I was just saying....

I can't remember who said that or where it comes from .... I was just saying.... but it popped into my head and so here it is. So I pretty much suck at this blog thing, but I've been thinking about it a lot lately... so either it's how I think at this time of year (probably due to receiving lots of Christmas cards and thinking of friends and family near and far) or I'm just a 1 month a year blogger.... hmmmm....

OK. So. I'm still working on stimulating the economy... but I have not actually worked since May of 2009. That's right... I got laid off in May. Me. The over achiever, goal getter, workaholic. What actually happened doesn't matter. It was time for me to move over.... Did you know that in China the women are expected to retire at age 50 and men at age 55? This is to make room for the next generation. I'm a fan of this. I will be 50 in 2010.

At first, I had lots of things to do.... I thought, THIS IS GREAT!.... I'll do all those things that are always taking place in the middle of the day that I always wonder, WHO is available in the middle of the day to do this?? So I signed up for a quilting class for beginners and was so excited, but it was canceled due to lack of participation (I was the only one who signed up). Ha ha! And the store never rescheduled or called me back for another class like they promised they would. Sometimes advertising does not work. Lack of advertising never works. Poor customer service is sure to keep the customers away. So I'm not convinced that anyone signs up for those middle of the day classes.

I have worked since I was 10. Regular babysitting jobs. A paper route. Selling odd things like note cards and seeds. I've been in sales forever. I joke that the last time I had a summer off... was when I was 9 years old. I send out resumes for jobs I know I'm overqualified for ... but there's not much out there that I am qualified for. It's an effort that I know will go unanswered. The companies that are hiring are probably getting bombarded with resumes. Craziness.

So. I spend the first few weeks getting ready for a big Memorial Day weekend picnic. Big celebration with over 100 guests. We provide everything because this is a very casual celebration of our marriage. Fun times. But too many people to be able to spend much time with everyone. I spend most of my time helping guests with odd requests. We laugh a lot. Good news is that come Tuesday morning I do not have to trek off to work. I spend the entire week after the party cleaning up. No hurries. It is so great to not be stressed out for the first time in over 20 years.

Sole provider for over 13 years. How can I possibly not earn a living??? Hmm. I realize that the act of going to work is costing me quite a bit of money. I spend my own money on office breakfasts and lunches (for my department). I spend money on lunch almost every day. I buy groceries that I never eat, and eat out a lot. I cook at home maybe 3 times a MONTH! When someone mentions a need, I am very quick to spend to meet that need. Especially since Jen graduated from college and I no longer have her expenses to worry about. She is earning her own living and saving for her next educational experience (grad school in Oxford, England). Fortunately, I have expected this (being laid off) for over a year and I've planned for this to happen. All bills are paid and I have been saving. I have that emergency fund you are supposed to have.... and no bills. No mortgage. No car payment. I have a few anxieties over relying on someone else, should my savings run dry. No panic attacks. Just anxieties. I have a few moments of depressing thoughts. And then, as usual, the person who picks me up..... takes hold of my shoulders and picks me up again. Oh hey... it's me. : )

Others around me lend me support. Not my family. Not co-workers. They are almost, no, pretty much, non-existent. It's actually kind of nice. But Ben is there. Though my fears are that this will allow him to revert to sexist "I'll take care of you my little woman" ways. Yuck. Talk to myself. Could you just relax? Enjoy the time. Think. OK. I think this is a gift. I see now that
this is a blessing.

My biological father died when he was in his mid-fifties. I think that I was heading down that path. Stress. Not taking care of myself physically. I may still end up there.... but I'm going to enjoy the years that lead up to it. Therefore, this is a gift of time. This is a blessing to myself.

I spent the summer enjoying and exploring. I learned how to can vegetables. I made pepper jelly. I spent time with new friends. I spent time with family. I did not spend time counting how many vacation days I had left. Hooray. That in itself is such a blessing. I explored options for career changes. I read books. I joined the local library book discussion group.

In September I flew to Venice, Italy to meet my daughter, Jen, who was exploring Europe on her own. She started in London in mid-August and spent a week in Germany, a week in Poland and a week in Austria, before meeting up with me and allowing me to jump in on her backpacking trek through Europe. We explored Venice, Verona and Rome, before heading north to Geneva and then west to Bordeaux, France. Then it was back to England for the Jane Austen festival in Bath. All traveling by train. Just a pack on our backs.

I discovered Italians eat a lot and that pasta is just one course in what is usually a 5 course meal. I can walk all day with a pack on my back.
Bottled water in Europe is only 30 cents if you buy it at the grocery store.
Hand washing underwear is not that bad.
The 7 hills of Rome. Ancient Rome is incredible.
Buying the train pass in the U.S. is the better deal.
I'm even more of a fan of mass transportation.
Geneva is very peaceful on a Sunday.
Hostels are not just for youth. Not even close. All ages. Families welcome. This is how Europe vacations and it is an awesome way to travel in Europe.
Grocery stores are as exciting to me as they ever were. You can learn a lot in a grocery store.
We did not find Karaoke in Italy. Too busy eating multi-course meals. : )
Sitting in the sun at the train station in southern France is a great time to work on a healthy tan.
Bordeaux, France spent millions cleaning up their city (it is gleaming!) and they should be commended for taking the risk and doing a fabulous job of it. Belgium should take note. : )
I can survive without a cell phone as long as I have weekly access to my email.
You can always find a cyber cafe in Europe. Open your eyes.
Post cards mailed from Milan may never be delivered. I mailed 12. To date none have been received. I mailed 10 from Bath, England and some of those have been sited. Did you get yours?
My daughter is a very capable person.
Pesto sauce, sliced cheese, a loaf of italian bread and a bottle of Fanta do make a really good meal, especially when enjoyed en route by train.
When traveling in Europe plan to not be in a hurry.
Take the wine tour. Always take the full day wine tour. It's alwas been worth the money and includes a lot of history. In France, take the wine tour. In Bordeaux, take the full day, includes lunch, wine tour. You'll spend the morning walking through the history of Bordeaux, followed by lunch at a fabulous fromage restaurant (not fancy, but wonderful food), and then a tour of a winery in the country and a country village. Fabulous. Jen and I have been on 2 wine tours in France and both were worth the money, full of history and fabulous experiences that we still talk about. If you're in France, take the wine tour.
The Eurostar is quite a production but we know of no better way to get from France to England.
When in Bath, take the comedy tour. We did this at the recommendation of travel author Rick Steves. Instead of the ghost tour, we took the Bizarre Bath tour and we laughed ourselves silly. Worth every pence!
The Jane Austen Festival promenade parade makes you feel like you have walked into your favorite Austen novel. You can't help but look for your Mr. Darcy. And you will likely find him, along with Jane and her friends.

OK. Must end here and get some sleep..... busy day tomorrow. ; )

The economy and how I'm going to try to stimulate it!

One person cannot fix the economy but I'm going to give it my best try. And, because one action cannot fix the economy, I'm not going to rely on just one thing.

I'm going to continue to work hard and spend freely.
I'm going to continue to give joyfully what I can.
I'm going to continue to work toward being debt-free.
I'm going to continue to update and clean out my closets.
I'm going to continue to save for a rainy day.
I'm going to continue to contribute to my retirement fund.
I'm going to continue to feed my passion for visiting the world.
I'm going to continue to educate myself by learning new things.
I'm going to continue to evolve as a human being.

I'm going to remind myself daily that I love living on this earth,
no matter how brief my life might be.
I'm going to remind myself daily that I value living in this country,
and the freedoms that brings.
I'm going to remind myself daily that my contributions to this world matter,
so I better make them worthy.

There are a lot of things I could whine and complain about. But I really don't enjoy
myself when I'm whining and complaining. So I'm going to continue to believe that
today I can make a difference, tomorrow will be even better, and Thank you, God, for yesterday!

25 Random Things About Me....

I did this on my facebook page, but liked it enough to share here.

25 Random Things About Me....

1. Regarding computers: I often have no clue what I'm doing, but I'll still spend all day online trying to figure this out. I love technology but I don't understand how to use most of it. I'm not afraid to ask.

2. I believe we are all equal souls and that only love is real.

3. I'm an optimist and I believe in the creed, especially to greet every living creature with a smile. It's amazing what you can get back in return when you give someone a smile.

4. This is Earth University and I'm still a freshman. I love learning new things though sometimes I just skim the surface. I'm still joining all those after school clubs just to see what they are about.

5. The most amazing thing I have ever done was to give birth to my daughter, Jennifer Lauren. At 23, I believe SHE is amazing. I love her unconditionally, and I like her a lot too. In 2009 she will be moving to Oxford, England. I'm so excited for her!

6. I live in the country in a one-bedroom apartment above a 2-car garage. My husband, Ben, lives in a cottage next door. I refer to this as a bifurcated relationship: we live together, yet separately. It's kind of a Tracy-Hepburn thing except that we just got married (to each other!). I spend most of my time reading or on the computer. He spends time in his garage building tractors and cars and things with motors. We are surrounded by farmland, mostly corn fields, and cows. It's lovely.

7. In my family I play the role of airhead.

8. People have told me I'm too serious and I don't know how to have fun. I guess it comes down to what you think is fun.

9. I love to travel and have been to all 50 states. I've slept in most, driven through all. Airports do not count. And, yeah, it's a familiy tradition that it does not count unless you peed there.

10. I love riding the bus or any kind of mass transportation, especially in big cities.

11. It takes all of my courage to talk to a stranger.

12. I want to learn how to quilt. I love those fabrics!

13. There's no cable in the country and I don't want to pay for a satellite dish. I netflix anything I missed, so I'm just a few seasons behind. I'm ok with this.

14. Instead of an engagement ring, I asked for a Mustang. That 65 Ford Mustang convertible looks real sweet on my finger!! I love days that are sunny and warm enough to put the top down.

15. I really enjoy all kinds of music. From Jazz to country to soul to classic rock to oldies to the Rat Pack to Elvis. I'm even beginning to think I could make it through a hiphop or rap concert. I need to be able to understand the lyrics or feed off of the music. I love marching bands because they get me off my feet and the music pulses through me. I could spend all day watching drum lines do their thing.

16. I lived in Alaska for 8 years and loved it. I miss the mountains. They hold me steady.

17. I learned the truth at 17. I believe it was at a concert at Kiwanis Lake featuring Ann and Nancy Wilson. God exists.

18. I believe in ghosts and angels and multiple lives. It completes my puzzle.

19. I am passionate about my job, though sometimes I'm confused as to why.

20. I love spa days: facials, manicures, pedicures, massages, wraps. THE WORKS!

21. I am not afraid of death because it just signifies the end of this lesson. I'm having a fabulous freshman year!

22. Ben and I got married November 29, 2008. All of our children were with us when we exchanged vows. Together, we have 4 children and 2 grandchildren. In 2009 we will welcome a 3rd grandchild, a baby from Kazakhstan! I'm still not sure how I feel about this Grandma thing.... but I am very excited about the new baby!

23. Last summer I ploughed a field. Yep, I drove a big tractor. It was complicated and a bit scary. By August I was surrounded by grown up corn fields. I'm damn excited about being able to grow my own food. I want to make more time for this in my life. Less work in the office, more time in the fields.

24. My favorite Broadway show is Les Miserables. I've seen it 8 times, the last time (finally) actually on broadway. I loved Cabaret, especially the production at Studio 54. Theatres in London are more intimate. London rocks Queen!

25. I think Ben's tractors are sexy. Really.

Baby on the way!

We have a new baby coming for Bill and Melissa! So the word of the day, week or year will have to be BABY!

My daughter told me...

My wonderful twenty-something daughter told me she started a blog yesterday. How cool is it that we are both creating words on a page at the same time? We are often connected like that. I haven't figured out how to get her blog connected to my blog yet, because she's using a different blog world....open salon.com. I'm still exploring the choices available here at blogger.com.

This is me and Ben enjoying a day on the Pacific Ocean while visiting Kauai last week. Ben and I met in May of 2000 at a singles dance. It was the last song of the night and he finally got the courage to ask me to dance. Isn't that adorable? Thankfully, I had the nerve to say "yes!" Ben and I enjoy exploring new worlds together and have traveled throughout the United States and Europe. Kauai is a wonderful place to visit. Mahalo to the captain and crew of the Blue Dolphin for a fabulous day on the ocean. As promised, there were many whale sitings and lots of dolphins to play with!

In March 2008 Ben and I toured China. We explored Beijing, a flurry of pre-Olympic construction; Xi an, where we were awed by the Terra Cotta Warriors; Guilin, where we sailed the Li River; and the beautiful city of Shanghai. Ben asked me to marry him while we were climbing the Great Wall of China. I said Yes! Many thank you's to our tourguide, Mark, our city tour guides Stella and Peter, and the people at Colette Tours for a fabulous introduction to Asian culture, including both the current and the ancient worlds.

In mid-November we decided it was time to set a date and that sooner worked better than later. Most important to us was having all four of our children with us for this occasion. November 29th we had a lovely ceremony with our children and our fathers present. When the minister said "who gives these two to be wed?" we turned to them all and said, "this is where you get to say YOU DO!"

Shown here: George (my Dad); Jennifer (my daughter), Mark and Ashlee (Ben's daughter); Tamara and Ben; Bill and Melissa (Ben's daughter); Fred (Ben's Dad); Daryl (Ben's son).

Thank you to Jennifer, my Maid of Honor; to Matthew (Jen's boyfriend), for playing photographer, and to my brother Ben for making the movie. And a special thank you to Pastor Margaret at Zwingli Church in East Berlin for what she termed "a dear ceremony." We agree completely!

Thank you also to Country Hearth Florists for reading my mind on the flowers - they were lovely! - to Scott & Co. Jewelers for getting the rings in on time and to the folks at Inn 94 for a fabulous dinner. And an extra big smile with a thank you to the Colemans for their thoughtfulness in providing a cute and scrumptious cake!

At the end of the day, the word is: Cheers!

With Mouth Wide Open

I've been viewing this blog thing and have been inspired by a far-away friend to actually take the first bite. Can you have your blog and savor it too? Ok, perhaps a corny attempt at blog-humor, but is anybody actually watching?