Time Flies

Well, obviously it's been awhile (3 months?) since I last blogged. I'm sure by now anyone who might have checked in has decided I'm off the map, so it's kind of like talking to myself. A lot has happened since the last entry:


April 15 - Traveled to Dayton, Ohio as a chaperone/driver for the Mission Viejo High School World Class Drumline. Our students competed in the WGI International Championships for the 14th year in a row! We took 5th out of the top 15 this year. I'm most proud of those moments of grace and spontaneous sportsmanship that happen uncoached. I had a five young men in my group including my son, Paul, and his friend all the way back to elementary school, Ryan. Every moment I was there was worth it! I had a great time with my friend, Michelle, also a band mom, and the guys in my group, as well as the other chaperones. I met some very nice folks from Pearl, Mississippi as well as a host of other people from other schools throughout the country! The shows and level of competition were AMAZING!!! I only regret that I didn't go the first three years, but am soooo thankful to be there Paul's senior year! DRUMLINE, ROCKS!


May brought, Troy English, master painter, cat lover, foodie and all-round good-guy to our home for painting, window blinds, furniture placement, color coordination... June was a month off and now in July the outside begins... wait till you see what Troy does with custom door finishes! It's all so cool!

May also marked my introduction to...Facebook. That's really what put me off the blogging map. I'm going to blame it on my book group friends, sister, Michelle, and a couple people I work with at Borders. And then, Michelle introduced me to FarmTown... well...

June 1 - Jazz Cat went missing. My best friend with fur just seemed to vanish overnight. He would be 4 years old July 15, gray stripe Tabby, male neutered, no collar, very friendly, indoor cat. We looked through the neighborhood, posted flyers, talked to neighbors and people around our subdivision, checked the shelter listings every day (still do). Neo, our other cat and Jazz' litter mate, wandered around the house for a week looking for him. He's become much more needy. I still feel heartbroken about it. People who don't have "pets" don't understand.


June 7 was the Irongirl 5K in Del Mar. My friend, Judy, and I checked into the Hilton Saturday afternoon before the race on Sunday morning. Thread count is an important component prior to any race;-) I hadn't been running for three weeks and didn't expect to run faster than 45 min., but, oh yeah, mamma made it in 38 min.!


June 8 was Music Awards Night at the high school. Paul received his plaque for four years in Marching Band, four years in Drumline and senior year as Pit Section Leader. It's been a great ride and well worth every penny. The evening also marked the end of seven years as a band mom. Bittersweet to be sure.


June 11 Paul turned 18. My daughter, Katie, is already 24. Oh, my!


June 18 Paul graduates Mission Viejo High School! Real life begins! It was especially great to hear the names of so many young people who I remembered from my years as Librarian / Computer Instructional Asst. at Del Cerro School. It was great seeing Paul's friends walking at graduation. He's been blessed with a great group of friends and we've been blessed with a group of young men we care about and truly enjoy spending time with.

We also welcomed Mike, one of Paul's good friends, into our home. Mike is a very talented musician and composer. He's also a really great guy.

Throw in more hours with Borders Books, college preparations, driving lessons, and every thing else Life throws in the way... It's been a pretty full time. So, in the immortal words of Ferris Bueller, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop to look around once in a while, you could miss it".

Life changes again and it's time to reinvent...

What IS a Drumline Show?

What is a Drum Line Show?

1. Drum Line is a Performance Art which consists of Percussion (Vibes, Marimba & Piano) & Drums2. Schools across the country perform a 10 minute program – Judging is based on creativity, playing the music perfectly, and marching/dancing during the concert/show 3. Think of a 10 minute High School version of “Blue Man Group”, “Blast!” or “Stomp!”

In April each year, the WGI National Championships occur in Dayton, Ohio-(World Guard International) The Program at Mission Viejo HS is one of the best in the U.S. – placing 1st in 2007 & 2nd is 2008!

Accomplishments

2008 WGI Silver Medal Winners - Percussion Scholastic World

2007 WGI Gold Medal Winners - Percussion Scholastic World

2005 WGI Silver Medal Winners - Percussion Scholastic Concert World

2004 WGI Silver Medal Winners - Percussion Scholastic World

2004 WGI Gold Medal Winners - Percussion Scholastic Concert Open

2001 WGI World Championships Gold medal

2000 WGI World Championships Bronze medal

1999 WGI World Championships Silver medal

2009 SCPA Silver Medalists - Percussion Scholastic World

2008 SCPA Gold Medalists – Percussion Scholastic World

2007 SCPA Gold Medalists – Percussion Scholastic World

2006 SCPA Gold Medalists – Percussion Scholastic World

2005 SCPA Gold Medalists – Percussion Scholastic World

2004 SCPA Gold Medalists – Percussion Scholastic World

2003 SCPA Gold Medalists – Percussion Scholastic World

2002 SCPA Gold Medalists – Percussion Scholastic World

2001 SCPA Gold Medalists – Percussion Scholastic World

2000 SCPA Gold Medalists – Percussion Scholastic World

2008 WBA Championships 1st Place Percussion Caption

2007 WBA Championships 1st Place Percussion Caption

2006 WBA Championships 1st Place Percussion Caption

2004 WBA Championships 1st Place Percussion Caption

2003 WBA State Champions (field season), 1st Place Percussion Caption

2002 WBA (field season) 1st Place Percussion Caption

2001 WBA (field season) 1st Place Percussion Caption

1999 WSMBC (field season) 1st Place Percussion Caption

1998 WSMBC State Champions (field season), 1st Place Percussion Caption

1997 WSMBC (field season) 1st Place Percussion Caption

It's Slap Yo Momma Fabulous

Oh, my, my, my, my!!! Paula Deen's new cookbook arrived at my door this morning! And it's autographed, "Best Dishes, Paula Deen"! I am a Paula Deen FAN and, if you're familiar with Miz Deen, you know her fans are... enthusiastic! Anyone who doesn't know who Paula Deen is, probably lives in the darkest depths of the Amazon rainforest and will never know the sheer ecstasy of a perfect piece of buttermilk fried chicken.

I celebrated my fiftieth birthday this year with my Dad and stepmom, Margaret, in the low country of South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia. Now, I had hoped to dine at The Lady & Sons, Paula Deen's restaurant in downtown Savannah on my birthday, but I didn't hold out much hope. On an earlier visit, my aunt and sister were on a tour around Savannah (that's another blog) and passed by. The line really was down the block! And Dad and Margaret had said that they weren't able to get in the times they had thought to try. The website tells you that names are taken for seating on a first-come, first-served starting at 9:30 am out front of the restaurant. Well... Dad and I got a late start and pulled up in front about noon. Plan A as I jumped out and ran to the desk was to beg and grovel. Plan B was to offer both my children as free employees. But the children were saved and we had a seating! (The new location is much larger.) I only wished that Margaret had been with us.

The buffet is what put this Southern Goddess on the map!!! If God has food in heaven, it's Southern! Paula Deen's famous fried chicken, cheese biscuits, catfish, lima beans, grits, sweet potatoes, collard greans, pulled pork, green beans, gooey butter cake, banana pudding and sweet tea!!! The Lady runs a tight ship; everything is well organized and the staff are very pleasant; chatting up the customers and taking pictures for them.

If you go to Savannah, you must visit the Lady. You won't be disappointed.

Stay tuned for more...

Did you see that?!?

Of course, I didn't have my camera in the car, so you just have to take my word for it, Tom will back me up and neither one of us was drinking... My husband must have been very bored this afternoon because he asked if I wanted him to ride along to the supermarket (my kids will tell you that I can't get out of Albertson's on my own in less than 90 minutes). Tom regards torture preferable to trekking up and down the grocery aisles. So, we're turning left off Muirlands into the Albertson's parking lot and cresting the hill on the other side is... The Easter Bunny... riding a pink Vespa... wearing a pink tutu... and a pink helmet... smiling. He stopped at the light across the intersection from us, we honked and waved, he waved a big bunny wave. Just goes to show you; when you think you've seen it all, Life throws you something interesting. There is an Easter Bunny!

Running Woman

I don't think of myself as a runner. Runners are people who run marathons or half marathons, 50K trail races or knarly uphill dirt tracks for 20 miles in the middle of nowhere. So far this year, I've done the three OC Chili Winter Trail Runs and the San Clemente 5K Trail Run. This same time last year I was someone who never ran, never wanted to run, didn't think I had what it takes to run. I still don't love trail running; it's dusty and weedy and I have allergies; I'm afraid of snakes (very afraid); and Porta Potties aren't my idea of adequate facilities. But, I do it and I fight it less now. I even, almost, look forward to running at the track now. My goal is to run the Irongirl 5K, June 7 in Del Mar. No walking - all running.

All of this training and running and racing leads me to some observations...

1. Any race worth running always involves a T-shirt, preferably a complementary color and attractive design.

2. The best races have drawings for prizes especially shoes and clothing!

3. Races with vendor fairs are always good; add goodie bags to the mix and you have yourself an event.

4. Truly civilized events offer cuisine. For runners this usually means power drinks, water, fruit and mmmmm muffins.

5. The very best races are for women, about women and by women.

Case in point: the Irongirl. Let's see - Vendor fair, post-race Breakfast Café, performance shirts sized just-for-women, personalized race bibs, custom finisher medals, post-race giveaways and reusable athlete goodie bags, a commemorative Iron Girl plush duck and one ticket to the San Diego Country Fair. And the icing on the power bar is a special rate at the Marriott. Now THAT'S what I call racing!!!

Re-invention

I turned 50 this year and one thing I've noticed is that certain stages in our lives lend themselves to re-invention. To celebrate 30 I had my ears pierced again, at 35 I had my ears pierced a third time. At 40 I went back to work and became an elementary school librarian/computer instructional aide. That's when I started to realize that re-invention is a good thing. Turning 47 I quit being a librarian (I would prefer to work with teenagers, but, that's another entry) and went to work for Borders to learn the retail/book business. 49 I joined Weight Watchers and decided to lose some weight and get in shape. And now I'm starting a blog... and running... and looking forward to another re-invention. What will I be when I grow up? Stay tuned and join me on the journey.

Vote for Jazz

The most pressing item for now is my cat. I entered my cat in a photo contest the local paper is sponsoring. I have two cats, but only one could enter. And Jazz is every bit as sweet and wonderful as his profile says he is. He needs your help, though. Cast your vote for honesty and integrity in the cat world. Vote for Jazz! Say "yes" to human-loving cats everywhere and Vote for Jazz!

Go to www.ocregister.com/thatdarncat, register, then search for "Jazz-Mission Viejo" and cast your vote!

Life is about a little of this and a little of that and so is my blog. I can't just write about one thing, because that will leave some other thing out.