Hodge Podge ....

I sure do like having Christmas and New Year's Day on Tuesdays! It is like a great wonderful long weekend starting on Friday for me! It has been very restful and very nice. For people traveling and having holiday parties, it must also be nice. Next year, 2008, is a leap year ... so that means that Christmas and New Year's Day will be on Thursdays .... So will it be a 4-day weekend starting on Wednesday evening? That could also be cool!

I am hoping and planning to spend the holidays next year (2008) in Australia with Tom and Robbie ... staying with my sister and her family in Perth, Western Australia. That means saving apporoximately $6000 for airfare alone ... but I have several months to do that ... and once I set a goal in mind ... well ... I'll do my best. I haven't talked to Tom and Robbie about it yet ... and Tom doesn't seem to want to fly for 22 hours .... but we will deal with that as it comes.

I have been walking this week since the pool is closed ... today went a lot better than yesterday .... and I plan to try again tomorrow ... plus going to the gym to lift weights ... need to do legs tomorrow. Walking is actually kicking my butt ... but I plan to keep it up. What I really need to do is walk on the days I don't swim and lift weights. Every day needs to have some type of exercise in it. Tom wants to go back on Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet ..... BLAH! I really don't want to ... but might as well try something diet-wise since I am doing all of this exercise now. We certainly haven't been dieting over the holidays!! Oh My!! LOL .... but there is so much food left over from Christmas!

I do know that if we want to go to Australia, we will need to lose as much weight as we can ... as Derek and Lori do have issues with people who are overweight. Tom and I will always be overweight ... but we plan to be in kick-ass shape! Ha! Walking with the iPod does seem to help some ... can't wait to try it in the pool!

I need to do some educational blogging while I have this down-time .... topic reminders to me:

• Education and IQ
• The Success if my Tutoring Business
• What exactly would it take for me to go back into the classroom?
• Thoughts on how to expand my tutoring business

Marsha gave me a great book of Sudoku Puzzles .... edited by Will Shortz .... who is also the author of the New York Times crossword puzzles. I have recently started trying the NYT puzzles and I really like them. These Sudokus are also more fun than the ones in the paper ... but I am not sure why! Anyway ... I am enjoying doing them and working on getting better!

Today is Sunday .... still 2 more days of holiday this weekend ... very cool!

Post-Christmas ....

Yes .... it was chilly on Christmas .... and we had way too much food .... but then, we were expecting 16 people and 5 of them didn't show. So Tom and I have leftovers galore! The 5 who didn't show were all in one family ... and reports are that 4 of the 5 were sick so they decided not to infect us all ... which we appreciate!

Robbie is still in Hillsboro being spoiled rotten by his grandparents .... which I am sure he loves ... and they love even more. Christmas isn't quite the same without a kid around .... even though he is 18 .... he is still my baby.

Tom enjoyed opening his socks and underwear! Hey ... that is what he asked for ... and some new shoes .... all very boring! I think he was pleasantly surprised by the Nintendo DS and the BrainAge game I got for him. He has been missing his nightly games of Spider and whatever since his Dell Laptop started acting up on him. NOw he has something to play with ... and we had to go get a couple more games for it the next day!

I spent part of Tuesday and most of Wednesday trying to get my new iPod shuffle to work. It is a Waterproof iPod .... and the waterproofing makes the buttons very stiff, according to the paperwork ... so it took me awhile to figure it all out. I finally got music put on it and I think I have managed to get the waterproof headphones attached to my goggles .... now I just need to try it all out in the pool!! Sadly .... the pool is CLOSED!!! It is EMPTY! Yikes!! It is supposed to open on January 2nd or 3rd .... so we shall see how it goes then. I miss it!! I hope it opens on time.

I got my haircut yesterday .... really short .... a Pixie! I haven't had a pixie since the 60's .... but my Mom always claimed that it was the cutest haircut I ever had. My stylist wasn't too happy with my plan (she kept saying "It's Winter!!") ... but after she was done she was impressed! She thought it looked cute. Tom isn't too happy with it, I think .... but it will grow on him. I like the feel of it ... but need to wash it and mess with it myself .... we shall see. I'll do that later today.

I emailed Swillow and she claims no knowledge of my Blog or it's contents. Says she has never visited it. I emailed Lilaz and she was honest. We emailed back and forth and chatted a bit online. She does read my Blog and says that she never did ask me to stop contacting her. I could swear she did ... but if she is willing to communicate with me now, it's all good.

Chill in the Air!

Looks like it is going to feel like Christmas around here this year! Yay!! Low tonight is supposed to be 27 degrees with highs in the 50's and lows in the 20's for the next several days .... that sounds good! No rain ... so no worries about ice and such ... just cold.

Tomorrow Tom and I will take Robbie down to Hillsboro to see his Grandparents and his Dad. I am always glad when Tom is willing to go down there with me ... I don't like that drive very much .... and I wouldn't do it at all except for Robbie's Grandparents being totally wonderful people and they should see Robbie as often as they can.

I need to do some spot cleaning of the carpet and get ready to have guests for Christmas Day .... still deciding on the menu ... but we've got all the booze!! LOL ... the important stuff. We are having quite a combo of guests .... and the food will be served buffet style .... it will all be fine ...

The pool at the gym is going to be closed for one week ... Dec. 26 - Jan. 2 .... Grrrrrrr!!!! I think that means the spa will be closed, too .... and I LOVE sitting in the spa in the winter ... That's okay .... Brandon will be gone that whole week, too .... so maybe I'll do some more walking and try to work back into that, too .... I must say that I am sleeping a LOT better and dreaming a lot more which I think means I am getting more REM sleep. I haven't had dreams like these in a long time. I am pretty sure it is all because I am working out more and I am grateful for that.

I finally realized who is checking this BLOG from Owings Mills, MD and from Liverpool, NY. For some reason MsWillow and Lilaz want to keep tabs on me on a regular basis. Just click on my Site Meter at the bottom of the page and then click on Location in the left bar .... they seem to be a couple of my biggest fans!! I think the person from Manhasset, NY is the guy whose estate WF is in charge of. I think his name is David. I really don't understand why these people keep checking on me. Do they not have lives of their own to live? Whatever.

Looking forward to the long holiday weekend .... sleeping .... eating .... drinking .... laughing with friends .... I hope everyone has a Merry and safe Christmas!

Merry Christmas to ALL!!

No Big Title ....

Haven't had much to write lately ... obviously!

Hey Caterry .... whatever it is you want to know .... just ask .... I have never been anything but honest with you .... despite what others might have told you. I see you visited here quite a bit last week ..... just wondering what you want?

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I am still going to training 3-4 days a week .... working mostly with Brandon .... haven't been measured again ... and haven't weighed ... still swimming .... and enjoying the spa and sauna! Otherwise, not much to report. The Body of Change staff has changed and I am not fond of the new managers. Tyler (Mr. Sunday Morning) left to go work for an oil/gas drilling company .... Oil is becoming big in Texas again!! And Daniel left to go back to school ... or that is what we were told. The new guys are no fun .... no sense of humor .... pffffft. What fun is life without a sense of humor?? But Jace and Brandon are still there and I am getting to know some of the sales guys ... you know, enough to say HI and Have a Great Day ... and really mean it.

I did go walking the other day and hoped it would be a breeze due to all the swimming I have been doing .... Ha!! Clearly I need to start walking some, too. Swimming is easy on the joints ... walking isn't and uses different muscles .... so Tom and I are also going to start walking again ... when we can .... the hardest part about that is getting out of a nice warm bed when it is still dark out and walking in the chill .... LOL ... It is soon to be Winter. Maybe I will try to walk when I have hours between or before tutees ... And I won't have any tutees the 2 weeks after Dec. 20 ... plenty of time to get back into walking ....

The weather around here has been entertaining ... 80 degrees to 30's ..... thunderstorms to bright and sunny .... windy to calm to windy again .... now they are predicting "wintery mix" for tomorrow. We have nowhere to go .... so bring it on!! I am tutoring Noon-3:00 .... but that depends on the weather, I guess. We need to put up the tree and get it decorated .... perfect weekend for that, too.

It seems my melancholy has passed. Several people contacted me about the post I wrote before I posted Robbie's pictures. It was nice to hear from all of these people. Trust me that I do understand that things can never be the same ... and trust me that I know the people who caused this are mean-spirited and small-minded. I know .... I know .... I know. But I can still miss what once was.

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Robbie's Senior Pics

Robbie over the Years

Memories ....

'Tis the season for memories, I guess. I am dreaming at night about my Mom and family and Christmases past. With Mom and Dad now gone and my siblings and I scattered around the world, literally .... the memories remain.

During my waking hours I am finding that I achingly miss my old online group of friends and the wonderfully comfortable camaraderie we all used to share. That group is gone now .... split and shattered and dispersed ... gone to other boards or threads or just flat avoiding contact all the way around. Lies were told and distrust was nurtured .... to the point that things can never be as they once were.

Still .... I wish that RH and Belly and Do .... Looney and Swillow and Poople .... Cat and Caterry and WF ..... Gilly and Sailor and Sparkle .... Nunnie and Bree and Linda ..... T4 and Charley and Sweeney .... Sunshine and Bev and Deb .... La and Sizz and TiT .... and many others I have forgotten to mention, but not intentionally ..... could once again meet online in Fewl's Paradise and play like we once did. And not just play .... but share our lives .... the good and the bad .... in a safe a trusting environment. I wrote this post 7 months ago .... just re-read it and it made me cry .... http://fewlsparadise.blogspot.com/2007/05/what-i-miss.html

But this can never be again. So why do I waste my time and emotions longing for that which can never be again? I guess for the same reason I dream about my Mom and Dad and brother at night. Gone, but not forgotten. Yet I wake up sometimes from these dreams with such a physical longing .... the dreams seemed so REAL. The longing for my old online group is also physical and REAL. I am hoping that just writing about this longing will help get it out of my system somehow. I still get sick at the memory of the things that happened starting 11 months ago in FP. I still am totally clueless as to what initiated all of this and was it just against me .... or was it against others too? I know Bree was a target, too.

Sigh .... it is just a melancholy Saturday afternoon .... I miss Tom's Mom and our champagne Scrabble games .... I miss Christmas at Mom's .... I miss the old management crew at BJ's .... I miss .... I miss ..... I miss ....

But nothing stays the same .... everything changes .... don't wanna be a stick in the mud ....

I am so Blessed ....

It is Tuesday November 27th and at 1:44pm I am sitting at my dining room table (also known as my tutoring area.) Christmas music is playing on the stereo, and there are the scents of homemade chicken soup coming from the stove and cornbread hot from the oven in the air. The sun is shining, the windows are open, I can hear the fountains from the pool and the windchimes on the deck. Fat birds are enjoying the seeds in the birdfeeder, which I can watch from where I now sit. A dog is curled up at my feet and a kitten is curled up on my lap. My laptop is in front of me with many pages open to online shopping sites! I am able to sit here in the comfort of my home and run searches for the best deals on Christmas gifts .... click, order, and have them delivered to my door.

I am so blessed.

My business is going well. I had one person cancel their appointment this morning and three more call for help. The minute someone doesn't need me anymore, someone else does. I live in an age where all you have to do is put yourself "out there" and people will find you. Internet, word of mouth, and the LISD tutoring list have been good to me. My job enables me to work from home, yet still do what I love .... which is teaching Math ... without all the hassles of grading papers and writing lesson plans and dealing with administrators. There is much potential for my business to grow in so many directions ... it almost seems the world is mine, I just have to ask.

I am so blessed.

My son and my husband and I are healthy. We live in a beautiful home in a wonderful neighborhood. Our vehicles run and we can afford the gas and insurance for them. My son is a senior in High School, makes good grades, and is in the top 10% of his class. We have saved for college and have the Texas Tomorrow Fund to pay for his tuition and fees. My husband has a job he enjoys and the outlook for his field is good, just not sure about the company he is with right now .... one day at a time there. So far, so good.

I am so blessed.

I am able to go to a gym 3-4 days a week and work-out in pretty luxurious conditions .... pool, spa, sauna, and every kind of weight and cardio machine you can imagine. I actually like going and I am so grateful that my job enables me to be able to go in the mornings ... the only times I actually WANT to work-out!

I have wonderful friends .... wonderful family .... wonderful life.

I am so blessed.

Early Dark ...

I sure do like Standard Time .... I wish they would just leave the clocks alone and leave all time at Standard Time. It makes it seem more like FALL .... and I love Fall!!

Today I went down to Texas Instruments in Dallas for a session about their new calculator, the TI-Nspire. WOW .... what a tool!! Tom drove me down and went to visit Mike and Liz for awhile. I'll write more about the Calculator and the session elsewhere ... probably on my Education Opinions BLOG. The session ended at 4:30 and Tom and I decided to go to Matt's in Lakewood. This is a Mexican Restaurant we used to frequent when we were dating and they have the best Chile Relanos in Texas ... in my opinion. They use pecans and raisins in them .... yummy!! We sat outside and the weather and lighting and everything just said "Fall" and comfort. It felt nice to be in Dallas. I do miss it .... we don't go there often enough. We drove by Tom's old house .... it hasn't changed, but the neighborhood around it sure has .... lots of townhomes and condos springing up. Is that good?? Or bad?? I'm not sure. When we get rich, I wouldn't mind having a condo in Dallas somewhere.

We left Matt's as the sun was beginning to set and took 30 south of the City to I-35 North. The skyline is awesome .... and George Strait's "All My Ex's Live in Texas" was on the radio ... and traffic was thick but moving smoothly .... and it just felt good to be in Dallas, Texas. We got home at 6:30 pm and it was already dark. College football all over the TV. the only bad thing is that it is a little warm .... high 70's .... lows in the 60's .... and we need rain ... but all in all, Fall is good!

As for my workouts .... I am still going!! I'll tell you .... I am glad I have those young men waiting for me ..... it makes me show up when I otherwise might talk myself out of it!! Friday I didn't have a paid appointment, but Tyler said he would work with me for free ... ((He included 15 free sessions in my annual package)). I hadn't worked with Tyler for several weeks ... he usually hurts me or at least pushes me close to vomitting .... Brandon doesn't do that!! And I had never done legs with Tyler. The workout he put me through was very different from what Brandon and I usually do .... different machines, different exercises, slightly different muscles. He made me do calves which I haven't done before .... and he made me do them until I couldn't anymore. Today I am beginning to feel the calves ..... tomorrow will be even worse!!

Swimming is going really well. I am now to the point where I can just keep swimming. No need to stop unless my goggles fog up or begin to leak. I am actually pretty amazed by that ... in 8 weeks I have gone from being able to swim only 2 lengths at time to swimming as long as I want. I think doing the weight lifting had really helped with the swimming. My arms just do not get tired. That is pretty cool.

Oh .... and I haven't reported my measurement results .... after 6 weeks of training ....

• Weight -2 lbs
• Body Fat -1%
• Neck -1"
• Chest +1/4"
• Shoulders +2" (we question original measure on this one but Tyler measured me 3 times this time ...)
• Waist - No Change
• Hips -2"
• Right Bicep -1"
• Left Bicep -1"
• Right Thigh -1/2"
• Left Thigh -1.5"
• Right Calf -1/4"
• Left Calf -1/2"

All the trainers were standing around while Tyler measured me ... and they were all very encouraging about the results. They said I won't begin to lose weight until about 8 weeks in .... maybe more. Damn if they don't all know my weight and my body fat and all my weaknesses now ... sigh ....

Sunday with La and Allen

Tom and I went out with La and Allen in their boat this morning .... we went across Lake Lewisville to Sneaky Pete's where they serve a very nice Sunday Brunch. The weather was perfect .... the lake was perfect ... the company very enjoyable ... the brunch was yummy .... we loved it all!!

I guess Allen is going to put the boat up for the winter now .... sigh ... glad we got to go out with them!

????????

So who are you from or near Liverpool, NY and Owings Mills, Maryland?

You guys have been checking out my posts almost daily for months and months .... who are you and why do you care?

Anyway .... all the angst from the past few months started exactly one year ago this coming weekend. But if you noticed, I'm moving on .... and writing stuff I would think you would find boring ... unless you do really care about me and my life. Do You?

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I think I have lost maybe 2 lbs .... but I am getting re-evaluated this coming Friday .... weighed and measured and all. Should be interesting. My body is feeling different ... Tom is calling me a "Hard-Body" .... LOL .... but I know what he means .... my arms and back and shoulders are all gaining muscle. I am sure my legs and abs are, too .... but that is hidden under the fat .... sigh. So we will see what the tape measure says ....

Swimming is going better and better. I think the weight training is helping with that ...today I swam 10 lengths freestyle without a problem .... could have done more ... but changed to backstroke for a couple .... then freestyle again. Seems I could go and go .... I may have to look into getting a waterproof iPod .... if there is such a thing. I'd like to have music of some sort while I am swimming .... I think it would help. I have kinda stopped counting laps .... I lose count if I get to thinking about something too much .... so now I am just swimming for 30 minutes straight. Resistance training (weights) for 30 minutes and Cardio (swimming) for 30 minutes ... 4 times a week. So far so good.

Finally ....

We are finally getting some Fall weather here. Rainy and windy today and I am loving it!! I have also figured out why I like going to LAFitness .... even during weather like this (when I would normally want to stay home and snuggle in). The place has windows and mirrors everywhere ... it seems so open and BIG .... and I can watch the weather while working out. Plus ... the pool has huge windows with the weather Right There. Today it was really nice to be in a warm environment, although wet, and watch the rain coming down. I sat in the Spa for awhile and contemplated how blessed I am to be able to be doing that on a Monday morning.

Loving this weather and my life!

Hmmmmm ....

I haven't been here for awhile! Or at least I haven't posted for awhile! Sorry about that!

Looks like my Site Meter has improved on getting peoples' addresses .... it is much more accurate than it used to be. It even recognizes me .... which it didn't used to do for some reason.

Working out is still going well. I missed Friday, Sunday and Monday of last week while we were on out houseboat trip ... details here ... http://houseboatinghorizons.blogspot.com/ .... came home Monday night to a tutee waiting outside our door and 3 more to follow her. Then Tuesday I had 11 hours of tutoring and finally Wednesday morning I got to go back to the gym. I felt totally worn out before I even got there. Did my time with Brandon and swam a few laps ... but not my full workout. I was exhausted afterwards. I didn't have to tutor until 2:30 .... so I went home and slept some. My 2:30 didn't show up ... but from 3:30 on I was booked and busy. Thursday I worked 9:00am-9:30 pm .... with only a couple of 1/2 hour breaks in there.

By Friday I just wanted to sleep .... but had to get up ,,, get Robbie's lunch made .... and normal stuff ... then off to training at 9:00. I can honestly say I would NOT have gone to the gym if Brandon hadn't been waiting for me. I guess that is part of what I pay them for. I did my workout with him .... and swam my full 32 laps. Yay me.

Marsha got out of work early and we went to lunch and then went to get Mani-Pedicures at the Hawaiin Nail Bar .... wine included. That took a couple of relaxing hours!! Very nice. And of course, BJ's later. All in all and very nice Friday.

Finally got to sleep-in this morning ... and doing a two week cleanse ... and feeling much better. Had the day to do whatever I wanted .... worked on the new blog ... got the pics working ... talked to Steve and Ellen on Yahoo Video .... LOL .... Steve is so funny. Tom made a pot of chili, just because we WANT it to be cold ... but it ISN'T!!!

Anyways .... life is good .... busy week next week, starting tomorrow ... we have Exams coming up and end of Nine weeks means grades crunch for some people. I actually have several hours of tutoring scheduled for tomorrow .... which isn't like me. Only doing it because of exams ...

Meet My Trainers ....

Here are the men who hurt me. And I pay them money to hurt me. Well ..... they try not to HURT ME, hurt me ... but they sure make me to "just 2 more" when I felt like quitting 5 ago. And I would have quit if I had been on my own ... And they are a reason to show up at the gym 4 times a week ... I have an appointment .... I have to go .... these poor babies have to pay their rent and make their car payments and go out and drink beer and stuff ...

So .... without further ado ....

Here is Mr. Sunday Morning .... Tyler ....



And here is Mr. Mon-Wed-Fri Mornings .... Brandon ...



And here is Mr. Whenever Brandon and Tyler don't have room .... Jace .... who sings to me as I work out ...



Dang .... the website cuts off the right side of the picture ... but you get the idea!! LOL ....

These are my men ....

There is also Daniel ... but I haven't caught him on film yet.

Finished week 3 of training .... still haven't lost one single pound ... bought a heart-rate monitor ... Tyler will show me how to use it tomorrow .... supposed to be water-proof for swimming ... so we will see what my heart rate is while I am working out. I'll keep you posted!!

Still on Track ....

Today I finished my 4th week of Swimming and my 2nd week of Training sessions ... still haven't lost a pound ....

I have been training and swimming 4 days a week ... and I am sticking to it ... and feeling good about it .... and building a good rapport with the people at LAFitness. Robb and Diana just joined the club, too .... and Doug and Erin are also going to join ... LOL .... that is all kinda cool!

Sueann was here this weekend with her new beau .... and he is a real sweetie. Sueann is having job issues ... but nice to see her happy with a nice guy. She had a "Meet my New Boy" party here ... brats and beer .... and only chosen invitees. It went very well. It is the first party we have had here since the Super Bowl .... I haven't felt much like hostessing parties since Wine Fairie turned on me .... an odd side-effect of having trusted friends become total strangers. I have to thank Sueann for forcing me "back into the saddle again" and also for her words of wisdom over that whole situation.

Tutoring is going well .... busy .... I have 3 hours tonight .... then a packed week ahead. All is well!

How Did I ....

How did I get things done when I was always online with the Fewls??

Yesterday (Monday) was my slowest tutoring day of the week ... and I still barely had time to be online ...

How do people find time to work out when they are working Full-Time??? I know I sure wasn't able to do it ... I was always tired!! And there were not enough hours in the day. I sure am grateful to be able to control my own hours (somewhat) enough so that I can workout 3 mornings during the week.

It also helps so much that I quit my part-time job with the little Private School I was working for. That turned out to not be such a good deal this year ... she wanted me to take a big paycut .... and then she wanted me to teach Algebra II without a BOOK!! Grrrr .... Plus ... she lied to me in front of the students that she had ordered Math Books, when in fact she had no intention of doing so. She did that to me last year, too .... I wasn't gonna take it this year. Fool me once blah, blah, blah .... Anyway .... it feels so good to not have papers to grade .... grades to do .... lessons to plan .... tests to write .... etc!! Freedom!!

Nunnie and La have joined me over in iVillage ... very nice to see them there!! We even got Nunnie's Dancing Nun to work on her posts!! iVillage is so HUGE and confusing .... so I am really glad to see people trying to find me and trying to find themselves in there!! LOL ...

Owwwwww .....

Okay .... today I am freakin' miserable. My arms are killing me!! I cannot straighten them at all! I just took some Aleve and I am still planning on going swimming ... but I am going to wait for the Aleve to kick in, first. Oh ... and I am suffering from major intestinal issues .... pain so bad last night that I was moaning out loud most of the night. It started at about 8:45 pm and I took some MOM before I went to bed. Got some relief at around 3:30am .... but still dealing with "issues" here at 10:00am. Not sure what triggered all of this, either!

I really think I have put my body into shock of some sort!! Yesterday I didn't work out ... but I did have 11 hours of tutoring from 9:00am-9:30pm .... that is a freaking LONG day. Good $$ .... but a LONG day!! I don't like eating in front of my students, which is why I am not eating very much these days. I did have 3:30-4:30 off yesterday and I ate a BIG salad .... probably the biggest meal I have had all week . Four hours later, I am in major pain. Maybe it was one of those E-Coli bags of lettuce?? Hmmmm .... I should check!

Anyway .... today is Friday ... I love Fridays!! I am so glad I gave myself Fridays off. Especially since I now seem to be working on Sundays more and more ... it's all good. Okay ... gonna go swim and sit in the Spa for awhile ...

Training and Working out ....

Week 3 of swimming .... the pool was 84 degrees the first two weeks .... but this week it has been 74 .... which feels pretty chilly!! But I am keeping after it!! Doing sets of 6 .... 4 crawl and 2 back-kick/angel-arms .... and that seems to work out pretty well for me ... I'll do 24-30 lengths after a training session and 36-42 on a non-training day ....

So far I am massively retaining water and have gained 3 lbs .... hmmmmmm .....

But I am going to keep at it. I know I need to eat more. I haven't been eating very much because of my tutoring hours ... and I am certain my lovely body has gone into "survival mode" .... holding onto every ounce of fat for dear life ... So I am trying to eat every 2 or 3 hours ... some cheese or nuts or a salad or dried fruit .... yogurt ... stuff like that ....

Training is going okay .... I honestly don't know if I would be doing it if I didn't have someone expecting me at a certain time ... and then making me do "just 2 more" .... they use a different philosophy from what I heard years ago .... I am to work 4 different sets of body parts a week ... then start all over again .... so far I have done ....

• Friday ... Legs!
• Sunday ... Back and Abs!
• Monday ... Chest and Shoulders!
• Wednesday .... Triceps and Biceps!

Starting over again on Friday .... Tyler and Daniel have been kind but pushy ... I guess that is their job. Tyler is a cutie and seems to have latched onto my "mother image" ... which I guess is okay ... I certainly am old enough to be his Mom!

Yay Me!!

Okay .... I have actually hired a physical trainer. That was one of the things I put in my Wish/Dream Book back in January ... and so ... I am doing it.

I got to thinking ...

Tom and I joined LAFitness and it costs us $60/month .... which seemed like a lot to me ... but then I realized that $60 is what I charge for 1.5 hours of tutoring ... and we get a whole MONTH of gym access for that ... which includes some very cute trainers!! But we have to pay extra for Trainer Attention ... $29/half-hour. So .... okay .... what the heck!

So now I guess I will be doing 1/2 hour of resistance training and then doing my laps in the pool after that. Hopefully 4-5 times a week. I will only actually have the trainer with me once a week ... but they are always nearby. And the place is rarely busy ... so I will get attention anyway, if I need it.

Off to the Gym!!

Cracked Pots ....

An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole, which she carried across her neck. One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water, at the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do. After 2 years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house."

The old woman smiled, "Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house."

Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. We need to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them. SO, to all of my crackpot friends, have a great day and remember to smell the flowers on your side of the path!

Sept. 9, 2007 ....

Wow I am getting some very odd hits on this blog. Hits from all over the world. No idea why ... interesting!

Anyway .... I got up to 42 lengths of the pool this weekend. Not bad for a first week. I am feeling it in my muscles .... which is the whole idea, right??

Tutoring is going well. Roughly 27 hours a week so far .... and 3 week reports haven't come out yet ... in fact, they haven't even had their 3rd week of school yet!! I am going to line up a couple of other teachers who want to do evening tutoring and try to work out something with them.

We talked to a PR firm about promoting the DVD and that was a very interesting meeting. They are going to put together a proposal for us. We shall see where it goes from there ...

So .... all in all .... things are rockin'!

Trying Again!

Tom and I joined an LAFitness this past weekend. We are once agan going to try to lose weight. This time the grand plan is to exercise and eat right!! Holy Cow!! Do you think we might be on to something??

I have decided to try swimming again. Back in college I used to swim a mile a day ... I wasn't skinny, but I was better toned. LOL ... now I have NO TONE. And it has been at least 25 years since I swam a mile a day .... so this should be interesting!!

The nice thing is that I have mornings available at the moment ... all my tutoring is scheduled for afternoons and evenings. Oooopppps .... just got a 9:00am session scheduled for tomorrow ... oh well ... best laid plans ....

Anyway .... I went yesterday and today and spent 50 minutes in the pool ... swimming freestyle some of the time .... doing backstroke some of the time ... walking laps .... doing lunges in the water is way easier than on land .... basically .... I tried working my arms and legs and stretching for the whole time. I pretty much cannot swim more than 4 lengths in a row freestyle at the moment. I used to do 64 Lengths (1600m) without stopping .... 25 years ago when I was 22!! Gonna take some time to get back into that ...

I also stepped on the scale this morning .... with much fear and trepidation ... and I could not believe that it said the same thing it has said since July 2003 (although I did lose some weight in there on and off) ... I have not gained above that mark!! I find that amazing! Things have definitely relaxed, though!! So time to work some muscles ...

I must admit that it feels fantastic to be able to go to a nice work-out facility like that at 9:00 in the morning ... when it is nearly empty! I had the pool to myself most of the time. It is really nice knowing that I run my own business and that I will be busy later in the day ... but the mornings are mine .... mosty! I thought about all the teachers I know who are in their classroom at that time ... and I felt happy. I LIKE being my own boss.

So tomorrow I tutor 9-10 ... I'll then head to the pool ... stay there until 11 or 11:30 .... shower and dress there ... then I have to get to my 12:30 tutoring session in Flower Mound. I think I can do it .... Thursdays are always busy ... but the blessing is FRIDAYs OFF!!!!

Okay, Okay, Okay!!!!!

Okay!!! I don't know if it is Nunnie and her "Nuns of the Big House" ... or Marsha ... or who .... but someone out there is praying for me to be filled with forgiveness ....

It is the oddest feeling. I mean .... I have been so hurt by Georgia and Pam and Christie and Paula ... so hurt that it has been difficult trusting other friends in my life. Yet .... over the past couple of weeks I have had this overwhelming feeling of forgiveness.

Mind you, these ladies have not asked for my forgiveness .... nor do they probably think they have done anything they need forgiveness for .... nevertheless, they are forgiven.

I don't know if I will ever TRUST them again. I don't know that I will ever have a NEED to trust them again. I'm not going back to SBDO. Just planning to move ahead. Move on.

My "Apologies to WineFairie" post has attracted LOTS of attention, but no comments.

Anyway .... whoever is out there praying for me .... GOOD JOB!!

Wow ..... this has been a most wonderful Summer.

Tonight was my last night of Summer Tutoring .... Starting Monday I am back into the long evening hours. School starts Monday, but I am already getting booked up in the evenings ... and that is a good thing!! It is how I make my living!

Anyway .... this Summer has been just wonderful. I made enough money to keep from having to dip into my savings. I wasn't able to save any .... but didn't have to borrow from savings ... so, I guess I broke even! That is fine!

I have felt so relaxed this Summer.... not a great need for naps ... I would go to bed at night and read for a hour or so ... wake up in the morning when I wanted to .... I swam and tanned and read and played with plants and tutored! And played online.

I did NOT exercise .... and I need to get back to doing that ... but this Summer has been most relaxing and nice. Just thought I would share that!

An Apology to WF ....

My Dear Winefairie ....



I would like to apologize to you for the wrongs I have done to you of which I am aware.



I apologize for asking you and Catmadam to take your attacks on Bree off the Message Boards and into email. Apparently that was very offensive to you. I did not mean for it to be.



I apologize for then announcing to the people left on FP that you and Cat left because of me. Although I thought that to be the case, apparently my doing so made you extremely upset with me.



And I apologize for writing to 3 of your friends and asking them if they noticed or thought you were behaving differently from your normal self. I was not trying to smear you, honestly.



Congratulations on your new home. I hope it is going well.

Sincerely,

Cincin

I Did Something Stoopid ....

Given the online tensions I have experienced this year, I decided to run a Yahoo Search on my user name and see what it brought up. The results were good. My homepage ... my blogs ... various places I have posted comments, etc.

Then I got the "brilliant" idea to run a Yahoo Search on Winefairie. And that's where I found the inner circle of people who led to the downfall of Fool's Paradise.

Mind you, this "SparkPeople" group of "Lost Fools" .... as they called themselves (then they got angry if anyone else called them that) .... doesn't seem to have been very active since January of 2007 .... but it is the membership which is very telling. And I am not saying that Winefairie started this "SparkPeople" group ... in fact, it looks more like Q-Ball was the ring-leader there ... it was just my Yahoo Search for Winefaire which brought it up.

Now I know who the elite inner circle was. And who the rejected outcasts were. It is the middleschool lunch table thing all over again.

Now .... maybe some of the missing ladies were invited, but decided not to join? That is possible. Where is RH? Nunnie?? T4? Sparkle? LindaS? Sweeney?????? Belly? Sunshine? Looney? Knitnurse? Purpleangel? Skater? Sailor? Me?? Bree? Lilaz?

Or are these the people who made Fool's Paradise "No Fun" anymore and the reason Cat and WF and Caterry and Q-Ball stopped posting. Gilly and Do continued to play everywhere and tried to maintain friendships .... Swillow hadn't been around for quite awhile. Not sure why she left FP in the first place. And Sizz was playing both ends, it seems.

Well .... seeing all these faces and names of people who were once very dear to me made me sad and angry and a whole bunch of other emotions .... I do see that the group didn't seem to stay active for very long .... maybe they found somewhere else to go? Maybe Q-Ball did set up a message board and they are there?

But suffice to say that I wasn't invited to any of it. It appears I am among good company of un-invitees .... but still ..... pfffffffttttttt ....

And here I am thinking about trying to start a community in iVillage where ALL the old Fewls would feel welcome .... although there would be 2 Rules which all would have to follow ....

Rule #1 ..... BE NICE.
Rule #2 .... See Rule #1.

Welll ..... I am still going to attempt to start a community in iVillage. And if I can get it approved, I am still going to invite all people from SBDO-FP to join me there. Everyone will be welcome .... but the 2 Rules must be followed.

A full one-year membership to iVillage which blocks ads and pop-ups and allows full access to the Message Boards and all they offer is less than $40 a year. SBDO costs between $84-240 a year, depending on when you joined!! iVillage offers Diet and Health boards along with about a zillion other boards .... (phew ... the Love & Sex Boards have some real eye-opening topics!! Yikes!!) .... I have spent several months on these boards trying to get a feel for how they work ... meeting people .... visiting communities ... finding friends .... etc. When I opened a thread there several months ago about relocating Fewl's Paradise, I basically barged into someone's home and set up a camp in their living room!! I didn't realize at the time that is what I did .... but now I know that is what I did!! I apologize to members of the Laugh Yoursef Well/Coffee Shop Chatter Community!!!

When and if I do set up a community, it won't be in the diet and health area anyway! Although I do really like the titles of some of their communites!

New Comments Today ....

Here are some comments I got today on this Blog ... from Ms. Anonymous ... and if you check the Site meter you will see that whoever it was now has an "Anonymizer" which hides her IP address and location .... LOL ....

Thing is ... she just can't hide her attitude!!

Here is a compilation of today's posts from ONE person .... in the order they posted them ...

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Caterry's Gift to Me ....":
I love that saying. It's called humor. I don't think your friend meant anything mean by it. You seem to have a real chip on your shoulder. Lighten up and try to have a sense of humor and you might enjoy life more.

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "EVIL .....":
I feel really bad for you and wish you could quit dwelling on negatives.

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "What I did ....":
I stumbled upon this site by accident, but I'm getting the biggest kick out of you trying to figure everything out. A PI you are not. ha!

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Glass and Plants ...":
Looks cool out there. What all are you growing?

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Out of all of those comments ... I found the last one to be kind and friendly and I responded in kind.

The other comments just confuse me. Why is this person pretending like she doesn't know me? She spent around 1/2 an hour on my Blog ... reading 16 different pages .... this is someone invested in me somehow. I am fairly sure of who it is ... but given the lengths she has gone to hide her identity, I'll leave that be. However ... any other people who knew the members of Fool's Paradise, and who know me ... can probably guess who posted the comments above.

What amazes me is that they call me sad and miserable ... yet they continue to pursue me. It is fascinating!

Lord .... If I can't Be ....

Lord ... If I can't be Rich in $$, please let me be Rich in Friendships.

Lord ... If I can't be Witty, please surround me with people who laugh anyway!

Lord ... If I can't be Sane, please let my friends be Slightly Off-Kilter, too!

Lord ... If I can't cry when I need to, please let my friends tell me heart-wrenching things which MAKE me cry!

Lord ... If I am crying too much, please let my friends make me laugh until my sides hurt!

Lord ...

Caterry's Gift to Me ....

Back in November 2006, WF, Cat, Caterry, and Sunshine came to see me on a Saturday afternoon. Little tokens of friendship were exchanged ... Candles and magnets and keychains, etc.

Caterry's gift to me came with the statement ... "I hope this doesn't make you mad or hurt your feelings" .... Oh-OH! What sort of gift would do that?

Well the magnet she gave me had the little prayer "LORD, IF I CAN'T BE SKINNY, PLEASE LET MY FRIENDS BE FAT!"

Okay ... well ... 'tis true that I can't be skinny .... so I hung the magnet on my refrigerator .... shrugged my shoulders ... and went on. Caterry, by the way, is very tall (my height) and skinny, although she thinks herself to be overweight.

But the magnet caught my eye the other day ... and I got to thinking about my friends. Okay so most of my skin friends are overweight. La is not (NO, Really!! You are NOT) and Diana is not (and she eats!!) and Caroline looks great, and Sueann is skinny .... but all my other female friends and my spouse, and myself, and some of my friend's spouses are overweight. I'm sure our Drs classify some of us as "obese" ... some of us as "morbidly obese". So .... thanks for the magnet, Caterry ... it seems to speak true.

Then I thought about the women I met online .... on a Diet/Weightloss website, no less. They varied as much as my skin friends .... from Skinny ((Gilly .... Sweeney .... Caterry ...)) to morbidly obese ... ((that would be me and anyone bigger than me)) and all weights and sizes in between.

Do I like any of these women more or less because of their SIZE? Absolutely NOT. In fact, one of the most beautiful women I know has no idea how beautiful she is. She is overweight. Her hair is brown/black going to grey. She wears little, if any, make-up. Life has thrown her many, many sadnesses. Yet her laugh is a melody. Her smile, sunlight. her advice, wise. Her kindnesses many. And she really doesn't consider herself beautiful .... which is probably one of the most beautiful things about her!

I wonder what she thinks when she sees pictures of herself.

So .... Lord .... if I can't be skinny .... please let my friends be REAL.

It isn't about weight. It should never be about weight.

Tom's Glasswork ...

Glass and Plants ...

Tom is really enjoying doing stained glass projects ... here is what he did this weekend ...



And I am really enjoying growing things!! All I have to do is look at my deck and I feel happy ...

Cincin's Philosophies II .....

The sound of Cicadas in the trees is good for the Soul ...

The sound of Windchimes in the breeze is good for the Soul ...

The sound of a Water Feature nearby is good for the Soul ...

The taste of slightly sour lemonade on a hot summer day while sitting on the deck in dappled sunlight and listening to all of the above is very good for the Soul.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ha-Ha!! And it is football season!!! Yay!!

Go Broncos!!!

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Cats and Dogs and Pets in general are good for the Soul! Dogs who lay at your feet and cats who lay on your lap are Very Good for the Soul.

Riunite on ice .... very nice. Especially with pasta and garlic bread.

Nice emails from friends are good for the Soul.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

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EVIL .....

Facing off against the Fellowship is the evil Saruman, once the head of the Council of the Wise, who has since succumbed to the dark temptations of Sauron’s power. Saruman wants Frodo’s ring and is willing to use his specially bred Uruk-Hai — grotesque, war-like creatures -- to get it. Perhaps no one could embody Saruman better than that long-time master, Christopher Lee. Lee had played many mythical creatures before but had never been involved with a project like The Lord of The Rings. "This is the outright creation of an entire world," he says. "It brings together history and languages and cultures and makes a dreamscape come true." Although Saruman lived around 7,000 mythical years ago, Lee sees his dark reflection all over the place in the modern world. "To my way of thinking, the evil that exists today isn’t that different from what you see in Middle-earth. People will always crave power and Saruman wants Sauron’s power," he explains. "To me, he is not just the physical force of evil personified, he is also very real."

From: http://www.lordoftherings.net/index_cast.html

So .... we are watching the LOTR's trilogy again ... on DVD. It is a wonderful story and was filmed magnificantly! As I am watching this I get a couple of email alerts that someone had commented on this BLOG. This masked commentator chose to comment on some old posts about Fool's Paradise on the South Beach Diet message boards. She claims to not know the people involved, but my guess is that she is lieing. My Site Meter shows her as being from Wilmington, Delaware ... but also lists her as being in the Central Time Zone. All that means is that her Internet Server is in Delaware ... but SHE is actually in the Central US. And I do not know for sure who she is ... but I am quite sure she knows of me and people involved in those posts. Her tone of ridicule comes through loud and clear ... and rings familiar.

So .... she brought back memories of things I continue to try to put behind me. But these things just happened a few months ago ... so their pain still lingers and pops up at unexpected times in me.

I am still trying to figure out why someone would want to take a "happy place" and turn it into a "dark mean nasty place". This theme pops up all the time in literature and movie and LIFE ... and I just don't get it.

But watching the LOTR last night brought home that it is mostly just about POWER. And the quote I copied above has parallels in MANY ways, as Christopher Lee commented. In my own little world it was the Fool's Paradise message board on the South Beach Diet thread which succumbed to the dark temptations of evil and power.

Saruman was once head of the Council of the Wise ... but that wasn't enough power for him ... he wants the one ring which rules all ... and he is willing to destroy friendships and kill innocents and yank huge strong trees from the ground and create evil creatures to do his bidding .... just so he can RULE ALL. Never mind that the ALL that he wants to rule is ugly and injured and limping along in fear.

And there is the evil eye of Sauron watching over everything and sending his negative energy out, pulling in the weak and spineless. And sometimes the weak and the spineless were actually people who ruled parts of Middle-Earth. People who had the power to STOP him, but chose instead to join him ... so tempting the lure of POWER ... and so terrifying the threat of becoming his target.

Gee what parallels could I draw from all that? Where do WF and the Cats and Q and the Admins all fit into the picture? Where do I fit in? Where do all the other members of FP fit in?

Does FP even exist now?? I wonder.

Thank You J.K. Rowling!!

I feel so very lucky to have been alive during the Harry Potter phenomenon. I also feel blessed to have had a son who was the perfect age when the first books came out.

In 1999 I was a single mother of a 10 year old son. I do not remember where or when I first started hearing about the Harry Potter books .... but the 3rd book, The Prisoner of Azkaban was coming out with much ado in the media and I had not yet read the first two books! According to Amazon.com I ordered all three books at the same time in October of 1999.

I was hooked with the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. I devoured the first three books .... and talked my 10 year old son into reading The Sorcerer's Stone after me. He was not much into reading at the time. But what do you know?? The Sorcerer's Stone sucked him in, too! And if I have nothing else to thank J.K. Rowling for, which I do, I am immensely thankful to her for writing the first book which pulled my child into the wonderful world of reading!

At family gatherings for Christmas 1999 we found out that my nieces and nephews were also reading the Harry Potter books .... as well as their parents!! That encouraged my son, Robbie, to keep reading the next two books ... The Chamber of Secrets and The Prisoner of Azkaban. I remember being amazed at these 10 year old children who were eagerly devouring a 435 page book .... and then talking to each other about them! And the adults were all talking about these books, too! And the adults were talking to the kids and the kids were talking to the adults and everyone was talking about Harry Potter. And everybody was eagerly awaiting the next novel.

Also in late 1999 I met the man who would later become my husband. He was a reader, too, and he was also reading the Harry Potter books. A 45 year old man reading Harry Potter! In fact, it was his sister-in-law who finally told me how to pronounce Hermione's name correctly!! She and her husband and son were all reading them, too. It seemed everyone was reading Harry Potter and I found that to be amazing.

In July 2000 Harry Potter 4 ... The Goblet of Fire came out and I made the mistake of only buying ONE copy!! OH MY!! I immediately had to go out and buy another copy so that Robbie and I could both read the book at the same time! Thank goodness it was summer so that it didn't get in the way of schoolwork! His nor mine nor my students'!! This book was 734 pages long and kids everywhere were racing through it! Robbie kept wanting to talk about it as we were reading it ... I was always chapters behind him and this frustrated him to no end! But we would discuss the parts I had covered already, and he never failed to notice things I hadn't noticed, and offered me insights I hadn't thought about. My 11 year old and I were reading the same book and talking about it! Enjoying it!!

By the time Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix came out, in July of 2003, Tom and I had been married for two years and I was wise enough to order 3 copies from Amazon.com .... which were delivered to our door on the day it came out.

The first and second Harry Potter movies had already been in theaters and they had put a face and a vision to all that was Harry Potter. None of the movies were as good as the books .... but they were still amazing creations. The actors and actresses were PERFECTLY casted. The movies were a visual treat!

The Order of the Phoenix was 870 pages long and was the darkest and my least favorite of the Harry Potter novels. Yet .... because we were reading it in July of 2003, the orange kitten we took in at that time is now our cat named Weasley .... after Ron .... and the other carrot-headed Weasleys. We call him Weasel for short ... and it fits him. This time it was Tom and Robbie and I all reading the book at the same time ... all checking with each other to see what chapter who was on ... and discussing the parts we all had read. None of us liked the 5th book much. It was well written and well done ..... and necessary to the story overall ... but none of us liked seeing evil move in and take over the way it did in Book 5.

Robbie was 13 in July of 2003 ... and the Harry Potter books were not coming out fast enough for him. He asked us for books to read. He wondered if we knew of other books, similar to Harry Potter, which we thought he might enjoy. Enter The Narnia Series of books by C.S. Lewis. Enter Philip Pullman and the Dark Materials Trilogy. Enter the books Eragon and Eldest by Christopher Paolini. Enter Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein. Enter Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series ....

I have a son who loves to read! And so many young people his age have found reading ... and the main person we have to thank for all this is J. K. Rowling. It also doesn't hurt that I love to read and that our home is full of bookshelves which are full of all kinds of books. Tom and I both always have a book near our side. But J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter got Robbie into reading at a much younger age and he has never been afraid to pick up a 1,000 page book.

Robbie has also learned how much better a book is compared to the movie based on the book. We all love the Harry Potter movies .... but none have been better than their book. Speaking of which .... I am also glad to have been living during the time of the fantastic filming of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The books were still better .... but what an amazing cinematic achievement the movies were! So here's an aside "Thank You" to Peter Jackson for bringing those wonderful books to life on the big screen in such a fantastic way!

Book 6 ... Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince came out in July 2005. Here is an added thanks to J.K. Rowling and her publishers for making sure the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th books all came out in July!! How else could everyone get them read so quickly? It was perfect for students and teachers with summers off! I can't imagine having to teach a classroom full of teenagers the day after a Harry Potter book was released! We would have had to throw away our lesson plans and just let everybody read! A good thing for an English class ... but I teach Math!

Anyway ... once again, I ordered 3 copies of Book 6 from Amazon ... and once again, they were on our doorstep the day of the release. Once again we all read the books at the same time and discussed the parts we all had read. I liked book 6 much better than book 5 ... but I did not want Dumbledore to be dead. And I had so hoped that Snape was actually a good guy. Book 6 left us with lots of clues and questions. It was a perfect set-up for the 7th and final book. Now all we had to do was re-read the first 6 books and WAIT.

July 2007 finally rolled around and it was to be a Harry Potter Bonanza Month!! First came the movie .... Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The cast from the 1st movie was still intact (except for Dumbledore) and Harry and Ron and Hermione, along with all the other teenage actors, were all aging with their characters. Who would have thought that Ron would be taller than Harry?

Anyway ... Tom and Robbie and I went to see The Order of the Phoenix at the Studio Movie Grill in Lewsiville. Numerous families were in attendance with us. I particularly noticed a young boy, probably age 10 or 11, sitting with his father a few seats down from us. As the previews were playing there was one particular preview which caught my attention and as I was watching it, I wondered what book it was based on and how I could have missed reading such a wonderful book. I asked Robbie if he recognized the preview as being from a book? The preview made the movie look like it was going to be wonderful (although I cannot for the life of me remember the name of the movie) and I kept thinking how I needed to get ahold of the book before that movie came out. At the end of that preview, and before the next one started, I heard the young boy near us say to his father, "I want the book!"

"I want the book!" Words which came out of the mouth of a 10 or 11 year old boy while sitting in a movie theater. The very same words that Tom and Robbie and I all happened to be thinking, too! Not "I want to see that movie!" but "I want the book!" I have been searching the web for links to movie previews to try to find what movie it was previewing and to see if I could find the book ... but it looks like I may have to go see The Order of the Phoenix again, just to find out what that preview was! (If anybody reading this blog knows what it was, please let me know!)

Side note: I think it might have been "The Spiderwick Chronicles"?

Anyway ... The Order of the Phoenix was very well done. Keep in mind, this was my least favorite book, so I was a little bit worried about the movie. Evil Umbridge was well casted and played. She did not look like a toad, as she was described in the book, but it made her evil seem even worse because it was coming from this pleasant looking woman. ((Hmmmm .... reminds me of some ex-friends of mine.))

Finally on Saturday July 21, 2007, the 7th and final Harry Potter book arrived on our doorstep .... once again in triplicate. Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows swept the world. Robbie, now 17, was the first to dig in. Tom and I soon followed and the silence in our home was amazing. We were each in our own little Harry Potter inspired world, and quite happy to be there! We did have the British Open on the TV on Sunday and the commentators mentioned more than once the number of people they saw in the crowds who were actually reading the Harry Potter book in between the action on the course! And in our home there were actually a couple of evenings when the television set didn't even come on! That is unheard of around here (sadly).

SPOILER ALERT .... don't read if you don't want to know what happens in the last pages of the last book.

I think each of us who read the last book slowed down as we neared the end. As various beloved characters died, a sadness began to set in. Then it became clear that Harry himself was going to die in this last book. But yet, his death seemed right. The only way to stop the spread of evil was for Harry to willingly go to his death. In fact, it seemed a decidedly Christian sacrifice that Harry was being asked to make, a sacrifice he was willing to offer. A sacrifice I was going to have trouble reading ... but which I totally understood. And Harry did die. Harry was killed by Voldemort. Harry also lived again and in the end, good conquered all. But not without loss of friends and family. The book ends with a last chapter set 19 years later, when Harry is 36. He is married. He has children. Same for Ron and Hermione. Hogwarts still exists, and their children attend.

SPOILER OVER ....

Thank you, J.K. Rowling, for creating Harry Potter and all that he has become. Thank you for writing books which children of all ages could enjoy. Thank you for writing books which adults can discuss over a beer and children can discuss on the playground and families can discuss over dinner. And thank you for enriching my son's life from age 10 to 17 ... he grew up while Harry grew up. You have many wonderful lessons entwined throughout your books which I hope Robbie has picked up on .... many I KNOW he has picked up on.

I could go on and on ... I already have ... but one more time ... THANK YOU, J.K. ROWLING!