"I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be." – Groucho Marx

Staycation 101

You too can master the art of Staycation with one easy lesson, just by following these steps - not necessarily in this order:

• Call your friends and sing the "I'm on VA-CA-TION" song...loudly
• Sleep "IN" - even if just until 7 a.m.
• Stay in your PJs at least one full day. Although this may hinder you from running errands, it may enable you to catch up on much needed sleep (napping) and relaxation (reading, watching TV, etc.)
• Cook as little as possible - and remind your child (who likes to eat, too) that he can pick up dinner on his way home from school
• Plan to devote one full day to cleaning house
• Ignore the item above
• Catch up on organization of your 'paper trail' - recycle/shred/etc - and remain comfortable at every opportunity with a cup of coffee or diet coke
• Shop on-line and consult with your daughter for some virtual gift card/actual gift card switcharoo to benefit the both of you...SCORE!
• Take full advantage of caring for your oh-so-sweet grand child
• Pamper yourself with a lengthy shower - but then under no circumstances do your makeup or hair
• Schedule a haircut/color appointment - and chat with your stylist to your heart's content, no need to rush
• Wander around the grocery store or WalMart as slowly as you'd like - check out the clearance racks and shelves and scope out 'projects'
• Visit the home improvement store and pick up some caulk for your bathtub and wall patching materials. Leave these supplies in the sack on the counter when you get home
• Enjoy dinner out on Tuesday with friends and don't worry about what time you get home
• Relish the day time tv shows you would otherwise miss - since you don't own a DVR
• Read your favorite blogs for more DIY project ideas - and pass them along to your daughter
• Think about calling the contractor your friend recommended to replace your screen door - and remember it when that huge hail/windstorm moves through on Thursday around midnight
• Remind your son to mow the yard - feel free to call, text or just yell as necessary
• Praise your son when he completes it - and remind him next week it will happen all over again
• Clean out your refrigerator/freezer - by eating most everything there is or offering it to your child when he forgets to bring home dinner or at least ask to do so INSTEAD of him bringing home dinner
• Stay up late and watch Frazier re-runs - and have the chance to greet your son when he gets home from work - reminding him to get some rest
• Take advantage of daily exercise: walk back and forth to the mailbox or pick up that box just delivered by UPS to your front door (remember to use your legs!)
• Naps are essential to any staycation success story and no planning is needed, though leaving your computer on to tie up your phone may be wise
• Play "lexulous" at every opportunity - and brag when you score over 300 on a single word ("frenzied" worked for me!)

XANADU!

The group traveled to Dallas yesterday to see "XANADU" - you know, the disco-roller-skating-Olivia Newton-John-as-a-muse-who-falls-in-love-with-a-mortal story. Set in the 80's, complete with leg warmers and jeans rolled up (one leg only, please!), and the music of ONJ - such as "Have to Believe We Are Magic" and "Suddenly" - it was really amazing. The sets and costumes were spot on - with the lead using a self-imposed Australian accent - which was mentioned in the script. The sister-muses included two guys - and their dancing and other actions (such as roller skating) were wonderful - all while wearing the traditional Greek toga-like costumes. The musical was filled with puns - some more obvious than others - especially to those who actually saw the movie 30+ (?) years ago! The male lead - Sonny - had his moves and lingo down, portraying a California-surfer-artist-dude who's cut off jeans were the 'regulation' length of short-short! Whoo-hoo! Part of the audience sat on the stage - a much-coveted vantage point - and were in some respects, involved with the production - though no speaking parts were included. They did have to wave their glow-in-the-dark sticks during the finale roller-disco scene, complete with huge disco ball. What fun! As we were exiting the building, I heard a mom explaining to her kids: "Olivia Newton-John is Australian...and in the movie...". I bet some will go home and rent the movie and compare the two productions!

Next event on the cultural events calendar: WICKED!

Rainy days and Mondays always get me.....wet! Its about time we had a rainy day, but personally I'd prefer it to come while I am at work. I know, beggars can't be choosers...and there ARE good points to rainy days I suppose:

1. time to blog & read blogs
2. laundry - wash & fold
3. pay bills
4. finish up pending projects (yeah, right!)
5. drink coffee (yum!)
6. hot tea & buttered toast (yum! yum!)
7. umbrellas
8. puddles
9. dry shoes
10. dust rinsed from the car (yahoo!)

Today was an excellent day for testing of patience...at Wal-Mart! I wandered around in the store during a downpour, taking my time, no big hurry to get anywhere at the moment, just picking up a few things for a gift basket I am putting together, but when I was ready to go, I was ready to go. You know the drill: long check lines - even in the "express/self check". I went to one, peeked over just to check my chances at the adjacent aisle and thought "nah, this one will do". Cute little boy to keep me entertained with his mommy and daddy, and I wasn't in a 'rush' so to speak, but when I saw the guy in front of the family checking out, I had to look twice.

The register asked him to deposit cash or choose payment type. He began to deposit his cash - from a plastic zip-lock bag - one penny after another. "Oh my gosh" I thought to myself, then I turned to the couple behind me with a smile and said "He's paying with coins", rolling my eyes in the guy's direction. "You're kidding" she said, and I moved aside so she could see. Her boyfriend said, "Well, I've been there. I've been in college with no money and had to scrape the bottom of the couch". I nodded in agreement, turned back to see the guy finish with the coinage and proceed to a dollar bill, of course needing to straighten it out before the machine would eat it. The couple in front of me were smiling, too, watching the coinage and bills. The guy finished up and left when the family stepped up to the screen and announced: "Four Dollars! His total purchase was just $4!", then he began scanning his items -and again, more than the 'express' line allows for - but what the heck. Bless the coin and dollar guy - I hope he's ok.

When the family guy got ready to pay, he turned and asked if anyone had a few coins to spare. We smiled as if to say, "get on with it already". The girl behind me said, "well, at least I got to get a good read out of a magazine while we waited" and I said, "that's the way to think positively"...and smiled to myself and thought: I should have stepped up and offered to pay for that guy's items! It wasn't so bad to have to wait - at least I was dry and being entertained - and cool...getting ready to head out into the rain again. Guess I can stand a little rain. :-)

Miss Kylie enjoying Spring at the Arboretum.

It is too stinkin' beautiful to be @ work today!!

Easter Sunday

At sunrise, lilies, magnolias, kalanchoe, daisies and more in the altar area, orchids on Moms in the congregation. Little girls in pastels swish and twirl their skirts and click down the hall in 'high' heels. Little boys squirm in neckties and suit coats, at least until they walk out of church. A choir of children and adults fill the air with song and tears of joy mixed with memories. The trumpet accompanies the old favorites: "I Know That My Redeemer Lives" and "Because He Lives". Tone chime players concentrate on every note, the smallest playing the largest chime with an emphatic down beat. The Men's Club is cooking the pancakes with the tell-tale smoke filling the hallways. A special performance by the wee ones on a stage, flanked by a huge rainbow of hand prints, using this opportunity to show their Easter finery, sisters in matching dresses, singing at the top of their lungs, using the hand-motions to help tell the story.

Families gather for lunch, bringing special dishes, filling plates and stomachs. Cloudy skies don't halt the hunt for eggs. Windy conditions help to brush confetti from hair and clothes, broken shells decorate the concrete. Decorated plastic eggs are tossed aside as contents are emptied into baskets in search of the 'prize'. More confetti sticks in wind-blown hair, on little sweaty hands and in hidden places to be discovered later, probably for quite a time to come. The dogs join in the fun with a coat of bright-colored bits of paper, not seeming to mind.

A peaceful drive home as bluebonnets and Indian paint brushes line the highway and the sun begins to set, just peeking through the clouds. Humidity + wind = tangled tousled curls.