Sometimes I sit in the cafe at church and spread my work out around me while I enjoy a crystal-clear view of snow-capped mountains in the offing. Then I wonder: who the heck are all these people traipsing through my office?
Good news, though:
The Heaven Fest office, thanks to Tara’s vision and hard work, can hardly be called “The Bat Cave” anymore. We said Let there be light and Tara is lighting the stuffing out of that room. It is quite hip and nice actually!
Thanks, Tara-roo! I love you!
Pictured: Looking west from Colorado Blvd. and Highway 7: My view through the big “garage” doors from the cafe.
Sandy-the-family-dog will soon make her stage debut as Sandy-the-Mutt (her actual namesake) in the local stage production of Annie (while Dave plays Daddy Warbucks).
We rescued Sandy years ago from the landfill where she’d been abandoned and was running wild eating trash and afraid of her own shadow, yet, she has never quit looking like a junkyard dog. Even our love could not transform her into a beautiful show dog. And though I fully believed a good grooming would be necessary for her to be a star: NO! We are to leave her in this sad, overgrown condition for her role onstage. She is untrained and undisciplined.
You can’t take her on a walk without getting your shoulder pulled out of socket.
She insists on laying right on your feet and constantly touching you, staring at you and basically loving the stuffing out of you.
She gets throroughly head-over-heels excited when you come in the door.
When you are eating anything, even though she is never allowed people food, Sandy sits very closely and tries to disguise the fact that she is lusting after your food. But she isn’t allowed to beg. So she sits there, acting all nonchalent and doesn’t actually look at you (because she knows that will get her in trouble), but she moves her eyes one way and then the next and then tilts her head so she can clearly watch you eating from the corner of her eye. “Look away,” we tell her and she does, but then…yes, there it is: the corner of the eye thing again. She is fooling no one. I am amused by her persistance for lo these many years. Hope must rise eternal in her heart that we will just one day give her all of our food.
She rolls around on the floor like a maniac when being petted.
If you give her a dryer sheet, she rubs her body all over it, because smelling fresh is her one true desire, though smelling fresh is pretty much impossible for Sandy. She hates baths and thinks she is being punished and after years of hearing b-a-t-h spelled out, she is not fooled by our code.
She lives for love and lives to love. The slightest kindness or gentle word from me and Sandy thumps a Morse-Code message of affection back to me with her ample tail.
Devotion.
Sandy and Dave have gotten closer during this shared theatrical experience, but she is my dog until Stormie shows up. We were very close, mutt and me, during the Taiwan trip, but the minute Stormie was back on US soil, I was cast aside. However, if Rocky is anywhere in a 2 mile radius-her heart belongs to him and him alone. Period. He knows her and understands her more than anyone else. And she pays him back with a fierce covenant commitment and over-the-top adoration. They are “a boy and his dog.” But Stephanie originally brought Sandy into the family, so she owns a part of Sandy, too.
She is a sweet dog. She hates cats and is terrified of birds, but otherwise does not like conflict. She loves people, seems to believe the best of everyone, and melts at a kind word and a pat on the head. That is really all takes to be loved by Sandy forever. She doesn’t really enjoy playing horsie with the grandkids, but is gentle and longsuffering with them anyway.
Sandy is a Phlegmatic-Sanguine. She loves people and she loves peacefulness and having everybody just get along. Just like my mom. No wonder I adore her: the dog, I mean, but my mom, too. Yes. They are both lovely and loveable. And they are very close friends, as well. They may even favor one another a little.
My mom and Sandy-the-Dog are probably my two most reliable and exuberant cheerleaders in life, my most trusted allies. Aren’t they adorable?
How is it possible that I still occasionally bite my tongue when I have been chewing regularly, lo, these many years?
2.
I started shaving my legs when I was 11, not so much because I needed to, but because I thought I was ready to be a woman. But? I knicked myself shaving today. What the – ?
3.
You’d think it would be unlikely to be in bed doing work on the laptop, fall asleep and have your treasured machinery bust your lip. But you’d be wrong. I have done this. Twice. By the way-if you want that full, pouty lip look for an upcoming soiree, this is an effective way to go, short of collagen injections.
{Per plex ation}
4.
But the worst? I cracked my tooth with a glass of water. I have been drinking from cups since, like, 1960. What on earth???
Valentine’s Day is Sunday! As you prepare to EXPRESS your love, I submit these tidbits for inspiration:
Tweet Me!
Conversation hearts, they are a-changing. For all my growing up years they just said things like, “Be mine,” “Kiss me,” and “Sweet talk.” But as of this year, 1 in 80 hearts will say, “Tweet me.”
You’ll still find the traditional, “Be true,” but also the ones added in the late 90s like “Call me,” or “Email me.” Last spring they even produced special Twilght-themed hearts, which my little grandbebes seem to adore, that said things like “I {heart} EC,” “Lion and Lamb,” and “Dazzle.” “Bite me,” is also an interesting addition, now interpreted romantically (Thank-you, Edward) rather than as a vulgar insult. Times have changed.
Your Kiss is on my List!
I posted a whole list of KISSING-QUOTES previously. You may read them here. But please BE SURE to read the comments from others because they added some wonderful KISSING sentiment, too! That Tredessa knows her kissable literature and movies! AND SHARE YOURS!
“How did it happen that their lips came together?
How does it happen that birds sing, that snow melts,
that the rose unfolds,
that the dawn whitens behind the stark shapes of trees on the quivering summit of the hill?
A kiss, and all was said.”
~Victor Hugo
Music and passion were always the fashion…
Remember “mixed tapes?” People would create their own, personalized playlist of love songs for their true amour on something called a “cassette.” Back in the day…{sigh} Now you can can just do it online, no-muss, no-fuss: FREE playlists. www.playlist.comThey are playing our song…
Tristan made a video for Stephanie’s birthday a couple of years ago, a re-enactment of a scene from “The Office,” where Jim is “conducting an experiement” in controlling Dwight. Gavin was “Jim” and Guini was “Dwight.” The only problem was that Dwight is an annoying jerk and Guini kept being so sweetly polite (like her Nonna).
Sometime after 11 pm last night, the views on this video went over 20,000! Isn’t that cool? My little grandbebes have brought joy to many Office viewers! If you watch it, go RATE it (no less than 5 stars, s’il te plait!).
You may as well enjoy the video my kids made me for Mother’s Day that year, too. It is my favorite Partridge family song ever.
THE RULES: In no particular order, limiting this list to 20 {because I can be quite a crybaby} and allowing only one per artist, (although I must admit certain artists and bands could have their own lists full of songs) here are some songs that can makeme cry. They are not necessarily the top 20, just the first 20 that came to mind when I decided to make this list. WHY? Because, like Elton sings, “Sad songs say sooooo much.”
“Still” by Lionel Richie
“But then most of all, I do love you, {spoken softly} s t i l l…”
“At this Moment” by Billy Vera and the Beaters
I cannot explain why this song did me in, but when it came out in the 80s, I cried my eyes out every single time I heard it. I was amazed at the idea of loving some one so much you’d be willing to give up “20 years” of your life to have them stay, have them not leave you. I know that is impossible to achieve, but he sang it so well, I really believed he was willing. Still kills me.
“The Best Thing that Ever Happened to Me” by Gladys Knight and the Pips
I sang this to Dave walking down a street in Dallas, Texas in 1982, just after our first anniversary. After almost 29 years of marriage, he has no choice but to be “there, between each line of pain or glory,” whether he wants to or not.
“Honey” by Bobby Goldsboro
She dies. There is a tree that grows (you know how I love gardening). He misses her. I hope to be sorely and grieviously missed when I die. After I am at least 87.
“Superstar” by the Carpenters
It’s about song bringing love…”Baby, baby, baby, baby, oh baby..” {those lyrics!}
“He Stopped Loving Her Today” by George Jones
I don’t want to spoil this for you if you haven’t heard it…boo hoooooo….
The raw pain in her amazing voice, “I will lay down my heart, and I’ll feel the power, but you won’t…” Whyyyyyyyyyy? Why can’t he feel the power of it? Is he absolutely just an unfeeling, cold-hearted jerk?
“Whiskey Lullaby” by Brad Paisley and Alison Kraus
“She put him out like the burning end of a midnight cigarette, she broke his heart…” Brad has the words. He writes the songs….
“Vincent” by Don McLean
I guess I love this because I suffer for my sanity, too (just kidding…sort of).
“How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” by The BeeGees
“I can think of younger days…” You just run out of resiliency when you get to the middle…and past it.
“If” by Bread
“And when my love for life is running dry, you come and pour yourself on me…” That? Is being loved. That is loving. (BTW~I super hate the slides on this video…this is posted purely for the song)
“Weekend in New England” by Barry Manilow
Eyes meeting, touching, strong yearning. Don’t be critical of Barry, now. The man can tear your heart out with his songs. I had trouble between this one and “Even Now” or “Somewhere Down the Road.”
“I Will Always Love You” by Dolly Parton from the early 70s
I was 14. She was leaving Porter Wagoner (I have to admit I loved that Saturday afternoon show sponsored by some powedered laundry detergent). I didn’t know what they were going through, but that woman’s pure voice expressed words so powerful that I knew, even then, I was hearing a song I’d never forget and would love my whole life through. And oh, I get it so much more, now. It is one of the greatest songs of all time. One of THE greatest. Ever.
“I Wanna Run to You” by Whitney Houston
From “The Bodyguard.” The lyrics reveal our feminine vulnerability. We’ve learned to take care of things ourselves, be tough. The truth is we need to be covered, protected. We need heroes.
“My Eyes Adored You” by Frankie Valli
I was 14 when this came out, too. Being 14 was a big deal, apparently, in my romantic notions. I just daydreamed about somebody adoring me, I guess. Such a pretty melody, sweet words, innocent and lovely. Remember when?…
“You’re a Part of Me” by Kim Carnes and Gene Cotton
Longing. Don’t leave me, and if you do: come back. “You’re a part of me I can’t live without…”
“Rest Your Love on Me” by Olivia Newton John and Andy Gibb
Deep down, I am a caring person. I am an INFJ – a “protector.” That is what I like to do.
“Sunshine on My Shoulders” by John Denver
The soundtrack to the ABC Movie-of-the-Week, “Sunshine,” the fall of 1973 (I had just turned…can you believe it? 14!). I think it was based on a true story of a young woman married to a struggling musician who has cancer and as she is dying, she talks into a tape recorder to be able to leave her thoughts and story behind for their baby girl. John Denver sang the title track. Beautifully. His voice was very important to me during this era – all of his words and melodies touched something deep inside me.
“I’d Do It All Again” by Corrine Bailey Rae
Love does hurt sometimes. But this girl is not going to let it stop her faith in love. Me, neither!
“I’M BORED,” {says a person in a room with you, thereby implying some one nearby has somehow neglected to fulfill their every need and tend to their every whim – and it is probably you!}.
You’re bored? REALLY?
You’re world-weary? Blasé? Uninterested/disinterested? Jaded? Fed up? You’re ennuied? Stupified? Listless? So what you’re saying is you’re unfocused? Unmotivated and dull? Flagged, disconnected and inattentive? So, you’re telling me you’re just spiritless and worn thin? You’re just so turned off? Just not having any fun? At all?
AND HOW IS THAT MY PROBLEM???
Life is rich. Life is full. There are books to read. Movies to see. Songs to sing. Friendships to discover. Problems to solve. Challenges to overcome. There are things that you could write about-things you and only you see. There is advice to share, coffee to drink, people to visit, places to go and paths to explore. There is love to give (and there are people who need it so much) and even silence enjoy. Shhhh….silence is OK. Quiet is sweet. I mean really: do you already know everything there is to know? Have you actually achieved everything there is on the earth? If you’re in a transient state of pervasive lack of interest…Die already, then.
SOAPBOX
When you say you are bored, you are holding other people responsible for your happiness. When you say it, I am thinking {imagine the way Stormie would say this}: YOU are a bore!
Don’t drain me. Don’t hold me responsible for you not having any interests in anything besides your well-being. That is surely the most boring place in the universe to be ~ within the circle of your self-centeredness. No wonder.
The Rhoades Home: I NEVER let my kids throw the boredom card on the table. Because I always had a suggestion: Wanna vacuum??
This is why my kids are so interesting and amazing (if I do say so, myself). They are focused, enthusiastic and full of life. They try new things, have gone further than I ever will and have endless spirit and connectedness to people, life, experience and achievement. They are world-savvy, resourceful and have deep wells of ability. In courageousness and bravery, I have much to learn. Their world is huge, but they shine like stars in the universe. Blessed and loving, gifted and giving, they run circles around me and I love it. And I am taking a little credit because being bored with their circumstances wasn’t an option (and because I did endure pregnancy and childbirth with each one-that counts for something!). And they have learned to live the abundant life.
Climbing off my soapbox now.
Dang. I am a judgmental bore, aren’t I?
UPDATE: After 17 emails, a couple of phone calls and my own daughters gasping, please know, friends/family/people I love-this isn’t about any of you. I promise.
But he was for the Colts. So, come on ~ I HAD to do this to him.
And apparently Wrex had been saying how he thought he looked a lot like Peyton Manning all evening when I, totally unaware of this little tidbit, made the remark that Drew Brees was so much cuter than Peyton Manning. I DIDN’T KNOW!! Naturally, we ALL think Wrex is amazingly handsome and wonderful. I am sorry, Wrexster. Really really sorry. Pleeeeeeease forgive me??? (Not so sorry I didn’t make him pose for this picture, though…hehehehe…)
Who Dat? And all that~
I must admit I called my brother Joe when it looked like the Colts could do no wrong and had been leading for too long and I rambled on about him dragging me into this stressful, crazy, game and making me cheer for a team who was going to lose. Minutes later, things turned around and he called me telling me to stop the whining.
The kids played games and kept the noise at fever pitch. Gemma danced for halftime, which was way better than The Who. Seriously.
Stormie, it turns out, is deeply competitive and was really mean to people NOT rooting for the Saints. This was her {haughty} victory face.
The Dodge commercial was hilarious. All the females oohed and aawed over the Google commercial. It was interesting to note how many men in only their underwear we saw. Is this really what men like to watch during football? Doritos had some pretty fun ones (part of a contest they sponsored) and the Right-to-life/Focus-on-the-Family one was really well done, I thought: not preachy or offensive, but pretty cool, actually.
But hey, did you hear? THE SAINTS WON the Super Bowl!
