Thunder and Mac n' Cheese

Yet again, I had a wonderful weekend with my sweetie! Rick came up Friday night and I made a yummy eggplant Parmesan. Saturday, we putzed around in the morning and then went to dinner at the River City Brewery. I had the best macaroni and cheese that I have ever had in a restaurant. In order to walk off our gluttony, we ambled through Old Town to the Intrust Arena to watch the Wichita Thunder play hockey. It was the WSU jersey auction night and I sure wanted one! They were pretty. As hockey games go, this one was not memorable, but what was amazing happened at the auction tables. They had table set up with papers listing the players names and jersey size and then you could bid an amount for the auction. Five minutes prior to the close of the auction, Rick and I went down to the tables and the one I bid on was out bid. Three minutes to go before the close of the auction and Rick walks up to the table to write my name on the paper. He wrote SLOOOOOWLY! It took him a full three minutes to write my name and phone number! In the mean time, a guy came up behind him and said, "Alright buddy, you're done. Move it along!" He wanted to bid on the jersey too, and thought he could bully Rick away from the table and I thought, "Oh boy! here we go. Rick is going to cuss and yell." Instead, he politely said, "I am having trouble writing all the phone number." I was so proud of him! He was rewarded for his patience and calm and won the jersey! We paid the lowest price of any shirt there because of Rick's patience.

Today we went riding at Miller's Meadows, a mountain bike trail following a glorious breakfast buffet that included a nice prime rib for Rick! All in all, a wonderful, wonderful weekend. Thank you, honey.

Romance on a Birthday!

As I woke up this morning, the first thought I had was, "I need to call Mom because it's my birthday!" She always remembered my birthday but this is the first year she is gone and then the memory of her absence hurt so deeply. I wasn't prepared to miss her so much today.

Yesterday, my department head asked me to come to work today at noon for a meeting about this huge re-write we are doing on assessment protocols. Yeah... nothing could be more fun than that for a birthday gift, right? Well, maybe dental work would be equal, but at least they would give you drugs!

So at noon, she came to my door and said we had to go to the main office first. Okay...sure...whatever...But when I opened the door to the office, a whole gang of people were there singing "Happy Birthday" to me! There was a gorgeous cake and Linda told me there wasn't any meeting, instead it was a ruse set up by my husband...MY HUSBAND! He even ordered a dark chocolate birthday cake to be delivered to the school and e-mailed every one with the plans for the event! My husband??? This is quite an unexpected romantic and sweet gesture for him, but I won't question. Just enjoyed the cake! I didn't even wait to take a picture of the cake so I took a picture of the card Gail sent to me instead. I hope you all had a lovely day!

A basket of Birthday's

Today marks the birthday of two wonderful women! First my favorite mother-in-law, Gail Sayman, and Second, by best friend Dr. Donna Maynard! Happy Birthday to you both!!!
Here's wishing that you receive every blessing and happiness today and always.

Dreaming of Baby

I thought I would post more pictures of the gorgeous drive we took this weekend. I forgot to add that neither Rick nor I brought our computers with us. There were also many hours along the trail when we had no service for our cellphones, so it was truly a serene get away.

I figured out something. For several weeks now, I have been dreaming that I am preggers. Not to worry, as Mother Nature has assured my child bearing years are quite finished, but I did realize why I am having those dreams. Lately, I have been feeling far apart from my children. Of course, it doesn't help that they all live in different states than I do! But I think I my dreams of pregnancy are evoked because I want my kids...well, to be kids again. I think I am nostalgic for that very brief part of my life when my children were little and depended on their mommy.

So let this harbinger be a lesson... kiss your children while they are near, and kids...call your mom!

Hope you are all well, and know you are loved.

The Muse of Arkansas

Mythology tells us that when we are in need of direction we can receive inspiration from a Muse. I was so in need of relaxation and focus, so this weekend, Rick and I decided to drive down the Talimena Scenic Highway that snakes through the Ouachita Mountains in southeastern Oklahoma and into central Arkansas. Sure enough, I found my muse. It's actually a little town in Arkansas called Muse and there are more cows than people, but the serenity and the awe-inspiring beauty of wilderness enveloped me with solace I was seeking. After a day of random wandering through the Ouachita National Forest, we settled in Mt. Ida, Arkansas for the evening. I did not realize that Mt. Ida is the Quartz Crystal capital for the world due to it's abundance in the area. You can even mine it yourself, but we were not inclined for any type of labor!

A.J. and his girlfriend had gone to Altus, Arkansas yesterday to a little winery for lunch and a day out. On our way back home, we drove north through Arkansas and stopped at the same place. Wiederkehr Winery, I soon discovered, had the best Niagara wine I have ever tasted. They also have a wonderful Bavarian restaurant in their little village that specializes in authentic fare.

We are back home, but rested and relaxed after a wonderful weekend wandering with my muse.

Meet your Maker

One of Keiko's favorite places to sleep is right beside the statue of Bastet! It has been another difficult week. I do not think I will truly relax until I earn tenure. I found out that one of my papers was not accepted for a major special education conference, but another paper was accepted for a conference on men's studies. Closed doors and open window type scenario? Since I teach special education, I am thinking it would be a good deal to present at a special ed conference!

It should be a relaxing weekend here in the big city. I am not going to Oklahoma, but Rick is coming up here. I thought the local hockey team was playing in town tonight, but I didn't read the schedule correctly and they are actually in Tulsa. We'll get to a hockey game soon enough. There is a team here (Wichita Thunder) that plays for the Central Hockey League and now Oklahoma City has the new farm team for the Edmonton Oilers, The OKC Barons. Should be some pretty good games to choose from this winter.

Hope you are all well

Goofus and Lilacs

After a very stressful week, I decided on Friday afternoon to go home! It was not expected, but I just missed my home and my honey so I packed up everything, filled the cats food and water and headed south to Oklahoma. Rick was surprised to find me home when he returned from his Friday night foosball thing!

We had a wonderful time! It was just what I needed. Lots of relaxing, eating, and generally, being slothful. I even managed to get a little bit of work done on a paper I am presenting at the end of October.

We had dinner with A.J. last night and then went to his apartment to check on my grand-kittens. While I was there, Maynard jumped on the exercise bike and assumed his regular pose! He is actually comfortable sitting like this. What a goofy cat!

Then when we got home, I noticed that one of the new lilac trees that I planted in April was in bloom! i have never seen a lilac blossom in the Fall! I know Rick has been watering them and I think he put horse steroids in the roots, because they are beautiful. I planted two new trees and the older one that has been there for a decade were all in bloom. What a great gift!

Hope you are all well,

mommy

Just a drop of water in an endless sea

I know the picture isn't the best, but this if from the concert, Kansas with the Wichita State University Symphony! It was so amazing! The acoustics in the arena were fabulous and the band playing with a full orchestra is a glorious experience.

-The picture on the far left is Rick on the Riverwalk in downtown Wichita. Last time I was on the trail it was such a lovely experience. Yesterday, while the day was sunny and cool under almost every bridge along the way were gangs of homeless people who had set up camps.

Of course, Wichita, like any other big city, has a homeless population, but to see makeshifts camps of poor, destitute, people in such large numbers was disconcerting and heartbreaking.

Gail, I think you said in the the last comment about appreciating the little things in life and that is so true. However, I also appreciate the big things. I ponder if both Rick and I lost our jobs, how soon it would be before we were on the streets. And the answer I come up with is...Never. We have terrific children who would take us in and parents who would help. We are very, very fortunate and I am ever so appreciative of the family and love that surrounds us.

A silver lining....

...or a blue neon shock of wheat! This is a picture of the Frank Lloyd Wright building at night. After a frustrating week, and a depressing day, I went to my office to calm down and think things though. It was daylight when I went into the building, but when I stepped out of the door, I was greeted with this gorgeous image. I work in ART! I don't know if it's the ambiance of having an office designed by an architectural genius, or just the change of scene from my apartment, but I am in a much more calm mood this evening than when the day began.

It's been a week of 'can't do a darned thing right'. You know what I mean? Hopefully it was the storm before the calm. My sweetie is coming up to Wichita this weekend. I have tickets to see the band Kansas perform with the Wichita State University Symphony tomorrow night. Along with that, wonderful friend is in a play "Dancing at Lughnasa" that is on tap for Sunday night and I have miles of bike trails that have yet to be explored. I also found a few new restaurants to sample. I hope you are all well and at peace, where ever life may lead.

Across the Universe

"Imagine all the people living life in peace..." I feels like a Beetles day indeed. With all of the various controversies surrounding 9/11- burn sacred books, build a house of worship, praise whatever deity chosen, above all; hope for peace, dream for peace, live for peace.

-Heavy on my heart, is my dearest friend and soul sister, Donna. I hope that you are finding some serenity and comfort during this somber time. She lost both of her parents within a week of each other. I am familiar with this pain that does not ebb with time and I send you best wishes.

-On a different note, the pic to the left is the new cat tree that I put in the dining room. You have a good view of the cat condo that is in front of the entertainment center, but what the view does not afford is the sliding glass door that leads out to the balcony. On that balcony are hung several well-attended bird feeders! I suppose the apartment is designed for the comfort of the felines!

-All is well here in the Land of Oz. We had a line of thunderstorms roll through last night that brought cooler temps for the week. It is beginning to feel like fall! Tomorrow, I am going on a bike ride along the Arkansas River with my new friend, Katie. (She also has 3 cats!). I am busy writing and preparing manuscripts for publication. I have a conference in Ok City in 2 weeks and the paper for that is finished. The end of October will bring another conference in Denver, but only half of that paper written.

-Hope all is well where ever this day brings you. Much love to all.