Alright everyone! Free Utopia tickets to Paradise! Now the budget is big enough to handle it all. So tell me who and what you are bringing. Me? I am bringing the hubby, Pina Coladas for all, and beach chairs with the big straw hats to shield us. You coming? Tell us what you are bringing and get here!

Lady Lee tagged me and said I was to name 5 things I have heard and never forgotten.
Then I am to tag 4 others.

1. Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.
~My folks all play regulation horse shoes and have for over 30 years. My mom even beat my dad and won first place one year! *cheers for the girls*~

2. When something wasn't my business, yet I asked what, my grandmother would answer me with, "It's cat fur to make kitten britches."

3. I loved this one: "Makes me mad enough to chew nails and spit out BB's" I use this myself sometimes.

4. You can travel the world over to find beautiful but if you don't have it within, your journey will be disappointing.
~I think this is so important. If you can't be happy on your own, you won't find it.~

5. My dad and my Uncle are awesome warblers. My dad whistled no matter what he did. Imagine my surprise when I found my Matthew is a wonderful whistler. So now I truly enjoy the phrase, "Wet your whistle!"

Okay I played...I choose the boys. Bob, Library Cat, Randy and Mr. O.

This message post will get me picked on a bit, but since it was a traumatic event for me, I will grin and bear with the picking.

First I will start out with the big stuff.
The musical was wonderful.
They presented Rodgers and Hammerstein's, Cinderella.
All three daughters were involved. Sarah went back to her old stomping grounds and help paint and design the set, took pictures for display and help kids with their lines. Ashli created the play bill,which was also made into sweat and T shirts. Kayleen was a towns person and a dancer at the ball.

New News:
Mom and dad made the journey up and spent the weekend. We had a great time.
By the way, my mom is now a blogger amongst us. She is My Little Corner by Special Angel. She is just starting out so all this is new for her, but she is very excited to be here.

Now some Hamster update:
The hamster of the pink Palace has decided to build a nest in her running wheel and sleep in it during the day, then the nocturnal rodent awakes and runs with her little nest tumbling along with her!
Since the nest material gets caught in cracks and crevices of the wheel it creates a loud percolator sound that eventually sounds like a high pitch scraping sound. These sounds emit forth from my baby's room at perfect hamster hours, all night, from 1 am to 6 am!
We have had to remove or block the wheel at times. The hamster then leaps from side to side of the cage to create it's own form of entertainment and since this make the cage move a sector each time, the palace begins a journey across it's region of the stand to the other.
We replaced the wheel because, when we finally woke and found what was creating this new sound, the palace was cliff hanging.
I believe Skizzy has adhd.

Okay, the ridicule part:
When my step daughter pulled a tick from her body two summers ago, I freaked. Then she informed me that she gets them at least twice a summer. I cross examine my hubby who verifies this horrible tale by relating he too gets 2 to 3 ticks a year.
I had decided right then and there, I would be the exception.
I guess Marylanders find this funny and quite delight in my serious repeat that if I ever do find one, I will pass out.
We are talking about an insect that burrows their heads into your body and drinks like a vampire. You become a host to a parasite. *shivers*
I have told my hubby if he comes home and I am passed out on the floor to please check me over for ticks.
I mean it, he laughed and agreed.
I arrived yesterday afternoon. I had a great meal cooked by the hubby and we watched Eragon (great movie) and acted like two teenagers snuggling at the theater.
I awoke this morning when Matthew took off for the store, to shower and get my day going. I was reflecting and enjoying my shower when I touched a bump in the crease of my leg. My immediate thought was, "I don't have a mole there." Then I reluctantly went back to the spot and realized it was a tick.
I stopped the shower, called my hubby, who came home to my rescue. (NO Randy, I am not a baby)
He successfully removed the tick without leaving behind some body parts and I stayed conscious with much effort.
Lacy Lou,our precious lab, who had curled up with me on the couch last night was grinning. I hurled a look in her direction and she grinned wider. She was quite proud of her gift to me.
So, it's official. I have done everything else, ate the soft crab, dealt with the hurricane, fished for the hard crab, and rode in the bay on a skiff. I am a Marylander, I am not looking forward to meeting the quota though.

There are moments in our lives that change us.
There are events that define when we veer from the path we are taking or maybe even make an about face.
Some of these times are subtle and enter our lives as gently as the ripple of a leaf hitting still water, then there are times when the unchangeable slams us and we have to struggle just to breathe.
I have had many, and some were early on in life.
There are many key deaths in my life.
For instance, when I lost two beautiful women cousins, sisters, to cystic fibrosis, I saw the fraility of life, and knew what it was like to know your time is limited.
I sat with my best friend and cousin when he lost his mom at 16 and his dad, then he came to me when he lost his baby boy to a pool accident, I examined how I was sharing my love with the ones I loved.
When my dad fought cancer twice, I learned that we are not in control of our departure.
And with the loss of my father in law and soldier friend, I learned death robs us of heroes.
I have witnessed the birth of my children and with each I wanted only to become the best mother I possibly could be, to give them the direction they need.
I was robbed of half their life with them after facing my husband's infidelities and abuse, I learned life is not always fair.
There was the time when one of my babies was missing for an hour at a camp ground. The fear that grips your heart and wrings it is so incredible, I feel for every parent that suffers such.
So many events have carved deep etches in my life and carried me in a different direction.
Then there are the subtle things.
When I regained my hearing at 10 years old and heard a bee, a bird, a plane, a cats purr, and a whisper.
The world angled differently and I faced new perspectives.
Or the time I finished my degree and the pride of accomplishment filled my soul and I knew I was capable of many things.
When I bent my knee in humble servanthood and felt the grace of God flood through me and I desired to love others.
I have had friends who reach into my life and support me when I have questioned my judgement.
The love of a sweet tender man who is there to protect and love me in such a way that I never knew possible.
His knee touching the wet ground, the umbrella sheltering the rain but not the tears that flowed from my eyes when he asked me to become a permanent in his life.
The soft confessions of my Matthew's momma, who lost her husband after 60 years and wishes she had 60 more. Her quiet voice sharing their love and secrets. I learned that love can last for always.
I am ever seeking the wisdom to make my life better.
I am no where near flawless. That confession alone would be a mistake, because the one solid thing I have learned from this journey, is the day you think you have gained all there is to know, that is when you start getting tested on your learning.
But this I do know.
Life is not about who you are now, it is about who you wish to become.
It is about looking away from the mirror and looking at who needs you.
It is about living to fulfill not living to fill up.
The day you think you know it all, is when you lose your audience.
Dear friends, thank you for traveling with me.