Monday, November 24, 2008

An Odd First

Yesterday was Joshua's Fall choir concert. The choir was not mighty in mumber, but it made up for it in sound! What a sweet sounding bunch of voices. It's no wonder this group does so well in competition and clinics. They are a talented bunch of kids with a caring director.

After the choir and madrigal group performed, the marching band took the, well... they took the whole auditorium!

i love love loved the drumline performance. That just floated my wee bitty drum-lovin' boat, but then came the surprise of the afternoon...

What I thought was going to be cheesy and oh so "pomp and rah-rah" actually caught me off guard. The band played God Bless America ~ the ol' Kate Smith standard ~ and I lost it.

Yep, I was in tears over a song I don't even like. It was all I could do to keep from openly bawling. Tears streamed down my face as I prayed for the house lights to dim giving me a modicum of merciful anonymity. No such luck.

It's just a mom-missing-her-girl kind of time. Everyone is starting to talk of visiting family or having guests and I... I dream almost nightly of showing up on V's doorstep and the amazing hug that would follow the screams. I live for it, breathe for it, want it so much it hurts. The thought of it permeates every concert, nook and cranny of my life.

And yet, day to day and week to week, I'm ok. She misses and loves me just as much and still... I know she's ok.

I need to breathe, to relax, and to trust in the Universe. All will be well.

I have faith.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Joshua and Tom

We have a second hand building/home supply store as a part my office and, because of the BIG SALE set for Saturday 11/28 and balancing days off, they knew they'd be short-handed this past Friday.

Joshua wrapped up his first trimester of finals on Thursday afternoon and happened to have Friday off.

Coincidence? I think not.

Ergo, Friday became "Take your kid to work day" for me ~ and I couldn't be more tickled. I got to show him where I work and he got to participate in helping out in the store and, by extension, helping families who need affordable housing.

In the process he also got to feel what it was like to work a 9-5 day, he earned community service hours and got filthy dirty! And did I mention, he had a good time too? He did.

If it works out, he may be returning this coming Wednesday. Heh, if she's home and I can draft her, I may commandeer his girlfriend for some data entry too! Of course, that would mean that I would spend a small amount of energy keeping them each focused and apart! hee-hee

On another subject entirely...

My friend M gave me a birthday gift on Saturday (he works in OH and wasn't home on my big day).

I was so excited when I opened... a TOMTOM!!!

Lest you think me frivilous, you have to understand that I work in an area that is almost completely unfamiliar to me, and that I need to be off-site on a pretty regular basis ~ in parts unknown. I need to arrive on time and looking composed. Not utterly frazzled from being lost in urban blight areas or corn fields, both of which are entirely possible.

Thank you M! Now I can putter about with relative confidence. Put in the addy and off I go. :-D

OH! And in setting it up, I downloaded a few little gadgets too...

MY TomTom will find, or tell me when I am near, any IKEA, AIR FORCE BASE or STARBUCKS in North America!!!

Address #1 (after "Phone Home") is Minot AFB. Ahhh, my traveling Jones has help. Now I'm REALLY DANGEROUS!

Friday, November 21, 2008

SWF, sort of


Happy 110th Birthday to the Belgian painter, René François Ghislain Magritte. Born, November 21, 1898, the same year as my paternal grandmother, who we called Baubie (yiddish for grandma).

I've always liked Magritte and his vivid portraits and men in red ties, but never knew he was born in '98. I always think of Baubie when people mention that year. To think that she would have been 110 this year is even more remarkable.

Magritte passed too young in 1967. My Baubie was fortunate enough to live to see one of her life's goals, to dance, albeit from a wheelchair, at my wedding. She passed one month later, almost to the day, in January of 1986.
She was a strong, opinionated woman who frustrated the dickens out of my parents. I'm more like her than I want to admit!

Have a wonderful
SkyWatch Friday.

Monday, November 17, 2008

KO on Prop 8

Today I give you Keith Olbermann, empassioned and close to tears. I stand with him, outraged at the passage of prop 8.

"They want what you want, a chance to be happy in the world."

Turn off the playlist at the bottom and watch.

Thanks go to my gf, lady C in Seattle, for bringing this to my attention. You are loved and missed.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

What made me cry today

Thank you to Tonjia, AF Mom at heart, who sent this to me forever ago (try Dec. 07, long before I knew I could share it here). It has stayed with me ever since.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Happy SWF

Happy SkyWatch Friday (not Single White Female!)


This sky occured two weeks ago as I was putting things in my car at work.

I'd never been moved to walk around the south side of the building before. Cars are parked on the north, the entrance is to the east... but there's a green space on the south between our building and the road.

Who knew it could be a calm and beautiful place ~ even by a busy street with train tracks across it?! Now I do.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

HBJ!

He's Goofy...

He's Handsome...


He has a wicked sense of humor...

He's Proud...


He's Sweet...

He's Talented...
And I'm pleased as punch that he's mine.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOSHUA!

I love you,
MoM