Oh how I long to be warm!! The sun today was so deceiving, and I was thinking about jumping into the car and heading off to the lakeshore to get some of those famous frozen lighthouse pictures from Lake Michigan.
We've had so much lake effect snow since before Christmas, that unless you had to go to the lake, it just wasn't a good idea. Snow squalls come up in a matter of minutes and complete white outs result. Suffice it to say driving is not recommended. South Haven Schools have now used up all of their snow days for the year and if they need to close anymore, (pretty much guaranteed at this point), they will have to make up the days in the summer. If you must see for yourself, here is a link to the photo diary at our local CBS news afiliate in Kalamazoo, MI: http://www.wwmt.com/share/gallery/?plckGalleryID=f7b67355-b1c5-45ab-bf49-f53edf865c55 It really does get like this in the North, LOL!!
I have been chuckling over a blog I follow of a dear gentleman in Key West, as they go through the worst cold spell there in recent memory. While I know how hot it gets there in the summer, and that they are not used to it, I still have a hard time thinking 50 is cold. Even with a strong north wind and rain, to me that is just good football weather (minus the rain, of course!) While he laments over 40 degree wind chills tonight, I will be dealing with 7 degrees, and that is without windchill. It will bottom out at or near 0 with a high of 22 tomorrow. I know he would say that I choose to live here, which is only half true. I don't choose to, I just can't convince my husband that we need the sunshime more than he needs that job in the auto industry. Maybe someday, I can convince him to see the light, literally! LOL!!
So while I spend a night snuggled in flannel sheets, with layered pj's, I'll be thinking of the Florida Keys. What an opportunity to catch some of those stunned iguanas and get them the heck out of the area! LOL!!! I don't know, do chickens hibernate there at those temps as well? You could make a run at getting rid of some of them too! They fare here pretty well into the single digits, so I imagine they might not like the cold, but won't be as still as the iguana's will be!
Just finished a wonderful book, American by Choice, by Craig Ferguson. I am amazed at how one person can do so many things wrong, and land on his feet every time!! I know he is Scottish, but from his luck, I would think he has a wee bit of the Irish in his background somewhere!! Great read if you are interested!
Song of the day: Stand and Deliver, Adam Ant ( and as my daughter has shown me, No Doubt)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrwF5kt9wtA Adam Ant
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yV4vrptMwU8&feature=related No Doubt on Gossip Girl
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Friday, January 8, 2010
Taylor Lautner coming to WMU??
OMG!! My daughter was jumping up and down this morning as the gossip mill is buzzing at Western Michigan University!! Taylor Lautner is rumored to be coming to the university as a student in the 2010-2011 school year!
For those of you who aren't quite up to date on the teenage heart throb meter, Taylor Lautner is the muscle bound hunk "Jacob" in the Twilight saga. He is from the Grand Rapids, MI area , and there have been confirmed sightings of him on campus at Western, touring the arts department and picking up an application.
My daughter is really geeked over this possible happening as she is a student at WMU and firmly ensconched in their marching band, and a film/video/photography student, and that would place her directly in his path while attending Western.
I have to admit, that I told her if she brought that piece of eye candy home to meet her parents, I might just have to kiss her! LOL!! I might be a mom, but I still have eyes, and a gorgeous young man he is! Well, all joking aside, I hope this is true, Western is an up and coming little institution who has fostered a few famous people for being so remote. Tim Allen, and Matt Giraud of American Idol Fame to name two. And I know there are a few others as I have seen them at the football games on Alumni days, just their names escape me now. I can totally see it happening, as he would be about 45 minutes away from his home, and with the new film industry that is starting to make a real presence here, he could have his pick of rolls in his down time.
Just a bright spot for these kids in a really dreary winter in Michigan!
For those of you who aren't quite up to date on the teenage heart throb meter, Taylor Lautner is the muscle bound hunk "Jacob" in the Twilight saga. He is from the Grand Rapids, MI area , and there have been confirmed sightings of him on campus at Western, touring the arts department and picking up an application.
My daughter is really geeked over this possible happening as she is a student at WMU and firmly ensconched in their marching band, and a film/video/photography student, and that would place her directly in his path while attending Western.
I have to admit, that I told her if she brought that piece of eye candy home to meet her parents, I might just have to kiss her! LOL!! I might be a mom, but I still have eyes, and a gorgeous young man he is! Well, all joking aside, I hope this is true, Western is an up and coming little institution who has fostered a few famous people for being so remote. Tim Allen, and Matt Giraud of American Idol Fame to name two. And I know there are a few others as I have seen them at the football games on Alumni days, just their names escape me now. I can totally see it happening, as he would be about 45 minutes away from his home, and with the new film industry that is starting to make a real presence here, he could have his pick of rolls in his down time.
Just a bright spot for these kids in a really dreary winter in Michigan!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Are you ready for some football??
Well nothing very exciting to post today! I can see this is going to be a real exercise to come up with anything of any interest to post here compared to what some are doing!!
I do have to admit that I am sitting in front of my 52 inch tv screen watching Michigan State work their butts off to beat Texas Tech in the Alamo Bowl. What a player Cousins is going to be in the next couple of years!!! I had the pleasure of spending a beautiful Saturday afternoon a few weeks back watching Mich State clobber Western Michigan and it was heartbreaking as I sat there with my daughter who is usually down on the field with the Western Marching Band. She was recovering from a horrible bought of the Swine(H1N1)flu, and not well enough to march. As I had dropped a cool $100 on tickets, and the weather cooperated being in the mid 60's and sunny, she could however sit with me in the upper deck and watch the stomping. Now for me it was bittersweet, because I have been a State fan, longer than she has been on earth, but once your child is a member of a college, you find your loyalties shifting a little!!
This was her second year in the Western Marching Band, and I have not missed a game that she has marched in since she started in high school! Since I am a BIG college football fan, I have made the effort to take her to at least one huge away game every year as well. Last year at this time, we were all returning home from watching Western take on Rice in the Texas Bowl in Houston! Cassie got to march in Reliant Stadium, and even if the football team didn't do so good, the BAND won everyone over!! Their marching band is over 300 people including staff, and their sound is out of this world!! My husband and I were standing next to a camera man from FOX during the Western spirit walk, and our BAND prepared to welcome their team to Reliant Stadium for the game. When they played their tuning notes, the camera man jumped and uttered "WHOA". I couldn't resist turning to him and stating, "Wait till you hear them play for real!" And he wasn't disappointed!! If you'd like to hear a sample, here is a link http://www.youtube.com/user/rachauskas#p/u/23/Tc40cZqMV2w
She had the pleasure of marching at Ford Field a few weeks earlier that year when they played a Big 10 school for her first time, the Illini (Illinois) and beat them!! A MAC school beating a Big 10!! Hoo Wah, what a game!! And since that is the Detroit Lions home field, they were fond of saying they were the only Michigan Team that won on that field in 2008! The crowd was around 15,000 and respectable enough. Then on to the Reliant Dome for a crowd of 80,000. Then this year, the Big House at University of Michigan, in which the Wolverines blistered them as well, but the BAND marched for a crowd of 107,000+ and then the great game at MSU, not a sell out, but still a BIG game for these kids. In two weeks she will get her college letter for marching at their band banquet and I am just tickled to death for her. I see many more football games in our future, whether watching her march, or sitting side by side comparing the plays with her, we have developed a great love of the game, and will be forever fans!!
Here are some images of her and the gang!
Here is my girl in mid march!
Here she is at attention ready to go!
Here is part of the trumpet section prior to the Texas Bowl outside of Reliant Stadium.
And last but not least, here she is just being a girl!! Not bad out of uniform either!! LOL!!
Friday, January 1, 2010
2009 This Sums It Up!!
A good friend of mine posted this at another site I visit frequently, and I couldn't resist posting it here to help me focus on what is behind and where I need to go! Enjoy!
That was a tough one.
Come on in and stop for a second to shake your head, dust yourself off, and look back at how far you’ve come.
Sure, it’s been a long year. Some crushing lows slapped you and smacked you around. There were times your heart dipped and you squinted back tears while your stomach squeezed so tightly you couldn’t sleep. There were moments you walked around in a glossy-eyeball daze — when loved ones hurt, friends didn’t stay, or someone dear to your heart slowly drifted away.
Sleepless nights, stressful nights, with teething babies, slurring customers, bad bosses, bickering boyfriends, or blank computer screens. You were feeling and you were dealing and you were reeling and you were healing.
But as you walked your hard path down your long and bumpy road some little drops of confidence dripped like coffee into your head and into your heart. As you stumbled and got back up a quiet inner strength slowly seeped into your bones. And as you climbed over obstacles set in your way some relaxed satisfaction and growing self-awareness glimmered like bright lights at the bottom of your stomach.
Yes, this year changed you and grew you in so many ways you don’t even feel or notice yet. As you struggled you empathized, as you slipped you understood, as you worked you earned…
… as you looked you learned
… … as you dared you grew
… … … and as you jumped you flew.
Your dreams are still focusing and your passion is growing. Your energy is still bubbling and your story keeps going.
You’ve been through so much and gained a year’s supply of experience along the way. You’re stronger than you were last year and stronger than you realize. Sure, there were times you bent, but you definitely didn’t break. There were times you caved, but you definitely didn’t flake.
Listen up: you got bigger, you got better, and you got the scars to prove it.
So stop for a second today to smile and look back at everything you’ve done this year… everything you’ve seen… everywhere you’ve been…
You’ve tripped a few times, but baby, you kept rolling right along.
Yes, you’ve hugged more old friends and kissed some brand new pretty faces.
You’ve cheered more on the sidelines and visited some brand new pretty places.
You tasted more meals, you got more deals, and you’ve sniffed more flower blossoms.
And you made it all the way through this year because you’re so completely...AWESOME!
From http://1000awesomethings.com/2009/12/31/601-getting-through-it/
That was a tough one.
Come on in and stop for a second to shake your head, dust yourself off, and look back at how far you’ve come.
Sure, it’s been a long year. Some crushing lows slapped you and smacked you around. There were times your heart dipped and you squinted back tears while your stomach squeezed so tightly you couldn’t sleep. There were moments you walked around in a glossy-eyeball daze — when loved ones hurt, friends didn’t stay, or someone dear to your heart slowly drifted away.
Sleepless nights, stressful nights, with teething babies, slurring customers, bad bosses, bickering boyfriends, or blank computer screens. You were feeling and you were dealing and you were reeling and you were healing.
But as you walked your hard path down your long and bumpy road some little drops of confidence dripped like coffee into your head and into your heart. As you stumbled and got back up a quiet inner strength slowly seeped into your bones. And as you climbed over obstacles set in your way some relaxed satisfaction and growing self-awareness glimmered like bright lights at the bottom of your stomach.
Yes, this year changed you and grew you in so many ways you don’t even feel or notice yet. As you struggled you empathized, as you slipped you understood, as you worked you earned…
… as you looked you learned
… … as you dared you grew
… … … and as you jumped you flew.
Your dreams are still focusing and your passion is growing. Your energy is still bubbling and your story keeps going.
You’ve been through so much and gained a year’s supply of experience along the way. You’re stronger than you were last year and stronger than you realize. Sure, there were times you bent, but you definitely didn’t break. There were times you caved, but you definitely didn’t flake.
Listen up: you got bigger, you got better, and you got the scars to prove it.
So stop for a second today to smile and look back at everything you’ve done this year… everything you’ve seen… everywhere you’ve been…
You’ve tripped a few times, but baby, you kept rolling right along.
Yes, you’ve hugged more old friends and kissed some brand new pretty faces.
You’ve cheered more on the sidelines and visited some brand new pretty places.
You tasted more meals, you got more deals, and you’ve sniffed more flower blossoms.
And you made it all the way through this year because you’re so completely...AWESOME!
From http://1000awesomethings.com/2009/12/31/601-getting-through-it/
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