Few, Fry, Aaaah--choo!

Call me a nut, but I get a total charge out of people's names. And like, this is for real.

For example, when Jamie took driver's ed two years ago, he had a teacher named "Mr. Fry". Fine enough. Is that really his name? Fry? really?

So, then Joanna signs up for driver's ed, two years later at the same place. She gets "Mr. Few".

When she came home, I was asking her, "So, what's the teacher's name again?"

"Mr. Few"

"Few? I thought it was Fry"

"that's a different guy--I have Few"

So, I am suspecting when Hudson signs up, there will be a "Mr. Fee"; and Nathanael will get "Mr. Foe" and of course, Emily will get "Mr. Fum"..

Or it could be like this.

Jamie getsMr. Fries

Joanna get sMr. Few

Hud gets Mr. Burger

and Than gets Mr. Bun.

Few fries on a burger bun.

or Than gets Mr. Many

Few fries, many burgers..

Fry, Foo, Foe, Fum.

And on and on.

See why it never gets boring in my head?

And there's more than one reason why we don't send our kids to school, but right now "lack of interesting teacher's names" is ranking high on the list.

Or maybe I should send them, so I can have more names to make fun of?

Need expert advice from all of you..

I have an announcement to make.

Are you ready?

The Webbers are planning their first REAL vacation trip. And we are totally inexperienced. Totally.

Does everybody do this often? Just plan to go somewhere without it being related to work, ministry or a family reunion?

So, we thought we should see the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone or some great national landmark. Oh, and have I mentioned that we have little to no money to do this with? So, that probably involves camping. And we are not experienced campers. In fact, we hardly know where to start with the camping thing.

So, what I hoping will happen is this:

1) One of my readers will announce that they live right on the edge of the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone and would love to have a family of 7 in their home for a week.

2) One of my readers will have a cottage that they only rent out for special people once in a while, and they'd be happy to share it with us.

3) Or someone will donate a camper that is easy to use?

4) or you all will tell us to stay home for the two weeks furlough and not feel guilty about it.

Yeah. Two weeks furlough at work is why we are being adventurous. They are shutting down for two weeks, and this is non-vacation shut down. Except they've already shimmied it out of the paychecks, so we aren't any more broke than we have been for the rest of the year. Understand? Good.

O.K. input, people. What do poor people do when they want to vacation and see national landmarks? You can email me if you are not a regular commenter and happen to know my email. Not that I want to give it out. But if I were going to give it out, it might be: organizingmommy (at) sbcglobal (dot) net.

I look forward to hearing what the rest of the world does.

How to not get scammed, hurt or disappointed

Some of you may remember my post last week about potentially getting a grant to fund a pilates business from my home?

Well, the call and offer for a grant was a scam. Thankfully, we realized it before we gave any information away. Apparently, they have a hunch about who has applied for small business grants and they tell you that you've won it and they need your bank routing numbers... etc. to get you the funding.

I learned a few things. If you have applied for a grant, you will not get a call informing you of your grant award. There is a huge procedure for a grant application, and you are assigned a "counselor" to work with you through the process.

I should know these things, since my mother has done a lot of grant writing for the various organizations she's been involved with. But I learned some things. Not just the obvious like, if someone is calling you, offering you money, it is not real. O.K. we all need to learn that, and we know it. But why do we want to believe something is true?

Dreamers.. high in the sky I love pie.. kind-of-dreamers. That's what we are. On a spiritual level, it is called "hope". On a practical level, we call it a "dream". If you are a big picture kind-of-gal (like me) you thrive on tomorrow's successes.

My mother used to call them "the movers and the shakers" "the go-getters".

My grandfather was the ultimate in go-getting, moving and shaking. He raised millions of dollars for his "causes" whatever they were. He, also, gave to his causes and the people who supported them. Some would call him a philanthropist. Others would call him a tireless fundraiser. Some loved him, and probably some didn't. He never told us about the ones who didn't.

He seemed to have this indomitable spirit. He never let the bad guys get him down. He kept plowing along. I think in Christian language, we would call it: perseverance.

Did he ever get scammed early on in his pursuits? No doubt--many times. Did he ever get hurt or disappointed by people? Probably a lot. At the end of his life was he bitter about all of this? No way. I still remember his planning (from his nursing home bed where he was suffered partial paralysis after a stroke) his scheme to get his doctorate from Michigan Tech University. He had it all worked out in his mind how he would hire a student to wheel his wheel chair to his various classes, etc.

That plan never worked out, but it kept his mind happy and planning while he was in his immobile state.

So, you thought I was going to give you a list of do's and dont's of business savvy ideas about how to avoid scams and disappointments, instead I'm giving you (and myself) the permission to be like Grandpa Burt and continue to be naively optimistic in all that you do, hoping for the best--pressing on with our causes, ideas, goals, and hair-brained schemes until GOD says NO. And we aren't going to let some shallow person out in New York who claims to have the authority to hand out grants, scare us away from our dreams. That's just one way that this is not going to be done.

And, like anything, if God is in it, it will get done.

But the answer is not to coil into a ball, all scared of what might be out there. There's plenty of lions in the street, but God doesn't allow the possibility of them being there as an ample excuse to just sit here like blobs, hoping someone else will change the world.

Whatever changing the world means to you--if God is in it--you will be doing it.

So, tell me, how ARE you going to change the world, today?

Moms the Word link up.

new fav!

For Braley Mama's 32nd birthday! Happy Birthday, you youngin.

To be a survivor in this Amazing Race with the need for speed you need God’s Grace and if your desperate like housewives watching days of our lives, you can’t cope without hope and that is not on a soap. If your looking to Oprah or Dr. Phil you can shop non-stop or pop a pill, but the void won’t fill and the pain won’t kill until you love the one that hung on a hill. Kicking back in your lazy boy easy chair watching Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, nah your not gonna find it there. No American Idol or Council Tribal has the final answer that will satisfy ya. C. S. I. ain’t got a clue. S.V.U. Don’t know what to do Not the E R or those seen on a CD TV DVD or MP3 can save you and me. CNN has got no Good News here’s a headline you must choose. It’s not a simple life Paris Hilton, It’s treading on thin ice living in sin. You can be an apprentice for Donald Trump or eat Fear Factor fast food from a dump you can be a heavy hitter or wheel of fortune winner or a Fox news no spin spinner or flat sinner but you better check this life that your livin’ and make sure your sins are forgiven I bet cha 50 cent Elvis done come and went, and eventually every Black-eyed-pea, Gwen Stefani, P-Diddy and Britney. Every wanna-be on M T V with their Icy Bling, every Dixie Chick that Sings, they all gonna see the king of kings. I don’t care if your J-Lo, Leno or Bono. One thing you gotta know. Some day your gonna die, Bro. Then Where are you gonna go. Hey, i’m not talking some punk junk that is irrelevant. Like your Grandma’s church from way back when. It’s not some preacher feature on T B N. that you need to be liking or listening. The real superstar is Jesus Christ. He’s the way, the truth and the life. One day he’s gonna split the sky. He is the brightest light and the highest high and so what I came to say and what I’m telling you is don’t buy that stupid stuff they be selling ya it’s all designed to fill your head and waste your space until your dead here’s the bottom line in my rhyme. Give your life to God while there is still time.

(Words from rap)

11:25

I think I have officially found a way to make time stop.

Are you ready?

I just discovered this yesterday. I found a watch that I bought from a garage sale a few weeks ago and decided to try it on. I set the time for when I tried it on: 11: 25 a.m. I was going out for the day, and I knew that I might have time to get some batteries, so wearing it would make just as much sense than not wearing it, and it looked cool. I'm into that, you know.

I found myself looking for the time on the watch all day long. Instead, it kept registering:

11: 25.

Instead of being irritated about not knowing the time, I found myself chuckling over the concept of stopped time.

I took the girls (Joanna and Emily) for an outing yesterday. We met daddy at the Restoration Cafe, where our friend, Gary Scherwin was playing live music.

at 11:25.. check. I made a mental note to enjoy the moment.

Then I took the girls to Traci Grassmuck's shop "All Things" on Crosby St. so I could show them her cool place with second hand stores, handmade items from local Rockford women and her delicious sweets.

All of this happened at 11:25. Time was just creeping by, and we were having a great time.

The girls and I managed to get to a few garage sales before Hudson's cello concert. I'm not sure how 3:00 p.m. managed to get in the way of our stopped time kind of day, but it did. After we watched Hudson and his other Chamber Music Campers at Rockford College play drums West African drums, play a beautiful chamber piece with two Asian children who were no doubt his age but half his size, and the entire camp sing songs and hand out treats, it was still..

11: 25.

Emily and I hit a few garage sales while Joanna went home with the boys and Daddy went to get his hair cut. We managed to shop at Sam's club to pick up some treats to bring to the Brandon's house for this fabulous meal they planned so Jamie could meet their nephew, Wes, who is just one year older and just completed his first year in the ROTC program at the same college that Jamie is going to in the fall, Michigan Tech U.

All three of our cars descended on the Brandon's home within minutes of our invited time, which was posted at 6:00 p.m. but felt a lot like.. 11: 25.

As all 22 of us (3 families) enjoyed the MANY mutual things we had in common, we enjoyed the delicious grilled chicken, salad, homemade rolls, veggies and chips with an entire display of desserts, time just flew by. Not for me. I knew what time it was.

As I watched Jamie and Wes (the ROTC cadet) talk for hours about what would be Jamie's future next fall, both Will and I marveled at the Lord's provision. A Christian family--with a son at college, involved in Christian things at school AND doing well academically. What a blessing! How DO you launch your first child? With much fear and trepidation and with the Lord's help. And yet, this Mom was such an encouragement to me when she said of her son, "He has grown so much this year!"

And the kindness of the Brandon family--to bring these two families together! Thank you Lord! The minutes slipped away quickly, and soon Wes' family had to leave. Since we had three cars, Emily and I made our way home next, with the other two cars trailing over 2 hours later!

I tucked Emily and I into our "nests" while the others kept enjoying themselves. I do not know what time everyone got home, but I have a feeling it was after..... 11: 25.

Something creative; something reinvented

So you know I've been feeling sick lately. But it gets to the point where you are tired of doing nothing, and you want to take on something--something small, but something that has a big "wow" factor. It all started with a "flirty skirt" that I found at the thrift store. See how pretty the pattern is? But it was hard to find a good match. I ended up going back to my favorite thrift store and getting the extra large top, but I still needed a sweater to go over the sleeveless top. At our chapel, we have bionic air conditioning, so a light sweater is a necessity. Believe me, I'd rather have it too cold than the humid heat any day. But it does make "planning" for the summer wardrobe a little more complex.

So, I snarfed around the house holding up the skirt to various things. Finally, I found this sweater in my daughter's closet. The original "Goodwill" tag was still on it. She was a good egg and willingly donated it to my "crafting cause". And wouldn't you know it? A bit of coordinating fabric was just lurking around also.

Thankfully, the sweater was a cotton (summer weight) sweater.

And the coordinating fabric was this awesome patterned stitched over cotton look. With all of the seaming, the fabric had plenty of stretch. Note: I probably would have cut it on the bias if it hadn't been like this.

Step 1: Cut a line right down the center of the fabric and then cut the neck off. I kept the top seam around the neck in tact, so the entire piece did not stretch out all over the place.

So let's review. So far we have a second hand sweater that we have cut a seam down the center front and then cut the neck off. Pretty easy, so far right? Some of you may want to wear the sweater just like this. If your sweater isn't going to ravel, that might be a good option. Usually, cotton will ravel, AND I wanted to make this special.

See? Nobody died, and you cut a perfectly good sweater. Actually, I think I prefer my sweater to have a slight "V" in the front so, I'm going to taper it a little here.

Yes, I just lopped off a corner. No measuring, no fuss-fussying for 800 years. Just chop. Want the other side to match? Just lay it on the other side reversed. Cut.

O.K. there's no law that says you can't get out a straight edge and a protractor and measure and fuss. Go ahead. I know some of you German-engineer types will have to do it this way.

So, now what? This next picture shows a couple different steps, so stay with me. This isn't rocket science, but some of you may think it is.

First I cut a 4" strip that was long enough to go from the bottom of the sweater all around the neck line and back down. For me, it was around 1 1/2 yards. You can just piece the fabric if you don't have anything that long.

The idea behind this strip is that you are going to finish the edge of what you cut. You could just buy some bias tape (or make your own), sew it to the raw -edge and hand-stitch it down. (Like binding a quilt).

Obviously, that is not what I did.

Fancy. I had to go fancy, I tell you.

So, you see that little rope thingy on the left? I made a small piping line all around the fabric and turned up the opposite edge (ironed 5/8"). That rope was the size of the piping I used. I think you guys know how much I love piping. Piping anonymous. Or is it welting? Anyway, I have a "welting foot" for my sewing machine. Awesome purchase. I think mine was only $24.00 or something.
Here's another thing that welting foot does: it makes a clean covered cord. So, I made a few yards of covered cording. I realize this may be getting too "high brow" for just about everybody now. Really, you can buy this stuff.

So, I made little loops for button loops. Notice the raw edges of the loops are facing the same way as the raw edges of the sweater thingy. You have to sew on the loops BEFORE you put the edging on. I chose 5 and spaced them out evenly along the sweater. I think people recommend odd numbers for things like "button enclosures".
Now, I just took that first piece of 4" wide fabric with the piping on one side and pinned in along the edge. This is the front side. I want to be able to sew on top of my original seam like for the piping.
If you flip it over, it looks like this. The excess fabric from the piping lines up with the raw edge of the fabric. Once you sew all around the sweater the raw edges need to be enclosed.

This is the underside, before hand-stitching. Hand stitch all around the inside to secure the fabric ends are all enclosed.

All that is showing from the outside is a thin trace of piping. And the buttons? I asked my husband to help me find some cool knots for buttons. I think he found a site for making Chinese buttons.

In between writing sermon notes, he was gladly tying Chinese button knots for me.

And Joanna helped me make an accessory for the outfit. I went around the house looking for pink "junk". There are some beads, some buttons, some odd things and let's not forget a few of my grandmother's pearls.

Inspired by this..
Was born this accessory.
So, want to see the final look?




Makes my home sing Monday (tutorial)

and Reinvented Tuesday Trash to Treasure

More photos!!

Keep in mind that none of us are professional photographers.. here are some more photos from last week.

My mother-in-law tells me that your front door should say "hello". She helped me put together this little combo for the front door. Usually my front door say, "Hiya!"

In the livingroom, we had three tables set up with this decor. There are miscellaneous reptiles holding the balloons down. There were 7 other tables scattered all over (downstairs or outside) that looked a lot like these.
Volleyball seems to be a popular sport at these parties. I love that gal's hair. I think she is going to be a hedgehog when she grows up because I had hair like that at that age..
Moooooooooommmm....I must have just said something that got her thinking. Maybe it was right after I let her loose from her do-se-do when they played "Hoedown"..??
Isn't she cute? She needs a piece of cake too.
Looking from the volleyball court towards the back of the house. There was 110 people (not including the 14 immediate family)

Lily, Emily and Charlie. Emily had to entertain "her guests" you know.

uuuhhh.. yeah.. Look out ,Charlie.
My mother's cousin, Barb, son, Bill and husband, Tom. Great to see you guys! Barb, if you are reading this, all of the "eyeballs" are gone! (Barb makes these fabulous pretzel candies with a M & M in the middle--hence; my kids have always called them eyeballs)

Jamie hanging out with a friend, Andrew who graduated last year. I'm sure he's giving Jamie tips on how to survive college life!
It's all about the cute kids.
Here I am talking with one of my best friends, Pasquale. He hangs out with our family and cuts my hair for me. Good job, no?
O.K. here's something. The little gal on the left has 6 kids. When is she going to stop looking like a teenager? Just wondering.
Last but not least--the Webber grandparents. I love you guys! As my mother would say

"Thanks to giving birth to Will.. so we can have Jamie!" What a concept!

So my mother tells me..

So my mother tells me, "I printed out your blog for Grandma to read"

Me: "You printed out my entire blog? All 700 posts?? Save a tree already!"

Mom: "No..uh.. that's not what I mean. Just the last three ones"

Me: "Posts? You only printed out the last three posts, right?" (wiping my brow and breathing a sigh of relief) Poor Gram! It would be the equivalent of reading a small, disjointed novel. And does Grandma really need to know that I think of myself as a German bar maid? or that the guy on the plane next to me almost barfed? or what?

As it is, I should probably talk about my grandparents a little. I have two living grandparents--my dad's parents. They are Mary and Al Parlato (I had better be careful, since my mother will print this out and deliver (the entire blog, no doubt) with a plate of cookies to them... whatever.

So, what can I say about my grandparents? I'm guessing that Grandpa is close to 92, and Grandma is close to 90. They live independently in a small apartment about 1.23 miles from my parents. My dad walks to their house every day and stays and visits for about 17.5 minutes. My uncle also lives about 1.3 miles away and he comes often also. They are all snug and cozy in the little town of Gwinn, population 1,973 (on a good year).

Grandma and Grandpa live very active lives and are in pretty good health, despite an occasional set-back. But they weren't quite up to traveling to Rockford for the big party. I guess at 90ish, you can decide what you want to do, eh?

I must be 90 today, since I'm doing what I want to do. Actually, I've been sick and "blobbing out" on the couch most of the day. Yes, I am getting rest. But I feel bad. Today is Joanna's birthday, and we are just not as peppy as we should be to celebrate her sweet 16.

So, if you think of Jo, send her a birthday greeting. And I hope to be doing something special for her soon!

The aftershocks..

I'm dealing with the aftershocks of going 8 million miles an hour for about a month straight. And now? Now I have a sore throat and I have to rest.

Yes, I made it to Berlin. Sure I made an emergency trip to Cedar Point. And a full week blitz to get this party up and rolling. So, now I am parched, dried out, depleted, numb and sick.

And they are making size 10 tops A LOT smaller than they used to. Like last year even. Who's body is this, anyway? At one point in my life, I was a "petite" on top, other than my long waist. Now I'm posing as a German bar maid. I mean really. I have arms. I have shoulders. I have those other things. yuck.

So, I went out shopping at my favorite thrift store yesterday. I found the cutest dress for Emily for our upcoming cruise. Did I say cruise? Anyway, that's another story and it's not until November. And then, I found the sweetest "flirty skirt" as they call it. The problem is that there were no matching tops except one that was a "medium" and the other an "extra large". The good news is that when I got home, the flirty skirt FIT. It even looked (can I say it?) slimming?? Good grief. That's hard to do around here.

And I bought the medium top to go with it. The problem is this: I am a small chested "slim" girl in my mind. I actually thought the top would work. So, after I brought it home and there was a four inch gap between the closures, I started to re-think my shopping strategy.

Joanna, on the other hand, seems to like my "slim girl-in-my-mind" complex that I have going on in my mind. Her summer wardrobe is getting chock full. She is the slim girl that I was.

She is a tall, pretty, slim girl. And I?

I have two steins in each hand and hefty cleavage to boot.

Anyway, you'll be happy to know that I found two tops in the XL department that are cute and did work. I need to go back and purchase that other XL that matches and THEN we'll take photos (or not) of these great purchases.

In the meantime, I am kicking myself for getting rid of all of my XL tops that I had before I lost weight in 2007. Duh. You know--the 20 year high school reunion that EVERYONE looses weight for? and then promptly gains it back?

The next time I decide to loose weight, I am going to keep my big clothes.

OR

The next time I decide to loose weight, I am going to have another cookie.

OR

Oh, I think I'll just plan to GAIN weight, and then I'll be right on track for where I would be if I lost it and gained it back...? LOL.

Graduation partying..

Knock knock knock..

Is this thing on?

Is anybody still reading this?

O.K. good. I just thought you would all want to see what the graduation party extravaganza looked like. After all, it's not like I haven't been sweating this grand event for like... a month.. or a year.. or about 18 years, to be exact.

So, here's our graduate (Jamie) flanked by his two next siblings. Joanna on right, Hudson on the left. And yes, they are wearing custom graduation T-Shirts. It all started when Jamie decided that this event was getting way out of control. He decided if we were going to go ALL out that we should probably have T-shirts also.

The T-shrits say "2010 Webber Graduation" with all the possible adjectives to describe a party

"party, fieta, festivity, over-the-top, soirree, bash, etc.." and the last one is "Extravaganza".

Extravaganza pretty much sums it up. It's going to take all week to put up photos of everything, but we'll start with the most important thing--the guests. What's a party without guests? Even though I felt like 100 people were missing from the event, we still had 124 people there altogether (including family). I was prepared for 225-250. Obviously I can not put pictures up of 124 people, but I'll just randomly select a few to show.

The little gal on the right (next to Nathanael) is Hope. Hope is the oldest of 6 children and dear friends of ours who came all the way from Chicago for the day. What a great surprise and blessing it was to see them out in full force with all of their little ones! All the big girls thought that Hope looked like Caddie Woodlawn or Laura Ingalls. What do you think?

MVP "Most valuable partiers" club starts with Jim and Tammy. They were also out in full force with their 4 kids and stayed until 10:00 and helped clean up, load tables, and get the place back in order Saturday night.
Mom on left, sleeping hedgehog on right. Mom and Dad came a few days early to help get the yard organized. Mom just "did whatever needed doing". I could never pull it off with out you, Mom. Also, Mom brought pasties (a yooper food) and moose roast for the party. Both were hits.
Will's brother Scott on the left, and Will on the right.
This was our kitchen. The scene was the same. It just changed players every hour.
And yes, there was a concert at the party! This whole group is 3 (only 3!) homeschool orchestra families. The concert was lovely!
Jamie on violin, Hud on cello.
Jason and baby Sarah enjoying the concert.

Left to right: Grandpa Jon Webber, Jamie, Joanna, Will and Hudson

All of the immediate family members in attendance.

Thanks for coming everyone!!

I love my life

I just had to tell you that, if you didn't already know it. It's midnight, and I'm tired. The kids and mom and dad did yard work non-stop practically all day. I checked on them periodically, while trying to get some work done in the yard also.

Me: "Mom, you probably should drink some water.."

Mom: "That would be great. Thanks..."

So, I knew my place. I fetched the water.

Mom: "Your dad can pick up some petunias for you."

Me: "You mean, dad can just know what petunias to get?"

So, I didn't risk it. I got some petunias. and lilies. and hydrangeas. What can I say? They jumped into the cart.

Mom: "All I want for my birthday is to watch Julie and Julia"

So, I stopped at the video store after picking up the petunias.

Mom: "It would be nice to have Papa Murphy's Pizza for dinner"

So, after the petunias, before getting the video, I got the pizza. (after teaching pilates,) and after making treats for the kids.

So, when I finally got home, I put the tray of petunias on the ground, put in the pizza and watched Julie and Julia with mom for her birthday.

After all, it's not every day your mother is 65 and you get to watch a show on cooking while eating pre-made food.

So, yes, my life is good. I am thankful for the pizza, the movie, but most of all, a mother to enjoy them with.

Fellow awesome bloggers hit the big time

For those of you who do not know Rhett and Link, get out from under the rock already. These guys are awesome, talented, clean and hilarious. And guess what? The rest of the (paying) world is finding out about them. Good job guys! We were just watching the news (on actual television) and this showed up! Woot!

And I don't want anybody telling me that they don't love Rhett and Link. And you thought it would be fun sitting next to me on the airplane? What about these guys?

Good job guys!

I think my kids hate me--we must be on track.

We must be on track for the graduation party, that is. Our family is not a big, rowdy, get angry kind-of-family. If someone has had "enough" of the situation--whatever the situation is--they just go and hide.

I'm not exactly riding a broom around here, but there's a whole lot of comandeering going on. So, at any given moment, the entire place can be empty.. with just a few mice scurrying around.

Not to worry though. We are ahead of schedule as far as cleaning, organizing and setting up tables go. I just hope somebody doesn't decide to check on the organizing mommy to see IF indeed her dungeon really IS organized. Because I can tell ya right now, that my precious dungeon is a receptacle for all things non-party related. And by receptacle, I mean literally that round thing that you put out at the end of the driveway once a week.

I think I will put a sign on the door:

Do not enter

Enter at your own risk

If you cross this line, you will be eaten by a monster

and gain 50 pounds

and never ever be the same agaaaaaaaaaaaaaaain!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, maybe that's a tad melodramatic. Let's see, if I can come up with something else.

You are now entering the dungeon

--the home of all living and non-living items of intrinsic non-monetary value

(especially the carrots that are sprouting horns and the little jar of junk that I found at a garage sale that I'm too sentimental to go through right now, and hubby's baby outfit, even though it is discolored)

If you enter, you are required to take something home with you that will clutter up your life forever!!!!

I just can't do it, can I? I can't even make a stupid sign for the dungeon without getting all emotional and weird.

O.K. final try:

Do not enter

Because if you do, I may have to babble on endlessly apologizing for it's condition, and you really don't have the stomach for that, do you? And I am just too emotional and weird to not ever forget that you were in here when it looked like this.

Yup. that's it.

And I wonder why I don't host big events every day of my life?

Random funny conversations from my trip

O.K. I know my regulars are just enduring my high brow posts until I can relax enough to get to the real stuff--the funny stuff--the hedgehog stories.

So, you know I can hardly leave my living room without having something funny happen, let alone go all the way to Germany..

As it was, Will and I traveled separately on different planes, on different airlines, no less. Everyone wanted to know why we did such a thing. Was it because we have so many children and one plane could crash and the other might survive? At least the kids would have one surviving parent? No. They give us way too much credit for thinking and planning.

It has to do with the fact that he is required to fly with certain carriers since he is in the aviation industry, and this was a business trip. And I? I am on a hedgehog budget and graciously accepted the cheapest flight, in hopes that our tax refund would cover it as well as the new paneling for the basement bathroom remodel. Glamorous, I know.

So, the reality of the situation is that I am let "loose" for several hours to make friends with perfect strangers all across the world.

I think I told you about my German history friend? Actually, it was such a great thing meeting him, since I had done ZERO research about the country before the trip. Well, Wolfgang, (Yes, that was his name!) told me that he was starting to feel sick as the plane was descending.

And I'm thinking, "Oh no you don't, pal. We're going to fix this straightaway!"

So, I put on my quick thinking mothering cap and said, "You really don't feel sick. Let me tell you some funny stories." I quickly put on his air and by that time, I was feeling so tired from not sleeping on any of my flights, and it was the equivalent of 3:00 a.m. Chicago time, that I just closed my eyes and proceeded to tell him crazy stories.

Normally, it doesn't take much effort for me to be a standup comic (or in this case, a sit-down comic) but it was all I could do to keep my mind focused. I had to dig deep into my hedgehog stories. I think it was working because I heard him laugh a few times.

And if I hadn't blogged about all of my stuff, no doubt nothing would be coming to mind. So, thanks for keeping me blogging. It saved me from getting barfed on. And I highly recommend having a few weird stories under your belt for such occasions.

If you don't have any material of your own, just look at life around you. It IS funny. People are funny. You are funny. I know I am. Funny looking, often. And then I can put it back together again neatly. Makes me feel like I've accomplished something for the day--putting my hair down for example.

Speaking of hair, I just want you to know that I got a compliment on my hair by one of the young gals I met at the Gala event. She liked the color. O.K. this was hard. I color my hair, you know? And to make it worse, the grey roots are peeking through. Whatever. The lights were dim, and she wanted to be nice, I guess.

Speaking of nice, today is my mother's birthday. I'm trying to remember how old she is. I think she is 65. Yup. 65. I just did the math. I tried to call her, but she is probably at exercise class, or quilting, or having a birthday party with her friends or picking up little old ladies at the mall, asking them if they need a ride somewhere.

On the way home flight, I found the need to move around and do some pilates at the back of the plane. The flight attendant was on to me, and kept telling me that the "fasten seatbelt sign" was ON.. hint hint.. So, I went back to my seat and kneeled up and faced the people behind me. Surely, they could handle a little bit of conversation. And that's where my mother comes in.

I get to missing my mother on these long trips, you know? Mom and I talk all the time on the phone, and a week seems way too long to go without talking to her! So, if I can't be WITH my mother, I can at least talk about her, eh?

"So, you know" (I say to a perfect stranger) "my mother was not fond of me going to Germany"

"Oh, really?" (perfect stranger wondering what on earth is going on..)

"Yeah. She thought I should be home sweating every detail of my son's upcoming graduation party. I mean really. Just because it's on Friday, and we're having 200 or so people coming, does not mean I shouldn't be in Germany"

"yeah. It's that generation. They want to sweat the details, you know."

Me: "And my mom is really a saint. She always stays at my house when she comes to visit. I'm not sure I could handle that. I think I'll take a hotel when I go visit my kids."

(giggling..from stranger)

Me: "But I can always tell when the visit is getting to her. She will say a few classic lines. Here's the first one.

Honey, I don't know HOW you DO IT.

"And here's another classic line that she says when one particular child is getting on her nerves,"

You see that child there? YOU have a LOT of patience with HIM!

"And my favorite line of hers, when she thinks I'm making a bad decision is

I'll be anxious to see HOW THIS WORKS OUT.

"So, you can see, my mom and I get along famously. I am very excited to be a grandma someday.. let's say in the next 10 years or so. But I think I'll take a hotel when I go and visit--especially if they have..let's say... three sets of twins or something."

My new best friend sitting behind me told me I needed to be a "stand up". I thought the flight attendant told me to be a "sit down". Now I'm confused. Nevertheless, nobody got sick and I didn't make any enemies that I know of.

But for now, I look forward to my mother's visit--tomorrow. And she really is my best friend (in a mom sort of way) and we will knock out every detail of this graduation party, even though I went to Germany.

And I'll be anxious to tell you how this all works out.

blogger is back up!

Yeah!! I've been wanting to post an update for a while now, but blogger was down.

So, I'm home from galavanting all over Berlin. Yes, the rest of the free world (across the pond) is safe. And yes, I have more to say about the trip, but I have to wait until I get some pictures emailed to me from the friends I met there. I am a looser blogger and did not travel with a camera.

I will say this much right now. It was a special time for my sweetheart and I. On the last night of the trip we were toying around with the idea of hitting the Pergamum museum (of all of the ancient things, etc.) or just wandering aimlessly around the city.

I could sense that on this beautiful, sunny-kissed, romantic evening that just strolling through the city was going to be just the thing. So, I just looped my arm through his and wandered through the downtown area, up the Ka-de-We shopping area to the top of the glass-domed restaurant and back down again. We managed to find a "curry wurst" at a kiosk, just near the train station and sauntered back by the Europa Center to watch a team of break dancers doing their tricks for crowd on the sidewalk.

Back at the hotel, I managed to find that special black dress and join my husband in the lounge area of hotel. There a singer played old fashioned love songs on a baby grand, and we split our meal and dessert. We discussed everything and nothing, like couples are supposed to do.

It took the entire trip, but I think I finally felt relaxed. This is why I come on these trips.

Yes, I love to travel and see things. Yes, I enjoy the drama that goes with international business gatherings. But really? I love reconnecting with my sweetheart. And somehow.. away from the hustle and bustle of daily life.. planning and gathering, cleaning and blitzing, we get lost in the activity of it all and forget who we are--a couple. one flesh. a God-created entity.

Sometimes you have to leave home to discover what was there all the while.

Sightseeing in Berlin

I did not bring a camera, but a few of the ladies brought theirs, so it may take a few days to get photos up.

Today I toured with a group of ladies whose husbands are connected with the Airbus Symposium going on this week. One of the ladies, Meg, I met in Montreal in 2002? at a previous symposium (A340). That time was a blast! The ladies who come to these things are very adventurous and have no problem seeing the city, connecting with strangers, and having fun.

So, we all met for breakfast and planned our sightseeing adventures. Basically, we rode buses all over the city and saw some of the major things: the Brandenburg Gate, what is left of the Berlin wall, the infamous "Checkpoint Charlie" and the Jewish Memorial. We also saw Potdamer Platz, a part of the city that is totally remade into "cool" or "hip" as my tourguide friend told me. It would have been nice to kept some of it not cool and hip, just to show the contrast of what was going on in the east v.s. the west before the breakdown of the wall. Apparently, people on the east were driving around in cars from the 1950's and still living in that time period, with no access to modern inventions or living until the fall of the wall in 1989. It is quite an interesting story.

There's so much to learn. One of the ladies in our group is German and grew up in West Germany. She remembers visiting the wall when she was younger, and now she has seen the big changes just in her lifetime. What a neat perspective she has!!

For food, we have been trying all of the ethnic specialties, specifically: Schnitzel, rocket salad, sauerkraut, horseradish, and apple struedel for dessert. Everything has been good! Normally, I do not care for German food in the states, but it's not that it doesn't taste good. It's that the portions were so huge, that it was hard to enjoy the food. Will and I always split the meals. It makes it much easier to enjoy the food when you aren't so stuffed!

There is a museum connected to Checkpoint Charlie. I think I would really like to see that tomorrow. And then the big Gala party for Airbus is tomorrow night. All the wives and attendees will be there. They usually put us all on buses and don't tell us where we are going. It's all secret. It's always a blast and done superbly. No doubt this year will be the same thing.

There's food, entertainment, something cultural, educational, and fun. The last one of these I went to was in Thailand. They had elephants out there performing and Asian style wrestling/ performing--swords?? I think.

Well, my hair really acted up today. I gave it C-. It has been rainy and cold, and we were out walking most of the day. It was pretty much a frizz ball at the end of the day. I managed to get it calmed down before our dinner out. And, yes, I am behaving. I am too jet lagged to get into trouble. I just follow orders, you know.

Maybe by tomorrow I'll be back to instigating things, since that's one more day of adjustment under my belt. WE'll see.. Oh, and I found cool T-shirts for my kids already. I can't talk about them, just incase they are reading this!! Very hip and cool, as they say here. Yes, I am very surprised at how Hip and Cold it is here. Or how cold my hips are, but really... it's all good.