Deep Thoughts...by Ann

C'mon, girl, FOCUS!

2006-02-20T19:56:00.000-08:00

I’ve got a terrible habit. Once I get something into my head, I put my blinders on and dive straight in. So now I’ve got so many things going, all I can do it sit here on the couch and wonder which one I should be doing. And that is getting me nowhere.

Jewelry Making – I was at the mall recently and found some really cool earrings. I was too cheap to buy them, so I thought to myself, “I can make that. How hard can that be?” The next day, I was sitting at home with a few hundred beads, clips, elastic, earring thingys, and a whole bunch of other crap I didn’t know what to do with. So far I’ve made a set of earrings, a necklace and a bracelet – none of it wearable.

Macrame – I don’t even know if I can spell this craft. I bought a cool pair of jeans that came with a macramed belt that was…well…awesome. Shoot, I can make one of those! So off I went to Wal-Mart to get me some cord. Got home and found out – after attempting many knots – that I had the wrong stuff. Back to Wal-Mart I went to buy more cord, along with some cool beads that can go on my belt. So I’ve got about 5 practice knots made. The pile of macramé stuff is currently in the corner of my living room. I made the mistake of bragging about my new craft to my friends, so they keep wondering where their new belts are. All in good time, my friends, all in good time.

Olympics – Even though I’m not much of a sports fan, I get wrapped up in watching the Olympics. Crafts? What crafts? Curling is on for crying out loud!

Reading – don’t even ask me how many books I’ve got lying on the floor next to my bed that have bookmarks in the middle of them. I even brought one upstairs with me yesterday afternoon. It’s still in the same spot on the living room floor.

Website – I’ve got a website going that severely needs updating. I could do it now while I’ve got my laptop in front of me, but I can’t focus on that while the Italians are doing their figure skating routine.

I have to admit that I REALLY want to start knitting cool scarves. I’ve been to Wal-Mart and Hobby Lobby to look at the goods, but frankly, I have no idea where to start. So if you are a knitter, give me some hints on how to get going! I need another thing on my to-do list.

Ann's Stuff You Need Store

2006-02-14T11:39:00.000-08:00

I’ve just returned from Colorado with an enjoyable trip with my family. On my flight home, I designed my own business venture. If you have not been on a skiing trip to Colorado, you may not fully understand how successful my new store will be.

Ann’s Stuff You Need Store
Based in Silverthorne, Colorado

My store will include the following products and services:
Ski rental, because every other store out there does it so why not me
Those bottles of oxygen
Bottled water
Lotion, for extra extra dry skin
Humidifiers – every house should have 5 or 6 going at all times
lip balm with sunscreen
sunscreen
firewood

Those are the things I will sell because that is really all you need out there. Look me up the next time you are out there. I'll probably be in the back room next to the humidifier, lathering myself with lotion and chugging water like a mad woman.

Pittooee!

2006-02-06T14:46:00.000-08:00

So we’re sitting in church on Sunday morning. At our church, we have communion once each month. Our sons have always stayed in the pew while we went forward. This week I decided that it was time they took part in the ritual, after a short in-church disagreement with Mike.

So we march up to the front, and I help them tear off the piece of bread and instruct them to dip it into the juice. Lucas puts his in his mouth like he’s supposed to, while Cameron marches back to the pew with his in his hands. I try to grab him and tell him to eat it, but cannot catch up. Finally back in the pew, I talk him into it.

On our way home, Lucas announces that he still has his in his mouth. “It’s gross! I can’t swallow it!” So Mike proceeds to tell him, “Just spit it out the window,” which just makes me freak out. “YOU CAN’T SPIT JESUS CHRIST OUT ONTO THE SIDEWALK!”

Lucas, always the reasonable one, tries to calm me down. “Actually, Jesus is very caring and I am sure he would not want me to eat something that I did not like, Mom. He is very understanding.”

We rode the rest of the way in silence. Hours later I went into the bathroom at home. There, in the garbage can, was the bread and blood of Jesus Christ – right next to the snotty tissue and the used dental floss. Ya, he better be understanding...

A Life Cut Too Short

2006-02-03T08:45:00.000-08:00

It is with a heavy heart that I write today’s blog entry.

An acquaintance of mine is in her last days of her courageous battle with cancer. We are not close friends, but in a small town such as mine we are all involved in each other’s lives. Her situation hit me especially hard on my drive into work this morning.

While her situation is devastating and the outcome is almost certain, I’ve tried to look at the positive things.

1. She was able to meet her granddaughter. Her sons are young adults, with one being married with a daughter. There will be other grandchildren, I’m sure, but her being able to experience “grandparenthood” was such a gift.

2. She was able to say goodbye. Many of us will not have this opportunity, and she is so fortunate to have spent the past week saying sharing goodbyes with everyone who has been a part of her life.

3. If this tragedy had to happen, I think the family is extremely lucky to have been able to get their two sons raised beforehand. They have two wonderful kids who have grown into fine young men.

4. They have a wonderful family who will be there to support them through this, and afterward.

May God bless you, Marci.

2006-01-31T12:26:00.000-08:00

I have a new hobby – vacuuming. Oh, I’ve always kept my house vacuumed, but now I’ve got a brand new vacuum thanks to the generous Christmas money from (you know who you are!). It has one of those see-through canisters that collects all the dirt. Now I can see all the junk that is coming out of my carpet and, well, it’s AWESOME.

I don’t want you to think that my house is a total disaster, because really it’s not. But I do have a cat and a dog in the house and their hair matches the color of my carpet. Therefore, I never had any idea the amount of hair the lied beneath the surface. Now I know.

There is definitely a method to my vacuuming. Before I begin to vacuum a room, I make sure the canister is empty, just because I have to know how productive I am. When I am done with that room, I run to the garbage can to see my results. “Look, Mike!”, I yell excitedly. “Umm, I don’t think you are supposed to have to dump that canister out after each room,” he responds. “Duh, if I don’t dump it out, then I can’t see what I’m getting!” And I march back to the vacuum to tackle the next room.

I may not blog again for awhile. I’ll be too busy vacuuming.

Rage Against The Machines

2006-01-29T19:30:00.000-08:00

There is a mutiny going on in my house. I can’t see it happening or hear it happening, but I indeed know that it is happening.

I’m positive that while I’m busy, away from the house, or just sitting on the couch staring into space, it’s going on in my basement. All of our clothes, innocently hanging in the closet, neatly (or not so neatly) sitting in the drawers, are receiving messages from the laundry room… “ Come hither, pants. Shirts, make your way in here. This is where you belong. Crawl in here socks, but don’t bring your partner with you…”

Yes, I know this is happening. I can spend a whole weekend washing, drying, hanging, folding, putting away, more washing, drying, “where is that dang sock?”, putting away, folding, “Mom, where are you?”, washing, drying, “Buster, get off the clothes”, hanging, drying, “Get out of here, Buster!”, washing, folding, “MICHAEL COME GET YOUR DAMN DOG”. And then lo and behold, the next time I look in the laundry room there is another pile to be tackled.

I am convinced that the washing machine and dryer have teamed up against me. Is it because they love the smell of laundry detergent? Do they love the cozy blanket of dryer lint that covers them? Maybe they need the extra warmth, in these winter months. But I know they are luring the clothes into the laundry just to keep me in my robot routine every night. “COME IN HOUSE…DROP MAIL ON THE COUNTER…CHECK VOICE MAIL…CHECK EMAIL…” And then they hear me tromping downstairs for my next ritual. “Yes, here she comes!” they yell in unison. PUT A LOAD OF LAUNDRY IN.

As I walked back upstairs after putting in tonight’s load of laundry, I thought I could hear them making their plan for tonight. So I’m considering sleeping in the laundry room tonight to witness it happening. My sheets have already made their way in there, so I might as well.

Readers are Leaders

2006-01-26T10:25:00.000-08:00

I am an avid reader and always have a stack of books next to my bed. I’m often reading at several books at once, so that when I fall into bed at night I know there will be a book there to match whatever mood I’m in. 99% of my books are non-fiction, but my 2006 goal is to read more non-fiction.

Right now there are two books sitting there: John and Pivot. (yes, non-fiction, I know)

John was written by Cynthia Lennon about her years with John Lennon. I’ve always been interested in “behind-the-scene” stories, so I thought this would be a good read. I knew of Cynthia and Julian, but never knew any details of them – which is the main reason she wrote the book, she said. I fully expected the book to be a “John-bashing”, but so far it is not. Granted, they are still together at the point I’m at, so I’m sure it will get more interesting. I would recommend this to Beatles fans, or just music fans in general, since it gives the behind-the-scenes look at the beginning of the world’s biggest band.

I haven’t picked up Pivot for at least one month. In the past year I’ve really gotten interested in motivational books, and this was my latest purchase. I really can’t remember much about it, but since it’s still sitting next to my bed then obviously it’s keeping me interested.

Well, that was a boring post. Good lord…

FREEDOM!!

2006-01-22T20:36:00.000-08:00

I really was not aware of how bad my conditions were. I had high-speed Internet, a new computer, and a pretty cool desk to go along with it. I also had a little scanner/printer combo, and a digital camera that I could download pictures from with just a few clicks. I thought of myself as pretty technologically advanced, when compared to others I knew. I was perfectly happy with my setup.

One evening I was sitting at my cool desk, doing some work on my high-speed Internet. My family was in the living room. Suddenly it hit me – I was in here…and everyone else is out there. It bothered me a little bit that I was not included in the family gathering, but I continued my work at my cool desk, and then went to the living room when I was finished.

From then on, every time I was sitting at the computer I felt alone…left out…trapped in this cold, dark room. Just me and my computer. And my little scanner/printer combo. And my digital camera. And don’t forget the cool desk! But none the less, by myself.

A few more weeks went by, and I expressed my frustration with some others. I heard their stories about sitting on their pontoon boat while surfing the web, waiting for an important email to come in while sunning on deck, and checking weather radar in the middle of an outdoor party. And I realized I was missing out. I was NOT as technologically advanced as I thought!

The next day I set out to fix my problem. I went to Best Buy, bought myself a laptop and a wireless router, and set off for home to get myself set up. That night, after installing, plugging, unplugging, rebooting, swearing, rebooting again, instruction searching and more, I found it – FREEDOM! No longer was I trapped to that cold, dark home office. (I’m getting teary-eyed…) I could now sit on the couch, sit at the kitchen counter, sit by the pool, sit in bed, SIT WHEREVER THE HECK I WANT.

Mean People Suck

2006-01-18T19:41:00.000-08:00

I’m starting off today’s post with a Jack Handy quote, which pretty much defines how my week is going.

Deep Thoughts…by Jack Handy
Sometimes I think the world has gone completely mad, and then I think, “Ah, who cares?” And then I think, “What’s for supper?”

So this week I’ve been spent quite a bit of time wondering if the world has gone completely mad. Here is what I have learned this week:
1. Bullies still exist in adulthood.
2. Bullies always “win” because they refuse to ever believe that they are wrong.
3. Mean people suck

Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to say, “Who cares? What’s for supper?” When your character is being questioned by people who have gone completely mad, you can try to blow it off. But this is no longer elementary school. Rumors, false accusations, and lies all snowball together to form a mobbing effect, and in a small town such as ours it’s hard to defend yourself. Do you try to go down fighting? Can, but that can be exhausting and sometimes cause even more trouble. Do you ignore the situation since you know you are right? Silence means guilt, in some people’s eyes.

So I think the only advice is to hold your head high and know that you are a better person than those that are throwing knives. Don’t let mean people and bullies destroy you – they are simply not worth it.

My Life...My Card

2006-01-17T10:37:00.000-08:00

Since I am not famous, or rich, I will probably never be asked to be in one of those neat American Express print ads. They are along the lines of some emails that have been sent among my friends over the past few months. (It all started with my cousin Dawn! It's all her fault...).

Why do I like these so much? I feel a little guilty each time I read one because I feel like it's information that, if they wanted me to know, they would have told me without this stupid form they have to fill out only because I emailed it to them. But I love to learn, and I especially love to learn more about the people who are important to me. It helps me to be a better friend, maybe. Man, that sounds corny!

Anyway, here is MY American Express ad. I'm sure People or Rolling Stone will be jealous that this isn't an ad in their recent issue:

My Life...My Card

Childhood Ambition: To be a famous singer. Thank goodness that didn't happen! I mean the money would be nice, but who wants that hectic of a life? Plus, I can't sing worth a darn.

First Job: Babysitting. And let me tell you something about this first job! I was babysitting for two kids for a few hours, and they paid me 50 cents. "It's just your first time babysitting, so I think this will be enough." Umm...Ya, and since this was my first time babysitting, I put your kids downstairs in the laundry room with the lights off. I should have known better, but heck - it's my first time.

Last Purchase: Quick run to the store last night. Two gallons of milk, two packages of instant vanilla pudding, 10 containers of yogurt (on sale for 10 for $1), vanilla ice cream, and butterscotch chips.

Indulgence: Reading!

Fondest Memory: Seeing Lucas the morning after he was born, when he was all cleaned up and adorable. The moment I saw him, it was like I had run into a brick wall. It was the end of the old me and the beginning of the new me. I had never seen anything so beautiful in my whole life. I was now a mom, and my world was completely changed.

Retreat: Vacationing with Michael, Lucas and Cameron. Anywhere.

Wildest Dream: For the world to be a peaceful place

Proudest Moment: Giving birth to the boys. It was the hardest thing I've ever done, and I really didn't think I was capable.

Alarm Clock: Ranges from the actual alarm clock to Cameron to Dog.

Perfect Day: Every day. I'm aware of how blessed I am.

My Life: Perfect

My Card: is NOT American Express (unless they let me do an ad!)

First Post!

2006-01-15T11:13:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my blog! This is actually a new blog, since I could not remember the password to my old one and I got tired of waiting for them to email me my password. It's must faster just to setup a new one! Plus, I am going to change the theme. My previous blog was pretty basic, as it was just an example for a newsletter that I write.

Most of you will recognize where I copied my blog title from: Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy. I love those and they make me laugh! If I'm ever having a down day, I simply read a "deep thought" or two and my spirits are raised! To honor the wisdom of Jack Handy, I will post some of his thoughts along the way. I hope you will enjoy them as much as I do. They are not always politically correct - you definately have to have an open mind and an awesome sense of humor!

I was inspired to get back to blogging by two things. Number 1, my friends and family are such brilliant people full of all kinds of ideas, I decided to create a website where we can share all kinds of things: recipes, decorating ideas, parenting advice, and so on. Sharing blogs may also be a fun way to learn more about each other. Number 2, my cousin Mel recently gave me the link to her blog and I spent a good 30 minutes reading through her posts. I think it's comforting to know what other people are up to - let's me know I'm on the right track (or that I'm not!!).

I have high hopes for my blog! I will write about a very wide range of things, from my daily routine, to my opinion on world matters. I'll try to stay away from subjects that are too sensitive, since I'm a nice person (?) and I'm not out to offend anyone.

So I welcome you to my blog. I can't promise how often I'll post. I may get on here several times a day, or it may be every few days. I encourage you to leave me messages, since I love to hear from people!

Deep Thought...by Jack Handy
I'd rather be rich than stupid.