Buon compleanno, Andrea Bocelli

Unwilling to set fire to my kitchen again, even in celebration of Andrea Bocelli's fiftieth birthday, I found a lovely little Italian bakery and deli up on 34th Avenue & Dunlap called Romanelli's. Their cannoli is exquisite! And it was just what we needed to top off a nice Italian dinner to mark this special occasion.
I've been privileged to see Andrea twice since his last birthday, and I'll certainly be on the lookout for any opportunity to see him again before his next one!
Happy Birthday, Andrea ... 100 di questi giorni!

What's Happening To Me?

It seems halfway into my fiftieth year on this planet that I've entered some sort of transition, and I don't think it's that menopause thing I've heard so much about. This is really weird and totally out of my character!
It all started with my volunteer work at the hospital a few weeks ago, where it's one of my jobs to inventory, restock, and order candy for the Gift Shop. One of the volunteers had put a heavy candy box on top of the Snickers box, and one bar was squished to the point where it couldn't be sold. Being my job to dispose of it properly, I tore it open and, despite my greatest effort to toss it, the whole 280 calorie bar with 14 grams of fat went right into my tummy before I knew it. With every bite my guilt grew and festered until I was thoroughly disgusted with myself. But now I wonder if that wasn't one of the best things that ever happened to me.
Since that night, I don't crave candy or cookies; I'm just not interested. I'll indulge in a Hershey Kiss a couple of times a day and, when I baked cookies with my granddaughter, I gobbled about three of them. The enjoyment is there, but not the "I'd kill for a cooky" attitude. But that's only half the story!
I spent about five days in San Jose with my beautiful niece who loves to cook. Having such fun with her in the kitchen drew out the long-buried realization that I like to cook too! Even more fun was thinking up different meal ideas and recipes. So why in this world was I spending dollar upon dollar upon dollar at restaurants which served ridiculously huge-portion meals, not to mention all the unhealthy fast food? It was habit; I never gave a second thought to any other alternatives. And when it comes to dessert, which I consider refusal morally wrong, I'm happy with just a little of one, not three different kinds!Giving up soda pop for water? That's crazy! But that's what happened, save for one can a day with dinner, or if I'm out and about on the road. Does this mean Del Taco, In-N-Out, and Wienerschnitzel are out the window now? IHOP and El Paso are places of the past? No more Diet Coke or Sprite Zero? No, of course not. But something tells me I won't be darkening their doorsteps three or more times a week as I have been for years upon years. Looking back, I keep asking myself why I spent so much money for so much unhealthy food ... almost as puzzling a question as "Why don't I want it anymore?"

A Dream Come True

August 27 ... I had looked forward to it since the day my granddaughter was born ... to when she and I could bake cookies together someday. Well, today was that someday, as we drove out to Andy and Melissa's house to play with Lily and Liam for an afternoon. I brought all the ingrediments with me for half a batch of Toll House cookies. Lily helped me get everything all together and we got right to work. She carefully mixed the ingrediments together (ingrediments=Joey'ism) and scraped all around the bowl, only relying on Grandma for the muscle work that a petite almost-four-year-old couldn't quite manage herself. But the real trick was putting the dough on the cooky sheet and leaving it there, once this little lass after my own heart discovered the delights of chocolate chip cooky dough! We were lucky to have any left for cookies! Finally, I finished up while Lily played campout with a Wiggles blanket and a half dozen or so stuffed animals. But she was the one who actually made the cookies. I've used that same recipe for years and years. Funny how today's cookies tasted twice as sweet!

Tribute To A Dear Sister

I don't even remember the first time I met Carol. You know how it is with teenagers right after high school graduation, who are embarking on their own life adventures. There wasn't much on my mind except the fellow I had a huge crush on, and shoving off to Montana to be on my own!
In April of 1976, I was living once again in Arizona and made the five-hour trek from Sierra Vista to Phoenix for my brother Tom's wedding. In a small ceremony at Carol's mother's house, I gained a new sister.
That summer, I visited them before I'd be moving away again, back to Montana. One evening during that visit, though, Carol drove me to the top of South Mountain and, as we looked over Phoenix with its millions of lights, she changed the course of the rest of my life! "I don't want you to go back to Montana," she told me. "I want you to move up here. You can stay with us till you get a job and find a place of your own."
In those couple of months that I stayed with Tom and Carol, she taught me so much! I was so naïve and immature, but everything I watched and learned from her I kept hidden in the back of my heart till I'd need it.
A year later I became engaged to Mike and we married in November of 1977. It took many years to bring forth all Carol had taught me about caring for a husband but, eventually, it all came out and brought me through some pretty tough years. Now, thirty years later, I have the happiest marriage of anyone I've ever met. When I told her that, she said, "It's the Italian way." There are too many examples to cite individually, but it all centered around serving. That's right ... being a good servant. But before liberated women around the world start throwing their mops and dishcloths at me, let me explain. The more I treat my husband like a king, doing everything I can to make him happy in his home, ensuring his comfort and that all his needs are met, and keeping my eyes constantly open for anything I can do for him ... my reward from him is far greater than anything I've ever done for him. It might sound awfully one-sided but, believe me, it's not.
Even pushing fifty years old I tended to be a little naïve. Carol would be around forever, I thought. Even when she had cancer, there was no doubt in my mind she'd beat it. But it soon became apparent that wasn't going to happen. Early in 2006, her doctor gave her 2-10 months to live.
Thanks to Mike's airline job, I could zip up to Las Vegas often, and I'll always be thankful for that! I could spend time with Carol for a few days every month or two, and we enjoyed many outings together, and a lot of quality talk time. The 2-10 months disappeared far behind us and she was still going strong. I'll swear till my dying day it was because she refused the chemo.
Late in 2007, though, Carol began to slow down. She was in pain as the cancer was taking its toll. Any exertion would wear her out and put her in bed for hours. But still, she wanted to keep going. Every time I'd come up, we'd find our way to Paris-Las Vegas to get crêpes. That was our thing, and she insisted we keep it up as long as physically possible.
"When it comes time," she asked of me, "will you come?" I promised I would. And she promised she'd wait for me.
Then it came, the phone call last Monday morning. Mike and I threw things into the van and drove to Las Vegas, which was faster than flying in the long run. I prayed all the way up there that we'd make it in time to say goodbye, and she'd know I was there.
God answered my prayers. I made it in time, and she knew I was there. I held her hand to my cheek, and told her how much I loved her, and thanked her for being such a treasure in my life. I promised to take care of my brother. I told her she'd be home in just a few minutes. It would be oh so sad for us, but she'd feel so good, and she couldn't imagine how beautiful things would be! Just a few more kisses later, and Carol flew away, leaving all her pain and cancer behind.
Much sooner than we think, we'll all be together again. Life here on this earth is like a vapor. It's here. It's gone. Waiting for heaven may seem like forever, but it's only one heartbeat away. One heartbeat.
"Thank You, Lord, for placing this precious woman in my life. Thank You for using her to shape so much of what my life is now. Welcome her now to Your home, and comfort those of us who must go on without her. Help us remember that she's only one heartbeat away. Amen."

2 May 2008 ~~~ LIFE'S SWEETEST MOMENTS:
Thankfully, there have been many moments in my life when my heart had no room for anything other than pure joy ... moments of being overcome by awe, when all else in the world was shut out and I felt as close to Heaven as I could get with my feet still planted on the earth.
1. The moment Jesus entered my life and my heart, there were no doubts, no fears, and no questions. My life was all brand new! ... 2. Holding my newborn sons in my arms for the first time, I paid such close attention to every little movement to make sure I remembered each one forever. ... 3. After finally being diagnosed and treated for clinical depression, the heavy shroud I had lived under was finally lifted and I rose to find a whole new world worth living in. ... 4. I was so thrilled when my boys, Andy and Joe, graduated from high school, but more so it was the decent, hard-working, Godly men they had grown into. ... 5. After Joey was born, God promised me that, someday, I'd know what it was like to have a daughter; He promised me a daughter-in-law and a granddaughter. I questioned that for many years but, the evening Andy betrothed Melissa, I realized I was about to become a mom again, to a grown-up daughter! Nothing is more awesome than seeing God's promises being fulfilled right in front of your eyes! ... 6. Andy and Melissa's wedding was the most beautiful I had ever seen. At their reception, their first dance was to "Everything I Do, I Do It For You", and I knew they meant it. ... 7. Sighting the Sacré Couer from a train window was my first assurance that we had indeed arrived in Paris, France; then, a day or so later, my dream came true, finally reaching the top of the Eiffel Tower. ... 8. An extra-special poem Melissa gave me told me the baby she was carrying was confirmed to be a girl, something almost unheard of in our family. Again, even as I questioned God, He proved Himself faithful in His promise of a granddaughter. ... 9. Every note was angelic as lullaby chimes over a hospital PA system announced the birth of my first grandchild, Lily. ... 10. I had waited 45 years to see the aurora borealis, and my first sighting of it took me completely by surprise! And it was even a not-so-common red and blue one! ... 11. After almost 24 years of marriage, my husband knelt and proposed to me as we gazed at the neverending flow of water at the very edge of Niagara Falls. 12. Rocking my newborn grandson, Liam, the feeling compared to rocking my own baby sons. ... And all these precious moments made way for another one last night. 13. It was National Day Of Prayer and our family gathered at church for a special worship and prayer service. Amid so many of my dearest Christian friends, many of whom I hadn't seen in quite some time, Joe was at the piano, my dear mother-in-law was by my side, and Andy's beautiful family was seated right behind me. The music was so sweet and the Spirit of God flowed among His people. The sermon was delivered by one of the finest pastors I ever had, and left me hungering for more time in prayer, away from all the distractions that have too often left me with little time for more than a quick moment of meditation here and there. My little granddaughter came and sat with me for a time; being three years old her attention wanders easily and I was all too happy to have her come sit by me. After the sermon we rose to sing "Open My Eyes That I May See" and that's when it happened ... I held her in my arms and she cuddled close and sang right along! Then, singing together, she put her arms around my neck with the sweetest smile I've ever seen in my life. There's just nothing quite like a little child singing about God, and I'll hold that blessed moment in my heart forever.

3 January 2008 ~~~ TO-DO LIST FOR 2008:
1. welcome my new grandson in about two weeks ... 2. go to Montana to visit my sister ... 3. make a serious effort to see the Northern Lights one more time ... 4. go to Philadelphia with my son to get a cheesesteak ... 5. improve my Braille skills ... 6. work and play more with my dog ... 7. organize my 10,000+ digital pictures ... 8. organize my house, including kitchen and pantry ... 9. repaint and retile bathrooms ... 10. finish writing my book ... 11. travel to someplace I've never been before ... 12. lose one pound a month ... 13. scan as many photos as possible and convert them to digital.

18 October 2007 ~~~ HEAVENLY DAYS: Call it Heaven, the New Earth, the hereafter, or wherever else your faith takes you, but here are a few attributes of this eternal glory awaiting those whose hearts belong to Jesus Christ: 1. roses won't have thorns ... 2. there'll be more trees than even I can imagine ... 3. it'll be cool and crisp and clean ... 4. there'll be many brand new colors we've never seen or imagined before ... 5. chocolate won't have calories; in fact, nothing will ... 6. animals will roam free among us ... 7. we won't have to wonder anymore what the animals have been thinking ... 8. there'll only be one language, if one is even needed at all ... 9. this language will contain no swear words; yippee! ... 10. there'll be no such thing as time ... 11. no allergies or hiccups ... 12. there'll be music unlike anything we've ever heard ... 13. we'll finally understand how incredibly complex God really is, and also how simple.

14 June 2007 ~~~ FUNNY THINGS MY GRANDDAUGHTER DOES:
1. butt-scooting (before Lily began to walk or even crawl, she scooted on her butt anywhere she wanted to go; if I could do that I could lose that fifty pounds in nothing flat.) ... 2. gets a boo-boo, kisses it herself, and says "all better" ... 3. instead of cake or dessert, she wants more vegetables ... 4. walks all the way to the kitchen, picks up a dog food kibble, walks back into the living room, feeds it to Sophie, and then repeats the process over and over and over and over ... 5. dips a French Fry in ketchup and eats the other end ... 6. watches Sophie catch soap bubbles in her mouth and tries to catch them the same way ... 7. goes to the car wash, cries when she's in it, and then wants to go again ... 8. recites entire Disney movies and Wiggles videos ... 9. this little Trekkie is traumatized by a separating or exploding Enterprise ... 10. replicates with Legos the things she's afraid of (like car washes) ... 11. helps with laundry by using the loo as a washing machine ... 12. if she's into mischief and Mommy comes in, she waves and says, "Bye bye, Mommy" ... 13. makes it "snow" in the house if someone leaves the sugar out and she gets hold of it.

31 May 2007 ~~~ THINGS I'D LIKE TO LEARN SOMEDAY (thanks, Courtney, for the idea)
1. good housekeeping ... 2. speed-reading ... 3. manicuring ... 4. Microsoft Excel ... 5. geocaching and letterboxing ... 6. constellations ... 7. Spanish, French, and Italian ... 8. canine freestyle ... 9. Scottish highland dancing and games ... 10. "computer-ese" ... 11. veterinary care ... 12. piano ... 13. tin whistle

24 May 2007 ~~~ WHAT'S GOOD ABOUT AN ARIZONA SUMMER?
In a conscious effort to make the best out of the worst, here are a few good things about summertime in Phoenix: 1. sweet corn at roadside stands, fabulous! ... 2. cherry season too, yummy ... 3. our trees bear the most wonderful peaches ... 4. our garden produces bumper crops of zucchini which means only one thing, zucchini bread ... 5. being forced to stay inside, I get more done around the house ... 6. I don't have to worry about overchilling Sophie when I give her a bath at 11pm ... 7. genuine appreciation for any chance to get out of town ... 8. in an effort not to heat up the kitchen, we get a lot more outdoor BBQ cooking ... 9. desert monsoons, so beautiful and so welcome ... (Aug 1 ... What in the world was I thinking??!! Being in the middle of monsoon season, which does nothing to cool the valley down but hikes up the humidity to unbearable, I find absolutely nothing good about it!) ... 10. Sophie gets to play in her pool ... 11. paint dries faster ... 12. mail carriers like to start out very early to avoid the afternoon heat so we get our mail earlier in the day ... (come on, Wendy, one more, you can do it) ... 13. orange blossoms, such a wonderful scent, even though it only lasts a few weeks in early summer.

19 April 2007 ~~~ PET PEEVES
1. hearing God's name used in vain ... 2. people who try to fix things that aren't broken ... 3. irresponsible pet owners/stray dogs ... 4. jealousy ... 5. greed ... 6. anything to do with the sun or summer ... 7. presumptive people who don't listen ... 8. disrespect of people, especially children and elderly ... 9. my own defective brain function ... 10. people who overprotect me ... 11. loud rap, acid rock, or other excessive "musical" noise ... 12. people who think the laws are made for somebody else ... 13. unruly children and their parents who allow them to be that way. (easy to see I live in a big city, right?)

8 March 2007 ~~~ [REALISTIC] THINGS I'D LIKE TO DO/SEE BEFORE I DIE
1. Aurora Borealis again ... 2. Aurora Australis ... 3. Swiss Alps ... 4. Coastal Maine ... 5. North Pole ... 6. Autumn in New England ... 7. Mt. Airy, NC for Mayberry Days ... 8. Titanic relics exhibit ... 9. London, England ... 10. Mini-Europe in Brussels ... 11. Go to Scotland and find out more about Lord Fergus McCubbin (16G grandfather) ... 12. Travel cross-country with Mike ... 13. Finish writing current novel.

1 March 2007 ~~~ FAVORITE COMIC STRIPS
1. Pickles ... 2. Drabble ... 3. Frank & Ernest ... 4. Nancy ... 5. Born Loser ... 6. BC ... 7. Crabby Road (Maxine) ... 8. That's Life ... 9. Moderately Confused ... 10. Off the Mark ... 11. Reality Check ... 12. Speed Bump ... 13. Strange Brew.

22 February 2007 ~~~ TV TIME
1. MASH ... 2. Becker ... 3. Andy Griffith Show ... 4. Law & Order ... 5. Law & Order SVU ... 6. Crossing Jordan ... 7. Las Vegas ... 8. Little House On the Prairie ... 9. Dragnet ... 10. Dick Van Dyke Show ... 11. Animal Planet, Most Extreme ... 12. Happy Days ... 13. Gilligan's Island.

15 February 2007 ~~~ FAVORITE ANDREA BOCELLI SONGS
1. Sogno ... 2. Tu Ci Sei ... 3. Sempre O Mai ... 4. Non Servono Parole ... 5. Un Nuovo Giorno ... 6. Romanza ... 7. Sin Tu Amor ... 8. Sempre Sempre ... 9. Mille Luna, Mille Onde ... 10. Il Mare Calmo Della Sera ... 11. L'Attesa ... 12. Il Mistero Dell'Amore ... 13. L'Abitudine.

8 February 2007 ~~~ FAVORITE SINGERS OR GROUPS
1. Andrea Bocelli ... 2. Irish Rovers ... 3. Andrea Bocelli ... 4. Statler Brothers ... 5. Andrea Bocelli ... 6. George Strait ... 7. Andrea Bocelli ... 8. The Beatles ... 9. The Ventures ... 10. ABBA ... 12. Nelson Eddy ... 13. Andrea Bocelli.

1 February 2007 ~~~ CANDY COUNTER FAVORITES:
1. Snickers ... 2. Twix Caramel ... 3. Kit Kat ... 4. Hershey Almond ... 5. Reese's Peanut Butter Cup ... 6. Payday ... 7. Take 5 ... 8. Snickers Almond ... 9. Gummi Bears ... 10. Caramello ... 11. M&M's plain ... 12. Milky Way ... 13. Skittles.
25 January 2007 ~~~ FAVORITE MOVIES:
(in alphabetical order)
1. A League Of Their Own ... 2. Back To The Future I, II, & III ... 3. Charlotte's Web ... 4. Flight Of The Navigator ... 5. Jesus ... 6. The Lakehouse ... 7. Men In Black I & II ... 8. National Treasure ... 9. Naughty Marietta ... 10. Pure Country ... 11. Space Camp ... 12. Titanic ... 13. While You Were Sleeping.

18 January 2007 ~~~ FAVORITE BEANIE BABIES:
1. Leaves the autumn bear ... 2. Grandma & Grandpa bears (set) ... 3. Twitch the guinea pig ... 4. Bushy the lion ... 5. Charlie the monkey ... 6. Zoomer the monkey ... 7. Nami the rhinoceros ... 8. Lollipup the white dog ... 9. Spotters the leopard cub ... 10. Minxy the bunny ... 11. Serenity the dove ... 12. Carnation the kitty ... 13. Hairy the tarantula.