Squishy!

Okay, so I hi-jacked this from my daughter's Facebook.
I couldn't help myself.  Hopefully she'll forgive me.
I was just in the mood to smile.
And nothing can bring out a smile quite like cute, squishy baby cheeks!
It works every single time.  

Here's hoping that everyone is having a fabulous Saturday!

"About Me"

(Warning:  Extremely long post ahead.  Hey! Give me a break.  I've been gone awhile and I have a lot to say!)

Some time ago I added an "about me" link in my blog.
Then I deleted it.
Why?  Because I was so worried that I might offend someone.....starting with the very first line.
That very first line went like this......
"No.  I am not a mommy blogger.   I am a mid-life, menopausal woman."
It was a line that was (a) sure to discourage readership and (b) take a swap at mommy bloggers.
Oh, I don't really have anything against mommy bloggers.
I read many of their blogs.
I was just ticked off because it seemed that mommy bloggers had no use for the likes of me.
In the world of blogs it seemed you're  insignificant unless you have a child attached to your hip.

As it turned out it wasn't just the mommy bloggers.
It was also people in my age group.
Blogging, social media, and, for that matter, anything to do with computers seemed to be, well, to paraphrase, a stupid waste of time for the narcissistic among us.
I was at a dinner party once with a group of middle-agers.
When I mentioned that I was on Facebook one of the guests had no problem telling me that women our age on Facebook were all pathetic.  Ouch!  
(Yep.  If there were an Olympic event for snark, the U.S. would probably sweep the medals!)
Unfortunately I've spent much of my time justifying my presence on social media, blogging, and even taking digital pictures.  And as time has gone on I just got tired of explaining.  I let them all defeat me.
I stopped blogging.
I stopped because I listened to that "waste of time" argument.
I stopped because I started believing those people who were not engaged in the social media world were indeed smarter than me.
I also stopped because I figured who would really want to read anything I had to say.
Yes.  You read right.  I wanted to reach an audience.
I call b.s. on anyone who says they just want to "blog for themselves".  
If I just wanted to blog for myself, I'd keep a private journal.
I think on some level, we all want to reach an audience and connect with people who share the same passions, struggles, and hopes.
So, there you go.  I stopped.
And yet here I am.  What changed?
Well, this morning I woke up and did the obligatory ipad surf.
It's a normal routine...E-mails, Instragram, Facebook (yep I still go there!), Google Reader.....
And it was in Google Reader that I found the following article:

A Call to Action - for Those 50+ - Social Media is For You, Too!

I have been reading, er, lurking at this lady's blog for a while and have always enjoyed it.  
Today, when I read this article, something just clicked in me.
For starters, I left a comment on the blog.
And then I started writing this blog post.
I decided to blog again.
Oh, it's probably not going to be "one interest, one subject" type of blog.
It's going to be a mish-mash (is that even a word) of everything.
I want to tell stories.
I want to share recipes
I want to show pictures.
I want to share life.
I want to be really narcissistic and talk about me ;-)
It is really the only subject in which I am an expert.

So, in that realm, here is the new "About Me".......

I am 51.

I am a retired cop. No.  I am not offended by the term "cop".

I am a wife.

I am a mom.  My kids are both grown and carrying on with their own lives but that does not mean I worry any less about then than I did when they would dangle over the edge of the swimming pool at age 3.

I just recently became a grandmother.  I am going to enjoy spoiling her silly and sending her back to her parents.  I am also going to enjoy buying her all kinds of cool stuff like drum sets, playdoh, and any other toy that annoys parents.  Isn't that what grandparents are supposed to do???  I'm just keeping up the tradition.
Oh, and in case you are wondering, I am thrilled about being a grandmother.

I would like to teach high school math.

I am a registered Independent.  I have trust issues when it comes to politicians....and a lot of other things...

I love Starbucks.  It is the best product in the past 50 years.  Well, except for maybe cell phones and Burt Bee's Wax.

I like to take pictures.  Not just those cheesy family photos.  I like to take pictures of everything.  I am not beyond taking a picture of a simple glass of water if the mood strikes me (and there's a story behind it).

I have become a dog person in my old age.  Didn't care for dogs too much when I was younger.  But I do enjoy two of my "best friends" cuddling on the couch next to me every night.

I like wine.   Red or white.  It really doesn't matter.

I hate August.  Yes. I hate a month of the year.  Why?  I live in Arizona.  Does anyone need to ask???

I love, love and love Christmas.  I love to decorate. I love to bake.  I love to sing Christmas songs.  I love to shop.  Yep. I love everything about it.  Well,  except for wrapping presents.  I don't like that too much.

I like to crochet.  It's relaxing.  This is another thing I have to spend a lot of time defending....along with scrapbooking, taking photos, needlepoint, baking, etc.  A waste of time and money (sound familiar?).

I eat carbs (gasp!) and enjoy every single morsel!  I could eat chips and salsa as a meal everyday.  I know....really bad for me.  hmmm.

I hate working out.  But I do it.  Almost everyday.  And I will admit that I feel much better when I do.  Or actually when it's over.  I don't know if it's because of the endorphin (sp?) release or because I'm just glad IT"S OVER.  

And there they are....the cliff notes of me.  In case anyone was interested.  I bit less snarky than my original link and certainly not everything (didn't really want to write War and Peace here).

Anyways, if there is anyone left who wants to stick around, I'll be glad to "see" you.  I warn you the post will be diverse just depending on my mood.....As I said earlier...a little bit of everything.  Well, except for politics and religion.....conversations about those topics never end well.....




 

Photo of the Day: Let the Games Begin

This will be a what life will look like for the next couple of months.
My husband....camped out in front of the television.
He has been eagerly awaiting this day.
The first day of Euro 2012, otherwise known as the European Football Championships.
That would be soccer to us "ugly Americans".
In my husband's world (and the world of many, many millions) it is "the beautiful game".
I guess my idea of beauty (namely involving a ball and a bat) is horribly skewed.
Anyways, Euro 2012 will lead us up to the Tour de France.....
Which will then lead us into the Summer Olympics.
Yes, there will be plenty of couch time in the weeks to come.
I will probably join him for parts of the Tour and I know I will be hard pressed to leave the couch during the Olympics....particularly gymnastics and swimming.
And the pets?
I'm going to say they are going to be lying in those same spots eight weeks from now......

Sometimes the smallest things.....

 ..........take up the most room in your heart.

    Meet Miss Lily.
    Liliana Robin Specht to be exact.  
    Isn't she just gorgeous????
    Well I might be a little partial.....since I am, after all, her granny.
    This is my first grandchild.
    Which means she is in for a lot of spoiling from granny.
    I am so looking forward to having fun with this little girl.
    Translation:  There are times her mom and dad are not going to like me ;-)  
    Oh well.......

Photo of the Day: One Handsome Dude

Well, not only did I let the blog fall by the wayside in the last couple of months....

But also the doggie grooming.  

A couple of days ago, this guy looked like a ball of fur.  

You could not see his eyes through all the hair and he was really matted.  Poor guy!  

So, mommy finally got her butt in gear and got him to the groomer.  

So much better!  

I still have to get his partner in crime in for a haircut.  

Um....yeah....he's not looking much better.
But he's got to get shots first (shhhhhh....he doesn't know this yet)
I figure between the shots and the groomer....he is going to totally hate me.
Well at least until I pump him full of treats!

The Lost Month (s)

The last six to eight weeks of life have been a blur.  

Well....at least in my life.   

It has been a blur of school assignments, lesson plans, and calculus.  

I felt like the entirety of my life was spent in front of a computer.   

Not a lot of time for creativity.  

Not a lot of time for blogging. 

There were days that I really wanted to pull my hair out.  

I wondered if this whole "self-reinvention" thing was worth it.  

And in the middle of this flurry of activity....

My husband got an i-phone.  

Yes.....the "antitechnologyihatefacebookeveryonehastheirfaceinaphoneanditsucks" guy took a step into the 21st century.  

Now, you're probably wondering what this has to do with my "lost" months.  Where here it is.....

Like every guy, he had to tinker with this new gadget.  

Of course, he perused the app store (it is after all the first thing every Apple owner should do!).  

And what do you think he downloaded first??  

Angry Birds? No.  

Words with Friends? No

The first app my husband downloaded was the "pulse checker" app.  

Because it is so very important to check several times a day to make sure that your resting heart rate is maintaining at a steady 45.   

That is not a typo.  

He does have the heart rate of a world class athlete.  

It is just sick.   

The second app he downloaded?  

The "stressometer".   Because he wanted to show everyone (including me....several times!) that he knows how to maintain a low stress level......1% to be exact.  

This is where his new i-phone relates to my blur called April.....and May.  

He thought it would be fun to check my stress level.....while I was studying for my Calculus mid-term.  

Yes.....he did!   

It should be no surprise that my stress level was at a whopping 98%!  

What was more discerning is that a few weeks later, after I had completed all my school work, my stress level was still at 98%.  

Now I have to say that I call BS on the i-phone stressometer app, however, the whole stress level did make me rethink my whole approach to school and life.  

I mean, really, I am retired.  My life should not be this stressful.  

So, from now on there will be no more over-thinking of the school work.  

There will be more blogging time.

More creative time. 

More time to enjoy life.  

Now let's see how long I can make it last.....

Photo of the Day - Summer Sangria

The temperature hit a "balmy" 112 degrees last week here in the AZ.  Yikes!  

Did I ever happen to mention that I hate summer in Arizona?  

Well, in case you missed it, I do.   

Hate summer in Arizona, that is.  

But I did enjoy a refreshing sangria yesterday.  

A margarita would have been even better but my head has been hurting ever since the "Eat this, Not that" guy on the Today show shared exactly how many calories are in a margarita....Totally ruined them for me!  

"Drink a nice sangria, instead....full of fruit juice and nice antioxidants."  

So I obliged.  

It was yummy.   I enjoyed it. 

I even threw some lime slices in the glass so I could reminisce about drinking a margarita.  

Cheers!