Word Magic

I think words can be fascinating - where they come from, what they mean, how they sound, "double-meanings" . . . The other day I experienced an interesting play on words. The Weight Watcher leader at work sent an email explaining that a new session starts in January and at that meeting you can join Weight Watchers or resign. I did a double take. I have to resign from Weight Watchers? Can I really?!! Then, I realized she meant - "re-sign" as in enroll again. It got me thinking about how it's sort of ironic that one word spelled the same can mean very different, almost opposite, things. I can "re-sign" or rejoin (a weight loss group) or I can "resign" as in "quit" (the weight loss group)or, I can resign myself or "give in to the inevitable" as another definition the dictionary gives. In other words, I can resign myself to a life of weight watching! Just a little word magic to liven up a dull dreary winter day.

Words I like because of how they sound: Serendipity, circuitous, juxtaposition, malaria, ironic, charisma, myriad, cello, clairvoyant, panorama, conundrum, phenomenal

The Magic of Gratitude

Yesterday, the nation took time out to officially give thanks. While Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday, gratitude is magic we can find everyday. It's very easy to get
really caught up in everything that's wrong in our lives. However, I guarantee your outlook will change if you take time every day to list or think about three things you are greatful for. Even finding one thing can turn the day around. At this official "time out" for gratitude I am greatful, of course, for family, a home, a job, and health. But here are some other "off beat" things I am greatful for that have a tremendout impact on my well-being. I am greatful for:

1. My craft room and the opportunity to spend time being creative.
2. Having the opportunity in my life to have learned to do many different things that I can still enjoy - skiing, scrapbooking, playing the violin, writing
3. An understanding boss who is also a soccer mom
4. My Book Club
5. My yearly ski trip to look forward to
6. The fact that the worst thing we've had to deal with so far in having teenagers is a trip to court for a speeding ticket!
7. Kids with good grades and that care about their grades
8. The Internet -- that makes anything you need to know available within seconds, allows you to find and reconnect with old friends, hosts webcams that let you glimpse into another part of the world, provides ways to instantly communicate and share information, and so much more!
9. The fact that Dwight and I are in our mid/late 40s and still have all of our parents with us in relatively good health
10. Being able to leave my kids home alone and be able to trust them
11. Having a husband that cooks dinner since I hate to do that and helps out around the house

Lost and Found

I don't know if this is true for anyone else but when it comes to losing things I tend to lose things in "chunks." What I mean is, I can go for weeks and not have lost or be missing anything important and then all of a sudden I can't find a bunch of things. In the past week or so I've been stressing over losing Dwight's spare car key, a key to a desk drawer at work, an external comptuer drive at work (I think someone borrowed it and didn't replace it), and Mackenzie lost a video card from one of her teacher's cameras that she borrowed. It had important pictures on it. When I can't find important things I get all stressed out and tear apart things looking for them. Usually that is not effective, but I feel that I should be doing something. What I've learned, though, is that usually I find lost things when I'm not looking for them. They just seem to appear. This has been true this time as well. Yesterday, Alex found Dwight's keys in the backseat and I also realized what I had done with the desk key. Tonight I was looking for the video card for Mackenzie. I didn't really find it -- all of a sudden I looked and it was just lying there in front of me on the desk as I searched. I really don't know where it came from. I haven't found the external drive yet. So, I'll wait and bide my time. I feel confident it will turn up. I tend to find when I'm not looking. A good lesson for life in general!

Where are the Refrigerator's Going?

This past weekend I was on the road a lot all over Ohio. Friday, Mackenzie and I went to the University of Cincinnati. Then, Saturday I drove up to Medina to meet my cousins from PA to scrapbook and visit with family. I came home Sunday. While I was on road, I saw four trucks (at different times) hauling refrigerators! What is up with that? Where were these refrigerators going? Was there a refrigator conference somewhere in Ohio???

Magical Ceiling

Earlier today I was sitting at the computer in the kitchen. The sun was streaming in through the window and Amber (the cat) was sleeping lazily in the sunshine. Mackenzie walked in and said, "look at the lights on the ceiling!" I looked up and saw a bunch of small pastel colored light spots reflecting on our kitchen ceiling. It was beautiful! None of us could figure out what was reflecting the light or where it was coming from. After looking around we finally found that a plate covered in small pieces of colored glass tile I had bought at a thrift store and set on a table in the family room was the source of the unexpected light show!

Fall is Here

I was driving home from work yesterday and as I drove past a wooded area I looked over and - surprise! Fall is here (the season I mean - not the fall of the stock market which is definitely here). Somehow I hadn't noticed the trees changing. Then yesterday - there they were - orange, red, yellow. The colors of fall. Have I just not been observant or did it happen overnight? I mean, it's definitely October. We've had some chilly (but mostly warm) days this month. Soccer is just about over. All the milestones are there. But, I just didn't see it coming! Maybe it's the warm weather that's had me lulled into a sense of never-ending summer. I used to hate fall but now I have to say it's my favorite time of year after spring. I might even like it better. For one thing -the school year is still fairly new. Lately, I've come to dread Spring because it means the school year is on it's way out and my kids are on to another year older. This year, especially, I want to hang on to everyday. Well, my boss gave me the unexpected gift today of a few hours off so I'm going to go out and enjoy the fall!

Senior Moment

Last night Dwight and I walked Mackenzie across the soccer pitch to be recognized for Senior night. It was our first "Senior Moment." This was the first of the moments to come this year when we celebrate the end of high school and get ready to move on. I thought I would be very emotional and I wasn't too bad! I hope I'm that good at graduation! As we walked across the field, I was just so, so proud. She made it! When she was five and just starting to play - with her jersey hanging down to her knees - I dreamt of her playing for her high school team someday and now it's almost over - that fast. Soccer has had a lot of ups and downs for her. She usually hasn't been the best on the team and we've had our struggles with playing time, coaches, etc. But she has always had a good attitude and tried so hard. She's shown so much character -- especially this year. And, she's made so many friends and had a lot of fun. It's been worth every penny we spent. Twenty years from now she won't remember who the starting players were or who won the awards. What she'll remember are the friends, the fun, and the life lessons she learned.

Last night was "magic." The weather was great, the team won AND coolest of all - she scored a goal! I also found out that she and a teammate who she's known a long time resolved some long-time, deep issues that ruined their friendship for the last couple of years. They are now friends again. That's about as good as it gets!