The Thompson Trials and Travels

So...this year we ventured to Texas to spend Christmas with Kyle, Darrell and their three little ones. It's the first time I haven't had an extended family Christmas at my house since...well... since I can remember! Actually, it's the first time I haven't had an extended family since I can remember... but that's a story for another day. The Trip Don and I met Zeke and Jason at Hartsfield to board the plane. Jason was late, of course. Don, Jason and Zeke were just loping along...while I was having a mini-anxiety attack. (I hate being late especially when I think I'm going to miss a flight). After we went through security Zeke started walking ahead of us. I grabbed his arm and told him that he needed to stay close to us...that there were a lot of people around and he could get hurt or lost. His reply..."I've seen Home Alone 2 - I know what could happen." Well...that set the tone for the trip if you know what I mean. We boarded the plane. Jason and Z...

I wrote this in November...but forgot to post! Since losing my job, after 24 years with the same company might I remind you, I've sat here for five months not doing much of anything except watching (and hating) Hoda and Kathy Lee...wondering why in the H Oprah gave Dr. Oz his own show (it's really pathetic - every man and woman in America now has some illness that he's convinced them they have)...and missing Rachel, Ross, Phoebe, Joey, Monica, Chandler and Will and Grace terribly!!! Cleaning house...I don't even want to think about it. Waking and trying to motivate yourself to clean toilets or the tile doesn't hold an interest for me although at some point in time I'm going to have to do that...if not...the dogs will pack up and move to a shelter. In fact, I've seen them wishfully eyeing the door everytime someone enters or leaves. Cooking seems to be the only thing I like doing these days...I find I really enjoy cooking! Who knew? Certainly not my family be...

I became fascinated with the Julie blog after "D" day and have watched Julie & Julia ten times. There's only so much you can do in a day when you don't want to do....anything...so I decided to cook. Julia, on her French Cooking show, made proscuttio florintine puffed pastry with 'swiss' not 'parmesan' cheese. I decided to tackle that sans proscuttio. I do not like proscuttio ham. To me it tastes like watered down meat slime. I guess I have no Italian blood in my veins. I made it with bacon and it was still delicious! I made shrimp (prawn) florintine, and learned that anytime florintine is listed in the recipe it means it has spinach in the dish, mixed with caramelized onions and sauteed mushrooms then tossed with an alfredo sauce (which is made with parmesan cheese) over homemade basil noodles. I made a simple meatloaf...well not so simple...it has a French name that I can't remember....where you mix sirloin beef with sauteed onions and green p...

I just finished watching 'The Way We Were,' and finally realized why it is that your first love is the one you will remember forever, the one you will love the strongest, because it is just that...your first. You may forget the number of cars you've owned in your life; some you may remember for being beautiful and running well, some you may remember for stalling at every traffic light and having no back seat, but the one you will always remember the best is your first one. Mine was that amber/green Pontiac Firebird Esprit. I can still see the console and the firebird emblem on the gear shift. I can remember I paid $107 a month in car payments and had to get the battery charged four times while I owned it because I always left the interior lights on. I can't remember what the car I owned before my current one looked like inside...but that Firebird is etched in my memory forever. You may forget the number of pet's you've owned in your life; some you may remember...

This topic will not segment my family, I'm sure, (or at least I hope that's true). Don, Kyle, and Darrell...oppose the new national insurance reform vigorously. Jason and I are proud advocates for this bill...and will vote to help it pass. For those of you who live in 'zebra land' everything isn't as it seems. Based on the current records, and said records leave many millions of people unaccounted for, there are over 40 million people who do not have any type of insurance. Those people do not go to the doctor when they are ill...they have no preventative medicine...and they will simply die or end up in the emergency room when their health is so poor that the hospital will finally admit them. The costs they incur will be trickled down to us...those with health coverage...health coverage that increases annually. That's why an aspirin costs $48 in the hospital...and a plastic cup costs $24. You don't see that cost...but your insurance company does. When 40+ mil...

I spent most of my day watching the eulogies, and funeral procession, for Ted Kennedy. Did I admire him? Not really. However, I did admire the Kennedy family in general. Forget the money and the affluence that Joseph and Rose Kennedy were blessed with...just imagine trying to raise NINE children and being priviledged to watch most of those nine children reach such greatness that their success sheds a blanket of shadow on everyone else. NINE children...born to a father of questionable character... and to a mother who, with a tiny spine, ended up being the backbone of the family. They had such plans for their children. Joe, who "would" have been President, died before he even had the opportunity to seek the election. John/Jack, who "was" President, died well before his fingerprint on this country could be sealed. Robert/Bobby, who "should" have been President lost his life while trying to integrate the nation. Ted, well as a Mother he would've broken my ...

The shot, and subsequent pills, have worked wonders on Sam. He slept through the night and didn't shake the bed with his constant 'scratching.' It's a miracle...and the vet bill was worth every penny! I awakened, after 8 hours of peaceful sleep, to what I thought would be a fantastic day; then I received a call from a friend...who told me that another 'friend' had passed away. Geeze...that's like four people I went to school with who have died this year alone! When did we get old? I was looking in the mirror yesterday and I was seventeen...long hair...parted down the middle...smirk on my face...and today...well...things have changed. No matter what age you are, I don't think you will age mentally more so than the age you were when you were at your happiest. You could be 90 years old...but in your heart...in your mind...you will still be 'that age' when you were at your best. As for me...I am seventeen. I am.... ohhhhh Lord........dare I say it.....

I somehow managed to 'pull my back out' several weeks ago. I suppose it happened while I was cleaning out the bottom cabinets in the kitchen...you do realize boredom will make you do strange things...such as cleaning pots and pans and sprucing up the graveyard where old appliances go to die...(mixer that you haven't used in 25 years...coffee bean grinder that you've never used...some contraption that dries fruit?) Anyway, everything was pulled, cleaned, and either tossed into the 'yard sale' bin, or put back into the cabinets in a neat, orderly fashion. I think my leaning over, (we have DEEP cabinets...this is an old house) and placing new cork shelf liners throughout, probably was the culprit of the aforementioned backache. It's been three weeks and I simply refuse to go to the Doctor. Ibuprofen will suffice. I'm not a baby, nor a whiner. It will heal...in time...and yet it still presents me with a constant pain I can't seem to get over. I live wit...

I didn't have anything to do this weekend so I - - - - scratch that...I'm totally lying...I had tons of things to do but got caught in a trap and couldn't complete anything. The trap 'sucked' me into its spell and pulled my heart out bit by bit and before I knew what was happening I was hooked...on 'v' juice. I had never seen an episode of True Blood, before yesterday morning, and after the first one I watched them back to back, one after the other, hours after hours after delicious hours. I watched twelve episodes yesterday (they run 55 minutes long) and watched the eight episodes of the 2nd season today...which catches me up on Sookie's life. The only repercussions are that I cannot see (I watched them all on line...on my 10" computer screen), and that Don is seriously contemplating two things; having me commited or leaving my ass. I don't really care what he chooses as long as I can watch the new episode tonight at 9! Here is my dilemma...I r...

Your children are going to go through emotional ups and downs for...well...basically the rest of their lives. You will be their one constant. Make certain you have open communication with them so they will feel comfortable telling you anything. That's the only way you are going to know what's happening in their world. Most children are warm and welcoming until they reach the age of... around 8 or 9. You taught them for the first years of their lives but now their peers have started making tiny "pin prick holes" into their brains...telling them to do this...and that. Not every child will be raised with your guidance so remember that. It isn't those children's fault...but it is your responsibility to watch over your own. You're going to hear, "he made me do it," and "if I didn't they would make fun of me," and "everybody laughed when I did it," and...on and on. These are their formative years...they're slowly becoming ...

A couple of weeks ago Kyle, my daughter, called to ask what should she do to get the smell of burnt popcorn out of her home. Her children, not paying attention, had set the microwave a few minutes longer than was necessary; she said the scent hit her the minute she opened the door. "Put a cup of vinegar on the stove on low heat and let it simmer. The house will smell like vinegar for a few minutes but eventually the vinegar smell, and the burnt popcorn smell, will dissipate" was my reply. Jason, my son, called today to ask how to tie dye things...he said, "I remember you dying things a long time ago but I don't remember what to do." My reply, "pick your colors in advance so you don't waste the dye, twist the item in different directions to give the sun splattered look, and use rubber bands to hold the material in place...then dip and let the dye seep into the material, but remember to wash the tie dyed object several times before you wash it with anythi...

Zeke starts first grade tomorrow. I always tell friends who have new babies to enjoy every minute because you will blink and they will be grown. Alas, it has happened again. It seems like just a few days ago Kyle flew home from California and she, Amber, and I took the trip to Savannah to meet the new one. He was so tiny and we sat watching him sleep, looking at his angelic face...touching him, smelling him, for hours and hours. It amazed me that we could sit and watch something for eight hours and never become bored. We stayed three days. When we headed home, I knew I had left part of me behind...my blood ran through that baby's veins and that's a pretty strong feeling. And, now he is six and starting "real" school tomorrow. Time goes by so quickly. He and Jase spent two days with me this week. We went shopping for school clothes and shoes...and anything else that he wanted. He found a tee-shirt that read, "You Can't Spell Awesome Without Me!" He wante...

For those of you who know me, you know I love animals more than most humans. Animals are not judgmental...they don't look at your clothes and turn their nose up...they don't care what kind of car you drive, nor what you do for a living. They just love...and love...and love. I have two Yorkshire Terriers, I've posted about them before, but the youngest...the one year old...is worrying me. He will not eat...anything. He's 18 inches long and weighs 6 lbs. Seriously, you can feel his spine at the top of his back and it scares me to death. His eating disorder could not have been due to early trauma, I got him when he was seven weeks old, nor being mistreated...I mean come on...have you met me! Fifty trips to the vet, since he came into my life, resulted with the same diagnosis; he's healthy and he'll eat when he's hungry. I don't buy that...he won't eat...and he's so pitifully thin. I've tried every wet, and dry, dog food on the market but he won...

Thirty four years ago today, at exactly 10:31 p.m., something came into my life that changed me in a way I could not begin to imagine. He arrived weighing 10 lbs. 2 ounces and was 23 1/2" long. No, I didn't adopt a six week old child...he was my newborn son. Today he is 200 lbs and 6' 6" 'long' and if it's even possible I love him more now than I did the moment he was placed into my arms. His life's road wasn't all that easy; parent's divorcing when he was five...being forced to live with his grand parents for eight long years, moving into a house with a step-father that he didn't know, becoming involved with drugs and alcohol, attempting suicide more than once, losing the love of his life, failing courses in college. Yes...these are the bumps in the road that my son had to travel over in order to arrive at his destination. Did he become the President of the United States, no....his name isn't Obama. Did he become a doctor or a lawyer o...

Today was the first time in six weeks, since losing my job, that I actually shook the cobwebs out of my head and realized...it was the best thing that's ever happened to me. I have not been happy in over two years and quite honestly, I was miserable the last six months on my "new" job....seriously MISERABLE! As I have always told my children, if you don't love what you do...then find something that you do love. Fortunately, and I do mean fortunately, they pushed me out before it ate me alive and I am so grateful. As Thomas Jefferson said, after being asked why he didn't want the term 'President' put on his tombstone when they were preparing it after he fell ill, "that title doesn't define me, that was just a job...that's not who I was." Working at the "s" word didn't define me...that was just a job! I have finally realized that. What defines me is who I am...who I have touched, those I have taught and those who continue to...

It's been a month since I "resigned" from my job...actually it's been almost five weeks now that I think about it. I spent the first week, I'll have to admit, in complete and total shock. I worked a lot of years for that company. I mean come on...you start with a company when you're 29 and you're currently 54...do the math...it was a LONG time. The next two weeks saw a rotating door of guests...Zeke, Jason, Milt, Glenda....Milt, Zeke and Jason (again)...and an influx of phone calls from "headhunters" (which surprised me), and friends. Some sincerely concerned....some mostly curious. I stopped answering the phone after about 11 days of those obnoxious calls. My real friends know I only respond to messages on email, (seriously). You quickly find out who your friends are in situations like this! I played the "pity party" act long enough and decided it was time to get back to a life I didn't even know existed for me....the life of ...

This is for those of you who have children........children who, at this moment, are getting on your nerves. Children who wake up before you are ready to do so. Chidren who spill their pancake syrup all over the table. Children who throw tantrums at the store because they can't get the toy they want. Children who cry when it's time to take a bath, brush their hair, go to bed. Children who get into your makeup to play dress up. Children who don't listen to you. Children who argue with you. Children who tell you things that aren't true. Children who drop nail polish all over the carpet. Children who dip their toes into drugs. Children who break your heart. Yesterday I had the privilege of hearing from my two children (who did all of the above) and just realized that it doesn't matter what they do. It doesn't matter that they wake you up before you're ready-you'll sleep a lot when they're gone. It doesn't matter if they spill their food, or milk, or ...

Our house is over 30 years old.....it was, however, probably regal in the 70's with all of the "gold" appliances and "wood" paneling. I can close my eyes and just see the potential buyers heart's swelling up at the hope of purchasing such a FINE home in 1975! Since we've owned this home (can you actually call it owning...if you still owe $50,000 on a mortage) we have replaced most of the "goldenrod" appliances, updated the paneling, and we've pretty much upgraded the house to a respectable 1990's home. It took a lot of work (mine) and a lot of money (Don's). If you're not familiar with a home from the 70's let me fill you in....someone, somewhere, thought installing entire fiberglass bathtub/shower units would become the trend of the century. It failed miserably, however.........that's what we have in this house. Sooooooooooooooo when you have a leak in the shower that cannot be repaired with washers.....you have to cut...

My brother called me last night. A few days ago I gave him my horses.......one old...and one young...and instructed him to do what he wished. My love of horses will never wane.....but I can't ride or take care of them any longer. I actually haven't ridden in years, (nor taken care of them...my other brother did that) and there comes a time when you have to say goodbye...to things that you hold on to just to keep you young. My fountain of youth was the horses. For some reason...I knew if I owned one...and at whim could instantly climb onto its back and ride with the wind in my face...hair blowing behind me...then in my mind I was still young. Who was I kidding? At 50+ you don't climb onto a horse and kick its sides and gallop off into the sunset. You climb on and look down... and the 5 feet of space between you and the ground has suddenly grown to 50 feet.........and when that sweet angel of a horse rears its head you realize that it will only take one back step for you to ...

Regardless of who you voted for, to which party you belong, what your views are...we now have a new President. I thought he gave a very eloquent speech...one that we'll hear for many months to come. I gave him my vote, and my money... hah . I'm not expecting miracles...I hope he does the best he is capable of doing... he has a large mountain to climb. I just hope everyone helps push him up that mountain versus pulling him back down.

I don't post for weeks but when I do...I post a lot... My reasons for not being able to sleep past 7 a.m. on a Saturday morning... 1. My neighbor, for some reason, starts up the engine of his truck at 6:45 a.m. ... and his truck backfires to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star...I'm not kidding..or maybe Baa Baa Black Sheep. Have you noticed that those two songs have the same melody? This wakes me up. 2. There is a squirrel...or rat...or something worse (as if anything could be worse) digging around in out attic. We've set traps (humane traps) but there's still the scratching that starts at daybreak. This wakes me up. 3. There's a lovely bird who pelts out a harmonious song around 6 a.m......it has an absolutely breathtaking soprano lilt......and it brightens my every morning...even on Saturday's. This wakes me up. 4. My internal clock adjusts so I can sleep on the weekends...but my dogs can't seem to grasp that enigma. They're up their regular time....

Didn't publish the Christmas/New Year's blog nor my annual music recommendations. Guess it was a little more hectic around here than I thought! Anyway......as for music...my three new ringtones (and favorite songs) are....... Chasing Pavement...Adele Green Light...John Legend Closer...Ne-yo I recommend them...you have to watch Ne-yo's Closer video.........!

As with Thanksgiving, the kids spent Christmas eve, and day, with their other fam's - so we had our actual celebration with Jason and Zeke Christmas night...Zeke got so many toys (most of them Transformers)...he was excited to say the least! Santa brought Jason a Jagstang guitar and tickets to see Phish.....he was excited, too! Kyle and her family arrived the Saturday following Chrismas, at 7 am, after a 16 hour drive from Austin, Texas. She, Darrell, and the kids immediately went to sleep. Zeke and I couldn't wait for them to wake up...but they did around 1 pm. The kids opened their presents and... went in different directions to play. Hailey never took off her new cowboy boots, Hayden navigated the "spy" car around the house, and Zach played Wii all weekend. Jason's gift to me was to help prepare the meal.....which he did amazingly. From this day forward I will never roast another turkey nor make macaroni......Jason now owns that!!! Trust me...you all need his r...