Christmas Traditions - Chapman Style

A friend asked me to share some of my Christmas traditions.  We only have a few of them. Or so I thought.

We always put our tree up the day after Thanksgiving.  It always has to have tinsel garland on it for Trent.  :-)  We have a huge box of ornaments - ones the kids made, ones I've made, ones we've bought here or there and just a mix of others.  The girls are in charge of putting those on the tree.  I get to put all of the glass ones on the tree along with 2 sets of tiered glass bells.  The tree also has to have tons of lights on it.  Oh, I almost forgot about the candy canes.  There has to be candy canes.  The buying of those is a tradition of its own.  We decorate the tree and then head to Walgreen's to buy the candy canes and any other things we might be missing for the tree.

After Thanksgiving it is always okay to make the first batch of Nut Goodie Bars.  The best treat ever.  When I buy the ingredients for them I always have to make sure I buy extra milk.  Nut Goodie Bars always go best with a big glass of cold milk. We don't make a lot of cookies or anything.  Normally, we make at least one batch of cut out sugar cookies.  They get decorated, frosted and eaten.  This year we mixed up the dough but for some reason never got them baked.  :-(


For as many years as I've had a family I've created a family Christmas letter.  Since we have so much family living far away it has been a great way to fill everyone in on what my family is doing.  Last year and again this year I have not created my family Christmas letter.  I'm not sure what has happened but it just hasn't gotten done.


Wow, it seems to be the year of breaking traditions?  This is really sad to me.  I'll make up for it next year when I'm 100% again.

Christmas Eve we have our "traditional" dinner of steak and shrimp.  Along with my mom's fruit salad.  Some years we have salads with it, other years we do steak fries.  And for the past few years we have Peanut Butter Fudge pie for dessert.

Our kids have always gotten up before the crack of dawn on Christmas morning.  Waiting and waiting until it is "late enough" to wake us up so they can open presents.  Just like I did with my own siblings.  My kids still do this as - almost grownups.  I still fill Christmas stockings for all of them.  Apples, oranges, coloring books and candy are the normal things in each stocking.  Then something fun or needed for each of them.  I'm not sure what the apples and oranges are about but my mom always did it so I just carried on that tradition.

After we open presents we have fresh cinnamon rolls before we get ready to head out to the lake to spend the day with my Dad and whichever of my siblings and spouses, nieces and nephews can make it there.  The day is spent laughing, eating, laughing and eating some more.  When we get home, Nate and Lora come over to open gifts.  They spend Christmas morning with Lora's parents.

New Year's Eve needs to be added here as well.  My parents never went out for New Year's Eve.  We would have tons of munchies.  All of our favorites.  It was one of the few times we got to drink more than one can of pop in one week. ha!  We would eat junk food all night and watch the ball drop with Dick Clark on TV.  My family has done this as well.  Everyone helps create the menu.  Each year we try to find something new and different to make.  Usually around 3 or 4  we make subs with all the fixings.  Then around 8 or 9PM all of the junk food comes out.  We park in front of the TV and watch movies.  Most of the time it is kids' choice of movies. 


New Year's Day brings a day of leftovers - subs and junk food.  What a great way to start out a new year!


When I was asked about my traditions I didn't think I could find enough traditions to make it worth a blog entry but... 


Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of my friends and family.  I hope it is a blessed and happy season.

My Journey - Continues...

The journey so far -- In early October I went to the doctor where a nodule was found on my thyroid.  The next day the nodule changed to a mass.  About a week later my mass had become a tumor classified as cancer.  I left off with my story just before we were to go to meet with the surgeon.

The meeting with the surgeon gave Isaac and I both peace of mind.  We were told once the tumor was removed there would be no need for any further treatment.  No chemo or radiation.  He explained the procedure, how long it would take, how long I would be in the hospital and what to expect afterwards.  The biggest thing would be the possibility of some loss of voice and difficulty in swallowing.  The thyroid sits between the nerves that control your voice.  All of this was minor.  Surgery was scheduled for the morning of October 27th.  15 days away. 

We went home with good news to tell the kids.  Everyone was at home that night so we could tell them in person.  Talk about it.  Ask questions.  Basically, just understand all that was going on.  I told all of them that no matter what, they could come to me with questions or to tell me how they were feeling.  Whatever - it WAS okay to talk about.  My mom had cancer for 6 years and died when I was 24.  We NEVER talked about her cancer EVER.  I didn't want that to happen with my own family.

The hardest part was picking up the phone to call my siblings and my dad.  When I called I just told them what the surgeon had told us.  I did my best to be confident and to assure everyone I would be okay.  

15 days was going to be a long time.  But my business was still busy and things needed to be done before I had my surgery.  I didn't want to have anything to worry about while I recovered.  There was more than enough to do to keep my mind busy and not dwell on my cancer and my upcoming surgery.


During those 15 days I would have a wide range of emotions.  One morning I was busy folding laundry and just stopped and found it weird that I had this tumor in my neck that was cancer.  It was hard to believe because I felt fine, looked fine and had never been sick before finding this tumor.  Other times I would stand and look in the mirror and couldn't see any difference.  I had cancer so I had to look different right?  But the funny thing was I was more worried about how everyone else was dealing with this.  Who was worrying too much?  How so and so was coping?  Weird I know but that's what I do best.  Worry about others.


Surgery day approached (just typing this makes my stomach flip flop).  The day before I kept as busy as I could.  I finished making a Halloween costume for my son.  And made the cutest Halloween costumes for my niece and her friends.  But as dinner time approached the more apprehensive I became.  I had dinner on the table and turned and looked at Isaac watching me and almost lost it right there.  I told him I needed to go away for a few minutes.  I figured going away and crying on my own was better than trying not to and having a total panic attack.  I headed for my bedroom and had a panic attack in private.  Then went into the bathroom and washed my face. Then went and sat down at the dinner table.  I tried to crack some jokes but couldn't quite pull that off.  I don't think I can ever truly pull off cracking jokes anyway so...  ha!


After a sleepless night, we headed for the hospital just before 5AM.  Surgery was scheduled for 7:30AM.  Everything was on schedule. Of course I had to have one last minor panic attack as Isaac walked back to the waiting room.  After that I didn't remember too much of anything. ha!


Next thing I remember I was being wheeled to a room.  I'm not sure what I was expecting for a pain level but what I experienced was a little more than anticipated.  And the nurses and I had a slight miscommunication on pain meds.  Apparently I wasn't on any kind of schedule, if I thought I needed something I was suppose to ask.  So by the time we had that figured out I had gone almost 6 hours without any pain meds!!  Yikes!  My kids came to visit in the middle of all of this and I had to tell Isaac I didn't want them there anymore.  I couldn't let ANYONE see me cry! 

I was so lucky to have my dear friend (and Nate's mom-in-law) there when I hit rock bottom.  She told me I was the strongest person she knew next to our "daughter" Lora.  I just kept hearing her tell me that.  Then my baby sister was there to help put the pieces back together.  After that Lora came and helped me to stay cool and warm all at the same time.  I love all three of these ladies.  They got me through the only true low moment I've had through all of this.


By the next morning I was feeling pretty good.  A bit of a scratchy voice and a really terrible time swallowing but all in all I felt good.  The surgeon came and told us that surgery went extremely well.  The tumor was what we had thought and that the whole thyroid had been removed.  He said I could go home as soon as all of the paperwork was done.  


It was good to be home.  Recovery went well.  It probably would have gone faster if I hadn't been afraid of missing something if I napped while my dad and siblings were here for most of a day.  ha!  


Since surgery, I have met with my surgeon who said everything looked great.  I have a lovely scar on my neck that will eventually look like a crease(wrinkle) in my neck.  For now it looks a little Frankenstein like. 

My surgeon referred me to an endocrinologist, a doctor I will need to see for the rest of my life.  This is the person who will monitor my "thyroid" levels and make sure the cancer has not returned.  The doctor I was referred to was an ass.  I could go on and on about him but won't waste any more of my time on him.  I did an internet search and found a new endocrinologist at the U of Minnesota Clinic.


I met with her on December 6th.  She told me there is one treatment that has to be done.  I get to have a Radioactive Iodine (RAI) treatment on January 19th.  When your thyroid is removed there is no way they can remove ALL of the tissue so the RAI treatment will kill the rest of that tissue.  If any tissue is left behind cancer can grow there.  


The medication I take keeps my thyroid hormone levels normal, which they were when I went to the doctor on the 6th.  On Tuesday (Dec 13th) I stopped taking that medication and started one that will reverse those levels so there is NOTHING.  It helps the RAI to find whatever thyroid tissue is left.  This new med is really messing with me.  Thus the reason for not publishing this edition of my blog any sooner.  It makes my heart race, then makes me dizzy and then makes me achy all over. It lasts for a couple of hours and then I feel fine.  A little tired but that's all.  I take these until January 2nd then nothing.  

Then for the last nine days I have to eat a low iodine diet.  Its pretty amazing what has iodine in it.  Egg yolks and dairy products are at the top of the "DO NOT EAT" list. Once I go off my meds I can be extremely fatigued so it is suggested I cook all of my low iodine diet meals ahead of time.  I have food ready for ALL 9 breakfasts and then 7 other meals.  Tomorrow I will cook the rest of the meals and get them in the freezer.


When I go to the hospital for the RAI treatment I get to spend 24 hours in a lead lined room.  Doesn't that sound like fun?  Anything I take in with me has to be left behind.  I will have a TV and a telephone.  I plan to bring some magazines and a paperback book and maybe some Word Finds.  I'm hoping I sleep most of the time away but...


Then when I get home I get to be isolated from the rest of the family.  The girls are spending the weekend away from here.  It will give me more peace of mind if they aren't around.  I have to be isolated from Friday through Monday.  On Tuesday I have a complete body scan done.  Those will be done periodically for a yet to be determined length of time.


This is my story so far.  I will post an update once I have something new to add.  I feel blessed to have the kind of cancer I have.  I had a tough time with feeling guilty about all of this.  The ease with which I will get through all of this.  I don't have to have chemo treatments and I don't have to have any radiation treatments.  I have friends and classmates who have gone through such horrible things to beat their cancers.  I am truly, truly blessed.

My Journey - So Far

Most of you know some of my thyroid cancer story. Since it is not quite to the end of the story, I've decided to tell it from the beginning here in my blog. I've neglected my blog like I've neglected myself for too long.

On Wednesday, October 5th I had an appointment with a Nurse Practitioner at the clinic my hubby has been going to for the past few years. Me - I've only had an OB/GYN for the past 20 years or so, with occasional visits to urgent care or whatever doctor has the soonest opening when I've had a cold I can't shake or possible strep throat. And then only if I thought I was dying. ha! But I finally decided maybe it was time to find a primary care doctor. Someone I liked. Someone who didn't patronize me. I've had too many doctors like that in my lifetime. Just because I am a female it doesn't mean ALL of my health issues are "female problems". If you know what I mean. 

Fatigue and daily headaches are what forced me to make this appointment. When my "doctor" walked into the room, I instantly liked her. She is a few months younger than me. A working mom. She seemed truly concerned about my health. The first thing she told me was that it is time to take care of myself. It was time to do things I wanted to do. I've talked about my "Life to Do" list before. The list of things I want to experience in my life. It was time to get started on that list. We talked about my fatigue possibly being related to running my own crazy business and the need to ALWAYS be in charge of EVERYTHING. We don't need to be in control of everything because it will destroy us if we aren't careful. At some point I will blog about our need, as women to take better care of ourselves. To learn not to have to be in control of everything all the time. 

After discussing all of my health concerns along with a few life concerns, she decided what blood work would need to be done and moved on to a physical examination. She checked my ears, throat, eyes, etc. She checked my heart and lungs. Then she physically checked my neck and found what she called a nodule on my thyroid. She told me thyroid nodules were not unusual but an ultrasound would need to be done. She said to make the appointment at my leisure. That told me I needed to make the appointment as soon as possible. 

My ultrasound was schedule for the following morning. Bright and early. Before we got started the technician told me I would have results in the next day or so. When I left she told me I should have results either later that afternoon or the next morning. That same afternoon my "doctor" called me telling me I had a MASS on my thyroid and I would need a biopsy done. I commented about it no longer being a nodule and she told me "No it is a mass". Later in the day I got a copy of the ultrasound findings added to "MyChart" online. The dimensions were all in cm so I had to recalculate them into inches. My mass was about the size of a cocktail wiener! Large for a thyroid mass. 

Now, I'm starting to feel a bit of a panic. I did some internet searches on thyroid nodules/masses and found that cancer was one option. I read a little too much about the biopsy procedure so stopped my internet search. Sometimes less information is better. 

On Monday, October 10th the biopsy was done. I will leave the details out about the actual biopsy procedure. Eight samples were drawn from my thyroid mass by a radiologist who specializes in this procedure. The room was filled with assistants. One person doing some typing in the corner. Another person making sure I was comfortable. Hell, I was having eight needles stuck into my neck. And one person took each needle and squirted a sample onto a microscope slide to be sent to the lab for analysis. By the time the 3rd or 4th sample had been drawn the room got very quiet. When all eight samples were done, I was told my doctor would have results within 3-5 business days. 3-5 days would be an eternity. Panic attacks became fairly normal. Mostly, I felt like I couldn't breath. The unknown is sometimes worse than the known even if it is something bad. 

Two days later, on Wednesday, October 12th shortly after 9AM the phone rang. I took a deep breath and answered it. It was my doctor. She told me she had the biopsy results and my thyroid nodule which had been upgraded to a mass was now a full fledged tumor which was cancer. Papillary thyroid cancer is the exact kind of cancer. She told me "If you have to have a cancer this is the kind to have." My thyroid along with its funky little friend would need to be removed. She had already set up an appointment with a surgeon for later that afternoon. She asked me if I was home alone and when I told her I was she offered to stay on the phone with me for however long I needed her to be there. That was above and beyond. She has been unbelievable through this whole process. I talked to her for a few minutes, hung up the phone and cried. Eventually, I calmed down and called Isaac so he could come home and go to the surgeon with me. The next few hours were endless and filled with endless questions and moments of total panic. Totally had major issues breathing. 

Thyroid cancer is the fastest growing cancer. In 2011 there will be more than 48,000 new cases of thyroid cancer diagnosed. Papillary thyroid cancer accounts for about 75-80% of all thyroid cancer. This type of thyroid cancer in most cases does not spread to other parts of the body. It is normally self-contained and once the thyroid and its funky little friend are removed the cancer is gone. Thyroid cancer can NOT be found through any kind of blood tests. ALL of my thyroid levels were totally PERFECT. It can only be found by a physical examination. 

I will end this segment of my journey here. I promise to publish the rest of the story tomorrow night. I will type it now, proof it tomorrow night and publish it immediately after I've done that. Until then, know that I am doing great.

UNIQUENESS

Most of you who KNOW me, know my name is spelled Cheri and pronounced Cherry. Like the fruit or as I like to say “Like George Washington”. It took most of my life for me to accept this name. As a child I ALWAYS had to do battle with people on how to pronounce my name. Since I was extremely shy, most of the time I would just let people call me Sherry. And even after correcting people many refused to believe it was my real name. At one point as a teenager I even tried to go by my middle name, Lynn. That didn’t go over very well with my parents. And I never really felt like a Lynn.

People have always wondered where my name came from and how it came to be spelled the way it is. I had always been told my name came from a comic strip called “Smilin’ Jack”. I had also been told Cherry was Jack’s wife’s name. Well, after doing a quick Google search I found out the comic strip ran from 1933 to 1973 and Cherry is really Jack’s boss’ daughter not his wife. That was quite the surprise - after hearing differently all my life. But none the less, Cherry is still a character in the comic strip

Originally my name was going to be Cindy Jo. Fortunately for me the neighbor lady who was pregnant at the same time as my mom had her baby first and named HER daughter Cindy Jo. Being young and thinking they would ALWAYS be neighbors, my mom just couldn’t see how it would work having TWO Cindy Jos in the neighborhood. For some reason my Mom liked the name Cherry but my Dad didn’t want the name spelled like the fruit. My mom compromised and spelled it C-H-E-R-I. Come on Dad if it’s still pronounced like the fruit, isn’t it the same difference? Isn’t a fruit a fruit even if it is spelled wrong? :-)

So for years I have been called Sherry. Sometimes Cheryl because when people would see my first name along with my middle initial, Cheri L they for some reason thought they saw Cheryl. That’s the one name I WILL NOT answer to. Most likely I’ll knock out anyone who calls me Cheryl.

One time I filled out a form for a magazine subscription and did not “print clearly”. I ran the "r" and "i" together and didn’t dot my "i". When my magazine came it was address to Chen. Quite humorous.

Growing up my boy cousins always called me Charlie. I was never a girlie girl and I always attempted and succeeded at doing whatever the boys did. Most of the time I was better than them at whatever they were trying to do.

In high school my friend Barbie gave me the best nickname. It was quite long but I loved and still do love it. She called me “CheriBeriLemonSeedLynnEngel”. All one name. Love you Barbie.

But as I’ve grown older and wiser I’ve learned to embrace the uniqueness of my name. When I started my business 21 years ago I knew I wanted to incorporate my first name, only spelled correctly into the company name. For a long time I just couldn't find the right name, one that would be embrace my name and my personality.

One day my kids were watching "Double Dare" on Nickelodeon and one of the teams was named "Cherry Bombs". That was exactly what I was looking for. Out of that evolved Cherry Bombs Attitude Gear. It is a unique company name to go along with a unique business and even more unique owner.

Moral of the story: A name is just a name. Embrace it. Don't let your name define you but let YOU define the name.

Does anyone else have a great name story? I would love to hear your story.

...it's a Love Thing!

On September 24, 1956 in Sioux Falls, SD a new bond and love started which would last a lifetime. On March 10, 2011 a special person was found because of this relationship and a new bond and love has formed which will also last a lifetime.

On that day in 1956 my mom, Joyce Langdon Engel went into labor with her first child – me. When it was time to go to the hospital my parents had a flat tire. Fortunately, my mom’s Uncle Louie lived two doors down from us on Kiwanis St. He was thrilled to take my parents to the hospital. He was also thrilled to be the first relative to greet the newest member of the family.

All my life Uncle Louie held a special spot in my heart. And I had a special spot in his heart. Louie loved family as I love family. He always told my Grandpa Herb he was my REAL grandfather because he was there when I was born. This always made Herb fighting mad.

Uncle Louie had one child. A daughter named Marlene. Marlene was my mom’s cousin. They were close when they were growing up and loved each other very much. Marlene married and moved to Montana. Marlene had a daughter. I remember her family visiting Uncle Louie when I was younger. Marlene’s daughter was a little younger than me. The thing I remember the most about her was she was Uncle Louie’s REAL granddaughter and I wasn’t.

Growing up, Louie’s granddaughter and I never really knew each other. Her family lived in Montana and my family moved from Sioux Falls when I was 8 years old. To be honest when I started my search I couldn’t remember her name. I like to blame old age for that memory lapse.

Uncle Louie died in 1976 and four years later my mom died. Louie’s family was “lost” to me. Without my mom there was no one to keep us connected.
In the past few weeks my mom has been on my mind a lot. I’ve been remembering so many funny things about her. Not things that made me sad, just good memories. Somewhere along the way I started thinking about what happened to Uncle Louie’s family. Where was his daughter? Where was his granddaughter? I pushed the thoughts out of my mind, not sure where these thoughts were coming from and not sure what I should do.

Finally, I contacted one of my mom’s sisters to see what she knew of Uncle Louie’s family. All she knew was Uncle Louie’s daughter’s first name was Marlene. She didn’t know what her married name. I put this information aside for a couple of days. But on Thursday, March 10th I decided I would try to do some digging and see what I came up with.

A little before 10PM, I sat at my laptop and opened Google. All I had was a first name of Marlene and a maiden name of Langdon. I was pretty sure I wouldn’t find anything searching for a Marlene Langdon. But that’s where I started. This was the dead end I figured it would be. Where do I go next? Maybe I could find Uncle Louie’s obituary which would show Marlene’s married name along with where she lived at the time of his death 35 years ago? An obituary for Uncle Louie wasn’t found but something fun was found. There is a Langdon family website which is actually MY family tree and history. What a find. This has opened all kinds of doors to even more family. But it didn’t help me find the family members I was currently searching for.

How was I going to find Marlene and her family? Finally, I decided to search for Uncle Louie’s wife and Marlene’s mother – Erma. I searched for her obituary and there she was. I clicked on the website that contained Erma’s name. But, it wasn’t the obituary I had expected. It was Marlene’s obituary. She had died in 1995. It said she was “born to Louie and Erma Langdon…”

Well, I had found Marlene. When I saw her obituary I vaguely remembered hearing that she had died. Again, without my mom around, news of the Langdon family didn’t always reach us. Her obit also stated “She is survived by…” and there was the name I was looking for. Her name is Kaye and she is my second cousin.

Now armed with a first name and a married name which may or may not be her current name, I headed to Facebook. I typed in the name I had and 4 matches came up. The first one was for a teenager. Obviously, not who I was looking for. The second one was for a Kaye with a maiden name and the same last name I had found. Seeing the maiden name for FB Kaye #2 I remembered what her mom’s married name HAD been when MY Kaye had been born. It was the same as FB Kaye #2. I sent her a message telling her I thought we were related, telling her who my mom was, etc. This message was sent less than 30 minutes after I started my search.

Shortly after I sent my message to Kaye I shut down my computer and headed to bed. But sleep was not going to happen. I was so excited because I was 99.9% sure this was MY Kaye. Finally, after wandering in and out of our bedroom for over two hours I booted up my computer, signed into Facebook and found a message from Kaye. And yes she was my Uncle Louie’s granddaughter.

In the past few days, we have gotten to know each other. We have so many things in common. Our moms’ birthdays were 1 year, 1 month and 3 days different. Kaye and I have birthdays that are 1 year, 1 month and 3 days different. We both have 4 children, which are all similar in age. Both our mother’s died of breast cancer - way too young. And we both own black cowboy hats. This alone makes us very special people. ha! There are many other similarities, too many to go into here.

Needless to say this has been an emotional few days. Tears, laughter and more tears and more laughter.

So, what made me decide to start looking for this “lost” family member? Part of it has to do with my need to be the “family keeper together” person. And my need to stay connected to people who “belong” to me. I know my self-imposed title isn’t a REAL phrase but I kind of like it anyway. But why did I decide to start looking this particular week? Only God has the answer to that question.

We both believe that God always has a plan for everything that happens to us. His hand in this discovery cannot be ignored. We also believe our moms had a slight hand in this. Time will only tell why we have been brought together.

Another thing-LOVE IS FOREVER! We both loved her grandfather Louie which is the bond and love that brought us together and will connect us to each other for the rest of our lives. Family bonds and love are so very powerful.

Kaye, I hope I’ve done our story justice. But know I love you already. I probably always have. And I am so grateful we have found each other.

THE BOXERS

This blog entry has been inspired by something I remembered from my childhood while driving back from St. Cloud earlier this week. I was thinking about things that have happened to me as a child that could be retold in my blog with the hope of squeezing some kind of life lesson from it. We’ll see if I come up with one by the end of this story.

Okay, so I have this cousin David (I’m HIS favorite cousin). He is about 7 months OLDER than me. We probably have loved each other since the moment we met. I’m sure if I had been older and wiser than the newborn that I was, I would have known better and done something to chase him away saving myself from a life of torture.

My dear David pretty much filled the shoes of the older brother I never had. As those of you who do have older brothers know, this can be a blessing as well as a curse.

When together we were in constant trouble. Two great minds that really didn’t need the others help to get into trouble. If our grandfather Herb were alive I’m sure he could tell some great stories about the two of us at the Langdon farm near Burr, MN. I’m sure he could tell stories about ALL of his grandchildren. We were quite the bunch when together at the farm.

When David and I were about 5 or 6 years old my family was visiting his family (our mom’s are sisters). For some unknown reason they had two pairs of boxing gloves and for an even bigger unknown reason we decided to put them on to do a little boxing. The whole time we are putting on our gloves he’s telling me all I need to do is keep my hands up.

Here I am this tiny, sweet, innocent, little thing attempting to box this big mean, oafish bully. What on earth was I thinking? I’m pretty sure he promised me that I wouldn’t get hurt and of course I believed everything he said. And it wasn’t like he’d EVER done anything in the past to hurt me. Right! And just because I was a girl it didn’t mean I couldn’t do EVERYTHING the boys did.

So here I am struggling to get these big, heavy boxing gloves on when WHAM! he punches me right in the face and knocks me down. I didn’t even have my gloves on yet! What kind of cheat does something like that? I screamed bloody murder. The screaming was more of a reaction to the shock of getting hit than the actual pain. Even though I was screaming my head off he wanted me to get back up and finish getting my gloves on so we could really box. But my screams had brought the adults running and that was the end of the boxing match. It was lucky for David that the parents came running because I had only one thing in mind and that was to pummel the snot out of him for blindsiding me!

This is one of the most vivid memories of my childhood. No wonder I’m such a messed up adult.

If David does happen to read this (which I will make sure he does) I’m sure his version of this story will be slightly different than mine. I would welcome his version of the story to be told in the comment section below. None of it will be true but his version of the story makes me laugh even harder than my version of the story.

Okay, now I need a moral to this story: “When getting ready to box someone, make sure you keep one eye on them at all times.” There really isn’t much of a moral to this story. It’s just a funny story I wanted to share.

PS I’m also kind of thinking this may be the reason one of the things on my “bucket list” is to do some boxing?

Hippies Grown Old!

This past weekend my daughters and I went to Rosedale Mall to shop for a prom dress for my youngest daughter. There are "guidelines" attached to who and what I can write about in my blog, so needless to say this story will not be about prom dress shopping.

On this day the mall was filled with hockey parents and girl hockey players and all of the various family and friends that follow their loved ones to state hockey tournaments. All of which were wearing there team colors and those pins with their child's picture. Jerseys, jackets, hoodies, t-shirts, sweatpants and slippers were the apparel of the day.

As we walked through the mall I noticed this "older" man sitting on a bench. He stood out for many reasons. Mostly, he wasn't a hockey dad. At least not an obvious one. His appearance made me chuckle to myself. His hair was shoulder length, gray where it had once been dark. He had a neat beard and moustache also gray but not as gray as his hair. He was wearing a worn pair of jean with a few holes here or there and a long sleeve button up shirt of some soft looking pale blue fabric. And he had on a pair of "earth shoe" type shoes. A hippie grown older.

He made me chuckle because I thought he looked so out of place in the mall with all of the obvious hockey dads. And hippies from the 70's who are still hippies today make me smile. That's what I wanted to be when I grew up. Sometimes I think I've made it but I'm not always so sure.

Awhile later, I saw that he was walking towards me in the mall. He was busy talking to this woman walking with him. This was probably who he was waiting for when I first saw him sitting on the bench. She looked younger than him but only because her hair was still dark.

As I watched him (okay, he was kind of good looking, give me a break)I realized what I had labeled as an "older" man was in reality in his mid 50's! That realization really made me laugh. Being in our 50's does NOT make us older! Especially to someone our own age. Another realization was that maybe he wasn't a hippie grown old(but I'm pretty sure he was) but just someone who wasn't afraid to show who he was. Someone growing old that was still young at heart.

The older I get the more I know that I need to be me. Expressing what I am inside may show outwardly by how I dress, how I act or even by the things I do. Love the person you are inside and that person will shine through. Does it really matter what anyone else thinks about you?

The moral of the story is: "Don't judge a book by its cover. Just because the cover is old and worn, faded and broken it doesn't mean the story inside isn't still exciting and alive, shiny and whole." or "Let your light shine and to hell with what the rest of the world thinks."

Change of Habit! (This has nothing to do with the Elvis movie)

First, to comment on some comments made on the last entry –“Such a Funk!” One friend commented that she wished she could afford to go buy new clothes but it just wasn’t a possibility. We don’t have to buy new clothes to put our best foot forward. The thing is not to put on the worst outfit we have. Get up in the morning and put on the best thing you have. Maybe just add a new lipstick color, a little makeup, a hair accessory or pair of earrings to your wardrobe.

There are many little things that we can do to help boost our self-image and change our attitude. Things to help us get out of the funk we can sometimes find ourselves.

Also someone told me I would fail at doing this blog. They think my intentions are good but when I get busy I will quit blogging, which is very possible. I would love to say I am going to do an entry every day or every week or even every month but I’m not making any promises to anyone on that. All I can say is I will do my best to share what I can, when I can.

This blog is just random thoughts I have, things that I am trying to do myself to be a better (old) person. I don’t always walk the walk but I’m pretty good at talking the talk. That would be the Langdon in me (just a little family joke). All we can do is try our best to be the best we can.

Our habits can create issues with our attitude as well. Changing bad or creating new habits can be difficult. But, can be so rewarding. At heart I think of myself as a pretty lazy person. Mostly it’s just easier not to do certain things. Like most things. ha! I used to never make my bed. Ever. Not even later in the day. About 8 months ago I read an article that by making your bed every morning before you leave your bedroom you have accomplished at least one thing for the day. Being able to look back at your day and have at least one accomplishment, no matter how trivial it may seem is a great motivator. I’m trying to add a few other “good habits” to my daily routine.

The biggest thing I would like to change is my eating habits. I am slowly making some positive changes. A huge change I have made is drinking those 8 glasses of water that my body needs. My morning starts with drinking a full glass. Of course this is after I make my bed. Sometimes the desire to eat food is actually dehydration. Drink a full glass of water before every meal to make your brain think you are full.

Portion control is another thing that I am trying to change. It is an important thing in losing weight. I am realizing that if I eat smaller portions at my main meals and then eat small snacks in between meals it is easier to eat smaller portions all day. Snacks can be raw veggies, a small piece of chicken, Rye Krisp with a little peanut butter, yogurt, cottage cheese, an apple, almonds, protein shake or even a smoothie.

I need to add more vegetables and fruits to my diet. Lunch is where I have things only half right. I might have a healthy sandwich but I will grab a bag of chips to go with it. How healthy is that? Now I try to have some carrots or apple slices instead of those chips.

I'm learning to change what kind of carbs I eat. Whole grain breads have been a part of my diet for the past several years. Brown rice is now being used instead of white rice. And whole grain pastas instead of regular pastas.

Little changes with the hope of big results. Its all about one day at a time, one meal at a time. Changing our eating habits can help with all kinds of health issues. Losing weight (if needed) can change our self-image and self-esteem which affects our attitude.

A thought for my friend that can't afford a new wardrobe. How about every time you choose not to buy a "bad" snack you put that money in a "new me" jar? When you have enough use that money to go shopping for a new outfit. Create a fun jar that has a drawing of a sexy lady or a picture of a new swimsuit or something else that would be inspirational. Put it somewhere that you will see EVERY day.

While typing and retyping several times, I was trying to do a little planning for my blog. I want it to have a "free spirit" but I don't want it to be this ramble of nothingness either. I'm not sure this is where I wanted my blog to go and maybe it won't stay on this track But for now, I'm kind of thinking that each day of the week could have a theme. I'd like to post diet ideas, exercise ideas, healthy recipes, maybe some creativity motivators, daily motivators, maybe a funny story day. I'm still not sure where this will take me or for how long but I plan to have fun with it.

Tell me what you would like to see or hear. I'm open to ideas. In October 2009 when I started this blog it was going to be just a bunch of funny stories but once I started to type I realized that I really wasn't as funny as I thought I was. ha!

If you click "FOLLOW" to the right you can add your name so you get an email when I do post something new. And it will make me think I'm more important than I really am.

Tomorrow is Monday. Let's start the week with our "best foot forward".

Such a Funk!

For most of us this has been the longest winter of our lives. Yesterday, I was so tired of the dirty snow, the bare trees, the slush, the cold and on and on. When I went to bed I was in such a funk. The more I laid there feeling sorry for myself the more I realized it was ME that I was most tired of. My own attitude was what was making everything around me seem more gloomy and dreary and dirty than it really was. Don't get me wrong its ugly out there.

Reflecting on my week, I realized that I have worn the same shirt and the same really awful pair of polar fleece pants for at least 3 days. Yuck! If I wore the same clothes for that many days it is fairly likely that I haven't showered in that many days either. (I know way too much information being shared.) It has been a week of not accomplishing much of anything.

There are many serious pitfalls of working at home. Not interacting with human beings from the outside world on a daily basis being a huge one. Because I don't always deal with other people doesn't mean I can't look my best or at least better than I have for the past few days. Oh, but wait - I DID interact with 4 customers two nights ago. When they left I noticed my shirt had some very lovely looking stains on the front and I had on those same tacky looking polar fleece pants that could be considered "waders". What a great "best foot forward" that was. NOT!

This morning I read a family member's blog. His post was about how good looking people do better in business. It was about putting a smile on your face and putting your best foot forward. Dress to impress. I realized that even if I don't go out into the working world every day how I dress and what my appearance looks like DOES have a direct affect on my attitude. Which in turn has an affect on my business.

Your attitude is affected by many things. Some things we can control others we can't. Our attitudes affect not only our business relationships but ALL of our relationships. Spouses/partners, children, parents and friends.

So today I am off to shower, put on a pair of jeans I like to wear, a warm sweater and my red cowboy boots. Then I am off to shop for a new business casual wardrobe. Little changes in your appearance can make big changes in your attitude. And your attitude colors the rest of your world.

I'll keep you posted as to how my attitude changes as I make an effort to put my best foot forward. Will my confidence change? Will I be able to get my business to be more manageable. Will I get things accomplished during the day to make time for ME? We'll see. Only time will tell.

Who else wants to take the challenge? Should we call it the Get out of the Funk Challenge?