Mr. Roboto Boys (and girl)

Here's something for your viewing entertainment. Enjoy!

And Cancun Was No More...

After 19 years of marriage, I have come to the conclusion that I will never understand my husband. Lee earned an all expense trip for two to Cancun at work.

You'd think I'd be jumping for joy and shouting praises.
Oh,I did until...

HE GAVE IT AWAY!!!!

Yes, you read it right...He gave our trip away to another agent in his office because, how did he put it? Oh yeah, "My wife wasn't too crazy about the idea of leaving the country."

Huh?

I've been talking about it since he told me last September! I've been asking exactly when it is because we needed to get passports, babysitters, etc. I've been talking about how nice it'll be to get away for a few days. But yeah, I wasn't crazy about the idea!

Tell the truth Lee...YOU didn't want to go!

Here's my thinking...this year in September we will be celebrating our 20th anniversary. On Valentine's Day it will be the 20th anniversary of our first date. Cancun was supposed to be in February. I thought it could be kind of a celebration of these 20 years. But he gave it away.

He better have something special to make up for this!!!

I'm thinking, since I had to sell my half-carat diamond engagement ring about 12 years ago because we were so broke and almost homeless,

I think a new ring would do the trick!

Is He Cute or What!?!

My Nephew, Adam (9 months)

Cute as a button!!!

I have THE cutest nieces and nephews in the world! I wish I could see them more!

The Daffodil Principle

I've been feeling a little sad, down, glum, or as CJane put it "gloopy" lately. I don't know exactly what it is but I know it's been a while since I've felt truly happy. I mentioned in a previous post that after looking back on my past 39 years, I feel like I've wasted a lot of time. I've spent entirely too much time dreaming of "someday" and in the mean time, not accomplishing a whole lot. I think this has a great deal to do with how I'm feeling lately. I don't want to feel this way anymore. The question is "What do I do to change this?" I received an email from a friend today with a story called "The Daffodil Principle." It was an eye-opener for me and kind of an answer to my question.

Here's the story:

Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, "Mother, you must come to see the daffodils before they are over." I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead "I will come next Tuesday", I promised a little reluctantly on her third call.

Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and reluctantly I drove there. When I finally walked into Carolyn's house I was welcomed by the joyful sounds of happy children. I delightedly hugged and greeted my grandchildren.

"Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible in these clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want to see badly enough to drive another inch!"

My daughter smiled calmly and said, "We drive in this all the time, Mother."

"Well, you won't get me back on the road until it clears, and then I'm heading for home!" I assured her.

"But first we're going to see the daffodils. It's just a few blocks," Carolyn said. "I'll drive. I'm used to this."

"Carolyn," I said sternly, "please turn around."

"It's all right, Mother, I promise. You will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience."

After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small gravel road and I saw a small church. On the far side of the church, I saw a hand lettered sign with an arrow that read, "Daffodil Garden." We got out of the car, each took a child's hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path. Then, as we turned a corner, I looked up and gasped. Before me lay the most glorious sight.

It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it over the mountain peak and its surrounding slopes. The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns, great ribbons and swaths of deep orange, creamy white, lemon yellow, salmon pink, and saffron and butter yellow. Each different-colored variety was planted in large groups so that it swirled and flowed like its own river with its own unique hue. There were five acres of flowers.

"Who did this?" I asked Carolyn.

"Just one woman," Carolyn answered. "She lives on the property. That's her home." Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house, small and modestly sitting in the midst of all that glory. We walked up to the house. On the patio, we saw a poster. "Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking", was the headline. The first answer was a simple one. "50,000 bulbs," it read. The second answer was, "One at a time, by one woman. Two hands, two feet, and one brain." The third answer was, "Began in 1958."

For me, that moment was a life-changing experience. I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than forty years before, had begun, one bulb at a time, to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountaintop. Planting one bulb at a time, year after year, this unknown woman had forever changed the world in which she lived. One day at a time, she had created something of extraordinary magnificence, beauty, and inspiration. The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest principles of celebration.

That is, learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time--often just one baby-step at time--and learning to love the doing, learning to use the accumulation of time. When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can change the world ...

"It makes me sad in a way," I admitted to Carolyn. "What might I have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal thirty-five or forty years ago and had worked away at it 'one bulb at a time' through all those years? Just think what I might have been able to achieve!"

My daughter summed up the message of the day in her usual direct way. "Start tomorrow," she said. She was right. It's so pointless to think of the lost hours of yesterdays. The way to make learning a lesson of celebration instead of a cause for regret is to only ask, "How can I put this to use today?" Use the Daffodil Principle. Stop waiting.....

Until your car or home is paid off, until you get a new car or home, until your kids leave the house, until you go back to school, until you finish school, until you clean the house, until you get organized, until you lose 10 lbs., until you have kids, until the kids go to school, until you retire, until summer, until spring, until winter, until fall, until you die... (AND I'M ADDING "UNTIL SOMEDAY!")

There is no better time than right now to be happy. Happiness is a journey, not a destination. So work like you don't need money. Love like you've never been hurt, and, Dance like no one's watching.

How true!

I thank my friend for the eye-opener. My happiness is up to me. The trick is knowing how to go about it. I guess working little by little everyday at something and not giving up. I guess by doing that even I can make a difference in this crazy world!

I Guess First Graders Need Breaks Too...

Max woke up today whinning that his throat hurt. He had no other coldy fluey symptoms just his throat. I told him that he probably slept with his mouth open and his throat should feel better in a short while and proceeded to tell him to get ready for school. He didn't like that response and tried to make me understand that he WAS sick. So, because I don't have the energy to battle today,

I let him stay home from school.

Of course he felt better by about 9:00!

He was irritating Emma and kept bugging me to play with the play dough, kept changing the channel during "Emma's shows" and whinning because he didn't have anything to do.

I had it so I said,

"Go get cleaned up now. You're going to school!"

I was expecting objection but, no. He ran upstairs got dressed and cleaned up. He came down with his big "Max smile" and said,

"I guess I just needed a break."

Never mind he just had two weeks off! Oh brother!

A New Year, A New Beginning...

Last week I celebrated my 39th birthday. It was a great day and I had a lot of fun. I'm not the kind of person that freaks out over getting older. I mean, really, is 39 any different than 38? No. But this birthday got me thinking a great deal (scary I know!). I was feeling like I've wasted a lot of years. I really feel the need to make a difference in this world. I talked to a friend of mine about this and she said, "Well Cari, you are raising six great kids that will be great adults." True. I do feel satifisfaction in that and although being a mom is probably the most important thing I will ever do, I just feel like I need to do more to help. So, my New Year's Resolution for 2007 is to find ways to benefit others (maybe through a group or organization) and spend more time offering service and not be so self-absorbed. Any suggestions?

I'm really looking forward to this new year and new beginning.