Cheap Trick...

....just to get a laugh, snort, guffaw, or chuckle out of you.

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After getting all of Pope Benedict's luggage loaded into the limo, (and he doesn't travel light), the driver notices the Pope is still standing on the curb.

'Excuse me, Your Holiness,' says the driver, 'Would you please take your seat so we can leave?'

'Well, to tell you the truth,' says the Pope, 'they never let me drive at the Vatican when I was a cardinal, and I'd really like to drive today.'

'I'm sorry, Your Holiness, but I cannot let you do that. I'd lose my job! What if something should happen?' protests the driver, wishing he'd never gone to work that morning..

'Who's going to tell?' says the Pope with a smile.

Reluctantly, the driver gets in the back as the Pope climbs in behind the wheel. The driver quickly regrets his decision when, after exiting the airport, the Pontiff floors it, accelerating the limo to 205 kph.. (Remember, the Pope is German..)

'Please slow down, Your Holiness!' pleads the worried driver, but the Pope keeps the pedal to the metal until they hear sirens.

'Oh, dear God, I'm going to lose my license -- and my job!' moans the driver.

The Pope pulls over and rolls down the window as the cop approaches, but the cop takes one look at him, goes back to his motorcycle, and gets on the radio.

'I need to talk to the Chief,' he says to the dispatcher.

The Chief gets on the radio and the cop tells him that he's stopped a limo going 205 kph.

'So bust him,' says the Chief.

'I don't think we want to do that, he's really important,' said the cop.

The Chief exclaimed,' All the more reason!'

'No, I mean really important,' said the cop with a bit of persistence.

The Chief then asked, 'Who do you have there, the mayor?'

Cop: 'Bigger.'

Chief: ' A senator?'

Cop: 'Bigger.'

Chief: 'The Prime Minister?'

Cop: 'Bigger.'

'Well,' said the Chief, 'who is it?'

Cop: 'I think it's God!'

The Chief is even more puzzled and curious, 'What makes you think it's God?'

Cop: 'His chauffeur is the Pope!'

Just Another Reason....

....that I love football (and some football players!). These top two are tops in my book.

(taken from Sports Illustrated, December 2, 2009)

Ruby Tuesday - Hello...

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On a more serious note, today is World AIDS Day. On this day, several Product (RED) merchants will increase their contributions to help fight AIDS in Africa. Visit these merchants today and see how they will help make a difference:

Starbucks: 5 cents for every hand-crafted beverage in US & Canada, and 5p/5 Euro cents for every espresso-based beverage bought in UK & Ireland.

Gap: 1% of all revenue at participating US and Canada stores.

Dell: Doubling their contributions on DELL (PRODUCT) RED™ products in US and Europe. Until December 2nd.

Bugaboo: As always Bugaboo will be contributing 1% of their total revenue to the Global Fund.

Click here to see all (RED) partners.

Go (RED), and make an impact.

Treasures and Blessings

I discovered some golden nuggets over this holiday weekend:

1. We had a brief rain storm today, and while I missed being outside in it, I DID get to see the gorgeous DOUBLE rainbow that was the result of the storm.
2. My daughter made homemade chocolate chip cookies while I sat on the couch enjoying my Colts win another close game.
3. Trader Joe's prepared side dishes made my Thanksgiving feast easy to prepare, and they were absolutely delicious, too. I had dinner prepared and on the table in 20 minutes! Oh, the smoked honey-glazed turkey breast from the Honeybaked Ham store helped, too....*grin*
4. Hubby and I had a long overdue discussion about some things we've been putting aside, and I came out of the conversation with a very peaceful heart.
5. My son FINALLY finished his long-term project - whew!
6. I did not worry about having the Christmas tree up, decorations up, or cards written and addressed. And I didn't care that I hadn't done it yet, either.
7. I did not do one bit of Christmas gift shopping.
8. I did very little cooking after Thanksgiving day.
9. My daughter and husband did most of the laundry.
10. My stress level was non-existent most the entire weekend.

So, I'm fairly certain I have lots of things for which I am grateful. How about you?

Ruby Tuesday and Other Assorted Nonsense

The photo above was taken at my kids' school on Friday, November 6th. The gentleman wearing this shirt proudly told me that he was at the school's Veterans Day celebration at the request of his granddaughter. The granddaughter wanted her grandfather to be thanked and recognized for his service in the US Marine Corps.

Semper Fi.

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Speaking of school, I'm wondering why if I haven't been a student now for xx years, why am I stressing over incomplete homework assignments? Yeah, I know, the responsibility should lie with my son, but as bright as that kid is, he sure is obstinate about doing the actual work. Sigh. I just wish all of his assignments and tests could be turned in verbally; he'd be a straight A student!

It's difficult to comprehend how quickly time has been flying. We're facing Thanksgiving in just a few days, and soon thereafter it will be Christmas. When the kids go back to school in January, we're halfway to my daughter completing her final year in grade school. She and I are both having trouble contemplating the thought of high school next year.

A few weeks ago, I was asked specifically by our school principal to proofread and edit some important documents, one that will set the tone for our school's direction for the next few years, and one that is an application for a special recognition for our school. In the midst of all that, I've had friends who have suffered with health ailments, the possible loss of homes, the death of a parent, and other less tragic but still difficult challenges.

I found myself feeling a bit overwhelmed emotionally, but I stiffened my back and weathered on. Then came a comment on a very old post, one that accused me of only wanting people to feel sorry for me and that "sooooooo many people know the real truth about the kind of person you are."

Really?

Do I seem pathetic to some? Do I really appear to want sympathy from all? Hmmm....let's take stock of my life:

1. I have been happily married for over 18 years to a highly intelligent, loyal, funny, and trustworthy man who is a fabulous father to our kids.
2. I have two healthy, extremely bright, affectionate, and compassionate children.
3. I am educated and have ample opportunities for personal growth.
4. My health is stable.
5. I live in a very comfortable home in a safe community.
6. I have fantastic friends who love me, trust me, laugh with me, and give me strength.
7. I have sisters who drive me nuts but who love me nonetheless and would be by my side if I needed them.
8. I have an outstanding relationship with my mother-in-law and father-in-law.
9. I am a perfect creation and daughter of God.

What more could I want?

Never Forget...

...what they've done for us.

Never forget their sacrifice.

Dona Nobis Pacem

Peace is...embracing the goodness in oneself...and in each other.

Bear with me for posting this repeat from November 2007; this is for Mimi:

Are You Ready?

BlogBlast for Peace is coming up on November 5th! Is your peace globe ready to fly?

It's NOT?!?!

Go HERE to get your globe template. Share your message of peace.

And while you're at it, send some peaceful, warm thoughts to Mimi as she continues to grieve on the loss of her beloved daddy.

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Sorry I haven't been around much. I'm having a minor health issue, and it's really kicking my butt. I'm resting up, but I'll be posting on November 5th, and I hope to make blog rounds even sooner.

Virtual Reality

Their joy is my joy. Their pain is my pain, too.

One has a daughter who continues to fight fever after fever. Another one has a daughter who has migraine after migraine and now fights a kidney infection in a hospital. And yet another friend had to say goodbye to a dearly loved, dying father.

I "stood" by my friend as she sat in her father's hospital bed. I "sit" by my other friend as she sits with her daughter in the hospital, waiting for her pain to go away for good. I laugh with yet another friend as she nurses her daughter through another fever.

How did this happen? How did these people transcend the written words on their blogs to living, breathing friends whose lives are important to me?

It begins simply enough. You find a blog and start reading it. They start reading yours. You comment, they comment. You find common ground in their words. You trade e-mails. You trade stories. Then you trade "real" names.

There. That's it. When you know a person's given name, then the transformation is complete.

I have names, home addresses, e-mails, and phone numbers. I've talked on the phone with them, laughed and cried, been invited to their weddings and to their homes. All of these pieces complete what I know about someone that I first met through the written word.

And it makes the picture three dimensional. The face on the page, the avatar, breathes life.

It has broadened my world and my perspective.

It is my new reality.

Also thinking about and praying for someone with whom I once was close as he fights pneumonia in the hospital. I still care. Of course.

Who is This?

So last week I posted this photo and asked if anyone could guess who it was. What started this was a simple conversation The Engineer and I were having while watching Sunday Night Football last week. We were talking about different players throughout the years, their strengths, their weaknesses, their college careers, etc. The subject then came back to a player that I had THOUGHT was from my hometown in Florida. Turns out I was incorrect, but the search for details on that person led me to this photo.

This photo was in my high school yearbook. So was this one.


This man was a member of the school's soccer team his freshman year and played in the band. As far as I could tell, I had no activities in common with him, and I certainly never had class with him as I was a senior when he was freshman.

Later I went to the alumni site for my high school and came across this photo. This man was awarded an Alumni Recognition Award in 1997. (Recognize him yet?)


Still don't know who it is? Okay, here's the last clue. This is a fairly recent photo of him.



Figured it out yet? Those of you who are National Football League fans should know who it is by now. It's John Carney, kicker for the New Orleans Saints, graduate of the University of Notre Dame (GO IRISH!), and my high school, Cardinal Newman High School in West Palm Beach, Florida.

The Newman Crusaders' own claim to fame, and I never even figured it out.

Until now.

Can they take away my fan membership card for this infraction? *hanging head in shame*

Later daze, y'all...