Category: Life

Travel–if only in your mind…


This summer, I attended a business conference held in National Harbor, MD; I did not recall hearing about this city before, at least not that I could remember.
Nevertheless, I quickly signed up to attend the summer institute conference. National  Harbor as it turned out, was all-good; especially because of its proximity to our nation’s capital, which I had the opportunity to visit during last year’s  conference.

Aside from the obvious reasons we attend job-related  conferences, there are some not so obvious benefits. One of the things I look for is location, location, location! When conferences are held in places I have  never been to before, (and that includes many), I jump at the opportunity; quickly  launch into a Google research project, and then get excited to learn all I can to begin plotting what to do when the workshops breakout for the day.

I love to travel, explore and see what the city I am in is all about. This morning I was looking through the picture gallery in my Droid with  the intent of deleting old files to free-up some memory. I came across a few pictures, taken during my two most recent business trips and instead decided  to share them with you. I will soon file them away in that digital album on the desktop I rarely ever go back into.

Washington, DC

The Washington monument was looking magnificent on the day I  took this picture. I could not ask for a better shot, and was truly amazed to see that it came out of my cell phone camera. I am by no means a photographer, but I hope for the best and expect the camera to see what I see, when I point and  shoot at an object. It is always a crime of opportunity; I may or may not have  the camera with me, but the cell phone? That is another story. LOL!

The sculpture shown here both took me by surprise and  creeped me out at the same time when I first saw it at National Harbor. I thought, what is that  all about? Its location made me

The awakening in full view

think it was making some reference to the sea gods and it looks intense and scary, at least to me it did. I have since learned it  is “The Awakening”, created by J Seward Johnson in 1980 and first  displayed in Hains Point, MD (another place I never heard of), for 27 years,  it was then relocated to National Harbor in 2008 when the sculptor sold it for $750,000! It must be nice!

I lived in Brooklyn, NY for more than twenty years, during  that time I visited every “must see” tourist site there was to see in NYC and even  some you would not want to see. Every museum: Brooklyn Museum, Children’s  Museum, MOMA, Guggenheim and places such as Madison Square, Empire State  building, Rockefeller Center, the Statue of Liberty–any and all major  attractions were part of my weekend itinerary, along with regular visits to  Macy’s for shopping and FAO Schwartz to ensure the kids did not complain—I was  a very smart mommy!

The point is this, there is so much to see anywhere you live  that you should not let the moments of your life go by without taking advantage  to enrich yourself. Gather some knowledge and share it with others. There are  no excuses accepted these days since Google can take you places you have never been before. I know, it is no substitute for being there, I agree; but  a “virtual trip” does not hurt anyone and if you ever get the opportunity to visit in person–you would already have an idea of what to expect when you get  there.

Bon Voyage!

10

The dog days of our lives…


My hubby and I have been married a long time; I love him dearly and think he loves me too (just kidding, hon!). For most of our married life we have always had a dog. Our first was Susie, a German shepherd we got as a gift when she was about 4 weeks old. Susie stuck around us for twelve years; until one gray winter day when she ran across the street to go to the park; and we never saw her again. I loved that dog!

Susie was about eight years old when my hubby came home one day with a fawn colored Doberman whom we promptly named Dee Dee because she introduced herself to us, by going on our carpet! Two large dogs in our household at a time, what was he thinking? Dee Dee was one unlucky dog though, she contracted Parvo when she was six years old, and we had to put to her sleep.

Our children must have thought she was a horse as she allowed them to ride her. She was amazingly gentle with them considering what they put her through on so many occasions–even their friends joined in on the rides; that was one crazy dog. These were our two dogs while we lived in New York.

Lucky dog

A couple of years later, we moved to Florida; and voila’ another dog. His name was Lucky, so named because I found him one day under my car as I was getting ready to go home from work. My girlfriend took a look at the little mongrel and proclaimed: “You should take him home, he looks like a Sheltie, they are little dogs, he would not get too big”. I took a look at his sad eyes and did just that–took him home with me. He was our first introduction to a Marley and Me dog-like experience and definitely not a Sheltie; Lassie’s size is what comes to mind; a mixed breed, a jumper, runner, destroyer of everything in sight: records, doors, gates, carpet, vinyl, paper, plastic, plants–you name it!

The hubby? He was like “we” agreed there would be no more dogs, right? He has to go! Needless to say, we really are suckers for puppies. We survived Lucky’s antics and his eighty pounds, for 14 years. He brought lots of joy to our lives.

Every dog owner I know who has gone through the death of a pet, I am sure feels the same way. The process of grieving, the feeling of loss and then we all swear “never again”, that is the last time I put myself through this! That was the two of us two years ago, when Lucky died. Did I mention I have had a dog in my life, since I was a small child?

Enter Sasha, our Labrador and Husky mix, who is now 6 months old and almost 50 pounds. I tried to resist the temptation of getting another dog, but as I said before I really am a sucker for dogs. She is our current and last dog, and our latest Marley and Me experience. Lol!

I see signs of intelligence in her, she somewhat listens to our commands–when she feels like it; loves praises. Good girl Sasha, sit, you are such a good girl. However, she is not too obedient when it comes to our allowing her to roam around the house; we have to stay vigilant, watch her every move. I keep threatening her and the hubby with sending her back where she came from (Ormond Beach), and reminding him, he is the reason why she is still here. She is a big girl, and a rambunctious one at that; and she is definitely no Alpha dog. All she has to do is hear a garbage truck, or a school bus, or anything with a large engine–and she immediately makes a mad dash for the hills!

My new mantra? Where the hell is that “Dog Whisperer” when you really need him? Cesar Millan I need you and I need you now!

4

Two granddaughters in two months. What are the odds?


Just so you know, I did not forget about you. I had very important assignments during the last few months, and they took precedence over my blogging duties. So much has happened in our lives since the last time I spoke to you.

Here goes, Miss Elisa Londyn was born on May 30 2011, the beautiful bundle of joy’s parents were beside themselves, in more ways than one. Does anyone remember the first few days after delivery? I do, very vividly, not only my own but our daughters’ too. Miss Elisa arrived on a Monday afternoon, and took her departure from the comfort of her mother’s womb very seriously; when I met her approximately 30 minutes later, all she had to say was a loud “whoa, whoa, whoa!!!” She cried as if to say “who let me out? I was doing just fine in there, Grandma. I want my mommy!

Elisa, Lauryn and Sydney

Let me tell you, as one of the two proud grandmas I was beside myself with joy. I stayed with the new parents for about 10 days to help ease them into their brand new role. Time spent was priceless; we bonded like nobody’s business and by the time I left, everyone was pretty much in sync with each other. Daddy took to being the “poopy diaper engineer” and mommy thrilled at being relieved of this particular job. Of course, she too, eventually had to step-up to the “poopy” plate. Mind you grandma was on task from the beginning but had to make sure to delegate duties just before returning home.

That was granddaughter number two; you still remember our first, Miss Lauryn, “the big sister” as she is known these days? Sydney Joyce, granddaughter number 3, arrived on July 30, to the delight of little Miss Lauryn, her parents and grandparents; Miss Lauryn has taken control of the situation, for the most part. She is mommy’s little helper, checking in on her little sister regularly and reporting to mommy when she believes there is a diaper change in order.

According to her auntie “Titi”, Lauryn can talk to little Sydney; we had a few hilarious moments a few weeks ago when all three grand-kids, parents and grandparents convened together for a baby meet-up. Titi asked Miss Lauryn one day, what her sister wanted because she was crying; she responded: “she says she wants to eat, and I think she has a poopy diaper!” We all rolled over with laughter at that assessment; and you know what? She was right!

BTW, I will never forget Sidney’s arrival into this world either; I was in the birthing room. I will never forget seeing her little head come out and without prompting and right before the shoulders were out, she made her singing debut, she was like “at last, what the heck took you all so long?” I’ve been ready for this!

Stay tuned; I am sure this will be  a joyous and totally funny ride. I love my grand babies and their parents tremendously; they are my pride and joy. I am thankful for them, and am especially thankful for the wealth of material they are going to supply Grandma with for the pages of this blog!

That’s what I am talking about!
Marcia C

6

Just wait until you have your own!


Everything in life is about a time and a season; right now it is grandparents’ season in our life.
As I patiently (not really) wait for the arrival of our grand baby girl number 3; I can’t help but think back to my own early days as my mother’s daughter. Back then, I had a question and answer for everything, but most of all, I  had  convinced myself that my parents didn’t know anything about the trials of growing up. I was sure they had both been born as adults, skipped childhood entirely… and then became our parents! LOL!
Well let me tell you! I found out what my mother meant when she said: “just wait until you have your own” over thirty plus years ago, when I became a mother for the first time and; many times since then wondered if our own children felt the same way about us, my hubby and I, as parents. It does not really matter, because by now I am quite sure they are feeling the same way I did when hit with the awareness of self discovery. Parenthood changes everything, and I mean everything! In our case, it was for the better, the reasons for doing anything became our children.
Before their arrival, it was a party all the time (hey, we were young adults) but when they entered our lives the parties changed, they moved home, and became children birthday parties instead, for the most part. Where did the time go? I find myself telling people these days to make sure they enjoy their children (I am glad I did) because they grow up way too fast. Before you know it and if you are lucky, they become adults, and make you a grandparent. OMG!!! Where did the time go?!
Let me tell you, my mother was right; and at some point I know my own daughters will feel the same way too, life is a cycle. We are born, grow up, and then die. The only things that matter are the in-between; how we live our lives is what counts, we have no way of knowing how long we have on this earth—but I can assure you, currently I am in grandmother’s heaven. I have enjoyed the process of helping (along with my hubby) create two great human beings in our two daughters, and now beam at seeing them and their hubbies taking on the challenges of parenthood; and now look forward to being around when they tell their own children what grandma used to say: “just wait until you have your own” Lol!
“Magra” was my granddaughter, Lauryn’s first name for me, that was before I graduated to Grandma (my current moniker) when she could finally pronounce it); since I am a Latina I will also answer to Abuela. I am anxious to hear what Elisa and soon to arrive new Baby C will be calling me; they can call me Grandma, Nana, Nona, Oma, Ya-Ya, all meaning “grandmother” in various cultures around the world; I will answer to any of those names, as long as they are coming from my  grand babies, and it is said with LOVE!
Marcia C

5

Mother nature scares me!


Hola, Hello, I’m back! I hope you noticed that I was missing in action for a couple of weeks or so.
Here’s the deal: I have a day job, this means I’m usually pretty busy most days of the week; by the time I leave work in the evenings it becomes a toss-up between going straight home and going to the gym. Two or three nights a week the gym wins; that means when I get home there will be nothing left to do but eat a quick meal and take a shower, after that give the brain a rest for the day—translation: mindless TV channel surfing.
This week, however, the need for self-expression came crashing back in more ways than one. First, the news was so full of unfortunate events that it just made me worry about our world. I mean, there were the ongoing news of Japan’s nuclear reactors (after the earthquakes and tsunami) threatening to wreak havoc on the already extremely taxed nerves of the Japanese people (mine too). I can’t begin to imagine what to do in such a situation.
Then there were the “social networks” driven revolts in the Middle East, and ongoing threats of war. Here is my thought on this and please correct me if I am wrong, the power of God, (I am a believer) or whatever Higher Power rocks your boat, makes it evident; we have no control over this earth and it appears, very little control over ourselves as well. My immediate thoughts after the Japanese events was Mother Nature has demonstrated to us once again that she is the ultimate “equalizer” and we better take notice of this fact and begin to treat each other with the utmost care, compassion and kindness. Or as Rodney King would say: “Can’t we all just get along?”
It is enough for us to know there are more pressing things (feed the hungry, educate our children, eat some ice cream) that require we put our collective energies into; rather than trying to tear each other down. When we die, and we all will at some time or the other, all our worldly possessions will be left behind and even if we managed to take something with us (can’t imagine why) I am sure whatever it is would be useless wherever we end up.
So come on people, let’s decide to help our fellow human beings in every way we can. We do not have to give money away; a little loving and caring will suffice in most cases. Most people would appreciate a gesture that says: I feel your pain, rather than a put down. An uplifting message is always better than a negative comment. People who are down, do not need you to remind them of that fact; they need you say you understand, and if you don’t, please keep your mouth shut!
And that is what I’m talking about!
Marcia C

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