Taming the Wild

when everything else seems a bit out of control!

Do you remember...

"We Like the Moon" song? Well, here's is another take on it.



Here's the "moon" song...

Toothless

Don't cha just love that blurry photo. Yah! Momma's not having a good day and the photo episodes are only topping it off. What is going to be the straw that breaks the camel's back today?

Caleigh lost her top tooth yesterday thanks to mommy's expertice in tooth pulling. And then the tooth fairy had to go and forget. WTF? My daughter was incredibly disappointed this morning. I almost came out with the words in the grovelly smokers voice, "Get over it kid. Life's full of disappointments." But I resisted the urge, and simply encouraged her to try again tonight. WHATEVER!!! None of my other kids even knew about the tooth fairy. Ohh the pressure.

I feel like my head is going to pop. I need to get out and go for a long long long walk. My iPod is broken (it's being replaced, but it's taking forever) but it makes for a walk that requires my brain to fill the silence. That probably won't be helpful on a day like today. My laptop has no programs on it and is everso slow (Terry is bringing home what I need to solve that problem) but I can't work on any of my projects without speed, memory and programs. Usually, I can take care of business on my desktop (including the banking and photo editing) but the PC is just plain broken. I can't even download pictures right now (thus that freaking blurry one) so why bother taking any. It's upsetting to say the least. I haven't brought myself to open the pages of the two books I have on my kitchen counter, waiting to be read.

I am off kilter!

Does anyone else ever struggle to find their balance. Some days are harder than others. I think this day deserves a good cry.

Double Crossed

what a buncha hullabaloo!

there are several reasons for me to feel this way right now.

sometimes I bring it on myself, sometimes I make things up in my mind, sometimes it has strictly to do with another person's (or people's) need for drama.

today, it's all three the first one. I've brought it on myself. well, not all of it.

truth be told, my mouth (which conjoins with my blog often enough) has gotten me in a bit of trouble.

oh, kool, we are all sooooo surprised by that!

I'm not really in trouble, but I am disappointed with myself. I can be quite a ________ (you fill in the blank).

sorry, good people.

whether I'm even funny at all, is in question. I try to keep it light, but that's not always done the right way.

well, duh! we've known that for a while now.

the truth of the matter is... the past couple weeks have been stressful. it's been a big mix of emotions between seriously upsetting, to hilarious, to hopeful, to distressing, to frustrating, to delightful, to confusing. I have been overwelmed to say the least.

maybe I need medication.

yeah, we've been thinking that too.

hey, one of those facials I got for my birthday last year would be highly beneficial for me! especially after Monday comes and goes. Monday is not going to be an easy day... if you guys only knew.

no, this upcoming week isn't going to be pretty.

on another note...

sorry for writing the blog about the "event" last weekend. I'm a louse!! I'm a meanie with no heart! I was very frustrated about the thing--ticked off on levels that couldn't really be explained appropriately--and I tried to play it off by being funny. But... it was wrong of me. I may have hurt the feelings of a few friends, and for that I feel terrible. Someone may want to leave a burning bag of poop at my front door. It could happen and I wouldn't blame them.

I do wish you could have seen Animal! I really loved that part.

If I were to do it over again...

Wouldn't you do it too?

Stressful Happenings

Have you ever been a small part of something that was so unorganized that it drained you of all your energy? It's not the most delightful experience. It made me grateful for the many other things I have been a part of that were well thought out and run smoothly--the concert on Saturday was not one of those events. But...

It was an interesting experience for sure. No big surprise for me. I've been around the block for a while now. It was a good thing I had a clue about things being run shipshod. I just stood back and watched everyone scramble and grumble and moan and groan. I tried to be encouraging. The concert was supposed to start by 6 pm, but the sound system was only arriving at 6 (Yah! That was supposed to be set up for everyone to get a sound check between 4-5). As soon as I saw what was happening, I had the where-with-all to call Terry, who was bringing the girls. I had him hold off for any hour or so. The service actually began around 7:15--no sound check at all!!

Some praise and worship began the night... the band rocked the house, but it was way tooooooo loud. The drummer (let's call him Animal) knocked a cymbal off its stand twice in the first song. Seriously LOUD. The choir was SCREAMING! It wasn't pretty--Our ears were bleeding and I'm not joking. How do those singers even have voices when they're done? Oh, and you should have seen Caleigh's face. I thought she was going to cry the entire time, she looked so sad. She'd come sit on my lap and yell into my ear "Why is it sooo loud?" and "Why is it sooo loud and sooo long?" My friend, Nicki, said her arm muscles were sore the next day from clapping so hard and for so long. We were all smiling and laughing and enjoying things... for the first 5 minutes! and then over the next 30 minutes, as things got going, the smiles began to fade and a scared expression appeared just behind the eyes. It was especially difficult when we were told that we weren't gonna move on until everyone shouted hallelujah--but the first two shouts weren't good enough!! Come on now!!!

I'm not sure how my song went. We were introduced around 8:15. The girls who sang the choir back up parts (Anika, Darian, Nina, Nicki woohoo to all! and a bunch of others) weren't mic'd properly. They offered only two mics for about 8-9 people HAH! Yea right. And of course the band had to bring it way back for my "style" of singing. One of the ladies shared with me beforehand, "Honey, my girls said that you could really BLOW!" I said, "Well, no. [chuckle chuckle] I don't really 'blow' I just kind of 'sing pretty'." hahaha.

It was my first time ever to play with the band--first and last--which was fine, because they had mad skills and didn't need a run-through. Once we finally got started, everyone seemed to appreciate our offering. They shouted out even after my first few notes. They clapped and did "all that!" but I'm not sure if we were really loud enough to cut through the dried up blood sitting in everyone's eardrums.

The main gospel artist came on after one more singer (who was actually very good) did a few of the songs from his CD.

I think the night ended around 9:15. I'm not sure because I took the girls home around 8:45. It was a good experience--one that required a lot of patience and understanding and open-mindedness. I only wish I would have brought some earplugs for the children. Live and learn. Live and learn.

It drained me!

Things I Realize...

Bingo is a lot more fun when adults are playing against adults (for $$) vs. K-4th graders playing against each other for candy and stickers!

I'm a total sucker! and I am singing in that gospel concert this Saturday!

When the main home computer breaks down, everyone suddenly takes over my laptop.

The house doesn't clean itself and no one else cleans it either.

I have awesome friends! Thanks for all the prayers for my pops.

I really like my son's girlfriend. She directed me to the tickets for The Police. She's a great gal!!! hahah.

I may put an application in to substitute teach at our school, because I heard that a shortage could be coming up real soon... or... I may run for the Board of Ed. One or the other. Or neither! I'm still in limbo. One of the positions actually gets a paycheck.

Easter is here on Sunday and my house needs to be cleaned before everyone comes over.

I've quickly grown immune to the smell of the bunny cage in my house.

I sleep better when I go to bed by 10:30 rather than midnight, so I have another 20 minutes before a miss the opportunity.

My girls are growing up and they are so beautiful! (Oh, and Caleigh is about to loose her top front teeth--so the awkward stage is upon us).

All my picture files are on the home computer--the one that needs to go in to the computer doctor for repairs!

Valentine's Day came and went and I never reported on my amazing husband!!

The Fight is on!

Aren't they sweet? That's my mom and pops.

I can't sleep! Even if things weren't weighing heavily on my mind... Terry is in there snoring the heck out of things. It sounds like there's a souped up '78 camero in my bed room with the engines revving. I may have to karate chop his nose when I return to bed, which is not what "the fight" is about. That's just my coping mechanism to lighten things up.

If you want to know why I'm heavy-of-heart tonight, I received disturbing news today. My pops, who endured his entire k-12 school career with a perfect attendance record, and has barely been sick a day in his life, has just been diagonosed with prostate cancer. It's just so wrong! I hate the sickness-n-disease crap we face in our world these days. I guess I should admit, I haven't had to face much of it very close to home. I am thankful for that. But it leaves me feeling at a complete loss with this sense of inner turmoil that I can't even express. The whole thing totally sucks!!! I wish my parents weren't having to face this.

If you're one of my friends who pray, please lift up my dad (and mom). They will make it through this beautifully, I'm quite sure. They have great faith, but it's going to require a bit of a fight.

My dad is a spry 71 year old, who happened to be a shipmate in the naval academy with Senator John McCain back in the day. (He's got all kinds of great stories. I was trying to get him to blog about them... without much success, I might add).

Hey Pops, I am so sorry about this stupid cancer thing!! Please know that we are believing together with you and Mom, for complete and totally restored health.

Keep steady and live strong! I love you and miss you. Can't wait to see you back here in the Hamptons in only a few short months.

Word Power

virago \vuh-RAH-go; vuh-RAY-go\, noun:

1. A woman of extraordinary stature, strength, and courage.
2. A woman regarded as loud, scolding, ill-tempered, quarrelsome, or overbearing.

I totally get this one!

The Hand Washing Nazi--Pt 2

Caleigh came home today and made an announcement.

Her: "Mom, today at school *Judy didn't wipe after going to the bathroom."

Me: "I'd like to know how you would even know that."

Her: "The teacher asked if she wiped when she came back from the bathroom and she shook her head no. ISN'T THAT DISGUSTING?"

Me (with a sigh of relief): "Heeeey! Easy. She's just a kid like you. She's just learning and sometimes probably forgets!"

Anika (yelling in from the other room): "But did she wash her hands?"


* Fictitious name, used in order to preserved the reputation of the classmate.

The Hand Washing Nazi

My six-year-old daughter is the youngest of six. She has this misconception that she rules the household. It can be described best by her tendency to police every member of the family's hand-washing habits after using the toilet. Just the other day I used the bathroom and she was knocking on the door before I was finished. When I exited, I was merely getting a towel from the closet and heading back in to take a shower, but she was scolding me about not washing my hands. She even went into the other room to announce it to anyone else who would listen. "Mom used the bathroom and didn't wash her hands!" Tattle tale.

(ok, the vlog is only a re-inactment--Caleigh was a little giggly). And the resolution isn't very good. I still have somethings to learn. Maybe a better USB cable? I need to refer back to an old post of Mark's.

But here it is... in it's simplest form.



Oh... and speaking of POLICE... I have tickets!!!! Tickets to a police concert in August!!!! WOOHOO!!!! SOOOOO PSYCHED!

A Whole New World

Hahahahahaha!

Food Court Musical

I guess LA is pretty good too! HAHAH



Man, I want to be a part of one of these improvs!!!! Waaaaaahhhh!!!

Gotta Love New York

Can You Feel the Pulse?

The pictures are random... I was just goofing around... (surprise surprise)!

I'm the kind of person who likes to get a quick read on an individual, or a group, and even an entire community. I'm rarely ever oblivious to the mood that's being shared around me. I see it. I feel it. I pick up on things. I try not to let it affect me to much. But it does...

One could say... that my nature to "fix things" comes into play on a regular basis, as I may try to bring change to the atmosphere--especially if it feels oppressive or negative or just wrong. I'm upbeat and I don't like to feel heaviness. If there is an obvious reason for the heaviness i.e. grieving a loss or hearing bad news, ok then. Let's feel it together, but when there's no apparent reason, I tend to try to bring an appropriate levity (if I have the energy). I'm not afraid or bothered by the gammit of emotions and sentiments, but I don't like to see or feel discouragement, ever! although, I suppose it does have its proper place.


Getting a read on a larger community, of course, is never a quick thing. It takes a lot of time and interaction with a cross section of people. When I traveled to India years ago and stayed for two months, it didn't even scratch the surface for me. We never stayed in one place for more than a few days. It was crazy, but I did get an overall feel about the nation. The second time I went to India, I was there for one month and stayed in Hyderabad the entire time. It was even harder to get a read. The place is just too vast and multi-faceted. It would take years and years for an outsider like myself to understand.

In my journey through different church communities it was never difficult for me to feel the pulse of the group at hand. But if you want to know the truth, in my present church community, I haven't wanted to know... I've purposely avoided it. I've chosen to remain detached. Except now... now that I've gotten "suckered in" (I use those terms affectionately) with leading worship and working with the youth, it's inevitable that my fingers will find their way to the pulse, at least every once-in-a-while.

The battle for me, though, is time. The schedule. And capacity. Do I have the capacity for anything more in my life? Isn't my life already full? You see, once my fingers find the pulse of a community, my own heart begins to find the same beat. I want to join in. I want to connect with people. I want make a difference. Once I start to get the pulse, I begin to feel the heartache and the joys... the struggles and the victories. It's felt deep in my soul.

As my regular readers already know, I've been a big part of my school community these past few years. I've come across its pulse on occasion, and each time I'm tuned into it, something more is revealed. As I listen, and I feel, I become more connected... connected with those people.

This week has been one where my fingers have found that pulse again--and maybe, it's not only been for the school community, but what extends beyond the school. I wonder where God is leading me. He knows full well how I operate. It's obvious that I'm being led along... I just don't know where this path is taking me.

My heart is in His hands.

Does anyone else get the whole "pulse" thing? Or do I just sound like a crazy person?

WAAAAAY too much fun!

Ok. Let me make this my final BRAG! The Sock Hop on Friday was a total hoot! We had so much fun. I've been sending pictures and thank yous and brag write-ups all over the place.

Our school doesn't get enough attention towards the wonderful things that happen in that building. Jennah (in the green scarf) was one of the master minds for the whole event.

India (the hula champ in the middle of the three) was another master mind.
Those trouble-making boys (not really) came to pick up the babes in their '57 chevy (the photo station) and yes...

there were candy cigerettes. SO WHAT! It was the popular thing back in those days. No one who attended the dance was bothered by it. But the superintendent, who wasn't in attendence, flipped out when she saw a picture of the kids with the cigs. I didn't like it so much, but it really was harmless in the light of the entire night. We had a total blast. Lighten up people!

Let it be known--Bridgehampton School ROCKS!!!

Practicing Medicine

I'm not sure if it's common practice in those Hospital University towns or something. I don't live near a town like that, but MY FRIEND DOES!

On occasion, Haliahos (renamed for anonymity) has taken the opportunity to make a few bucks by allowing medical students to perform regular examinations on her. The exams are strickly for educational purposes and allow med students to practice their skills. No harm in that, right? Way to go, Haliahos. Someone needs to offer their services to our up-and-coming doctors. So far, the exams had been the basic general exam--checking ears, nose, throat, heart beat, lungs, pulse, etc.

The other day I received a voicemail from my friend, stating that she had a story to tell... a story that NO WOMAN SHOULD EVER HAVE TO ENDURE! I couldn't imagine what in the world it could have been. In the message it didn't sound like anything tragic had happened. She sounded rather "tongue in cheek" about it, so I looked forward to her tale.

Today we spoke. Today I laughed harder and longer than I have in a while. Today I heard her tale about being... a medical model.

She received a call asking if she could come in for a 4 hour stint, so the med students could perform examinations. It would pay $90, and that sounded like a good deal to her. When she arrived at the location, she was greeted warmly and everyone was very appreciative of her services. The nurse asked her to remove her clothing and put on the gown. When she was ready a doctor entered the room with 4 male students. The doctor asked a few questions, making sure she was fine with the pelvic exa...

"THE WHAT?!!!"

"Oohh. Didn't they tell you?"

"Um, I think a pelvic exam was mentioned, but not by FIVE PEOPLE!!!"

"Oh, I'm so sorry."

OK. So, she was a good sport. She didn't just walk out then and there. She could do this. She decided that she could endure it like a good citizen. Not only did she stick it out, she didn't even make comments throughout the exams in order to scare the bejesus out of those young bucks (like I would have). Actually, I think she was too mortified and humiliated. HAHAHA.

But wait... the story isn't over yet. Once those 5 had completed their "class" and Haliahos was awkwardly complimented for her great endurance and patience (and offered a few dinners and drinks to ease her pain), it was time to get dressed and leave. That's when the nurse told the doctor, "Oh no, no. She's not done. She's signed up for the duration... duration... duration... duration..."

Next thing ya know, in walks SIX more med students--all for the pelvic exams.

ELEVEN!!! ELEVEN PELVIC EXAMS IN THREE HOURS TIME! That woman deserves a medal!

But all she actually got was 90 bucks! That actually totals out to about $8.10 an exam. BAAAhahahAHAHha!!! Sorry. I can't help it. It's both horrifying and hilarious. It wasn't tragic, but I do belive it was traumatic. Let us all stop and pray for Haliahos.

Touch her Lord Jesus. Heal her dear soul.

(I got permission to write this story btw. Such a good sport, that Haliahos).