Boxers Vs. Non-Boxers {Breakaway}

Why people become steeped into tradition is a mystery to me.   The small town where I live and the church that I rarely attend live by the mantras “this is how we’ve always done it”, “this is just how it is done”,  “this is the proper way to do it”,  etc.        Granted the familiar path is always the easiest path.  You don’t have to think about the path because you know every inch and mile.  But is it always the best path for reaching your destination?   I think not.   There are too many scenic routes which could lead us to new, more wonderful destination.   If we encounter the sameness every day, we become stale, disconnected, and ineffective to those outside the box.   But the box is so comfortable!   Neat, tidy and familiar.    With this in mind, I chose to discard my box altogether.   I did it with intent and purpose knowing the risks that I would encounter by losing my cardboard protection.   Boxed people never understand the non-boxed and they certainly never get the idea that non-boxers view boxers as stagnated conformist.  When I encounter the boxed people, they treat me like I have leprosy….unclean, unclean, unclean, because I’m living outside the confines of a neat box.  Apparently, this is a source of worry for some and enough reason for others to place me on a prayer list.    Why does this bother me?  Most people desire the prayers of others and I do too in specific areas of my life.  I share those request with only a select few people because I respect the sincerity of their hearts.   For anyone to assume they know what is going on in my life, and especially in the lives of my children and then stop one of them to say, “I am praying for your mother and she will be fine” is one of the rudest things I’ve ever heard.     What exactly are they praying about concerning me and shouldn't they have been respectful enough to speak with me first?   My son, being the gentleman that he is, thanked the person and proceeded to say, “My mother is fine, she gets what you don’t, but thank you anyway.”   God, I love that child!   Wake up sleepy small town!  Although, it’s a beautiful dream, we don’t live in Mayberry anymore for the world is indeed changing.

Summer Synopsis AKA What I Did On Summer Vacation

So yes, it's been a while since I've written in this space.  If anyone in the blog world still lands on this small bit of Internet real estate and reads my pitiful blogging attempts, well, God bless ya!

Me, hubster, boys and dog spent a few quiet days at the beach in June.  It was Oscar's first beach trip and he loved it.   Unless you're a dog lover, you can't understand how fun it is to watch your fur-baby get as excited as your children regarding vacation.  Oscar played in the water, dug in the sand, rode a golf cart, and sniffed other doggies.  We enjoyed Oscar's beach excitement as much as the beach!  Fun!

In June, I went to Type-A Parent Conference.   This is a local blogging conference held annually in beautiful, artsy downtown Asheville, NC.   There I met up with some blogger friends and had a lovely few days with like minded folks.  Fabulous, darling!  Fabulous!  If you're a blogger, consider attending Type-A at some point.   It's a relaxed setting and you'll meet some great bloggers from all over the US/Canada.  And me!

Several weeks ago I began taking a Zumba class.  Two nights per week I shake my Zumba for a hard sweaty hour.  Considering I'm the girl who failed PE in high school (seriously) I'm doing pretty well.  Furthermore, I LOVE it and can tell a big difference how I feel physically and emotionally.   It's a great stress reliever and I'm reaping a few benefits in the waist, hip and thigh area too.  I may even start lifting a few weights to help my bat-wing biceps. 

Uterus Update - Regarding my hateful uterus...it's still HATEFUL!  I'll be seeing my GYN once again in September and may tell him to rip it out!  Nuff said on that topic.

I got glasses!  I've been using cheap reading glasses for over a year.  A kind friend suggested I have my eyes examined as it seems the #11 between my eyes was becoming more pronounced from all the squinting.  Thank goodness for honest friends who give it to me straight!
True Confessions:

• I've not read one single book all summer!  I did listen to the "The Help" (Audio CD) and recently saw the movie (so good, go see it, take Kleenex for leaky eyes and wear Depends for a weak bladder).
• Work keeps me busy, but honestly, it doesn't feel like work.  I've been at the Public Library for eleven years and still enjoy every minute!
• My young men go back to school Monday.  College and High School, piano and guitar, youth group and basketball keep them VERY busy.   They are handsome, kind, talented and funny...but SLOBS!  I love them anyway.

And now, let me just say...if you are friends with me on Facebook...you already know most of this information plus more....if not, Friend me on Facebook and share the fun!

Thanks for reading, Rosie!   {Coming soon BackSac product review}

My Uterus Hates Me

For the past year I have been battling uterine fibroids.  Uterine fibroids are hateful, non-malignant tumors that grow within the uterine wall.   I have eight of these bizarre things growing inside me.   EIGHT!    You can read about the symptoms of uterine fibroids from the Mayo Clinic and let me just say I have every freaking symptom listed (plus a few that the good old Mayo is not aware of yet) including, but not limited to, bitchiness and murderous thoughts of family members.  On most days the world is a giant chalk board and humanity is scraping their fingers down it all day long.   Does that paint a clear portrait of how irritable I am?   I am told if I can live with these body growths until after menopause, they usually shrink and symptoms decrease.  I am also told the average age for menopause is fifty-one.  I'll be forty-six on my birthday.  That's five years people!   My GYN has given me a few options:  (A)  Try birth-control pills for a few months; (B) Endometrial ablation wherein they burn the endometrial walls; (C) Partial hysterectomy (taking out the uterus but leaving the cervix and ovaries).   I'm on my second round of birth-control pills and thus far have seen no improvement.  In fact, some of my symptoms are worse.    I've heard from some that the ablation procedure works well for a few months but risks involved with this procedure (though rare) are serious.  A partial hysterectomy initially sounded appealing until I began reading on the topic and the sexual side effects that the procedure can cause.  I'm getting old, but am not dead.  I still enjoy my sexuality so ripping out something that might change that appeals not to me!

Dear readers do you have any experience with this problem?  If so, would you please share your experience here with me?   I value the opinions and experiences of other women (men too if your wife, mother, sister, girlfriend, etc. has gone through something similar).  I'm also open to holistic procedures if you have experience in that area.   Any thoughts are welcome.

Thanks for reading, Rosie.

Spring Showers Bring Flowers ~ Wordless Wednesday

Water For Elephants

I recently read Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. The book was published in 2006 and has crossed my path many times via the circulation desk at the library. After seeing the movie trailer and thinking it was a potential theater experience, I decided to read the book. Having not read Fiction in well over a year, I was skeptical.

Water for Elephants is not a literary masterpiece but for me it held true entertainment value (more on this in a moment) and painted a visual that I will not soon forget. Few Fiction books do this for me anymore so I was delighted to find myself caught up in the story line and eagerly anticipating my nightly reading. I was sad to see it end, but I must say, the ending was marvelous!

Jacob Jankowski is a ninety or ninety-three year old man (he can’t remember which) in a nursing home recalling memories of himself as a young man during the Depression. For three months he travels with the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth as the veterinarian to their menagerie. Some of the language is crude and graphic scenes linger in the mind; however, I think one should expect this when reading details of life on a circus train. Most scenes, though, are tender and clearly show the heart of a young man and an aged man on a passionate journey. I am hoping the movie is fractionally as good.

Circus life has always fascinated me and this is likely why the movie trailer caught my eye. Upon doing some book review research and hearing only good things regarding the book, I decided to give it a read and am so glad I did. For me, it brought back memories of a time in my life (1983-1984) when I applied for and was accepted by the Ringling Brothers Clown College in Sarasota, Florida. Yes, you read that correctly! I have attended the Ringling Brothers Circus no less than eight times in my life as a child, youth, young adult, adult or parent. The most memorable time being front row center ring with tight robe walkers balancing precariously over my head and muzzled dancing bears within a few inches of my knees. I’ve seen greats like Gunther Gable Williams, Lou Jacobs and Bello Nock. I made a complete idiot of myself at one performance by stepping into a folding seat in front of me and getting my ankle trapped in a vise like grip, nearly fainting from the pain and cracking my ankle bone in the process. I will always be mesmerized by the costumes, colors, lights, music, animals and performers of the circus!

So did I go to Clown College? No. Fear and parental consent kept me from pursuing that fleeting dream. But, the clown portrait above is me! Painted by my much older brother in 1985 and hanging in the children’s room at the library, it serves as a reminder of the clown I was and still am at heart. If you look closely, you can find my initials “DR” painted into the folds of the yellow neck piece. Rosie would have been a great clown name don’t you think?