Puppy Love

My son Jesse came over with a new puppy yesterday and he gave him to me! Meet Buster.

How adorable is he?!  Really!  We did not need another dog.  We have Pookie (half Shitz Zu and half Maltese and Pepper, shepherd and husky mix).  They get along great and we have always had one big and one small.  Someone told me that Pookie needed a playmate.  This little guy is perfect!  My hubby is a true Dr. Doolittle.  All animals love him.  I am keeping the puppy close to me because if he gets too close to hubby, that will be the end for me!

I got Buster a cute little crate and he did really good his first night with us.  He loves to cuddle and hide in my hair.  The other dogs are so curious.  Pepper wants to keep him to herself.  Pookie isn't sure yet.

Warning!  You will be seeing a lot of this little fellow at Lulu's Cottage!

High Heel Torture

I went to a Rotary Foundation dinner last night with my hubby.  I asked him what the dress code was.  He said that he was sure that I could wear "whatever".  Hmmm.  I made him find out and he was surprised to learn that he had to wear a tie.  Ah ha!  Dressy!  So, I rummaged around in my closet for something "dressy".  I chose my black fringe dress because it's stretchy and comfy.  But, what shoes to wear with it?  I just can't wear high heels.  I never liked them.  They hurt.  How do people wear them?  I just don't understand it.  I went through all my options and chose my "highest" heel, because I figured I would be sitting the whole time.  WRONG!  There was lots of standing and visiting.  But, I survived.

It really makes me wonder how people wear really high heels.  Movie stars do it.

Here is Khloe Kardashians shoe closet:

I googled high heel shoes and there are a zillion.  Here are some of the really high ones:
 

Can you imagine walking in any of these shoes?  The red ones were described as "sexy".  Really?  Not.  How about those "chair" shoes.  Ridiculous.  Notice that she is sitting down.

My daughter and her friends all wear really high heels.

I was in a fun store a while back and I tried on some really high heels.  They looked like Minnie Mouses shoes.

And, I couldn't even stand in them without holding on to the racks.

And, get this....my legs were sore just from trying them on!!!

I had to try these on:

They were pretty cute.  I should have bought them just to look at.  They almost look tame compared to some of the others.

How high can they go?   I remember seeing Lady Gaga fall down in the airport because of her crazy shoes.  Was it always like this?  I googled Marilyn Monroe and checked out her shoes.  Yep.  They were high also.  Sigh.  I guess it's been around for a while.

I still can't picture her actually walking around in these shoes.

Why can't they make a fashionable really pretty shoe that is also truly comfortable?  I've tried them all.  There are some that come close.  And, you will pay a pretty penny for them.  Here are some of my favorite brands:

Munro, very comfy, mostly sandals.  I have these loafers and have worn them a lot.

Aravon is a really supportive shoe.  But, they have yet to make any that look great.  I wore these out.  It was the only shoe I could wear for an entire gig (some of our shows last 4 hours!)

Aeorsoles, another favorite of mine.  I have a pair of boots that I have worn most of the time this winter.  And, I also like sketchers sandals in the summer.

This is the next shoe on my wishlist, by Ecco

Cute and they seem like they would be comfortable.

How about you?

Is Time a Real thing?

We had a beautiful sunny day today.  It was Easter and we had a family brunch.  I had hoped that we could eat outside if it was warm enough, and it was!  Yay!  The sunniest place at our house is on the deck, so hubby got out our summer dining furniture and set it up on the deck for me.  I cooked our favorite brunch foods; bacon and egg casserole, french toast casserole, blueberry muffins and fresh fruit salad.  

Our whole family got together (with the exception of my oldest son and his family, they live too far away).  I made mimosas and I surprised my daughter with a non alcoholic version using sparkling cider instead of champagne (she's pregnant).  We ate and enjoyed the food and the beautiful day.  

 I filled up some plastic eggs with candy and hubby and I hid them for the "kids" (he he) to find.  They LOVED that and in fact they did NOT find them all.  The ones I thought would be hard to find were easy and the ones I thought would be easy were hard...go figure.  Then we sat around eating the candy.  

When it was all over, we all lounged around on the deck enjoying the sunshine.  It was so nice.  

I'm the kind of person who is always in a hurry.  I'm always thinking...what's next?  Even when things are going good, I'm ready to move on to the next thing.  But, not today.  Today I was in the moment.  I listened to the wind in the trees and felt the sun on my face.  I cherished the time with my family.  And, I thought "I wish this day could go on forever".  And, it seemed as if time slowed down and just lingered for a while.  Slow motion.  After it was over and everyone left, hubby and I took a nice walk in the twilight, a nice ending to a lovely day.

Why is it that time seems to go faster sometimes and slower other times?  A friend of mine has been going through some hard times and she told me that while she was waiting for some (bad) news, the clock just refused to budge.  She kept saying that to me over and over.  She really believes that time slowed down.  

Did it?  Like it did for me today?  And other times it seems to wiz by.   Like when I'm late.  Boy does time speed up when I am late for something!  I am convinced that the passing of time can change.  Years ago I had a car accident.  Someone ran a red light and ran into me.  I saw him coming in my rear view mirror and I knew it was going to happen.  And, when it did occur, it all happened in slow motion.  I had time to think all kinds of thoughts.  I thought about how I knew he was going to hit me.  I felt myself sink into my seat and wondered if the seat would break.   I saw the lady in front of me bump her head on her window behind her (also in slow motion) in her pickup truck as I ran into her and two more cars in front of her.  All these thoughts and the sense of floating through the whole thing that seemed to last for several minutes and in reality was over in a flash.  I'll never forget that slow motion feeling.  Did that happen?  Or did I imagine it?

Can I "will" time to slow down or speed up if I want it to?  I felt like today, I made it slow down on purpose.  If that is possible, I will be doing it a lot in the future.  I want to take time to savor the good times and really live in the moment. 

Always a parent

I was so young when I became a Mother.  I loved my little baby so much!  And, each one thereafter....I loved all three of them more than my own life.  I've loved every age and every stage.  And, now they are all grown.  But, for me they are still my "babies".  Once you become a parent, you are always a parent.  

Time marches on and our kids grow up.   When they were little, did you think about how they would interpret their lives after they grew up?  I never really did think about it, if I had, I wouldn't have ever yelled at them (or would I?).  I just did the best I could do.  I used to say to my oldest "I'm not going to therapy with you when you grow up!".  What I meant by that is that it always seemed to me that the therapists in the movies would begin with, "tell me about your Mother."  Why always the Mother?  Well, he turned out wonderful and didn't need therapy after all.  Sigh of relief.  

My kids are all grown ups.  They all have lives of their own.  They have made lots of choices that I completely agree with and there were choices that I did not agree with.  Sometimes I was right and sometimes they were right.  And, through it all I continued to love them with all my heart.  Even in anger, I love them.  (whether the anger was mine or theirs)  

Don't even get me started on WORRY.  I don't think I will ever stop worrying about them.  Whenever anything seems wrong, I worry.  When my daughter was 17, she told me that she wasn't going to live a long life.  Shocked, I asked her why she would say such a thing.  She told me she had a dream that she died in a car crash at 27.  Well, guess what.  Ten years later, I remembered those words that she had long forgotten.  I worried for an entire year when she was 27.  (she's 31 now and still kicking).  In fact, I acted like a crazy lady insisting that they didn't drive to San Francisco for New Year's Eve.  It was rainy and it was so close to the end of that miserable year.  Well the "year" wasn't miserable, but I kept that "weight" of worry all the time.  It seems really silly to me now.

I talk to my friends and it seems the same for them.  We are still parents.  Forever.  Maybe we can't tell them what to do anymore, but we still care about every little thing.  My granddaughters are convinced that their Dad still has to do what I say...but, believe me, it's not true.  

When our kids have hard times, it takes a real toll on us.  A dear friend of mine has had a really tough time of late.  She has had to stand by helplessly as her own child, now also a parent, has struggled with some tough decisions.  I'm not sure that her daughter even realizes how hard it's been on her.  Our hearts can still be broken.  

And, then there is joy.  My daughter came over today.  For no reason whatsoever.  She has moved away (she used to live next door to me until just a few weeks ago).  It was the first really sunny day in a long time and we just sat out on the deck and let the sun beat down on us.  I made her lunch and we talked about little things.  I showed her the crafts I am working on and she says that she wants to make them too (the best compliment ever).  And, now, my precious girl is going to be a Mommy.  I bought her a little outfit that says "I love my Mommy" for the baby.  It was hanging on the back of the front door in their house.  And, now it hangs in the hallway of their new house.  

Yes. Time marches on.  And now, she will be a parent....forever.

I won the Lottery!!

I wish!!

Today is April Fools Day and I love reading all the crazy statements my friends are making on Facebook.

I actually DID buy two lottery tickets.  And, I imagined what it would be like to win a gazillion dollars.  I think it was over 400,000 or something like that.  Everywhere I went for the last few days, people were talking about the lottery.  I heard that a famous basketball player spent $10,000 on tickets!  (and he didn't win)  

We all talked about what we would do if we won the money.  

What would YOU do?  First thing.  What would you do? 

I said that the first thing I would do is hire a lawyer!  And, then I would start talking to rich people to get advice.  Of course, I would want to buy things!  And, I would want to share with my family.  

I allowed myself to dream and wonder what it would be like to have all that money.  It would be fabulous in so many ways.  And, I also imagine that it would be terribly difficult too.  I heard someone call in a financial show a while back.  She won the lottery and was asking his advice.  She told him about all the people who were calling her for help.  So many sad stories about people who were dying and needed an operation etc.  How hard would that be?  His advice to her was to make managing her money her full time job.  He told her to take classes and become an expert.  None of us ever think that there might be a downside to winning, right?

I almost didn't want to check my numbers.  As soon as I checked them, the wondering, the dreaming would end.  

As I was pondering the "what would I do" part, I realized that I am very lucky.  I love my life.  And, I believe that all things are possible.  With or without the lottery.  I feel so blessed to live in a free society where we can all pursue our dreams.  And, any one of us can become rich!  There are no limits except for the ones that we set for ourselves.  I love my house, my car, my family.  Yep.  Pretty lucky.  And, I get to work from home.  My commute is literally down the hall.  And, the dress code is pretty sweet....I can wear whatever I want.  The main part of my work is coaching my team of business partners to reach their dreams.  I think of it as a business of "dream fulfillment".  So, in a way, I am pretty much constantly thinking about what I would do if I won the lottery.  Because I have.  I have all the opportunity I could wish for.  Thankfully my business provides a steady stream of income that continues to grow.  And, it's waaaaaay more dependable than any lottery.  

My business....



 

Counting my blessings!