About Me

I am married with children. I have a 20 year old son; a 17 year old son; a 4 year old daughter. I have been married twice. The first marriage lasted 11 years. I have been married to my second husband 15 months as of May 14th. I grew up on a small Vermont family farm with 2 brothers and 3 sisters. I was a ward of the state. I have 2 biological sisters. I have had 4 last names. My biological name, my adopted name, and my two married names. I am not a materialistic person. I believe in angels, forgiveness, God, love, and second chances. I love my children and my husband. I have always wanted to be part of something bigger than myself where I could help others. I wish I could do more for the people in my life. I am no saint though I am no devil either. I have not been far in this world which makes me no expert on most topics. I took a train once from New England to Florida with a 6 year old and a 3 year old when I was 33. I have never been in a plane or on a cruise ship. I did take the fairy from Maine to Nova Scotia in 1987. That was the extent of my travelling days. I am my own worst critic and my own worst enemy at times.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. These rights include:

1. The right to inspect and review the student's education records within 45 days of the day the College receives a request for access.

A student should submit to the registrar, dean, head of the academic department, or other appropriate official, a written request that identifies the record(s) the student wishes to inspect. The College official will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. If the records are not maintained by the College official to whom the request was submitted, that official shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.

2. The right to request the amendment of the student's education records that the student believes are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student's privacy rights under FERPA.

A student who wishes to ask the College to amend a record should write the College official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record the student wants changed, and specify why it should be changed.

If the College decides not to amend the record as requested, the College will notify the student in writing of the decision and the student's right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the student when notified of the right to a hearing.

3. The right to provide written consent before the College discloses personally identifiable information from the student's education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. Disclosures which do not require student consent include, but may not be limited to the following:

a. To school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the College in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position (including law en¬forcement unit personnel and health staff); a person or company with whom the College has contracted as its agent to provide a service instead of using College employees or officials (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); a person serving on the Board of Trustees; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance com¬mittee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks.

A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an educa¬tion record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibilities for the College.

b. Directory Information, including name, age, dates, and status of enrollment and residence, class, year, major, degrees awarded, awards and honors, campus address and telephone number, home address and telephone number, date and place of birth, relationship to an alumnus or alumna of the College, most recent school previously attended, extracurricular activities, weight and height of members of athletic teams, and other similar information, may be disclosed without restriction unless the student objects in writing to the Office of the Dean of the College. A request not to such as the release directory information remains in effect until the student releases it.

c. To federal and state government agencies specifically entitled to it by law, such as the Comptroller General of the United States, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, and State educational authorities.

d. To the parent(s) of a student, unless the student has filed with the Dean of the College Office a statement certifying that he or she is not financially dependent as defined by the federal income tax laws. All students will be asked whether they are declared as a dependent on a parent or guardian’s tax return at the beginning of the school year. For students who are dependents, education record information may be disclosed to parents or guardians. Students who indicate that they are not dependents, or who do not wish to have student record information disclosed to parents or guardians, will be asked to provide documentation confirming their status. The College may also disclose to a parent; directory information; information in a health and safety emergency and information for violations of law, rule or policy related to the use or possession of alcohol or controlled substances where a student is found responsible for such violation and is under the age of 21.

e. In response to a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena. In such cases the College will attempt to notify the student involved unless prohibited by the terms of the subpoena or court order.

f. To determine the student’s eligibility for financial aid or to enforce the terms or conditions of financial aid that a student has received.

g. To an organization conducting studies for or on behalf of the school, if the organization certifies that (i) the studies will be conducted in a way which will protect the personally identifiable information of the students and (ii) the organization’s record of such information will be destroyed when the study is completed.

h. To appropriate parties, in a health or safety emergency in which the health or safety of a student or other individuals is seriously threatened. Prior to disclosure, the College shall make a finding of an articulable and significant threat based upon the totality of the circumstances and may release information only to individuals in a position to meet the emergency.

i. To officials of another school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll, or to another institution which is part of a student exchange program. Such information may include disciplinary and health records, and may be updated or corrected by the College.

j. To Federal officials in response to a lawful court order regarding terrorism investigations.

k. The College may disclose information received under a community notification program about a student who is required to register as a sex offender.

l. To State auditors when auditing a Federal or State supported education program.

m. The College may return records to the creator of records and to verify the authenticity of those records.

Copies of student records policy, which details the rights summarized above and any applicable federal laws, are available in the Office of the Dean of the College. If a student has a concern about the College’s compliance with applicable federal laws concerning his/ her education record, he or she should bring this to the attention of the Dean of the College. A student has the right to file a complaint concerning alleged compliance failures by the College with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act Office (FERPA), Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave SW, Washington, DC 20202-5920.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Drama

Teenagers know drama. My son's girlfriend broke up with him by texting him on Wednesday. Not only that, but she also texted me, my other son, my ex husband and countless others. She involved everyone for reasons unknown. My son called her numerous times that night though he was advised by several not to. She ignored his telephone calls and text messages. She then changed her cell telephone number. Her break up through a text was unwarranted and cold. Immature to say the least. I had driven 44 miles to pick her up and drive her back to my home so she could visit with my son, her boyfriend, the previous Saturday and the two were fine. Four days later, she texts him a break up message. Thursday, my son convinces his father to drive the 22 miles to her house. I assume he was hoping for reconciliation but instead the two gave each other back the gifts they had given to one another throughout the year, including a ring. She then told my son to “hit the road”. Any mature person would assume that was the end of the relationship. No. She texted my other son to check on her ex ultimately giving my other son her new telephone number. Friday night, she called me in tears because my son would not answer or return her calls and text messages. I gave her some advice while my husband was standing staring at me telling me not to get involved and to hang up the phone. Nice advice but a little too late as I'm already involved whether I want to be or not. Sunday night (Mother's Day), my son asked me if I could drive on Saturday to pick her up because they need to talk. I’m dazed and confused. This is where alcohol fits in nicely in my life. At least, that would be a better reason to be dazed and confused. Oh the drama of it all.

Friday, May 7, 2010

Mother's Day Quotes


A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie.  ~Tenneva Jordan

Mothers hold their children's hands for a short while, but their hearts forever.  ~Author Unknown

There is only one pretty child in the world, and every mother has it.  ~Chinese Proverb

Making the decision to have a child is momentous.  It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.  ~Elizabeth Stone

Mother is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children.  ~William Makepeace Thackeray

God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers.  ~Jewish Proverb
 
Biology is the least of what makes someone a mother.  ~Oprah Winfrey 

A mother understands what a child does not say.  ~Author Unknown 

A mother's love is patient and forgiving when all others are forsaking, it never fails or falters, even though the heart is breaking.

All that I am and hope to be, I owe to my beautiful mother.

Of all the rights of women, the greatest is to be a mother.
- Lin Yutang

The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness.
- Honore' de Balzac (1799-1850)

My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw.
All I am I owe to my mother.
I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her.
- George Washington (1732-1799)

The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.
- Author Unknown

We only have One Mom, One Mommy, One Mother in this World, One life. Don't wait for the Tomorrow's to tell Mom, you love her.
- Author Unknown

Nobody knows of the work it makes
To keep the home together.
Nobody knows of the steps it takes,
Nobody knows-but Mother.
- Anonymous

Woman knows what man has long forgotten, that the ultimate economic and spiritual unit of any civilization is still the family.
- Clare Boothe Luce

Likely Mother (to son wandering around the room):
"What are you looking for?"
Son: "Nothing."
Mother: "You'll find it in the box where the candy was."

A mother is she who can take the place of all others but whose place no one else can take.
- Cardinal Mermillod

Children and mothers never truly part -
Bound in the beating of each other's heart.
- Charlotte Gray

You never realize how much your mother loves you till you explore the attic - and find every letter you ever sent her, every finger painting, clay pot, bead necklace, Easter chicken, cardboard Santa Claus, paperlace Mother's Day card and school report since day one.
- Pam Brown

Flowers For Mother
Mother is the heartbeat in the home; and without her, there seems to be no heart throb.
- Leroy Brownlow

I love being a mother...I am more aware. I feel things on a deeper level. I have a kind of understanding about my body, about being a woman.
- Shelley Long

A mother laughs our laughter,
Sheds our tears,
Returns our love,
Fears our fears.
She lives our joys,
Cares our cares,
And all our hopes and dreams she shares.
- Julia Summers

A woman with a child rediscovers the world.
All is changed - politics, loyalties, needs.
For now all is judged by the life of the child ... and of all children.
- Pam Brown

Becoming a mother makes you the mother of all children. From now on each wounded, abandoned, frightened child is yours. You live in the suffering mothers of every race and creed and weep with them. You long to comfort all who are desolate.
- Charlotte Gray

Making the decision to have a child - it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.
- Elizabeth Stone

Everybody knows that a good mother gives her children a feeling of trust and stability. She is their earth. She is the one they can count on for the things that matter most of all. She is their food and their bed and the extra blanket when it grows cold in the night; she is their warmth and their health and their shelter; she is the one they want to be near when they cry. She is the only person in the whole world in a whole lifetime who can be these things to her children. There is no substitute for her. Somehow even her clothes feel different to her children's hands from anybody else's clothes. Only to touch her skirt or her sleeve makes a troubled child feel better.
- Katharine Butler Hathaway

Being a mother is an excitement and enticement and a growth. It is the possibilty that haunts and delights the young girl as she grows to womanhood. It is a part of the fantasy, both her longing for it and her fear of it. The months of pregnancy highlight all the richness of the remembered and internalized experience about mothering. The birth itself brings forth the baby, until now a fantasy, into reality. This real baby is a constant changing, crying, knowing being, and for me the delight of this experience has been one of the most important parts of my life as a women.
- Dr. Beverley Raphael

And so our mothers and grandmothers have, more often than not anonymously, handed on the creative spark, the seed of the flower they themselves never hoped to see -- or like a sealed letter they could not plainly read.
- Alice Walker
  

Before you were conceived I wanted you
Before you were born I loved you
Before you were here an hour I would die for you
This is the miracle of life.
- Maureen Hawkins
                  

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Happy 4th Birthday Bubbles

A girl is Innocence playing in the mud, Beauty standing on its head, and Motherhood dragging a doll by the foot.

Little girls are the nicest things that happen to people.

A child is God's opinion that life should go on.

I see who I want to be, in my daughter's eyes.

Our daughter is the knot that ties the family together.

She's honey and the bees don't know it!

With moonbeams in hand and stardust in eyes, you're a baby of heaven drifting down from the sky.

A baby girl, one of the most beautiful miracles in life, one of the greatest joys we can ever know, and one of the reasons why there is a little extra sunshine, laughter and happiness in my world today.

You are so precious to me, sweet as can be, baby of mine.

A daughter may outgrow you lap, but she will never outgrow your heart. 

A Daughter: The companion, the friend, and the confidant of her mother, and the object of a pleasure something like the love between the angels to her father.

A wee bit of heaven drifted down from above, a handful of happiness, a heart full of love.


Daughters Dance their Way into Your Heart Whirling on the Tips of Angel Wings; Scattering Kisses & Gold Dust in our Paths 

Giggles,curls,ribbons and bows.  She is so adorable from head to toe!

Daughters are flowers that are forever in bloom.

Daughters are like flowers, they fill the world with beauty.

In your face I see all the beauty of a flower, in your voice I hear all the splendor of the sweetest song. 

Little girls are precious gifts like birds and brooks and streams.  Their hair is tied up with ribbons and bows...their hearts are tied up with dreams. 

Pretty dresses, little Curls! Oh thank heaven for little girls!
I never knew one could eat a cattail but the things you discover while surfing on the internet are astounding. I personally have never eaten a cattail as far as I can recall though I grew up on a small Vermont farm so anything is possible. My grandmother could make a delicious meal out of anything homegrown and wild. Perhaps that is why she lived to be almost 100 years old. There is something to be said about growing your own fruits, vegetables and living on a farm. It's wholesome, good, clean living and not one that is pasteurized and full of preservatives.

Here are two recipes requiring cattails. I have never tried them but may do so in the future. What the hell, right?

Enjoy.

Cattail Casserole

* 2 cups scrapped spikes
* 1 cup bread crumbs
* 1 egg, beaten
* ½ cup milk
* Salt and pepper
* 1 onion diced
* ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese



* Preheat the oven to 350°.
* Blend the scraped off cattail grains with the bread crumbs.
* Beat the egg and stir into the bread crumb mixture.
* Sauté the onions (and other vegetables, such as mushrooms, peppers etc. as you wish).
* Combine the vegetables and the breadcrumb mix, season to taste and pour into a casseroles dish.
* Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top and bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Serve while piping hot.

Cattail Banana Muffins

* 1 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 cup cattail pollen
* 3 tablespoons buttermilk
* 1 tablespoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* ¼ teaspoon baking soda
* ½ cup butter, softened
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1 cup honey
* 2 eggs
* 1 ½ cups mashed ripe bananas
* ½ cup chopped walnuts



* Heat the oven to 350° (175°C). Grease and flour a 12-cup muffin tin or line with paper liners.
* Combine the dry ingredients: flour, cattail pollen, buttermilk, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl; make a well in the center.
* In separate bowl, cream butter, oil and honey. Add eggs, beating thoroughly. Mix in banana. Pour mixture into well. Mix batter until just moistened; do not over mix. Gently fold in walnuts. If the mixture is too dry, add a little milk.
* Fill prepared muffin tins two-thirds full. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until muffins test done. Cool on wire rack.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Morphea

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morphea

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1065782-overview

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/morphea/DS00718

http://www.aocd.org/skin/dermatologic_diseases/morphea.html

http://www.sclero.org/medical/about-sd/types/localized/morphea/a-to-z.html

http://www.sclero.org/medical/about-sd/types/localized/morphea/associated.html

http://www.healthscout.com/ency/68/37/main.html

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

The Art Of Being Silly: Questions To Ponder - cannot be answered as there are no right answers to give.

* If a mute swears, does his mother wash his hands with soap?
* Is there another word for synonym?
* What would a chair look like if your knees bent the other way?
* If it's zero degrees outside today and it's supposed to be twice as cold tomorrow, how cold is it going to be?
* Why are they called apartments, when they're all stuck together?
* Whose cruel idea was it for the word lisp to have an "s" in it?
* How does the guy who drives the snowplow get to work?
* If convenience stores are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, why are there locks on the doors?
* If you are driving at the speed of light and you turn on your headlights, what happens?
* Why are there flotation devices under airline seats instead of parachutes?
* Have you ever imagined a world with no hypothetical situations?
* Why do we park on driveways and drive on parkways?
* Why do banks charge you a "non-sufficient funds fee" on money they already know you don't have?
* Why is it that when you transport something by car it's called a shipment, but when you transport it by ship, it's called cargo?
* Why are there interstate highways in Hawaii?
* Why don't sheep shrink in the rain?
* What does Geronimo scream when he jumps out of a plane?
* Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?
* If God sneezed, what would you say to him?
* Why isn't phonetic spelled the way it sounds?
* Why are there five syllables in the word "monosyllabic"?
* Isn't is a bit unnerving that doctors call what they do "practice?"
* Why do we wash bath towels? Aren't we clean when we use them?
* When sign makers go on strike, is anything written on their signs?
* When you open a bag of cotton balls, is the top one meant to be thrown away?
* Where do forest rangers go to get away from it all?
* Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?
* Why is the word "abbreviation" so long?
* Why is lemon juice mostly artificial ingredients but dishwashing liquid contains real lemons?
* Do fish get cramps after eating?
* When two airplanes almost collide, why do they call it a near miss and not a near hit?
* If the universe is everything, and scientists say that the universe is expanding, what is it expanding into?
* How is it possible to have a civil war?
* How come Superman could stop bullets with his chest, but always ducked when someone threw a gun at him?
* If all the world is a stage, where is the audience sitting?
* If the #2 pencil is the most popular, why is it still #2?
* If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?
* Before they invented drawing boards, what did they go back to?
* If a parsley farmer is sued, can they garnish his wages?
* Why do they lock gas station bathrooms? Are they afraid someone will clean them?
* Why do people who know the least know it the loudest?
* If the funeral procession is at night, do folks drive with their headlights off?
* If a stealth bomber crashes in a forest, will it make a sound?
* If a turtle doesn't have a shell, is he homeless or naked?
* If someone with multiple personalities threatens to kill himself, is it considered a hostage situation?
* If corn oil comes from corn, where does baby oil come from?
* If all those psychics know the winning lottery numbers, why are they all still working?
* Why do they put Braille on the number pads of drive-through bank machines?
* If you throw a cat out a car window does it become kitty litter?
* When a cow laughs does milk come up its nose?
* How did a fool and his money get together in the first place?
* If nothing sticks to Teflon, how does Teflon stick to the pan?
* How do they get a deer to cross at that yellow road sign?
* If it's tourist season, why can't we shoot them?
* What's another word for thesaurus?
* Why do they sterilize the needles for lethal injections?
* What do they use to ship Styrofoam?
* Why is "abbreviation" such a long word?
* Why is there an expiration date on my sour cream container?
* Why do kamikaze pilots wear helmets?
* How do you know when it's time to tune your bagpipes?
* Is it true that cannibals don't eat clowns because they taste funny?
* Does 'virgin wool' come from sheep the shepherd hasn't caught yet?
* When you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn?
* Does fuzzy logic tickle?
* Do blind Eskimos have seeing-eye sled dogs?
* Why do they call it a TV set when you only get one?
* Do radioactive cats have 18 half-lives?
* If you shoot a mime, should you use a silencer?
* What was the best thing before sliced bread?
* What happens if you get scared half to death twice?
* How do you tell when you run out of invisible ink?
* Who is General Failure, and why is he reading my hard disk?
* Why do psychics have to ask you for your name?
* OK, so what's the speed of dark?
* If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends?
* 24 hours in a day ... 24 beers in a case ... Coincidence?
* If you take an Oriental person and spin him around several times, does he become disoriented?
* In synchronized swimming, if the first drowns, do the rest follow?
* If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress?
* If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?
* When someone asks you, "A penny for your thoughts," and you put your two cents in, what happens to the other penny?
* Shouldn't a man who invests all your money be called something other than a broker?
* When cheese gets its picture taken, what does it say?
* Why is a person who plays the piano called a pianist, but a person who drives a race car not called a racist?
* Why are a wise man and a wise guy opposites?
* If 21 is pronounced twenty-one why isn't 11 pronounced onety-one?
* If people from Poland are called "Poles," why aren't people from Holland called "Holes?"
* If I play a blank tape with the volume turned up, will the mime next door go nuts?
* Whatever happened to Preparations A through G?
* After eating, do amphibians need to wait an hour before getting out of the water?
* Do they have reserved parking for non-handicapped people at the Special Olympics?
* Why do you press harder on a remote-control when you know the battery is dead?
* Why are they called buildings, when they're already finished? Shouldn't they be called builts?
* Since Americans throw rice at weddings, do Asians throw hamburgers?
* If all is not lost, where is it?
* Why are there handicap parking places in front of skating rinks?
* Why do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions?
* Why do you often see people ordering double cheese burgers, large fries, and a diet coke?
* Why is it that we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and yet leave useless junk in the garage?
* When you're finally holding all the cards, why does everyone else decide to play chess?
* What would the speed of lightning be if it didn't zigzag?
* Instead of putting pictures of criminals in the post office, why aren't they put on stamps so postman could look for them while they deliver the mail?
* What hair color do they put on the driver's licenses of bald men?
* Do Lipton employees take coffee breaks?
* Why do we say something is out of whack? What's in whack?
* If Fed Ex and UPS were to merge, would they call it Fed UP?
* Is it good if a vacuum really sucks?
* Why do "slow down" and "slow up" mean the same thing?
* Why do "fat chance" and "slim chance" mean the same thing?
* Why do 'tug' boats push their barges?
* At ball games, why do we sing "Take me out to the ball game" when we're already there?
* Why are they called "stands" when they are made for sitting?
* Why is it called "after dark" when it really is "after light"?
* Doesn't "expecting the unexpected" make the unexpected expected?
* Why do "overlook" and "oversee" mean opposite things?
* If you are cross-eyed and have dyslexia, can you read all right?
* Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?
* When blondes have more fun, do they know it?
* If quitters never win, and winners never quit, what fool came up with, "Quit while you're ahead."?
* If the cops arrest a mime, do they tell him he has the right to remain silent?
* How much deeper would the ocean be if all the sponges didn't live there?
* Why does the sun darken our skin but lighten our hair?
* Why is a carrot more orange than an orange?
* Why is it that when a door is open it's ajar, but when a jar is open it's not adoor?
* Why does an alarm clock go "off" when it actually goes "on?"
* Can you buy an entire chess set in a pawn shop?
* Why does mineral water, that has trickled down the mountains for centuries, go out of date next year?
* Why are softballs so hard?
* Is it possible to get insurance on insurance? And if so, can you get insurance on that insurance?
*

Who do you save when you see an endangered animal eating an endangered plant?

Monday, March 8, 2010

I Survived The BIG Squeeze!

I am a procrastinator. I put doing things for myself off constantly. I make appointments and then cancel them over and over. I do for everyone but when it comes to doing for me I feel guilty because I struggle with doing things for myself out of guilt and fear. However, I finally made and kept a doctor appointment. On Friday, March 5, I finally like a virgin experienced the BIG SQUEEZE and survived. I am referring to having my very first mammogram ever. I am a nervous Nelly when it comes to doctor appointments for me of any kind. I worried needlessly over this appointment for quite some time. Frankly, it's not horrible at all. It's just a little discomfort. Yes. They squeeze your breasts between Plexiglas or a hard type of clear plastic. You are told to stand still with your breasts flattened in between this clear plastic apparatus. You are told to hold your breath and then they digitally take a picture of your breasts. A picture I won't see nor will my curious husband. They take 4 pictures. One of the front and one of the side view. You cannot wear perfume or deodorant or lotion. The one thing I did not appreciate was the nurse or mammogram specialist did not wear plastic gloves while handling my breasts which I thought unprofessional and probably not entirely clean - her hands, not my breasts. When I first arrived for the appointment, I was directed to a room and told the take everything off from the waist up and to put on a lovely Johnny complete with matching bathrobe. I was a bit hesitant sitting in the waiting room with another victim in a matching outfit except that she totally misunderstood the directions and ended up putting on her matching robe first with the opening in the front and then her Johnny over the robe. I told her it was okay but secretly I thought she should go back in and switch the two. Luckily she was called in first. I sat there in the beautiful Johnny. I called my husband to complain thinking he would rescue me but my knight gave me little support because he wanted me to have this appointment many moons ago. Then, my name was called. I took my basket of personal effects and diligently followed the woman to the room where they make you take off your robe and turn your Johnny around exposing your breasts. The entire appointment from start to finish including check in and changing was about 30 minutes give or take a minute here or there. At the end, I was told I would receive a letter if all was well and if all was not well, I would get a phone call telling me I need to come back in for further evaluation. I am not expecting bad results. My main concern was the appointment itself. When all was said and done, when I left, I felt a little used. Like I waited forever to make the appointment and to keep the appointment and then disappointed that it was finally done and over with and, after showing my breasts and displaying them to be digitized, I get nothing. I am relieved that I finally did it but now wish I had done it sooner with less hesitation because really it's not a big deal and if you are at the age when it's required, you really just need to do it and stop worrying about it. It's a piece of cake. Enjoy the slice.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

To Wear A Tiara or Not To Wear A Tiara. That is the question.

I wore a tiara when I got married on February 14, 2009. I was 46. I should have worn it on my 1st anniversary but I vow to wear it every anniversary from now on. I believe it is perfectly acceptable to wear a tiara for special occasions or for ordinary days. Why do you need a reason to wear a tiara? It's not offensive or harmful. It's pretty and beautiful. It's not an ugly tattoo you carry with 24/7. It's not a nose or lip ring. It's not a baseball cap or a t-shirt with an offensive statement on the front. I believe any woman can and should wear a tiara at least once in their lifetime. Tiara's are acceptable.

To quote from a sweet movie that my daughter and I watched, The Little Princess:

"I am a princess. All girls are. Even if they live in tiny old attics.
Even if they dress in rags, even if they aren't pretty, or smart, or
young. They're still princesses. All of us. Didn't your father ever tell
you that? Didn't he?"

"All women are princesses, it is our right."

Thursday, January 28, 2010

What We Weather

I'm at work. I got here at 7:00 am. It's snowing out now. Flurries, really. My 16 year old is at school. My 19 year old is home babysitting the 3 year old. My husband is at work. He is a senior systems and technical support analyst. He's quite smart. I wonder at times why on earth he married me - a simple country farm girl from Hartland, Vermont. He was born in Germany and lived most of his young life in Bolivia. He has dual citizenship - Germany and United States. He lost his parents at a young age. His father died of a heart attack and his mother died a few years later of a broken heart. He has been on his own since he was 19 years old. I cannot begin to imagine living on my own at age 19. He has one younger brother named Michael. He helped Mike through college. I think that is tremendous and commendable. I believe my husband is truly a much better person than I could ever hope to be. In August 1999, he suffered a heart attack and had a quadruple by-pass. He was 37 years old. Since then, he has had a defibrillator put in 2007. Thankfully he has had no other events since 1999. I would like to be able to reduce the stress in his life and I will if possible. I truthfully have not been a very good wife as of late. I have been a bit selfish and mean but I really would like to change that, rise above it and become a better person. I am not a perfect person nor do I pretend to be but secretly hope to be and tried to be when I was a girl and failed miserably. It do not believe perfect exists except when babies are born and flowers bloom and tiny creatures such as butterflies, ladybugs and fireflies emerge. That is perfect. That is beauty. All else is false imitation. Wannabe’s. I am a wannabe. I wannabe a good wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, what have you. The snow has stopped, for now. It’s New England, though, and the weather will change, mark my words. It always does.