Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Celebrating The Letter "J"

It must be Tuesday again. Wow. That week went fast!

In no particular order, except for the first one:

1. John. Specifically, my son, John. Words cannot express how much I love him. I am so proud of the young man he's becoming.

2. Jacuzzis. They're so relaxing and so much fun. I'm enjoying having one at my disposal this week.

3. Jack-in-the-Box tacos. While I admit that they're not even a close approximation to real tacos, I really do love them.

4. Jump. Van Halen. Classic.

5. Joe. As in, "Have a cup of..." My granddad used to say it; my dad still does. It always brings a smile to my face.

6. Junior Mints. The perfect movie snack.

7. Jedi. I wish I was one. Remember the scene in Attack of the Clones when Mace Windu shows up in the arena and says, "This party's over" and then all across the arena, tons of Jedi ignite their lightsabers and the battle begins? Yep. I SO wanted to be one of them; it was a proud moment.

8. Jersey-knit sheets. I love my sheets. Crawling into bed feels like crawling into the softest, smoothest t-shirt known to man.

9. Jackets. I love jackets. Partly because jackets can be super cute, and partly because of what seeing a jacket means...it's cold outside! Love both jackets AND jacket weather.

10. Juice. Whether by itself, in a Popsicle, in a smoothie or as a mixer, juice is fabulous!

Monday, July 28, 2008

You're Not Elected, Missy Shell.

But wait! I WAS elected!!!

This evening I was voted on to the RB Little League Board.

Several months ago, I was asked if I was interested. It sounded fine on paper, so I said that I'd give it a shot. Even though I wasn't at the annual meeting tonight (pesky vacation...), someone spoke on my behalf and apparently he was convincing; I was elected.

My list of baseball positions keeps growing; team mom, score keeper, statistics guru, now board member!

Eek! What have I gotten myself into???

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Monterey, Day One

Waking up in one my favorite places on Earth... Check

Enjoying the perfect cup of coffee... Check

Reading a few chapters in my book... Check

Nibbling on my favorite vacation mints... Check

Catching up with dear friends... Check

Lounging near (and in) the pool all afternoon... Check

Gnarly sunburn despite applying vast amounts of sunscreen... Check

Friday, July 25, 2008

A Hug For My Heart

It seems like no matter how hard I may try, I can't stop the steady march of time. The days, months, even years are flying by. Clearly I can see it the most when I look at my kids...

My twelve year old is as tall as me. My baby is going to turn eleven next week. We do practically all of our shopping in the men's department. They're going to be seeing their first rated R movie this week. We recently gave away all of the Legos and action figures. They had no interest in seeing Wall-E. I was informed this week that "kid shampoo" is no longer needed; that Head and Shoulders would be just fine. Sigh.

I was pondering all of this when we were at the mall this morning: The boys and I were sitting on a couch in the middle of the mall, enjoying our Starbucks when we heard a little one somewhere yelling. Not the annoying kind of yelling, more like the "hey, I love the echo in here" yelling. Matthew thought it was silly and I explained to him how it's just a natural kid thing, that even he liked to do it at one point. So as we finished our drinks, I was reflecting on how things have changed in our house recently; how my boys are growing up.

After a few more minutes, we stood up to leave, tossed our empty glasses in the trash and headed out. All of a sudden, a felt a hand take mine as little fingers laced in between my own. Matthew was walking hand in hand with me as we made our way to the elevator.

It only lasted for a minute or two, and then he let go. I'm also reasonably certain that had we seen anyone we know, he'd have dropped my hand instantly. But for those few minutes, he was my little boy again.

Moments like that are coming fewer and farther apart; I know that I need to cherish them. Thank you, Lord, for sending a hug to my heart today. I needed it.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Get It Right, People

Is it really asking too much that the channels be set on the same stations each day at the gym? Let me explain...

While I normally listen to my iPod as I'm sweating away at the gym, my habit it to choose which cardio machine I'm going to park myself on based on the channels of the televisions that are mounted from the ceiling. Even though I'm usually listening to the likes of Bon Jovi or Van Halen, I do like to watch TV and scan the captioning. In doing this, I'm able to enjoy my music, work out, and stay informed, all at the same time.

My station of choice is ESPN. I like to catch up on the scores from the previous night's baseball games as well as stay up to date on the sports world in general. I'm especially giddy this time of year as I see football news starting to appear, announcing that the glorious time of year known as Football Season is rapidly approaching. But I digress...

Today, someone clearly didn't get it right. I walked over to my usual area, glanced at the TV, saw that commercials were on, and then hopped up on the elliptical. Imagine my dismay when the commercials ceased...instead of ESPN, someone had set the channel to, gasp!, Good Morning, America!

Gone was my daily dose of baseball scores, the witty banter between Hall of Fame-ers, the latest on the Favre scuttlebutt...all gone! Instead, I was subjected to looking at Diane Sawyer and a ridiculously long interview with George Michaels. Purely disgusting!

Why didn't I switch machines, you may ask? Clearly that's not the point. Every day, that TV plays ESPN. I've come to expect it. The sun rises, I go the gym, I watch ESPN. That's how it works. I'm sure I'm not the only one who chooses machines based on shows; others must do the same thing.

So again, I ask...is it too much to expect that the TV gnomes get it right tomorrow?

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

A First Time For Everything

Welcome, friends and fans, to the first post of my newly created blog!

I have decided to join my friend, Crayl, in her Ten on Tuesday adventures. I hope you enjoy my first offering, a list of things that I am thankful for that begin with the letter "I".

In no particular order:

1. "I Love You". Nothing can brighten my day as quickly as hearing those three little words.

2. Icing. Can you imagine a cake or a cinnamon roll without icing? I think not!

3. IFC, the Independent Film Channel. Not so much for the films that they show, but for the interesting conversations that some of said films have sparked between my hubby and me.

4. Iced Tea. Hands down, my favorite drink.

5. Inspiration. I love the feeling that you get when you come up with a brand new idea or plan, and you're full of excitement to begin.

6. IN-N-OUT. The best burger and fries you can buy for $5. When we were talking about moving last year, I was devastated to find that where we were looking at had no IN-N-OUT nearby. We didn't go, did we? That's the power of Animal Fries.

7. Igloos. In particular, igloos you'd find in a kindergarten classroom, made out of sugar cubes. They always make me smile.

8. The Incredibles. I still laugh out loud every time.

9. IMDB. So much information, so little time.

10. Ice Cream. The best dessert ever.