Woodsie

So on the way to St Louis, The Husband tells me we are stopping in Terra Haute to break up the trip. I'm thinking, "Why does that sound familiar?"

Well... considering my niece Megan has been going to school near there for three years perhaps it should!

Lucky me! I gave her a call when we rolled into town and she came to pick me up and gave me a tour of the St. Mary of the Woods campus - plus I got to take a ride in her shiny new car!

She told me the legend of the bridge - which I cannot remember too clearly. Something about if the bells from the tower ring while you are crossing headed one direction your true calling is to become a nun of the order there - if it catches you crossing the other way you are soon to meet your true love.

Lucky for me the bells didn't ring - so no career change is in store!

It was great to see her and her school even if it was too dark to capture too many images.

Troubled Man for Troubled Times

It's always fun to see what memorabilia is at which location.

One of Geezer Butler's bass guitars was here, and this festive outfit belonging to Alice Cooper.

Too bad they didn't have what ever contraption shot the sparks out of his fingers while he sang elected while wearing it!

One of the silly young men there at the Hard Rock actually asked The Husband if he needed any explanation about the exhibits. Boy got schooled a bit...

Enlightened

If I had a music appreciation room, I would need lights just like this.

I'll put it on the list to ask the folks at the Hard Rock where they got them!

They would go well with the Pink Floyd 'Animals' Poster and the glossy photos with us and all of our close, personal, rock star friends...

Good Policy

One stop on our trip was to the Hard Rock Cafe at Union Station.

This seems like a good policy to have I'd say.

Plus, well...

You know: it's neon.

Beautiful Trees

The whole way to St. Louis we kept seeing the most beautiful bursts of purple color along the road.

Well, that and a bonus number of sightings while playing HAWK!

Great game - almost as good as the license pate game...

Best part was when I sighted a coyote!

I digress - the trees are Eastern Redbuds and I want one!

Jefferson

The Museum of Westward Expansion is great - they pack a ton of information in there!

Of course it is dedicated to my pal Thomas Jefferson.

One cool dude.

(Except for the slaves and such but I'm pretty sure he'd realize now that was a very bad idea...)

Shutterbugs

It is nice to hang out with someone who takes almost as many pictures as me.

Instead of getting "the look"

Do you know the one?

The one that says, "I do not know her. She is clearly an insane woman who is receiving messages from the mother ship to send back more and more data for research. She means you no real harm though, as long as you don't block her shot. Someday her photos will save the planet. Or at least make really nice scrapbooks - I do like the scrapbooks. They're neat. Just not so many pictures please?"

Top of the town

Made the journey up in the arch - what a view!

We came to town for the 10th Annual Hot Wheels Nationals so I got to spend some quality time with my pal Edwina.

Yea!

Guess where we went

Can you figure it out?

Guiding Light

Another Happy Owler night with the Chi Omega Girls at Don's Lighthouse in Lakewood.

I recommend the spinach artichoke dip!

Nesting

No - I'm not nesting!

It's the crzay bird that built a nest in the wreath on my sister's front door!

Blue Suede Shoes

Drinks after the show at the House of Blues.

Love the funky art on the walls at this place!

What girl doesn't like shoes?

Moondog Coronation

Cleveland: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame City!

...and home of the Moondog Coronation Ball since 1952 when Alan Freed staged the first real rock concert.

This year it was Grand Funk Railroad, The Turtles, Little Anthony & the Imperials, and Paul Revere and the Raiders.

Any time I get to sing along to lyrics such as, "Eleanor, gee I think your swell!" or "Kicks just keep getting harder to find" I'm happy! Maybe not so much on the "Cherokee people, Cherokee tribe" though...

Great night!

Night at the Arcade

Date night on the town!

We escape downtown to the Hyatt at the Arcade - what an awesome place!

Chef Constance

I'm cleansing again this week. Plan is for three times this year.

After the last cleanse I felt wonderful and began eating better and that often means preparing food myself.

I picked up a great cook book by Weight Watchers in 20 minutes

Favorites so far are:

Skillet Pork Chops with Apricot-Mustard Sauce

Chicken and Coconut Curry

Spiced Turkey Burgers with Yogurt and Chutney

Two more fun recipes not from this book are:

Garbanzo Pizza

Moroccan Tagine

Got any tasty, healthy recipes to share with me?

Farewell Ronnie

Today is a sad day as we mourn the loss of a heavy metal super star.

Ronnie James Dio passed away early this morning after losing his battle with stomach cancer.

Dio's music has been a huge part of our lives...

We were blessed to met him back stage on several occasions and he was always the most gracious host. He wouldn't leave until he had spoken to all the fans and even aksed that security allow people waiting by his bus to come inside one freezing evening in Cleveland.

I saw Dio front Black Sabbath, the Dio band, and Heaven and Hell and was never, ever disappointed.

I will leave you with my favorite Dio song - which is saying a lot considering how many there are...

\m/

Rest in peace...

Weather or not

I am aware that this is not my best photographic work...

But what do you want from my iPhone while moving at 60mph on the free way during a storm?

Oh stop - The Husband was driving not me!

The lightening was so spectacular the other night that I had to snap it.

Eye Candy

Totally busted!

I have a thing with neon signs - it's kind of an obsession.

I must take a photograph if I see one that is fun.

When I walked into the shop they called me on it! Usually I try to be incognito - not this time I guess!

The shop, Eye Candy Gallery, was awesome and my favorite stop on the art walk.

Stand outs were the jewelry pieces and the purses. Wearable art rocks!

And I'm always a sucker for glass. I really must take a class when things slow down (they are going to slow down - right?)

Even though I don't like martinis

This spot in Tremont looks like it must be fun!

We dined down the street at Lolita - one of Iron Chef Michael Symon's properties in the Cleveland Area. The roasted dates with almonds, chillies, bacon, and parsley were a total hit.

You should totally go there and try them.

Now is fine - there's not another post until tomorrow!

Tremont Art Walk

Tremont Art Walk - second Friday in March - and every month...

The Banyan Tree sported some lovely windows.

Happy little owls

Happy Owler at The Three Birds in Lakewood with my Chi Omega sisters.

Try the citrus crab spring rolls - I didn't!

Total plate envy on the gal who did though...

I ordered the Maine lobster pizza - not so much!

I'm special

Apparently, if you request cinnamon toast and coffee for breakfast on Mother's Day from your son you get it.

...along with flowers and a card.

Outside of card: "Mom, I planned to send you on an exotic cruise for Mother's Day."

Inside of card: "But I knew you'd miss me too much. That's the kind of mom you are."

He knows me well!

...and you also get a special lunch prepared for you by all of your menfolk.

Why didn't I think of asking for stuff years ago?

I must be special!

A brief respite

It is after May 1st - so I think it is safe to say the snow is behind us here in North East Ohio for another season. Just in case you miss the snow - I'll share this photo from our Craft Farm Getaway last February.

I find myself with a spot of time on my hands... not empty time mind you, but I am only doing like eight things at once instead of twenty so I thought I'd pop in and say hello to you folks.

It's not going to get any less busy in my corner of the world, but I'm gonna try not to neglect the finer than frog hair fan base...

I've started to prepare a series of photo-a-day posts to catch you up on the exciting adventures in my world. Watch for more updates as the days move along!

What have you been up to?

Jerkin' Crocus

Any Mott fans in the house?

Happy First (full) Day of Spring!

Wanted to take Roxy out for a spin this week during the 60 degree weather, but The Husband seemed to think that there was still too much salt on the road... sigh.

I almost can't appreciate the fine weather we've been having as I know that we will still likely have at least another major snowfall before we're done this year.

Happens every year

...and every year I sulk!

Enjoy the peeking blooms.

Muchness

You used to be much more..."muchier." You've lost your muchness. ~ The Mad Hatter to Alice Kingsley

When I woke up this morning I had no specific plan to have an epiphany, and yet, none the less I did.

The Boy and I went to the early showing of Alice in Wonderland.

As I watched, it occurred to me in stunning, 3D, technicolor, surround sound splendor that there is most definitely too much not enough muchness about me these days.

Been that way for a while...

Any thoughts on getting it back? I'm not certain there are any Jabberwockies about that I can slay.

That being said I shall take a page from the Hatter who said, "I'm investigating things that begin with the letter M."

muchness (you guessed that one right?)

memory

motherhood

matrimony

matriculation

money

meetings

motivation

manic

masquerade

mirth

many

madness

Which of course beings me to the question: Have you any idea why a raven is like a writing desk?

Something else to ponder that in case I run off and don't blog again for another month...

Oh yeah, the movie was rather good!

Balance

I began practicing yoga this month.

According to my teacher, the day you begin your yoga practice you are reborn. What gives - I thought newborns were flexible?!

Surprisingly, I am able to do more than I thought. Despite my innate ability to walk into walls and an overwhelming desire to test gravity, my balance is fairly good when I can keep my focus. The Boy has been telling me I should try meditation, or maybe tai chi or yoga. This opportunity presented itself and I took it.

It's all about keeping promises this year - remember?

I first attended a beginners workshop two weeks ago. This was squarely in the middle of my fourteen day fast. I was concerned about doing a workout when I wasn't eating, but it was actually the most wonderful experience I could have had. All of me could concentrate on the poses and the strength just flowed through me. The studio I attended is Cleveland Yoga and Tami Schneider, the owner, does an excellent job of talking through the poses. I returned today for a level II class and learned even more.

I was able to take advantage of some free sessions in between the workshops which were wonderful as well. I'm glad I took advantage of several different class leaders as I see that their different styles have a different effect on my practice. For example when I am very stressed and really need to relax, as I am practicing my ujjayi pranayama (ocean sounding breath) and trying to achieve a softly focused drishti (gaze) a leader reminding me literally every 8 minutes during the class to let go of internal busyness and instructing me to be calm is not beneficial. It is as useless as a massage therapist laughing at me and saying relax! Seriously, if it was that simple, I would not need to be in either place! Each time the words were spoken, my stress level rose and eventually I was in tears... ah well - as I practice I will be able to tune out such foolishness (I hope).

Other instructors were wonderful, infusing the practice with the right amount of guidance and positive energy - these I will return to.

I think I can see a difference already, if only in that I am more aware of my posture, and check frequently throughout the day to see if I am in alignment. Am I in tadasana?

The fancy sounding words are a swell benefit too!

I am looking forward to more sessions with greater balance and peacefulness through my practice.

Namaste

Out With The Old

Image from "Another Day In Paradise Postcards" by Ann Taintor

As I begin the new year and try to live up to my promise, I am taking some steps to improve my health. The first of which is a cleansing juice fast which I started a few days ago. As I begin Day 5 I am feeling less toxic already!

Do not fear for The Husband's ability to provide for his own food as indicated in my image above - he is pretty self sufficient! Although when he jokingly asks when I am going to make his dinner I have thoughtfully offered him up some of my "special potion"! Surprisingly he has declined? Hmmm.... Perhaps he would not find the combination of fresh squeezed lemon, organic grade B maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and purified water as tasty as I do?

The particular cleanse I have been using is the Master Cleanse. It was developed in the 1970's by Stanley Borroughs and has been used successfully by countless people looking to free themselves of toxins and improve their health. I did it first for ten days last April. It really did have an amazing effect on me.

I discontinued my oral asthma medication when I started that time (don't worry - I kept my inhaler handy just in case) and found that when I came off the fast I no longer needed it. I admit that recently in times of some extreme stress situations, I have used my inhaler but rather than go back for another prescription for the daily pill, I will first try the cleanse again. I am a firm believer in scientific research and the further development of modern medicine - but we must understand that with every drug we take there are risks. The only difference between a poison and a cure is the dosage. Common sense and caution must be taken into consideration. I am well aware that if I continue to take my asthma medication to prevent symptoms it will shorten my life. Of course the symptoms of asthma will also shorten my life - breathing being kinda vital and all that... But if I can eliminate the need for the medication all together why not do it? I am anxious to see what other chronic problems I can eliminate from my life with this round to cleansing.

There are of course critics out there who pooh, pooh the whole cleanse thing but as I have seen first hand what it did for me. If you are curious about it, I encourage you to read the data found on a message board developed by Peter Glickman, a proponent of the Master Cleanse and raw food diet. It details important information and research done to demonstrate the effectiveness of the process. His website, "The Raw Food Site" overall is a wealth of instruction and resources.

Although it is not the main reason I am completing the cleanse, a very nice byproduct of the process is that weight loss is involved. If one sticks to the healthful eating after breaking the fast virtually all of the weight should stay off; Maybe even further weight loss as the body continues to cleanse itself naturally on mainly raw foods.

Because of this, I will not go back to all of my bad habits once I break my fast. That was my problem last time when I let poor judgement cloud my thinking. Caffeine is already banished, but I think that refined sugars are gonna have to go as well. Maybe even most of the meats I eat. I'm not ready to go 100% raw vegan or anything - but changes will be made. As I study on it, I'll keep you posted!

...as I like to say these days, "May your day be easy, peasey, lemon squeezey!"

A Promising New Year

Another year comes to a close and a new one begins.

It seems that every year we are bombarded with images of Janus - looking back looking forward - reflecting on where we are. I guess that's okay because if we do not study our history, what went right and what went wrong, then growth really isn't possible.

For the past two years I have selecting a touchstone word to guide me. In 2008 my word was FIRE. I really believe that it gave me an extra edge as I moved through the days. I was not perfect by any means - but I was more aware of what I wanted. In 2009 my word was FOCUS. I made some really great progress in the last year: I started back to school the Monday after Ian graduated and have racked up 4 classes and 4 "A" grades, I reconnected with many friends through the technology of FaceBook and feel amazingly blessed because of their place in my life, and I made it through a 10 day cleansing fast that no one but me believed I would complete, and I gave myself a huge gift of my new car hobby.

This year I am selecting another word:

PROMISE

Promise can be defined as one's word that something will be done or an indication of future excellence or achievement - hope or possibility.

I could achieve so much more if I followed through on a fraction of the things that flicker on the edges of my mind. I often work through entire projects in my head - the beginnings, the workings, the completions - but I do not act on them. Even when I think I really want to make them happen. Ask any one - my Mother for example - and they will tell you of the great promise I had as a child. Promise they will likely also tell you I have not fulfilled. When I pledged my sorority in 1983, one of the advisers came up to me at the reception after the ceremony and showed me an article from the local newspaper she had been holding onto for some months. It detailed my high school achievements and my full scholarship to the University of Toledo. They had been hoping I would go through rush and were so pleased that I had found Chi Omega - I had great promise. Things did not turn out exactly according to Hoyle... Mom is still trying to figure out why I am not a doctor. (Um - duh? Holding someones life in your hand is scary!) And reminds me periodically that I am not living the life she planned for me. (Thanks Mom.)

I make promises to myself all the time and break them. I drive myself to the brink of failure over and over again, pushing myself further and further toward the edge just to see if I can pull myself back. It can be exhilarating saving myself time and time again, and the stress of the deadline often does inspire creativity, but this cycle is not healthy.

I often do not take risks - what if I fail? (So maybe Mom is right and I should have become a doctor if I wasn't a wuss?) Sometimes I just "decide" I didn't really want something in the first place so therefore I need not complete it or ever even start it.

This year will be about keeping promises to myself. Finishing school will be a big promise kept. (Not to mention I get a nifty new outfit AND a sweet certificate suitable for framing!) But there are hundreds of small victories that are possible each day. Not hitting the mental snooze button when the alarm goes off... Tackling the to do list at work based upon priority and not the noisiest gong... Getting my tail up off the couch and moving...

Mr Newton told us in his First Law that an object in motion tends to stay in motion unless a force is applied. (Okay he ripped that one off from Galileo - but who's really keeping track?) I need to stop being the force which stops the motion and just keep moving forward and not sit still. Inertia!

This is not to say that I do not need true relaxation and restoration in my life. But I've been procrastinating on that as well. I do not sign up for the yoga class, I do not read the book on meditation, I do not seek inner peace. I did sign up for a monthly massage package this year though so I guess it is a start! I also started reading some really great books to give me guidance if I chose to listen.

So it is time to promise to make some changes. To live up to expectations - the ones I have for myself. To fulfill the promise I have to do something big!

Maybe I should have taken the extra step of telling Zoltar all of this instead of just taking his picture! Worked for Josh!

What's your word for 2010? Need some more inspiration to help you select one? Check out this post by Ali Edwards or Christine Kane's Blog during the entire month of December for more on the topic!

The word will work wonders in your life - I promise!

Rose Bowl

Mom at Rose Bowl Stadium mid-1950's

Ah yes.... watching the Rose Parade is a tradition I shall never give up. Wonder how one gets to be a part of volunteering to assemble a float? I know it takes hundreds to folks to make it happen. They are just so amazing. I think that is going on "The List."

That and New Year's Eve in Time Square. Just once!

I'm gonna try not to think about the senseless murder of all those roses... Since they mainly only clip the blooms it is sustainable use right? I suppose the seeds will never germinate... but the grasses and such are okay right? Right?

AND GO BUCKEYES!

Let's see some serious Duck hunting - not that I normally go in for that sort of thing!

Make us proud.

O-H!

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don't leave me hangin'!