear it? or embrace it? What do you think happens next?

I guess when someone you know dies, these questions become pretty real. My friend's old boyfriend died. She here visiting. It's sad. Even if you are expecting it, it's still sad. It leaves a hole. Sometimes the hole can never be filled. It's just a gap, no mitigating the gap, just living with it.

One thing that death does do is make you look at your life, reevaluate if things are moving along the way you expected it to. I telephoned a dear, old friend who also knew this guy. I wanted him to know that he died, but more importantly, I wanted him to know that I was thinking about him. Wondering how he was doing. At a time like this, it's always good to pull in ranks, tighten up the inner circle and just check in with those you love and let them know that you do.

LIFE IS TOOOOOOOO FUCKING SHORT!!

Bury the hatchet, repair old friendships, reevaluate toxic relationships, rid your life of things that waste your energy and precious time, mend the fences, stop and smell the roses, take a vacation, smile at a stranger, do anything you can to enjoy your life. It goes too fast.

The Beatles have a song, "In My Life", where they address this very issue. It's one of my favorites:

There are places I remember all my life,
Though some have changed.
Some forever, not for better,
Some have gone and some remain.
All these places had their moments,
With lovers and friends I still can recall,
Some are dead and some are living.
In my life I've loved them all.

But of all these friends and lovers
there is no one compares with you,
And these memories lose their meaning,
When I think of love as something new.
Though I know I'll never lose affection,
For people and things that went before,
I know I often stop and think about them.
In my life I'll love you more.
In my life I'll love you more.

SWEET!!!! Thanks Guys, it's beautiful!!

Tuesday, May 10, 2005

my best friend's

high school sweetheart

How sad....one of my best friends just called to tell me that she's flying to Cincinnati to see her old high school sweetheart. He's had a history of heart problems and I guess this time is considered to be the last....this is sooooooooooo sad, I just can't stand it. His family is expecting the ending to be abrupt and sad. He's not very old at all, so it's really terrible.

Friday, May 06, 2005

Mother's Day

Karma in Action

Sunday is Mother's Day. I love it because we get a chance to thank those women in our lives that have influenced us and helped us along the way. Perhaps they aren't our mother, but have offered good advice, influence and guidance to us. As a woman, I know I have extended a helping hand to people along my journey and have had it reciprocated as well. Many wonderful women have been influencers to me.

So, I would like to thank all the women that have befriended, nurtured, cared for, loved other people. It is a fulfilling life when we can take our own experiences and help someone else grow from ours.

Pay it forward....Karma.....whatever you believe in, just know this.....it comes back to us multiplied!!

Monday, May 02, 2005

another successful week

2 months and going strong

Funny how life is. One day things are going in one direction and then suddenly, the road turns or forks and changes direction. That's exactly what happened and now 2 months down this road, it's a good road. We are getting along better than ever, working towards a common goal, deciding to build a life together, go off into the sunset and live happily ever after. Don't know if it will happen that way, but one can sure have hope.

In the meantime, everything else is moving right along. I worked in my garden yesterday. The weather was wonderful. I planted some tomatoes and peppers, some flowers in a new bed that I have prepared in the back yard, and weeded all the front gardens. It was a 4 hours undertaking and definintely was fantastic to be out in the garden working again.

I have to wait a couple more weeks, but I'm going to plant the cucumbers, green beans and hot peppers. Then I am considering some broccili again this year, that was so good. Maybe a zuchini and okra plant as well. I definintely have room for at least one of each of those and a couple broccili's. I love to garden, so I am in my hey-day!!

Also, am planning a RED HOT SUMMER PARTY on June 18th! The party has alot to celebrate - my youngest's high school graduation, my parent liberation, my friend's 40th surprise party, Guitarman and I reuniting, and by then, who knows what else will need to be celebrated :) !!!! The party will be alot of fun and I'll post pictures. I encourage those who attend to bring a tent and sleeping bag. Plus, all drinks and foods will be "red" for the summer. I've been looking forward to this since Feb.

You know, I love the way things are coming back together since I've been dating Guitarman. I mean, I've been practicing my guitar almost every day, I've been working smarter not harder to have more time to spend with him, I have given up working on the weekends after 4 years of doing it all the time!! and I am happier than I've been in YEARS!! I didn't realize how much I compromised before, and I guess you don't realize until it's done and you start to see the transformation. I put up with too much stuff and didn't have to.

Well, gotta go, have a meeting.