It's harder to "be" than to do.

Up to this point in my life, the deepest pain I have felt has been on behalf of my kids. Either from a poor decision they have made, or someone has treated them unfairly, or they are disappointed and hurt about something. What do you say to your kid when he has known for the past two years what school he wanted to go to and what major he wants to study and has done all the right things to make that happen, and he still doesn't get accepted into the only school that has the major he wants? What do you say to a kid who seems like he has to work twice as hard at things as other kids to get things? All the things that I know in my head just sound like the teacher on "Charlie Brown".... "Whaat, Whaat, Whaat" when I say it to him. "God has a plan", "Things happen for a reason", etc.
I was feeling pretty empty last night and almost just went to bed, when I saw my devotional "John" from Beth Moore (love her by the way) sitting beside my bed and opened it to the day's study. It was talking about how the disciples were fishing and caught nothing and Jesus told them to cast their nets on the right side of the boat and they caught so many they couldn't pull them all into the boat. (John 21:1-7). Beth's point was that the disciples went back to fishing because they didn't know what their next steps should be, so they went back to something familiar, and just did what they knew. It really is harder to just "be" than to do. I am so thankful that God cares about little ol' me in the midst of the sadness in Haiti and all this world that he can speak so clearly to me when I need it most through His Word. I am praying that God will refine Garret and help him just "be" right now and show him what to "do" in His time. That is my deepest desire for my cute boy.

Four Friends on $40 a Day

That's our new spin for a TV show that we want to host. We spent Saturday night with our fun friends Scott and Lauralee eating at Pizza Hut where they have any size, any kind of pizza for $10 then went to the "cheap" movie theatre where we saw a movie for $4 each and got popcorn, Raisinets, and a drink for $7, yes $7! We felt like we stepped into an alternate universe where things cost what they did 25 years ago. OK, the theatre left a little to be desired but once the lights are out you really can't notice. We then decided we could try to do what Rachel Ray does with her show "$40 a Day" and find ways for four friends to travel around and eat and do fun things for the same. How fun would it be with our favorite two people and get paid to travel together? It is really about being with friends we are so thankful for and blessed to have. God has provided a wonderful friendship between all four of us that doesn't happen but maybe once in a lifetime.

What if I had a Greek Grandma?

I had two grandmothers that could not have been more polar opposites. Grandma Duffy (her last name was MacDuffee) thought I could do no wrong. I would spend weeks there during the summer and she would let me play in her makeup, dress up in her clothes and shoes, and never once said I couldn't touch something. She let me eat all the Captain Crunch cereal I wanted, and stay up way too late watching old black and white Dracula movies. She even had one of those exercise contraptions that had the big band you put around your waist and turned on to shimmy and shake you until you firmed up, you know what I mean? I'm sure it wasn't safe, but she just couldn't tell me "no". There was always a visit to Burger King at every trip just to get one of those cardboard crowns. She was always well manicured, her hair was beautiful and her skin was the smoothest I have ever seen even in her last days. Everyone needs someone who is your biggest fan, and she was that for me when I was growing up. I was glad when God mercifully took her from her suffering from emphysema, she deserved to be at peace. She taught me so much, but cooking and baking were not things she taught me.
I also had Mom Mom (pronounced Mum Mum to us), my dad's mother. She was a stoic German woman who came to America to escape Germany and I am sure she experienced horrors I can't even imagine. I used to love going to her house too. I think we always had an unspoken understanding. Even as a small child I knew that under all that "German" there was a heart of gold that loved me more than anything. I always had this desire to do something for her when I was around her because it seemed like she may have never had anyone to take care of her. My favorite memory of her is when she laughed. It always made me happy. It was a deep, from the belly laugh. She was an amazing cook and baker. She was as frugal as you would expect, and we still laugh about her turning the grapefruit inside out and making us eat the rind, so that we didn't waste anything. I'm pretty sure she used to put wine in my ginger ale too, just so I would take a good nap after Sunday dinner. God mercifully took her too. She never taught me how to cook or bake either.
We were at the Strip in Pittsburgh this weekend and I bought some baklava from an adorable Greek woman and it got me thinking about what it would have been like to have a Greek grandma. Now that is a grandma that would teach me to cook and bake like no one's business. I imagine that they start when you are young with including the young girls in making all the phyllo dough, delicious fillings for all the pastries, and just the experience of a close knit heritage like that. Heck you even get to throw plates and break them at some point, right? I bet there are some Greek women my age that would have loved it if they had had my grandmas. I have special memories. I thank them both for that.

Shape Ups

Have you see them? Skechers Shape Ups? Let me say, no matter what they might do for my posterior region, I would NEVER be caught dead in these. They look like orthopedic shoes and a major fashion faux pas. They keep playing the commercials for them and I just can't take it serious. They say "Make the most of your walking work-out with the Skechers Shape-Ups. Shape-Ups are designed to improve your life by changing the way you walk." If I am so desperate that I need these shoes to improve my life, that's just plain sad. Well I'm off to find some other socially acceptable way to work out.

Unbalanced

We spend a lot of time watching ESPN and talking about sports in our house. Allow me to step up onto my soap box for a moment and share my opinion about what I think is an unbalanced advantage that some players have over a kid from an average white family in the suburbs with parents who are married and who have a pretty normal home life. Most stories make a big deal about how this or that kid who comes from a rough neighborhood and who's only hope of making something of them self is through athletics to avoid certain gang-related death or prison. I am as big a fan as the next person of the movie "Blind Side" and thought it was truly inspirational.
How about a story about how a bunch of kids who played soccer together in elementary school wanted to try football because there is such a well run midget football program in their area. How this program has produced some amazing college athletes and NFL players, how these kids have formed life-long friendships, and how those coaches still care very much about these kids and the new kids that go through the program.
My problem comes from the fact that no one acknowledges, sometimes not even on their own team, that the average white kid from a loving, supportive home has to work just as hard, sometimes even harder, to gain an athletic opportunity. The world's perception of this kind of kid is that they have it all already. It is an amazing opportunity for any kid to get to play a sport they love and gain an education but is a lot of very, very hard work and dedication. Yes they get many advantages but also have to make the right choices and remain focused. Every kid who makes it to college-level sports has a story that took all the years leading up to college to unfold. Guess that doesn't make for enough "wow" factor. I support more balanced reporting.

First Annual Christmas Cookie Bakingpaloo

Yes, I know you would think that it would be "BakingpalooZA". But I must confess we didn't earn the "ZA" on the end, maybe next year. You see, I had visions of plates and plates of assorted cookies all beautifully baked and decorated after our first annual cookie bakingpalooza, but it wasn't to be. I arrived at mom's at 10:30, a little sad that I didn't have a cute apron to wear, and my cute mom greeted me at the door holding one and had one for both me and Lauren. So, it was off to a good start. Then Lauren arrived, and put her apron on WRONG! How can you put an apron on wrong.... but being the rookie cookie baker she is, we will let it slide. After a good laugh, we got busy making peanut blossoms. OK, one down. Next we started our cream cheese cutout cookies that require refrigerating the dough and placing colored crushed candies into intricate little spaces on each cookie. I think out of the 4 dozen we ended up with, 3 whole cookies turned out good enough to actually give away..... that is ALL we got accomplished today. We were exhausted after these two batches, and called it quits. I will not be discouraged though. Although the thought crossed my mind that this is why all the customers used to come into my dad's then our bakery to buy their cookies. I have visions of my mom, Lauren, my cute grand kids, all decked out in Christmas aprons, baking cookies every year in my picture-perfect kitchen. So here's to achieving the whole "Bakingpalooza" next year.

Just as You Are

We had a busy, exhausting, freezing, weekend in CT watching the Huskies beat South Florida with a last-minute field goal I might add. Yeah for kickers! We had the opportunity to take Erin, Chad's significant other, with us to surprise him. It was fun plotting and planning all week to make it happen. He had NO idea. It was so fun to see his face when he realized she was there when before the game we were trying to get his attention at the end of the field that he was warming up on and where the mega tron is. The camera tech saw us trying to get Chad's attention so that he could see Erin and he put her up on the mega tron as Chad was kicking towards it..... it was pretty adorable. It is fun to see him happy and how sweet and caring he is towards her.
I am determined to be supportive and accepting of whoever my kids care about. I had a great example in Rich's family. I always felt like they accepted me from the moment I met them. Mom was a great example to me. Boys are special to moms and it isn't always easy to see them caring so deeply about someone else. I don't ever want to be "that kind of mother" and have that tension. So far so good.