Thankful Thursday

Well, since today is my 55th birthday, I have so much for which to be thankful.

I will start by being thankful to have reached this milestone, when so many of my friends, family and co-workers did not have the opportunity to celebrate this age. It is especially meaningful since two of my sisters died of cancer, when they were just 39 years old. As both my sisters left children behind, I am grateful that my own children have not suffered the losses that their cousins have experienced by losing their mother.

Of course I am dearly thankful for my family and friends, including my online friends, who made this day special, by a card, email, blog comment or a comment on my MySpace page! And...I am especially thankful for my daughter's boyfriend, who presented me with the most touching card that read...Because You're Like a Mother to Me...I will always be grateful to you for taking me into your heart...you share so much of your time, your wisdom and yourself, and I hope you know how very special you'll always be to me...how very much you are loved! Happy Birthday! That meant so much to me today! Here's a picture of us tonight at dinner! Isn't he sweet with his goofy, tight-lipped smile?!



I am grateful for my excellent health and I do not take it for granted, knowing the significant health issues of many others that I love, including my 35 year old daughter's continuing heart problems.

Where would I be right now if it weren't for Al Anon? There was a point a few months ago where I wasn't interested in living to see this birthday. Now, I am so very grateful for this program as it restored my fragile sanity, when it was at its lowest point ever. Through Al Anon, I've gained a better understanding of the disease of alcoholism/addiction and its effects on the entire family. I've also learned so much about myself and the how I was affected, being the biological child of an alcoholic and raised by an alcoholic step-father. Most importantly, because of this program, I am learning to take care of myself spiritually, instead of desperately trying to control every aspect of my uncontrollable little piece of the world.

And...I am thankful that this day is done!

Goodnight all!

It's a Girl!

It was on this day, in December 1953 that Kelly, as she would first be named, was born a healthy and pink, 8 pound baby girl at the Florence Crittenton Home for unwed mothers, in the city of Los Angeles. The birth came about 5 weeks after Kelly's mother, a very troubled, but beautiful teen named Diana turned 17 years old.

It was a time reminiscent of the television show Happy Days; high school sock hops with pink poodle skirts, rock and roll music, The Ed Sullivan Show and Elvis Presley's provocative hips.

And, there was the handsome, olive-skinned boy; a new arrival from Oklahoma that caught Diana's eye as she watched him flipping hamburgers at The Clock Drive-In, a local "hot spot" that she and her girlfriends would frequent. That young man who worked so hard to disguise his Okie drawl, would father her child; conceived in the back seat of his "souped-up '47 Ford."

Diana's mother would later describe her only child as "promiscuous" and she told a story of taking a Lolita-like Diana to the psychiatrist, only to later find that she'd seduced the Doctor. Sighing, she then said that she sometimes thought she brought the "wrong child" home from the hospital back in 1936, but in her heart she knew otherwise.

She said it was easy for her to see herself in her beautiful baby granddaughter's sparkling green eyes, that were nearly identical to her own. There was no denying the genetic connection, as much as she would have liked to distance herself from her daughter's shameful unplanned pregnancy and ongoing problems.

During the time that Diana spent hidden away at the Crittenton Home pending the baby's arrival, she went school and met with counselors who presented her various options.

Diana, with or without pressure from her mother, elected to place the yet unnamed baby up for immediate adoption. She was fully advised of her rights, including the fact that she could change her mind before the adoption was finalized when the baby turned 6 months old.

Kelly, as her new, young adoptive parents named her, thrived in their loving home becoming a happy, chubby-cheeked and extremely adored addition to their family. All was right in their world until Diana changed her mind and exercised her rights to reclaim the child that she'd given birth to 5 months earlier!

A few short days later, Kelly's extremely distraught parents carried her and all her colorful baby belongings in their loving arms, up the long walk to the front door of her maternal grandmother's home. With hot tears streaming down their faces and intense anguish, they returned their daughter to the arms of the teen birth mother who was a complete and utter stranger.

Diana named her Mary Elizabeth and nicknamed her "Lisa." The teen "mother" and daughter would remain strangers for all their days as a loving maternal bond was never established.

Shortly thereafter, in August 1955, Diana gave birth to her second child, again out-of-wedlock and............... the cycle continued.

The End....


sort of.




But....if it wasn't for this sad story...I wouldn't be here...so Happy Birthday to me!



Photo from December 2007

What did you say?

And finally, before I finally pull myself away from this computer and do something constructive like attend an Al Anon meeting...I ask:

Just what was Mr. Churchill implying when he said this??

"Mr. Attlee is a very modest man. Indeed he has a lot to be modest about."

Macro Monday

Gosh, there's always something to do here in Bloggerland! Way more than on AOL as I recall, while journaling there.

So, today I am playing Macro Monday, at Lisa's Chaos. It's another Lisa's chaos. I have my own, but we're different people with the same name. You may want to play along as well.

That's a closeup of a little tiny, tide pool of sorts which was on a HUGE bolder along the Oregon coast when I visited there this past Summer!

There's always something to see...even if you have to squint to look!

Oh, and thanks to June, who stopped by and pointed out that if you click on the photo, it will enlarge! That's a feature about Blogger that I didn't know! Thanks June!

Visions of Escher...

About 0430 this morning, I was awakened by an "Ocular Migraine" which actually doesn't hurt like a regular migraine, instead it's rather entertaining, if you can look at it that way! Pun intended!

Really!

If you keep your eyes closed, you get to see exciting black, white and silverish repetitive patterns which flash and change! They look like something M.C. Escher would draw, like his picture above......which I've slightly altered with the Xs because it was rather graphic and I didn't actually see nekkid people, so neither should you in my attempt to give you a proper visual aid.

Anyway, it's kind of like what I'd envision a trip on LSD while in the black and white part of the Beatle's movie, The Yellow Submarine!

I am not a doctor so.....

According to the experts...

Usually, an ocular migraine is not cause for concern. But ocular migraine symptoms can interfere with daily activities, such as reading and driving. These episodes, also called migraine aura or optical migraine, occur without a headache and are relatively common.

During an ocular migraine, you may see:

Flashes of light
Zigzagging patterns
Blind spots
Shimmering spots or stars

No one knows exactly what causes ocular migraines. In some people, it's related to eating certain foods such as chocolate, nuts, shellfish or artificial sweeteners such as aspartame. Others may have ocular migraine episodes brought on by caffeine or alcohol. Some believe that tension and fatigue are linked to this condition, but researchers have not found a consistent link.

It's possible that you may have several ocular migraine episodes in a short interval of time, and then not experience any for months or even years before experiencing additional episodes. If ocular migraines persist, worsen or become accompanied by a migraine headache, talk to your doctor to seek appropriate treatment for your condition.

End of the medical stuff..........................

Personally, I don't know what is causing my ocular migraines NOW. Probably hormones, or the lack there of. When it first began it was rather alarming becaused it happened at work, during daylight hours and I couldn't see, walk or drive. I am sure it was stress related at that time...why wouldn't it be? Geez.

But, I had all the proper medical tests to determine that the brain that I really do have-was in there and functioning somewhat "normal!"

So, now when I have "Visions of Escher", the first thing I do is check my CPAP machine.....




to make sure the breathing hose isn't wrapped around my neck....



and that I am still breathing! You can never be too sure, because with pretty pictures like that going on in your head...it's easy to think you may be in Heaven. And...I am looking forward to meeting up with M.C. Escher in my Heavenly real estate someday.

YES, in addition to being clumsy, I've got one of those things because without it I snore A LOT and then I STOP breathing about 30 times an hour, which is just considered MILD sleep apnea! Yeah, tell that to someone who woke up mildly dead!

Cave Man says that sleeping with someone wearing something like this on their face would be like sleeping with someone with scuba gear!

I don't think he's very damn adventurous!

Incredible Words from an Amazing Young Woman!

Please go to Singing With My Heart and read Heather's most recent, powerful entry in which she writes an open letter to her dreadfully abusive former lover! It's riveting and incredibly moving! This 24 year old woman's strength and wisdom is inspiring!

Please go read it and share it with your followers!

I am still catching my breath!

Ta Da....Some of results from my photo shoot!

I am thrilled with the way my photo shoot went today! I took about 250 shots during the nearly 2 hours we spent at the park! It gave me some confidence that I was sorely lacking and now that I am editing some pretty darn good shots (in my very humble opinion)...I have gained even more confidence-at least in the quality of my composition.



It's was very fun and those children are just so gorgeous, which made my job pretty easy! I swear that they should be models, especially Lissy as she's a real natural beauty and totally at ease with the camera. She's also a very cooperative 5 year old!



Chan is 8 so he's at that stage that he'd rather be playing than doing that dorky stuff like getting his photo taken, but with some bubble gum and the playground equipment at our City Park, he did great!



I stopped at the Dollar Store and bought a variety of fun little props..such as Christmas Hats, Flowers, Bubbles, Bubble Gum, Books, stuffed animals, etc. So, I was able to keep their attention by changing up with the goodies, that they got to keep in the end. I spent about $20 on that stuff, they had fun and I got some great photo experience!

Plus a there was a reward of a box of Sour Gummy Bears to be had by each, for doing a good job! Of course, I checked with Mom ahead of time to ensure it was alright for them to have the candy at the end!

Anyway...I hope you enjoy these shots and I welcome your comments and critique!

Saturday Six and Splat!

Here's the Saturday Six from Patrick's Place, that I haven't done since I was a young whipper-snapper journaler on AOL. Of course, I am doing this as I don't have anything else to do except study for tomorrow's photo shoot and I am procrastinating! So, indulge me, please!

1. What single food on the Thanksgiving dinner menu did you most look forward to?

Turkey! I love fresh, roasted white meat turkey, especially when I don't have to cook it! My hostess did just fine...outstanding actually!

2. What single food was your least favorite?

Like I am going to disrespect anything that I ate at someone else's house! Not on your life! So, I'll just say the carrots, only because I didn't have any as there wasn't enough room on my plate and besides, I filled my veggie spot with her tasty, fresh green beans!

3. How many plates of food did you eat? Did you take the big nap afterwards?

I managed to restrain myself to one plate, with a little extra helping of stuffing as that's my favorite stuff on Thanksgiving! Nope..no nap! Who could sleep through a showing of Twilight?

4. Take the quiz: What holiday food are you?
I am like Remo. I don't do the stupid quiz part.

5. What dessert item did you most enjoy from the big feast? Who made it?

Well, it was some kind of layered Pumpkin, Cream Cheese and Cool Whip concoction on top of a yummy graham cracker crust, made by my loving and lovely hostess and her gorgeous teenage daughter!

6. How many meals of leftovers did you bring home?

Actually, I just brought a plate dinner and desert home for Tam as she didn't feel well enough to join us. She ate the meal and I ate her desert! I thought that was fair!

And...now I will tell you the little story of my spectacular arrival for the big Thanksgiving feast!

I am generally not known for my promptness, so I was rushing up to the house bearing gifts, juggling my purse, camera and a nice bottle of Riesling wine just as the entire family and guests were bowing their heads to say the Blessing! As the host opened the door, which was within inches of the dining room table where everyone was seated, I TRIPPED ON THE THRESHOLD AND FELL FORWARD ON MY KNEES AND ELBOWS, LANDING IN THE ENTRYWAY!

Managing to save the modestly priced bottle of wine during the fall, I looked up to a sea of horrified faces, many of which I had never seen before! I was mortified and somewhat in pain, physically and of course, my pride took a beating as well!



But, we all had a good laugh and a great meal!

You can just call me Grace!

Now WHAT?

I am all powdered, painted and perfumed and have NOWHERE to go!

It's funny how things work out.......as I was starting to stress about this afternoon's photo shoot, it turns out the Mom needed to postpone everything until tomorrow morning!

Works for me!

Now I get more time to read my new book-the one I mentioned in my previous entry.... and plan my photographic strategy!! Doesn't that sound professional? They say everything goes better with a plan. Right? I am all over it....after this entry. And maybe after Patrick's Weekly questions. But, soon.

So anyway...here I sit looking pretty dern good with absolutely no where to go.

Whattodo, whattodoooooo?! ::drumming fingers on the desktop::

Then, I get brave and make a big girl type decision to give Cave Man a call because he's very sick and all alone in his cave, where he's toughing it out because Cave Men don't do doctors, and the cave, which is two hours North, has a malfunctioning heating system.

Being the kind and caring person I am, I commiserate with him for a minute and then ask if he needs anything, any-thing at all!

While I didn't get specific....I am figuring, since Vampire body temps seem to be on the LOW side, that at the very least he'd like a warm body to lay under a blanket with on the couch. Possibly lay my healing hands on his tummy? Maybe I'd even offer up my neck? :P

But he didn't need a thing!



So, here I sit and that book is calling my name. At least I will be looking good while reading it!

Hmmm. Maybe a self-portrait is in order!

Mama don't get dressed up for nothing!

Photography and Inspiration...

Well today is a bea-u-ti-ful day in the neighborhood!

DAMNIT! Where is a good blizzard when you need it?

I say that because I am now going to have NO EXCUSE other than being SKEERED to get out of taking some outdoor photos of two incredibly gorgeous children of one of Tam's high school friends-THIS AFTERNOON!

While I would love to think of myself as a photographer, just like I would love to think of myself as a writer....my somewhat limited photography skills have been challenged by mostly non-moving subjects, like say...mountains, flowers, large rocks in an ocean scene, like what you see in my header shot-which, by the way morphed into art in post editing.

I am not toooooo experienced with people, but have managed to pull out a few good candid moments like this shot of my incredibly genius Grandson, FlyBoy, Jr. Gorgeous, isn't he? I am sooooo fond of that child! (A quote from the book-The Shack)



It's the silly-kid-photographer-shaking-a-stuffed-animal, cootchie-cooing...say "hippopotamus ignoramus" stuff that I am not sure an ol' prison guard can pull off because she can find it difficult to not be so self-conscious!

So, I figured I could use all the help I can get and yesterday I bought a book at Borders, conveniently entitled, The BetterPhoto Guide to Photographing Children, by Jim Miotke. The cover says it's designed to help "you" get the best possible images! So I have to make this entry quick since I need to go cram for today's photo shoot!

But, before I go, I want to pimp a wonderful blog that I follow; Pictures, Poetry and Prose! Laura Jayne, the blog owner asked me to submit some photos to be considered for "inspirational prompts" on her amazing site! So, I submitted a few, today one of my flower shots is being used as "Colorful Inspiration" in which Laura Jayne asks the writers to:

1. Describe in rich detail the colors in this photo.
2. Create a piece of writing using some/all those descriptions in a unique way.

You really should go see what the writers have written using my photo as inspiration!!! I am soooo humbled and AWEd! I am grateful and honored and very proud! Wow!! Such talent displayed by those writers! Thank you to Laura Jayne and her amazing contributors! I am beaming!

And...I am inspired to go out there and give it my ALL! Even if I do have to say silly stuff like..."Turtle Tortellini!" <---That's two I just made that up! Sometimes I amaze myself! :)

Wish me LUCK!!!