A Different Kind of Vacation Planning

It rained almost all day today, which was pretty fitting for Marilyn's last day of her birthday celebration. After all, who wants to leave Disney World when it's sunny? But she had to leave for Baltimore to return to work and family. I'm still here until Thursday, thanks to Mickey's "Buy 4, Get 3 Free" promotion.

So what will I do for the next two days? I'll sleep without Shaggy the Cat's interruption and think about my plans for the next six months. Tomorrow marks the first day of the remaining six months of the year, and I'd like to finally make the changes I had hoped to make during the first six months. Maybe with a few days of relaxation, I can make a plan.

It's always good to get away and think, whether it's on vacation or on retreat or on your coffee break. We all need a few minutes to put the present on hold while we take a deep breath before we think of the future.

And sometimes, if we can get a Mickey Bar in the process, planning seems like a pretty good endeavor to undertake!

The Little Things Matter

Today I could have made some money. I decided to wash some clothes, since seven days required me to bring too many. When I went to stuff my things into the washing machine, I saw coins left in the bottom. There was a total of 37 cents, certainly not a fortune, but somebody's money. I retrieved it and left it on the folding table.

I needed more quarters, so I went to the Grill to get a cookie and some change. I asked the register lady for quarters and gave her a ten to cover my cookie and the change. She rang up my purchase and proceeded to give me change - a ten, three ones, and nine cents. I showed her the ten dollar bill I had given her, she corrected herself, and proceeded to give me the correct change.

Maybe it's not a big thing, but it was the right thing. Maybe if we all just made sure the little things were also the right things, then the big things wouldn't seem so hard.

All we really have to do is start with the little things, and that's always pretty easy.

Just A Carriage Ride To The Rest of Your Life

Today as I was walking the grounds of the Grand Floridian, I happened upon a rare experience. Cinderella's coach, coachmen, and horses came past, presumably to pick up a bride for her wedding at the Wedding Pavilion. It would be a carriage ride to begin the rest of her life. It was really neat to be able to see it.

But then I thought of something else. I imagined that Heaven could be like these grounds, green and beautiful and lots of people milling around. But then we all stop as the Welcoming Carriage comes past. We're all excited, wondering who will be coming today? And when those doors are opened, we're all laughing and crying and hugging, because another loved one has joined us in Heaven. But better yet, imagine the day that we're in that carriage, and welcomed by our Heavenly Father and family into our eternal home.

Just a thought for a beautiful Sunday in June.

Happy Birthday Marilyn!

Today is my sister's birthday. We are celebrating by spending a few days at The Happiest Place on Earth. We started the day at The Magic Kingdom, because on your birthday, you can get in free or get a gift card if you already have a multi-day ticket. Marilyn got the gift card. We were there in time to see Mickey and the gang open the park which was a lot of fun.

After walking around the park and riding nothing because either the ride wasn't open, or being refurbished, or it was too hot for too old women to stand in line, we went back to the hotel and sat by the pool. All of the above activities were time fillers until the real entertainment - dinner at Victoria and Albert's.

Now for those of you who could care less, Victoria and Albert's is the fancy-schmancy restaurant at Disney World. Since our usual meal of choice is a burger at Pecos Bill's, we knew we were over-stretching ourselves. But we like a challenge, so we reserved a table, and off we went for a 5:30 dinner.

We were smart enough to wear our finest stretchy clothes, because this is a seven course meal. We arrived on time, checked in, and soon were escorted and seated at our table. Soon Bill and Beth (our serving team) came and introduced themselves. We were given our personalized menus to pick our choices for each course, and the fun began.

We had decided to drink only water with our meal, and it seemed like as soon as we had a sip, the B's were there to fill-er-up again. Good think we decided against the wine pairing - we would have been drunk before the third course. I would describe each course in detail, but I will give you the basics: each chosen menu item had a really long name and lots of little food items in it. All the little food items were arranged in a pattern or on top of each other or glued together with some other food item. There were purple potatoes and miniature other food items. There was little bites of meat items and a plate of cheeses of the world and then there was dessert. Which I would describe except I was going into a food coma at that point and the coffee still hadn't percolated. Or steamed, or whatever the heck the coffee contraption was supposed to do.

Anyhow, eventually Beth brought the bill, which signaled the end of our culinary experience. It was all very delicious and we took our personalized menus, our long-stemmed roses, and our even larger derrieres back to our room. It was a great experience for two sisters on a vacation.


I'm just hoping I can get Marilyn up for her 5-hour spa appointment tomorrow!

Not A Working Vacay

I am at Disney World. Disney really got me this year with its "Get In Free On Your Birthday" campaign and its "Buy 4 days, get 3 free" resort campaign. So it was a no-brainer to come for a visit for Marilyn's birthday. Originally we were both to arrive yesterday, but she had a conference which delayed her arrival until today.

My sister and I come to Disney quite a bit. We come for races, we come with various family groups, and we come for a combination of both. Many times we come for what we call a "working vacation." That means we are coming with someone whom we really want to have a good time, so we work our butts off trying to make that happen. By the end of the vacation, we are happy but tired. It ends up being a good, yet exhausting, trip.

So we planned this one a little differently. We have no plans, except for Marilyn's birthday dinner tomorrow night. We don't know what or where we will eat, what we will do, or when we will do it. We are just going to do whatever whenever.

We hope it will be fun and relaxing. With the two of us and Disney, it will be an adventure.

Two Stories In Paradise

No, it's not about Farrah and Michael. There's enough on the news and in your own person history to think about those two and paradise. This is about my temporary home and my permanent home. Here at the Grand Floridian, there is someone who will feed me 24 hours a day, my room gets cleaned up twice a day, and someone turns down my bed at night and leaves me a piece of chocolate. On Crestridge, Shaggy and Grayson/GKitty are meeting. One is bliss and one could be trouble.

I think I'll stick with the Mouse!

Hello, My Name Is Luanne and I'm A Pushover

This morning as I was moving plants and placing bricks in the backyard, I noticed a gray kitty on my driveway. He seemed friendly enough so I petted him. In between water breaks, we would visit a little more. He stayed outside all day, and by this evening when he hadn't returned to his home, I decided to give him a little snack and some water.

It is obvious he belongs somewhere. He wears a pink collar although he is obviously all male. His paws are soft so he hasn't seen much outside action. His fur is smooth and he doesn't seem malnourished. So why hasn't he gone back home?

I had some errands to run tonight and when I returned home, Steve and Maribeth had not only let the gray kitty inside, but they had put Shaggy the Cat outside due to grumpy behavior, and gave gray kitty free run of the house (and Shaggy's food).

I decided to open the door and let the kitty outside. Right now I am upstairs, so there's no telling what Steve and Maribeth are up to. Tomorrow I leave for my sister's birthday celebration, so there's no telling what I will be coming home to in a week.

But I guess the bottom line is that I'm a pushover and everyone knows it. And it looks like somebody told this gray kitty!

Dog Tired

Found this picture on the internet and thought it accurately depicted how I feel at this moment.
I think this means I'm off to bed!

True Girl Power

Maribeth is headed for Baltimore to finish some ex-boyfriend business. It's been a tough week, and she knows it's time for closure. Lynnette agreed to go along for moral support. While they're in Baltimore, my niece Lucy will entertain them and provide Maribeth with any extra support while my sister Marilyn will be on call if needed.

It's one of the great blessings of life, to have a supportive family. A family that will come to your side if you need them, whether it's to support you in the sad times, help you find airplane flights in the fun times, and just to be there in all the times in between. An added blessing is to have women in your family that have your back, no matter what. They'll be there for whatever you need without question. They'll be there because you're family, and nobody is going to break that bond that family creates.

Sometimes it's your girlfriends who become your sisters and family. Although you may not share DNA, you're bound by that same love. You know you can call them and they will run to your side.

Sisters, cousins, nieces, girlfriends. A strength and support like none other, and a great gift if you're lucky enough to experience it.

"When sisters stand shoulder to shoulder,
who stands a chance against us?"
- Pam Brown -

"The mildest, drowsiest sister has been known to turn tiger if her sibling is in trouble."
- Clara Ortega -

"Sisters annoy, interfere, criticize. Indulge in monumental sulks, in huffs, in snide remarks. Borrow. Break.
Monopolize the bathroom. Are always underfoot.
But if catastrophe should strike, sisters are there. Defending you against all comers."
- Pam Brown -

Happy Father's Day, Steve!

I'll Have An RC and A Moon Pie, Please Ma'am

This morning I was at the RC and Moon Pie Festival. The last time I was there was in 2000, when my niece Lucy and I ran the 10-mile race associated with the festival. It was my very first race, and Lucy and I came in dead last. In fact, we were so last, they were taking up all the race signs, and we had to ask where the finish was. But we did finish, and after many years, marathons, half-marathons, and various other races, here I was again. Today I didn't do the race, but Lynnette and I decided to come to enjoy the festival and watch Steve and Sam finish the race.

Our plan was to leave Nashville about the time the race started, arriving at Bell Buckle about an hour later (the time it takes to get there). I knew the race was held on the surrounding rural roads. As we got closer to the town, we saw what we thought were the runners. We also saw a police car and fully expected to be given instructions to be rerouted around the race route. But we weren't. Instead, the policeman directed us on the road where the runners were running. Just imagine this - here we are, creeping along in my red Camry, as runners are running all around me. Soon they started running from the left side of the road to the right because of a water station ahead. Needless to say, it was a bit nerve-racking as we tried not to hit anyone. We also kept the windows rolled up to avoid the probable foul language directed at us from the sweaty runners' mouths (did I mention it was in the mid-80s?).

Anyhow, we got to the town limits, parked in Farmer Joe's front yard (literally) by paying Mrs. Farmer Joe $5, refused his offer of his cats, and waited for Sam and Steve to run past. Sam came first, sweating from every pore in his body, shaking his head in case we were planning to ever enter him in this race again. Steve came along a little later, gratefully taking the venti Starbucks iced tea lemonade I had brought from Nashville. We bade goodbye to Steve as he beat a hasty retreat back to Nashville in his air-conditioned car. Sam changed into dry clothes and the three of us shopped and enjoyed the festival, including fried moon pies and RC colas.

Today was a fun day of Southern hospitality. It reminded me of the little town where I grew up and those delicacies and hometown goodness that can best be enjoyed in the South. Maybe it's true that you can't go home again, but sometimes it's sweet to go back for a visit.

Two Feet VS Four Wheels

Today as I was out walking, a car pulled out onto the main road from a side road. Apparently the car coming up on the main road was not happy, as evidenced by the blaring of the car horn. I don't think he was saying, "Hey, glad to have you in front of me!" As the car, its honking horn, and driver went past me, I noticed the driver making gestures with his hands, sort of like spreading them out to indicate the road ahead. I didn't get it, and I'm sure the offending other driver/car didn't. I really just didn't see what the big deal was - the car pulling onto the main road did nothing to impede the car behind it. I hope the driver behind got to his destination on time, his car horn was recharged, and the driver in front learned from his "here is the road" lesson.

A mile or so later, as I was walking on the overly ample shoulder of the road, a car came toward me, well over the white line dividing her territory and mine. I hastily retreated to the grass, and the woman driver decided to quit applying eye shadow and steer her car back into her lane. I hope she arrived sufficiently made up for whatever appointment she was en route to.

Nothing really particularly relevant to say, except this - watch yourself when you're behind the wheel. You never know who may be watching!

Wogging Rewards

I have several wogging routes of varying lengths. The ones that go through my neighborhood follow a stream that flows along one of the streets. Today as I was out, I saw the ducks that live in one part of the stream. I hadn't seen them in quite a while, and had figured that a unleashed dog might have gotten to them. But today I was happily surprised as I saw them splash about in the water.

A few moments later, I noticed a lady bicycle rider. She had stopped at the little bridge that crosses over the stream. I looked in the stream and noticed there was an animal in the water, probably her dog. I looked a little more intently and thought, "Man, that's one big butt-ugly dog!"

As I got closer, the bicycle lady whispered, "There's a beaver in the water." And sure enough, there was. What I had thought was her dog was actually a beaver. We watched as he swam around, muddying the water and bringing sticks over.

There were many walkers and runners out in the neighborhood this morning. Many completed their runs in their projected times. I didn't. Instead, I got five miles, two ducks, and one beaver. What could be better than that!

Meet MiddleC

I regret to inform you of the passing of Itty Bitty. She was a good one, but one day last week she decided to rest eternally. She did not turn on or light up. While I had various manuals and other bits of information, I had no sales receipt. I got online and realized I had never registered her. Things did not look good, as I imagined a repair bill costing more than Itty herself originally cost.

She was doing no good just as a paperweight, so Steve kindly took her to the geeks at Best Buy. They found the record of the original receipt, and she was still within the year of her one-year warranty (a small miracle in itself, as most of our gadgets break the week after the warranty runs out). The geeks sent her to specialists. Today they called and said she had gone to the great motherboard in the sky. Because she was under warranty, I would get a new one.

When Steve went to get a new one, there were none in the store to get. There were none in Nashville or on Best Buy Dot Com. There was talk of the manager trading out with something else, but instead Steve got a gift card with the amount of the trade. He then crossed the road to Costco, where he found Itty's Big Sister, now known as MiddleC (as in between Itty and the regular laptops).

All this to say that I am back in business with a little computer that's easy to transport to Disney World, where I will be going in another week. But I digress. The real news is that another Davidson computer broke within the warranty period and Best Buy came through. Best Buy Rocks!

Happy Roller Coaster Day

According to my much-researched information, today is the anniversary of the first roller coaster in America. In celebration of today, I would like to list

The Top Ten Reasons
I Rarely Ride Roller Coasters

10. They defy gravity. I was brought up to defy no one.

9. There's a lot of screaming involved. I need to preserve my voice, should my opera career take off.

8. There are usually seat belts involved. This is rarely a good sign for anything, including when I am driving a car.

7. You can lose things. My sister lost our look-alike Disney hats on one. Wonder if that was on purpose.

6. There are slow going-up hills followed by fast going-down hills. Can't we just maintain a steady pace both ways?

5. Some roller coasters go upside down and spin around. Now this is just unnatural. I'm sure my stomach and its contents would agree.

4. There are front seats. And back seats. I don't like the front because when you go over that big hill, there's nothing underneath you. I don't like the back seats because if I wanted to get slammed around, I'd go for the bumper cars.

3. They're designing them to go faster and faster. Why is the federal speed limit not enforced? I smell anarchy, people!!

2. Some are in the dark. I'd rather the paramedics find me when I have my heart palpitations.

1. There's always Dumbo and the merry-go-round if I want excitement!

At Least It's Not A Cat Video

What can I say - it's been a slow day ...

What's YOUR Disney?

I live in Nashville. This week has been the week of the CMA Music Fest, and no, I have not been to one show, one signing, one meet-and-greet, or one anything. If I didn't read the local paper, I probably would hardly remember that it's even in town.

But it can affect the natives. Yesterday Sam went for his routine jog downtown and was stopped before he could continue on his regular route by the riverfront. That road was blocked off for concerts and such. This morning we rode around downtown to see all the tents and people and vendors and things associated with this event. It was pretty massive, especially seeing all the fans milling around.

As one point, I decided that the CMA Music Fest is some people's Disney World. They love it, they come to experience it, they purchase souvenirs, and they can't wait to come again.

We all have our Disney, that thing we want to experience because it fills us up. Maybe that thing is an escape from our everyday lives, but in some way it's also a part of our everyday lives. It's an outlet to enjoy that also invigorates us and gives us cause to appreciate the lives we have.

Today I looked at all those people with their name tags and hoped they had a great time making many unforgettable memories. Maybe standing in line to see Reba or Taylor has the same effect that meeting Mickey or Donald has for me. Maybe they wear their Vince and Kenny t-shirts as proudly as I wear my Animal Kingdom shirt. In the end, we're all having the same enjoyment - just in different ways.

Okay, fine - I did it.

Got on Facebook again. I was on it, then got off because it was too stressful. People wanting to be my friends, people sending me things and I didn't know the proper protocol for receiving them, and trying to figure out how often I should post. It was just way too much responsibility.

But I cheated. I would get on Steve's Facebook to check things out. It was like getting cable for free. I finally decided that it was wrong, and if I wanted to receive the benefits, then I had to pony up and rejoin. So I did.

I still don't know all the courtesies I should extend, and will probably still agonize on people who friend me that I don't want friend-ed, and all the other imaginary dilemmas my itty bitty brain can concoct. But at least I'm honest now.

So friend me. I'll probably accept, if I can remember how. And maybe I'll even throw you a snowball back!

The New Compact Car

This afternoon as I was leaving Target, I noticed a section of parking places labeled "Compact Cars Only." As I drove past, I counted three SUVs parked in three of the ten spaces. At what point does an SUV qualify as a compact car?

Based on that theory, does that mean I can now be considered a petite and shop in the junior department?

Just wondering ...

Zoo-ing

This morning Lynnette agreed to a field trip to the Nashville Zoo, a place I hadn't visited since the last group of children I chaperoned many moons ago. Everybody else in the family was either out of town, or working, or not interested. So we did it in typical Davidson fashion - without a plan. We ended up in the reptile house during a huge rainstorm, and then wandered about the zoo without a map. While it wasn't the Animal Kingdom, it was still a nice day. We saw icky reptiles and cute snow leopards and hungry elephants and curious giraffes. It was a little wet but it was fun. So I guess it just goes to show that you can enjoy anything in any circumstances- you just have to want to.

Raising Pageant-Deprived Girls

Some days I ponder over the "should haves" concerning the rearing of my three children. Then there are days like today when I am relieved at the "didn'ts" that I managed to achieve. Here's why:

This afternoon I got sucked into a television marathon of "Little Miss Perfect." What can I say - my back was hurting and I needed to recline for awhile. Sure, there were more brain-worthy shows on cable, but I got snookered into this one. Basically, it's a show highlighting two little girls who are going head to head in a beauty pageant called "Little Miss Perfect."

There are all kinds of comments that I could make about pageants, but I'll refrain. I do know that I could never put the effort and energy into this endeavor that these pageant moms do. I can't imagine teasing Maribeth's hair into the bouffant hairdos that these children sport. This is based on the hissy fit she threw when an innocent little hairdresser tried to curl her hair during a routine haircut when she was five. I also can't imagine trying to concoct an evening dress suitable for my daughters, since they pretty much refused to wear my suggestions once they cleared the womb.

Anyhow, there's really no point to this post except to say this - there are always things that moms wonder if they should have done differently. I certainly have my sackful of them. But after watching hours of this childhood event known as pageants, I am confident that's one event I needn't worry about!

In Case You Missed It ...

... here's Doogie Howser singing at Sunday night's Tony Awards. Loved the show, loved the awards, but really loved the song!

Mommy and Me

Field trips are not relegated to the school-aged. Just ask my adult kids.

It all started this morning. I laced up my shoes for a wog and asked Maribeth if she wanted to come along. She said I should walk to Kroger and purchase some grapes for her. To which I replied that I would if she would go with me. To which she said sure. So she put on an Appalachian Trail backpack and we set out. Now, the local Kroger store is not just down the street. It is a mile away via a busy road with scant sidewalks and a stretch with a "Danger - Rocks Falling" sign. But we persevered, got grapes, bananas and other sundry items and made it back safely.

After lunch, Sam and I went to donate blood. It was his first time and my third time. We went, we bled, we had snacks, and left with t-shirts and Girl Scout cookies.

So today I had field trips with two out of three children. All that is left is Molly. Guess if she's next I'd better check the balance on the Visa (and make sure my insurance is up to date)!

Stylin' - Luanne Style

In today's Target ad, $8 polos are once again featured. These polos are regularly $9.99 and are a staple of my wardrobe. I buy new ones every time they are on sale, mainly because they are cheap and I regularly ruin my current polos in ways too numerous to mention. My sister Marilyn also buys them, so when we go on vacation together, we can dress alike without intending to do so, much to the chagrin of our daughters.

Anyhow, I just wanted to explain my fashion sense, or lack of it thereof. Don't send Stacy and Clinton to my house. It's not my fault - it's Target and their pesky retail strategy.

On the other hand, just think of how many polos I could purchase with $5000!

A Fabulous 5K

This morning was the inaugural Shoney's 5K Family Fun Run. Nobody else in the family was available to join me, so I was going to do it alone. Last night, I stayed up to watch "He's Just Not That In To You," a movie that I never got in to. I finally fell asleep, only to have Shaggy the Butthole Cat wake me up an hour later to go outside. Long story short, when I woke up this morning, wogging a 5K was not on my Top Ten List. Sleeping in was.

But I went anyway, and ended up having a good time. I saw a lady walking the race with her bird (a first). I talked to some people who are doing the Disney Half in January. I saw a person with a Mississippi State shirt on. The goodie bag was filled with lots of free stuff, the race shirt was pretty cool, and we got a free lunch (burgers and hot dogs) after the race. I even won a door prize - 72 Zone Perfect Bars and a $10 gift certificate to Shoney's.

All in all, a good day. All I had to do was get up and get in to it!

Friday Night

Steve is in Kansas City with Sam, who will be running his 6th half-marathon for 2009. Maribeth is in France, finishing up her four week study there. So tonight it's just me and Shaggy the Cat. We're watching movies on cable, most of which we've seen too many times before.

But it's nice to sit and be quiet for awhile. There are about a million things I could and should be doing, but I'm not. There are plenty of things to be cleaned, but they remain dirty. There are projects to complete, and thoughts to be thunk, and pounds to be lost. But for tonight, nothing's getting done. Shaggy's dozing on the couch, and I'm sitting beside him, doing nothing.

Some things worth doing are worth doing well. Tonight I am doing nothing and doing it quite well. It's good to be quiet and vegetate and let the brain rest for awhile.

Gotta go - Bridget Jones in on in 5 minutes!

Sometimes Something Old Can Be New Again

This afternoon I went to Molly's house to help her and her roommate Scout move furniture. First we re-arranged the existing couch in the same room, but ended up switching the couches from the den and living room. In the end, each room had a new look just using the same furniture.

Sometimes all it takes to revive something is to try it in a new situation. You can place it in a new spot, or with a new accessory, or with a new coat of paint. Or maybe you can just change the way you look at it.

It works with things, with people, and with perspective. Just because you've had it a long time, doesn't mean it can't be different. Just because it's served you well in the past, doesn't mean it can't have a new life in different circumstances. You just have to be willing to move things around, shake things up, and try it in a different way.

You won't know the potential that is there until you try.

That's What Moms Do

When Steve came in this morning after retrieving the morning newspaper, he said there was a baby bird out on the driveway. I looked out, and sure enough, there he was, chirping away. I kept watching for much of the morning. I noticed there were other birds out on the lawn - obviously bird babysitters. Soon I saw the mama blue jay come in with Chirpy's breakfast. She left to go to the worm market, and Chripy continued his song out in the sun.

Being the over-protective mother that I am, I became concerned that if he stayed out in the sun all morning, without sunscreen, that he would soon be bird fricassee. So, I stuck some straw and lint and a bowl of birdseed in a temporarily abandoned birdbath and took it out underneath a tree. I scooped Chirpy in a saucer (no direct touching) and deposited him in the new digs and then retreated to my observation window. Soon enough Mama Bird came back with more breakfast. A squirrel came down to check things out. Chirpy hopped around, and soon hopped off the birdbath and headed back to the driveway. Mama Bird returned again, probably lecturing Chirpy on leaving the safety of the sorry-human bird nest.

But she kept feeding Chirpy as he kept hopping toward our neighbor's yard. Even Daddy Bird showed up, probably because Mama Bird had a word with him. The best part was seeing Chirpy flap his little wings and end up on the higher ledge. It made me hopeful that eventually he'd figure out his wings and fly away.

I had to go prepare for Curves and by the time I returned, Chirpy and family were nowhere to be seen. I have no idea what happened - if he figured out how to fly, if some other animal mom decided he would be breakfast for her babies, or if he's hopping his way to the zoo. But the whole event reminded me of two other moms in the same predicament.

Last night my sister Marilyn and I were commiserating and laughing about our middle daughters. Her daughter Lucy is currently in Italy, and had called her mom to ask Marilyn to do all the legwork and change her airline ticket for an extended stay. My daughter Maribeth is in France and has started an online class and needed her textbook for the first assignment. So Marilyn is on the phone with airlines and schedules and Lucy, making things work. I am in my office, scanning and google-documenting, and emailing 49 pages of a textbook.

Marilyn and I had to laugh, because no matter where our children seem to end up, we are always there to do what we can to help them. Just like Mama Bird probably blasted Chirpy for leaving the next too early and not taking advantage of a new safe nest, she was also feeding him and urging him to try out his wings.

Taking care of our kids no matter where they are or how big they get, and looking with proud love when they do use those wings - that's just what moms do. And in the end, we know how blessed we are to do it!