#16 Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice

There is nothing like the taste of fresh squeezed Orange Juice, it is such a treat. The best orange juice isn't so much about the juice but more about where I enjoyed it. I have wonderful memories of sipping a cold glass of OJ sitting in a little cafe in Florida or Arizona. I know it sounds cheesy but it tastes like sunshine in a glass. As much as I like fresh squeezed orange juice, other than ordering on rare occasions, I have never actually made it myself...so I decided that #16 was going to be making "fresh squeezed orange juice".

The lesson I learned at the beginning of this venture was to make sure you have the right equipment. Day 1, I didn't actually have a juicer but had the lemon and lime squeezer that I got for Christmas last year I thought that would be good enough. I purchased two large bags of oranges and planned a great breakfast of a Greek scramble and of course orange juice(Ben made the scramble while I squeezed). I set out to accomplish my goal. My God, I squeezed and squeezed after all that I got enough juice to get (2) very small glasses of orange juice, a small slice of sunshine. There had to be an easier way??? I wanted more. Ha! Day 2, that is where having the right equipment comes in, a trip to Target and Taada! an electric juicer. The whole process made so much easier. Fresh OJ with Cinnamon French toast, sausage and hash browns. Ben suggested adding a few "blood oranges" to add to the flavor, mmmmmm. I love my new juicer, Now I can have fresh squeezed orange juice anytime I want it and in the summer fresh squeezed lemonade. I can also make all kinds of memories and have my littel sip of sunshine any time I need one. #16 completed and enjoyed!

Girlfriends!

"Men will slap your ass, your girlfriends will save it". unknown

I had a wonderful dinner tonight with a highschool girlfriend. There is nothing like spending time with someone who knew you back then! you know, back before you had all the baggage you carry around today. She knew me before jobs, marriage, kids, divorce and all lifes ups and downs. She knew me when there was a hell of a lot less of me to know. We knew each other, and that is what makes female relationships so rewarding. I love my girlfriends. I can't imagine my life without the women who have been such an integral part of it. At every phase women have showed up to help. They gave advice, pointed the way, extended a hand to help me up when I was flat on my back and didn't think I had the strength to move into the next day. They packed me up when I needed to move on, they put away the dishes in exactly the right cupboards. When my Grandma died and I thought that I would never survive the pain a girlfriend sat with me while I cried. Tonight, I pay tribute to all of them! Thank you!

Don't Do That!

“How can a woman be expected to be happy with a man who insists on treating her as if she were a perfectly normal human being.” Oscar Wilde

Like many women, when I became single I did what many women do. I looked to the great shelves of Barnes and Noble, Borders and Amazon.com to find books that would help me ease the transition to the dating world. I read all kinds of things from "Dating for Dummies", "Why Men Love Bitches", (or something like that) and of course the classic "He's not that into you". Well ladies, I have decided that I am going to write a book and I am going to call it "Don't Do That"! I didn't have to go far to find the contents for the book, any kitchen or cubical conversation usually involves the subject of some man who is causing some sort of grief for one of my sisters. Don't get me wrong, I love men! I love their strength, their presence, their perspective. I want my life to include a man or men. I love my father who gave me a solid foundation on what a man should be. I love my son, whom I believe I raised to be a caring considerate human being who is now a loving husband and father. I love the other 50% of the human species!!!! However, books like "He's not that into you".... prompt me to share a bit of my knowledge with some of the men in the world, (those secure enough to listen) as what NOT to do.

Giving my new project some thought and knowing men to be visual I decided that the packaging of my new book will be as important as the content. I will make it the size of a "Golden Book" and the front cover will yield a beautiful woman shaking her finger as to suggest "DON'T DO THAT"!(ya ya I know that may be a turn on, but worth the risk). Inside there will be some very key points as to what NOT to do when dating. If we know you are 'NOT THAT INTO US"... You should know we don't like it when you do THAT! All is fair right? So men.... be looking for this new wealth of enlightenment to hit bookstores soon, along with a very visible book signing tour and media campaign. If you have had trouble sustaining a solid relationship, getting to that second or third date or simply understanding the female species, this book will be for you. It will give you simple suggestions of what not to do, which translates to what to do, to make us happy! I think you may be surprised~! stay tuned.

Disclaimer: The contents of my book do not necessarily implicate my boyfriend. However, it has become a great tool to suggest that his actions or lack of could land him in my book. Sorry honey!

2011 A Blank Page

“I do not at all understand the mystery of grace - only that it meets us where we are but does not leave us where it found us.”
Anne Lamott


2011 is a blank canvas and I get to place the pigment and oil upon it. If my past is any indicator, not only does it hold the potential of a year but it is the beginning of a new decade that promises to bring many lessons. As any artist, I will sketch the outline of my painting in pencil so that I can erase it and make adjustments and corrections, a list of 31 things that I commit to doing in 2011. Why 31 you ask? I took 20 plus 11 which gave me 31.

A special thank you to my dear friend Janet who helped inspire me to do this. Below I will list all of the items on my list and I will document and blog about each of them. I am so excited to begin, and I am certain that at the close of 2011 I will not be left as I am found now, but new and changed! Let's see shall we?

Thirty One Things I will do in 2011

1. Purchase a guitar and take lessons

2. Write a poem or story and make a photo book to support it.

3. Go to church (at least once)

4. Loose those crazy pounds I let sneak up. Wear my sexy dress for my birthday!

5. See a musical

7. Ask for six people's book recommendations and read them

8. Display family photos in my home

9. Host a girls slumber party

10. See an Opera

11. Make homemade pizza

12. Do an "at home" spa weekend

13. Send a Birthday card to my parents, grandchildren, children and their spouses

14. Have a picnic in the living room in midst of winter

15. Have a body wrap, (seaweed or mud or something)

16. Make fresh squeezed orange juice

17. Travel to Belgium

18. Learn a little french

19. Take a frame worthy photo, frame and display it

20. Prepare an ethnic meal six times... Indian, Italian, Chinese, Greek, French, Cajun.

21. Sing Karoke in public

22. Vist a palm reader or psychic

23. Give $250 annonymously to someone who really needs it.

24. Take Opera voice lessons

25. Camping (twice)

26. Make homemade salsa

27. Don't complain for one week

28. Write a letter to open in 5 years

29 See an opera

30. Do reflexology

31. Send 3 people (not realatives) a surprise

Happy New Decade!

I do believe, Kim, that if people would just start by saying "it's fun," when it seems hard; "I'm happy," when they seem sad; and "I know," when it seems as if they don't, they'd finally discover that it really is, they really are, and they always have.

Works for me,
The Universe

I get daily quotes sent to me from the Universe, sometimes they are thought provoking other times humorous and sometimes they tell me something that I forgot and needed to be reminded. I chose this quote as a way to end the decade. Yes, the END of a decade.

Ten Years have come and gone and while on vacation I reflected on the meaning of the past decade and I was amazed, simply amazed. I couldn't believe how many experiences, lessons and wonder I had experienced. Below is a recap of some of the highlights.

I made 5 different career moves and promotions and moved 5 times. I lived in Madison and Milwaukee Wisconsin, Rochester Hills, Michigan... and back home to my hometown Sauk Rapids, Minnesota and landed here in Chanhassen, Minnesota. Ten years ago Samantha had just left the nest since then I have become a grandmother 5 times. Beginning with the birth of Julian, then Avrie, then Simon and then came Violette and ended the decade with the birth of Nim.

I bought 4 brand new vehicles, a 2000 Celica, 2002 RAV 4, 2009 Camary, 2010 RAV 4.

I traveled to Europe...Belgium,Luxemborg,France, Neatherlands, Germany, Holland. I also traveled to Bermuda. In the US I visited Las Vegas, Nashville, St Louis, Chicago, Phoenix (more than once), Florida 3 times. I had the breath taking experience of gazing upon the Grand Canyon and floating near Niagra Falls.

I am in awe of how I reinvented my life. There have been endings like that with my divorce but new beginnings as well. I fell in love a couple of times and I grew in ways I would never have imagined. I gained and lost weight,(I even did a glamour photo shoot to show it off). I attended numerous concerts and plays. I swam with wild dolphins and parasailed above the ocean, I climbed out on an overhang above the Grand Canyon. I rode roller coasters, took boat cruises, danced the night away in Nashville.

"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened", Anatole France. I loved my dog Sophie whom I left in the loving care of my ex-husband when we divorced. She died this year after so many years of unconditional love. I have a new furry friend Hazel who brings me love and joy. We have an interesting relationship and I say relationship because we "break up" and "get back together" often.

While all of this was happening on the outside, so many things transpired internally, I grew in ways I never could have imagined. I learned to dance... the swing, fox trot, tango and walz and yes even belly dancing. I learned yoga and took french.

Spiritually, I followed my spirit, my soul and my love of God. I said goodbye and I said hello. I loved and I let go.

It has been a wonderful decade but most importantly it gives me such hope and optimism. I mean, if my life could have been so full the past ten years, I can't even begin to think of what this new decade can bring. I am so excited! I love my life. I love my friends and my family and my work. I love all of the things I dislike, and as much as I love the comfort of happiness and peace, I love the other stuff too because without the contrast I don't know that I would realize what wonder there is in every single moment. That is what life is, it is made of moments, so much dependent upon how I choose to view them. Thus the above quote. As I begin the journey to 2011, I pray I can keep my spirit alive and that spark of realization that I am choosing how I respond to the everyday gifts and challanges around me. It is not easy moving closer to the end of life but I certainly have more of an awareness of the movement. In my youth I thought it would go on forever, now I know understand it won't and I live to make everyday count.

Goodbye wonderful, wonderful decade! Hello to the new! HAPPY NEW YEAR~!

Immmmmm Baaaack!

"You may believe that you are responsible for what you do, but not for what you think. The truth is that you are responsible for what you think, because it is only at this level that you can exercise choice. What you do comes from what you think. "
— Marianne Williamson

It has been months since my last blog and I feel as though it was another life. I have since relocated which was a whole process. The process of letting go of so many things and of new beginnings. I would say that I am now in the process of another beginning. I am trying to find me AGAIN. Is it that I hide from myself, or is it that I never really have it as figured out as I think I do? I have left the comfortable to the unknown and although I have done that many many times in my life, this time is different because it is "Kimberly" who is calling all the shots. At first the thought of that seemed overwhelming. Oh, I didn't realize it at first. I was busy determining what I was going to pack, what kind of housing I would look for and tending to all of the business that needed doing. I don't know at what point I realized that I was writing my life. I guess I am still in a state of shock about it all. I haven't settled into a routine, and without a daily commute my days seem to hold much more potential. It still feels like I am on retreat and I am going to go home but then I have those moments where I realize that I am home.

My relationships with others have also taken on a new dimension. I am either closer or more distant. Some because of location, others because perhaps our paths of split in the road for a part of the journey. Regardless, I mention the quote above because I realize perhaps the most interesting and powerful relationship is with ourselves. I think I am just a little weary, and I need a moment to just quiet myself again. Being back here is a good place to begin.

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." Eleanor Roosevelt

Some time has passed since I have added to my blog and it is not without reason. I love writing and as I mentioned before it is really a very therapeutic creative process to sift through the thoughts and feelings that this precious life of mine evokes each and every day. Like any other creative process it does not go without vulnerability. I realize that I take a risk by exposing the inner crevasses of my heart, mind and soul. In the weeks passing since my last blog many of you asked when I would be writing again. Thank you! I am glad that I can make you smile, laugh or reflect. In my life, there have been many who have taken a risk, exposed their vulnerabilities and shared their souls and I am so grateful because they made me smile and reflect. I chose the quote today because someone tried to take this from me and I almost allowed it. I nearly allowed it until I realized that they couldn't, not without my consent. I am not sure why we do this to each other and I am even less sure why we allow others to do it to us. I only know that we each get to decide for ourselves how we live, whom we love and how we serve. Above all, hold self love superior and consent only to that which you fully agree.

Dining with Ducks

This weekend I went to dinner and took advantage of what is left of warm autumn weather and chose to enjoy my meal outdoors. It was lovely, a beautiful table positioned next to a fountain and a pond a quiet ambiance and a duck...a duck? It was so cute, little orange webbed feet, bright blue feathers on its wings. It just waited for me to throw a morsel, a crumb his direction. I gave it a small peice of my garlic toast which it seemed to like. My friend on the otherhand had a more sinister plan, he fed our feathered friend a peice of chicken. OMG, that is just fowl. Ducky seemed to enjoy it though, was that like some form of canabalism? It made us laugh, does that make us just sad? Dining with Ducks...

"Checque please... oh...just put it on his bill"!

A Human Life is a Story Told By God

A human life is a story told by God. ~Hans Christian Andersen


Much has been written about our human existance by people much wiser and with much more knowledge than me. Tonight I am reflecting on how many try to avoid life with as little pain as possible. They will do most anything to keep themselves safe, protected and cushioned from the emotional obstacles that life can offer. I see them put on their Sunday best every day, clean and pristine and sit on the sidelines to keep unmarked, fresh. I am not judging but only to say I want to live my life dirty, messy, I love rolling in the mud of everything this world has to offer and tomorrow I will wake up and put on another clean appearance only to end the day with stains and grit. Isn't that why we are here? I have to believe that my creator had some plan for my being a part of this all and I have to believe that whatever s/he hopes me to learn or accomplish is going to be more difficult when I am not participating. I love participating, I love feeling, and growing and learning, falling and pulling myself up again. I love shedding the old and recreating the new, I love this life I was given. It is a gift, my human life is a story... it may only be interesting to me but along this journey I have stopped at the intersections with many and they are a story too. We are all a story, some long, some short but I want my story to be a drama, a suspense, a mystery a comedy a tear jerker, I want my story to be something I decided to co-create rather than pages of words that just blindly move along. What will be the story of your life?

A family still lives here

Childhood memories of hot summer days and nights that seemed to go on and on forever. Sitting next to Grandpa, on Dads back, in the rocking chair next to Grandma. Fishing, camping, canning, strawberries, and chocolate covered peanuts. Girl Scout camp, marching band, choir and vacation bible school. Adult memories of soft pastel blankets, smells of baby powder and applesause, tiny sticky fingers. Carving pumpkins, cookies and milk, yellow buses, valentine boxes, tiny white envelopes, candyhearts, construction paper and paste. First jobs, cars, boy/girl friends, test passed and failed smiles and tears, decisions, vocations. Vows and flowers, kisses, dances celebrations and beginnings.

Today, I want to say to the world... hey! A family still lives here. they live in my memories, in my children, my parents, my grandchildren... in potroasts and chili, in concerts and decorated packages, telephone calls, birthday cards, hospital visits weddings and funerals... a family still lives here in my heart! my family still lives here.

The Tangled Heart Necklace

Have you ever wondered about jewelry? I always find it a mystery how it can be in a rather protected place and yet when you choose to wear it, it can get all tangled and knotted and wrapped around each other. I sometimes wonder if it is like the toys in "Toy Story" when you are not looking there is some kind of a signal and all your jewelry starts to do a conga line and weave in and out of each other. Tonight I am feeling the same way about my heart. It is a mystery to me how I can have my heart in what I believe to be a fairly protected space, and when I am not looking it can get all tangled and knotted and wrapped up so tightly with situations and people that I just don't know how or when it happened let alone how to fix it. Like my jewelry, it is difficult to undo the mess...it is similar to untangling jewelry you need to let it get really relaxed and you must be in a very patient mind because to try to undertake this task when you are in a hurry or upset it just lends itself to more frustration. My heart is like that too. When it is tangled and knotted, I have to allow it the space to relax and move my spirit to quiet so that I will have the patience and understanding to undertake the challange of repairing it. Hmmm my heart, my jewelry, an interesting similarity. My Heart Jewelry, tangled, knotted, fragile... all but broken, if I am too hasty in my attempt to fix it the chain may disconnect and permanently separate. Better to sleep, and quiet my mind and undertake the task tomorrow.

Word Mandala

Have you observed the beautiful masterful art of the monks when they create a sand Mandala? The colored grains of sand organized in designs and swirls that creates something so beautiful. When the design is complete they empty it away and it is gone forever, never to be created again. Gone!

Tonight I captured some very profound thoughts. Thoughts organized around codependency. I shared memories of a joke I heard, "what did the codependent see when he was on his death bed? Someone Else's life passing before his eyes". That joke, propelled me to reflect on my mothers illness, my mortality and a sharing of my own experiences as they related to codependency. I wrote about how I willingly allowed my life to become so entangled with another, about being sucked into the vortex of their life, a vacuum that propelled me. I wrote about what a dishonor it was to loose my anchor and to assert my weight upon the sails of another. I captured how important it is for me to give of myself but to maintain my independence, and I wrote in that final paragraph... the climactic thought that when I leave this planet the life I see flashing before my eyes HAD DAMN WELL BE MINE! and then, I do what I do, I put someones needs ahead of my own, to return a phone call that could have waited until my thoughts had been fully realized and in the touch of a button POOF .... it was all gone! All my thoughts, all my words... all of my feelings. My spirit felt realizations disappeared, I couldn't recapture them. While I am telling this story, another was created. My thoughts, my feelings, my words... a Mandala, How symbolic! The lesson, that the lesson isn't over, my codependency has deep roots and by not paying attention to my life, I discount it. If I want the life that passes in front of my eyes at my death to be mine... I had better damn well be paying attention. My word mandala, swept away, How profound.

Parking Out Of The Lines

I believe everyone has their little quirks , strange things they do... the beauty of our relationships with others is that they put our quirks front and center so that you are sure to see them. If I hadn't anyone close to me I may not notice that I don't screw the lids back on jars, I may just grumble under my breath, when I have to pick out the pieces of Kleenex because I forgot to take them out of my pocket before I did the laundry, but no one would be the wiser. Other useful realizations include my dislike for the ends of pickles, spiders and insects with more than 4 legs, my refusing to drink water unless it is cold or with ice , and the fact that I am directionally challenged. I have also become aware that I announce when I am going to the bathroom, (comes from the years of children yelling for me when they couldn't find me), I leave Kleenex in rolled up little balls under my pillow and I don't like to eat a meal alone and I sometimes can't remember what I went into the room to get. You may have encountered that vehicle in the parking lot that is parked over the yellow lines , I have a confession, it could be me.

Most of the quirky things I do are outside of the lines. I have become desensitized to them. Having others in my life helps me challenge myself to be better. It would be easy if I only had to answer to me, but It would also facilitate complacency. Being a part of a relationship, a family, community or team keeps me accountable to others and essentially to myself. It is through this process that I can evolve and grow and always have a list of things to work on.

My Spiritual GPS

I am directionally challanged! Ok... I admit it. I spent over a decade traveling rural areas for my career and I could always find my way from Jones corner to the cemetary road down by the old mill but put me in the middle of an urban area with a few hundred cars, lights, horns merging trafffic and a million different options and I am lost. At the urging of my staff, friends and family I finally broke down and purchased a GPS system. I can't believe that I have survived without one. It reminds me a little of my microwave oven back in the early "80's". My Grandma bought me one as a gift and I remember thinking that it was really nice but I questioned if I would ever use it... think again...again, I can't imagine my life without it. I call my new GPS Gypsy, because she has a robotic, mysterious female voice and she foretells the future. In fact, I have learned so much about myself already from Gypsy. I learned that using a GPS requires a fair amount of faith. You program in the address of your destination and press "GO". Gypsy takes it from there. At every intersection, lane change and Avenue she tells me step by step how to get there. I am in total trust of Gypsy's fortune telling ability and I blindly follow her words. Oh, there is a little map that shows a little blue car that travels the path with pink lines and white curves to indicate the immediate journey ahead but in truth it is Gypsy's voice that directs me. There have been a couple of times in which I doubted her and I took control, only to be reminded of my fore mentioned confession, I am still directionally challenged. I guess I have to try it out once in awhile to remember how I got to relying on her in the first place. Perhaps I feel that after a short time with her guidance I will be healed in some way and I will suddenly have some epiphany and be able to navigate on my own? Regardless, I have found myself humbled asking for Gypsy's advice. She never judges me, she just picks up where we left off and soon I am back on my journey again.



I can't help but be reminded of the similarities to my relationship with my spiritual power When I let go of the outcomes of my life and put the journey in the hands of what I have come to believe as my God, then I make the journey painlessly and without delay. When I get in my own way, and start to believe that I know what is best for me, that is when I am quickly reminded and humbled to once again realize, that I need the direction of something more all knowing then myself. I don't profess to understand or to know anything about religion, or science. I only know that for me, when I place my life and will in the hands of God and allow that to move as it will, I am at peace. It does not always mean that I will be put on a path without slowdowns, stops or merging traffic, but I can trust, if history is an indicator, I will get to where I need to when I need to get there. Just like Gypsy, when I suffer spiritual amnesia and go back to my former habits, I am never judged, but am soon back on the journey again and I am reminded, how did I ever survive without God? oh yes... I remember that I did survive... but now, I live! Intersections, merging traffic and all and I can enjoy the journey.

My Chinese Fortune

Tonight I picked up Chinese food and the fortune cookie read, "You will soon receive an unusual proposition". I love Chinese fortunes, I don't take them too seriously but I have to admit I am a little intrigued . What unusual proposition? hmmmm... The circus was just in town, perhaps I will be asked to join ? Hey, maybe I will meet a handsome rich man who would offer me a million dollars to sleep with him like in the movie with Demi Moore. Better yet, I have always wanted to be a backup singer, I have tickets to see Kidd Rock in a few weeks... maybe he will ask me to "Ride along" on tour. The fortune clearly states that the proposition has to be unusual... so I hardly think that the customary propositions like "I'll pay for lunch today and you can pick it up tomorrow" should qualify. Unusual in my mind should be something not usual... like the circus or backup singer requests. I love it, now I will be secretly seeking and vigilantly observant to discover the "unusual proposition". I hope it is something good unusual verses a proposition to be a part of some odd medical experiment or travel to some less than exciting destination. I wonder if the creator of this fortune realizes the impact they have on peoples lives? are they liable if I am "less than focused" awaiting a proposition and I miss an opportunity of a lifetime? All things to consider. For tonight I will simply propose this... a good night's sleep and a new day tomorrow. I will keep you posted on any future propositions.

My mind is full!

Today I felt stretched in a million different ways and the twists and turns were ridiculous. You know, one of those days when you wake up in the morning and you contemplate the day, the tasks you will accomplish etc and then it ends up completely different then what you had expected? Today was a day In which I question if I have even a fraction of focus because as I reached for the pencil to write down the items on my "to do" list I realize that the notebook is on the desk behind me under the file folder that has the receipt for the expense report that I remember is overdue and when I open the folder there is a note reminding me to replace the light bulb in my refrigerator that I remembered I hadn't replaced since I forgot to get the cream that I oh.... wouldn't a cup of coffee be nice?... Jeez! So... that is when you just have to laugh! If I didn't laugh I would seriously be worried. It is a wonder to me how anything ever seems to get done. Things happen, tasks get completed but I wonder how? I remember when I was the multi-task queen. I could juggle dentist appointments, car insurance bids, two jobs and organize a family reunion... what the hell happened? Maybe our minds are like our stomachs... once they get stretched it takes more and more to fill them and eventually there is so much information that it all get jumbled into one giant category that can't be filtered into normalcy? I think mine is full of passwords... damn if I have to think of one more password! Well something to contemplate. At any rate... days like today I have to remind myself that the sun will set tonight, I will wake to a new day and "who the hell knows"? Isn't life grand! hehehe

Once, I had this Day!

Days are full of realizations, some big some small. Last week I had a BIG realization. My son is 30 years old. He turned 30 in May but it was only last week that I made the connection. On July 24th I celebrated 20 years of sobriety. Everyone has a story and I have mine but that isn't what this is about, this is about the marking of time. 20 years ago I had a rebirth of sorts and 20 years have gone by in a blink. Not day to day... because some days they dragged by and some days I didn't think I would make it and a bath, a walk, a talk with a friend or a good cry lent itself to the next day. When I was my son's age I decided to take a different path then the I had been walking. and I stayed on that path for two decades! I am in disbelief, about the passing of time, in absolute awe. To think at another placemark in time, I will say... I once had this day! What will I say about this day?...It really humbles me and reminds me what a gift life is and to make the most of every day.

The Weight of Realization

“Sometimes you put walls up not to keep people out, but to see who cares enough to break them down.”

I heard this quote and it touched a place deep inside of me. Since my recovery I realized how much I have been the person that has always made the effort, gone the extra mile or carried the weight in relationships. It has been a process of self discovery to determine whether my intentions were to control or to advert rejection. I believe everyone at their deepest core desires to be loved so deeply that if they didn't have the energy to make the journey, someone would come to carry them. I think even in my darkest moments, I never laid down along the path no matter how depleted and weary because I feared that no one would make the journey to carry me. I had teachers who have taught me how to pack for the trip, how to cope with the challenges on the path, how to rely on my spiritual strength to give me a boost when I was absolutely uncertain but I never had anyone come get me! This statement isn't to solicit sympathy, it is simply a realization. I don't know that I would ever need anyone to come to get me on the journey... but God I would love to know that someone would.

My Weekend Affair

I must make a confession...I had an affair. It started innocently enough, a brief introduction a fabulous meal , and then dancing the night away. I was seduced and fell in love with a new lover, I fell in love with Nashville. Until this weekend if given the choice I would clearly choose AC/DC , Arrowsmith or Nickleback to country music. I wouldn't have considered myself a country music fan, although my love of music is deeply rooted in country western. I was raised on Hank Williams, Sons of the Pioneers, Patsy Cline. all the legends. Nashville embodies drinking, dancing and bars filled with a mix of cowboys, bikers and ordinary people who just want to have fun. Maybe it is because the music speaks to ordinary people whose daily lives are spent working, playing, loving and falling hard. From Thursday through Sunday Nashville swept me away... but then like every good country song, our affair ended. Nashville and I said goodbye, our love treasured in memories for the rest of my life.

Adventures for peanuts!

Today I am on yet another adventure. This morning I am on a flight making my way to Nashville Tennessee to spend time with my girlfriend Toni. I love everything about an adventure. Adventures are exciting because I am never really sure what is around the next corner, what hidden treasurers I may find, interesting people that may join me on my journey, even if for a block or two. As I am seated on the plane and writing this I have already had one very pleasant surprise… Damn if we don’t get our peanuts back. If you recall many airlines quit serving peanuts a number of years ago. I am not sure what prompted that decision. Perhaps it was economics, if each miniature bag of peanuts cost the airline 50 cents and an average DC9 with approximately 110 seats charges each passenger on average $250 per ticket that could potentially save them $125 per flight. Wow! What a savings!!!…That means that one half of one seat goes entirely to fund peanuts. Perhaps the decision was in respect to those with peanut allergies?. That makes a good argument, I am not sure about you, I already have fears of sitting next to chatty Kathy or Pogo stick Paul who is in and out of the seat the entire flight, I do not want to add to my list of fears the thought of sitting next to someone going into anaphylactic shock because someone in first class is eating a peanut. Then there are the dietary factors… peanuts are high in fat and for awhile peanuts were replaced with pretzels. How considerate of the airlines to be thinking of my arterial health. Well regardless, I am sure it took customer feedback surveys, financial analysis and Executive level meetings to decide to bring back the peanuts So, as I thumb though my “Skymall magazine” and eat my little pile of peanuts and drink my complimentary beverage I am delighted!. Can life get any better than this? Hmmm I guess I will have to see what adventures await me. Stay tuned!