Family

Menu of the Day:

What I'm listening to: Van Morrison slays me. I've had him on all weekend. "Keep it Simple", "Down the Road". Not one mediocre song in the bunch.




What I'm reading: I'm reading a family novel right now. It is so authentic. The title is "Sleepwalking in Daylight". If you have ever not been crazy about your marriage or your kids at some time in your life, you might recognize yourself. This same author wrote "Emma and Me".



Recent iTunes purchase: John Hiatt's "Same old Man" i LOVE this cd. and it's been out a year. I also bought Bob Dylan's new one but i got it from Barnes and Noble. Love it too. but it took me about three times before i got it. (That's normal for me.)



Drinking: Costco's Kirkland brand shiraz. Who would have thought Costco wine would be good!



Netflixing: I just watched Ashley Judd's "Come Early Morning". Liked it alot. Also added "Tell No One" because my brother Troy recommended it. It's a French film starring Kristin Scott Thomas. I read the Harlan Coben book awhile ago. Can't believe it's a foreign film.



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1. The picture above was taken last night at my other brother Scott's 51st birthday party. It's of course, Scott's daughter Kylee and my husband Brian. (My two favorite people in the world.)





2. I was trying to buy a Mother's Day card the other day, as i do every year, and i got stuck....again. the Mother's Day cards are so gushy that if i buy one it would be a lie. My mother was never a supporter or mentor to me, nor did she teach me anything but the stuff about myself i do not like. (such as being overly opinionated without backup, stating my case far more often than i should, and saying what's on my mind...which is not always good.) But i did find a card that talked about the original seatbelt. And it's a cartoon of a mom's arm thrown across the body of her child who is in the passenger seat of the car she is driving.





3. Having said that, i still love my mom. If i was not her daughter, i would see her more as the Louisiana yaya character that she really is. That her narcissism would be more endearing, that her pronouncing words wrong would be funny and not embarrassing, that her manipulation is more a Scarlett O'Hara southern strength and not just.....manipulation.





4. Here's another family photo from last night. This is my beautiful niece Ashley (on the right) who lives in San Diego. (she is Kylee's older sister and when i married Brian she was my Maid of Honor.) She and my mom are showing off their tacky rings that cost $5 from Target. (Ashley has the ability to wear the cheapest clothes and make them look totally fabulous. )



5. I was going to post a photo of my dad but he is looking old and skinny (and i'm having trouble with blogger to add it here so i quit trying). In my profile i mention him. HE is the one who has taught me the most . He is retired military sargeant. He is meticulous, opinionated, hates crowds, and though he doesn't show it often, he fiercely loves his family.



6. I am most like my dad.




7. Okay, so instead, here is a photo of probably my 3rd and 4th favorite people in my family. My sister in law, Kylee's mom, Marie (on the left) married to Scott. And Troy, the youngest kid in the family. Them being 3rd and 4th favorite is not to say i love anyone less in my family, but i do connect more with Marie (who runs with me every Sunday since 1992). I'm so glad Scott married her. And Troy and I connect through books, movies, and music and like me, he talks about real life stuff. (When Brian and I got married he was the brother who married us and he really made our wedding special.) Ashley is too far away to connect with on a regular basis (and she's not an emailer or blogger) - we'd be closer if she lived here. I like my brother Scott too alot, but he and I don't do that much together on our own. (We have somewhat similar personalities in that we are opinionated and like to be right, (though i don't like to party like he does) but we have few similar interests.)

If i ever needed help, i would call Marie. She's everyone's go-to person, organized and decisive and always seems to know what to do and is willing to help.