Wicked Thoughts...

I always find it intriguing how whenever I go back to NYC, I automatically get right back into the "NY mode"--my pace quickens, I start jay-walking like crazy and I feel that familiar energy pulse through my veins once again.--It's almost as if I never left!

I never get tired of seeing the skyline! It never fails to take my breath away...
The minute I would step foot off of the bus from the airport at Grand Central, I was instantly energized. There's just this amazing energy that this city exudes! ...

Since I never had a car when I lived there, I used to walk everywhere...You don't realize how many blocks you're walking because there's always so much to see and so many people to watch. It was often times a great way to unwind after a long day...I would just start walking and see where I ended up...

It sure felt good to be back there today. Although most of my hobbies and interests deem me a "country girl"--I have a "city girl" side to me that I sometimes still crave.

When we finally moved out of the city (after being there for 10 years), the transition to eastern PA. was much easier than I thought it would be because we still live about an hour and forty five minutes from Manhattan...It's nice to know that, especially as our kids get older, we can take advantage of all the amazing things that NY has to offer.

My mom and I drove in today and parked right at the Gershwin Theatre...

We decided to have lunch at a thai restaurant which was across the street from the apartment building where I lived when I first moved to NYC. (before moving to the upper east side). I never took a picture when I lived at the Ritz Plaza!--maybe it was because I secretly wanted to forget that I lived there in a one bedroom apartment with 4 other girls--one who ultimately became a stripper!) But I digress!...

The food at Pongsri was fantastic...

We ordered: Tom Ka Gai soup; Yum Nua (a spicy beef salad with a spicy lime dressing--my favorite!); and Phad Thai (stir fryed rice noodles with egg, chicken, and bean sprouts--with a bit of added spice!)

For dessert, we had fried banana fritters (sliced bananas deep fried in won ton wrappers and drizzled with honey and sesame seeds) Holy Moly!


After lunch, we high tailed it over to the theatre...It was fr-e-e-z-i-n-g! I wish it wouldn't have been so cold, or we could have done a bit more sightseeing...

The show was nothing short of Amazing! It was the best show I've ever seen! I just couldn't believe it!

One of my favorite songs was at the end entitled, "For Good"

"I've heard it said

That people come into our lives for a reason

Bringing something we must learn

And when we are led

To those who help us most to grow

If we let them in return

And we help them in return

Well, I don't know if I believe that's true

But I know I'm who I am today

Because I knew you...

It well may be

That we will never meet again

In this lifetime

So let me say before we part

So much of me

Is made of what I learned from you

You'll be with me

Like a handprint on my heart

And now whatever way our stories end

I know you have re-written mine

By being my friend...

...Because I knew you...I have been changed for good."

So many subtle lessons were taught throughout the production...

Words cannot describe how much I loved it!

Afterwards, we got a quick picture in front of the wicked dragon before we went to get our car...

Our drive home was filled with rehashing the show and laughing and sharing memories...

We stopped off at Boston Market for a comfort food dinner and returned home exhilarated after a wonderful day!

A shared memory--what a perfect gift--one that won't soon be forgotten...

I have definitely been "changed for Good"

Happy Birthday, Reilly!

Reilly turned 6 today!!

She got to take brownies in to school to share with her classmates! She was very popular today!

To celebrate, we went to the Talking Tea Cup for lunch and tea. Caroline and Emalee Day came with us as well as Granny Sherry...

This is such a quaint place...

I couldn't resist taking a picture of the sign!

How cute is that?

this is what you see when you first walk in the door...

Reilly and I looking at things in the gift shop...

She's was so giddy with excitement...(probably because she gets to have sandwiches on WHITE bread versus the wheat bread I always make my kids eat)...

Children's Tea: Ham & Cheese Tea Sandwiches, Fruit, Cookies, Tea Cake and her own pot of herbal tea (or lemonade or hot chocolate)

a birthday scone...

Here we all are just before leaving...

It was such a lovely little lunch...We all had a great time!

We had a family party for her tonight...she got to pick her favorite food for dinner which is...are you ready for this one?...

Spinach Tortellini (how random!)...

And she huffed and she puffed and she blew the house down!

All in all, it was a day filled with lots of festivites--but all in all... I'm pooped!

**Doesn't a little tea house seem like a wonderful way to spend an afternoon?

Going Green!

My mom got here last night (from Pittsburgh)...she came a day earlier because the weather was getting really bad and she didn't want to risk driving in bad conditions.

She came up for Reilly's birthday and to celebrate mine in a few days...Her birthday is at the end of February, so we usually combine our birthday celebrations...

This year, I thought that a "shared experience" would be the perfect gift for the both of us...

So....!

My original plan was to have an "everything green" dinner for her when she arrived and let her guess what the surprise was. Then, I was going to come down the stairs with a witch hat on and give her the card that I had made and give her the Wicked Cd..

Of course, it didn't happen like it did in my dreams...so here's the REAL way things played out...

This morning (the kids had a snow day by the way) my mom was slaving away wiping off my walls (What the...?) and she asked me what we were having for dinner tonight. I said that it was going to be a hint for something coming. She piped in, "Oh, is it that show that you said we were going to?".....!!! I almost died!--I had mentioned to her a few weeks ago that maybe when she came at the end of January, I would try to get tickets to Wicked, but I never mentioned anything after that...I thought she had forgotten.

I was desperate at this point, so I started totally lying and saying stuff like, "Oh man! I hope you're not going to be disappointed now, because I wasn't able to get tickets--they were sold out."

Then she started with the crazy talk..."Well you'll probably going to get them anyway".

I realized at that moment that I could not wait until dinner to share my secret with her...so I went up stairs and donned my witch hat and came down with the card...

We went ahead with the "green dinner"...green pesto penne with chicken, green Junior League salad, green beans, green pudding...

Can't wait for Saturday...We're going to be missing Stake Women's Conference...

How Wicked!

**Don't you hate it when surprise plans don't work out the way you envisioned them?

**What is the maximum you would pay to see a show you really wanted to see?

SPT--week # 4..

"I resolve to take more pictures of doing things I love"...

This picture is so precious to me...I love how it turned out...

I've always loved having my children sit in the front of the cart when I shop. (I don't like to grocery shop and I don't necessarily like the part of unloading my kids from the car and loading them back up, but I enjoy having them right in front of me while in the store so that I can kiss and munch their necks).

Since Brian convinced me that ducks didn't qualify under the "people I love" category a few weeks ago, I decided to wait for the "things that I love" to document ...

"Birds of a feather, flock together"

Ahh! the first sip of a diet Coke!...GLORIOUS!...

I am truly in my element here...Gardening is such a huge passion of mine...
Since it is winter now, I continue to get my "fix" by growing some things inside...scented geraniums, boxwood topiaries, rosemary, and thyme to name a few...



I hate my feet!-- (I've got popsicle toes)-- but I didn't know how else to document one of my favorite pasttimes...taking baths! ... It's my think tank and I look forward to one every night!...

I love to read...There's something so delicious about being in the middle of a good book.
I'm always sad when its finished...It's kind of like saying goodbye to an old friend...


**Do we share any of the same "favorite things"?

**Did you like having your kids in the front seat of the cart when they were little?

**Have you ever seen longer toes in your life?

Goodnight Moon

I've been thinking alot about some things lately as I see my children growing so quickly and then I remembered an article that I had read a few years ago...I saved it in Jake's scrapbook...

It was entitled, "Goodnight, Childhood--if only we knew when a magical moment was taking place for the last time."

The author, Barbara Wylan Sefton, talks about realizing one day that she wouldn't be reading Goodnight Moon to her son (now ten) ever again. She hadn't read it to him in years and yet it was just now sinking in.


It's got me thinking...How often do we experience something in life for the last time? Regrettably, we rarely ever know until we look back and see that a chapter has silently ended and a new on begun without warning.


She goes on to say, "If only there were a flashing neon sign that lit up the sky or a buzzing alarm that sounded whenever a childhood ritual was ending. The neon letters would proclaim, 'Take note of this experience. Enjoy. It won't happen again.' "


If that flashing neon sign had lit up the sky the last time those pages were turned, would we have stretched out the reading a little longer, savoured the book a little more, or maybe even read it again?

She talks about making sure she captured in her mind's eye the look of wonder on her small son's face as he followed the words and pictures along the page.

She put the book down one night, fully expecting they'd pick it up again. But they never did, and time marched on until the little boy who once loved to point upward to the moon discovered there was so much more to know about that distant, giant ball in the sky.

She tells about how she is grateful that we mark milestones like birthdays, graduations, and new years with celebrations that help us say goodbye to one era and hello to the next. As one hand joyfully unwraps the birthday present, the other pauses for just a moment to wave to that flashing neon sign in the sky.

But what about all the ordinary, day-to-day experiences that exit without the opportunity for a farewell?

Her final quote is, "I'm hoping that what they say about death is true: my entire life will flash before me like a movie, and I'll have a final chance to celebrate the simple, beautiful moments that I was blessed to play a part in, moments that slipped by without my knowing how special they were. Until then, I think I'll curl up on the sofa with my son, enjoy the sweet smell of his freshly shampooed hair, and read Harry Potter one more time."


I took a good look at Jake the other day and was amazed to see that he had sprung up almost overnight...It was like I was seeing him for the first time in months! He definately doesn't want anything resembling "cuddling" in public, he would rather read a book or play a game on the computer than do a craft with me and the girls (not that we're doing alot of those things here). My sister, Nella, even noticed it when we went back for JoJo's wedding...he just didn't have the same interests as he did when he saw her last.


Reilly seems so grown up to me as well...She's going to be 6 in a few days...It seems more like she's turning 16! She's very independent and knows what she wants and will stop at nothing until she gets it. I can't say that this comes as any surprise to me because she's been this way from the start, but she doesn't have her littleness anymore...and that makes me kind of sad.


Ellie is the one who still lets me baby her from time to time, but even then, it's less and less...
I love having her sit in the cart at the grocery store, even though she's way too big for it...it almost looks painful at times...I am literally on the cusp here--one day soon, she will be too big for the cart...and that day is rapidly approaching...

I am having a lot of these "Goodnight Childhood" moments lately...I'm feeling very weepy...It's funny, because having little kids has been a real struggle for me and yet I'm struggling to accept the fact that they're growing up...Talk about emotional flip flopping! I've even had some crazy thoughts like maybe having another baby!?!! What the...?

sigh

It brings me great comfort to know that I will always be a mother...even when they are grown up...I am still their mom and they will always need me, whether they know it or not.

**Do you miss those "three little bears sitting on chairs"?

**Do you wish that there were neon signs in the sky to alert you of "last moments"?

**Should my new knickname be "Debbie Downer"?

Sunday thoughts

We had our ward conference today and our Stake President spoke on several topics...

The one topic in particular that really struck a cord with me was on Marriage Relationships:

He said:

"Too many marriages seem to be like the tower of blocks where a slight push and it will come tumbling down. I wish that we could remove the veil for a moment and you could see your spouse, who they were in the pre-existence, the talents they have in this life, and who they will become as an exalted being. We take each other for granted. We tend to focus solely on our differences and think that somehow our spouse would be better if they were a clone of ourselves. Yet, it is those very differences that enrich a marriage. I feel like we have a giant magnifying glass and we focus solely on those idiosyncrasies that we label faults. Many of us probably made a commitment to each other in the pre-existence that we would find each other and become eternal companions. We had a vision of what we could accomplish together. Believe that the best is yet to come."

I think we could all use a little reminder of this message from time to time...

**What do you think?

Mean Girls

Have you ever heard the expression..."Don"t bite the hand that feeds you?"


This little past experience of mine might make you think twice the next time you eat out or happen to be on a flight that actually serves food...




I was on a work flight (meaning--I was still in F/A training and had to work several practice trips before I graduated). On this particular day, I was assigned a JFK to LAX flight working with a very senior LAX crew. These were some very seasoned senior mamas, I'm telling you.


Everything went fine with the introductions. I was a bit intimidated by them, but was determined to just go with the flow.


In most cases, on the months that you have a set schedule and are not on reserve (on call), you work with the same crew including the cockpit.


This LAX crew had been working together all month and apparently was irritated by the Captain. He had been and rude throughout the entire month--demanding when his meal was to be brought up to the cockpit, not giving them a briefing at the beginning of the flight, micromanaging the exact order in which the insert was to be set up (insert is the container that holds their drinks), and other things along those lines. He even insisted on garnishes (which in my opinion has always been a bugaboo to me when a man insists on a lemon. SERIOUSLY! Be a man!


So anyway, you get the point...tensions were high...and they quickly brought me up to speed with their gripes.


When it came time for the cockpit's meal to be brought up, the F/A who was working in the galley started to plate the Captain's food. (He had requested the filet). She called me over (I was assisting in the galley) and told me to open the door to the lavatory. Now this was on a DC 10 aircraft, so the configuration was such that the lavatory was situated right in front of the business class section but when the lav door was opened, it blocked the view to the side of the galley, so none of the passengers could see what was taking place.

AND THEN...

She picked up his tiny little airplane sized filet and lifted up the toilet seat. She proceeded to rub the meat over the entire underside of the toilet, and then placed it face down back on his plate.

I wish I were exaggerating!

What could I do?! She was mean! I was just a trainee! By me telling her to stop, what would she have done or said about me?! Does this mean I have no integrity?


When we went up to get the empty trays from the cockpit later on, it was apparent that he had eaten the entire thing! Not a morsal was left!


Needless to say, we made it safely to our destination, but I never heard how many hours he spent in the toilet after that trip...


So for all you people out there, let this be a lesson learned...ALWAYS be nice to the people who have stewardship over your food!




**What would you have done if you had been me?

**Do you think that guys that ask for a lemon garnish are wee wees?

A Tribute to my Dad

My dad would have been 60 today…As a tribute to him, I thought I would write a few things that I know about his life and some of the memories that I had of him. I know that my children will one day appreciate hearing about the grandfather they never knew. Here is his story...

My dad, Jerry Don Easley, was born on January 22, 1949 in Ft. Worth, Texas. My grandfather was in the military, so the family traveled around for much of his childhood…they lived in Maine, Louisiana, Germany, Oregon and Japan during my grandfather’s military service.

My dad joined the air force after highschool and was stationed in Anchorage, Alaska (Elmendorf Airforce Base).
My parents met while they were both living in Alaska. My dad was working as base security police at the time.

My mother and her friend had heard that there were many jobs available in Alaska, so decided to fly up and begin a new life. My parents met about a year after my mom had been living there.

He loved living in Alaska! He was a true outdoorsman…His passions were:

fly fishing...he even made his own flys!...

hunting...

camping...

and going to the dog sled races in Anchorage

He was very good with his hands…my mom told me that “he could fix anything!”


My parents were married on August 16, 1968. Shortly after, they were introduced to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and became members. I was born two years later in February (1971).

After my father was discharged from the military, my parents decided to move to Texas to be near his family and for him to go to a trucking school which would enable him to start his own business when they returned to Alaska. During that time, the Alaskan pipeline was being built, so there were many employment opportunities due to the amount of trucks that were coming and going to and from Alaska.


What happened in Aug of 1972 changed the course of his life dramatically...

We were living in an apartment in Arlington, Tx. My parents were planning to move back to Alaska with some friends of theirs. They had already packed everything up in boxes and had just sold their kitchen table that night. They had some friends over for a farewell party. My dad and a few other friends were swimming in the pool. Since the diving board was missing, they began jumping from the fence into the pool. There are many speculations as to what happened next…did he hit his head at the bottom of the pool?--was it one of the broken boueys that had been floating in the water that he hit?…Whatever it was, it broke his neck and left him a quadriplegic at the age of 22. I was a year and a half years old.

He went to the hospital in Ft. Worth initially, but then was sent to the Veterans Hospital in Houston where he stayed for 9 months. Suddenly, his whole identity was taken from him…what would he do now that he was confined to a wheelchair? It was a difficult transition for him--one from a life of physical activities to one where he had no physical abilities whatsoever. He had to rely on using his mind exclusively.

During the time he was in the hospital, he applied at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas and was accepted.

He was released from the hospital in October, and shortly after that, we moved to Bryan/College Station.

During the time we lived in Bryan, he took classes in Psychology and was working towards a degree in counseling. He initiated a program called Students Concerned for the Handicapped. He also helped to organize several annual Wheelchair Awareness Days where students and teachers could check a wheelchair out for a day with the stipulation that they had to stay in the chair throughout the entire day. This program brought about many needed accessibility changes on campus.

He made friends wherever he went. He had a very approachable way about him and always made you feel that you had known him for years even after just meeting him. It has been said, “He never met a stranger”.


We had a very close relationship and I’m grateful to have such fond memories of my dad...

I loved riding on the back of his wheelchair and was always very protective of him. His wheelchair always sparked the curiosity of passersby. I didn't like people to stare--so I stared right back at them.

We used to go to the Aggie games together and get awesome seats thanks to his wheelchair!

He and I both shared a love of animals—we spoke their language!

He always had a ready smile and words of encouragement for me…


After my parents divorced in 1978, he remarried a few years later.

He died on October 8, 1993
from unknown causes…

I am grateful to have had my dad in my life…he taught me the true meaning of “get busy living or get busy dying”—he got busy living! He was upbeat and tolerant of others…he helped me to gain an appreciation of people who are disabled.

We were buddies--he and I...

I’m sure that he is in heaven now, fishing in a stream, making up for lost time…

Happy Birthday, Daddy!...