Happy New Year!

Time to wash another year away..... and thank goodness! That was not one of my finer moments.

Time for a clean slate and new beginnings.

Santa gave me the gift that keeps on giving on Christmas Eve ...... the stomach flu. Ugh! And then because I am such a giver, I gave it to Mr. Moto on Christmas. Merry Christmas Darlin'. Scratch that holiday!

So now that I've got my sea legs back, I'm ready for a brand new adventure, and some C H A N G E S, because this a year filled with HOPE and I'm following my bliss. .... bout time!

Wishing you a wonderful and prosperous twenty twelve, filled with everything your heart might desire.

Love ya all ~ Trace

Merry Christmas!

I Wanna Go Glampin'

Someday, in this lifetime, I want to find me a little vintage trailer to call my own. Just a tiny one, maybe from the year I was born, and fix it up my way and go glampin'.Oh the possibilities are endless. I even have the color scheme and theme picked out. You all know how much I love to decorate. I would take it to Yosemite, and down country roads and camp next to rivers and the Sea. We'd go to flea markets together and vintage trailer gatherings. Just me and my gal. She'd be a she, of course cause there'd be curtains involved.

Hmmm, what would we name her? Any suggestions?

Wednesday Wisdom

My Christmas List

Share the Simple Things

Love

Hugs

Time

You

Poppa Jerry

Heavy heart today. "Grampa Jerry", my former father-in-law and Chelsea's grandpa, passed suddenly this week.

It's our memories that sustain us during times like these and over our 2 decades together, we made some great ones! He teased me relentlessly and we had some gut bustin' laughs that once made tears run down my legs. Did you really eat that Pizza with gravel in it, Poppa? And those awesome beans......thanks for finally sharing that recipe with me after years of begging! From our travels to NYC and Rice Camp, we had some damn good times. Whenever I have a Margarita, enjoy a tri-tip or ride in a golf cart, I'll think of you Poppa.

Raising my marg glass to you Sir ~ Salute!

Happy Trails Poppa!

Always,

Sparrow Ass

I Brake for Garage Sales

Ok, Can we talk here? You know, I love me a great garage sale but sometimes just finding them requires NASA's assistance!

I've pretty much got it down to a science between the newspaper ads, my Garage "Saler" AP on my iphone and Craigslist, but I do sometimes rely on your signs ..... and that folks leaves somethin' to be desired.

OK, I'll start with the pretty one, I appreciate the time and the colors you invested, but people, when I'm driving at 35 mph, I cannot read in pastels nor can I get past the dots. Keep them simple, and on hard cardboard, otherwise they bend in the wind making reading difficult unless my head spins like Linda Blair.

A tip...when making your signs, remember the person trying to read them is barely awake and only on their first cup of coffee....if they're lucky.

Always use a THICK, BLACK SHARPIE, for those of us blind as bats who can't even read a dinner menu. Bright colors help too, not to mention ARROWS!!

Next we have the "catchy" ones. What may I ask is a "Sexy" garage sale??? Who is sexy at 6:00 a.m. lugging their crap down the driveway?

And, the BIGGER the BETTER. Think billboards!!


And last but not least, PLEASE take down your signs otherwise, you will end up with a me on your driveway next week at 7 AM knocking on your door lookin' for the shabby, chippy piece of furniture!

Aaaah, Thanksgiving.

One of my favorite times of year. A time to reflect on all the many blessings we have in life and the memories.

Thanksgiving morning always found Mom in the kitchen preparing the turkey. If I close my eyes, I can smell that wonderful aroma of onions and

celery browning in butter on the stove for the stuffing. I’d watch as Mom pulled out all the innards of the turkey and then boiled a few bits for the gravy and for Dad. Then Dad would appear and make his infamous sage stuffing. Yum.

I’d sit glued to the telly watching the Macy’s Day parade, because you know who always appeared at the end …...........S A N T A …… and that meant the countdown to Christmas!!!

This Thanksgiving, my tribe and I are going “over the woods and thru the dell” or should I say “over the desert and across the river” to Laughlin to visit Dad and Rosemary.

This will be the second time we’ve spent Turkey Day there as a family. Love new traditions!

I have a lot to be thankful for ~

a new grandbaby on the way

a new job

a place to live

a loving fella

wonderful friends

and

one awesome family

And a HUGE thank you to all my friends who visit this blog and your loving comments. We just hit the 10,000 visits mark. You are awesome!

Hugs XOXO

Heart this.

Meet baby Castillo.
He or She will make their debut early June.
Is it me or is this little peanut floating in a heart?
Ahhhh, I sooo can't wait....
that's my little grandbaby
life is good.

THIS IS IT

Today I experienced a moment in my life that has to be on my Top Ten list of moments. I received an email this morning asking me if I had ever seen Michael’s “This Is It” movie. I haven’t, and I can’t. I’ve seen the previews and it makes me want to climb right up into the movie screen just to be with him again and bring him home. I will say for those of you who have seen it, that is the REAL Michael, the way you see him interact with his dancers, his producers ….respectful, polite and silly at times. That is how he was with us at Neverland.The email included a link to the credits that scroll at the end of his movie. It said for me to scroll to the very bottom. I did and there it was……….. I can’t even describe the emotion that filled me when I saw it. The tears began to fall and the memories flooded in. And then the flood gates opened, and the sobs began.Even at the very end, with everything he was going thru, he still had clarity. We were still in his heart. We were family, we were his Neverland family and he NEVER forgot that. In that moment, I could feel him. It felt like a warm blanket had just been draped around my shoulders. All my sadness and pain just slipped away with the spilling tears. I suddenly felt such peace and then calm. Smiling thru tears, even giggling I finally felt it. Closure…at last. I am so honored.

Scroll to the very bottom

This Is It ~http://www.michaeljacksonlive.com/thisisit/credits.php

Trick or Treat?

While carving pumpkins with the kids yesterday, the family was given quite a treat!

The newlyweds announced there's a little pumpkin on the way...which means I'm gonna be a GRANDMA!

Congratulations Carla and Allen!

Can't wait!

Tweet Tweet

Yes, I know I need to write some posts on this blog, (and yes there are many) but I've been busy, sooo busy, trying to get this damn bird off my head...... that time has just flown by.....soon I promise.

Once upon a time...

Sometimes, I think too much. It's not worrying, but more of overthinking. Is that a word?

As you know, I used to have a life that was tied up in a tidy little package with a big shiny bow. Or so I thought. My home was my nest, where I raised my family and made my house a home. That's all I ever knew. I spent more years married than not. Almost 30 to be exact. I loved the role of being a wife and a mom. I was content and felt safe.

But then I learned, nothing is forever. My path changed. I had to learn who I was, once the role of wife and homemaker was gone. And dang, what a discovery! I have done some incredible things these last five years. It's been a like a rollercoaster at times, the highs and the lows. Those wild turns and stomach dropping moments. Moments that took my breath away, while others made me scream outloud. And all this at almost fifty. I think I've experienced more in these last five years, than most people do in a lifetime.

You see I'm a planner. I'm organized, heck, I organize other people's lives for a living. But now my future doesn't look the way I thought it would be....back when it had that bow on it and all. Being able to bounce back is one thing, but not knowing your future is another. Having said that, it's not that life isn't good now, it's just I thought I had an E-ticket instead of the fast pass I got on Mr. Toad's wild ride.

I thought I would have the fairy tale ending. But in reality, I don't have a clue how my "story" will end. And that is what gnaws at me the most. That's hard for me. The unknown. I've been sooo focused lately on the "skip-to-the-last-chapter-of-my-life-because I need to know NOW" thing , that I am not living in the present. And that is not good.

No more obsessing on my 'happily ever after". If I keep focusing on that, I'll miss the whole rest of the story and those could be some of the best chapters in my book of life! As they say, it's not the destination, it's the journey.

So, let me begin starting now, untie the ribbon, step out of the box ~ its a new day.

The House that Built Me

This weekend marked my 35th high school reunion. Gads. Did I just say that outloud?
So I hopped on a plane at 6:30 Saturday morning, and was in Phoenix by 8:00. Met at airport by my girlfriend I've have known the longest on this planet, Susie C. We met in 5th grade at the bus stop and have been the best of friends ever since. Though 500 miles separate us now, I moved away my junior year of high school, we have always remained in touch. From training bras to grandchildren, we've not missed a beat. She swooped me up and we were at the Grand Opening of the Scottsdale Goodwill store by 8:40 with coupons in hand. Cause that's how we roll! For $24.00, I walked out with a vintage lamp, an Ann Taylor blouse, an ocean picture (with the $39.95 tag still on it), two shirts and a jacket from Disney's Surf Shop. Heaven knows what more we could have found, if there had been more time and more suitcases...
Next off to pick up lunch for the girls at Mattas mexican restaurant. Susie and I used to ride our bikes there as teens, (I think we had 3-speeds then) to dine on a cheese crisp and a pepsi. We then met up with the other three musketeers at Robin's beautiful home and devoured our meal. We began eating at about 11:30 a.m. and were still at that table 6 hours later. All that talk made us hungry again, so we now venture out to another restaurant for dinner, Troy included. After dinner, we head back to Robin's for a tour of her "craft" room. Martha Stewart, move over, you have nothing on this gal. Oh the stories ~ marriages, divorces, parents, on-line dating, grandchildren. I can't tell you the last time I laughed that hard. Between us, we have almost 20 children, and over 20 grandchildren. A few divorces among us, yet two have been married over 30 years.

We blew off the high school reunion.

Because our reunion was better, much better :)

Susie, Stacy, Robin, Shelley and I talked for almost 12 hours!

~ these are the women that built me ~

P.S. And Susie, the creme brulee french toast the next morning was the bomb!!!!!
And how DO YOU get your thumbs to turn like that??

Quote of the Day

Shame On You

Shame on you, Conrad Murray.

You knew, you knew everything and still you didn’t stop the madness! You took it further than it had ever been before. You are like all the rest, caught up in the “celebrity” of it all and not in the human who needed to be helped.

And then you taped him, so now the world is left with that horrific memory of his slurred and drugged speech. And even then, you still did nothing. He was your patient, not your meal ticket.

I am sickened beyond words, between the tape recording and the picture on his death bed now etched in our minds, Michael left this world without a shred of dignity. He did not deserve that, nor did his family.
That would N E V E R have happened at Neverland. WE loved him too much. We cared. He wasn't just our boss, he was our friend. We were family.

Thankfully, my last moment with him was a giddy one. There were giggles and laughter coupled with that infectious smile and playfulness. It’s a snapshot moment that still brings a smile to my face….even now thru my tears.

Shame on you.............

I'm Home

Back from Virginia City and Reno and this is what I come home too.

No matter where I go, I always love comin' home to the sunsets on the beach.

Just a Cali girl thru and thru.

Almost there. N on HWY 341 in Nevada now

Now heading N on 395

Follow me ..101 S. now I'm on 14 N. Updates hourly ...

Thanks Eleanor

Eleanor Roosevelt once said "do something every day that scares you", she obviously was never a single woman.

But that got me thinking. Many things that scare me I have no control over. They just happen, I can't stop them, I face them and its done. However, what if I got to pick things that scared me and I overcame my fears? Would I find courage like the Cowardly Lion in Oz? Hmmm.

So over the last few days I decided to try a few things. I leapt down the staircase while in heels and landed it, only to slip on the linoleum in the hallway. I drank expired milk. I ran 3 red lights on the way to work, (ok so I live in Mayberry), but still.

Or maybe I could have walked outside waving one of Dad's golf clubs high in the air during our thunderstorm last Friday, or ignored my jury summons this week or better yet drank a cup of lake water (that one's for you Ashley).....the possibilities are endless.

But after careful consideration, these acts could have rendered me sick, in jail, unemployed, in the hospital or dead. So maybe I should just stick with the daily fears I don't get to chose and be surprised.
I am still gagging over the lake water one.......

Always

We will always remember the Eleventh of September.

That was the day we witnessed hell on earth.
That was the day the world stopped turning.
We are without question, a more fractured nation and we lost our innocence that day.
I visited Ground Zero several years ago.
It was overwhelming. The silence was deafening.
I was surrounded by others , but no words were spoken among us. Just a quiet respect to those victims who had hopes and dreams. To those people who were just trying to go to work and earn a living for their families, just like us.
But we rose from the ashes, I believe stronger and united.
We are kinder and more patriotic.
We didn't sweat the small stuff.
I still can't get thru the Star Spangled Banner without tears and I always take the opportunity to thank a person in uniform with a nod or handshake for their bravery and protection.
But most of all, I want you to hug the one you are with right now and tell them how much you love them ~
Because you can...........

Oh Bummer ~ It's the end of Summer

but we bid farewell with a bang! Spent an incredible weekend at the lake with my peep, Patty and her adorable family. There was boating, jet skiing, wake boarding, knee boarding, paddle boarding and tubing. And yours truly tried the tubing. Now I can take that off my bucket list. Nothing a few Advil didn't cure the next day. Spent lazy hours on the dock and awesome boat rides flying across the lake. Beautiful weather, about 98 degrees and nice cool nights. Pitched a tent on their dock and drifted off to the chorus of chirping crickets, jumping fish and crisp cool breezes. Meet my new life coach, 4 year old Kate. I learned more this weekend from this darlin than any therapist ever. I learned how to wear a life vest as a diaper and float in the lake. While floating in my "diaper" drinking a beer, she adamently asked if I was old enough to have that drink.

I asked her how old she thought I was and she said....wait for it...... sixteen!

While I was applying make-up, she asked if she could use itand I said no, that it was special make-up just for me and she said do you wear that so that you won't ever get old?

If only that would stop the aging............

She asked if I was married and then gave me some firm instructions on that subject too!

Ahhh, from the mouths of babes.

And then there was the fishing from the dock. Check out this catfish! Hours later, it was barbq'd and on our dinner table.And then there was the floating outhouse. The SS something. You fill in the blank.But lastly, there was the beautiful sunrise every morning bringing us a new day filled with laughter, great friends and new memories. Til we meet again........next summer.

Miss Noel

OK Blogland, need your good thoughts and prayers for Miss Noel.
Noel is my sister Gina's golden retriever who was bitten this weekend in the face by a rattlesnake on their property.
Sadly, she may lose her eye, we'll know in the next few days.

Luckily, she had previously been given the rattlesnake vaccine, which played a huge roll in saving her life.
She is home now recuperating.
Hugs to Gina and her family right now and thanks for sending them good thoughts.

Noel is wagging her tail to thank you.

Happy First Month!

The Newlyweds celebrate their one month anniversary

We Are Family

I vaguely remember leading a conga line, however, there are no pictures to prove it.........hmmmm

We Are Family

Another tradition in our family began at one of my weddings....yes there were 2 and I hear the third time will be a charm :)... is my Dad and his tie. We all start the wedding well dressed, in nice dresses and suits, tuxes and shiny shoes, but by the end of the night, its shorts and flipflops. The reception is officially over when Dad ties his tie around his head. Thats our sign.
He drove home that way from my wedding complete with a balloon bouquet tied to the back of his car streaming in the wind.

Chelsea surprised Allan at the reception by belting out one of his favorite songs, "Black Velvet" .

There's one song, that cannot be played at any event without our ENTIRE family getting up and dancing. When that song starts, it doesn't matter where you are....in the bar, in the bathroom, across the room or in a parking lot. When they play OUR song, we hit the floor.

Turn it up some, grab your family and dance!

Sisterhood

Hey Sister, Go Sister, Soul Sister, Flow Sister

Meet my sistas, between us, we total 186 years in age. Yikes....and someone is hitting the half century mark here soon...not me, been there done that, now it's someone else's turn!

It's rare we are ever in the same place at the same time, but thanks to Carly's wedding, it happened. So let me introduce you.

On the left is Joanne, fitting as she is a "leftie"

Next is Gina, also known as "Bean"

me, the Matriarch

and then Teri Ann, the baby, also known as Baba.

I am the oldest, so I blazed the trails for the youngins'.

Gina and Joanne are only 23 months apart

while Teri and I share a 16 year age difference.

Three of us were cheerleaders.

Two of us are divorced.

One of us married her high school sweetheart.

One of us had a set of boy/girl twins

and between us we brought 7 grandchildren into the family.

We all live in sunny California.

One of us lives in a log house.

Two of us drive American cars.

One of us was born in England.

Three of us are blind as bats.

Three of us had braces.

One of us never ever had blond hair.

One is a hair stylist, one is a travel agent

and one has retired from the Air Force.

Four of us however, shared someone really special,

our mum.

In the cookies of life, sisters are the chocolate chips.