Friday, December 5, 2008
Holidays....ahhhh!
I love the holidays. Sure there's the family and friends gathering, all the love in the air. But my favorite thing is the food. I am a food person, it's a miracle that I don't weigh 300lbs. Then again, it's probably the running after 4 kids that makes it so I don't gain 300 lbs. (On a side note, I've actually lost over 10 lbs, hooray!!!) Seriously, I AM a food person. I love to cook (someone else does the dishes), I love to taste, I love to tweak recipes. But the holidays bring so many of my favorite foods and the opportunity to try new recipes on my unsuspecting guinea pigs, I mean - coworkers and family. Today, however, I enjoyed two of my holiday favorites: ribbon candy and shortbread cookies! I picked up the perfect peppermint ribbon candy, thin, super minty, awesome. Then my boss left a tin of those Danish Butter cookies, yum! You may think they're a cheap last resort gift for the old curmudgeon down the street, but I LOVE these cookies. They melt in your mouth like a fresh snowball but without the annoying brain freeze. Milk, cocoa, eggnog, wine, everything goes great with these cookies (I'm not sure about beer since I don't drink it, someone will have to let me know). My next food quest: TAMALES!!! My mother called me the other day with the number to Mrs. Flores (name changed to protect my tamale supply, don't want y'all ordering them all up). I am, however, tempted to try my own hand at making tamales. I learned how to roll them last year for a fundraiser, but I believe, and afterall isn't Christmas about having faith, that with the help of friends on the internet, I can find a great recipe for tamales that my family will love. Of course, I'll still order some from Mrs. Flores just in case!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Accidents that only seem to happen to me
I am truely starting to believe in two things: my mother has mis-named me, and a lack of sleep will cause panic and/or laughter.
My first name, which I no longer go by except with old friends and family, means "grace." I am named after Nancy Sinatra because of her song, "These boots were made for walking" which is appropriate since that is exactly what I have done on numerous occasions most notably with The Ex. But "grace"? I believe I have stumbled on nothing, tripped over my own feet, and walked right into too many posts to be considered as having grace. Then again, it may be the fact that I continue with a smile, somewhat turn the other cheek, maintain a ladylike presence during adverse situations type of meaning of grace. I hope that's the case. Either way, I'm learning to laugh at myself, for instance.
After a long trip to my parents' hometown to visit an ailing grandmother who was thought to have broken her hip, my return was even longer. We woke at 4am on Monday and I did not drive up to my driveway until 5:15 am on Tuesday! Then slept for an hour and woke to get ready for work at 8am. By the time I picked up B-Boy from daycare and took him to Wal-Mart to pick up some groceries, I was a zombie. B-boy had to "potty" so I took him to the restrooms in the front of the store, which I have never done since we moved here. As most people know, one Wal-Mart is pretty much like another. The one back in my hometown and this one in Roswell are nearly exact opposites, where the groceries are in one (the left side) it's the opposite in the other (right side). But I guess I never realized just how far the opposites went. As I walked into the restroom, hurrying as B-boy has only recently potty-trained, I noticed a pair of rather large, dumpy and dirty looking tennis shoes at the bottom of one of the stalls. I figured they belonged to some young woman who was dressed in the "I really don't care what I look like so I wear men's clothing and combat sneakers" thing. I took Brandon into the next stall, carried on a toddler conversation, flushed and left the stall heading for the sinks to wash our hands. And then......I noticed the very unusual sinks and realized they were urinals and we were in the MENS ROOM!!! I rushed out of there in a hurry telling B-boy we'd just use mommy's germ-ex gel.
Moral: I will make myself get more sleep and if I can't be graceful on my feet, I'll be graceful of character.
My first name, which I no longer go by except with old friends and family, means "grace." I am named after Nancy Sinatra because of her song, "These boots were made for walking" which is appropriate since that is exactly what I have done on numerous occasions most notably with The Ex. But "grace"? I believe I have stumbled on nothing, tripped over my own feet, and walked right into too many posts to be considered as having grace. Then again, it may be the fact that I continue with a smile, somewhat turn the other cheek, maintain a ladylike presence during adverse situations type of meaning of grace. I hope that's the case. Either way, I'm learning to laugh at myself, for instance.
After a long trip to my parents' hometown to visit an ailing grandmother who was thought to have broken her hip, my return was even longer. We woke at 4am on Monday and I did not drive up to my driveway until 5:15 am on Tuesday! Then slept for an hour and woke to get ready for work at 8am. By the time I picked up B-Boy from daycare and took him to Wal-Mart to pick up some groceries, I was a zombie. B-boy had to "potty" so I took him to the restrooms in the front of the store, which I have never done since we moved here. As most people know, one Wal-Mart is pretty much like another. The one back in my hometown and this one in Roswell are nearly exact opposites, where the groceries are in one (the left side) it's the opposite in the other (right side). But I guess I never realized just how far the opposites went. As I walked into the restroom, hurrying as B-boy has only recently potty-trained, I noticed a pair of rather large, dumpy and dirty looking tennis shoes at the bottom of one of the stalls. I figured they belonged to some young woman who was dressed in the "I really don't care what I look like so I wear men's clothing and combat sneakers" thing. I took Brandon into the next stall, carried on a toddler conversation, flushed and left the stall heading for the sinks to wash our hands. And then......I noticed the very unusual sinks and realized they were urinals and we were in the MENS ROOM!!! I rushed out of there in a hurry telling B-boy we'd just use mommy's germ-ex gel.
Moral: I will make myself get more sleep and if I can't be graceful on my feet, I'll be graceful of character.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
MOVE OVER!
I recently traveled to my parent's hometown of Victoria, Texas to visit my grandmother who had broken her hip. It was my desire to introduce her to three of the great-grandchildren she had yet to meet while she was still capable of visiting with them.
During my return to New Mexico, I was pulled over by one of Hudspeth County's finest sheriffs. And seriously, I am not being sarcastic here, I am truely grateful for this officer pulling me over. My infraction? "Failure to vacate lane or slow down." I was informed by the officer that there is a law in Texas (New Mexico and Oklahoma, that he knew) that says, "whenever there is an emergency vehicle pulled over on the side of the road, you must vacate the adjacent lane (ie. move to the farthest left lane) or if you cannot vacate the lane, you must slow the vehicle to no less than 20mph less than the posted speed limit." My mother and I were bewildered, neither of us had ever heard of this law, not surprising since we don't live in Texas, but even more surprised that there might be one on the books in NM that we didn't know about. There I was facing my first ticket for a law I didn't know about. I was informed that another Hudspeth sheriff had been hit by a vehicle failing to vacate and would no longer have the used of his legs! The officer asked me where I was going, where I was coming from and why had I been in Victoria, TX? When he returned from his vehicle, he announced that he was giving me a warning (my perfect **knock on wood** diving record in still standing) and that he had just lost his grandmother due to a broken hip.
So my mission: to inform as many people as possible of this law and what other states it involves. Not so that you can avoid a ticket, although that is a perk. But so that we can all better protect our officers and emergency personal who are already in enough danger as it is.
I found this link: http://www.respondersafety.com/Downloads/MoveOver/State_Move-Over_Law_Chart_July_2008.pdf which has a chart of all the states that currently have a "MOVE OVER" law on the books, some also include tow truck drivers. It also has links for each state so you can read the specifics of your state's law.
My co-workers (all state employees) had never heard of this law, so they are passing it on too.
Hopefully by being better informed drivers, we can all do our part to protect the lives of all our emergency personal including that sheriff in Hudspeth county, Texas. I'll be sending him a thank you note.
During my return to New Mexico, I was pulled over by one of Hudspeth County's finest sheriffs. And seriously, I am not being sarcastic here, I am truely grateful for this officer pulling me over. My infraction? "Failure to vacate lane or slow down." I was informed by the officer that there is a law in Texas (New Mexico and Oklahoma, that he knew) that says, "whenever there is an emergency vehicle pulled over on the side of the road, you must vacate the adjacent lane (ie. move to the farthest left lane) or if you cannot vacate the lane, you must slow the vehicle to no less than 20mph less than the posted speed limit." My mother and I were bewildered, neither of us had ever heard of this law, not surprising since we don't live in Texas, but even more surprised that there might be one on the books in NM that we didn't know about. There I was facing my first ticket for a law I didn't know about. I was informed that another Hudspeth sheriff had been hit by a vehicle failing to vacate and would no longer have the used of his legs! The officer asked me where I was going, where I was coming from and why had I been in Victoria, TX? When he returned from his vehicle, he announced that he was giving me a warning (my perfect **knock on wood** diving record in still standing) and that he had just lost his grandmother due to a broken hip.
So my mission: to inform as many people as possible of this law and what other states it involves. Not so that you can avoid a ticket, although that is a perk. But so that we can all better protect our officers and emergency personal who are already in enough danger as it is.
I found this link: http://www.respondersafety.com/Downloads/MoveOver/State_Move-Over_Law_Chart_July_2008.pdf which has a chart of all the states that currently have a "MOVE OVER" law on the books, some also include tow truck drivers. It also has links for each state so you can read the specifics of your state's law.
My co-workers (all state employees) had never heard of this law, so they are passing it on too.
Hopefully by being better informed drivers, we can all do our part to protect the lives of all our emergency personal including that sheriff in Hudspeth county, Texas. I'll be sending him a thank you note.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
A guy once told me....
"Life will come full circle. We shall meet again." This is also written in my my high school yearbook from my junior year. The young man who wrote this was John Ripici (not sure of spelling) and I still find it very profound and rather Zen in its nature, which is not surprising as this young man was a Buddist.
While I have yet to re-meet John since he graduated, I have been blessed with the re-introduction of many people from my past.
Brandi - my best friend. While I have a few best friends, each is unique in their own way, our personal history, and their availability for coffee, chats, and crisis. History - Brandi has known me since I was 12 years old and in 7th grade. Brandi was older than me, had a twin brother who used to tease me, but pretty much stuck up for me at every turn. We used to ride the same school bus from our little hamlet of Boles Acres and our moms would take turns checking on us to make sure our skirts weren't too short or that we hadn't snuck make-up from the house to put on at school. We lost track of each other shortly after she graduated in 1991. Found - I enrolled Josie in HeadStart in 2006 and she made her first best friend "M". I wasn't able to attend the first few parent meetings but volunteered to be president after the original president failed to show up to meetings. It was then that I meet M's parents - my old friend Brandi. And it so happened that she lived at her parents' old house just down the street from where we were living! Visits at home flourished and the coffee rained down from the heavens in buckets! Seriously, I had to replace the first coffee maker. She has been here for me for everything from going to my Halloween party to hugs when I've gotten in a very heated discussion with Daddy. I am truely happy that life has brought her back to me.
My Ex - ooooh, this one is scary. My Ex was my first for alot of personal things (I'm sure you understand). History - I met My Ex at college when I was 24, we had both volunteered for hall council to represent our dorm wing and I later went on to become dorm president. As this was during the Clinton years, we were teased about him being my intern. We got engaged, lost our first baby, got pregnant with our second baby, married and then he joined the Army without even discussing it with me and he was gone during the rest of the pregnancy until BB was four months old. We moved to his first duty station and he became abusive so I left with BB, filed for divorce and didn't see him again until 2007 (though I wouldn't call this re-meeting). Found - My Ex actually remembered our daughter's birthday, without reminding from his mother, and e-mailed her through my account. I was impressed and decided to tell him so because I've been hoping he'd mature (i.e. get his head out of his ass) and start being the father he claimed to be, and yes, I was very nice about it. He replied about how he was sorry about what happened, glad that I was proud of him, and happy that he had finally gotten his head out of his ass and grown up, even if it did take eight years. I was flabbergasted! A short series of e-mails have followed and though I'd like to think that at least I can be friends with My Ex and perhaps forgive a little easier, I will tread cautiously upon this new terrain.
Mr. M - a new re-introduction to life and almost scarry with the timing of said event. History - Mr. M was a friend of mine in high school and someone I had a crush on for several years, though I never said anything. Mr. M sat in front of me in US History class, which was also homeroom, so we were stuck there for more than the usualy class hour. I used to give Mr. M back massages, this shy-girl's way of flirting, and together with other bored members of this class, would light gunpowder (from a classmate in the "building trades" class supply of nail gun caps) and drive our teacher crazy with antics like supergluing chalk to the chalkboard, flipping every other book on the shelf upside-down or backwards, or pouring "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle" slime on his desk. *Yes, sweet little ol' me has done a few things I could lie and say I was not proud of, but let's be truthful, it was and still is pretty hillarious! And no, I will not be telling the kids* Once again, graduation separated me from this friend. Found - this one surprisingly found me. MySpace can work wonders in locating people you thought were gone forever, even when you aren't looking. I am enjoying this re-introduction.
Speaking of MySpace, I have a few honorable mentions. Mr. S - was my second boyfriend ever and took me to my first high school dance, Homecomming, our sophomore year. Lost track of him when he moved over the summer but he was found on MySpace just as crazy as ever. Rik - was the director of a play I had the lead in and we had a fast love-affair over the course of two weeks which we tried to make last over long-distance, marriage and children were even discussed. But alas, I began college and became very busy and was unable to devote as much time to letter writing as he deemed was necessary and the affair fizzled nearly as quickly as it began. We reconnected just as I was preparing to leave my husband with a letter he wrote to my mother's address asking about me, but he was lost again when he changed jobs. He is again found via MySpace and is happily married and continuing his theatre career.
I hope this trend of re-introduction continues as my always curious mind wonders what happened to those I knew. Did Matthew ever forgive me for breaking his heart? (And there are two broken-hearted Matthews, sorry) And for that matter did Mike (a couple of those too)? And what ever happened to my flamboyant friend Mikey? Nathan? Chad? And I still miss Cameron (way long story there!) and yes I still have that book you gave me. In fact, it still smelled like you for many years. (Yes, I smelled the book, okay!) I'm just a weirdo full of nostalgia.
While I have yet to re-meet John since he graduated, I have been blessed with the re-introduction of many people from my past.
Brandi - my best friend. While I have a few best friends, each is unique in their own way, our personal history, and their availability for coffee, chats, and crisis. History - Brandi has known me since I was 12 years old and in 7th grade. Brandi was older than me, had a twin brother who used to tease me, but pretty much stuck up for me at every turn. We used to ride the same school bus from our little hamlet of Boles Acres and our moms would take turns checking on us to make sure our skirts weren't too short or that we hadn't snuck make-up from the house to put on at school. We lost track of each other shortly after she graduated in 1991. Found - I enrolled Josie in HeadStart in 2006 and she made her first best friend "M". I wasn't able to attend the first few parent meetings but volunteered to be president after the original president failed to show up to meetings. It was then that I meet M's parents - my old friend Brandi. And it so happened that she lived at her parents' old house just down the street from where we were living! Visits at home flourished and the coffee rained down from the heavens in buckets! Seriously, I had to replace the first coffee maker. She has been here for me for everything from going to my Halloween party to hugs when I've gotten in a very heated discussion with Daddy. I am truely happy that life has brought her back to me.
My Ex - ooooh, this one is scary. My Ex was my first for alot of personal things (I'm sure you understand). History - I met My Ex at college when I was 24, we had both volunteered for hall council to represent our dorm wing and I later went on to become dorm president. As this was during the Clinton years, we were teased about him being my intern. We got engaged, lost our first baby, got pregnant with our second baby, married and then he joined the Army without even discussing it with me and he was gone during the rest of the pregnancy until BB was four months old. We moved to his first duty station and he became abusive so I left with BB, filed for divorce and didn't see him again until 2007 (though I wouldn't call this re-meeting). Found - My Ex actually remembered our daughter's birthday, without reminding from his mother, and e-mailed her through my account. I was impressed and decided to tell him so because I've been hoping he'd mature (i.e. get his head out of his ass) and start being the father he claimed to be, and yes, I was very nice about it. He replied about how he was sorry about what happened, glad that I was proud of him, and happy that he had finally gotten his head out of his ass and grown up, even if it did take eight years. I was flabbergasted! A short series of e-mails have followed and though I'd like to think that at least I can be friends with My Ex and perhaps forgive a little easier, I will tread cautiously upon this new terrain.
Mr. M - a new re-introduction to life and almost scarry with the timing of said event. History - Mr. M was a friend of mine in high school and someone I had a crush on for several years, though I never said anything. Mr. M sat in front of me in US History class, which was also homeroom, so we were stuck there for more than the usualy class hour. I used to give Mr. M back massages, this shy-girl's way of flirting, and together with other bored members of this class, would light gunpowder (from a classmate in the "building trades" class supply of nail gun caps) and drive our teacher crazy with antics like supergluing chalk to the chalkboard, flipping every other book on the shelf upside-down or backwards, or pouring "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle" slime on his desk. *Yes, sweet little ol' me has done a few things I could lie and say I was not proud of, but let's be truthful, it was and still is pretty hillarious! And no, I will not be telling the kids* Once again, graduation separated me from this friend. Found - this one surprisingly found me. MySpace can work wonders in locating people you thought were gone forever, even when you aren't looking. I am enjoying this re-introduction.
Speaking of MySpace, I have a few honorable mentions. Mr. S - was my second boyfriend ever and took me to my first high school dance, Homecomming, our sophomore year. Lost track of him when he moved over the summer but he was found on MySpace just as crazy as ever. Rik - was the director of a play I had the lead in and we had a fast love-affair over the course of two weeks which we tried to make last over long-distance, marriage and children were even discussed. But alas, I began college and became very busy and was unable to devote as much time to letter writing as he deemed was necessary and the affair fizzled nearly as quickly as it began. We reconnected just as I was preparing to leave my husband with a letter he wrote to my mother's address asking about me, but he was lost again when he changed jobs. He is again found via MySpace and is happily married and continuing his theatre career.
I hope this trend of re-introduction continues as my always curious mind wonders what happened to those I knew. Did Matthew ever forgive me for breaking his heart? (And there are two broken-hearted Matthews, sorry) And for that matter did Mike (a couple of those too)? And what ever happened to my flamboyant friend Mikey? Nathan? Chad? And I still miss Cameron (way long story there!) and yes I still have that book you gave me. In fact, it still smelled like you for many years. (Yes, I smelled the book, okay!) I'm just a weirdo full of nostalgia.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
I'd been hoping this would work.
It feels like finding a long lost friend or breathing after holding your breath for a long time. I haven't had the internet at my new house since we moved to Roswell in June and I wasn't sure I could access my blog at my new office. BUT I CAN!!! My head has been a rumble of thoughts and ideas and stories waiting to burst forth but without an outlet and yet, here it is. Tomorrow will give me more time to update the online world with the Powell family happenings and my somewhat idealistic thoughts on such. But I feel like I have my voice again.
Friday, April 18, 2008
All for the love of writing
I was enjoying a little down-time at the office when I read this blog at Velveteen Mind. I truely enjoy her blog and decided this one required a little linky-love. Most of the blogs I find by going through Chelsea's "I'm Somebody's Mother?" blog and I just tap the links that BlogHer has on the page (after laughing my ass off at whatever Chelsea may have to offer). Just on the chance that she should ever read my little page here, Chelsea, you were my first blog, ever. I lost my blogger-cherry to you and I am now running rampant down the blogger streets. I have shamelessly entered a haiku contest, which gave me my first comment, and even been so brazen as to admit personal defeat to the public. I admit I have been a little lax in the writing arena, but I can only excuse by saying: Daddy's already in Roswell, I'm tending to four little ones by myself, planning my graduation AND wedding, dealing with repeated "welfare checks" by CYFD because of The Big B frantically trying any crazy tactic to "get her daughter (note just the one) back", and packing. I'll write more about The Big B's tactics later.
At any rate, Velveteen says it all in her blog about why I write. I hope you enjoy her as I do.
At any rate, Velveteen says it all in her blog about why I write. I hope you enjoy her as I do.
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