Nothing is perfect... and that's Ok

I saw a positing on Facebook a few weeks back, which was very funny....

It went something like "Ahhh Facebook - the place where everything is wonderful, everyone's spouse and children are perfect and the world is a beautiful place."

I totally get the humor in that - because it is true, but that's really not such a bad thing!

I believe that anyone could talk themselves into anything if you say it enough.  Seriously - what better therapy?  There's enough crap in the world trying to drag you down - so why not focus on the positive?  Yeah, your husband could totally piss you off and you could want to trip him as he walks by & you could piss & moan and complain about it - or you could say how absolutely wonderful your husband is.  Which will snap you out of it quicker??  See??  Not so bad!

Nothing is perfect - not on this planet anyway.  How could you ever appreciate the best of the best without experiencing the worst of the worst?

If you're going through hell - you may as well talk about how delicious your chocolate ice cream cone is.  After all, doesn't chocolate make everything better anyway??

Thank you for reading my blog!

~Jenn

Bye, bye for now sandals & flip flops :(

Well, tonight is the long awaited Halloween party of the year (adults only) and I've been "ordered to rest" by my husband since I've been under the weather all week.

Of course, being the stubborn, rebellious female I am... I realized - I need to switch over my shoes!

Sadly, the thermostat has dipped below 60 (boo hiss) my summertime fun officially over & sandal season shall be switched to boot season.

First, I might add - I had a shoe casualty on my cruise...  Sad, sad day - my very favorite pair of strappy dress sandals snapped - and I was told that I may shoe shop!  Woo hoo - I've actually been given PERMISSION to shoe shop.

So this morning, whilst resting with my computer on my lap I ordered 3 pairs of boots and a replacement pair of strappy sandals!!  I am now off to move my pretty, pretty sandals up to the top of my closet and my boots etc to the lower level & make room for their new friends!

Yeah, I'm still not quite feeling up to par (still working on it) but  I ask...what better therapy than retail therapy??

Enjoy your day & thank you for reading my blog!

~Jenn

All I have to do is dream, dream, dream....

Wow, I've had some incredibly bizarre dreams lately!

For the few months prior to and the few weeks after my birthday, I've been in both melt down and nostalgia mode.  Good in some ways, not so much in others.  My thoughts and memories have definitely incorporated themselves into my dreams.

This past week alone, I've had 3 memory dreams (with an extra added dose of bizarre) and one very cool dream about my brother and dads.  My dreams are always very vivid & I remember quite a bit of them.  So much so that when I wake, I'm not quite sure if it was real.  I can become overly emotional and maybe a little sad - but afterward I embraced my dream as a gift.

Sometimes they are so wonderful that I try to go back to sleep to pick up where I left off.

How awesome is it that you can go to sleep and frolic with childhood friends, lost loves & those who have passed on.  I awoke with a smile several mornings in a row.  It was hard to shake the cobwebs out & realize that it really was just a dream - or the gift of someone always being in your heart, on your mind & deep in the recesses of your mind - only to re-appear during R.E.M.

To the stars of my twilight, thank you for your appearances...I miss you in my waking, but I know...

Whenever I want you, all I have to do is
Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream
Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream

Thank you for reading my blog!

~Jenn

Sunburn tips, from the locals...

Of course, no matter where I go away from Jersey I get a "you're not from around here, are ya?"

This time, sunburn was my glaring abnormality.  Yeah, there were probably others. (no comments from the peanut gallery) This is the only I'm absolutely sure of!

Unlike my husband, who tans just by sitting under a reading lamp, I am a fair skinned woman of Dutch / German decent.  I burn.  I could put on sunblock 75 & still burn (fry)...  It is what it is.  AND with my medication, I'm not supposed to be in the sun.  So yeah, I looked like a lobster after floating on my raft in the Caribbean.

So here I am back in Cocoa Beach - on line in Walgreens with ice cream for my family & I get the "you're not from around here, are ya?"  At first the woman, very politely said - your accent sounds like your from New York (ahhhhhhhhhhh)  Nope, Jersey...  then she gave me the tip I'd never ever received before!

DANDRUFF SHAMPOO!!

No, not because I was scratching at my head or flaking on people, lol.  Dandruff shampoo helps your skin to not peel when you get a sun burn!!  I never thought of that - it prevents flaking & peeling and I might add, it was quite soothing.

The brand she specifically recommended was Neutrogena T-Sal - which I purchased when I got home.

I'm happy to report, my sunburn has turned into a pretty golden tan.  I didn't flake or peel AND the "sal" portion of the T-Sal is salicylate (ingredient in aspirin) which took any pain away.

So I share with you all this nugget of wisdom I learned.

Thank you to the lovely woman on line at Walgreens in Cocoa Beach!!

As always, thank you all for reading my blog!


~Jenn

Sailing, Sailing over the ocean blue.......

Can I just say ... I love cruising!

Since we arrived in Florida during a tropical storm, our first day on the ship was in port - followed by a very rough day at sea.  That said there were a lot of eh hem... sick folks.

Not us!  We got up, showered (that was an interesting experience), threw on our little wrist bands and ate breakfast.  Immediately following breakfast, a Margarita.  I throw this out at the risk of getting a good ribbing from friends & family - however, nothing makes potential sea sick go away like a Margarita.  Not sure if it's the tequila or salt...  Oh who am I kidding, of course it was the tequila.

We cruised on the Disney Dream.  Beautiful ship!

Before any of my fellow "adults" think, silly wabbit - Disney's for kids - can I just tell you that you can go the entire cruise without seeing the "giant mouse" - and you can see him & his friends every day if you want also.  Since our CeCe girl was with us, we had to see the giant mouse and his cronies several times - but I'm secretly 12, so that was fine by me.
There are plenty of child free zones & plenty of places where the kids actually want to be away from parents... Really!  And the food... AMAZING!!  Everything was clean, my drink was never empty & everyone was happy!

What more could you ask for?

So now it's back to reality...  Still land sick - that only means one thing to me....  Time to plan my next cruise!

Thank you for reading my blog!

~Jenn

Thinking of yourself less than others....

I don't know why people continue to amaze me...

It's prior to 6 am on a weekday morning at Orlando International Airport.  I, of course, need to use the ladies room.  From my stall I hear a woman with a southern accent absolutely berating the Spanish cleaning woman in the bathroom.

The woman began speaking loudly, as if the woman not understanding English made her deaf, and I hear, "don't you understand - there are cockroaches flying around out in the open area landing on me and my food - what are you going to do about it?"  She went on with - "what do you mean you don't understand cockroach?  It's nasty that cockroaches are flying around while I'm eating."

I'm thinking...  Cockroaches fly and land on people??

As if this poor cleaning lady had the authority (or desire) to allow this rude woman to be free of flying insects... and the woman continued on & on, ending with - "I'm a good Christian woman - I deserve better than this...."

Really???  Because she sounded much more like a spoiled brat to me...

Part of me wanted to find this woman and call her out for calling herself a "good Christian woman" after the way she berated that poor woman, but I do know that would make me no better - the best I could do is smile to the poor cleaning lady and say thank you.

All I could think about was "Do unto others as you'd have done to you."

A little kindness goes a long way, and rude and ignorant generally go hand in hand.

Thank you for reading my blog!

~Jenn

Searching for Jeannie's Bottle.... found surfers

Just back from vacay (now you had to know I was going to blog about vacay)

Both before and after our trip, I scheduled a stay in Cocoa Beach.

Day #1 - not stellar.
We arrived in Orlando during...da da da...Tropical Storm Whatever. Holy rain & wind - made Jersey's weather look fabulous.

We went immediately to the hotel, which was very cool.
Sheraton Four Points Cocoa Beach:  www.fourpoints.com/CocoaBeach
They have a GIANT indoor "fish tank" for lack of a better term, with sharks & all kind of sea creatures.  They also have their own surf shop.

We then braved the weather on foot and hit the Ron Jon Surf Shop. www.ronjonsurfshop.com  Totally wind blown & soaked.  Unbeknownst to us - Cocoa is a big surfing area.

Even in the rain, Cocoa Beach is a very cool area.  We didn't really get to enjoy it until after our cruise.

Thursday we spent the day exploring Cocoa Beach.  We walked the beach & watched the surfers. They all looked very gnarly, lol.  (gnarley is akin to rad - a late-1980s - early-1990s term, meaning "exceptional", or "cool")

We hung out at the Sunset Grill watched the manatee & dolphins, then set off in search of Jeannie's bottle...  The little town map they give you is very misleading....  We DID NOT find Jeannie's bottle (crap) but I did find I Dream of Jeannie Lane!

The street is locate in Lori Wilson Park, which is beautiful!  The beaches were very clean and uncrowded (but then again, it's October)  The one thing that freaked me out was the fact that raccoons were EVERYWHERE!  Now, here in Jersey - if a raccoon is out during the day - that screams rabies.  Apparently not there.  They were out in droves - packs of 6 or more.  I felt that eerie feeling as if I were in the Alford Hitchcock movie the Birds. I was waiting to be attacked - so we got heck outta of there & hit the beach in a different direction.

After walking all day, I was ready to just sit back & relax with a few tropical drinks.  I was denied Jeannie's bottle, so I had to settle for a margarita in monkey head coconut -  better than nothing I suppose - but will a giant monkey pop out & clean my house and call me Master (or will I be Mistress, hmmmm)???

Stay tuned for further adventures....

Thank you for reading my blog!!

~Jenn

"Cultural" differences....

cul·tur·alAdjective/ˈkəlCHərəl/

1. Of or relating to the ideas, customs, and social behavior of a society.

2. Of or relating to the arts and to intellectual achievements.

You may not know this, but my husband is Costa Rican...

Well, he was born there & came here at 3 months old.  Technically, he's American (though a naturalized citizen), but he is bi-lingual & bi-cultural, which is very cool.

I guess I never paid much attention to that kind of stuff when I was younger, and no matter what our decent is - most of us here in America are American and our traditions are more native to our geographical areas and not as much to our heritage.

I'm of Dutch & German decent.  Growing up, my mother wasn't a fabulous even close to being a good cook (sorry, mom).  My grandfather, "Pop Pop", was Dutch.  He used to go to the Dutch bakery, which still exists:
http://www.hollandamericanbakery.com/store/
To Boonstra's (home made ice cream shop owned by Dutchies), and also Dunkin' Donuts, to show his "Americanization", every Sunday and then come to see us.  When I went to visit Pop Pop, he taught me to cook "good Dutch food" & when I went to visit my mother's parents, my grandmother (a fantastic cook) taught me how to cook German foods.
But I digress....

My husband's heritage is Hispanic - Costa Rican all the way.  He learned to speak English in school & was only allowed to speak Spanish in the household.  They had traditional family values.

When I first met my husband's family, it was really very shocking to me.  It was New Years Eve & we stopped off at his parent's house to get something & he said he wanted me to meet his family.  Little did I know that they were ALL there!  Easily 25 people - aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, brothers, sisters, in-laws - OMG!  And then he left me alone - with all of them.  Talk about being a nervous wreck (baptism by fire, perhaps??)  Looking back now, it's kind of funny - because I love each and every one of them.
That was something I was definitely NOT used to & where our cultural differences come into play.

I had this dis-functional little existence.  Divorced family, which became a blended family once my mother remarried.  Step siblings, who always seemed to get more.  We never ate together, we never watched TV together, we never even sat around talking - we all just co-existed.  Sort of sad, really.

Back to my husband's family, the Spanish version of the Cleaver's.  Happily married parents, church going, kind wonderful people who loved each other & others.  Extended family gathering together just to see each other.  Dad is in charge (or thinks he is) & mom takes care of everyone.  She cooks for an army (and really good, I might add)  She loves everyone and is just happy just to have her family around.  I love that!

I know that there are plenty of families who have similar situations - but for me - cultural doesn't necessarily define heritage - but family traits & values.

I strive to give my own family unit the traditional family values that my husband grew up with;  the example of faith, love & togetherness.

Thank you for reading my blog!

~Jenn

I forget...

Ok, so not only do I have the getting older thing against me - but I've also got what's called "Lupus Fog"

Can I just say - NOT AT ALL appreciating God's sense of humor on this one...

I've accepted several of the bumpy roads in my life & just chalked it up to my own stupidity and for purposes of God's entertainment (you're welcome big Guy), but this forgetting - not so much fun.

I can't even say how many times I will walk into a room for something specific and sit there looking around, la la la - turn around and forget about it and then remember a half hour later & go through the exact same process.

This happens with everything - keys, appointments - you name it!

Luckily I haven't forgotten any kids anywhere & I'm still spot on at work - but I dread the day when my boss asks me for the monthly financials and I completely go blank.  Let's just hope that day doesn't come, shall we??

Now where was I?

A while back I heard an old skit on one of the comedy stations; Father Guido Sarducci, from Saturday Night Live!  Anyone remember him??  In any case, he had a skit about when you go to Heaven, the first thing you see there is a box with your name on it.  That box contains everything you've ever lost (or put in that special place so you don't lose it) while here on earth.  I have been obsessively scanning the internet for a clip, but can't find it anywhere - ANYWAY..

How awesome would THAT be & how fun is that to look forward to??  While waiting on line to get into Heaven's gates - you get your box of stuff you lost.

I'm wondering if I would even be able to carry  my box??  I guess it's going to have wheels on it.

Now I forget, what's this blog about?

Thank you for reading my blog anyway :)

~Jenn

Longing for a small town feeling...

I've lived in Jersey my whole life - with a few random, short term exceptions.

Jersey isn't New York City - but the entire New York/New Jersey/Metropolitan area is just so big, so much.  So many people, so much information - sometimes so overwhelming.

A few months ago, I started listening to a country station, owned and operated by Clear Channel Communications - Hot Country B95 http://www.b95radio.com/main.html out of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.  (Clear Channel also owns and operates my favorite Tri-State Area rock station Q104.3 http://www.q1043.com/main.html )  Yeah, I don't know exactly how I found it - but I love it!

Now that I've plugged my favorite radio stations, you're welcome :)  The point of my blog...

In listening to my Wisconsin station, I'm constantly smiling at the whole "small town feel".  I love hearing the things local folks say on the station and note that it's sounds so much nicer than it does here.  Nothing against where I live - because I'm a Jersey girl to the bone.  I just love the non-complicated way things seem someplace else.  I love to hear on that station from the woman who saw a man in the tavern in his bathrobe & pajamas.  I love that they call it the tavern & not the bar.  Every day I hear something different & just smile.  I love the whole seeming simplicity of the "not so many people/not so crowded" areas and I wonder - where can I get that?

I  moved as far north in Jersey as I could get without being too far from work, but far enough from people - but you still can't escape the busyness - the crowds - the traffic.

I long for simplicity....  And if it weren't so darn cold out there in the mid-west - I'd actually consider that an escape.  However, here I am in Jersey - longing for that small town feeling - but loving the convenience of everything being right here.  So here I am, here I'll stay.

Thank you to my friends over at B95; Mike McKay, Donuts & Bobby Tripp (sorry if I've left anyone out - these are the only shows I listen to)  Thank you for making this big world a little smaller & making this big ol area of the country have a small town feeling - even if it's just virtually through my computer.  Now if I could only get it beyond this blonde head that your weather doesn't affect me in the slightest, all would be well :)

Thank you for reading my blog!

~Jenn

Testosterone Man, in a sea of estrogen....

My poor husband...

Completely, hopelessly surrounded by women of all ages, sizes & species...

The cat is even a girl!

It's all good when he first gets home.  All the girlies swarm him with hugs & kisses - BUT THEN...we want to talk.  All of us - usually consecutively.

Personally, I know when to shut up.  If he comes home with a scowl on his face, I know stay away, far far away.  I cook dinner & be gone with myself until he's human again.

Not the girls - they barrage him with daddy, look at my lip gloss.  Daddy, look at my nails.  Daddy, look at the new shoes mommy bought me, daddy, daddy, daddy.  Then my baby girl - who has no concept of what the "Readers Digest" version of a story is (even I tell her to get on with it) - will launch into her fun filled day with every single possible detail and color.  I very clearly see my husband's eyes glaze over and he drifts off somewhere in time between Bike week & some other manly event that doesn't have any (little) girlie stuff anywhere.  Then he'll drift back and... Oh my gosh, she's still talking, lol...

I could save him, but nah - I've got to cook dinner some time...

Kyle is barely home anymore.  In a few more weeks he'll be off to boot camp & soon there will be no additional testosterone to spread around all the fluffy things in our house.  Just lip gloss - everywhere...  Oh and nail polish & perfume & bubble bath & pretty pretty poofs.

It is very funny, really.  You see my husband is a big, bald, tattooed biker dude, left to carrying around our daughter's very pink Hannah Montana purse.

Again, poor guy!  All that testosterone floating around in this mighty sea of estrogen.

All I have to say is "Ahoy Matey"!

I guess it could be worse.

Have a great day!

Thank you for reading my blog!

~Jenn