Here Fishy Fishy

After watching Shark Week, what would make a better vacation than having an up close and personal experience with something bitey and dangerous. Not up close and personal enough to lose a limb, but I already have a logo arm so a little puncture wound on the other arm would balance things out. Barbara and I were swimming in the ocean.... Let me clarify that, she was standing and I have this weird thing about being in the ocean.... I like to bob up and down, I twirl and swirl and yes I even do some amazing dance moves where no one but the fish can see. Barbara was laughing at me..... "Jac, you are such a dork."  This I know, but I am a fun dork and nothing brings out the child in me like the ocean and snow. Those two things make me literally giggle like a tiny child. Actually, I may mentally be a tiny child stuck in an over sized adult body (who knows) but I do love, love, love to bop up and down and twirl around in the ocean. So I'm twirling and Barbara is contemplating the meaning of life when we both spot two fins sticking out of the water swimming just outside the swimming area. Barbara heads toward the beach where everyone is pointing and I (being a dork I suppose) head straight for the fins. I I get pretty close to where the fins are and then they cross over the buoys that define the swimming area. It was in the swimming area of the resort next to our resort and I was just about to swim under the buoy when I heard a frantic voice yelling at me.... I guessed it was me because no one else was in the water. I looked over my shoulder to see the manager of the resort waving his arms and telling me...... "NO, NO!" and waving me back to the beach..... "Darn it!" He was shaking his head and demanding I come back to the beach. "Great, just great. I was that close to seeing a fish I had never seen before. What a spoil sport." I drag myself up to the beach, head hung in shame because I felt like a

reprimanded first grader. Thankfully the manager took his little clipboard and headed back to the resort where people with real needs (like extra soap and towels) truly need his expertise. A few minutes later the little guy at the watch tower opened up for business. We had seen this fish at a distance the day before and I asked him about it. He had pulled it up on his cell phone to show me what it looked like. He said it was often mistaken for a shark but it wasn't dangerous and he had never seen one actually cross the buoys and enter the swimming area. He laughed at me when I told him about my scolding. He had already figured out I was up for an adventure. Later in the day we were back on the beach. It was our last day and I did not want to spend it just laying on a chase lounge chair. I wanted to do something. Barbara asked our little guy if he would take us out on the catamaran so he loaded the two of us up and we headed out into the ocean. Oh my gosh!!!! The ocean is paradise. He took us far, far out, but the water was crystal blue and you could see all the way down. We reached a sand bar where the water was pretty shallow and so clear it looked fake. He asked.... "Who is jumping in first?" Then he said.... "I will, I will be first." I jumped up and yelled.... "I'm right behind you buddy." Barbara looked disinterested and said.... "I'm fine right here, you two have fun, I'm staying right here." Really? "Barbara, we are here to face your fears. This is paradise. The water is perfect, it is amazing, you have to do it." Finally, probably out of pure desire to shut me up, she jumped in and you could see her whole body relax..... "Oh, this is amazing." She said..... "See, I told you so. You wouldn't want to miss this." We swam and giggled and felt like we could reach up and brush the face of God right there in the middle of the ocean. There are two places I feel the presence of God the most..... In the ocean and in the mountains.  These two places define the essence of God's majesty on earth.... At least for me. When we finished basking in the beauty of the ocean, we headed back. We learned all about our guide, his family, and how happy and content he seemed in his life. He was so sweet. When we pulled up on the beach, Barbara headed for the lounge chairs while I talked to our guide. His co-worker came out of the tower speaking frantic Spanish and waving his arms.  Obviously he had something exciting or terrifying to tell.  Finally the guide stopped him long enough to explain to me that his co-worker had been out by the buoys snorkeling when a barracuda attacked his flipper. He said it scared him to death and he fought it off but the barracuda became even more mad and attacked his flipper a second time. I was a little suspicious.... "If he got attacked, why didn't it get his leg?" I asked.... "The flipper looked more appealing to the barracuda than the leg. He swims out here every day and it scared him to death." I'm weird, and got really excited..... "Give me some snorkling gear. I want to go out. I want to see the barracuda." He shook his head..... "Oh no Ma'am, you cannot do that. Barracuda's are very dangerous." Regardless of how I pleaded and begged neither one would give me snorkling gear. I was so disappointed.... All I wanted to do was to see it, knowing it would make an awesome blog post. They would have none of it. I walked out toward the buoys, but everything was calm.... No barracuda, no fins. The guide told me I should come back in February when the bull sharks come. He said they go diving with them which sounds awesome. So, that's my "Almost saw something dangerous" story. Sorry it wasn't more gorey, but I have to keep things real.

Blondes Going in Circles

We arrived to the resort just before lunch. Check in wasn't until 3 so we had some time to kill. We went to the grill that looks over the water and ordered lunch. They sat us on the platform overlooking the water and told us we were queens for the day. The scene was beyond beautiful.... so serene. We swam in the ocean and I looked like a lobster before we checked in. After we checked in, we dressed for dinner and sat on the beach after dark. We decided to call it a night so we headed back to the room. We stayed on the 2nd floor. We got in the elevator and pushed 2. When the doors opened we were in front of room 302. Oops, maybe we get there from the 1st floor so we pushed 1. The doors opened in front of room 320. We repeated the process to all 4 floors and each time the doors opened to room 3??  Seriously, I felt us move, I know the elevator went up and the down.... Why are we not going anywhere. Finally we found a worker who directed us to our room which is, yet is not, on any of the floors. I still think someone was filming the two blondes going in circles like only blondes can do. But if they were filming then they were sure to see how much fun we had going in circles 

Bobbing and Blogging

It's 4:30 am and we are headed to DFW airport.... Destination, Cancun Mexico. Our flight departs at 7, so we are right on schedule. I follow Siri's direction with little trouble due to the early hour. "Exit right on north service road." Which I do with no problem. Then she begins to direct me to make a u-turn. Siri's directions have become a vicious cycle. Apparently Siri needs Starbucks as badly as I do at 4:30 am.  We finally silence her and as for directions. In spite of the Siri mishap, we have made it on board  the plane. Barbara is rocking the ENTIRE plane with the constant bobbing of her knee. I've "fixed her a nice cup of coffee" so the bobbing should settle soon.  So we are bobbing and blogging and It's up, up, and away to fun in the sun and who knows what else.

As if they Never Were

Life has a way of weaving people in and out of our lives.  Life is in constant motion bringing us to different paths throughout the journey. The ebb and flow will bring us in contact with many people.  Sometimes our paths parallel with others for a time....  Sometimes forever. But often, our paths come together, than slowly take different directions, when sadly we no longer walk side by side. When that happens to me, I find myself saying.... "It is as if they were never a part of my life." But closer reflection reveals the tapestry life weaves. I see small highlights along the path we walked together. There will be a pop of color here, a highlight there, and beautiful hues in areas where they impacted my life the most.... Always with a color that is uniquely their own. When paths began to seperate, it is hard for the heart to accept. Whether our journey takes us far away, never to return, or whether our paths diverge again, they will leave behind tangible beauty in vibrant colors marking our time together.... Regardless of the amount of time I've had with them, they have added depth, color, and texture that only the human touch can bring. Their threads along with threads of others, will weave "The Big Picture" represented in living color. Don't mourn the loss of a relationship that takes a different path; rather celebrate the part they played in your life and the joy you experienced while you walked side by side living the journey together. Count your blessings at the creative beauty each one leave behind, and the memories you captured from time well spent. My life has been changed forever by these sojourn companions..... Their mark remains forever on my heart in a way it wouldn't  if they never were.

Chicken Little and the Blonde Bombshell

What do you get when you put Chicken Little and a blonde bombshell together in a far away place. Well we're fixing to find out. A good friend and I are headed to Mexico for a girls trip. She's the blonde bombshell and I'm the frumpy Chicken Little. We are both pretty big chickens, she is just a much prettier version of chicken little.  We both have terrible travel anxiety. I'm praying that her constant nervous knee bobbing won't rock the plane right out of the sky, and also that we aren't kidnapped by angry drug lords. If we are abducted by drug lords, my husband has permission to sell all of my shoes to pay the ransom. Something tells me there will be much to blog about in the coming week. Look out Mexico we may be more than you can handle.

Broken

There are two types of people in the world…. Broken people, and broken people who don’t recognize their brokenness. Those who walk in Christ should know they are broke, after all Christ died for it. What I fear is, many Christians believe they have moved beyond their brokenness. I spoke with a friend about being broken. We talked about how easily it is to look around and allow our insecurities to tell us we just don’t measure up. The enemy is quick to use others to re-enforce those negative thoughts until we feel defeated. I had a close friend a few years ago who said to me…. “I don’t even know if you are saved!”   I didn’t measure up to their level of spirituality. If you are at a low point in your life, that is not the kind of encouragement you need. News flash!!! God uses broken people. In fact, I’m not sure you can be used by God until you are broken. Looking back on the life of Paul, God did not use him until he had been broken. Ironically, Paul’s brokenness came in the form of blindness. Before his physical blindness on the road to Damascus, Paul was spiritually blind. I don’t think that is a coincidence. I encouraged my friend, not to buy into the lie that everyone has it more together than they do. Sometimes the more someone “appears” to have it all together, the more broken they are. Some are better at hiding their brokenness than others. They feel more spiritual in a cloak of wholeness than they do in their brokenness… I used to feel the same way. These days I’m very honest about my brokenness. It is a constant reminder of God’s mercy and grace. It gives me compassion for others and keeps me from puffing out my chest in judgement and self-righteousness.  At the foot of the cross, the ground is even and we are all broken. His blood ran down the cross to cover our brokenness and our imperfections. When he looks at us all he sees is his refection, not ours and that is good news.

Over the Moon for Under the Sea Whale of a Baby Shower

I had the pleasure of being a hostess for a baby shower of "One of my kids" this weekend. One of my friends boys, is all grown up, married and expecting their first baby. When one of "The Girlfriends" have a grand baby, I get as excited as I expect I will when I have a grand baby. The thing I enjoy most, is showering the people I love when they have a life changing event take place.
Along with 8 other women we put together "A Whale of a Baby Shower" for the sweet little couple. Mommy and Daddy are using a whale theme for the nursery so that's what we went with for the shower. Mommy's sister (soon to be a new aunt) made some adorable banners and wall hangings for the nursery which we used to decorate with. Back in the day, I

used to watch the Christopher Lowell decorating show, where he
preached the importance of lifts and levels in decorating. The Everything is a Dollar Store proved to be my new best friend when looking for a way to spice up the under the sea table. Using clear glass vases and clear plastic platters I made tiers for cupcakes, cookies, fruit and veggies. I filled the vases half way with blue play sand and a handful of seashells,
hot glued the platters to the vases and Wall Laa, we had pedestals and tiers for $2.00 each. When I want to do another themed party, I can just heat the hot glue, remove the sand and shells and refill the vases with something to go with the new theme. I pilfered a friends house for sea shells big
and small and a light house table for nothing but pure pleasure. I sprinkled broken sea glass around the table like confetti and that's all she wrote on decorating the under the sea table. Other hostesses brought whale shaped cookies and whale decorated cupcakes, both of which were too pretty to eat (well almost). The shower of gifts included a belly cast (courtesy of the hostesses), a daddy diaper bag so dad can preserve his manhood while still styling and profiling his chic self and a box o'bow ties because apparently someone expects this baby boy (who is already too big for his britches) to be an engineer ( God help us)!!!!  Seriously someone should of clued me into that little tidbit, I would have made a box o' pocket protectors to match the bow ties. In lieu of cards, we asked everyone to use a story book and write a sweet sentiment on inside cover. A basket of diapers were provided for each guest to write a little note on to make late night diaper changes a little more interesting. While the cute couple unwrapped their gifts, guest marked items off of their Baby Bingo cards. the one who had the most stickers won a gift from Bath and Body Works. We also played "The Price is Right" to see who had the most "How Much Does it Cost" knowledge. We had a Whale of a time whale of a good time showering this couple with love and good wishes. My theory on life is this.... If you want your life to be wonder filled, fill your life with wonderful people. The Smith family has filled my life with so many wonderful memories, a Whale of a baby shower was a way to give back just a smidge of the joy they have brought into my life.

The One Next to You

The volleyball hit the ground and bounced over the fence for the third time. All four of the women erupted in snorts, giggles and belly laughs. Our men on the other side of the net, stood quietly composed (like they always do), as one of them went around the fence into the neighbors yard to retrieve the ball. The longer it took, the harder we laughed. We laughed and laughed and laughed until I thought I was going to spew the hamburger I had just eaten. We must have looked like a group of the three stooges trying to play volleyball with each one making excuses for missing the ball due to... "My bad knee, my bad hip, my sore side?" yet there we were, causing a neighborhood ruckus and playing with childish abandonment

(which is what keep you young). With the four of us doubled over in laughter, gasping for breath  and trying to maintain bladder control, one of the girls said.... "We've been through a lot together." No truer words were spoken. We've raised kids, dealt with toddlers, teens and college, We've worshiped, wept, vacationed, supported each other during times of convalescence, encouraged each other through difficult times, cheered each other on in new endeavors, complained, fought and faced each triumph and trial that life has thrown in our path with what I'd like to say was elegance and grace, but truthfully much of it was done barely holding on by our finger tips (or so it seemed). The thing that has kept us moving forward was knowing we weren't alone. Much like volleyball, when the life aims the ball at you and you're not sure you can get it, it's good to know the one next to you has it covered.

100% of You

This week I had lunch with a dear friend. We went to the hospital, not because the food is great (it can be and they have a Chick Fillet), but because the dining room is huge so we wouldn't be crowded and we wouldn't have to scream over the the noise like you do in some restaurants. I had made a list on my phone of things I wanted to tell her since our last lunch. I texted her to remind me I had put it on my phone, or I would forget to get the list out.... Yes, this happens to me with a grocery list as well, which makes me wonder if it all goes down hill from here with my memory.... RABBIT TRAIL! The chattering began as soon as she picked me up and didn't slow down until I stepped out of the car and back into the office. We had a lot to say to each other. We got our food, picked the table farthest away form everyone else and continued with our conversations.... As in pleural because between the two of us you cannot get a word in edge wise so we both just plunge in with both feet and often and let our wisdom, opinion and our epiphanies splash all over one another. Not to mention we both talk like Italians (with a lot of hand waving and acting our different parts).... I've often thought it would be more than a little entertaining to be an outsider watching us converse. I think I only took a couple of bites of my food then pushed it aside because I had a lot to talk about and didn't have enough time to eat and talk without spitting food all over her and that's just plain rude. As we were leaving she noticed I was wearing the new skirt I had bought when we went shopping. She also noticed that the split in the back of the skirt still had the little knot they put in them when they are in the store so we stopped in the hall so she could cut my string loose. I had dug my pocket knife out of my purse, she had handed me her coke and was bent over lifting up the hem of my skirt so she could see the string. About that time I heard someone say.... "Hi Jackie, are you having fun?" We both looked up said hi and laughed because I know it must have looked a little strange. She said.... "I just saw her bent over with her head up your skirt and wondered."  What could I say... Except.... "Welcome to a day in the life of Jackie... And yes, I'm sure I'll be blogging about it later." She laughed, walked on and my friend took care of my string and we continued to the car. When I got back to the office I felt like a weight had been taken off my shoulders, it was so good to get those things (both good and bad) off my chest, just be able to talk to a friend who hears and understands my woman thoughts. I thought to myself.... A friend gives you 100% of their focus when they are in your presence and you give them 100% back. Wouldn't it be refreshing in our technologically advanced world, if there were more people willing to focus 100% on the person they are with when that person has something they need to say? It seems with so many things vying for our attention, we rarely give anything or anyone 100%. Our society now reflects our inattentiveness but we're too busy to notice the loss and are laden with too much apathy to care.

Offendable Spirit?

I often wonder if tightly wound people realize what a joy they would be if they'd just lighten up a little. You know that moment when you attempt to bring a little lighthearted humor to a conversation (usually with a dash of sarcasm) the room stills as the oxygen is sucked out of the room by someone's insecurities and you can tell they're a hair's breath from snapping. These are the times I ask myself why try? Why indeed? Because life is too stinking short to be tied down by a short fuse. There is humor in everything if you'll just un-tether yourself from those insecurities and embrace life with all of it's unexpected opportunities and different personalities. Trust me, I have to make myself do it every day and I hope I never quit trying to lighten up. Sure, not totally being feeling overwhelmed can, at times, be a full time job... If we let it. My go-to solution for stress is to do one of the following:

A) Bring humor to the situation. Unfortunately my humor leans toward sarcasm, which is rarely embraced with the affection it is delivered with. Right after my injury, when everyone was still very concerned
about my recovery. I rounded up the gang and took them to see Alice in Wonderland. I made jokes, I laughed when she fell down the rabbit hole and I sought high an low for anything that would defuse the pain, not that I was going through, but for those who were going through it with me. My feeling was if I could act like I was okay, they would buy it and not worry. Luckily, I have friends who have a great sense of humor, even when mine is inappropriate for the situation. When a good friend of mine went through breast cancer, the Girlfriends got together and gave her a bye bye boobie party. We had two choices, we
could laugh, or we could cry.... We chose to laugh while we could and cry when we must. To this day, I get more hits on that post than any other post I have ever written. I believe it's because there are a lot of people out there who want to laugh in the face of something that terrifies them. You know what? That's perfectly okay!

B) My second go-to for stress, is to withdraw. I learned to withdraw after the injury because my verbal filter.... Well, I didn't have a verbal filter for a long time. I found out then I needed to be very careful around anyone who could possibly of stress me out, or hurt my feelings. Now, I only use this reaction when I'm having a serious problem coping with whatever has been thrown in my direction. Withdrawal isn't what I want to do, it's what I must do when I simply can't take any more. Thankfully, I seldom have to use it, but I've found it's better to withdraw than to risk saying something that should be left unsaid.

I often remind myself of the scripture that talks about "Vain Imaginations". I think women are more prone to vain imaginations than men. My Pastor has said more times than I can count.... When someone walks in a room and someone quits talking and they become

offended because they think they were talking about them...... They need to get over themselves. Chances are they weren't the subject, because they're not that interesting. How true that is! I've chastised myself time and again for believing I was the reason someone was behaving in a way that I imagined was because they were mad at me or didn't like me (I mean, it's so hard to imagine someone not liking me of all people). I have to tell myself.... "It's not always about you." I've got stuff I'm dealing with, others have stuff their dealing with and most likely neither have a thing to do with the other. The perfect example happened today while I was on my way home for lunch. I noticed that I was taking exactly the same roads as the car in front of me. I take back roads and side roads, any way that will get me there fastest. As we came to a stop sign, my son and his friends came around the corner headed back to school. I flashed my lights and waved hello to them. The car I had been following put his car in park and marched right back to my car as I rolled the window down. He was ready to confront me with whatever my problem was. I found it so humorous that he instantly took offense... I think that's what you call having an "offendable spirit". I smiled sweetly at him as he demanded to know why I was flashing my lights at him. I laughed and told him I wasn't. I was flashing my lights at my son as he came around the corner and I greeted him with a wave.... "It had nothing to do with you sir." I'm not sure what upset him more.... Him thinking I was flashing my lights at him, or him finding out it had nothing to do with him. I really wanted to tell him to.... "lighten up a little. Life is too short and he looked as if his blood pressure was a little high for him to take everything so serious."  A really big part of me wanted to be charitable and offer a letter opener so he could effectively dig his panties out of the wad they had apparently gotten into. He lives down the street from me so I decided to keep calm, smile sweetly and keep my mouth shut (lucky man). People aren't perfect, everyone has chinks in their armor, some days more than others I can feel the dents in mine. I'm rusty around the edges, I squeak sometimes when I shouldn't, but that's just life. As the song says.... "I'm battle scarred but trying oh so hard to get back to who I once was."  And in case you're wondering no, that song isn't from the same group that sang "The Rubber Band Man." To all who read this post and wonder if it's about you.... It probably is. Ask yourself.... "Do I have an offendable spirit?" If the answer is yes, maybe you should work on it, I am  and hopefully my neighbor will.

                                       SweetP              

Wedding Road Trip - I Got Cratered!

I love Colorado like I love shoes, but the drive there is like a foot fungus on steroids. Hours and hours of barren land, endless roads and no Dr. Pepper 10 makes for a long drive. But hey this wasn't just vacation, it was my son's wedding so there was fun to be had and friends to have it with. In all the years we've been going to Colorado for vacation, we have always driven right past the Capulin Volcano in New Mexico. By that point in the trip I've always just been ready to be there already, and from the road it looks like a giant ant hill to me. But this year we had a vested interest in taking a closer look. One of our friends had a  Niece who works for the park and we wanted to drop by to say hi. To be perfectly honest which always gets me into the perfect amount of trouble, I wasn't particularly excited about the stop and didn't expect it to be interesting or even scenic due to the whole ant hill appearance. When we turned off of the main highway onto the road leading to the park, the landscape instantly took a surprisingly beautiful turn. When we got to the visitors center and got out of the car, the weather alone was enough to make me glad I came, perfect weather without a doubt. We had the pleasure of a guided tour and I'll have to admit that, like so much in life, the view from the road is so deceiving. The view from the rim was spectacular, the narrative was interesting, the hike was refreshing (although you better be in shape) and the all around experience was worth getting off of the beaten path. So yes, I got cratered at the Capulin Volcano National Park because there is beauty in the most barren of places, surprises when the road seems the most boring and nothing like a good detour to take your mind off the hours of driving still to be had. I was glad for the chance to stretch my legs and to take in the amazing view. Thanks for the tour Lynn, it was the perfect beginning to an amazing vacation!

The One

I've had a wonderfully busy weekend. It was full of college graduation events with my future Daughter-in-law, her family and friends. As I sat in the audience of graduation it was hard to hold back tears. I've noticed through the years that whomever my children love, be it a girlfriend, boyfriend, friend, teacher or boss, I seem to
get swept up in their affection and love them as well. I think that's just a Mom thing where you can't help but love those who pour into your child in a positive way. Later at a party with their friends, I looked around at all the beautiful people (that would make a great title to a song). My son has a great (and big) group of beautiful friends. Across the room I watched a table full of them as they laughed, joked and hugged. In the back yard my son sat with others and strummed his guitar as they sang. The street out front was lined with cars which

really isn't out of the norm even on a non-party night. The tiny house was busting at the seams as parents and friends celebrated endings and new beginnings. There were a lot of special people who have graced his life over the last few years, but across the crowed room... There was the one.

Let's Hear it for the Girls

This weekend was the personal shower for my future daughter-in-law. It was a well planned event for a bride who's goal is to be as unplanned and spontaneous as possible... because that's just how these kids roll. They pulled back the veil to her inner circle and I got a glimpse of the female version of "The Haaj". They were every bit as fun loving and hysterical to sit and watch as my son's friends, except with less belching, scratching and other noises that can be heard any time manly men gather (although there we a couple of snorts I believe).

The setting was beautiful, perfect party house with a tri-level back yard which sits on the edge of a lake. 

The games include doing pantomimes of wedding things

Guess who brought the panties 

A video of my son being asked questions. For every question the bride had to guess the answer and get a piece of bubble gum for every answer given.

Every personal shower needs a lap dance or two

Of course what personal shower is complete without the bride being made to model her new sexy stuff for her friends as she tries desperately to keep from dying from embarrassment. It was an absolutely adorable day spent with a lot of adorable women who are coming into their own, picking up the mantel of tradition and carrying it on with their own funky style. I loved it!!!!