Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Have a wonderful, safe and happy holiday season! I'm out of here...see you next year!

The Day Before You Came...

I love ABBA’s music. Their feel good tunes are especially awesome for roadtrips. Yes, most of the songs are melodic ballads or romantic tunes, but hey, I’m a diehard romantic...it’s good stuff!

I put in my favorite this morning to listen to on the way to work. I leave the office in another hour and head on my way home to Michigan, and so ABBA is a must for a long day of travel, and I wanted to get myself prepped for the ride. I heard my favorite track and couldn’t help but smile...

Must have left my house at eight, because I always do
My train, I’m certain, left the station just when it was due
I must have read the morning paper going into town
And having gotten through the editorial, no doubt I must have frowned
I must have made my desk around a quarter after nine
With letters to be read, and heaps of papers waiting to be signed
I must have gone to lunch at half past twelve or so
The usual place, the usual bunch
And still on top of this I’m pretty sure it must have rained
The day before you came

I must have lit my seventh cigarette at half past two
And at the time I never even noticed I was blue
I must have kept on dragging through the business of the day
Without really knowing anything, I hid a part of me away
At five I must have left, there’s no exception to the rule
A matter of routine, I’ve done it ever since I finished school
The train back home again
Undoubtedly I must have read the evening paper then
Oh yes, I’m sure my life was well within its usual frame
The day before you came

Must have opened my front door at eight o’clock or so
And stopped along the way to buy some Chinese food to go
I’m sure I had my dinner watching something on TV
There’s not, I think, a single episode of Dallas that I didn’t see
I must have gone to bed around a quarter after ten
I need a lot of sleep, and so I like to be in bed by then
I must have read a while
The latest one by Marilyn French or something in that style
Its funny, but I had no sense of living without aim
The day before you came

And turning out the light
I must have yawned and cuddled up for yet another night
And rattling on the roof I must have heard the sound of rain
The day before you came…

It’s sentimental and more than a bit cheesy, isn’t it? But I love it! [Incidentally, it is the last song the 4 Swedes ever recorded.] Did you notice that the word LOVE isn’t even in the song, and yet we all know what the song is about? (SIGH!)

Howard, where are you?

From the Man's Point of View...

For years, my sister Barbara has complained that I’m always on her husband Jonathan’s side. Even before they were married, I was usually taking his side or at least seeing his point of view in an argument. I’ve learned since to just step aside from those discussions and not take a side, if you will, or at least keep my mouth shut if I have an opinion!

I guess I’ve always thought I was merely trying to see the other person’s side because my Mom’s really good at that, and I figured maybe some of it carried over from my experiences with her. But then this last year, it has come up several times in my discussions with friends, too.

A girlfriend will be relaying a story about a guy she is interested in, or how she’s been waiting on a guy to call her, etc. I try to be as sympathetic as I can be, but inside, I’m asking: why does everything have to be on his shoulders? or why don’t you just call him? or did it ever occur to you that he might be nervous, too? I have these questions going round and round in my head, and sometimes they just pop out. I mean, I want to be honest, and I don’t always mean to play devil’s advocate...

But somehow I think that men (especially in regards to relationships) have it rough! I know that this goes against everything in the girl code that we live by...where we all stick together and stuff. I’m sure I’ll get emails from friends asking me to re-read my girl handbook again, but I can’t help the fact that I truly think that some men get the raw end of the stick.

We women seem to think that men should have us figured out by now. I mean, come on, we’re women. We’re lovable, adorable, giving creatures. All we ask for is that everything in our lives to be PERFECT!!! And the instant a man doesn’t fit into that mold or dream he needs to live up to--well, it’s time to write him out of our lives.

He called too late one evening (so inconsiderate)…
or he forgot to call at all (rude and a liar)…
or he calls too much (needy and clingy).
Verdict: Time to end it!

He mentioned his ex-girlfriend (pathetic—get over her already)…
or he forgot to mention that she was going to be at the same party you were attending (liar and inconsiderate).
Verdict: Time to end it!

He did not pay for my meal (cheap and rude)…
or he paid for my meal without even asking (conceited)
or he asked if he could pay for my meal (pathetic ploy).
Verdict: Time to end it!

He failed to open the car door (so unchivalrous)…
or he forgot to introduce you to his friend at the restaurant (unpolite).
Verdict: Time to end it!

He asked to meet you at the restaurant (unchivalrous)…
or he wants to pick you up at your house (stalker).
Verdict: Time to end it!

So I read over those items above and I have to laugh. I mean, we’re asking men to do things we don’t even expect from our best friends. I’m not going to stop being friends because my friend fails to call me back when expected or doesn’t think to introduce me to another friend she runs into. Yes, I’m sorry my friend forgot to call me back, but then, I’ll just call her or email her later anyway. And yes, it would be polite for my friend to introduce me to her other friend that we’ve bumped into, but sometimes it’s easy to fall right into conversation, and it gets forgotten. Just one of those things...

Women are NOT that easy to understand. I know I’m not. I’m highly changeable about what I think from one moment to the next, and half the time I don’t understand myself. Why is it that I’m expecting another person (a man especially) to just get me from day one? It’s like we women are out to test the man from the first date to see if he can withstand our antics. It’s important to be ourselves, but it’s another matter to act as if men are the only ones with the issues that we have to discover ASAP.

OK, women...what about our moods? What about our playing hard to get or the way we act coy? Why is it that we hold back and don’t reveal anything of our true selves until we think we’ve caught the guy? What about how we love to gossip and share things with our friends that should stay private – especially about men? Why is it that we have these unrealistic expectations about men, but we ourselves refuse to change our own habits?

I don’t think dating should be all about learning the other person’s faults as quickly as possible so to eliminate that person from the running. I think dating should be about getting to know the other person (the good, the bad and the ugly) just because you want to! You like them, and you hope they are learning to like you, and so you date to get to know them better…not to find a reason to cross them off your list!

OK, so I’m no dating expert. I don’t claim to be an expert at relationships at all. I’ve just been observing a trend lately with my friends, and I start to wonder if maybe we just don’t make it all more complicated than it needs to be. Why couldn’t it be like grade school again? Hi, I’m Mel. I think you’re cute. Can we be friends?

I’m not ambitious…

At least not in the most common use of the term. I don’t have that inner drive to make exorbitant amounts of money or climb the corporate ladder. To me, success means a job well done. I am a hard worker (and sometimes a bit of an over achiever), and so I feel successful now even without the large bank account and oodles of stress. I’m doing what I’m paid to do. I’m achieving my goals and making my deadlines. Is there room for improvement? You better believe it. I have lots of places I need to work on. It’s just that I feel successful in my job because I feel that I’m putting forth my best effort, and that’s a good feeling. Sure it would be nice to have more of a disposable income and a nicer job title with perks. Who doesn’t want that, really? But I don’t feel like a failure because I don’t have those things.

Lately, however, I’ve started to doubt my lack of ambition due to conversations around the office. One of them involved a young lady who did a co-op internship here at DAS. She will graduate this May with a Bachelors degree in Business and has received offers from 2 different firms—one position has a starting salary of $60,000 with a $5,000 signing bonus and the other position has a salary of $50,000 with a $1,000 signing bonus. Sounds awfully nice to me!

When I hear stories about new grads starting out with salaries like that, I start to wonder if there is something wrong with me. I have my Bachelor’s degree—not in business, but in journalism, and when I left college, there were no jobs to be had. I started out at a day care taking care of infants, moved on to be a bank teller, eventually became an assistant to a college advisor, then on to an administrative assistant for a quasi-state entity, and now here I am 10 years later… I make decent money, but it’s not $50,000 a year. I make enough to pay my bills and do most of the things I like to do. I’d like to travel to Europe and see more of the world, but right now my money is going towards other things like paying off debt and such. But over all, what I have is sufficient. I’m content, but should I be?

Why is it that I don’t dream about riding up the corporate ladder so much? Instead my dreams are of meeting a man with a British accent. Why don’t I have visions of a bigger bank account? Instead I imagine having a small little home and taking care of my family.

Hmmmm…I think it’s all about perspective. Money isn’t the bottom line for me, and rising to the top in my company doesn’t give me a tingly feeling at all. I guess I’m ambitious in other ways. I’d like to travel, I’d like to get married, I’d like to have a little place of my own, I’d like to finish my book, I’d like to take photography classes, I’d like to do a lot of things...

I guess, you could say that I have oodles of ambitions! HA!

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

I hope your time with family, friends, pets, plants, etc. is delightful and extra special. I’ll be dog-sitting, and so it will be me and Chas (short for Charles, you know) for 5 days straight. But I’ll be staying in a 5-bedroom home, enjoying lots of extra space, etc. Loving it! Probably getting some scrapbooking done or Christmas cards made. Wherever this holiday finds you--ENJOY!

And for all of you who just need a friendly hug today or even something to smile about, check out this link.

Decorating for the Holidays

Late Saturday afternoon, two of my girlfriends stood by on spider duty while I opened the outside storage door and entered the world of the unknown to retrieve 2 of my storage bins full of my Christmas décor. Much to my surprise and delight, we didn’t spot a single living creature…no spiders, no bugs, etc. There were a couple of weds to wipe off the outside surface of the bins, but all seemed well. And the large spider that has been tormenting me for months by popping up every now and then between the glass and the screen doors—well, she was a no-show. (Sigh!)

We dragged the bins indoors, and my friends left me then to my own decorating mayhem. I quickly assembled my new pre-lit Christmas tree and was rather excited by the new look. How fun! I was really looking forward to decorating a tree again. I didn’t put up a Christmas tree last year since I had tossed out my old tree the year before. .

I opened up the first bin to pull out my ornaments and was greeted with a big surprise. [OK, before everyone starts to panic and before my fellow arachnophobia sufferers feel the need to send me flowers, let me just say that there were no spiders to scream about.] However, what I found was not a good surprise. Everything inside the box was covered with mold. I saw white fluffy mold on the soft stuff—the Christmas pillow, the soft ornaments, etc.; and then a brown mold had settled on all the metal, the boxes, the other ornaments, etc. I quickly resealed the plastic bin and stepped away from it. I thought for a moment and then calmly wrapped a scarf around my neck and covered my mouth and nose, put on my yellow rubber cleaning gloves and marched outside with my green plastic bin. I’m sure to the casual observed I looked quite the sight as I dealt with my own form of bioterrorism in my home.

I carried the bin over to the dumpster and starting sorting through the contents. There was very little I could save or felt comfortable in keeping. Into the dumpster went the Christmas pillow, the Christmas balls and tinsel, the Christmas snow globe that I cherished, the porcelain santa bag, the Christmas baskets and tins and the Christmas ornaments from my childhood (the corncob girl, the brass ornaments with my name on them). I also threw the plastic bin away as well. I don’t know the rules on molds, but I just know that you have to be really careful with stuff like that, and I wasn’t going to risk it all for a $7 plastic bin.

Out of the whole big 30 gallon bin, I think I saved 3 glass votive holders, which were immediately brought straight into the house and put through a dishwasher cycle. All in all, it was rather sad.

I went through the 2nd bin and was pleased to find no traces of mold at all, and so I still had a few decorative pieces from Christmas past. I was disheartened at first until I realized what this really meant…this was my chance to start over on my Christmas decorations. A chance for me to select the colors, the styles and the designs I most liked for my Christmas tree. No more a hodge-podge, cluttered mix of ornaments! I could make this tree out the way I wanted to.

So on Sunday, I went shopping, and a few hours later, I returned home with an empty wallet, and lots of red, green, white and silver ornaments in tow. My tree is up and nearly complete. I have a few finishing touches to wrap up, but I like my new tree so far. Part of me misses the homier feel of my old tree complete with the sentimental ornaments of my past, but I also am enjoying the classier elegance of this new era, too. I love decorating for the holidays, don't you?

Today, I’d Like to Thank my Mom…

...for introducing her daughters to classical music. I did some radio surfing this morning and nearly teared up at hearing a favorite piece, Pachabel’s Cannon in G. WOW! Pieces like that move me. They stir my soul. There is beauty there...a real beauty.

We grew up in a house where music was appreciated. Of course, it had to be the RIGHT KIND of music. No Elvis or Beatles! No Madonna or Prince in our home! But Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, and Beethoven among others were the popular choices instead. My sister and I would blare the classical pieces on Friday nights as we did our household chores. [WAIT! Is it possible to "blare" classical music?] We’d twirl like ballerinas on the living room carpet, or we’d glide like ice skaters across the kitchen floor as we listened to our Grandpa’s old 45 records. My sister would also “play” the pieces on the old floor radiator in our living room.

Eventually, we both took piano lessons. She excelled at it. I didn’t. I would “attempt” to play the piano. I would try. Really, I did. No one could accuse me of not trying. I would spend countless hours practicing my pieces (and torturing my perfect ear and perfect pitch sister) as I struggled with the rhythm and notes of pieces like Moonlight Sonata.

As a teenager, I tired of classical pieces. It wasn’t cool to listen to that kind of music. I wanted to be like everyone else. Secretly, my sister and I together with our friend Lisa spent hours listening to the New Kids on the Block and Richard Marx.

In college, once again I was relatively sheltered from modern music. There were classical art series, operas, plays and Sunday vespers to attend. And the music in the dorms had to be a certain standard, too. So, I introduced my roommates to some of the classics, and together we’d sing along to a Broadway musical or two. Sunday mornings were for The Sound of Music and white glove cleaning was definitely easier with The Fiddler on the Roof.

Two college summers spent at Camp Spearhead in South Carolina and this girl went country. I was hooked on George Strait and Martina McBride as well as the bluegrass stylings of Alison Krauss and Union Station. It was good stuff. I gradually moved on to some soft rock--Elton John, Enya and Sarah McGlachlan just to name a few.

When I moved to Indy, my tastes in music seemed to change again. I hit the rock scene. I started out listening to Madonna. And somewhere along the way, my tastes grew darker. Nickelback, Evanescence and Blue October are current favorites.

Today, I still enjoy Gavin DeGraw and James Blunt while driving in my car. On other days, nothing makes me smile like a good country song. While cleaning or organizing in my apartment, I usually need a good Broadway musical playing or Sarah Brightman singing in my head. And yet, I thrill at the excitement I experience when I attend a classical concert or I still get tingles when I hear Pachabel on the radio on the way to work.

I may marvel at the lyrics of a Train song or be struck at the honesty of Cold Play, but I love the beauty and harmony of a classical piece. I may appreciate lots of other music, but nothing gets to my core like the classical stylings of Beethoven or the stirring renditions of a Mozart violin concerto. It’s truly wonderful stuff!

Thanks, Mom! I may not have always appreciated it like I do now, but today finds me grateful...

Next month will be 2-year blog anniversary.

I realized this because my sister Nuwanda mentioned that her blog was turning 2, and it reminded me that my anniversary would soon follow afterwards. I've been re-reading some of my blogs and laughing and tearing up at the same time.

Funny how, I'm different now but yet the same. Like my first blog for example. It's so gut-wrenchingly honest. Just as true today as it was then...but at the same time, I've learned a little bit since then. I'm filling up the empty space. I'm not always successful at psyching myself out, but I try! I'm learning that life isn't always about happy joy moments. Part of me is sad that the optimist in me doesn't make appearances much anymore. She's been replaced with the cynical idealist who sees the world through "cracked rose-colored glasses." That doesn't mean I'm unhappy. I'm just more awake and seeing things as they really are and calling them as they are.

Yes, I can't escape drama. There will always be drama in my life; after all my name is Melanie and melancholy is the name of the game. However, I think with age, I'm learning to embrace the drama. To allow the drama to be around me rather than in me. I'm far from cured, but I'm OK with that. After all if I were perfect, what would people complain about!

Getting My ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ's...

I'm signed up for a sleep study, per my doctor. This all came about because my roommate at a weekend girls' get-away to St. Louis commented one morning that I seemed to have trouble breathing in my sleep. In fact, I'd stop breathing for a minute, and then it was as if I'd suddenly revive and start wheezing and gasping for air and all this when I was apparently sleeping. I mean, I woke up the next morning and didn't know a thing about it. And goodness, since I live alone with my plants (and they'd never mention it since I'm the real conversationalist, and they usually don't talk back), I had no idea that I was struggling for air in my sleep.

So, after discussing it with my doctor yesterday, she seemed to think it quite possible that I have some kind of sleep apnea disorder. Interesting! My family has thought for years that my oldest brother Mike has sleep apnea, but I don't think he's ever been diagnosed. I just know that when we are all sleeping in the same house, it's rather noticeable when Mike stops breathing. The whole household anxiously waits for him to take a breath. It's rather scary.

On November 30th at 10:15 PM, I will be checking myself into a local hospital for the night. I'll be hooked up to various electrodes and stuff to measure my activity. I'm basically picturing Frankenstein's monster here...you know with cables going everywhere and this leather strap tying me down to a table. HA! I'm supposed to just fall asleep with all this stuff on? We'll see.

Seriously, my real anxiety is that I won't be able to fall asleep at all. My Doctor assured me that every one of her patients have gone to sleep during the study, but leave it to me, I'll be the freak! HA!

Mel-icious UP Recap Part 3

Wednesday, September 13: That morning, I caught a funny shot of my Mom blow drying her damp hair while reading her Bible. She’s very economical with her time. This was also the day that my Mom and I finished the puzzle we had started on Saturday.

It was another overcast day, although the rain mostly threatened rather than soaking us as we made our touring stops. That morning, we went to Whitefish Point Lighthouse and walked through the lighthouse keeper’s home and other buildings. We visited the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum with the infamous Edmund Fitzgerald memorial. [My Mom referred to it as the “sinking of the Ella Fitzgerald” once in conversation, and we’ve never let her forget it!]

That afternoon, we drove along the Lake Superior scenic shore and stopped at several beaches for some photos. I did wade in just up to my ankles. It was rather chilly, but you have to wade in the water at least once when you visit. We visited Point Iroquois Lighthouse. The lighthouse itself doesn’t have all that much for tourists to see, but the shoreline there is just beautiful. We continued on our drive along the coast all the way to Sault Ste. Marie. There we hit a Wal-mart so that I could burn CDs of my over 300 digital shots so far. AHEM! Yes, I realize that it sounds a bit obsessive. But my memory cards were full, and the week was only half over!

And then we went to see the Soo Locks. This was probably my most memorable visit to the Soo. Normally, I tolerate a stop there for my Dad’s sake because I don’t find it all that thrilling. Big boats going through small gates! Whoopety-doo! But for some reason on this visit, I finally grasped the engineering genius at work and found it fascinating this time as we watched a Canadian freighter make its way through the locks. Guess, you are never too old to learn new things and gain a new appreciation of something.

Thursday, September 14: We drove to Munising and visited several out-of-the-way waterfalls. My Mom navigated as my Dad drove us into new territory. It was rather adventurous. We opted not to visit one falls because of the large mud puddle covering nearly the entire breadth of the one-lane road. My Dad had me get out and step into the puddle to see how deep it was. RIGHT! I’m going to risk new white tennis shoes. I don’t think so. HA! I barely touched the water and decided against putting my foot in any farther. YUCK! So, we decided that the Laughing Whitefish Falls was not worth the risk of getting our vehicle stuck out in the middle of nowhere. HA!

After visiting several of the waterfalls, we went down by the shore and got our tickets for the evening Pictured Rocks Cruise. I have always wanted to take the cruise, but I had no idea how wonderful it was going to be. It was well worth the $30 cost. I loved the 2 ½ hour adventure out on the water. We had seats inside the boat alongside massive windows, but I kept running to the back of the boat on the outside deck to take photos. I spent the majority of the evening on the back of the boat with the other photographers. It became a joke between my parents and I that the other photographers seemed to follow my lead. When I would head to the back of the ship, they would soon join me. Couldn’t they tell that they were following a complete amateur! HA! But I sure was a photo-freak. I took over 200 shots on that one cruise, but believe me, it was magnificent. I loved the spectacular views of the shoreline, the white sandstone cliffs, the crisp green and blue water, etc. It was highly enjoyable.

Truth is that I enjoyed the boat ride almost near as much as the photographic journey itself. I love being on boats like that. And since I was hanging out on the back of the boat for most of the ride, I had a lot of time breathing in the freshwater air and enjoying the gentle spray of the water, too. It was incredible. I think I was meant to be on the water or something. I’m meant for a life of leisure—you know weekends in Michigan with my Howard out on our small yacht. [You getting this, Howard?] I was joined by a crowd of people on the back of the boat toward the end of the ride while one of the captains tossed bread to the seagulls hovering over head. It was rather fascinating watching those birds dive for a morsel of bread.

And then there was the assistant captain himself, CJ—I think his name was, he was near me at the back of the ride, and I almost think he was flirting with me. At first I ignored him because I assumed that his underhand comments were meant for someone else, but then I realized that he WAS TALKING to me! On the drive back to Paradise that evening, I found out that Mom and Dad had spent the first part of the cruise chatting with CJ. I guess he was extra talkative, and knowing my friendly parents and the fact that they tend to tell perfect strangers things, the guy got my shoe size and my home address, too. HA!

Friday, September 15: This was our lazy, relaxing day. We spent that morning just enjoying the day and free time at the cabin. That afternoon, we drove back along the Curly Lewis Scenic Highway, which is this windy road that runs along Lake Superior. We stopped at several beaches and waded in or skipped rocks along the shore. It was a deliciously pleasant day!

Saturday, September 16: We got an early start that morning toward home. We stopped at a park across from the Mackinac Bridge and took some final photos before heading back across the Lower Peninsula. We got back into Croswell early that afternoon, and then Aunt Peggy and I drove back to Indiana. I was back in my apartment in Indy before midnight that night. AHHHH!!! Nice to be back home in my own bed.

Mel-icious UP Recap Part 2

Monday, September 11: We took the Shepler’s Ferry to Mackinac Island. It’s a fascinating place to visit again and again. There are no motor vehicles allowed on the island, and so you have to walk, ride a bike or rent a carriage to get anywhere. We opted to rent bikes first and ride around the 8-mile island (another tradition). It was a fun but tiring adventure. It had been years since I had ridden a bike period. No crashes to report, but we all had TBS or Tired Butt Syndrome (as my Dad calls it). You ride alongside the water almost the entire ride, and it is incredibly beautiful.

Once we finished our ride, we had a picnic lunch and then Mom and I went to Fort Mackinac while Dad opted to check out the shops. It’s a long walk up the hill to the fort especially after an 8-mile bike ride. I had never been inside the fort before, and it was rather fascinating to walk through. Lots of old historic buildings to tour, guides demonstrating guns and cannons, spectacular views from the hilltop of the Mackinac scenes below, etc. It was well worth the cost.

Afterwards, we visited a few shops and of course, made our traditional purchases of ice cream and fudge. After all, you can’t visit Mackinac Island without getting some delicious fudge. There are at least a dozen fudge shops along the strip along with oodles of tourist shops.

Tuesday, September 12: It rained most of the day, but that wasn’t going to keep us from our schedule. We spent a great portion of the day driving anyway, and this day was also full of first-time visits to new sites. We drove to the Fayette Historic Townsite and toured it for FREE with our umbrellas armed and ready. Fayette was once home to a bustling iron ore industry in the 1870-1890’s. It’s a ghost town now—complete with abandoned buildings, remnants of production, etc. The splendid thing about Fayette was the view. The town was built along the Bay de Noc, and the lovely water is on all sides of the town. On one side, the incredible Dolomite Cliffs reminded me of what I picture the Cliffs of Dover in England to be like. [Sigh!] They are probably nothing alike, but it tingled my imagination anyway…

Our 2nd stop of the day was to Kitch-Iti-Kipi or “The Big Spring.” This was another free place to visit! It was this fantastic out-of-the-way spring with transparent green water filled and large fish everywhere. You maneuver this small boat across the water on cables, and along the way, you can see through the bottom of the boat and glimpse the large fish in the 45 foot bubbling spring beneath you. We encountered a strange looking bird on the shoreline, too. He just sat there, pooping in the water. It was bit odd, but we just couldn’t look away. It was one of those odd moments, where you catch yourself just staring!

My Mom spent the whole rest of the week trying to say the name of the spring correctly. It is properly said as “Kitchety-kippi,” but she comically didn’t say it that way! My Dad and I correcter her at first, but eventually we gave up and tried to stop grimacing each time she told yet another “perfect stranger” about our visits to “Kipi-Ippi” or something like that. I love my Mom! Never a dull moment with her…

Our 3rd stop on our driving tour was the Seul Choix Lighthouse near Gulliver. The Seul Choix Lighthouse (pronounced “Sis-schwa” meaning “only choice”) was already partially closed up when we arrived for our tour, but my Mom boldly approached the buildings and found one unlocked door and proceeded to get our group in for a quick FREE tour.

After finishing up our FREE adventures for the day, we headed to Manistique for dinner at the Wolf Den. This was one of several places we stopped that took “cash or check only.” This place was also a hotel, and I found it odd that they didn’t take credit cards at all. Hmmmm…

On the way back to our cabin, we stopped at the Manistique Harbor so that I could take pictures of the lighthouse and walk the boardwalk. It was another beautiful coastline.

Mel-icious UP Recap Part 1

I returned back home from the Upper Peninsula on Saturday the 16th, and so here we are NEARLY a month later, and I am finally giving a recap. It was quite a fun vacation! Here’s my Mel-icious recap…you know me, I have to give details!

Friday, September 8: My Aunt Peggy and I drove up to my parents’ home in Croswell. My Dad and I packed the car so we could get an early start the next morning.

Saturday, September 9: We left Croswell earlier than planned. Of course, we almost lost all the time we gained on our early start because we had to return back to the house to get my Mom’s purse. How does a woman forget her purse? I don’t get THAT! HA!

We arrived in Paradise, Michigan and found our rental cabin to be a bit under par. OK, the truth is that we pulled into the drive way, and I thought our cabin was the garage of the cabin next door. Not a good start to our relaxing week in the woods! HA! The cabin next door looked better, and I took photos of it just to say that it was the cabin we were “supposed to have” rather than what we got.

First of all, it was small. Really small! The kitchen, dining room and living room were all one room. There were 2 bedrooms as promised, and so that was a plus, but everything was really dusty and musty! It was obvious that there hadn’t been any one in there for a LONG time. We later found out from the rental lady that this cabin had only been rented one other time the whole summer. I KNOW WHY. I think she was doing the owner a favor by putting us in there. When we called to inquire about available cabins, I think she thought we sounded like suckers…HA!

Secondly, there was no hot water. We eventually got hot water late that night even though my Dad and I were praying that it wouldn’t get hot so that as promised the rental manager would move us to another cabin. But alas the water got hot, and so we stayed in the same cabin for the whole week. We also had to buy and change the fuse in the fuse box because the hot water kept going out. It was weird.

Thirdly, it was marketed as a “cottage with a small beach area.” AHEM! Believe me, it was an extremely small beach are, almost non-existent and the dock out to the water that was also advertised was rotten. Literally, my Dad stepped through the wood when he walked out on it. Plus, the end of the dock had collapsed and was leaning against the other part of the dock. It was sad. So, it was kind of difficult to get down to the water…you had to risk life and limb, if you will. HA! There were good things about the cabin, I guess, and eventually we got used to the quirks and odd set-up, and it became our “home” for 7 days!

Sunday, September 10: We visited the small Paradise Baptist church, where we (along with 7 other visitors) put the attendance up to 30. Population in the UP is sparse. There are bigger cities like St. Ignace, Sault Ste. Marie, Iron Mountain, etc. but mostly the UP is full of tiny little burgs that dot the peninsula, and Paradise is one of them. The people are friendly and kind, but they are definitely used to a different lifestyle.

After lunch, we drove to Tahquamenon Falls. It’s a family tradition to always visit the falls, and they were lovely as always. The tannic acid in the water keeps it the color of ice tea or root beer, and it foams just like root beer does when you pour it. It’s rather spectacular to see.

I'm back!!! What a fun trip!

You know you are in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan when…

1. You can’t find a restaurant that takes debit or credit cards. “Cash or checks only!” Who writes a check for a burger and fries?

2. People talk about last year as a good winter because they only had 250 inches of snow. They had 360 the year before last, you know.

3. You can’t go anywhere without spotting signs for snowmobile trails.

4. The local IGA is the size of your parent’s garage, and they sell boat oars and life jackets right next to the bread and milk. You have to drive about 100 miles or more to get to a Wal-mart.

5. Half of the hotels are closed after Labor Day.

6. You run into limestone gravel roads. Actually you run into lots of dirt and gravel roads period.

7. You see signs for “homemade pasties” everywhere.

8. Everyone has a wood pile “out back” of their house.

9. Beachfront property is not just for the rich.

10. All you can see is either water or trees. It’s nature’s wonderland!

The Fifth of November...

remember, remember, the 5th of November
the gun powder treason and plot.
I know of no reason why the gun powder treason
should ever be forgot.

I finally saw V for Vendetta a couple of weeks ago, and this ditty from the movie has been churning through my brain ever since. I thought perhaps this cleansing ritual—blogging about it—might help clear it from my head.

It was a really good movie. I hadn’t read about, hadn’t heard of the characters, didn’t know the whole Guy Fawkes story, etc. I was in the dark basically…completely oblivious. But when I saw the preview (on another DVD), it looked like a DARK picture. My kind of thing! So, I opted to check it out and really liked it. It's the type of movie that still had me thinking about it the next day.

Now, I’m not so much into the overthrow of governments, really. In fact, I’m not all that political at all. [Forget that I have a poli sci minor, please! Pretend it’s not so…] Something snapped inside my head a couple of years ago, and I just lost interest. But there is something about V that pulls you in and makes you wish you had something to believe in that strongly about.

I liked the characters, the style of the film, the British humor, the twists, etc. Good stuff! Natalie Portman isn’t my favorite actress, but she does fairly well in this film. Her feigned British accent is a bit much, and sometimes I detected other accents in there. It took me forever to discover how and why I knew the voice of her co-star V. Once I saw his name in the credits, I was still in the dark. But once I saw him in one of the “behind the scenes” DVD extras, I was kicking myself… DUH!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Ready to go U.P.

Only 16 days to go before I head on my vacation! I am so ecstatically excited! WOOHOO!! Although, I don’t know who’s brilliant idea it was to schedule my vacation time for the end of summer...I’ve waited in agony since May for September to get here. HA! It’s going to be one crazy busy month though, but I think I’m ready for it.

On Friday, September 8th, my Aunt Peggy and I are riding up to my parents’ home in Croswell, Michigan together. It will be fun to catch up with her. She’s a joy to be around and a lot like my Mom, her sister. Then the next day, my parents and I leave for the U.P., and my Aunt will be staying with my Grandma while we are away for the week. [Thank you, Aunt Peggy, for volunteering to do just that! I hope you and Grandma have fun together!]

I’m thrilled to see the Great Lakes again up close and in person. I’m not a beach bunny by far. I like to swim, but not so much in such cold water, plus Lake Huron where I grew up is rather rocky. You do get used to the rocks after a while, but they are initially harsh on your feet at first. But in the U.P. near where we will be staying in Paradise (ah yes, literally in Paradise, Michigan), Lake Superior is beautiful and sandy. There are miles of remote beaches with very few people, and while I doubt either my parents or myself will be jumping in and swimming, it will be wonderful to just wade in and walk along the water. I can’t wait. There is something tranquil and harmonious about being near water for days on end. (SIGH! I’m at peace even now just pondering it...)

My parents were in charge of finding our accommodations and planning the meals, and I was in charge of coming up with the itinerary. But just last week I determined that we couldn’t possibly do the whole U.P. in a week while renting the same cabin for a week. I never realized how immensely large the U.P. is. It is around 300 miles from the Eastern tip to the Western tip, which is about the same distance from my parents’ house to the Mackinac Bridge in total, and so we have scaled back our plans to the Eastern and more Central areas of the U.P. We’ll have to see the Western side another summer.

We’ll be spending a day on Mackinac Island, visiting several waterfalls including a family favorite (Tahquamenon Falls—the ice tea colored waterfalls), discovering some lighthouses we haven’t toured before (my Mom loves lighthouses), taking the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore cruise (which I am giddy about!), etc. We’ll also just be taking drives along the coast, another favorite adventure I enjoy. There are just miles of water to drive along--simply beautiful. The photo journalist in me is armed and ready!!

I’ve been looking forward to this week for months now. Just me and my parents traveling the U.P. together--it will be fun! Lots of bonding...

Howard, Where are you?

My friend, Jessica, emailed today to tell me that her new friend, Jim, was at the July 4th Singles Picnic that I went to. And so, I've been racking my brain trying to figure out if can figure out who he was. That was a busy picnic after all. There were mostly new faces there, and so in my hostess role, I was a bit of a social butterfly--going from table or group to group introducing myself and saying hi. I met so many new people that I couldn't keep them straight, but it was fun, and I like that kind of stuff. I now think I know who Jim is, and he did seem like a nice guy. He certainly seems to be into Jessica. He has called her every night this week so far...just to chat, make plans for their Friday night date, etc. He seems really into her, and I'm glad. I'm living vicariously through her...

So, I've been thinking more about Howard lately. Does anyone know any single guys named Howard? It sure would be funny to meet one. [Hint, hint! I am now taking referrals...]

Anyway, I was pondering the thought today that even if I met Howard this week and we started dating, we'd still have those 3 months or so of awkward getting-to-know-you dating. Then would come those 6 months to a year of actual steady dating (or longer depending on how things go before you really got serious), and then there would be the serious phase and an engagement, and then the wedding planning... See, I don't like to think about that. Because even if this all starts tomorrow, it’s gonna take forever. It's still a wonder to me that people still hook up at all! It sounds like an exhausting couple of years to me.

I guess it is especially frustrating when you are ready--you've been ready, and you're simply tired of waiting for something else to happen. The truth is that you see time slip away, and you’d just like to know if it will ever happen for you. If it won’t, you’d like to know. You’d like to kick hope to the curb and move on. But until then, you can’t help it. Hope resurfaces from time to time, and you find yourself dreaming of more. No one could accuse you of holding back just because you are single! You're out living your life, enjoying it—traveling, meeting people, staying busy, pursuing hobbies and other interests, etc. But you do want more. You’re happy with your present circumstances, but you have that desire to love and be loved by another! You can’t escape it.

You’ve tried the hermit lifestyle in years past, but you find that deep inside you are a people person. So you continue to immerse yourself in society. You pray and wait, and you discover the obvious once again—you are a one-person unit living in a couples or family-pack sized world! Everything around you reminds you that you are unattached--TV commercials, sitting in church, grocery shopping, eating dinner out with friends, reading books, watching movies, letters from friends, etc. You’re reminded regularly that you are single.

And remember that relationship process I mentioned earlier? Well, I'm task-oriented. I’m driven to follow a process and get things done. And this is one project I want to have started already, but I can’t get one date once in a while--let alone a regular every week occurrence with the same guy! I want to be on the journey and headed on my merry way...but I can't even get on the boat and there isn't a boat in sight. I'm waiting on the dock, binoculars in hand as I scan the horizon for signs of a boat, and there is nothing. NADA! No freighters, no cruise boats, no speedboats, no paddleboats or canoes. Not even a kayak in sight! [Not sure where the boat analogy came into this, but it did!]

Let me put it this way...you know how they say you have to date a lot of frogs to find your prince? Well, what if you aren’t meeting the frogs either? What if you seem to have gotten thrown in the wrong pond? What then? Do you migrate to another pond? Hmmmm...

Howard, I think you’re in the wrong pond! Can you hop over to mine soon? PLEASE??

Still Hoping for Howard!

My friend Jessica, one of my close girlfriends, got a phone call recently from another friend, Jeff. He was calling to tell her about a guy that he met at a singles gathering on the South side of the city.

Jeff and this guy--we’ll call him Jim...because that’s his name--started a conversation about their churches, the single life, etc. When Jeff specifically mentioned the name of his church, Jim asked Jeff if he knew my friend Jessica. Of course, Jeff, who was active in the same singles Bible study that Jessica and I attended for a few years, knew Jessica personally and told Jim that. Jim’s interest was piqued, and he asked more about her.

As the story goes, Jim had sat next to Jessica at a Christian concert 2 years ago, and he remembered her name and their encounter. Jim and Jessica had a conversation or two while at this concert, and apparently Jessica had made quite a favorable impression. So much so that 2 years later, this guy still remembered her by name and asked about her!

Curiously, shy Jeff, who rarely initiates a conversation with a woman, decided to play a bit of a matchmaker role and offered to introduce Jim and Jessica at his Sunday school class the next week. Jim thought that was a good idea. So, Jeff called Jessica and told her about the arrangement. Jessica was very intrigued. She vaguely remembered meeting a nice guy at a concert, but she couldn’t remember much more than that. However, she agreed to meet Jeff and Jim the next Sunday morning.

That Sunday arrived and Jessica went to the early Sunday AM class, but there was no sign of Jeff or Jim that morning. She was a bit disappointed, but she laughed it off and decided to go to the class again the next Sunday. After all, maybe Jim had to cancel at the last minute or something. The next week she went to the class again, but like the week before, there was no sign of Jeff or Jim that week either. Jessica tried to determine how to get a hold of Jeff, but none of us had his phone number. Eventually she joked that she must have dreamed it all up or gotten the details mixed up somehow. She had actually been home sick that day when she had taken that call from Jeff, and so she started imagining that she’d misunderstood or something.

Then she got a 2nd call from Jeff. Turns out that Jeff had been sick that first Sunday morning, and so he had to cancel on his plans with Jim. However, Jim had gone on to the class with a friend that first morning, but somehow, he didn’t spot Jessica, and she didn't spot him either. So there in a crowded room, they both were looking for the other, but their paths didn’t cross that morning.

After talking with Jessica, Jeff passed along her contact information to Jim, and Jim and Jessica arranged to meet up at the State Fair this past Sunday night at another Christian concert. Kristen and Jessica had planned to go the State Fair that evening anyway, and so they went and met up with Jim, and apparently it was a memorable evening. They talked and laughed and had a good time.

At the end of the evening, Jim asked Jessica if he could call her later in the week, she said that he could. He told her that he had to work late on Monday evening, and so he’d probably call her later in the week. Well, ever a surprise, Jim called her on Monday evening after all, and they have made arrangements for a 2nd date for this Friday evening.

I can’t tell you how excited and delighted I am for my friend Jessica. Two years ago, she had a conversation with a man at a concert, and somehow she made such an impression on him, that after 2 years he had not forgotten her, and when a chance encounter provided him with an opportunity to ask about Jessica, he took it.

Truth is that I really don’t believe in chance or accidents. I believe in design! Now, of course, I don’t really know how things will turn out here for Jessica and Jim. Only GOD knows! But I can honestly say that Jessica’s delightful story has given me hope. Hope that my Howard** still might be out there—unattached and free! I think it’s the romantic in me that despite my lack of personal experience with love, I still believe in it. I still seek it and want to give it!

Howard, if you are reading this, I don’t mean to rush you, but I’m ready when you are!


**For those of you who don’t already know, Howard is the only man in my life right now. He came into my life in my junior year of college (1994-95) and has been here ever since. He’s the ideal man! OK, so he’s an imaginary guy that my roommates and I created that year, but he’s very devoted and faithful to me. Plus, he never talks back and I never have to clean up after him. How beautiful is that!!

Long time, no post...

I survived the meds...the steroids and all! I wasn't sure I was going to make it, but I did. And I'd have to say that I am pretty much back to normal (NORMAL for me, of course, is probably not the way others would define the word, but basically this means that I'm past the insane, everyone-is-an-idiot stage). AHEM! The hot flashes are few and far between now as well. I had a couple of episodes this past weekend that started me thinking that maybe just maybe I was hitting menopause early, but really, I'm thinking that it's just the final side effects of the drugs wearing off. I hope that is all it is... HA!

It has been a couple of hugely busy weeks here at the office. It wasn't so nice when I was medicated because I couldn't seem to keep my head above water, but right now, I am enjoying the busy pace. It's so nice to have lots to do and to feel like I am really contributing. It's all good!

Tackling the world?!?! Part Deux

I’m taking just a few minutes for a mental health break and to vent. This week has just been horrible! UGH!! I am so looking forward to 4:30 PM. I feel like my nerves are frazzled, and that I’d just like to go home and get under the covers and stay there for a few days. I know by body is all out of wack because of the steroids, and the fact that I am on my cycle this week is not adding to my delightful personality this week. (HA!) I’m just hoping there are better days around the corner. [This is day 6 of 14! HELP!]

The weather here in Indiana isn’t helping either. My asthma (or whatever you call my breathing issue) is flaring back up, and I think it’s just the pressure and humidity in the air or something. I just can’t catch a good breath right now, and it doesn’t help that I’m strung out on meds and already a bit jittery. I’ve had several moments of panic. I try not to think about it, but it’s kinda hard to ignore when something inside your body is triggering a message to your brain that you aren’t getting enough air. [GULP!!]

At work, this is one of those weeks where everyone wants stuff RIGHT THIS MINUTE, or they make every project sound like an emergency, and the truth is that it’s not. It never is, and that’s annoying! Normally, I can swallow it without too much of a fuss, but there is just something about this week. I feel deeply cantankerous. I’ve caught myself biting my lips A LOT more than usual this week instead of speaking what instantly pops into my head.

But hey, I haven’t lost my sense of humor. Thanks goodness for laugher! Believe me, I’m laughing just to keep my head above water. It helps. My co-workers have been very supportive—making me laugh at my drama, asking me daily if I still feel like I work with a bunch of idiots [just for the record, I never said I worked with a bunch of idiots…I just told them what my dr. told me about his experience on steroids], taking me to lunch and cheering me up, etc. I have a lot to be thankful for. I’ve got blessings all around me. It’s just sometimes hard to see them when you are passed out on the floor… AHEM!

Hope everyone has a great weekend! I’m scheduling one in beginning right now!

Tackling the world?!?!

Remember that sinus infection I got after my oral surgery back in mid- April? Well, I still have the same symptoms. My surgeon finally gave me a referral and I had my first visit with a specialist last week. Thus I’m on steroids for 2 weeks. I’m on day 4. 10 more to go! WOOHOO!!

As a warning for me since it has been a couple of years since I had taken drugs like this, my doctor relayed his recent experience with steroids. He was on the 14-day regimen as well, and the entire period was a frustration for him. He was convinced that he was working with an office full of idiots. No one else was doing his or her job correctly, and he started contemplating some major office changes. On Day 10, he came into his office to find a box of tampons in a sweet little gift bag. Apparently, his crankiness had been highly noted by his fellow staff, and they wanted to light-heartedly point it out to him before it was too late!

Well, I told my cohorts here in the office his story, and warned them that my moods and behavior might be a bit off for a few days. I didn’t want to use the pills as an excuse, but Boy, I wasn’t kidding! On Monday (day 2), I was hot all day. I mean I don’t quite know what hot flashes feel like, but I was sure I was having one. I was perspiring here at my desk as I was typing away on my computer. I wasn’t even up and moving around, and yet, my hair was damp with sweat! Nice mental picture, I know! Then yesterday (day 3) was better in the temperature regard (i.e. I wasn’t burning up any more), but I started to feel like nothing was working like it should. It seemed like my laptop and every printer in the building was giving me problems. And today (day 4), none of my software is cooperating, and even the simplest things seem to be taking twice as long to get done. Just minutes ago, I caught myself debating with a colleague. We were both saying the same thing, and I didn’t catch on until the end. We had a good laugh about it, but it has woken me up!

I’m going to try to become aware of the shifts in my mood and take a deep breath before resolving to tackle the world these next two weeks! HA!!

Where has the summer gone?

I can’t believe that it has been nearly a month since I last posted anything. I mean July is nearly over, people!! Ahhhh, but wait, this means that I am getting ever closer to my vacation time. WOOHOO!!

In September, I’m going on a week-long trip with my parents to the Upper Peninsula (or U.P.) in Michigan. I am so excited. We’re renting a cabin in Paradise, Michigan. Don’tcha just love it! I’m going to PARADISE!! OK, so it’s not quite the resort villa you may be imagining. I’ve stayed in a nearby cabin before, and this one sounds the same. It’s a small cabin in the woods on an inland lake, but there is an indoor shower with hot water and an indoor toilet. And believe me, these are luxury items in comparison to camping out in a tent or trailer, and so it’s a huge deal to me! Of course, this doesn’t mean that I won’t still have my share of run-ins with nature despite my best efforts to rid the world of spiders, but c’est la vie. I’m cursed with Spidar—my coined phrase for the ability to spot a spider rather quickly upon entry in a room, on a hike, on my car, etc. It’s just my every day reality. I've lived with this gift, if you will, for years!

However, my true delight about this trip is to have this time with my parents on my own. It’s just going to be the 3 of us exploring. We’re going to be visiting some of my childhood haunts—places like Baraga, Lake of the Clouds, the Porcupine Mountains, etc. I can’t wait to re-visit these places as an adult now and maybe get one of those cinnamon rolls as big as a plate! [Barbara: You know what I’m talking about!] There will also be trips to some of my family’s favorite spots that we ALWAYS hit on a trip to the U.P.—Tahquamenon Falls, the Soo Locks, Whitefish Point, Mackinac Island, etc. These things just don’t grow old. There is always something new to see!

On this trip, we will also be going to visit new sites as well—places I haven’t been to before. My Mom and I love lighthouses, and so we’re going to look up some new ones; and my Dad has a book on Michigan waterfalls, and so we’re going discover more of those, too. I am equally excited about the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore cruise that we are going to take. My parents have gone out on this boat cruise before, but I haven’t been before.

Yes, I just can’t wait to be up there in the U.P. –ever-armed with my camera and ready to see the world. OK, so the U.P. isn’t quite “the world,” but it is a special place to me. I’ve still got time to see the rest of the globe…think baby steps here!

Well, I should probably start packing…only 45 days to go! WOOHOO!!

Melanie, the Wedding Photographer??

Well, it’s over. I have now completed my 2nd wedding photography stint. I survived!

The first wedding (2 years ago), I enjoyed the experience but really struggled due to the poor lighting conditions at the church. I had never realized how very dark most churches are. And I don’t have the extra lighting equipment--such as the flash umbrella, etc.--and so some of the pictures needed some serious correcting after the fact, and I didn’t have a lot of experience with making adjustments to my photos. But when it was all said and done, the bride and groom were pleased with the majority of the shots, and over all I was happy the way things turned out.

This 2nd wedding (held last Saturday) went pretty well. There were hiccups to get through along the way--like not getting to take ANY shots before the wedding due to the wedding party’s late arrival at the location, the wedding starting 30 minutes late, etc. But I had my good friend Becky along to assist me, and she helped keep me sane! [Thank you, Becky!]

I took over 400 wedding photos, and there are some really great shots in the mix. I still have some correcting to do on some of the photos, but it was a good experience altogether. It was nice shooting an outdoor wedding for a change and thankfully the weather cooperated all day. It was lovely.

All in all, I enjoy taking wedding photos. I just need to get more experience posing people and working with different light conditions. Right now, I’m just into taking the photos. I'm snap-happy and due to nerves or shortness of time, I don't always see the guy walking in the distance of my shot or the hair out of place on the bride or the fact that 2 of my bridesmaids blinked. I'm more concerned with taking the shot and not having a camera malfunction. I’m also not making any manual adjustments due to poor lighting, back-lit scenarios, etc. I don’t know enough about the nitty gritty stuff at all. I feel like I need to know more and take a class or something. I feel uneducated about things like aperture, lighting, etc.

Part of me wonders whether or not I should continue taking on future photography opportunities...I know that I need more experience, more equipment, etc. to do this type of work on a regular basis, but there is another aspect to all of this that makes me wonder, too. Am I making it any less fun by taking photos for a price? I mean once it moves out of the realm of an expensive hobby, will I still love it?? Do I want this to turn into another job?

Guess I've got a lot to ponder for now...

My Curse...

Since I moved to Indianapolis, I have heard great things about the IMA Summer Nights Program, where the IMA hosts Friday movie nights out on their terrace. The gates open promptly at 5:30 PM, and people bring in their picnic baskets and wine, candles and bug spray, blankets and lawn chairs. The movie begins around dusk (between 9:30 and 10:30 daylight savings time), and so you have plenty of time for taking walks, enjoying dinner and making conversation, etc. It sounds like a wonderful, relaxing way to spend the evening, doesn’t it!

However, on 3 consecutive yearly attempts made by yours truly to attend said programs, the skies have opened up and drenched the ground. Twice it rained all day on the scheduled event date, and so there was no chance of the movie happening that night. And then the third time, it started to rain on our pre-movie picnic around 8 PM or so, and when I say rain, I mean it poured and there was lightning and thunder to go along with it. So last year, I opted not to even try to attend. Why doom those happy fellow picnickers that didn’t know about my curse? I graciously decided to stay away.

But this year, last Friday night to be exact, I decided to tempt fate once more. Now from the beginning of our planning for the event, I told my friends that I needed to be tentative on the schedule. I didn’t want to definitely plan on attending, and I was sure that I should NOT be involved with any of the planning. NO WAY! I needed to stay clear and fake out the “rain gods” (as it were) because I didn’t want to jinx yet another event. I promised not to talk about rain relating to the event, and was told NOT to even check the weather for the whole week. But that’s rather hard for me to do, you know!! I might not watch the news or be all that informed about current events these days, but I do tend to check the weather. So on Thursday, I broke down and decided to check weather.com and I found much to my surprise that Friday was scheduled to be a lovely sunny day—no rain in sight.

On Friday morning I optimistically got things all packed up and ready to go and headed off to work for the day. Around mid-morning, one of my co-workers mentioned that she was sorry to hear that it was going to rain that evening. I gulped in shock and jumped right back on weather.com again. Sure enough, there was a 10-30% chance of rain for that evening. I called Sara (the lead planner for our group) in a panic. I mean, it clearly seemed that the curse was back in full force. But Sara calmed me down and told me not to worry about it yet. We’d go forward and make rain plans if we needed to.

Well, all day the rain held, and so with bated breath, I headed to the IMA. We spread out our blankets and settled down for a pleasant summer evening picnic. We shared stories, we laughed, we toasted each other with peach Bellinis (champagne and peach Schnapps), and we played a trivia game and just relaxed in the sun. I tried not to keep an eye on the sky, but I couldn’t help it, yet still the rain held off. 6 PM, 7 PM, 8 PM, 9 PM. No rain!

After 9:30 PM, The Wedding Planner with Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McConaughey started, and we all settled down and got comfy. What a perfect evening!!

5 minutes into the film...DRIP!! I look up. I can make out some clouds overhead, but they don’t look ominous. Maybe it’s all in my head. Just a fluke!

5 minutes 30 seconds in...DRIP! DROP!! Come on. This can’t be happening!

6 minutes in...DRIP! DROP! DRIP! DROP!! What are the chances here! I shouldn’t have come! I look around, and I can see that my friends and fellow picnickers are putting up their hoods on their sweatshirts and jackets or snuggling deeper into their blankets. My friends refuse to make eye contact with me, as they try to focus on the movie. This is really happening. I’m cursed, and they know it. I’m Jonah here, and they need to throw me overboard.

7 minutes in...nothing! The sprinkles stop. I look around me. Couples are snuggling and admiring one another. Children are in their Mom’s arms or on Dad’s knees. My friends are intently watching the movie--laughing at the hilarious antics, smiling at the wry comments and enjoying the flick! My friend Sara catches my eye and gives me a knowing smile. All is right with the world, Mel! Maybe you aren’t cursed after all…

It didn’t rain after that at all. We all watched the movie in relative calm. A couple of times I glanced up at the sky above us and smiled. It was a wonderful, successful evening, and I’m game to try again. But I think I will let others plan it the next time as well. It’s best not to be TOO risky, you know...

Getting to Know Indiana

This past weekend, Sara, Mark, Kristen and I went on a fun road-trip to Bloomington and Nashville, IN. Our first stop was at the Oliver Winery outside of Bloomington. We had a picnic lunch and then enjoyed an outdoor wine tasting. This was my third official wine tasting there, but thus far, I hadn’t had much luck at finding a wine I liked. See, I actually don’t enjoy the taste of alcohol, and so I cringe as I swallow until we hit the sweet wines, and even then, I’ve just not found one that I really enjoy the taste of. Guess I’ve lived for too many years on sweet things like Mountain Dew, Cherry Coke, etc. and so the bitter alcohol taste is not as appealing.

However, my luck with wines seems to have changed. This weekend I discovered a wine that I liked: Muscat Canelli. It’s got champagnesque bubbles in it, and it’s very sweet and light and not nearly as bitter as champagne. I liked it so much that I bought my first official bottle of wine. Yes, it’s shocking, I know. I’ve gotten wine from friends and as gifts before, but I’ve never actually purchased it on my own before. Now I realize to some that this sets me firmly on the path to a future AA membership, but I personally don’t see any harm in responsible alcohol consumption. I don’t drink to get drunk, but a glass of wine over dinner or dessert is more my style!

Our 2nd stop was Indiana University Bloomington, and this time I was visiting the campus with a specific mission in mind—to scout out good photo ops for an upcoming wedding. I am going to be photographing my 2nd official wedding job this month, and I definitely wanted to visit the location and get a feel for what I had to work with ahead of time. The wedding will be outdoors at Dunn Meadows, which is on the IUBL campus. There are trees, stairs, and some cute little bridges for poses nearby the actual wedding site, and so I think it will be a great location for posed shots as well. I definitely feel more prepared after this visit.

Our final stop of the day was a visit to Nashville, IN. This cozy town in Brown County was first settled in 1809 and later became an artist colony. Today it is similar to a miniature Gatlinburg with quaint shops and museums. This is not really the height of the busy season at all since Brown County is particularly noted for its beauty in the fall, but there was still plenty to see and do. We walked through a few stores and took the Nashville Express Rail Tour as we enjoyed some tasty ice cream. It was quite a pleasant first visit!

Short Week of Fun!

On Memorial Day, Sara and I headed to Kokomo for a picnic with my sister’s family and their neighbors. It was a fun afternoon spent eating good food, watching the kids play in their small pool, having a water balloon fight with Jacob, etc.

Baby Grace was adorable, as usual. She fell face first into the water twice, and Barbara jumped up to rescue her. She’s quite a little water baby. She loves sitting in the water and splashing, although she doesn’t enjoy big brother’s splashes. I think it scares her a bit! Sara got to spend some time holding Grace as well as cuddling with Kaitlin, the neighbor’s daughter who is about 3 months younger than Grace. It was another enjoyable day!

Yesterday, Kristen and Pollyanna came over to my place for dinner. Yes, I can cook! I made one of my favorite dishes—chicken and cheese enchiladas. YUM! We spent time eating a leisurely dinner and then at Polly’s suggestion we played a game together. We played my game of Scene It that I haven’t played in a while. We had such a good time playing that game together. We laughed, we fought over points, we discovered what happens to Pollyanna after a sugar high, etc. I think sometimes you just need to savor those carefree moments with girlfriends.

Tonight, I am headed out to dinner with some more girlfriends to help Kristen celebrate her birthday! We're going to the Olive Garden, one of my favorites. I'm salivating just thinking about it. And then on Saturday, I'm off to Bloomington with more of the same gang for a day at Oliver Winery, IU Bloomington and then Nashville. There is a lot to look forward to...and so at this point in time I am reminded once again that "We are thankful for that which we've been given..."

Thank you, LORD!

Catching Up with Christa!

Last Saturday, I met up with my dear college friend, Christa. We hadn’t seen each other in nearly 10 years. I was her maid of honor in her wedding in July 1996, and I hadn’t seen her since.

A lot can happen in 10 years, you know! Christa is Mom to 4 beautiful girls. I was struck at how they all reminded me of her in different ways. Hannah, her eldest, is 9 and just starting to take an interest in photography. She’s very warm and loving. Rebekah is 7 and she is quite the athlete. She is very physical and likes to laugh! Kaitlynne is 6 and definitely doesn’t like to pose for pictures. She is a ball of energy and a lot of rambunctious fun! Victoria is 3 and quite the little charmer with precious dimples in her cheeks. She’s a bit shyer than her older sisters, but she eventually warmed up to me.

It was nice to have time to walk and talk with Christa in the park. We caught up and just enjoyed seeing each other again. It was also nice to get reacquainted with her husband, Ben. He’s a great Dad--full of energy and always coming up with games for the kids. Christa and Ben are expecting baby number 5 later this fall, and they have just learned that they are having a BOY. They even had the ultrasound photos to prove it! It’s all very exciting!

We met at Shades State Park, where Christa was meeting up with her sister Joy and her family. It was also nice to meet Joy and Jeff and their 2 boys: Jared and John. Turns out that they don’t live too far away from me—over in Advance, Indiana, and they go to church in Brownsburg, which is really close to me. It’s a small world, I guess.

Despite the high humidity and heat, we went for a short hike in the park. We all got sweaty, and yours truly took a dive in the mud, but it was a really enjoyable day!!

I'm with you, Jane!

I’m re-reading Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. I think it’s my favorite novel ever. Well, it’s on my top 5 list anyway. I just love it! There is something simply fascinating about Jane Eyre and her romance with Mr. Edward Fairfax Rochester. Something alluring that pulls me in every time and makes me revel in each delicious page as if it were my first read! I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again...Jane Eyre has molded my sense of love and has forever changed the way I view relationships. See one of my first posts: Its just the Mystery that Keeps It Going.

While re-reading my favorite again, I am struck anew with how much I crave to find my own second self like Jane did. I love the fact that Jane’s love for Rochester as well as his love for her is deeper than any mere physical attraction or worldly possessions. They both truly love the other--body, soul and spirit. He doesn’t have to be molded like a Greek Adonis or favored with incredible good looks. Sure attraction is needed, but it’s not always obvious at first glance. He doesn’t have to be wealthy as a king or in a high-end career. It would be enough if he were hard-working. He doesn’t have to be flawless or above reproach. An ability to admit faults is highly regarded in my eyes especially accompanied by openness and honesty.

Jane says: "...it is my spirit that addresses your spirit!"

Rochester says to her: "Your mind is my treasure..."

It is truly inspiring and beautiful! (sigh!)

I’m aching to have that type of a relationship with just one other. And while the years keep coming and going, and I sometimes doubt it myself, there is still part of me that believes GOD created a match for me as well, and that my second self is still out there. Maybe it’s a frivolous hope, but it’s one I keep close by tucked in with my other dreams. Those other dreams that have also been given back to HIM and are just waiting to see what HE plans to do with them...

Gala Evening 2

HA! I did all that worrying needlessly. My first ever Gala Evening went by without any issues. I felt welcomed and enjoyed myself. The people in attendance were real people, not the haughty persons I was expecting to encounter.

What a goober am I though? I was expecting to be there at a benefit for one organization when it was really for another. How silly is that!! I had the whole thing wrong.

It’s funny how we worry about the unknown, isn’t it? How we get worked up about the details of this or that when it hasn’t even happened yet! HA! That’s the story of my life!

Thanks for a fun evening, Sara! I had a great time!

Gala Evening

I feel like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman minus the whole sex for money thing; the long, wavy red hair; and the fabulous red dress...OK, the truth is we have nothing in common except for the fact that both characters (myself and her character in the movie) don’t normally get out and hob-nob with the elite in society. Don’t normally get out and hob-nob--HA! Who am I kidding? I never do.

My friend Sara asked me and our friend Jessica to join her at her company’s table at a Gala this weekend. I’m not quite sure what to expect here, but my imagination has definitely gotten out of hand. I’m picturing all these snooty models with their gorgeous escorts who will all be looking down their noses at me through their champagne flutes. They’ll be wearing black cocktail dresses and 6-inch heels as they dangle on the arm of someone rich and famous, while I’ll be sporting something clean from my closet and trying to stand upright in my Target special shoes. They’ll be munching on their one allowed whole grain cracker of the evening while I’ll be holding a plate full of food and wondering where dessert is.

Can’t you just picture it now? This just isn’t me. See, I’m a simple girl. I may love elegance in homes and décor, and be a bit more than enraptured with art, architecture, and photography. I do have a love for beauty and classic design, but I’m not exactly what you would call a refined or distinguished person. I’m just Mel.

1. I still like country music. Over the past 6 years, I have developed a taste for pop, rock and alternative, too. Music from Nickelback and Evanescence has a definite grip on me! But I still think there is a bit of me tied permanently to country. I’ve tried to stop. I really have. I entered a program after my sister expressed her concerns, but there is still something about blue grass and country music that touches me. Alison Kraus, Sara Evans and Reba McEntire can still make me cry, and George Strait can make my spirit soar. It’s all good stuff! (sigh!)

2. I don’t enjoy dressing up. Maybe it was those 22 years of wearing skirts and dresses that took away the charm of it all for me. I wore a skirt to work once in the past 3 years, and everyone wanted to know what the scoop was. Are you trying to impress someone? Do you have a job interview or what? I won’t do THAT again! I’m a business casual girl. I like to be feminine, but delicate I am not. I just don’t do well in dressy clothing. Nothing fits right. I’m short and extra fluffy, and dresses were made for the tall and slim or the dainty and petite.

3. I’m not a lover of small talk or the art of conversation. Oh, I like to talk all right with my friends and family—just ask my sister! I talk plenty. But I’m not all that great at feigning an interest in something just to appease. For example, I’m not all that great with conversations on politics, fashion, sports, the news or cars. I mean, I’d be better off discussing the latest CSI episode, the weather, or funny movie lines. Hmmmm...

Now, I’m not worried abut having a good time this weekend. I always have a good time. I’m just hoping to keep my sarcasm under wraps, to contain my food on my plate rather than on my lap, and to muster up my real smile for the bulk of the evening. I want to be myself. ‘Cause if you aren’t your self, than who are ya?

Inside My Head Part Deux

I read my regular Friday morning email link up to the Singles page on Christianity Today, and it got to me today. Not so much about the whole M-word, although I was so glad that they touched on this all-too-taboo subject. Rather I was stirred with the reminder of turning my heart over to GOD more frequently and looking at it all in a different light. It's so hard to sometimes see outside your own world.

Feel free to check it out:
An Inside-Out Approach to Sexuality and the "M-word"

Inside My Head

I haven’t stopped thinking about Mr. Smell Good. Isn’t that weird? I know nothing about him—other than where he is employed and what he looks like, and yet I still can’t get him out of my head. I’m highly curious about him.

What is he really like?
What makes him laugh?
What does he feel deeply about?
Does he have a personal relationship with GOD?

I’m sure it’s just a temporary thing. It’s an adult crush, and eventually I’ll move past it and won’t think about him anymore. It’s just a matter of time…But right now, there is part of me that wonders about him often and wishes for the opportunity to know more.

Today I went on the Dayton Art Institute website and found a contact page with an email address listed for contacting someone in security. Do you know I seriously contemplated writing that person an email introducing myself and asking about Mr. Smell Good! I feel slightly pathetic.

Here I am 32 years old, and the most exciting thing to happen to me on the male-female perspective in over a year and a half is that I encountered a nice looking guy at an art museum. And here I am, dreaming about what it would be like to meet him. Now, I realize that this is probably not all really about Mr. Smell Good. It’s just the desire to have someone else in my life.

Hello, GOD! It’s me—Melanie. I’m 32, I’m a rather romantic and passionate single, and I’m dying to be loved! You gave me these desires as you gave them to others. Now what would you like me to do with them while you choose to leave them unfulfilled? I’m trying to be grateful for what I already have, LORD. I really am. But these desires are still here. I’ve asked you to take them away, and I’ve tried to give them back to you, but still they survive deep inside. What do you want of me, LORD?

Biting My Tongue

I’ve always known that my sister and I showed aspects of my Dad’s personality. We both have a rather dry sense of humor, and it’s rather obvious that we both love a good turn of a phrase. We like to use sarcasm and wit to make a point, and words are critical for both of us.

Recently, it has been brought to my attention that I’m getting bolder with my sarcasm. Until then, I hadn’t noticed how much like my Dad I had become, but being with my sister and our friend Lisa, who have both known me most of my life, they noted it and I started seeing it myself. Twice in the course of a weekend, I spoke my mind to total strangers.

The first time, we encountered 2 little barefoot boys rushing us at an elevator. They wanted to go down on the elevator to head to the swimming pool, and we were simply trying to get off the elevator on our floor. I stopped them with some remark and made them wait for us to get off. I wasn’t really mean to them. I just firmly told them to wait while we exited the elevator. And as we walked toward our room, we heard them snickering.

I love kids. I really do, but one of my pet peeves, if you will, is unattended children that have no manners and are just running around wild. Now in my defense, we saw a lot of this the whole weekend. There were several little league teams staying at our hotel, and it just amazed us how trusting their parents were being as they let the kids out on their own without adult supervision. But at the same time, where did I get the idea that I needed to address those 2 little boys as I did? In the past, I would have talked about how annoying they were later, but I wouldn’t have addressed the boys myself.

The next day, as we started into the Princess Diana exhibit, there were 2 women that were sort of stopped in the middle of the entry way. They were listening to their headsets and not really paying attention. Now since I had been there before, I knew where to go, but since neither of these women made a move so that we could get around them, I just started heading through the other entrance. Well, one of the women spoke up and said, “You enter through here, girls!” and pointed towards where she was. We turned and headed her way as she finally moved out of the way. And I made some comment to Lisa and Barbara about how “we would have gone that way in the first place if someone hadn’t been standing in the way.” Now, what I said was honest. She and her friend were standing in the entrance blocking the way, but did I really need to say that out loud? No. I should have just bit my tongue, but for some reason, I opted to be more abrupt than usual.

Now, I’ve run into ruder people than myself more often than I can recount. And the truth is that I was not all that mean, but was I really kind either? I don't think so. I was just thinking of myself and felt free to give out my opinion. Hmmmm…I think I’m going to have to work on this. Sometimes taking the high road means keeping my thoughts to myself!

Fun in Dayton AGAIN!!

Well, our Dayton weekend excursion was fabulous!

SATURDAY: We met Lisa at our hotel around 4:30 PM. I love staying at Drury Inns. The rooms are always comfortable. But it’s the extras that make this guest the most happy. They have happy hour from 5:30 to 7 PM every night with FREE cocktails and other beverages along with fresh popcorn and other snacks. So of course, we headed to happy hour soon after getting settled in our suite. And from there, we headed to O’Charley’s for dinner. It was great, and we had lots of laughs! Lisa and Barbara even had a sword fight at our table. (AHEM!) Our waitress was like the best ever! She put up with our giggles and odd requests. Hee hee!

Saturday evening, we just relaxed in our hotel room watching some TV and snacking even though we swore we’d never eat again after our big dinner! HA!

SUNDAY: We got ready for out big day and then headed down for the Drury Inn’s hot breakfast which really makes a person’s day start off great! We filled up on eggs and sausage, French toast and Belgian waffles, muffins and bagels and toast, etc. YUM! After breakfast, we packed our cars back up and headed downtown to the Dayton Art Institute.

We arrived at the museum and Barbara and Lisa headed into the gift shop while I got in the ticket line. No sighting of Mr. Smells Good at first, but a few minutes later I turned around in line and spotted him over talking to another security guard. Forgive me for my silly ramblings here, but I confess that my heart skipped a beat. I swear it really did.

I was desperate to get Barbara and Lisa’s attention, but I didn’t want to leave my place in line. Finally, I could sort of tell that Barbara had spotted him on her own. She was looking at me and trying to gesture behind me, and I was trying to agree and point his direction. I’m sure I was far from subtle. I motioned that he was behind me on the other side of the room, and I could tell that she had picked up on him and was trying to get Lisa’s attention. So there they were in the gift shop checking him out, and I watched as the clerks in the gift shop started talking to Barbara and Lisa. I wasn’t sure what was going on. So I got my ticket and then cruised on into the gift shop myself. Of course, we were all giggling at this point, and I was sure that I was turning 5 shades of pink and red. I could feel myself getting flushed, and I just needed to calm down.

To make things funnier, apparently as soon as Barbara realized that Mr. Smells Good was in the lobby, and that she has spotted the right guy, she blurted out, “He’s here.” So of course naturally this brought the attention of the clerks in the store, which is why she was talking to them. Barbara told the clerks that it was a long story, and the one clerk said that they didn’t have anything else to do and had time for a long story. But Barbara said she was going to have to ask permission before sharing the story because it wasn’t her story to tell. I didn’t really want my story shared, and so I was glad she said that. I was already feeling embarrassed enough at this point. It was time to head into the galleries.

The Princess Diana Exhibit was just as nice the 2nd time through. We didn’t have any run-ins with Mr. Smells Good in the exhibit. We toured through without incident and then went to the basement galleries to see the rest of the museum. They have some nice pieces from all over the world. We wandered all around the basement galleries – seeing all there was to see and getting slightly lost in the process. We found ourselves at a large staircase and decided to go back upstairs. We emerged into the grand hall just outside the Princess Diana Exhibit again, and guess who was there. Yep, Mr. Smells Good was there talking to a guard at the entrance. So we hung out there in the grand hall taking pictures of the columns, and then I decide to visit the cloisters at each end of the hall. So we walked his direction to get to the first cloister, and I was just bold enough to make eye contact with him and slip into the cloister and head outdoors to the Italian courtyard.

The Italian Courtyard was incredible. It’s also the only place in the museum that smoking is allowed, and so of course, Barbara and Lisa joked that now he’ll think I’m a smoker. But the truth is that I just wanted to see everything, and this outdoor courtyard was impressive with ornate columns, unique trees, a small fountain in the center, etc. I loved it all! I walked all the way around it and took plenty of pictures before we headed back indoors. By this point, he was no longer there. So we walked over to the other cloister, and from there we walked back into the great hall, and he was back again!! (sigh!)

At some point while we were in the great hall, one of the ladies working the exhibit offered to take our picture, and so we posed with the Princess Diana sign. And then I took some more pictures of the columns, etc. while Lisa played around with her camera, too and then oblivious-me realized what she was doing. She and my sister were trying to nonchalantly take HIS picture. [GASP!] Well, that was just too funny, and so I had to walk away before I died on the spot. So I headed into the verey small gallery at the end of the room. It was a 1-room collection of Grecian pieces—some marble busts, pottery, etc. So I checked it all out and then went out and rejoined Barbara and Lisa.

Well, they proceeded to tell me that they did get a picture of him. Of course it was his of back side since they got a shot of him walking away. Apparently, he had walked down to our end of the gallery and had entered the small room where I was for a minute and then had walked back down to the other end. Now, I never spotted him, but then I was intently looking over the Grecian pieces, but they had watched him the whole time. They weren’t sure where I had wandered off to, and that was how they knew where I was because they were watching him and had spotted me in the same room. I didn’t quite believe them at first, but that’s what they told me. I’m sure there was some legitimate reason for Mr. Smell Good to walk the hall and come into that gallery, but it made me slightly giddy to imagine something else. (BIG SIGH!)

After that we toured the rest of the European section without incident and then walked back through the gift shop and out to the car. My sister and Lisa reconfirmed the hotness of the man on our drive back to the hotel. Barbara said she couldn’t say too much because she was a married woman after all, but that he was pretty cute and so tall. (sigh!)

So, we had lunch at Panera Bread before Lisa headed back to Cincinnati, and Barbara and I headed home to Indiana. It had been a great weekend.

IN RETROSPECT: As I look back over those few short hours at the museum, I can’t help but laughing. We were all behaving like some silly school girls after all. Hopefully Mr. Smells Good was oblivious to our antics. At least I’d like to think he was.

I’m a bit embarrassed at how silly this whole crush is, but at the same time, it somehow makes me feel alive inside, too. I’m not dead. I might be 32, live alone and be obsessed with keeping my apartment spider free. To others, I might appear rather dull. I don’t get out as much as I used to. I don’t have people over all the time or need to entertain much. I’m content to stay home more often than not, and I do actually enjoy my solitude.

But at the same time, I know that I’m craving more. I’m hoping for that OTHER in my life. (Not necessarily Mr. Smells Good since I don’t know anything about him really!) But that one OTHER person I can share my life with. I want my own story about how we met, and where we went on our first date. I want to be greeted when I get home once in a while by someone who actually wants to hear how my weekend was and tells me that I was missed.

And while I may walk and talk the happy single life tightrope pretty well…there is still a part of me—that romantic dreamer side in me that aches for something more. And it’s at these times, where my heart cries out to GOD and reminds HIM (as though HE could have possibly forgotten) that one of HIS children is still wishing for something more. I remind HIM that I need to feel HIS presence and that I need to know that as HE promised I am never really alone.

HE doesn’t take the desire of the OTHER away. I’ve tried to pray that away and still it lives on. But somehow as my CREATOR and my FATHER, HE does find ever-creative ways to remind me that HE loves me. I just have to open up my eyes and look at the world all around me. Evidence of HIS love is all around me. I just have to be willing to see it…

Dayton Photo

I’m feeling a bit down this week, and I’m not quite sure why.

I’d like to blame it on what the weather has been doing. The sinus pressure building in my head since Monday night has been crazy, and last night, it worsened to the point that I left the comfort of my couch at 10 PM and drove to the store with my wet hair, and wearing my all-too-attractive black sweats and flip flops--and all in search of some sinus headache medicine. I was rather desperate for relief!

I wonder why we humans don’t have a release valve like Frankenstein—you know to let off steam. I feel the need to release this pressure inside my head. The medicine is helping, but I just have to take the pills every 4 hours without fail or I am close to tears. I don’t think I ever remember having sinus pain and pressure like this before, and it became absolutely unbearable last night when I kept bending over and picking things up, etc. OUCH!! I think my humidifier/vaporizer helped last night, and at least I slept well.

There are lots of good things happening this week, too, which make me laugh at my momentary lapses of melancholy:
• The 3 attorneys that I assist all took me out for lunch yesterday, and it was great. We also hit Cold Stone Creamery afterwards for dessert. You can’t go wrong with ice cream, can you?!?
• Last night, I caught up with 2 girlfriends at one of my favorite Chinese buffets in the city. It was wonderful, and the company was great as usual!
• Today one of the paralegals that I support treated several of us legal assistants to lunch, too. More good food and it was FREE!
• Today is Thursday, which makes tomorrow FRIDAY! WOOHOO!

The big fun is coming on Saturday. My sister and I are driving to Dayton to meet up with our friend Lisa. We’re spending the night at a Drury Inn, one of my favorite hotel chains because of their awesome Quikstart® Breakfasts, which come FREE with your hotel room. [No, I am not being paid for this plug…] And then on Sunday morning, we are going to visit the Princess Diana Exhibit at the Dayton Art Institute. How fun!

I also hope to get to tour some of the rest of the museum this time. I didn’t get to see the other galleries on my first visit, but then we were short on time, and I was a bit distracted. HA! I confess that I’m going to try and avoid “Mr. Smells Good” on this visit. Maybe he doesn’t have to work this weekend?!? I'd be sorry to miss seeing him, but I've almost nearly forgotten him by now, and I think that's for the best. Then again, it could make for an interesting day if he is there. Hmmmm...

I think that I have a lot to look forward to. Guess things are looking up in retrospect. I just hope this sinus pressure eases soon...

WEIRD TEETH

I just had to share this picture I found online. This is why I was in so much pain after my surgery. Look how weird my bottom teeth were. I saw the x-rays and this was the way it looked. HA!