Was That a Real Conversation?

It's been so long since I've posted here.   

Life has taken some crazy turns since my last post - but more on that later...

Today.....today, I HAVE to share with you what happens when twopeople, who have been together for more than 40 years, find themselves in a weird conversation - and think nothing of it.  

Yes, that happened.  Last night at about 3:00am.  

For those who know me, I am a fantasy geek.  I love fantasy books, fantasy movies, fantasy shows, fantasy gardens - you know, anything to "take me away" for awhile.  Now my husband is the polar opposite - for his reading and watching pleasures - if someone isn't bleeding to death, causing someone else to bleed to death, driving cars through the air at 200mph, playing a mean guitar, or wearing cleats and uniforms and throwing balls around - he's not interested.  What does that have to do with anything? Keep reading.  Don't get me wrong - I too love a mean guitar.  

I live in an old farmhouse.  So all of our bedrooms are upstairs, and our one bathroom is downstairs - next to the root cellar door.  (it's one of those root cellars that has a dirt floor, and my husband often goes down there to fiddle with the furnace or other important things that I have no clue about)  I had to get up around 3am and go downstairs, and as I was walking down the hall to the bathroom (it was dark - I didn't want to wake up my brain by turning on the lights)  I walked right through what felt like a pile of dirt (and yes, I was in my bare feet).  

So, I wiped my feet off and decided I would check it out and clean it up in the morning.  I went back upstairs and climbed back into bed - and that's when it started - the conversation, in the dark, while laying in bed - here's how it went...

Me:  Ron, why is there a pile of dirt in the hallway?
Ron: It's from the cellar
Me: Ok, again, why is there a pile of dirt in the hallway? 
Ron:  Some guy named Dobby must have done it
Me: Dobby?  You mean like a house elf?
Ron: Yep.  They live down there.  They eat the rats
Me: Rats?  We have rats?  
Ron: No, the house elves eat them
Me: Well, how do they get down there?  You blocked the door from the outside.  
Ron:  They are small, they can get in. 
Me: Ok, well house elves don't eat rats
Ron: Yes they do
Me:  No, house elves definately don't eat rats.  Trolls eat rats. But it couldn't have been a troll because they are big.
Ron:  Now you're just stereotyping.  Trolls don't have to be big.  It depends on what kind of troll they are.
Me:  Well, I'm pretty sure it isn't a troll.  I would know if a troll lived in the cellar.  They are clumsy and noisy.  
Ron:  Stop stereotyping the big guys.  

now there was about a 15 minute pause of silence where I was almost falling asleep..

Ron: It's molemen.  
Me: What? 
Ron: Molemen.  They are in the cellar.  
Me: Ok, what are molemen? 
Ron:  You know, molemen.  They are vicious.  They rip the heads off the rats.  And they can get in anywhere.
Me: And you know this how? 
Ron:  Well duh.  I saw them
Me: Saw what? 
Ron:  The bones
Me: What bones?  What are you talking about? 
Ron:  The rat bones - without their heads.  Are you not listening to me? 
Me: Ok, so vicious molemen made their way into our root cellar and are ripping heads off rats 
Ron:  No, they are biting the heads off and then eating them
Me: Ok well that's super gross. 
Ron:  I didn't do it. It is what it is
Me: How do you know it's molemen?
Ron:  Well it's obvious isn't it?  The proof is in the pile of dirt.  I don't know why they would be coming up from the root cellar and into the house though.  But they obviously did.  
Me:  Well, whatever it is you need to get a grip on it.  I don't like walking through my house and finding a pile of dirt.  
Ron: Ok, maybe I can create a small bridge or damn down there for the trolls - then they can kill the molemen
Me: Then who will kill the rats? 
Ron:  One thing at a time Terri.  Do I look like superman to you? 
Ron:  Snore.......

Soooooo, yeah, that really happened.  I stayed awake for about an hour after that listening to him snore and laughing to myself.  I guess when you live with each other for so long something is bound to rub off.  

I do have a Minnesota Vikings sweatshirt -  but I'm not ready to night-talk about football yet...

Opposites Attract - the Myth and the Reality

We weren't always opposites - my husband and I.  Or were we?  

Lately I have been trying to live Wildly Alive - in laymen's terms - healthier and more active...this has brought to my attention some things (after 35 years - see, you never REALLY know someone completely!) that we have had to work on - well, I'm working on them - then I will work on him (insert evil laugh)...



Ok, take for instance music (there will be an in-depth music blog soon so we will just touch on it here)...


He loves Alternative, Hard Rock - all the time, everywhere he goes, every waking moment of his life, like when I'm cooking in the kitchen, or when he's cooking and I'm trying to watch TV in the other room, or when I'm trying to sleep, or... (sorry, I was beginning to rant) - 

Ron's choice

Alice in Chains is just one among many...
   Pearl Jam
   Metallica
Anyway, you get the idea


I, on the other hand, enjoy music that is a bit more subtle...

My choice

You know, a bit more mellow, relaxing...
  All Sons and Daughters
  Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
  Joe Cocker

I have recently realized that we have had this opposite musical taste all our lives - however we have learned to grow into each other's musical mojo.  

For instance, when we were young we both loved Todd Rundgren - well, that's an understatement -we may have been obsessed - slightly - well, ok, cult followers - Anyhoo...

I like a little Weezer, Muse, Foo Fighters or Shine Down every now and then...  And he will listen to Stevie Nicks, Johnny Cash and Steve Miller as well - 

But for now - when I can't take another second of the alternative hard rock bellowing through my entire house - Ronnie will go out to the garage and be like...

Here are more opposites that are very apparent in our household...

Ronnie's idea of entertainment

my idea of entertainment

And then there's this...

Ronnie's bed after getting up...

and mine....














Then there's my table space where I do all my, well, stuff...

And... Ronnie's table space....(really Ron?)

Ok and one more just so you get a clear picture...

Ronnie's idea of a neatly stacked
wood pile...










And Mine...

All that to say - if you're going to marry an opposite or be in a relationship with an opposite - you better put your patience hat on and plan to enter into a world that is super challenging ...

But.... super interesting and exciting....

   Plan to be surprised
   Plan to be annoyed
   Plan to compromise
   Plan to stand up for yourself
   But mostly...plan to NOT try and change you or your partner - 

THAT.  WON'T.  HAPPEN.  E-V-E-R!

So I suggest making yourself a dream board with 5 things you want to feel and do every single day of  your life.  And when your opposite gets on your every nerve - retreat - and look at your board - and remember who you are - take a deep breath - and remember why you love that person - and be at peace with it -

It works for us - and we just see it this way...

Cup half full ladies and gents...cup half full! 

Let's Talk About the Weather

Ok, summer is here - what I'm about to say will make some of you gasp - your jaws will drop and you will think I'm a liar.  I promise you that what I'm about to say is true - absolutely true...

I HATE SUMMER.  IT'S MY LEAST FAVORITE SEASON.  YUCK

That's right - I loathe it.  Here are some reasons: 
 - I don't like hot
- I don't like humid

How I feel about summer

 - I don't like mowing
- I don't like bugs
- I don't like kids telling me how bored they are
- I don't like air conditioning (it makes me feel all bottled up and stuffy)
- I don't like skimpy clothes
...I could go on



Ok, but here's why I can tolerate it:
- I absolutely love gardening
- I love flowers of all kinds
- I love hanging on the front porch
- I love open windows
- I love sheets that dry outside
- I love thunder storms and cloudy breezy days...etc. etc. 

I can say I don't like it because I don't.  People always tell me to remember winter and how horrible it was - ummm, not horrible, awesome - In fact, I love winter.  Cold snowy days, warm fuzzy slippers, pellet stove smell, snowy owls, critters burrowed in and silent until spring...

Me and Cassie having fun in winter...

I like spring because it just smells so good.  You know what I mean?  That fresh spring smell that puts everyone in a good mood? Some people complain about the rain but I love the rain.  Seriously, I do.  I was running a kids camp and on the night we were supposed to have a bonfire it rained.  


Just look at this picture and see what we did.  2200 tea lights later and we had an indoor fire - the kids absolutely love love loved it and we even cooked s'mores over the tea lights.  Oh yeah.  



I even hated summer when I was a teenager - I promise I did.  Here's a picture of me when I was 16 years old.  I was at Disneyland - it was 98 degrees and I was sooo miserable!  Who's miserable at disneyland?  This chick, that's who!
 

My favorite time of year is fall.  I love love love fall.  There are so many reasons to love it ya know?

-pumpkin spice lattes

-flannel shirts

-clean crisp cool air- duh, the colors

-the anticipation of the first snowfall

-all the holidays!

-pumpkin patches and mums

...I could use up this entire blog with a list 

Oh! and the time change.  I don't like it to be light when I'm going to bed and dark when I get up.  Now, being my age and and almost empty nester - I feel young when it gets dark early because even if I go out and come home by 8:00pm, I feel like I've put in a whole night!  haha.  

Bottom line - I can't stand to be hot and sweaty (unless it's following a good workout and there's a shower waiting).

Think about this...it's dusk, it's snowing a pretty big flake kind of snow, completely silent outside, the snow is starting to sparkle as the moon comes out - then out of the corner of your eye you see a snowy white owl sitting on a branch.... 

A night like that is perfection. 

How about you?  What's your favorite time of year and why?  I would love to hear about it! 

Size Awesome

I've missed you all my blogger friends and supporters!  I have been on blog hiatis for a bit - taking care of some much needed business - here's what I've been doing...





At the risk of sounding old - (I said "sounding" old, and only for a moment), I have begun to realize that when you are old enough to be an empty nester - your body begins to remind you - every.single.day.  ugh.  





I was always skinny so I never worried about food or exercise - it just came second nature.  I was always dancing and exercising, but it was just - well - fun.  I was a member of the Adirondack Dance Company years ago and I taught Dance for a living  for awhile.  So, yes, I was always in shape and super skinny!  

My favorite dance student right there

I think that's why I never had to worry about my weight or my health - sooo - once the babies came - well, things changed. While my body was changing, so were my habits.  Instead of focusing on me - I was focusing on my family.  



So here I am - and my body, who used to function just fine on it's own, is screaming at me to help it!  So....I am!  

I am on day 20 of a 21 day Get Moving Challenge - and I feel like a new woman! The challenge isn't just about weight - in fact, that's not it at all.  It's about loving yourself the way God made you, and working - yes working - to make you the very best you you can be. #WildlyAlive




Here's an awesome example - for me this journey is more about the power of my faith and the strength that God has for me just waiting for me to use it - I love chocolate - it's my most difficult temptation - so I prayed for a week straight every day that God would help me with that temptation - I discovered something - I was having terrible migrain headaches at night - guess what was causing them - chocolate!  Thank you God for associating chocolate with pain!  (really though - it's good - it has taken my chocolate cravings completely away!) and no more headaches!

That's just one voice in my head that I have conquered telling me I need this or that or that I'm not good enough or that I can't.  I have named that voice "Helga".  She's my nemisis - and now that I recognize her - I can tell her to shut up at any time.  It's actually rather freeing!  

I am an introvert and part of this program is allowing others to help and join in on the journey.  So not only have I obtained three accountability partners (two I just met!) but I have enlisted some friends and family to help - it's been a stepping out for me - but man - I'm loving it...

Oh and I also discovered that I am in love wth yoga...and green smoothies...and sunsets...

Thank you Laice Mae for hanging with me and appreciating a beautiful sunset

Thank you Misty, Carla & Mary Jo for pushing me on...

Thank you Cassie for working out with me and putting up with my swinging moods!

And thank you to everyone else for all the encouraging words and comments as I travel this road...especially my mom who is working on her size awesome as well...

It's not about just the physical, or the weight, or the perfection

 - it's just about size - 

the size of the heart...

the size of the love...

the size of the self acceptance...

the size of faith...

the size of community...

the size of confidence...

the size of appreciation...

the size of self worth...

I could go on - 

but really...the best size is...

How about you?  Wanna be a size awesome? - you already are - you just may not recognize it yet!  Get up and just move - baby you're worth it!

Stop and Smell the Roses Would Ya?

Here we are - Mother's Day Weekend.

My first one without my girls.  They live in another state and can't be here this weekend.  BUT!  They have given me an even better gift!  

They came last weekend instead and we did Mother's Day then.  

A nice (awesome actually) breakfast at Tin Pan Galley in Sackets... 

and a beautiful flowy flowery vest that is pretty cool if I do say so myself.  

So, that leaves this weekend.  Now I thought I might be disappointed even though we did Mother's Day last weekend, but instead I think I received a double gift...

I get to stop and smell the roses - literally.  

My plan was to get up early, do some chores, hit the landscaping, and then the treadmill - well I did some chores, and then I hit the landscaping - for about an hour - do you know it was like 80 degrees at 9:30 this morning?  Holy hotness!  

As you can see under my favorite pine tree looks pretty good,

And I pulled all the weeds so you could see my one lonely tulip that is now already past it's prime.

By the time I decided to take a rest on the front porch, both Weezer (cause he always helps me garden) and myself looked like this...

Whew!

 

I guess being an almost empty nester means that gardening IS my exercise!  I couldn't walk on my treadmill right now if my life literally depended on it.  In fact, I'm pretty sure my life would end if I tried.  

Soooo....the rest of my Mother's Day weekend will consist of porch sitting...

Ummm... oh!  Yes, I think I will spend some time writing on my book...

I have two favorite places to work on my book

My room (pretty serene right?) 

And "The Rock".  The Rock will probably win out today since it's breezy and the bugs haven't arrived yet. 

I remember once sitting on the rock and watching my dog play tag with about 10 deer in the field.  Major tick inspection followed but it was worth it!  So cool! 

Yes, I think that's a good plan, today - I will stop and smell the...well, whatever the breeze brings me...but I think I will appreciate it no matter what that might be!  

 

Oh My Promness!

Ok, so I had no intention of posting about Indian River's prom weekend but I had an epiphany so I just have to!  

First of all, I loathe prom weekend.  Now mind you I have raised two girls and am on my third so prom weekend is something we have dealt with ALOT.  

When I had prom (1970 something), we went to JC Penney's, picked out a dress that actually your mom picked out, (oh that sailor dress), wore a pair of sandals from our closets, did our own hair, didn't wear much makeup...blah blah blah.  Then we went to our school gym where there may have been some punch and we danced to a band.  

Usually, the best part of prom was...yeah, the band.  



NOW...hold on to your hats...prom is crazy!  Let me share the difference that being an empty nester has been for me...

People do these things...
   1. Shop for months (at boutiques and wedding shops)for that perfect dress that they make payments on because it's too expensive to buy all at once; Oh and make sure it's sexy - that's right - S.E.X.Y!  (yes, we are still talking about high school kids, mmhm)

WE DO THIS:  Gather all the prom dresses that all the sisters, cousins, etc. have over the years, pick out the one that speaks to you - and BAM!  DRESS SHOPPING DONE!

   2. Once that's done, then come the appointments that have to be made way way ahead of time for hair, makeup, manicures and pedicures because everybody and their brother (or sister in this case) is trying to get in the same day 

WE DO THIS:  Okay okay I did take Cassie to get her nails done.  But being an almost empty nester and my two grown girls LOVING nothing more than dressing up Cassie - 

my girls have every product needed for a makeover!

BAM!  HAIR AND MAKEUP DONE!  AT HOME! 

   

3.  Ok, then you have to buy shoes - and of course they must have crazy sparkles and heels to enhance the sparkly look that every girl nowadays wants at her prom. 

WE DO THIS:  Paige and Laice took Cassie shopping and bought her a reasonable pair of sandals that she will wear again!  BAM - SHOE SHOPPING - PAINLESS AND DONE! 

   4.  Limo rides, to the prom - umm, no

WE DO THIS: Laice came with me and we drove Paige's car to bring Cassie to...

   5. Pictures.  To most people today these are mega important because there must be beautiful backgrounds, preferrably some water, very awesome looking stairs...you get the picture (wink, wink)

WE DO THIS: Okay we did go to a park for pictures.  But it was 
so much easier having Laice with me and sharing gas cost by using her car...
   


However - some of my pictures have branches and stuff in front of them because the mother of all mom-photographers was there with her giant expensive camera pushing everyone else out of the way so she could get her perfect pics - patience Terri patience - don't blow....good thing I didn't care that much about perfect pics...with my iPhone...

   
6.  Then the after prom plans - the pickup - parties?  Overnighters?  Prom of course lasts until midnight so the parents have to go pick up their kids at ungodly hours of the night - oh, and to make it as difficult as possible, the prom is at the Commons on base - as most of you know, civilians cannot get on base these days without a sponsor - so we put our names on a list - and of course only those names are allowed in, and you have to go to a special gate to get there...

WE DO THIS:  Stop at the gate office to beg for special treatment

so Laice and her boyfriend, Spencer, can pick up Cassie so I can go to bed at a decent hour - (Laice was on the list but Spencer wasn't) we get the go ahead (after alot of sob story stuff) - and then don't take them up on it.  Good grief.  But hey, Laice did go alone THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART LAICE MAE! And I was able to go to bed.  Ha!

WHEW!  

So now for the epiphany...being an almost empty nester has actually helped the entire process - thanks to my grown up girls!

So, my only thought left on this matter is this - what in the world are the wedding expectations going to be?? Lucky for me, we don't worry about expectations or keeping up with the Jones'.  We like to keep it humble - and that's ok with us.  

It's a crazy world out there.  Try to stay in your own zone - it will pay off in the end - and your kids will be happier for it!