Bad chi...shmad chi...

We had a tree service come out today and prune all of our trees. They also cut down the lone cedar tree we had in our backyard (not that it’ll help my cedar fever come autumn/winter since our next door neighbor has NOTHING BUT cedars in his yard) and they also cut down the “dead” one out front.

Maybe NOW the lady across the street won’t complain that my tree is “evil and bad” for her chi.

Did I tell you that they’ve stuck little mirrors over their front door? Oh YEAH!

I can only guess it’s to confuse the bad spirits emanating from MY dead tree so they won’t get into her house.

If she only knew how much I KNOW about feng shui! (What’s that saying? “A little knowledge…is a dangerous thing.” Too true!)

Now how do I convince HER that the four dead trees in HER front yard are bad for MY chi??!??!

Suggestions?

Hills and valleys...dedicated to "The Girl Who..."

“Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's true strength.” ~ Anonymous

Once again, I'm "stealing" a blog idea from a fellow frogger (friend + blogger = frogger). Janet, aka The Girl Who..., recently (well, it was just over a month ago, but who's counting? ;oD ) wrote some "Shout Outs" and I'm essentially doing the same. Ok, so...

There are a lot of highs and lows that contribute to the hills and valleys of our lives but I wanted to focus on "hills" that I know are important to some people who are important to me.

A lovely couple, who I am lucky enough to call "friends," have welcomed their second child into the world today. I pray that this precious little girl, Rylee Elizabeth, enters our lives without any medical complications and exudes the warmth, compassion and overall goodness of her parents!
I have no doubt she will!

And after a short stint "on the dole," Jenn was offered a job today.
Whether or not she accepts is still up for debate, but there are truly good things ahead for her!

Shawn, amidst the chaos that is her daily life, is looking at homes for sale.
A new home is always a bit bittersweet as you say goodbye to a place full of memories in order to say hello to a new beginning. I'm sure the memories created in her new home will far surpass
the ones she currently holds so dear.

I'm sure there's more happy news to share, but I gotta hear from you!

Sometimes the smallest smile can create the most change.

My heroes have always been...

• My dad because of his understated lifestyle, great faith, dry humor, unconditional love and everlasting pride.
• My husband for his brilliance, loyalty, understanding and ability to overlook my faults and love me anyway.
• My son for his fearlessness to find the truth, ability to make me laugh, his determination to stand up for what he believes in even if it makes him the lone voice in a crowd, his creativity and vision for his future.
• Marisa for her infinite optimism, ability to laugh at anything, undying devotion to her family, ever-present faith and her unwavering friendship.
• My other BFF's for giving me a place to go when I need to rant, rave and revolt, for sharing laughter and tears in everything from births to deaths, for giving me another opinion to think about even if I don't always agree, allowing me to be the center of attention and then making fun of me for it, for just being there even after all the BS.

Lost in Translation

Ok, so...better late than never, I say. I meant to blog about this last week, but never got around to it. Here goes...ahem...

Although a bit of an understatement, I'm not really that shy...I do have my moments, but they are few and far between. And the reward of my outgoing nature is how many people I have met in my life, and how many I continue to call friends. I'm reminded constantly of how lucky I am by the friends that I have, regardless of the distance that separates us and the time between visits.

During the week of July 4th, one of my friends, Britta, was in town for a bit of R&R before the wedding she was in over that weekend. And since she was staying with our mutual friend Jenn, I got to spend much needed girl time with them and a few others.

Now, a lot of things are said and done over the course of time spent with friends that outsiders might look upon as corny, ridiculous, or just not worth mentioning because they "tend to lose something in the translation" or are definite "you had to be there" moments...but to those involved those same moments are simply known as good times, good times. Here are a few from that week:

• Note to self: You're supposed to add a mixer, i.e. 7-Up or Sprite, to the wine, champagne and fruit when making White Sangria. Apparently.

• Yes, that's right. That's Joshua and Britta rolling down the hill at Dell Diamond after the baseball game. I guess they were getting in touch with their inner 6-year-olds. God love 'em. Unfortunately the one I took of Britta hitting the concrete wall on the SIDE (not the bottom) of the hill didn't come out. STILL Hysterical!

• This duck at Lake Travis decided to hang out with us for a bit, let's call him Howard. Howard the Duck. Do ducks eat peanuts? Do ducks eat Cheetos? Sure, there are more important questions to be answered. But these are the ones we were asking.

• And who can forget this (paraphrased) exchange on the boat??

Jenn: Does that look okay?
Britta: I love you, Jenn, but that looks retarded.
Jenn: How retarded?
Michelle: Like, where's-your-helmet-retarded.

All I can say is... good friends + the lake + beer = good times.

That's Donna, me, Anne, Jenn, and Britta...and I don't think any of us were peeing in this picture...










...but I can't say the same for this one. Notice how Britta is using all the skills she learned as a cheerleader to form a backwards "P" with her fingers to prove it.






And how is it that we ended up with new nicknames that week? Jenn, now known as Le Tigre (rawr!) for her striped tan, Britta the Baconator due to her unprecedented appetite for bacon before hitting the lake (5 pieces?!??!), and I was called Ting Ting (because it was the group I wanted to listen to while we were on the lake) and Joshua was aptly called "Son of Ting Ting" and dubbed bartender for the day.

See, you might not think any of this was fun, but believe me...it definitely lost something in the translation, because we had a blast!

For my grandchildren...

Here is a pretty neat little thing from Paul Harvey. I've read it before, but when it appeared in my email inbox again, I remembered how much I liked it and thought I'd share it here.

Paul Harvey Writes:
We tried so hard to make things better for our kids that we made them worse. For my grandchildren, I'd like better.

I'd really like for them to know about hand me down clothes and homemade ice cream and leftover meat loaf sandwiches. I really would.

I hope you learn humility by being humiliated, and that you learn honesty by being cheated.

I hope you learn to make your own bed and mow the lawn and wash the car.

And I really hope nobody gives you a brand new car when you are sixteen.

It would be good if at least one time you can see puppies born and your old dog put to sleep.

I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in.

I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother/sister. And it's all right if you have to draw a line down the middle of the room,but when he wants to crawl under the covers with you because he's scared, I hope you let him.

When you want to see a movie and your little brother/sister wants to tag along, I hope you'll let him/her.

I hope you have to walk uphill to school with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely.

On rainy days when you have to catch a ride, I hope you don't ask your driver to drop you two blocks away so you won't be seen riding with someone as uncool as your Mom.

If you want a slingshot, I hope your Dad teaches you how to make one instead of buying one.

I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books.

When you learn to use computers, I hope you also learn to add and subtract in your head.

I hope you get teased by your friends when you have your first crush on a boy\girl, and when you talk back to your mother that you learn what ivory soap tastes like.

May you skin your knee climbing a mountain, burn your hand on a stove and stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole.

I don't care if you try a beer once, but I hope you don't like it.. And if a friend offers you dope or a joint, I hope you realize he is not your friend.

I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your Grandma/Grandpa and go fishing with your Uncle.

May you feel sorrow at a funeral and joy during the holidays.

I hope your mother punishes you when you throw a baseball through your neighbor's window and that she hugs you and kisses you at Hanukkah/Christmas time when you give her a plaster mold of your hand.

These things I wish for you - tough times and disappointment, hard work and happiness. To me, it's the only way to appreciate life.

Written with a pen. Sealed with a kiss. I'm here for you. And if I die before you do, I'll go to heaven and wait for you.

We secure out friends, not by accepting favors, but by doing them.