To Each, His Own

That little guy over there is our son Adam, 3 hours old. Like all mothers, I couldn't take my eyes off him after he was born. I held him for hours. I thought he was the most perfect thing I'd ever seen. He was so much more than I hoped for. And so much more than I thought I deserved.

My first thought when I saw him was, "I can't believe he has such long eyelashes."

And, for as much as I thought in those early days about how he looked, I also pondered his personality. Would he be stubborn, feisty, laid back? Quick to smile or ask for a hug? The class clown, or bookish? Would those little hands grow to throw a mean curve ball or fly over the piano keys making music?

So, last night, as I was bending to kiss his little toes through the spindle of the crib, part of our nighttime ritual, it suddenly hit me how many things that little guy there in the photo has brought into my world that are uniquely his own.

The way he greets me when I pick him up at school:
"shoes!, shoes!, mama! shoes!"

His fascination with screw-on lids and the things on which they fit.

The ever-present "mo, mo" for "no", accompanied by a firm shake of the finger. This is not to be confused with "uh-uh" and a shake of the head, which most of the time means "yes."

The one-word names for all of his favorite books:
See, Tractor, Baby, Kitty, God

The very grown-up way he knocks on the door at Sunday School before going inside.

I realize none of these are extraordinary, though most of them are pretty darn cute. I realize I'm just another mom who has stories to tell about her son. I realize there will be things he will do and habits he will form in the not-too-distant future that I won't want to tell anyone.

I realize from the minute he was born he will be mine for awhile, but not forever. I realize part of loving is letting go, one finger at a time.

But until I had a child I didn't realize how perfect and planned every little thing was. From his eyelashes, to his toes, to his knock, they are his very own.

And for all that he does, and all that he is, I also know that I couldn't possibly ask for more.

Me? Rock? Oh...Thanks!

My dear blogging friends, Susan, at Learning for Lifetime and Stacy, aka Vader's Mom nominated me for the Rockin' Girl Blogger award. It's been ages since someone called me a girl, let alone rockin', so I'm thrilled to have been chosen.

Susan has been a wonderful inspiration to me in so many ways. She's a mom to four boys, writes so well about her journey with the Lord, and her dedication as a teacher comes right from the heart. Thanks, Susan!

Stacy, and her new green & pink camo blog design, are a treat to read. We met last spring through the Ultimate Blog Party. She's been to Disney a gazillon times to my zero times, and she just started Monday's Memories, wherein she will be sharing some of her wonderful photos and personal stories.

The other fun part about being nominated for this award, is nominating five other Rockin' Girls:

1. Kat at Just A Beachkat writes from the heart and lives at the beach. She's beautiful inside and out and I look forward to reading her posts each day. From teaching us how to scramble bacon, to sharing photos of bloggers she's met in-real-life, she's a very Rockin' Girl.

2. Leah at South Breeze Farm lives in my beloved home state of Iowa. We've just recently starting reading each other's blogs and her comments and observations are right on! And, some of the pictures she posts of the Iowa countryside just warm my heart (and make me a little homesick!).

3. Jody at Iowa Geek is another new blogging friend. If you haven't done so, check out her monthly scrapbooking give-away. From raising kids to reading good books, Jody's posts are always interesting.

4. Sonya at Mo Mhile Gra just made it through a week or so of sick kids/hubby and did so with amazing grace and a little humor. Oh yeah, and photo illustrations. I also recently learned about square foot gardens from her. One of my favorite things to read are her Weekend Reflections.

5. Wendy, An Iowa Mom not only has four of the cutest kids you'll ever see, she writes about her adventures in parenting with lots of good, homegrown humor. She's not afraid to confess her love of fast food, a beer, and cheese dip. And, anyone who vacuums her house three or four times a day definitely rocks!

Thanks again... and rock on!

And God Said, "You Didn't Need that Latte Anyway"

Doug was gone on a guy's trip all weekend which left Adam and me home alone until Sunday evening. If absence makes the heart grow fonder, let me just tell you that 48-hours alone with a toddler takes me completely out of the running for Mother of the Year. I'm just sayin'...

Adam is not easily amused by things like toys, balls, a swimming pool, or bribes of food. He would rather take things in and out of the refrigerator, screw the cap on and off the soy milk, lay on the dishwasher door and play with the dirty silverware, or throw a whole box of cotton swabs around the bedroom. He also loves to be chased around the house, but now that we've added 280 sq. ft. it's much more of a workout than I prefer.

And speaking of sweat, it was almost too hot to spend much time at the pool. Not only does Carolyn the Pool Lady plant her name-calling self there 24/7, Adam also refuses to do anything except throw his shoes in the water. And wouldn't you know it... the text-messaging, iPod listening lifeguard had to tell me that's not allowed. As if my guzzling two Corona Lights in less than 30 minutes would impair my ability to figure that out on my own. But then again, what 39-year old couldn't use some guidance from a teenager?

Finally, I must add to the mix Adam waking up at 5:30 both Saturday and Sunday mornings and the summer cold that overtook my head Saturday night. You know, getting a cold in the summer just shouldn't be possible. It's like saying, "It's December! Put on your string bikini and go outside." Not that I own a string bikini, but I'm just sayin'...

So, with all good intentions, I packed up the boy yesterday morning and headed to Sunday School. For a stress-free arrival, we need to leave the house at 9:30. Considering the fact we'd been up since 5:30, you'd think four hours would give us plenty of time to get ready. But oh no...the diaper gods had other plans, and we didn't leave until 9:42.

Now, I've already written about my beverage issue. I do not rest - even on Sunday - when it comes to my beverages. Neither a cold, nor lack of sleep, nor an impatient toddler can come between me and my beverages.

By the time I got out of the oh. so. slow. line. at the coffee place, it was 9:51. Normally Doug and I tag team upon arrival at the church. He parks and brings the coffee, while I wrangle the kids to their classrooms. We then meet on the 3rd floor for our blissful hour of power, without someone hanging on our leg or wiping their nose on our shirt.

But yesterday it was just me, the Bible, the bags, the beverage and the back-arching, hair-pulling toddler who wanted to walk all by himself the half mile or so to the church. Just as I thought I had it all together and we could start the journey, my large, soy, sugar-free, hazelnut latte spilled all over the hood of my car. Not a drop remained. I tried salvaging even a tiny, little sip. But it was not meant to be.

By the time I fell into my seat in Sunday School, I seriously thought the message was going to start out something like this:

When you have ample time but still manage to run late,
remember the weak shall inherit the Earth.

When you think you need a soy, sugar-free hazelnut latte,
drink in the wisdom of God's word instead.

When your toddler attempts to lunge out of your arms in the middle of a busy parking lot, pray for a patient heart.

But it didn't. It was something about walking through the narrow gate when all the world wants us to walk through the wide gate.

So, when I got home I decided to walk through the pool gate. I needed a Corona Light, and Adam's shoes had a little bit of latte on them and needed a good rinse.

What a Difference a Year Makes - Walkin'

June 2006

Pre-walking days...modeling his new summer cap and T-shirt

June 2007

A BIG BOY now! Using the handrail to walk downstairs.

(sticking the tongue out helps with balance)

Our New Kitchen

Y'all, I just can't tell you how thrilled we are with our new kitchen and keeping room. I haven't done a lot of projects like this so it was a case of hoping everything we chose over the course of several months would all come together.

This is how the kitchen looked when we viewed the house:

This is the kitchen last fall after we'd done a little upgrading with new

appliances, granite counter tops and tile backsplash.

And here it is today.

The new keeping room, which was behind me as I took this photo, is just walls, windows and a floor right now.

We need to choose a paint color for the walls, paint all the trim and buy furniture. I'll show that as soon as it's done. It will be a great summer project for me.

Thanks to all of you for going on the 8+ week journey from screened porch to this. I really had fun writing about the progress each week. Your words of encouragement mean a lot.

The 2am Workout

Begin your workout by being jolted out of precious deep sleep by a screeching toddler calling mom-eeeee, mom-eeee.

Heart rate goes from zero to sixty in 1.85 seconds.

Next, lay in bed wide awake trying to convince yourself to let toddler work it out while heart pounds in chest trying to recover from the jolt.

Get up to console toddler. Nearly collapse because right foot is asleep.

Engage oblique ab muscles to steady yourself. Say a few choice words under breath.

Hobble down hallway in a sorry attempt at speed walking.

Engage shoulder muscles as you bump into wall along the way.

Lift 23 pounds of dead weight from crib.

Feel that burn in your lower back! hamstrings! and arms!

Heart rate spikes as you wrangle 5 pound soaked diaper off the screeching toddler, while holding 4 arms and legs at bay.

Engage biceps as you toss 5 pound diaper.

Lift 23 pounds of flailing, lunging weight off changing table. Feel that burn between your shoulder blades! and in your neck!

Plug ear with one hand while holding toddler in the other. Stagger downstairs to find bottle and fill with soy milk.

Engage mental toughness skills. It's mind over matter, Sister.

As you walk by window, notice several dogs gathered on the front lawn, drawn by the high-pitched toddler squeal only they can hear.

Sharpen fine motor skills by managing to get the cap on bottle without spilling.

Lift and insert bottle in one quick, fluid motion.

Dogs retreat at sudden cessation of high-pitched screech.

Attempt to work on fluid motion skills while going back upstairs....back straight, face forward.

Do several half-squats with terrible form while trying to sit in rocking chair.

Begin rocking toddler, contracting calf muscles on the upswing and relaxing on the downswing.

Relax neck muscles by nodding off.

Martha Stewart Would be So Unimpressed

The comedy underground was in full force at our house on Father's Day. I had good intentions, really I did. A Father's Day to rival Martha Stewart was all planned out in my head.

The weather was gorgeous. The floral arrangements perfectly coordinated with the linens, which were laid out on our wonderful new table on our brand new deck, overlooking our sprawling backyard.

The children were dressed in summer pastels, hair combed, teeth brushed.

Instead our morning started with Adam throwing up all over Doug and our bed. I'd brought the little angel into our room to wish Doug a happy Father's Day and the gift that keeps on giving came out in full force.

Great. Just great. Laundry to do and the sun wasn't even up and I hadn't had any coffee.

Later in the day, as I was folding the 6,961 load of laundry I heard a loud and nasty thump, followed by a few other noises and a curse word or two. Doug had fallen down the stairs. He was not hurt at all, except for a little rug burn on his elbow.

So, it's OK to laugh. Go right ahead. We have. Lots.

To make it even funnier, he told me later he and Kendra were standing at the top of the stairs and he started to come down and lost his balance. We think Kendra thought he was playing a joke.

[Really...it's OK to laugh. Get the full visual and let it all out. I've laughed with Doug about it 'til tears come to our eyes.]

So, a puke fest and a tumble down the stairs were the highlights Doug's Father's Day.

Maybe next year I'll just get him a tie and be done with it.

5 Things Meme

Jana tagged me for this meme...

FIVE THINGS I WAS DOING TEN YEARS AGO:
1. traveling a lot with my job
2. training for the Atlanta Marathon (I've also since run the Chicago marathon, too)
3. Growing out my bangs after having a bad experience getting my hair chemically straightened
4. I started keeping my reading journal in 1997 so I know I was reading The Deep End of the Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard.
5. I had moved to Atlanta about a year prior, so I was still meeting new friends and trying to find a church

FIVE SNACKS I ENJOY:
1. Potato chips
2. Almonds
3. Wheat Thins
4. Peanut butter pretzels
5. Baby carrots

FIVE SONGS I KNOW ALL THE LYRICS TO:
1. God Bless America - written by Irving Berlin in 1918
2. I Could Not Ask for More - Sara Evans
3. Candle in the Wind - Elton John
4. Good to Go to Mexico (a family favorite!) - Toby Keith
5. Cheeseburger in Paradise - Jimmy Buffett

FIVE THINGS I WOULD DO IF I WERE A MILLIONAIRE:
1. keep doing whatever it was that made me a millionaire in the first place
2. build a dream home
3. travel with my family to our heart's content
4. donate to a variety of organizations
5. invest wisely

FIVE BAD HABITS:
1. leaving half drunk beverages all over the house
2. falling asleep on the sofa watching TV
3. cracking my neck
4. multi-tasking while driving
5. not putting folded laundry away in a timely manner

FIVE THINGS I LIKE TO DO:
1. Read
2. Go to the pool with my family
3. Interior design, especially working with colors and fabrics
4. Have a date night with my husband (we're long overdue)
5. Entertain at home

FIVE THINGS I WOULD NEVER WEAR AGAIN:
1. High-waisted jeans
2. A comb in my back pocket
3. Leg warmers
4. Nylon jogging suit
5. Braces

FIVE FAVORITE TOYS:
1. Play kitchen (stove, sink and refrigerator)
2. Bicycle
3. Books (then and now)
4. iPod
5. Benjamin Moore color wheel (now)

FIVE PEOPLE I TAG:
It's a free-for-all.. consider yourself tagged if you'd like to join the fun. I love memes!

Birthday Party Re-cap

Last Saturday's birthday celebration was more than a milestone for my husband... it was also a goal we'd been shooting for when our whole Porch Project began. We wanted to have everything finished so we could host an all out celebration in our new digs.

Our vacation last week was spent at home with 3 kids, the contractor, the cabinet installer, and Frank-the-floor-guy, who warrants a blog post all his own. And you know he will get it.

We also had our share of dust, hammering, pounding, and a junk pile the size of Manhattan (or so it seemed). And, we made it through. We were a little weary at times, but we made it.

And I am confessing right now that I don't have any photos of people at the party. No evidence of too much wine or a plate heaped with green beans and pasta salad. No blowing-out of the candles. No shots of the children. Honestly, once it all started I just soaked up the goodness. There's lots to be said for living in the moment.

But! I did manage to snap a photo of my party dress. (hee-hee)

The Black Forest cake

And these tasty appetizers. Doug and I had shrimp cocktail served this way at a restaurant on Mother's Day. It's so easy and such a great idea. Hook 6 or 7 shrimp over the edge of martini glass, add a lemon wedge and fill the glass with cocktail sauce. You can also add a dollop of guacamole. Delish!

It was a great ending to a wonderful week. Thanks for letting me share a little.

Jill's Book Bag #1 - WINNER!

Thanks to all of you for entering and posting about Jill's Book Bag. I loved meeting some new people and visiting new blogs.

This month's winner is... Sonya at Mo Mhile Gra.

Sonya, send me your mailing information via my email address on my profile page.

I hope you all continue to join me each month for this event. I'll be working on choosing next month's book.

Thanks again, everyone!

Happy Birthday to my Husband

Happy 45th Birthday to my husband,

my best friend,

a wonderful father,

and a deck-builder extraordinaire.

Who could ask for anything more?

Hugs and kisses from all of us.

Hi, I'm Jill...the Mean, Nasty New Neighbor

Let me just get right to the point: I'm the kind of person that likes to get right to the point. I'm forthright. I tell it like I see it. There. I said it.

I'm also the kind of person who has an opinion about almost everything, but keep it to myself unless it's something I really feel strongly about. I'm not big on giving advice, unless someone asks.

Currently, I happen to feel strongly about our home owner's association spending $13,000 this summer on lifeguards that text message, eat, listen to iPods and visit with their (non-member) friends while "lifeguarding". That is, if they even bother to show up. And let me just interject, if they don't show up, the bathrooms don't get unlocked, and that's just not cool.

I don't think we even need lifeguards since our community pool is fairly small and not heavily used. But, this summer the contract for lifeguards was signed, so my opinion is I'd really like the money our home owner's association is paying to be put to good use.

My husband and I raised the "no lifeguards needed" idea with the home owner's association president after the pool season last year and we felt it was largely swept under the carpet and not acted upon one way or the other.

So, a couple weeks ago I emailed the President of the Homeowner's Association and voiced my opinion. I gave two or three examples, with specific dates, when I observed lifeguards not doing their job. I presented, again, my argument for spending the $13,000 on something that would benefit a greater percentage of the home owners. For example, $40 could be spent on a new swing for the playground to replace the one with a broken safety bar.

And I also asked for ages and qualifications of the lifeguards working, a breakdown of the costs associated with the pool (wages, maintenance, etc) and a listing of the duties the lifeguards are supposed to uphold.

The H/O President replied that he'd get me the information, when he could find the time, and also copied all of the other Board Members, including Carolyn, the Board member in charge of the pool.

Carolyn lives down the street from us. She has five kids, 4 of them teenagers. We've had a couple issues with her boys loitering around our house late at night. My husband did the responsible thing. He talked to the boys, told them to go home, and then went to their house and talked to Carolyn and her husband.

Let's just say Carolyn doesn't like us very well. And she really doesn't like us now that I've invaded her Pool Territory.

She was at the pool earlier this week and was openly and obviously talking about us to other people there. So, me being the forthright person I am said, "Carolyn, I find it interesting that you can talk about us to other people when what you should be doing, as the Pool member on the Board, is talking to us."

Carolyn The Pool Lady had been unleashed. She told me on no uncertain terms that she could not believe how I went about voicing my complaint. She told us we have not lived in the neighborhood long enough to have an opinion. She told me I am nitpicking the lifeguards. And she called us the "mean, nasty new neighbors."

How do you even begin to respond to someone like that? Her personal opinion about us overshadows her duty as a Board Member. A person who resorts to name calling has bigger problems than the issue at hand. She's embarrassing herself in an effort to defend her position.

It's really sad. It's sad someone like her is allowed to be on the Board. It's sad she isn't more mature about the situation. It's sad our hard-earned money is being managed by a Board that allows her behavior and the poor job performance of the lifeguards.

Ultimately, I think this is a testament to the bigger problem of work ethic in kids today, and the way some adults enable it by not doing anything about it.

She has chosen to defend that, while calling me mean and nasty.

It's just really sad.

Jill's Book Bag #1 - June 2007

With great excitement, let me reveal the book I raved about last week: The Patron Saint of Liars, by Ann Patchett.

I fell in love with the characters in this book and the way Patchett unveils their lives. I was both sympathetic for their struggles and in awe of the way they overcame them. I couldn't wait to begin reading each night.

And, I'm also excited to say that my love of this book has inspired me to start a new monthly feature.

Jill's Book Bag will be a monthly event wherein one participate will receive my pick-of-the-month book, plus some other goodies of my choosing, all sent to you in a cool little bag.

To be eligible for the Book Bag:

1. leave a comment here and
2. link back to this post with a post on your own blog.

My 18-month old future bookworm will be the official winner-drawer.

This month's give-away will be open until midnight EDT on Friday, June 15th. The winner will be announced as soon as my coffee kicks in on Saturday, June 16th.

Please help me spread the word. I hope Jill's Book Bag is something fun and new for all the avid readers out there.

Thanks and Happy Reading!

By the Way...

... have I mentioned I have a red-hot smokin' husband...

tearing up our old kitchen floor?

P.S. He did leave me a path to the wine and Snicker's dark chocolate bars.

Refresh & Relax

I'm officially on vacation (but I'll still be blogging).

I've had this week off from work penned on the calendar since mid-February. Doug and I always take this same week off each year. Kendra and Bayley are here the whole week and we also celebrate Doug's birthday (June 15) and Father's Day (June 17).

We usually go to the beach, but this year we decided our house project needed our time.

We also plan to:

* sleep late (at least until 7:30!!)
* wear shoes only when necessary
* eat tomato sandwiches and potato chips
* swim, swim, and swim some more
* read and watch movies
* break in the new deck with a party for Doug's 45th birthday
* and anything else that comes up

And, y'all, I had no idea I'd stir up such EMOTION with my little blurb about the book I'm reading. I'll tell you soon...and make it fun with a new bloggy thing I've been wanting to start.

See you soon....

The Porch Project - End of Week 8

Major progress occured this week with the addition of drywall and sub-flooring. The coming week should be the last week of major work:

1. new hardwood floor in the new room, the kitchen, the hallway and the powder room

2. refacing of kitchen cabinets

3. everything back in its place and organized...

4. hubby's 45th birthday party a week from tonight (on the deck)

For those of you have asked, we hired a contractor to do this work. The only thing we (meaning my husband) did was some of the destruction of the old porch before this work began. We (meaning my husband) will prime and paint the new room sometime in the coming week.

The view from our kitchen. We plan to build an island/bar at the end of the kitchen counter sometime within the next year or so. When the dust settles a bit (literally!)

My Life After 6pm

When your living room looks like this...














And your red-hot smokin' husband....















is hard at working building this....













What's a girl to do except go to bed with a Snicker's Dark Chocolate bar and a glass of red wine... or a couple of slices of pizza and a Diet Coke..take your pick.

And, oh my goodness... I'm reading a book that just might be in my Top Five of All Time. More on that, and a very special summer bloggy surprise, in just a few days.

Our House Before & After, The Library

Since I'm getting all excited and wiggly inside about our new Keeping Room, I thought it would be fun to show you some other rooms in our house that have already undergone a make-over.

Our house was built in 1980 and we bought it from the original owner in 2005. The fact that only one person owned the house for all of its 25 years is a big reason to buy it. She also had not had any pets, which is another good thing. I like pets, just not in my house.
The house was well-built and well-maintained. But suffice it to say the previous owner's decorating tastes and ours did not mesh.

This is the room to the left as you come in our front door. This is how the room looked when we viewed the house:

And this is the room now. We call it the library. I love opening the plantation shutters to let in the morning sun. I spent a lot of time sitting in the big red chair holding Adam when he was a newborn. And that desk at the right is where I create the masterpiece I call my blog. I'm sitting there now as a matter of fact.

This is one of my favorite little nooks in the house. If you click on the photo to enlarge it you will see some of my "big cat" art collection. I'm lucky enough to work at an art gallery/interior design firm and my boss started the collection for me with the engraving of a lioness head. Above it is an intaglio of a lion. The frames were made at our studio, too.

As things get a bit more put together around here, I'll continue this tour with the grand finale being The Keeping Room, previously known as The Porch Project.

Thanks for visiting!

What a Difference a Year Makes- Summer!

Last year at the beach...

10 (going on 28), 6 months, and 7

(And that is not my sofa! It's a rental house)

This year getting ready for a swim...

11 (going on 31), 18 months and 8

(You can see the bottles are still winning)

Kids Say the Darndest Things

Saturday the three kids were riding with me back to the house from Home Depot. I took a cut through on some residential streets and saw a man up ahead jogging in the middle of the road.

"Look at that silly man!" I exclaimed. "He's jogging right out in the middle of the road. That's very dangerous!"

Bayley said, "He could get hit by a car. Or even worse, someone could yell at him and call him stupid."

***************************

Many times I talk myself through a checklist as I'm getting ready to go somewhere. "Purse, keys are already in the car, diaper bag, ummmm... shoes! Adam, where are your shoes?"

I must say that a lot because now the things that go on Adam's feet are not SHOES!, they are UMMMM SHOES!.

More Encounters with Famous People

Since I've been talking about meeting famous people in all kinds of exciting situations over the past few weeks, I figured I might as well keep it going and get it all out of my system. I'll write about the rest of my Encounters With Famous People and then be done with it.

I used to work for the CEO of a financial services company. He's since sold the company and used some of the money to build himself a nice house. He liked to travel around the country and have meetings and conventions. He took me with him so I could tend to all of the people who came to the meetings and conventions, and deal with all the problems they caused. Things like congregating en mass in the foyer of the MGM Grand Arena, causing the Fire Marshall to issue the company a fine that costs more than a new car.

I wanted to make myself a wardrobe of t-shirts that said things like: "Who me? I'm just a tourist."

My first encounter with Famous People was a concert with The Beach Boys. The only things I remember about them were they were very nice, looked very old, and wore white shorts. Those last two things don't compliment each other very well.

General Norman Schwarzkopf gave a rousing speech during an evening awards ceremony, and was to do a meet and greet with special award winners afterwards. Let's just say the awards went a little longer than planned. At nearly midnight we were finally(!) ready for him to meet and greet. Well.... the General had gone to bed. And yours truly had to give him the 'ole wake up call. Luckily, he took his anger out on the guy who picked him up in the golf cart. Part of the meet and greet included a photo with the General. He instructed me to tell everyone that they better not talk to him. By the time I got my photo with him he seemed in a pretty good mood. He said, "I like your dress a lot, but not your hair."

The Pointer Sisters played at one of our events in the late 90's. They could have hooked up with the Beach Boys because they looked old, too. They made so many special food requests it would make your head spin. Wait! I think their heads did spin.

The very best performer I met during these conventions was Huey Lewis (minus The News). He was funny and very charming. I asked him several times if there was anything I could get for him. Only one time did he ask for anything... a peanut butter sandwich (white bread) and a glass of milk (ice cold). It was my pleasure.

Stephen Covey spoke at various meetings throughout the years. He had kind eyes, a very warm spirit and a bright smile. I could tell that he truly believed and lived the things about which he spoke. His staff and the people that traveled with him were outstanding. One man, whose name escapes me, could sing God Bless the USA so well it brought tears to my eyes.

Tony Robbins, the motivational speaker, visited our corporate offices here in Atlanta several times and spoke at several meetings. Prior to his first visit I called his assistant about a whole list of things. Unprompted, she gave me a strict list of his dietary preferences (for a lunch we were having). He was a nice man, very engaging and very tall.

And I have saved the best for last. This is a story that, in many ways, is one of my proudest career achievements. Several months in advance of our biggest convention in Last Vegas, the CEO said he wanted the final night to feature Muhammad Ali in a boxing ring in the center of the MGM Grand Arena. The reply from his agent: "Mr. Ali has not stepped foot in a boxing ring in eleven years and will not plan to do so for your event." Our CEO's reply: "That's not what I instructed. Get him to appear and get him to appear in the ring." Nine months later that is exactly what happened. When the spot light came up on Ali in that boxing ring, tears just streamed from my eyes. The things I remember vividly about Ali when I stood beside him that day: His skin was beautiful - flawless and smooth. His eyes were dark, dark pools of wisdom that danced and laughed. And when I got my photo taken with him, he said, "She makes me smile."

The Porch Project - End of Week 7

We're moving right along on The Porch Project, with the installation of HVAC and subflooring, but there was really nothing to show in photos this week. This coming week the drywallers come, which you know means dust up the wazoo.

My hubby just told me about the firm conversation he had with the contractor saying the drywalling must be done by Friday. We're on vacation the week of June 11-15 and since we decided to stay home and work on the house instead of go to the beach, we figured we should at least have some nice air to breathe.

We've decided to call the new room The Keeping Room, a nice Southern term for a room off the kitchen.

In other events, The Deck Project is coming along well. My talented husband is building the deck, with a little help from a couple neighbors. Here's a photo of the work in progress...

We also purchased this deck furniture this weekend. It's wrought iron with a glass top table. Thanks to all of you for your suggestions and input.

iPod Meme

Since
#1. I had to pack 5 days of work into this 4-day week, and
#2. all the cutting, chopping, pounding and riveting at our house has me a bit out of sorts, and
#3. I have so many things on my personal to do list it has me running in circles...

I have to pull out my arsenal of memes. This one has been on a couple of my favorite blogs, so I thought I'd do it, too.

Instructions:

1. Put your iPod on shuffle.
2. Press forward for each question.
3. Use the song title as the answer to the question even if it doesn’t make sense. NO CHEATING!

How do you feel today?
I'll Be There for You - The Rembrants

What’s your outlook on life?
I'd Do Anything for Love - Meat Loaf

What does your family think of you?
Butterfly Kisses - Bob Carlisle

What do your friends think of you?
Safe in the Arms of Love - Martina McBride

What do your exes think of you?
Gimme All Your Lovin' - ZZ Top

How’s your love life?
Ghost Riders in the Sky - Johnny Cash

How will your love life be in the future?
I've Got You Under My Skin - Frank Sinatra

Will you get married?
Big Shot - Billy Joel

Are you good at school?
Two Out of Three Ain't Bad - Meat Loaf

Will you be successful?
The Lady is a Tramp - Frank Sinatra

What song should they play on your birthday?
Fly Like An Eagle - Steve Miller Band

What song should they play at your graduation?
Hollywood Knights - Bob Seger

The Soundtrack of your life?
I Do (Cherish You) - 98 Degrees

You and your best friends are?
When You Wish Upon a Star - Dion & the Belmonts

Happy times:
Cocaine - Eric Clapton

Sad times:
He Went to Paris - Jimmy Buffett

Every day:
All Shook Up - Elvis Presley

For tomorrow:
I Wish It Would Rain Down - Phil Collins

For you:
She - Elvis Costello

What does next year have in store for me?
Take It To the Limit - The Eagles

What do I say when life gets too hard?
Young - Kenny Chesney

What song will I dance to at my wedding?
Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear - Elvis Presley

What do you want as your career?
Don't Talk - 10,000 Maniacs

Your favorite saying?
Until the Real Thing Comes Along - Steve Tyrell

How will I die?
Old Flame - Alabama