Reflections

Top: Monroe and Lisa, Hondo, me, Adam with Paisley, and Kara

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

/Bottom: Miguel (honorary son-in-law/Hondo's brother), Jen with Tessa, Holly with Quincy, and Eric.  Missing:  Grandad/Michael

I'm still on a high from our wonderful Thanksgiving weekend.  4 of my 6 children were able to be here, with spouses and children in tow!  The holiday may be over, but the feelings of gratitude are still spilling from my heart.  A quick synopsis:

Sadlers:  Jen is a wonderful mom.  She got a rough start to motherhood, and her life's path is anything but smooth, but oh, does she love those little girls, and she does everything she can to give Quincy and Tessa the best!

Mahans: Adam and Kara are natural parents!  They chose to postpone parenthood for 8 years, and they've been richly rewarded with our sweet Paisley!  That baby is a blessing that just adds to their relationship!

Griffiths:  Stef, Matt, Michaela and Lucy celebrated at home in Nashville, with the bonus of Aunt Kelli at their Thanksgiving table!  Michael and I were blessed to be able to visit them earlier in Nov, where we met Miss Lucy for the first time and ate up every precious moment with all of them!

Lucy's blessing day! Matthew, Stef with Lucy, Gramma with Miki, and Grandad

Glems:  My Holly and Eric are a necessity for a riotous fun event!  They both work so hard, and I love it when they can actually get a break and relax!  There are never shortages of laughter when they're around!

Guzmans: What a year Lisa, Alejandro and Monroe have had!  Mo is a bright light in all our lives, and we just love the little family they've created! 

Kelli: continues to be a 'bonus' in all our lives!  She relishes her role as the 'favorite' aunt (or so she claims!) to these 6 babies, and is blossoming in her relationship with her returned missionary!  They are a cute couple, and she is blessed to have him in her life!  She's on the home stretch with school, and still balances a full class schedule with work and family.

Kelli in Nashville with Lucy

Kelli with Miki

Michael:  I love this man.  He has blessed me with these wonderful children, and we have weathered so much together.  He works so hard to take care of me, and I'm grateful for him. 

So there you go!  Everyone always feels like their families are the best, and...they are!  I am surrounded by some of the funniest, kindest, sweetest people in the world, and I have the bonus of being related to all of them!  What more could a gal ask for!

Oct Blog Challenge: Final Week--Best Advice I've Ever Been Given

1st Nephi 3:7 - "...I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them."

This is, overall, the best advice I've ever been given.  It's a well-known scripture from the Book of Mormon, and anyone who has been a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is very familiar with it.  This verse has strengthened me time and time again as challenging life events have appeared.  I say it to myself every time I'm asked to take on a new area of service in our church, and when I have new trials with which to deal.  It is a comfort to know that I'm not asked to take on something that I do not have potential to handle.  Many times this potential is yet unknown to me, but as I tackle each task, trial or area of service, I discover that the hand of God is holding mine.  He lets me know that I have what it takes to get through (and maybe even conquer) the challenge before me!  Our Father in Heaven will prepare a way, we just need the courage and faith to step onto the path.

To Be A Pioneer

You don't have to push a handcart,
Leave your family dear,
Or walk a thousand miles or more
To be a pioneer!

You do have to have great courage,
Faith to conquer fear,
And work with might for a cause that's right
To be a pioneer!

(To Be A Pioneer, Children's Songbook, p. 218-219)

Well, the Mahans are pioneers once more.  Today in our church meeting, the boundaries of our local Montrose wards (congregations) were rearranged, and, in addition, a whole new ward was created!  This is old hat to Mike and Cindy...we lived in Broomfield, CO for 22 years, on the same street, and experienced these changes from the comfort of our own home at least 3 times!  We learned quickly that this type of change is a good thing.  It occurs because the population of our church in the area is growing, and that is always a positive change!  When we left Broomfield to 'pioneer' in Montrose, it was a mere 5 months later that, for the first time in 30 years, a new ward was formed in this area, and guess who lived in its boundaries?!  Yep, that would be us. (We wondered if we brought it with us when we moved!)  And now, 6 years later, we are moving once again --  without packing a single box!  We are now members of the Mount Sneffles Ward, which will meet in a brand new building south of town!  I've never met in a shiny, new-wood and new-paint church before, so it will be fun!  Am I a little sad to be separated from the friends I've made in my old ward?  Of course.  But these kinds of changes create new connections, and I feel like, in many ways, they bring us closer together as a whole. 

But that NAME!!! When I moved here and first heard of Mt. Sneffles, all I could think of was Mr. Snuffleupagus from Sesame Street!  It's a goofy name, in my opinion, but now that I'm going to be attending a congregation with that tag, I decided I'd better do some research on it.  So, listed below (courtesy of Wikipedia) is the explanation of what and where Mt. Sneffles is...don't say that you never learn anything when you read my blog!! Ha!  Tally ho!

Mount Sneffels

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For the town named after this mountain, see Sneffels, Colorado.

Mount Sneffels
View of Mount Sneffels from the north
Elevation	14,158 ft (4,315 m) NAVD 88[1]
Prominence	3,030 ft (924 m)[2]
Listing	Colorado Fourteener
Location
Mount Sneffels Colorado
Location	Ouray County, Colorado, USA
Range	San Juan Mountains
Coordinates	38°00′14″N 107°47′32″WCoordinates: 38°00′14″N 107°47′32″W[1]
Topo map	USGS Mount Sneffels

Mount Sneffels is a fourteen thousand foot mountain peak in the U.S. state of Colorado. It is listed as being 14,150 feet high. It is the 27th highest 14er in Colorado. It is located in the Mount Sneffels Wilderness of the northern San Juan Mountains, in Ouray County approximately 5 miles (8 km) west of the town of Ouray. The summit of Mount Sneffels is the highest point in Ouray County. Mount Sneffels is notable for its great vertical relief, as it rises 7,200 feet above the town of Ridgway, Colorado 6 miles to the northeast.
The primary route to the summit follows a creek bed up from Yankee Boy Basin. A secondary route follows a ridge line to the summit from the saddle of Blue Lakes Pass.
Mount Sneffels was named after the volcano Snæfell, which is located on the tip of the Snæfellsnes peninsula in Iceland. That mountain and its glacier, Snæfellsjökull, which caps the crater like a convex lens, were featured in the Jules Verne novel A Journey to the Center of the Earth. An area on the western flank of Mount Sneffels gives the appearance of volcanic crater.^{[citation needed]}
Seen from the Dallas Divide on State Highway 62, Mount Sneffels is one of the most photographed mountains in Colorado.

Oct Blog Challenge Week 4: The One Book I Think Everyone Should Read

There is no ONE book that everyone should read. (Well, there's the Book of Mormon, but I'm sure Jen chose this topic with non-religious themes in mind!) There are as many different books as there are different people, and what touches one may not register with another.  But here's my selection:  The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein.  I picked it mainly because of the experience I had reading it to my elementary school kids last November. Our theme was gratitude, and we read this story, discussing at length how it appeared that the boy did not have much of that quality.  Yet, when life got hard, he kept coming back.  He returned to the one place where he knew he was loved, and eventually, he figured it out.  The first class I read it to that week was a group of 5th graders, who sat wide-eyed and silent, not knowing how to react when their librarian started to cry at the end.  Every grade level got something out of this book. Our discussions were uplifting and deep. And at the end of the month, when we moved on and were preparing for December activities, I got the best reward of all.  (Back-story) In the library in December, the school (translation: I) sets up a Christmas tree and the children bring canned and packaged food to donate toward gift baskets for some of our struggling families.  Each child who donates gets to hang an ornament on the tree, and by the time Winter Vacation rolls around, both the tree and every inch of space underneath it are overflowing!  As we talked about this activity, a 3rd grade boy raised his hand and asked me, "Mrs. Mahan, can we call it our Giving Tree?"  (I'll wait while you grab a tissue.....I'll join you)--- and the book has been regularly checked out ever since.  In today's world of egocentric and 'entitled' youth, it meant so much to me to see evidence that these children really do have kind and generous natures.  We need to give them more opportunities to develop this quality.  No, we don't want to raise a generation of doormats, but we do want to nurture their innate desire to give of themselves to others without expecting rewards.  It's called charity, and its spiritual definition is "The Pure Love of Christ".  The Golden Rule.  So read this book together, and enjoy discussing it with your family.

Blog Challenge: Letter to My 16-year-old Self

Dear Cindy,
  Well, you're finally 16.  You've just come through one of the roughest emotional stages of your life, brought on by 3 major factors:  1. You started high school 6 months ago, and suffered through an emotional melt-down as all of your closest friends either went to another high school, or didn't have any classes with you at this one, which led to at least one of them accusing you of abandoning your old friends for newer, more 'popular' ones.  This hurt you to the core, and you came home and cried on more than one occasion.  2. The other traumatic event was learning how to drive...you were the 'guinea pig', as most oldest children are, and let's just say your relationship with your dad didn't improve much because of the experience.  And 3. You got stood up for your very first high school date, to Homecoming...he came and took you to the football game the night before, but was a no-show for the dance.
  But you're 16 now!  You got your license (after failing the first time, and your future children LOVE to bring that up!), and you've reconciled with your old friends and found several new ones that will prove to be keepers!  So here's my advice to you....keep up the good work!  High school is a fun place, and you'll make your own niche and be quite content.  Dances are NOT the be-all and end-all to having a fulfilling high school experience, so don't put so much emphasis on them! 
   Watch your attitude...you have a tendency at this age to think you're pretty funny, but you'll cross a line between being funny and being a smart-aleck....try a little harder to be respectful, especially toward teachers and your parents!
   I look back and admire your tenacity when it comes to running for office in student government...you did it because you were genuinely interested in helping, not to win a popularity contest, and you lost time and time again.  Ah, well, you finally won an office your senior year...let's not worry about the fact that you were the only one running for it!  You got it, and you were good at it.  You'll repeat this desire to help through this type of office when you spend who-know-how-many years working in various positions of the PTO at your kids' school!
  Finally...stop and think more often about what you have to offer the world.  You make friends easily, you are a decent student and a hard worker, but you never gave yourself much credit for that kind of thing.  I wish you had taken more care about your appearance...been brave enough to experiment with makeup and more fashionable clothing.  Corduroys and T-shirts were probably not the most flattering style for you.

You're a great kid, Cynthia Joan Gray!  Go out and take on the world!    Love, You(Me)

Sibling Rivals and other Relative Topics

Dad, Mom, Cindy, (Cathy-in small photo), Dan - 3 years ago at my parent's 50th anniversary bash

Cathy-as seen on her current facebook profile

 Pull up the couch and show your Freudian slips...it's time to talk about my siblings.  Jen's first blog topic for October is to share qualities about our siblings, and our parents, too, if we so choose.  I do.  But let's start with the sister and brother.
Cathy - I am the oldest, and my only sister is less than 2 years younger than me.  We are about as opposite as two sisters ever could be....I'm tall, she's short, I'm outgoing, she's shy, I'm clean, she's cluttered...you get the idea.  When we lived together, it made for a less than harmonious relationship.  Once we were both out of the house and on our own, things improved dramatically.  I think we both appreciate and enjoy each other when we don't have to share the same living space.  So I can honestly and with heartfelt sincerity tell you that my sister has one of the biggest, most generous hearts of anyone on the planet.  She would throw herself in front of a train for someone she barely knows, and will fiercely defend her own family and mine.  She has been the only aunt my kids have ever had, and she loves them as much as she loves her own.  She has a soft spot for the underdogs and less privileged, and would be adopting every African orphan and 'crack baby' she could, if she had the resources!  Life with Cathy is never boring!

Dan - As the baby and the only boy, my brother has been pretty spoiled, and I'm just as guilty as the adults in his life!  We're 6 years apart, so I kinda felt like a 2nd mom to him.  He's easy to spoil....he's kind, thoughtful, generous and loyal!  He's a whiz with finances; I'm glad that one of us has a level head on their shoulders when it comes to money!  Oh, and he's very handsome, too.  He has a dry wit that leaves you in stitches!  I like him.

Dad - There aren't too many people in this world who don't enjoy my dad.  He's baudy, outspoken and the consummate sportsman.  I've grown up with hunting dogs and equipment as our standard decor.  He is a proud Scotsman, which includes the tendency toward excessive frugality.  "If I had a nickel for every light you kids left on....!"  However, I admire that he's been retired for many years, and has kept himself and my mom self-sufficient.  They take frequent camping trips; he gets to go on regular hunting expeditions.  One thing I admire the most about Doug Gray is how much he loves my mom, and how good he is (and was) to her widowed mother and her 3 sisters.  For a guy who grew up with only one brother, he has done an amazing job in his role as big brother.  That says a lot about any man.

Mom - is amazing. People are just drawn to Judy Gray.  She emanates an aura of kindness and empathy.  She will stand in a line at the grocery store, and by the time she leaves, she's heard the life stories of at least 3 people.  She's that easy to talk to, and that genuinely caring.  I can only hope to have half of her ability to make others feel better about themselves. 

I'm blessed to have both parents going strong.  They are wonderful people, and they're even better grandparents (and now GREAT-grandparents!) than they were parents!  And as for my sister and brother...I think I'll keep 'em.

My hour is up. Thanks for listening.

The Case of the Instant Proficient

You know, I selected these 4 topics for September, but it doesn't mean that I had my own answers for them at the ready!  In real life, I understand that the journey is part of the gift...happiness is not the destination, it's the journey.....and so on.  I know that part of the satisfaction of being good at anything is the blood, sweat and tears that it takes you to get there.  If we're not moving forward, we're sliding backwards.  OK, enough cliches.  I'm stalling.  The problem is that this topic speaks to a core flaw in Cindy's psyche.  I've always been pretty content to be "incredibly average" (M*A*S*H episode reference).  I had a biology teacher my sophomore year in high school named Mr. Brown (rest in peace).  One grading period, he called us up individually to show us our grades before the report card came out.  He pointed to my 'B' and said, "You know, you'd have an A if you weren't having so much fun." --- and my immediate thought was, "And??!...why would I want to do that?"  I've been blessed to have the ability to be pretty good at many things, but I can't say I've excelled at any one thing.  (Well, I did give birth to, and raise, 6 of the most amazing people on the planet, but other than marrying their father and taking advantage of his gene pool, I can't even take all the credit for them!)  ANYWAY, I'm still so very OK with this particular trait of mine, it should be scary.  But it's not.  I'm kinda crafty, I'm kinda good at singing, I'm kinda good at cooking/baking, I'm pretty good at my job, etc.  And I'm VERY fine with it all!  I am content to admire, and enrich my life with, those who do excel at certain things.  I really don't have a envious bone in my body.  


But, if I could be instantly good at something that I don't have ANY skill for, it would be playing the piano.  Yeah, Jen already said that, but she did something about it.  And, true to my form, I wouldn't want to be Carnegie Hall-proficient, just good-enough-to-play-hymns-at-church proficient.  I know, I know, I'm not too old to start piano lessons.  We'll see.  It's not technically on my 'bucket list', but it could be a high alternate. Case solved.  The wife/mother/grandmother/librarian did it.  But without proficiency.

What Almost Always Gives Me Goosebumps

Lord of the Rings soundtrack - 1. In the first movie, the music swells as the newly formed Fellowship marches over the crest of the hill, on their way to who knows what, Gandalf in the lead and Aragorn bringing up the rear. 2. Second movie - the violins of Rohan. 3. The music as the beacons are lit from Minas Tirith to Edoras.  I do get actual goosebumps when all that music plays.  Thank you, Howard Shore and Peter Jackson!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V75dMMIW2B4

Star Spangled Banner - had it happen over and over as I watched USA Gold-medal ceremonies this summer.
 

Marines in uniform - any Marine commercial will give me the shivers, and usually with accompanying tears.  Semper Fi.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzQIDRrhRVk&feature=related

My LEAST favorite thing to do

The answer to this topic has changed over the course of my life, with responses such as "washing pots and pans", "sorting socks", and so on.  However, at this point, I must honestly state that my least favorite thing to do is to get ready in the morning and then to get ready for bed at night.  I dread the daily grind...get up, shower, lotion, deodorant, clothes, hair, blah, blah blah.  Lather, rinse, repeat....repeat....repeat.  I'm ready for the Jetsons---slide down a tube and by the time you come out, it's all done.  Of course, it's also almost 2015 and we aren't anywhere close to hoverboards, so I guess for now I'll keep dragging myself out of bed and into the shower, grateful that I know the way with my eyes mostly shut and my brain in power-saver mode.  Yawn.  I'm getting sleepy just thinking about it.

My Superpower and Name

I would like to be able to Apparate.  Then I could use that power to instantly be wherever I needed and/or wanted to be....the store, work, and particularly with my extended family members.  No need to worry about gas or plane fare, and it would provide the opportunity for me to visit with my kids and grandkids for a day or a weekend, if I so chose.  Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you.....Instantania! (Cue inspirational music!)

NEW Blog Challenge

The Mahan bloggers had so much fun with the 30-Day Blog Challenge this summer that we decided to take on one of our own design!  So here we go.  As the matriarch, I decided to take on the first month.  Basic rules:
*One topic per WEEK, instead of each day--crazy lives dictate this one.
*Each of us will come up with the topics for a month for all to follow
*No pressure on time-lines--you get there when you get there!

Friends and family--feel free to ride along!

WEEK 1: Tell us your superhero name and power
WEEK 2: Your LEAST favorite thing to do
WEEK 3: What almost always gives you goosebumps
WEEK 4: If you could instantly be proficient at anything, what would you choose?

Book Review: The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg

The Review: I don't remember how long ago I first read this book. No doubt I discovered it as I worked my way through the Newbery Challenge, and selected it because it won that award back in 1997. I fell in love with it then, and I love it even more now. Reading a book that feeds my soul as well as my imagination is rare, and quite satisfying. Today, on my last day of 'freedom' before I return to work as an elementary school librarian, I reached for it again, and in a couple of hours, was reminded as to why I love it. Did I choose it, or did it choose me? The answer is "Yes!" The main characters in this story are 4 very individual and intelligent children and their 6th grade teacher, who also has traits and circumstances that single her out. Their qualities and life experiences set them apart from their peers, and not always in a pleasant way. However, through their individual, and then combined, experiences, they discover the best of themselves, and learn to appreciate the best in each other. This book has the courage to applaud kindness, courtesy and fair play. It has the courage to shine a spotlight on meanness, cruelty and selfishness, and to let the reader know that this kind of behavior is NOT OK, and should be dealt with. This book shows how the lives of people can intertwine in the most interesting ways, and if embraced, can expand horizons and lift individuals into a larger, better whole. It is clever, intelligent and touching. 

It's just a little trophy, but I'm actually quite proud of it!

The Explanation: When I first started this blog, I indicated that one of my main reasons for creating it would be to publish my book reviews.  I don't claim to be the Gene Shalit of the literary world, but reading is a passion that I've had ever since I learned how, and I actually became hooked on writing reviews when I undertook the Newbery Challenge several years ago. * Back story:  The librarian at the school where I worked encouraged her students to tackle this Challenge, and once I learned what it was, I wanted to participate as well.  The Newbery and Caldecott challenges are to read every book that won those prestigious awards.  I completed both, taking a mere 3 years to do it! And even though I have the little trophy to prove it, I make a point of continuing to read each winner, and often one or two of the "honor" (runner-up) titles, each year. Part of my co-worker's requirement for participation was to complete a short synopsis of each book as it was completed, using short prompts that she created. (After all, we had to prove we'd actually read the book, right?!)  "Who was the main character?" or "Where did the story take place?" or "What was the main conflict in the story?".....etc.  Her prompts were designed to be answered by the older elementary students that typically took on this challenge, but I found that I really enjoyed pondering and then recording my thoughts about these topics.  The librarian did, too, apparently, because she started asking me to read books that she was considering for the library, and respected my opinion enough to make her decisions based on my reviews.  It was a huge compliment, and I'll confess, a bit of an ego boost for me!*  Long story short (oops, too late!), I've decided that today's book, and review, are the perfect start to this branch of my blog.  If you read the review, I hope it makes you want to read the book.  And if you read the book, I hope it makes you want to come back and share YOUR review!  Whether you comment on goodreads, or here, it doesn't matter to me!  One of the most rewarding things for me EVER is to share something that means a great deal  with others, and have that something mean a great deal to them because of it!

Ode to Hobbes

On Saturday, Aug. 4, we had to put our sweet golden retriever out of his misery.  He lived with us his entire life, from March of 2000 until the day he died.  Many people will attest to the fact that you can't go wrong with a Golden for a loving, gentle, loyal family pet.  But Hobbes was exceptional.  He came to us as our children were primed to leave the nest...Jen was actually in college, but had moved back home, and Adam graduated from high school the year we brought that puppy home.  But Hobbes remembered, and loved, them all.  As the kids left home over these last 12 years, college, marriage, Marine Corp, he was never quite as content.  But whenever they came home, his world was complete.  He was a 'talker'...the more you sweet-talked to him, the more he moaned, groaned and whimpered back to you!  We joked that if we'd waited a little before naming him, he would have been Chewbacca!  If anyone sat still for more than 3 seconds, he'd be at your side with a giant, teddy-bear paw resting on your leg.  He loved tennis balls.  When he was young and fit, he'd chase them until YOU were done.  In his 'golden' years, (pun intended), he kinda gave up on actually chasing the ball, but he had Kelli trained so that when he came up and put his head on her lap, she'd just take the ball away from the puppy and hand it to him.  At that point, he'd carry it away, lie down and chew it to his heart's content.  He had a favorite blanket, an old comforter that we put on our bedroom floor and he'd dig at it and nest before bed each night.    Now I know you all have stories like this about your furry companions, but I get to take my turn now and share all the little things about Hobbes that made him....Hobbes.  The story about him that breaks my heart, other than him being gone, was what happened when our older dog, Riley, passed away.  Riley was 9 when we got Hobbes, and Hobbes worshiped him.  When Riley died 5 years later, Hobbes stopped eating.  The kids would sit on the back step with dog food in their hands in order for him to eat.  I was so sad that he was so lonesome, but not really anxious to rush out and get another dog.  However, my mind was changed when I took Hobbes to the park one day.  I hoped that by letting him run around and play, he'd feel better.  But as I let him out of the car, a man and his dog were walking clear on the other side of the field, and the dog was black and white, just like Riley.  Hobbes caught sight of them, and his whole body came alive.  His ears went up and he took off like a shot, thinking that he'd finally found his buddy.  I hollered at him and he came back, but I was sobbing as I put him back into the car and went home.  Enter Lizzie.  And yes, in a few years, if this blog still exists, I'll have an ode to her.  Why do we do this to ourselves?  Well, because every memory, every experience we share with our pets improves our lives and allows us someone who loves us unconditionally.  Not many times we can say that about anyone.

Good Ol' Hobbes - January 14, 2000 - August 4, 2012

"You Have Chosen....Wisely...."

If you recall, when I first began blogging, I stated in my 'bio' that I'm pretty good at a lot of things, but not really excellent at anything.  And that I'm OK with that.  Well, I'm not very good at change. Change involves taking chances, stepping outside your comfort zone, trying something you've never tried before.  I like my safe, comfortable little world, living in my snow globe of familiarity.  This trait hovers over both small and large decisions.  So why am I pondering this right now?  Because I got my hair cut.  And I mean, CUT.  I've never had my hair this short, ever.  I've contemplated it MANY times over the years, particularly during my child-rearing phase, when it was a pain to take time to fix and a pain (literally) to have it pulled by small hands.  But two weeks ago, I did it.  And I knew myself well enough by now to realize that I had to take certain steps to make sure I followed through.  The main step was to advertise it.  I told all my kids, and my 4 ya-yas, and my mom, that I was getting my hair cut, and cut off.  My cute little stylist even asked me as we got started, "Did you tell anyone you were going to do this?".  I told her yes, because I knew if I didn't, I'd chicken out.


I guess, in a way, my new haircut is a metaphor for my life.  I feel like it's a weakness to dislike change.  I'm old enough now to realize that changes happen, and that, more often than not, they  improve my life, not the opposite.  I also think that being resistant to change indicates a certain lack of faith.  One of my favorite scenes in any movie is from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, when Indy takes a leap of faith from the lion's mouth.  He is staring across a seemingly endless, and impassable, abyss that he must cross in order to save his father's life.  (My fear of heights makes this scene particularly intense).  He closes his eyes, raises his foot, and lurches forward to apparently imminent death.  But he stops dead just a foot away.  There it is....a stone bridge that blends into the mountainside so well that it appears invisible.  I can relate.  And, sadly, most of the time I probably turn around and look for an alternate route.  Thankfully, I cannot say that I've ever been faced with a choice that is life-threatening, or life-altering, for me or anyone I love (I mean in a negative sense!  Marriage, having children, etc.; those life-altering choices have been VERY positive!)  I think I'm getting better at choosing to change, and I don't just mean my hair.  I have been better about taking risks, and hopefully have improved at taking care of the people in my life.  I am 52 years old, and still a big chicken, but I understand a little better that the changes in my life, whether chosen by me or not, have molded my character and my life.  They're gonna keep coming, whether I like them or not...I might as well take that leap of faith and embrace them.  


Oh, and I think I'm gonna like my new hair.  It makes me look more like a grandma, but hey...that's another change that I have embraced with enthusiasm, so why not look the part?  

Efferdent and Pinwheels

I have always been a list person.  I've made lists of what to pack on trips, classes I needed to take, and endless grocery lists and dinner menus.  And, as a grown-up (which I have been for a couple of years now), I have been fairly faithful in making lists to manage my adult life.  I've listed chores, calendar events, and more frequently, those never-ending dinner menus and grocery lists to get my family through from one paycheck to the next.  This leads into the explanation of my post title today.  (It takes very little to amuse me sometimes, and this story is one of them.)  Whenever I enter the amount of my most recent 'list' purchases, I make an abbreviated note in my check register to remind myself of what the funds were used for.  So, the other day I went into the store specifically for denture cleaner, and while there I made an impulse buy of three cute little patriotic pinwheels.  I went home, put the Efferdent into the bathroom, stuck the pinwheels in the dirt of the front yard, and.went to make that notation in my checkbook.  I wrote "Efferdent and pinwheels"....and started to giggle.  What kind of a combination is that?  How on earth could those two items possibly be related?  Well, I know how they go together.....and now you do, too.  Further proof that even the most random things can be linked, if you know all the details. 
                                   

Blog Challenge Last Day: Weird Quirk of Mine

To my knowledge, I have never been described as 'quirky'.  Maybe one weird quirk does not 'quirky' make.    (pause, pause, pause, think, think, think-think, think, think)----OK!  I got one!  I will usually come up with a song for just about any occasion.  Someone getting married?  I will burst out into "Going to the chapel and we're--gonna get ma-a-arried"!  Or maybe we're talking about a friend...."You ain't never-- had a-- frieeeeeend liiiiike MEEEEEEE!" (And I'll probably add the bwa-da-das!).  Last night we were watching some of the Olympic trials, and I'm thinking about "I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free!.....God Bless the U-S-A!!"   Put me to the test sometime...if you haven't actually heard me start singing part of a song that I somehow feel fits the situation, then it's probably just because it's playing in my head, not out my mouth!  Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast, and apparently, I'm self-medicated!  
As this blog challenge ends, I want to thank you all for coming.  Can't really tell you what this page will contain from here on out, but I hope you stay tuned!  Good night, Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are!

Blog Challenge Day 30: Favorite Comfort Food

I'm sorry, but this one is lame.  The second to last post of this challenge, and THAT's the category??!  Why not "If you could have a super power, what would it be?" or "If  you could do one thing to make the world a better place, what would it be?" or something like that?  No, they have to select one of the most common, ordinary topics---comfort food.  I've already referenced this in a much earlier post, because almost, if not all, of the favorite foods I listed on Day Whatever were selected because they're comforting.  Blah, blah, blah.  Macaroni and cheese.  There.  Moving on, please....!


P.S.  Healing powers---healing hands, like Aragorn, or maybe I'd go the Rapunzel (Tangled) route and have healing hair...although it'd be better if I could cut it and it wouldn't lose it's strength.  And my answer to the other one....I've already done it.  I gave the world Jennifer, Adam, Stefanie, Holly, Lisa and Kelli, and they've made the world a better place.  They're fun, caring, stubborn, outspoken, loving, conscientious and determined.  The world needs people like that, and I'm honored to be their mother.  
   
Stef      Kelli       Jen      Holly       Lisa      Adam

Blog Challenge Day 29: Top Things on My Bucket List

1. Vacation in Hawaii
2. Go on a Disney cruise
3. Have a getaway home, either a cabin in the mountains or a beach house


Honestly, that's all I can think of.  I've never kept a running list of things to accomplish before I leave this frail existence.  I think I've already accomplished a lot--I've given birth to, and raised, 6 of the most amazing people I could ever want to know, and now they're starting to reward me even more by giving me grandchildren. I am still very much in love with their father.  He takes good care of me.  I continue to work toward improving my testimony and my faith, trying hard to build my relationship with my Father in Heaven and my Savior, Jesus Christ.  This goal will carry me beyond this life, and hopefully, my eternal relationships with my family will be carried beyond this earth, as well.  Actually, that goal makes the 3 I listed above seem pretty worldly and selfish.  But I still wouldn't mind if they happened.  (insert sheepish grin here)
     

Blog Challenge Day 28: The Last Time I Cried

I cried twice last week, while at my daughter Jen's house in Broomfield.  The harder cry was while she, Kelli and I were watching TV and this commercial came on with this sweet young man who had suffered brain damage in a car accident.  I'd never seen it before, and when he held up the "Where r" sign that showed the text message that caused the accident he was in, I LOST IT!  It caught me so off guard, I just threw my hands up over my face and sobbed.  Both my girls looked at me in shock, they had seen it before and so it didn't startle them like it did me.  AAAgh!  Is this what it's gonna take for people to put the phone away while driving?  I sure hope so!  The second time was stereotypical...of course I cried when it was time to leave them, especially when I picked up my Quincy and got a tight toddler hug!  Something tells me it's not gonna get any easier to say good-bye to those grandkids.  I like them.  A LOT.  And I love that, even at their tender ages, they're starting to figure out that this lady is someone that loves them so much, and they reciprocate!  Pretty cool, and definitely worth a few tears.

Crying

*Time to play the song game....up there is a link to one of my favorite songs with the word 'crying' in it....how many can you think of that have the word 'cry' or 'crying' in it?  This is a favorite Mahan traveling game---pick a random word and try to sing as many songs/lines from songs that have that word in it. Discuss.*

Blog Challenge Flashback: Days 1 through 13

This may be very narcissistic of me, but I'm gonna torture you with my Blog Challenge responses from Day 1 through Day 13.  Those were the posts I shared with my family via email, because I hadn't gotten brave enough to start my own blog yet.  So, just in case you don't yet feel like you know more about me than you need to (or WANT to!), here are my unedited initial responses from the first two weeks of the challenge.  (In descending order!)  

Day 13: Favorite Quote

I have 2 that I refer to often:  both from favorite books, and both related to agency....our ability to make the best of the situations in our lives.

#1:  

“So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to you.
- Gandalf, The Lord of the Rings”
― J.R.R. Tolkien

#2:

“It is our choices, Harry, that show us what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Day 12: Money, money, money by the pound!

(I'm copying Lisa's method of clever captions....although hers are far more clever than mine!)

First of all, I will never win the lottery, cuz you can't win if you don't play.  BUT, IF I did, the first thing I'd do is pay off your grandparents' homes/cars.  Then I'd get us out of debt, and most likely put a healthy down payment on a home of our own.  THEN I'd give each of my kids a set sum to do with as they pleased, and create some kind of trust fund/college fund for the grandkids.  Oh, and go to Hawaii for a week....or two.   Aloha.

Day 11:  Most proud moment

I'm assuming this should be a proud moment involving ME, but all I can think about are the proud moments I had concerning my children.  Huh.  Well, I do remember feeling very proud of making it through the district spelling bee in the 8th grade and winning that $100.  That trip to Denver for the State contest was one of the most fun weekends I ever had, my mom and I went with her good friend and some of her family, stayed with some of HER friends in Denver, and I went shopping at a Target store for the very first time in my life!  All truly momentous events!  Oh, and we used the money to buy me a 10-speed bike, which I rode for MANY years.

Day 10: First Celebrity Crush

Believe it or not, Donny Osmond.  I was about 9 years old, and I loved the Osmond Brothers' music!  Our friends across the street had their album, and I remember looking at the photo of him and his brothers a LOT!!!   "One Bad Apple don't spoil the whole bunch, girl...."

(Donny's in the red shirt, in case you couldn't tell)

Day 9: Piercings/Tatoos

I have my ears pierced, just one in each, and I'm glad I do.  However, if a friend hadn't given me a gift certificate to get them pierced as a graduation gift, I probably still wouldn't have any piercings, because I'm such a big chicken!  But since it was a gift, I felt obligated, so my Aunt Joan went downtown with me while she was here for my graduation, and I got them pierced!

Day 8:  Old Photos of Me

Cindy, age 9 months Cindy, age 17 1/2 (TOLD ya I was blonde!)

Day 7: Food, Glorious Food!           

My 10 favorites (as of 2012, not in any particular order of preference)--macaroni and cheese, french dip sandwiches, chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies with chocolate chips, my lasagne, rib eye steak (medium), shrimp, that appetizer with the flour tortillas rolled up with cream cheese and stuff inside it, Chili's chips and salsa, twice-baked potatoes.

Day 6: 3 Personality Traits that I Am Proud Of

1.  Friendly

2. Nurturing

3. Honest

--Hopefully I don't need to provide examples, because if they truly ARE part of my personality, they would be obvious.  

Day 5: My Guilty Pleasure:  "Toxic" by Britney Spears.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcLy9FFssP8

Day 4:  Earliest childhood memory

Well, my earliest memory is at the age of 4, when I got to go see Mary Poppins with my mom and at Aunt Patti, at least, although I can't imagine that Aunt Linda wasn't there, too!  I remember leaving my Grandma Bland's house, being told to be very quiet because Cathy was sleeping (Grandma was babysitting her), and walking over the small grassy lawn to the car!  I was SO excited!  As far as I know, this was probably the very first movie I'd ever been to...when we went to the movies as a family, it was usually the drive-in, with blankets spread across the back of the station wagon after the back seats had been lowered!  But I digress....I honestly can't say I specifically remember being AT the movie, just the thrill and anticipation of going....all by myself!  SUCH  a big girl!

 P.S.  Guess what?  When I looked up this picture, it was on IMBD, which lists the original release date as Sept. 11, 1964!  I'll be doggoned......

3. Meaning of my business name - 

  To answer this, I'm going to share a story about the name of the 'business' I work for...which is ______ Elementary.  It's a tale that shows how a name can be had for good OR ill, and how difficult it can be to change from the latter to the former.  When I worked for the other school in this district, I got the impression from people, including families that transferred their kids from _______ , that it was a cold, unfriendly place with sub-standard teachers.   So then, lo and behold, my classroom para job disappears, and the best way for me to stay employed is to interview for the librarian job at that school!  So, now, after 18 months, here's my first-hand take....to some degree, the opinions I had heard were correct.  The building itself, although only 10 years old, is a cold and sterile (hospital-like, one co-worker said!) environment.  There are pale tiles on the floor and white brick on the walls, so it's loud and blah.  And yes, there are some staff members that are difficult to approach, but that's the same everywhere.   The teachers there work just as hard on behalf of the kids as anywhere else.  So the problem is the NAME.  My husband even says that realtors and other business members will tell people, "Oh,  you don't want to live there, that's _______'s district."  Yikes!  How do we combat that?  When a name has had a negative reputation for so long, it's an uphill battle to change people's thinking!  I don't have the answer, I just know that I'm doing my best in my little corner of the world, to make it a warm and welcoming place.  My ideas?  Put carpet in the halls and change the name...give this building a fresh start!  But then, I'm not in charge of such things....  So, children of mine, let's always remember what the name Mahan means, and do our best to uphold our honor!  After all, as Kelli so aptly put it, "We're kind of a big deal."    (Note:  I actually did edit this post, I removed specific names to protect the innocent!)

Day 2.  20 Facts about me

1. I'm blonde  (really!  --check out my school photos--)

2. I'd rather read YA literature than most anything out there written for adults

3. I married my high school sweetheart...sorta...after making a huge fool of myself over him.  Lucky for him, he fell for it.

4. I have a 'Rain Man' sense for birthdays and phone numbers...but the phone number thing is fading, thanks to modern technology.

5. I used to be pretty good at tennis

6. Favorite color is green, mostly because...

7. I love summer

8. I make friends easily

9. I was never one of the popular kids, but I didn't care.  I have plenty of other things to worry about.

10. I like my lemonade with thingys in it, but I like my orange juice pulp free.

11. My favorite animals, besides dogs, are panda bears and penguins.  Guess I have a thing for black/white critters.

12. I can sing the old McDonald's Big Mac theme song backwards...I once won a contest on the radio doing it in less than 10 seconds.

13.  I've also won a getaway weekend and $1000 in different radio contests, and held on for almost a whole week in a Men vs. Women contest on the radio.

14.  I went to the State Spelling Bee in the 8th grade, though I didn't make it past the written round.  I know for sure that I misspelled "marshmallow"...I put -mellow.  That's probably what did it.

15.  I have only been out of the country one time...a Spanish club trip to Guaymas, Mexico my junior year.  I got severely sunburned and my camera stolen.

16.  I have several gold medals that I won in archery tournaments as a kid....but that was just because I was usually the only girl there.

17.  There's this scene in the movie "Peggy Sue Got Married" (Kathleen Turner, Nicholas Cage) where Peggy Sue has gone back in time, into her high school body, and she realizes that being in that time means her grandparents are still alive, and she books it over to see them..I would love to do that.  I miss my Grandpa and my Grandmas still.

18.  I hate balloons.

19.  I intensely dislike the word "hate".

20.  My favorite movie of all time is Mary Poppins.        

 Day 1. Hi, my name is Cynthia Joan (Gray) Mahan, pleased to meet you.  I was born in MI, moved to CO at age 11, and have lived here almost the whole rest of my life.  I enjoy reading, crocheting, my dogs, and mostly, my FAMILY.  My children are the greatest contribution I have made to this world.  I also kinda like their dad.  My faith and testimony are very important to me, since my heart's desire is for us all to be together in the eternities.  I also like music, and I tend to sing a lot and have a verse for just about any situation.  I'm marginally good at lots of things, but not an expert on any one thing.  I'm OK with that.

                    

Blog Challenge Day 27: What Makes Me Feel Better, Always

I will not play tug o' war. I'd rather play hug o' war. Where everyone hugs instead of tugs, Where everyone giggles and rolls on the rug, Where everyone kisses, and everyone grins, and everyone cuddles, and everyone wins.
Shel Silverstein

OK, it was the word "always" that made me ponder.  I mean, there are LOTS of things that make me feel better, depending on the situation--Jane Austen, Lord of the Rings movies, macaroni and cheese, talking to my mom, phone chats with my children, petting my dogs, and so on.  But I've chosen a winner, and found a pretty good quote to help convey it!  HUGS, ladies and gentlemen, will help me feel better EVERY TIME (as in, ALWAYS)!  This weekend I attended a funeral for a man who died much too young, and after suffering much too much physical pain that left him with very little quality of life.  After the service, I walked up to his 20-some year old daughter, whom I love, and just held out my arms.  She immediately embraced me tightly and started to cry.  It was healing, for me and for her.  And when I turned to hug her mother after that, she actually thanked me for hugging her girl.  Like it was difficult...but she told me that I have healing hugs.  I don't know if I've ever received a more wonderful compliment.  I saw another quote on the same web page as the one above, and basically it said, 4 hugs a day for survival, 8 for maintenance, and 12 a day for growth.  I like it.  A lot can be said, and felt, just by wrapping our arms around someone.  Words are optional.  

Blog Challenge Day 26: 5 Favorite Blogs

Well, since I'm so new to this whole blogging thing, my favorite blogs belong to my children!  Holly started hers when Eric was going through everything with his cancer, and it was the perfect way for people to check in and leave words of comfort and encouragement!  Jen and Stef started theirs when they moved far away from family, and Lisa started hers about the time she began her journey as a wife and mom!  Holly's blog is here, Jen's blog is thisaway, Stef's site is this, and Lisa's can be found through this door. They are all wonderful writers, and I'm not just saying that because they're my daughters!  They certainly didn't inherit that gift from me!

That's only four, so I'll have to say that, at this current time, my other favorite blog is the one that was just set up for my friend Lynn.  She is a kindergarten teacher I worked with for 4 1/2 years, and this last school year she was finally, rightfully,  chosen as our school district's elementary teacher of the year!  But on June 8 she suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm, and has been in a Denver hospital ever since.  There is a site called Carepages.com that allows family members to set up a blog to keep friends and family updated on a loved one's medical condition, and I visit it regularly!  Like Holly and Eric's blog started, it is a fantastic way for the family to update everyone at once, and also allows those of us who love and care about her to let her and her family know we're here!

Blog Challenge Day 25: My Best Physical Feature

I think my best physical feature is my smile.  Eyes? They're a nice shade of blue, but they're squinty and crooked.  Nose?  A little too big.  Hands?  Might be in the running, except for the biting nails part.  So I'm left with my smile.  I don't mind.  I use my smile a lot, and I think that it improves the other parts when I do.

Blog Challenge Day 24: A Difficult Time in My Life

This topic kept me awake last night, pondering what I would say.  I decided to share the difficulties I had when we moved from Broomfield to Montrose in June of 2006.  The next 6 months or so were some of the most difficult I have faced.  We made the decision to move because Michael had been offered what we THOUGHT was a better work opportunity at a car dealership here, and we decided the timing was right.  We'd lost his dad very unexpectedly in March of that year, and felt that we needed to live a little closer to his mom, who is alone in Silt, CO.  It was a difficult choice; we'd raised all the kids in Broomfield, where Mahan had become a name of legend (I may exaggerate, but not by much!), and I would be leaving the best friends I'd ever had.  We pulled poor Kelli away from the only home she'd known, away from a core of amazing and fun kids that had all grown up together, after her freshman year in high school!  Well, long story short (too late!), the job was not the better opportunity he'd hoped for, and we struggled financially and emotionally.  Well, I can't speak for Michael, but I sure did.  I did (and do!) love being closer to our parents, but those first few months I was homesick and stressed.  Even church didn't help, there were too many people who have grown up here, never left, and were very set in their ways.  I bided my time, hoping to find a 'kindred spirit' or two, but I really didn't.  My heart hurt at how Kelli struggled that first year, she was very lonely at school and at church, which is not something she or I was used to.  Add all that to bills that we struggled to pay, and it made for a very trying time.  The bright spot in all this was my new job...ironically, I have been the one who has been given the better opportunity for work.  Granted, my income is not one we could live on, but I've been able to bring home more than I ever did on the eastern slope.  Michael continues to work in the car business, for a different local dealership now, and we have cleared many financial hurdles in the years since.  But I find myself analyzing that time, wondering what I was supposed to learn from that trial, and hoping that I have come through it stronger and wiser!  The choices we make may not always reap the benefits we expect, but if we endure and focus on what we can do to improve, we will be better for the experience!

Blog Challenge Day 23: Pet Peeves

*People who crack their knuckles
*Squeezing the toothpaste in the middle instead of working it up from the bottom
*Public speakers with a wad of gum in their mouth
*Anyone speaking with a wad of gum in their mouth!
*Too-full refrigerators (I start to stress about penicillin growing in the containers toward the back!)
*Adults who tack on "Okay?" after every sentence they speak to children.....Who's in charge, them or you?  Stop asking their permission every time you are supposedly giving them directions!  If you're telling them to pick up their rooms, or to ask for something nicely, and you add "Okay" at the end, they're probably thinking "No, it's not OK!"  ---Replace that phrase with "Do you understand?"  or "Got it?"  
*Waiting in line at the customer service counter for 20 minutes while everyone ahead of me is trying to cash a check without proper ID, or cashing in their $2 lotto tickets and staring in the counter window to pick out the next one(s) to waste their money on, or buying cigarettes.  Wish they had a customer service counter JUST for lottery ticket and cigarette buyers, so the rest of us who AREN'T wasting their money could conduct our business and be gone!


Huh...look at that.  Apparently pet peeves bring out a grouchy streak in me!  But then, maybe that's the definition of a pet peeve.   :b

Blog Challenge Day 22: 10 Favorite Songs

These songs are in no particular order, and I've selected them because they stay with me no matter what other tunes I enjoy throughout the years.  Some of these categories I consider 'songs', and the others are 'hymns' (yes, there is a difference!).  All of them touch my heart, and several reduce me to tears every time I hear or sing them.  

*Colour My World by Chicago - This is Michael's and my song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN-AyNsDtN0A

*A Wink and A Smile by Harry Connick, Jr. - a more recent tune to add to my all-time favorites, but when I first heard it on the Sleepless in Seattle soundtrack, I fell in love!  It just makes me happy!  My daughter Holly and my son-in-law Eric danced to it at their wedding reception!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIwqw_2J6H8

*The Way You Look Tonight by Frank Sinatra, et al - This one is such a classic that it seems no matter who sings it, it sounds fantastic!  It has a special place in my heart because my son Adam selected it as the song he and I danced to at his wedding.  If you love this kind of music, follow my daughter Kelli's lead, go to Pandora.com and create a Michael Buble station (another singer who nails this tune!)...like Kelli told me when she suggested I do that, "You'll thank me later!"  (Oh, and musical/movie trivia...this is also the song that Dermot Mulroney sang to Julia Roberts as they danced on the boat floating down the river in Chicago in "My Best Friend's Wedding")
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0Gg7RULwrI

*Every song in "Mary Poppins" and "The Sound of Music" (yes, even Climb Every Mountain!) - by Rodgers and Hammerstein, sung by Julie Andrews and others - OK, so maybe this is cheating, lumping all these melodies into one, but come on!  Each one is sweet, fun and great to sing along to, which is always a top priority in just about any song I like!  Confession: Although I saw Mary Poppins at the tender age of 4, when it first came out, and I knew a few of the songs from Sound of Music growing up, I never actually SAW The Sound of Music until I'd been married for several years...I know, shocking!  I had no idea until that point that "Do, Re, Mi" and "Edelweiss" were songs from that movie!  The only thing that I remember hearing about the movie before finally watching it (VHS..it was the 80's!) was some random trivia fact that a woman set some kind of Guinness record for seeing The Sound of Music 100 times in the theater.  I wonder if the record still holds....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cD-7DtEPfM&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL5B5D22B325FCFC26

*Hark the Herald Angels Sing - I consider this my favorite Christmas song, and it's actually one I think could be categorized as a song and a hymn. Sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir AND by Charlie Brown and friends...how can you go wrong with that??  Come on, everybody, tip your face up to the sky...."loo, loo, loooo, loo, loo, loo, loo, loooo....."
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTu00FCLgPs

*For the Beauty of the Earth - A classic, timeless hymn.  It just makes me appreciate the beautiful world that our loving Father in Heaven created for us.  It doesn't hurt that I live in a particularly gorgeous part of that world, and I hope I never take it for granted!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qsp3p16lONI

*How Gentle God's Commands, LDS Hymnbook #125 - This hymn is one that sustains me often when I feel burdened and overwhelmed.  By the time we get to the last verse, my heart and my tear ducts tend to overflow.  "I'll drop my burden at his feet, and bear a song away."  I need to work on this concept, and this song reminds me that I really can turn my trials over to Him, and He will strengthen me and lighten my load.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66EpXqk1lKU

*Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing - this hymn is a more recent addition to my all-time favorites list, but I think I love it for reasons similar to the ones listed above. And that's all I have to say about that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uslytyVrWFw

*Patriotic Songs - Yes, yes, I'm lumping again, but these 4 will give me goosebumps and cause tears to stream down my face every time.  They are: The Star-Spangled Banner, America the Beautiful,  The Battle Hymn of the Republic, and God Bless the USA  (Lee Greenwood).  One year, our son Adam was deployed to Iraq in the Marine Corp, and as his dad and I stood to sing the Star-Spangled Banner in church that 4th of July Sunday, we both could barely finish, and literally had tears streaming down our faces (My allergies are acting up even as I type this).  One of our church leaders, who was standing up at the front, commented afterward that he had to consciously avoid looking at us as we sang, because it touched him so!  Can you honestly say that you will not expect to get chills at the end of this summer, as our national anthem is played during the Olympics?  This great land was founded on righteous principles, and no matter what, it is a land that is blessed, and I pray it will always be a "land of the free and....home of the brave!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOvA-Hn4_Z

*And finally, For Good - from the musical "Wicked", music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and sung by Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth - all the music from this play is amazing, and one of the things that I enjoy most about it is how clever the lyrics are.  In several of the tunes, the phrases carry a double meaning, and this one is a great example of that.  I love this song because it speaks to enduring love and friendship, and the fact that even though many of the people that we care for deeply are separated from us, whether geographically, emotionally or philosophically, they all leave a "handprint on my heart".  I am grateful for all the wonderful people I have in my life now, and have had in the past, who have made me what I am and set the example for what I may become.  Thanks to all of you, "I have been changed....for good."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQJaZO2nfGg 

"Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here!"  (Professor Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, p. 128)

Blog Challenge Day 21: Something I Miss

Two things popped into my head as I read today's category:
1)  My grandparents.  I believe I've referenced them before, but at this stage in my life, I'm blessed to still have both my parents here and going strong.  But even now, as I have become a grandparent myself, I still miss my own.  I only had one grandpa (dad's side), because my mom's dad died of pneumonia when she was 13 and the oldest of 4 sisters.  I loved him dearly, he and my Grandma were the 'fun' grandparents...they had a little hunting cabin in northern MI where we'd go on weekends to play, and Grandpa would bring over his snowmobile in the wintertime and take us (and several neighbor kids!) on rides through our neighborhood.  My mom's mom was kinda mean, or so I thought when I was little, but ironically, about the time we moved away to CO, I was getting old enough to be able to relate to her better....and to make her laugh, which was very important to me!

2) Energy....I don't miss my youth, but I do miss the energy that came with it!  As I get a little older (notice I said LITTLE!), I appreciate more the ability I once had to move around quickly without worrying about twisting an ankle or knee, and without having to grunt and groan as I transition from one position to another!  For those of you who check in on this blog who don't know what I'm talking about....appreciate that fact, and enjoy yourselves!  And for those of you who DO understand....well, at least we have each other!  

Blog Challenge Day 20: Where I'd Like to Be in 10 Years

If I've added all my numbers correctly, in 10 years I will be celebrating my retirement from public education! I'd love to say that it's a safe bet I would still be IN my current job position, but with the craziness that surrounds district budgeting, who knows?  Personally, I hope to be filling my calendar with lots of grandchild birthdays...let's see, in 10 years Michaela will be a Beehive (the youngest group in our church's Young Women program), Quincy and Monroe will be about 11, and Tessa, Paisley and Lucy will be turning 10!  I'd say that's a decent chunk of Grandma time, wouldn't you?!  I would love to have the flexibility to travel to my kids and grandkids as the major events in their lives occur.  Oh, and probably the other biggest change in my life in 10 years is that I could very well be dog-less.  I have had dogs in my life ever since I was a year old, but I can see that the season of dog ownership may be past by that time.  I will NOT (and you can hold me to this!) cave in and get a little-old-lady little dog, I've seen too many that are not worth the rhinestone collars around their yappy little necks!  Check back in the summer of 2022 and see how well I predicted!