To Wise, Willful, Wonderful Women

Last night I had the pleasure of spending the evening with my friend Najla.  I call her a "friend" because we are not technically related.  "Un-technically" speaking she is my sister.  We are both only children and have been friends for 32 years...yes...32 years!  Her husband and step son were away so we had the evening to reconnect in the way that women often do....over back to back showings of Pretty in Pink and endless hours of conversation.  (There were some cherry sours thrown in there for good measure!)

We had some pretty honest and frank talk about where we both "are" now and where we both "have been."  We talked about how we wouldn't trade in any of our mistakes, sorrows, doubts, heart aches, our "twenties" for anything in the world because they have made us the unique individuals we are today.  We discussed how it is often so easy to  "miss out" on the best parts of ourselves because we are so busy criticizing our most genuine efforts.  I think we both agreed that's why we have friends...to remind us!

www.curlygirldesign.com

On my ride home I remembered something I heard on last week's episode of Mad Men.  "If you don't like what the people are saying, change the conversation."  I laughed because I thought "If I don't like what the 'voices' are saying, I should change the conversation."  And by the "voices" I don't mean Sybil...I just mean the internal voice.  I know I have the internal voice and while the voice can be sweet an gentle, it is mostly critical, nagging and mean.  Apparently the solution is "to change the conversation."

And as if by serendipity I heard this song on the radio.  I changed the pronouns as I was listening and thought about writing it down as a letter to myself.  Kind of like what the 35 year old Patty would tell the 20 year old Patty....

Dear Patty,

You took your love and you took it down.
You climbed a mountain and you turned around.
And you saw your reflection in the snow covered hill, 'til the landslide brought you down.

Oh mirror in the sky, what is love?
Can the child within your heart rise above?
Can you sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can you handle the seasons of your life?

You don't know.

Well,  you've been afraid of changing because you have built your life around you.
But time makes you bolder, children get older and you're getting older, too.

So take this love, take it down.
If you climb a mountain and you turn around.
If you see your reflection in the snow covered hills, well the landslide will bring it down.

Love always,
Patty

Look Who's Back on TV

Look who is back on American television!  Sunday mornings at 8am my DVR diligently records Nigella Kitchen. (Because let's face it...the odds are I am not awake!)  I love, love, love, love Nigella Lawson.  I mostly love her because she is a devilish little wordsmith...and then there is the whole "domestic goddess" thing I can ONLY hope to aspire to!  Hands down...Nigella Lawson is the sexiest woman in all television!  

Photo from www.foodnetwork.com

And, oh yeah, don't EVEN challenge me to find a parallel....

Nigella just made a raisin cake that looks so good the fact that raisins make me gag just became irrelevant! -Rory

So tired from all the fun food, drink and conversation....must sign off and go to sleep.  But...how sweet is it that tomorrow is THURSDAY!?!?!?!  I have BIG plans this weekend.  But they are sooooooo on the "down low"....I can't even tell you about them!  (Gotcha thinkin', don't I?)

Tahoe Holga Photos

I am ridiculously tardy!  Our Lake Tahoe trip was in July and I JUST took my Holga photos to be developed last week.  I collected them today and with as much patience as a 4 year old on Christmas morning I tore open the envelope to see what I had gotten! (That is the best part of the Holga...you NEVER know what you are going to get!)  I used color film on this trip and I played with the number of exposures.  Some of these have been cropped.

Pine cones, pine cones EVERYWHERE!  (Apparently they hurt when they land on your head.)

 Our fearless tour guide mapping out our bike route.

 View from back porch.

The chalet is owned by Texans. 

 Another view from back porch.

 I love the wispiness of the tree tops...I think I clicked the shutter twice on this one.

 What are you thinking about?

And because today is the final day in our week long celebration.....

Richard: Say, are you and Rory "wireless?"

Lorelai: Oh no, we're pretty wired most of the time.

Richard: Emily, I am going to "google" you.

Emily: You most certainly are NOT going to "google" me!

To figure out EXACTLY what happened you'd have to dig up Freud himself and have him work on me full time. -Lorelai

Jason: Crystal is just a friend.

Lorelai: A friend named CRYSTAL!  Who are you, Hugh Hefner?

Friends!  It is THAT time of the year again!  Silent Auction time!  Talk to me.....people!  If you know me, like me, love me....you WILL participate in some form or fashion.  So...what will it be...item donation?  Volunteering for the Gala, prior to the Gala....?  I just came home from a very productive meeting and I have the major GALA EXCITEMENT BUG!  I will keep you all VERY posted.  But...for now you can help in the following way....

This will be an ENORMOUS help to Silent Auction.  Thank you to Christina Welch for supporting Silent Auction and CBCST again, this year!  If there is a piece of Stella & Dot that you just can't live without...here is the perfect opportunity to adorn yourself for a good cause!  Directions are included above and please note the online party is open from today until October 19!

Sweet dreams, dear friends!  This week is flyin' by and I am lovin' it!

Me and Julio.....

I am always AMAZED at how quickly my mood can be instantaneously changed upon hearing "Me and Julio Down by the School Yard!"  Thank you, Paul Simon, for creating a song that can take me from "blah" to "LAAAAAAA" in 1 second flat!  I challenge anyone to NOT dance around your house with a silly, silly grin while singing, "I'm on my way!  I don't know where I'm goin'!  I'm on my way; takin' my time but I don't know where....Goodbye Rosie, Queen of Corona!  See me and Julio down by the school yard."  Ohhhhhh.....that made my day!  And yes...it looked just an goofy as you can probably imagine!

And because we are STILL celebrating (until tomorrow) I have a few more precious quips for you to enjoy....

I don't think you had a childhood; I think you came out a bitter, surly, killjoy. -Taylor

Boys are so malleable! -Lorelai

With Lorelai Gilmore it is "Trust, but verify!" -Lorelai

Rory: She won't let me leave, EVER.  This is Iran in '79 and you are Jimmy Carter.  What do we do?

Lorelai: First, we lose the Jimmy Carter comparison.

Is anyone thinking I can make some money buy creating a "Gilmore-ism a Day" flippy calendar?  You know...the one with the spiral at the top.  You flip it daily and email the quip to the people in your office.  Who do I need to get in touch with to create that?  

I had the honor of attending a wonderful wedding celebration this weekend.  The ceremony was held outside, at sunset, under the most perfect violet blue sky.  I opened the program and read the following:

The minute I heard my first love story I started looking for you,

not knowing how blind that was.

Lovers don't finally meet somewhere,

they're in each other all along.

-Rumi

I sincerely wish you all a sweet, sweet Monday night.  I am so pumped right now...I just want to keep dancing! 

Luke Danes' Dating Philosophies

Since I made my declaration of love for Luke Danes last night...I thought I might provide a list of his philosophies on dating.  This is by no means an exhaustive list.  I have to say...I tend to agree with him on most of these!

1. Dating is the worst!
2. It's a horror!
3. I missed nothing by not dating.
4. If I had dated a lot, I'd still be single, I'd just have spent a lot of bad nights at Tony Roma's.
5. There's "The Gut."  I can tell if I am comfortable with someone within seconds of meeting them.  I feel it here...just knowing someone will let you be.  That is "The Gut Thing!"

Oh Luke Danes, you and your tool box, "Bert" can come over and visit me anytime!  And bring the coffee!

Goodnight dear friends!  And yes...this entire week is dedicated to Gilmore Girls!  Have a wonderful Friday!  Oh...and I am walking again!  Yay!

My Life Changed Forever.....

Ten years (and one day) ago I tuned into the WB for a new show called Gilmore Girls. I was hooked at the opening....The La's singing There She Goes....a song that had long been a mainstay on "the soundtrack of Patty Vela's life." How could I not love a show that used this song as the opening scene. And then she says, coffee cup in hand, "Please Luke, please, please please," and I was hooked for life!

I humbly ask that you pardon my "day late" post of such a momentous occasion. Truth be told...I didn't know until today (thank you Lisa) and I was in no position yesterday to blog. I "threw my back out" at work yesterday placing my purse on the floor and was unable to stand or walk. (Crawling, however, worked like a dream.) My mom and dad came to pick me up and I had to be wheel-chaired out of school. Yes, wheel-chaired out by my mom and dad from middle school. It was JUST as embarrassing at 35 as it, no doubt, would have been at 13! SOCIAL SUICIDE!!!!!! However....as with every situation in life I can draw a Gilmore parallel. Remember that one where Lorelai throws her back out, Sookie gives her a muscle relaxer and Emily insists on staying the night and feeding her mashed up bananas on toast? Well...no bananas here. My mom actually slapped some electrodes on my back, hiked the intensity level to 10, shocked the be-jeezus out of me, laughed and then went shopping! (It didn't really go down like that....but pretty close!)

I am not going to go into ALL the things about Gilmore Girls that I love so much. All I am going to say is that in the last 10 years (and one day) I have done an extraordinary amount of "growing up." And I think most of you who know me can attest to the fact that there were some very tough "growing pains" during that time period. The ONLY thing that has ever set me right and mended my heart (Jesus notwithstanding) has been episode upon episode of Gilmore Girls. I can still watch each and every episode and know where I was when I first saw it, who I was dating, who had just ripped my heart in two, who I watched it with, etc. etc. It's like a song that takes you back; or a smell that sets you to remember.

And as much as it might pain my mother to read this; there is a HUGE part of me that identifies with the "single gal" in Lorelai.....not the "daughter" in Lorelai, Mom! I really like that a female character on television was allowed to be single, beautiful AND funny (a lethal combination), flawed and judgy, but loving and most importantly "loved" by her friends, family and an occasional man! (I was always a sucker for Luke. Funny thing...I have dated a Matthew, a Mark and a John. I am just waiting for my "Luke..." my "Luke Danes!")

Today, as I lay in bed, bored out of my mind, I will make it a Gilmore day. I have already watched last night's episode of Parenthood (where there were surprisingly TWO ex Gilmore cast members), watch Network (one of Rory's favorite films), watch a few Gilmore re-runs, read my Redbook magazine with Lauren Graham on the cover and blog about the pilot episode that changed my life!

I have always contended it takes a "special person" to get The Gilmores! A dear friend, from high school, has recently been turned on to the series. I KNEW she would love it because she is just that type of "special person" and apparently....her awesome husband is, too! I do respect a man that can respect the Gilmores! Find me THAT guy and surround me with 1000 yellow daisies and the answer is "YES!" Tee hee!

Happy 10th Birthday Gilmore Girls! One day I hope that someone will understand and follow through on "100o yellow daisies" and run away with me to a place called Stars Hollow. Maybe someone will understand a fish pond made of an inflatable pool, an ice skating rink when "snow has made me mad," a spur of the moment wake for a cat, a "hoopa" (total phonetic spelling) and a bottomless cup of coffee.

I fancy myself superwoman, I really do....

I've Got Nothin'....

I am so tired today...I've got nothin'! This brain feels fried. So tonight, dear friends, I give you some more........

Rory: I really DO want him to be happy.

Lorelai: I know...you're good in that department.

Oh yes...this should be quick. Right now I am lovin' my orange Halloween lights on my Juliet balcony, the 2 pumpkins, 2 gourds and 6 funky squash (what is the plural of squash....squashes, squashi?) I purchased for decoration and my BEN HARPER station on Pandora. Oh sweet Ben, where have you been all my life. Another Ben for me to love, love, love!

Goodnight, friends! Happy, happy Monday!

Always Room For One More

Look who had a baby shower today? Dinah, Lisa, Lavern and I hosted a baby shower for Holly and "Baby Girl Wright" at Kate's Frosting this afternoon. We had such a lovely afternoon...and the cupcakes were delicious! If you are looking for a sweet place to host a small event, I highly recommend this venue!
When I was a little girl I had a book called Always Room for one More. I seem to remember I received it as a gift. My guess is that it either came from my Aunt Sylvia or my Uncle Butch and his wife; though I can't be sure. They are both very bookish and I received many books from them as a little girl. (I am the kind of adult that gives books, too. I am sure my various "nieces and nephews" just LOVE that!)

As a child this book held absolutely no appeal for me. It was dark and grey. The words were bizarre and as an immature reader I couldn't understand why some words rhymed and others didn't. Despite my visual and auditory disdain for the book, the message seemed to stick. The intent the author attempted to portray was not lost on me and would resonate for years to come.

In short, a poor farmer, his wife and TEN children open up their home (and dining table) to the various and colorful townspeople who needed a roof and a hot meal. They invited so many people in that the house literally bursts and the community comes together to build a bigger, better house to fit everyone that could possibly need a home and some love.

I don't remember the last time I read the book. I must have been 8 or 9....so over 20-25 years. The thing is....in all those years I never forgot the book. Not only could I recall the message; I could picture the front cover and vaguely remembered a song on the last two pages. Throughout the years I have always associated the message (and front cover) of the book with my Aunt Velma. A beautiful soul; she truly embodies the spirit and sentiment of the book. Every time I marvel at her gracious hospitality I hear the words "There is always room for one more," resounding in my mind. Then I pitifully think, "Oh, were that I had such a gracious heart."
The other day I had an opportunity to share the message of this book with a very dear friend (you know who you are). I have had the honor and privilege of learning that I have a friend with the same gracious heart. I have known her for a number of years; but only recently have I had the opportunity to see her with her family. Indeed, in her heart and in her home and in her family...there is always room for one more!

That was JUST the inspiration I needed to see if this book was still in print. I hopped on Amazon and there was the grey front cover. I immediately ordered several copies. They arrived last night and I carved out some special time to read the book again...as an adult.

The reason I couldn't understand the book as a child is because it is a Scottish folk song. The author explains "....ALWAYS ROOM FOR ONE MORE is one of the many Scottish popular songs which have been preserved by oral tradition, being handed down by one generation to the next, but never appearing in print. My father sang it to us when we were children. He had been taught it by his father when he was a little boy, and my grandfather remembered it from his own early childhood. Because the Scottish words in which this merry little tune was written are somewhat difficult to understand, it was necessary to change many of them into others more familiar to American boys and girls. However, some of the Scottish words were left in the song because they sounded better than any new ones I might choose...." She goes on to provide a glossary of the Scottish dialect words with definition. I don't remember that part of the book. Had I bothered to learn the glossary at the tender age of 8 or 9 I may have enjoyed the book even more.

The message is clear....on this earth....there truly is enough room for each of us and we should honor each other by opening up our homes and our hearts to one another. I am, admittedly, the biggest offender of this simple notion. As such, I am pleased this little book has found it's way back into my life as a gentle reminder to be more open and loving.

Lorelai: He's liked you for 10 years?!?!?!

Sookie: Yes!

Lorelai: Wow...that is some serious Great Gatsby pining. You're his Daisy.

"Just remember....there is 'cute' jealous and then there's Othello!" -Rory

"Your life will be happy and peaceful!"

(No kidding....that really was my fortune! Couldn't have been more timely.)

Happy Saturday, friends! This weekend has been so beautiful in so many ways....the weather being the best part! My favorite time of the year has officially been ushered in. I look forward so sun and smiles and pumpkins and yellow chrysanthemums!