I See What You Meme

This post is not about politics. But it is about Election Day. This was quite a week. We voted. Candidates won. Candidates lost. We said goodbye to political ads for another year or so.  It was a lot to take in.   Charlotte: Election Day 2008 With all the events of the week, my thoughts continued to return to Charlotte.  I thought about how she always went with us to the polls.  Four years ago, she braved the lines and the rain to vote TWICE; once with me and once with her dad.  On election night, Charlotte had long since gone to sleep but Roger and I stayed up till after midnight, watching history unfold.  In the morning, we told her that Barack Obama was our new President.  She could recognize his face in magazines and on television and would say, "That's Barack Obama. He's our new president." Who could have guessed that barely two months from that date, as the President took the oath of office, we faced a whole new world that we never ex...

In between planning the Thumbs Up Ball and watching the Downton Abbey season finale , I somehow got a cold.  It's about time, I suppose.  I think it's been close to a year since I've had to miss a day of work because of illness.  With all the other germies that have been floating around in this relatively mild winter, I think I got off easy.  After spending almost three days either on my couch or in my bed, I've had plenty of time to reflect on the current state of things in my life.   Decor from the very festive Thumbs Up Ball The Thumbs Up Ball was a huge success for our foundation , thanks in no small part to the many sponsors and volunteers who shared their time and talents for our fundraiser.  We raised over $3000 with this event.   For that I am grateful .   The other big news of the week is that I was awarded the Eagle Rare Life Courage Award . I was nominated for this contest by my dear husband sometime back in spring 2011. ...

Now that Halloween is over, it seems that the end of the year holidays are clamoring for attention. Our stores were filled with Christmas paraphernalia before the Halloween candy and costumes even managed to walk off the shelves.  Everyone complains about it but it doesn't seem to change the mind of marketers. It only seems to spur them on.  I've been ambivalent about the holiday marketing onslaught for years. It seems that the focus for these holidays moves a little bit more towards conspicuous consumption and away from the true Reason for the Season. For almost 10 years, Roger and I have been gradually paring down our holiday gift giving. Our "gift" to friends and family has been a donation to a worthy organization in lieu of presents, sometimes accompanied by a symbolic token representing the organization. The first year, we donated to Habitat for Humanity and made simple but artsy pictures frames out of hardware materials (washers,bolts, and nails).  Another year...

I've been really happy lately.   It feels really good to say that.  Just in the last week, I have found myself reflecting on my feelings.  I've had more than one person say to me, "You seem really happy."  They are right. I am.  It feels kind of strange. When you go through a challenging time in your life, a lot of people will empathize by saying "Cheer up" or "Things will get better" or "You need to look on the bright side."  It's understandable.   People look for happiness. They're drawn to it like a magnet.  There have been many times in the last (almost) 3 years when I have wanted to tell the people who said these things to fuck off  leave me alone.  Sometimes I probably even did  give them a few choice words.   I think it's ok to be sad sometimes.  It's important to acknowledge the anger.  It's important to feel the pain of heartbreak. It's ok to wallow in a little self-pity for a while. It's ...

Yes, I know. It's SUNDAY.  I will justify my tardiness by citing a mixture of life's been way too busy and don't quite have the motivation . It's a long weekend so I figure I get a little leeway.  One of the reasons why this post is so late is because we had some houseguests from Thursday through Saturday. We were privileged to host Miss Britt and family on the Richmond leg of their cross-country tour. What? You've never heard of Miss Britt? Hey! I think we just found our topic for #FollowFriday.   (convenient, eh?) Britt is a blogger extraordinaire. She lends her writing and editing talents to several blogs (some of which she founded herself). I found her through a mutual friend's blog and have been following her personal blog for about a year. Here's what I love about Miss Britt: She's a good writer. She's positive without being schmaltzy or overdramatized.  She's real. She talks about the shit stuff we deal with every day.  ...

In preparation for my recent respite from the daily grind, I went in search of reading material.  This is not the time to tackle War and Peace or to catch up on the latest in my professional journals.  I needed some easy reading.  Well, what to my wondering eyes should appear? Be Happier This Year...in 9 easy steps. SOLD.   Now that I've read the articles, I'm ready to go sit on top of a mountain and dispense sage advice to wondering and wandering seekers of truth.  All snark aside, I was intrigued by the title subject.  Now, I not only have some insight into the concept of "happiness" but I also have a recipe for sweet potato veggie-chili that sounds super yummy.  I'd say I (at the very least) got my money's worth. As we head towards a new year, everyone is talking about Resolutions. Why do we set New Year's Resolutions if not to pursue some ideal that will make us, in the end, happier.  That's really the goal, right?...