Fun Monday, A Day Late

Alison (RDH Mom) was so gracious to host Fun Monday on a holiday - and guess who is late? Sigh. I think I need the "Bad Blogger" award, if there is one.

She wanted to know our favorite vacation - and I have to be honest, my favorite one so far was my trip to Washington D. C. last year. And it was a trip that didn't include my husband or daughter - which might seem strange, but I learned so much that I have to chalk it up as the best.

I have shared so much about this trip in other posts, but I have to share some NEW news! A photograph that I took during the trip and uploaded to flickr was recently selected for inclusion in the Schmap East Coast Guide, and can be seen here, though I find the site tough to upload. Here is the photograph, and in honor of Memorial Day, I think it will be the only one I post.Now go find out where your fellow Fun Mondayers like to vacation!

Oh Kila, Forgive Me!

You have no idea what a lousy blogger I have been - just the WORST. That's why I am not even sure I should accept this award from Kila, which she gave me back in APRIL. In blogger time? I have committed a SIN. I know she is too kind and forgiving and nice and not a meanie and saintly to give me hell on the 'net, so I'm wallowing in a self-made crap-bath, riddled with guilt for not acknowledging her gift sooner.

I honestly don't know what has happened with me in the blogging world, but I can see that I'm not alone. She of the Hobo Carts, My Real Friend IRL, and Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee are on hiatus. (The Snarky Aussie had a brief fake hiatus, but just did it to scare everyone and get comments for his ego.)

So, major thanks to Kila for giving me this honor...hope I can post it in my sidebar without feeling too much guilt!

I have a REAL excuse for not blogging lately - and that is the fact that my husband is not well. He is having horrible abdominal pains, can't eat, and well...you can imagine the rest. We went to the ER last Friday night, and his bloodwork, CT scan, etc. came back normal. Blood pressure was 198/110, which is NOT good! However, pain can cause that. Four days later, and he's not better. Ultrasound showed no gall stones...but he may have a nonfunctioning gall bladder. We meet with the surgeon today at 1:30. Pray for us...and I will be back to the blogging world as soon as I am able.

Fun Monday Collections

Fun Monday's hostess this week is Mariposa, who wants to see our collections! Since you have all seen my house, I'm hoping you don't show up in the middle of the night and steal mine...and no, it's not toenail clippings. I collect hand-blown glass egg paperweights.

Yeah, I know, WEIRD. And all I remember is that my mother sent me one for a present one year, and I was hooked. Most of my eggs are from the Glass Eye Studios in California. A very few are not, including a monster egg on the bottom shelf of my display case...which I'm not gonna tell you about. Nope. Can't. Because there ARE wacky people on the 'net who might look it up, find it here, and break into my house to steal it.

I used to have a lot of them on lightstands, so that colored lights would shine up thru them and illuminate the colors. Right now, I haven't even finished unpacking them all - so here is what we have displayed so far:
I have also developed an interest in other types of handblown glass, including The Planets, but I only have "The Black Hole" and "Pluto" so far. I got Pluto soon after the scientific powers that be decided it was no longer a planet. I figure the studios will stop including it in their collection, so I snatched one up. Here are a couple of my glass vases that sit on our dining room table:Now go check out some other collections at Mariposa's!

Fun Monday Jerkdom

What a great topic for Fun Monday, as given to us by Sauntering Soul! She wanted to know what kinds of things we do that make us JERKS! Well, I have a list - but most of the "jerky" things I do are unintentional.

1. I don't write thank you notes. I know, horrible. All the time, people do things that are special to me, and I think, "Hey, I should send them a thank-you note - right this minute!" And then I don't. The thought counts, right? Nah, I'm a jerk.

2. I drive like a jerk. Well, not the kind you need a cannon mounted on top of your car for, but the kind who does NOT abide slower drivers. Plus, The Offspring and I LOVE MUSIC IN THE CAR. So, those annoying jerks that pull up next to you, bass blasting as they scream along? Yeah, that's us.

3. And to be perfectly honest, I don't clean the cat box. Ever. Never. We have owned a cat of one kind or another since The Offspring was three years old, and I retched horribly the first time I tried to clean the cat box. And refused thereafter to go anywhere near it. So Roger has been the sole cat-box-cleaner, and I have continued to be a jerk in ignoring it. BUT...guess who has had the task these last two weeks? Yeah, I'm a double-jerk, b/c I could care less that Roger has passed the task on to The Offspring. She even has to wear a surgical mask to get thru it. HA! At least it's not me, the JERK!

Now, go visit the Sauntering Soul, and find out what jerks your fellow bloggers are!

Fun Monday Superhero

Kitten was this week's Fun Monday hostess, and she wanted to know who we look up to in our lives...our 'superhero,' of sorts. Only one person popped into my mind, immediately. The Offspring.Now, you may think it's odd that I picked a 14-year old girl, but let me tell you, my daughter has taught me more about life than anyone else in my world. She has taught me the usual things a child can teach you - patience, understanding, love, etc. But more than that, she grounds me. She has the ability to make sense of me, and calls me out when she thinks I'm drifting away from my true self. She is also an incredible inspiration, not only musically, but in the way she lives her life. She knows herself much better than I did at her age, and she continues to teach me what is worth laughing about, what is worth crying over, and what is worth keeping. She is astute beyond her years, and I can't wait until my "formal" Mommy period is over - for the time when we will be the best of friends.

(BTW, the "DECAY" in that photo is something she added for some artistic flair on a myspace account. Just part of her artfulness.)

She continues to grow into the most fabulous young lady I've ever encountered. And I hope she will teach me for the rest of my life.

Now go to Kitten's, and check out all the heroes in bloggers' lives!

Exhausted...But Happy

As you can imagine, our experience hosting our Filipino friend was amazing, fun, tiring, and VERY educational! The Offspring had her friend, Alyssa (pictured above), with us for a good portion of Kryz's visit...and they behaved well. As you can see, The Offspring is NOT the most mischevious one in this photo! It was a lot of fun learning about the Phillipines, and you would think that the gender gap between us and the 25-year old Kryz would be an issue - but, NO! We all got along splendidly, and she didn't even seem bothered by Roger's weird expressions!Kat (pictured on the left) ended up bunking with us for two nights - so we had two Filipino houseguests for the last part of their stay. Peachy (on the right) just decided to hang out with our family for a good portion of the trip, so do you think Roger was in heaven? He was enjoying having all the cuties at his house...so many women, so little time!I really enjoyed learning about their culture and how it differs from ours. Over the last six days, I feel as if my eyes were opened to how small our world really is. They were familiar with our popular music, which surprised me. Their housemaids wash all their clothes by hand - over a 7-hour shift. There are over 7,000 islands that make up the Phillipines, and I can't buy one b/c I'm not a Filipino. The language (Tagalog)is fascinating. We had a cookout for the Rotary Club one night, and then the next? A party with local Filipinos, some of whom I had never met before. I had never hosted a big party at the new house, so I was anxious. But, it all turned out GREAT! And only one broken beer bottle - amazing, huh?I will miss my new friends, and I want to go visit them in the Phillipines. After this past week, I think I'll fit in just fine.