I can’t remember if I have told this story here, however, I feel the need to tell again, as today marks the 2nd year without Sandi.
When Jeffrey was in Kindergarten he came home every day talking about Daniel, it was Daniel this, Daniel that, until I decided that I needed to meet this Daniel. I asked Jeffrey if Daniel’s mommy picked him up from school or did he ride the bus. Turns out his mommy did indeed pick him up from school, so the next day I asked Jeffrey to point out Daniel so I could introduce myself to his mother and have Daniel over for a play date.
Jeffrey said Daniel is the one in blue, this was Kindergarten, there were at least 10 little boys in blue, when I pointed that out to Jeffrey, he let out a loud sigh and took my hand and pulled me toward his new friend. I met this tiny, dynamo of a woman, she knew of Jeffrey as well she said, as Daniel talked of nothing but him. I asked if perhaps Daniel could come to our house for a playdate, she explained that she would have to get to know me better before letting her son come over by himself. I instantly respected this mom, I was the same way, she then asked if I had ever had a Mary Kay makeover. I said no, she said we could kill two birds with one stone, the boys could play and we could have some girl time.
That was that, Sandi came over with Daniel and she and I bonded over makeup, the fact that we both were transplants to Texas, she was from New York, I was from Oklahoma and that we both were protective mothers.
Over the years she became not only my friend but my mentor, my sounding board and another mother to my son. We used to joke that we were raising the same child as Jeffrey and Daniel were so much alike. We talked almost every day, she was always there for me, in the rough times and in the good times.
I miss her as much now as I did the day she left us to go home, I know she touched so many people’s lives, she was a powerhouse, she packed so much into such a short amount of time. She raised not one but two amazing sons who are doing great things with their lives. I know she was proud of them and continues to watch out for them from above.
Today I will not cry, I will rejoice in the fact that I was blessed with her friendship and guidance for the amount of time I got to know her here on this earth. I will say a prayer for the hurting hearts that were left behind and will pray for continued healing from the pain. I will pray for others to find joy and comfort in the memories of Sandi and with the knowledge that we will see her again.
Excitement
Well it is my Friday and I did not have time to stop for my beloved Starbucks, never fear, I will go on my lunch. I need my Friday Starbucks in order for my world to be complete; it is my ritual, my touchstone. This week has been a whirlwind of activity, I am so stinkin’ excited; I cannot wait to share with you what has been going on. I am so beyond thrilled, I am telling you, if you do not believe there is a God and he looks after you, after you hear what has happened in my life these past few weeks, you will. It has been amazing, exciting and a little scary.
My friend Sandi used to say if you don’t have butterflies then your goal is not big enough, well Sandi, I have butterflies. This week marks two years since Sandi went home and I still miss her terribly, with everything that has been going on, I can feel her smiling and saying my full name. She would do that when I did something unexpected. Such mixed emotions right now, sometimes I wish I had some Prozac, however, since I love my emotions, I really don’t.
I have become addicted to a new show, Arrow on the CW, very well done, lots of action, lots of eye candy for both male and female. I am not surprised it is so well done, considering how well done the production on Smallville was, the CW definitely has a handle on DC heroes. I highly recommend this show; I have it on my DVR schedule already.
Well folks I think I am out for today, I am tired and need to wake up, drinking copious amounts of coffee and propping my eyelids open.
The Last Word
I slept through the debate last night, I think I am better for it; I am done talking about this election. I am sickened by the behavior of some of my countrymen. On Twitter, someone I follow said that if one was voting for a certain candidate then unfollow her. Well, I am not voting for the one she is opposed to, however, her words angered me. You base your friendships on who people vote for? Seriously? I have friends that are voting for a candidate I am not; I don’t hold that against them, the way they don’t hold the way I am voting against me.
Why the viciousness? Why is this election so polarizing? Why is it either or? If you are not voting the way I am I hate you. That is what people are saying. It is pure insanity. I belong to an online group that is called the Presidential Prayer Team, they pray for the President of the United States. Whoever that may be. They do not comment on the election, they do not tell people who to vote for, they simply send an email out with the issues of the day, the decisions the President has to make and asks that the members pray for him to have wisdom in making these decisions for our country.
I like that, I wish more people felt the same, I can’t wait for this election to be over, I used to get excited about the Presidential election. Seeing the debates, talking to people about their views, but here, today, you can’t do that. People are being called racist, bigots, backwards and every other vicious name, it is crazy. I am done. You will not see another word from me about this election, that is a promise.
I am still teasing my huge news, an announcement will be made soon, I hope you all will be as excited as I am. I have told my children what is going on and they are excited for me, I can’t wait to share with everyone else. For now, peace out!
Stop Pretending
Question of the day: Does every girl pretend to like what a man does until they catch them? This was a topic of discussion on the radio today, on Kidd Kraddick to be exact. The conversation started off with Ethel Kennedy saying how great Taylor Swift is, how she does everything they do. She is game for anything. This is a new relationship, so of course Taylor is doing anything the man wants, in this case boy wants. Isn’t he in high school?
I cannot remember the last time I pretended to like something for a man, so here is the real question of the day, when do we mature to the point that we don’t have to impress anyone of the opposite sex? Is it maturity or is it just exhaustion, it is exhausting pretending to be something we are not. Seriously, I wouldn’t know, I have never pretended to be something I am not. I have never watched sports for a man, I have never swilled beer for a man, I have never pretended to like something he does just to “get” him. I have always just been myself; however, I have watched many of my women friends do just this.
It begs the question, why, why are you doing this? What happens after you get the man? Do you then go back to being who you really are? Do you stop pretending to like sports, mudding, camping, fishing, whatever it is that you have pretended to like in order to land your fish?
This is why we should all just be ourselves; it must be exhausting pretending to like things you have no interest in. Of course it is exhausting being just me at times, I am pretty high maintenance, I require an inordinate amount of placating, I tend to live in my own world and I require my own Starbucks store in order to get through the day. Who wouldn’t want that?
So ladies, I am challenging you to just be yourselves, stop the pretending, just let the men see you for who you really are. I am betting you are spectacular, let it show, if you are a bluestocking, be one, own it, fill that house with books. If you are a fashion forward dresser, let your fashion self show, let him see you in all of your glory.
Will expect to hear all of the results of this experiment.
Sleep Deprived
Well it is Monday morning and I am dragging, I had a hard time sleeping last night, as you are all aware I always do on Sunday nights. I watch way too many shows, I watched Scott Baio’s new show, I watched Once Upon a Time, Revenge and topped it off with Real Housewives of New Jersey. RHoNJ wore me out, it was exhausting, I am so glad it is over; I could not take another Sunday night of that mess. I would suggest all of these women get off the reality television ride, focus on their families and get their lives back on track.
I will say I was pleasantly surprised by the new offering of former teen heart throb Scott Baio, See Dad Run was an old fashioned, family sitcom. Loved it, it was funny, and a family could watch it together and parents would not have to address anything they are not ready to. I highly recommend this show and have set my DVR to record it, hopefully this is only the beginning and it will be picked up and run for many years.
I admit to not doing a lot yesterday, I had to run to Jeffrey’s to drop something off for him to take to Elizabeth Anne, other than that, not a darn thing was done yesterday. I managed to fill my car up with gas, just so I would not have stop this morning, also managed to go grocery shopping. I guess I did a little more than nothing.
I am about to explode, I have something so exciting to share with everyone and it is not the right time to share. When I finally get to share it, you are all going to just scream, maybe some of you will be shocked, maybe some of you will be extremely happy for me, maybe some of you will say, who does she think she is. I don’t know, but I do know that I am so beyond excited.
Teaser
Yesterday was a fun-filled day, I got my new glasses, I look amazing in them, then buying cookie butter for myself, Elizabeth, Jeffrey and Alex. Then picking Tess up from school, we went on an adventure, we went to the duck pond, where there were so many ducks! I had never seen that many ducks in one place. She played on the playground, then it was off to McDonald’s for some food and more playing on the playground. We went back to her house for playing with the dogs and, well, on the swing set out back.
Then it was dinner and Target with Elizabeth Anne, always love spending time with that girl, at our favorite place, Taco Bueno, of course, then Target.
I had an amazing conversation this morning with my friend Shanon, I cannot wait to be able to fill you all in on that. However, it is not time, just know I am going to have a major, amazing announcement soon.
I have cleaned the kitchen, done laundry and watched Hercules, I miss that show, the bad outfits, the bad acting and the fun. So much fun on that show! Alright, going to have a diet coke, thank you Irishman, and watch The Avengers, again.
Politics
Yesterday I was talking to Alex, I reminded him the Vice-Presidential debate was on later and he said he wasn’t going to watch it, however he is going to vote. His mind is already made up and he doesn’t need to watch anything. He then said, “Mom, does it really make a difference in the country who is president?” I sat there for a moment, gathering my wits, and said yes son it does.
I then told him of the days when Jimmy Carter was in office, the country was dismal, it was as if the sun had ducked behind a cloud, for four years. Gas lines were everywhere, the economy was in the gutter, the whole country was depressed. Jimmy Carter was the worst president we had ever had, up to that point, Obama is giving him a run for that title.
I explained that when President Reagan took office it was like the sun was shining again, people had hope, people became more patriotic, there was pride in America again. Little by little the economy strengthened, the attitudes improved and our country began flourishing once more.
It makes a difference, however, I am going to say this, I don’t care what your politics are, if we disagree, we disagree. That does not make anyone less of a friend, it just means we have different views on things. I am seeing so many heated debates on Facebook, it is crazy, its politics people, is that what your friendship is based on? My friendships are not based on that, they are based on mutual respect, admiration for certain qualities people posses that I might not, it is not based on how someone votes.
I do believe everyone should vote, it is our duty, our right, it is what our forefathers fought for, it is important we honor their sacrifices for us.
Dream State
Ok, so, on Monday night I got no sleep, it wasn’t that I couldn’t sleep, I could sleep, however when I would fall asleep I was having the strangest dreams.
I was dreaming the apocalypse was upon us, in all dreams that was the recurring theme. So in dream number 1 the end is imminent, Jess calls me and says “listen, the apocalypse is coming and I need to run some errands, come over here and watch my dog.” So of course, being the good friend that I am, I go to his house to watch his dog. Now this is no ordinary dog, it is huge, pure white with green eyes. While Jess is gone on his end of the world errands it begins to rain, rain is too mild a word, it was torrential. The dog runs out and will not come back in, I have to go out and get soaked trying to get this beast back in the house. I wake up before I can convince that animal to come back in.
Dream b, it is the end of the world, I decide I am going to Bonham, so I tell the Irishman “listen, it’s the end of the world you go find your kids and be with them I am going to Bonham.” So I load up the car with canned goods, blankets, pillows and my shoe collection. Oh and dog food, I put Nacona in the car and we go to McKinney and get Jeffrey, Alex and Tessa. Off to Bonham we go, the roads are congested and it takes us over two hours to get there.
When we get there I tell Elizabeth I am taking the bedroom off of the kitchen and Tess decides she wants to stay with Gigi. Then I inform Elizabeth Anne I hate the outdoors so I will do all of the cooking. I wake up at that point, I guess we were going to live off of pancakes. I don’t know what my great cooking plan was, these dreams were so weird. I think I am watching too many shows about the end of civilization as we know it. Reading too many books about it, I don’t know, but I know last night I slept and don’t remember anything I dreamed about, so it is all good today.
A Life Well Lived
October is a traditionally hard month, it is the month I lost my first son in, it is the month I lost my dear friend Sandi in. It seems to be a month for mourning, however I know Sandi would not be happy with anyone being sad. Her life was one well lived, she was a warrior, battling a beast for over 20 years; she fought with such calm assurance. We all knew the last time she battled she would be victorious, in a way she was, she went home. I know without a doubt in my mind and heart that God met her at the gates of heaven and said welcome home, we’ve been waiting for you. I know there was much rejoicing and a celebration that such a warrior had come home.
Hers was an honorable death, a life well lived, filled with friends, laughter, love, family and graciousness. I can only hope that my life is lived half as well as hers was. I still miss her, it has been two years and I can still hear her voice at times.
I urge all of you to live a life that when you are gone people will know the kind of person you were. That you were above board, honest, honorable, a joy to be around, that was my friend. I work on it daily, the joy to be around part, This year the Ladies that Lunch will be meeting on the anniversary of Sandi’s passing, I imagine there will be laughter and a few tears. However, when I see Sandi again I hope I will be able to tell her I lived a life that she would be proud of. When I hear her voice it is when I have done something good in my Mary Kay business.
So, on October 20th, please say a healing prayer for our group, for her friends and family left here to remember her.
Contacts
Well I did it, my prayers and wishes have finally come true, boot season is upon us, the cooler weather has hit North Texas and I could not be more thrilled. Actually, I could be more thrilled, if it snowed here in October it would make my life complete.
On Friday something so spectacular happened, I can’t talk about it yet, at least I don’t think I can, but when I get the OK to talk about it here you will all know what is going on. Just know it was unexpected and amazing and surprisingly does not include Dean Cain or Starbucks. Imaginations you may now run wild.
Weekend was quiet, I did go for an eye exam or Friday afternoon, long overdue, and guess what, well you are never going to guess so I am going to tell you, my eyesight has gotten better. Shocking! That is why I was not able to see out of my glasses. My Optometrist was not available so I saw another one in the practice and he and I discussed contacts. Since my eyesight has worsened I have given up wearing contacts on a daily basis as they are not comfortable and do not correct all of my vision issues. However, Dr. Deloach, at Plano Eye Associates (go see them), said he thought he had the solution. Monovision contacts, it is where they correct one eye for one issue and the other for the, well, other issue. He said it takes some getting used to and it is really a matter of fooling the brain, I have been trying them all weekend and while it does take some getting used to, I think they may work. You may all be seeing me sans glasses.
Today I will be test driving them at work to see if I can actually see the computer monitor, wish me luck. On Saturday I thought I was getting what the Irishman has had for the past two weeks, the congestion and coughing, so I stayed in, stayed in my pj’s and doctored myself. I am happy to report that whatever it was has passed. I am right as rain today, I have had copious amounts of coffee and am raring to go.
I don’t want to talk about the Real Housewives of New Jersey yet, as I am still stressed from the show, next week is the last one, so I am sticking it out.
So, that’s all I have for now, will see you tomorrow. Peace out.
Angie World 