I met Hercules today!

I'm starting to think I'm a bad blogger.  I was trying to turn over a new leaf and post a few times a week and before I knew it, life grabbed a hold of me and a month had passed.  Yikes!  Anyway, let's hope that won't happen again. Or maybe you're thinking that's okay?  Hey, I need a shout out now and then that you're reading my posts.  It encourages me!  Otherwise I think I'm talking to myself and that's not good.  At least that's what I tell myself!  Wait... now I'm talking to myself again.  Yeesh!

I have to say I'm on Cloud 9 right now.  I got to meet Hercules today!  Yes, the one and only Kevin Sorbo!  Maybe you remember the post I did on his book last year?  If not, you can read it here:

http://theqandi.blogspot.com/2011/12/hercules-and-true-strength.html

While I had a bunch of things I wanted to say to Kevin when I met him, they just flew right out of my head once I came face to face with him.  Fortunately, I didn't turn bright red as I am prone to do around celebrities.  I think Kevin probably knew I was nervous so he kept up his side of the conversation quite well.  Maybe I should have written some stuff on my hand so I could have remembered what I wanted to say.  But how dorky would it have been for me to be looking intently at my hand reading stuff to him?  I can only hope that we will meet again one day and my brain will function better.  Needless to say, Kevin is a super guy and lived right up to all my expectations.

He even signed his book for me!

I just realized that in less than a year, I have met several celebrities: Rick Springfield, Jack Wagner, Doug Davidson, Mark Goodman, Ree Drummond, and now Kevin Sorbo.   It kind of boggles my mind but I hope the trend continues! 

A Fresh Start and My Very Own Oddity

I have been seriously neglectful of my blog the past few months.  Maybe it was a case of the winter doldrums or simply too much on my plate but now that spring has arrived, I am starting to feel a sense of renewal.  The increased sunshine and warmer weather has lightened my mood and I'm ready to make a fresh start.  I've decided I need to post on my blog at least twice a week to keep my creative juices flowing!

Today I received an early Mother's Day gift!  I am so excited to have this piece of artwork (or oddity if you will) in my backyard.  Isn't he awesome?

Stay tuned for more pictures of springtime in my backyard!

The Best Birthday Present Ever!

What can be better than a puppy for your birthday?

A birthday card from your husband that says:

For My Beautiful Wife

Do you know what I like about your having a birthday?

It always reminds me that I've had you by my side for another wonderful year of love.

Inside I still feel like that young, lucky guy you promised to live with and love,

for richer, for poorer,

for better, for worse...

and I still see you, even after all this time, as my beautiful bride

who gave all the love she promised, and more.

To me, you're still the girl you were back then,

as well as the wonderful woman you have become.

And I couldn't ask for anything more than to keep sharing this life with you.

Happy Birthday With Love.

It just doesn't get any better than that.

The New Man In My Life

I just realized it's been over a month since my last post.  Guess I've been a bit preoccupied with the new man in my life:

His name is Max and he's an early birthday present from the other man in my life.

Our four month old has turned our lives upside down.  I simply forgot how exhausting it is to raise a puppy!  Getting up in the middle of the night for a bathroom break, watching to make sure that he doesn't get into anything he shouldn't, teaching him right from wrong, feedings... wait a minute!  This is starting to sound like having a baby!  Indeed, my new "baby" is keeping me busy!  But he is a treasure and already has me smitten with his puppy ways.

I love my two "babies", especially when they hang out together.

I'm starting to think that maybe this blog should be called Max and I.

There's just nothing quite like puppy love!

So we're still deciding what Max's official name will be and I would like your suggestions!  Here are some of our ideas:
Maximum Overdrive
Mad Max
Maximillian
Maxwell

'Tis the Season

Is it possible to actually have a stress-free and simple Christmas?  That was my challenge this year.  You've heard it so often - that people forget the real reason for the season.  Commercialism abounds and the pressure is on to find that perfect gift for everyone and do all those Christmas things that are expected.  The decorations to put up, the cookies to bake, the parties to go to...   Ironically, Advent is the time of waiting in joyful anticipation and yet we rush around trying to do everything before the Big Day.  So this year, I decided to keep things more low key.  Admittedly, it wasn't easy to scale down at first.  I felt a bit of guilt but pressed on!

When my husband and I began our Christmas decorating, we only put up the creche, stockings, Christmas tree (I even refrained from putting on the excess ribbons and garland on the tree), and a few decorations that were easy to get out of the attic!  We got done in record time and you know what?  The house looks nice, even without all that extra stuff.

When it came time for writing Christmas cards, I did not stress over my usual Christmas newsletter and simply put together some pictures of us with a very brief update.  I spent a lovely evening watching a movie while writing out my cards. 

Holiday baking?  I decided that the Pillsbury Christmas cookies that you just put on a cookie sheet and bake were absolutely fine!  Besides, who needs all the different cookies with all those excess calories? Not me!

My plans for our Christmas dinner?  No complicated dish - just one of my family's favorite dishes.  And they are really looking forward to it!

These were just a few of the things I implemented to reduce my stress level.  But really the most important thing for me was reflection - time spent talking to God,  thanking Him for the many gifts He has given me, especially the gift of His Son. 

Wishing you a peaceful and blessed Christmas!

Confessional

Now you may think that since I work in a church that this blog has to do with confessing sins but I'm aiming for a little levity tonight!

I love to read other people's blogs and recently discovered something that intrigued me.  I came across the following blog: http://www.blondeambitionblog.com/ and saw a "link-up" (a new term for me) and the opportunity to have a little fun and maybe get some more followers for my blog.   I am a little late in writing my post for "Confessional Friday" or am I early?  :)

So here are my "confessions":

1)  I recently posted about a favorite celebrity of mine, Kevin Sorbo.  What I didn't mention in that post is that I actually own a lock of his hair.  Yup, you read that right.  When his show, Hercules, ended and he could finally cut his long hair, he auctioned off the cuttings for charity.  I happened to be one of the lucky people who won a lock of his hair.  It's kind of embarrassing now.

2)  Sometimes I feel a little left out when I see how much people enjoy coffee.  I've never enjoyed hot drinks.  Never even tried coffee.  It's strange because I think it smells good.  But somehow I just don't want to drink it.  Even so, I feel left out that I have no idea what a cappuccino or frappuccino is.  Of course, when I see the line at Starbucks every morning, I don't feel that bad.

3)  I haven't balanced my checkbook in ummm.... let's just say a very long time.

4)  When I'm home alone, I love to watch old episodes of Dallas, Dynasty, and Melrose Place.  I sure miss the good old days of the night time soaps.  The crazy story lines, the fabulous clothes, and the cat fights!  I've heard they are bringing back Dallas in 2012.  While I am excited about it, I somehow doubt they will be able to capture the magic of the original series.  But I've got high hopes!

5)  I have an irrational fear of being killed by a rock smashing through my windshield while I'm driving on the freeway.  I've had several little rocks hit my windshield.  I think I keep Safelite Auto Glass in business!  Sometimes I think it's only a matter of time before some giant rock comes hurtling out of nowhere...

6)  I can't swim.  I wish I could but I hate putting my head in water. The smell of chlorine nauseates me.  The stupid thing is that every time I'm around a pool or large body of water, I have this crazy urge to jump in.  What the heck?

7)  I get tongue-tied around celebrities.  I recently got to meet Rick Springfield and my husband chatted him up while I just stood there with a stupid grin on my face.  I had no idea what to say to the man whose music has meant so much to me most of my life.  Sigh...  At least I managed to get a picture with him! 

Seven confessions seems like a good number.  I don't want to get carried away!  My next post will be back to "normal" with some pictures from my Albuquerque adventures!

Hercules and True Strength

Time has gotten a bit away from me lately.  I've been preoccupied with things at my job and at home.  I also recently returned from a wonderful cruise vacation and somehow I think my mind is still longing to be back where everyday worries were far away for one blissful week.  While I currently don't have any plans to write about the cruise, you can view a slide show of some of the pictures that we took that week.  I should mention that this was a cruise with Rick Springfield (I've been a fan since I was a teen) and so a lot of the pictures have to do with his concerts and other activities.  Rick is truly an outstanding performer and so gracious to his fans.  Here's the link to view the pictures:

Rick Springfield & Friends Cruise

But in today's blog, I actually wanted to talk about another celebrity whom I'm a big fan of - Kevin Sorbo!  I still remember the first time that I saw him on TV.  I was flipping through channels one night and came across one of the first Hercules movies in which Kevin starred.  At the time, my first reaction was that this was just another "beefed up" guy in a superficial show with scantily dressed women and not much substance.  But for some reason, I didn't switch the channel.  There was just something about his eyes that got me.  He seemed like a caring person.  Crazy how you can feel something like that watching a campy television show! Okay, he was good looking too, but really, there was something about his eyes.  And that movie was campy fun.  It turned into a very popular TV series that became the most watched show in the world in the 1990s and I enjoyed it's seven year run immensely.  So over the years, I've followed Kevin's career and gotten to know what kind of a person he is as best as you can via the internet.  The more I know about him, the more I respect him and the way he chooses to live his life.  Imagine my surprise and delight when I heard he had written a book.

In True Strength, Kevin tells of how he suffered from three strokes and an aneurysm in his shoulder at the young age of 38 and at the height of his career.  His struggles with the after effects of that event, both physical and psychological, as well as how it impacted his life was something that really resonated with me.  At the time, his illness was largely kept a secret as producers of the show did not want fans to know that "Hercules" had become weak and vulnerable.   He had to learn to fake "wellness" and deal with people who simply didn't understand what he was going through on a daily basis.  His faith was tested and he came out stronger for it.  He also had to learn to say "no" at times and do what was best for him even if people did not understand.

As someone who has dealt with a serious illness and continues to have health issues, I felt a strong connection and empathy with Kevin even though I have never met him.  I've often thought about writing a book detailing my own struggle with ulcerative colitis.  There is a part of me that really wants people to understand me and why I make the decisions I do, even to this day.   And maybe one day I will find the words and do just that.  For now, I want to simply say that you never know what someone is struggling with as they go through life.  The people you see at the grocery store, the mall, at work, or just walking down the street.  You never really know what someone is coping with on a daily basis; whether it be a physical illness, financial worries, marriage trouble, etc.  So I've decided to do my best in this joyous (and hectic!) season of Advent to smile a little more, be a little more patient, and be a little more understanding.   And I'm hopeful that maybe this blog post will make a difference somehow.  It's an old saying but a true one nonetheless:  Don't judge a man (or woman!) until you've walked a mile in their shoes.