Monday, January 29, 2018

If just for a day

It's true I won't ever be a princess like Diana.
Oh she was beautiful. Stunning was more like it. 

Nor will I become a Duchess like Catherine.
BUT, in just mere hours I will be the Queen of my day, reigning over every second of the 24 hours called my birthday.
I will eat cake. Lots and lots of cake.
I simply cannot wait for my year of jubilee to begin. I will seek wonder the whole year through. 
And no, I'm not old! I've only just begun!
Happy almost 50 to me...The Princess of Quite a lot.

 

Thursday, January 25, 2018

Next Chapter

Justin Timberlake shares my birthday. So does my favorite Aunt, Lil.

I won't see my aunt (SIGH) and the likelihood of meeting Justin has slightly better odds now that he is half time entertainment at the Superbowl! The game is nearly in my backyard. Who knows...maybe I'll run into him at a restaurant! I'm not holding my breath! Besides, I'd rather meet an author. Sorry, Justin.

This is me three years ago on my birthday indulging in mint chocolate chip ice cream. Time really does fly. 

My hair is still short and stylish, sans a few gray hairs that I pay big money to conceal!
I may or may not be a few pounds heavier. I threw away my scale. But, my favorite pair of jeans still zip!

In just a few days, my 40s chapter will end. A new era begins. I still don't know how to feel about that yet. I've got a few days to ponder.
Maybe I'm in denial, but I don't feel old.

A patient told me this week that "these next ten years are going to be the best years of your life."
I'm believing him, but I'm shooting for more than ten! 

It's exciting to anticipate the day. I love to take my birthday off.  I think everyone should. After all, it  is the day you took your first breath. That needs to be celebrated.

I have many things planned. No big party though. Nope. Not a partier.  I will quietly enjoy the day doing all the things I love.  It will be a day filled with joy.

I found this quote quite fitting...

"When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive-to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love." 
                                            -Marcus Aurelius
Really. What else is there? Life. A precious gift.

Monday, January 22, 2018

May 19

May 19 is coming quickly for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. How delightful the day will be for them and all of the UK. I will definitely be present (on my couch here in America!) for the nuptials.

The anniversary date will be remembered, mostly by Harry and Meghan, as the day they said "I do" for as long as they both shall live.

It's the "shall live" that got me curious.

Did you know May 19 was not a great day in history for one Queen Anne Boleyn ? Nope. A horrible day. It was, in fact, the day in which she left this earth at the hands of her own husband, King Henry VIII. 

He had her killed at the Tower of London. Oh if these walls could talk.
I wonder what the weather was like that day. Rain? Lightning? Thunder? Ominous clouds like the ones we saw on the day of our visit to the Tower?


The executor (not the king himself. He made someone else do the dirty work) lopped her head off with a single stroke of a sword. So much for love, honor and cherish.

Close to this site on the Tower of London grounds  is where the unthinkable happened. Such evil. In light of history, there is nothing new under the sun. We are not learning. How incredibly scared the queen  must have been. Domestic violence at its worst. Ugh. I'm feeling nauseated just thinking about it.

So much history in the UK. Thank goodness times have changed. A lot.

I'm so excited that an American gets to marry her prince. It's all so very wonderful, isn't it?! I can't wait to see it all on May 19, 2018. A festive day. A marvelous day. A joyous time of celebration.

The total opposite of that dark day at the Tower on a May 19 day so long ago. God rest her soul, Queen Anne Boleyn.

May Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have a long and happy life together. Princess Diana would be so proud. I'm thinking she loves the girls her boys have chosen for their life long partners. 














  

Thursday, January 18, 2018

Miracle

Unless you've sworn off TV and football for your New Year's Resolution, you know all about the football miracle the world is talking about. 

If not, google it!                  Minneapolis Miracle. 

Wow. It really is incredible, and I'm NOT even a fan!

My beloved show, Victoria, was on PBS. I smugly thought, Hmmm. I wonder how bad those Vikings are losing.
Sorry to all you devotees. I really did think that. Shame on me! SIGH! 
Anyway, I flipped the channel and yep...they were losing. Ouch!

For some reason, I decided to keep it on and (wincing here) watch them lose! Oy! Utter honesty! Refreshing?!

If I hadn't seen it for myself, I would not have believed it. There, right before my eyes, Keenum throws the Hail Mary pass to Diggs. And HE CATCHES IT and wins the game with less than 10 seconds left. It was one for the books.

Amazing catch. Truly, it was a miracle.

Those Vikings will always be our nemesis. It's a border battle rivalry thing! But, even this Packer fan had to sit back in disbelief and ask myself... did that just happen?

Everyone I talk to is happy. Crazy how winning a game has brought the entire state together. Perhaps, the whole country. I love how a game does that. Just like a great story. Tension. Conflict. What's going to happen next?

I know a whole lot of Viking fanatics that will be glued to the TV coming this Sunday evening to watch how the story ends. Will they win? There's a chance to win the Super Bowl at stake here.

Here's hoping.












Monday, January 15, 2018

Christmas decorations

Are your Christmas decorations still adorning your home?

Mine have long been taken down and life put back in order. I like to think of it as a new year...new start. Everything in its place.

I've recently learned Christmas still glistens in England.

King George VI died on February 6. Remember him? He's the one thrust into royal duty due to the fact his brother abdicated. Oh how our choices affect so many others than just ourselves. 

King George VI was Queen Elizabeth's father. She adored him.  Losing him had to be so very difficult. Yes he was a king, but to her he was simply her father. Upon his death, she was thrown into public service because of who he was. A king. She was his heir.  She has endured so much. Such sacrifice. 
No doubt, it all was an extremely troublesome time. Her grief must have been overwhelming.

The king died at Sandringham House.
The Queen stays there until February 6 and keeps Christmas with her until then. My guess is she walks the halls and ponders every moment she spent with the king.  I'm sure having the decorations up is a sweet way  to keep his memory alive for her and other members of the royal family just a little longer.

The Queen has always been private. I love that about her. Knowing this little known fact makes me endear her all the more.           

Thursday, January 11, 2018

It's his birthday

January 11. The day my hubby entered the world.

He's the baby of his family. His siblings likely would say he was spoiled! I'd say he is just loved. A lot.

I remember so well the days when my dear mother in law was in her final weeks of life. I hung on her every word and just wanted to be near the woman who gave my husband life.

I whispered to her, "Thank you for giving me Dale."  She sat up a little straighter. Had a little gleam in her eye as she nodded in my direction. Oh how she loved him.  Oh, how I do too.

He is a good man. I'm so grateful he is in my world. He is a wonderful husband and father.

Dale loves an adventure. He gets me to do some pretty crazy things.

We drove to Yellowstone a few years ago. "Wouldn't it be fun to camp in a tent instead of staying in a hotel?" SAID NO WOMAN EVER! Only a man would suggest such a dumb idea! 

I rebutted.  "Are you nuts? There are animals roaming everywhere." 

"Oh, we probably won't even see one the whole time we're there," he said. 

"Want to bet?" 

There were animals. BIG ONES! 
Look at this bad boy!
And this one! RIGHT by our campsite.  Dale thought it was cool.
We slept in the van. 

We've hiked a lot of the national parks, including a trek to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.
England, Italy, and Spain have been checked off the bucket list.

Dale has jumped out of an airplane (FOOL!!) and loves to hop on his motorcycle. I love looking at pictures as we have seen and done many many fun, and yes sometimes crazy, escapades.

He's a handful! But, I love him so much and can't wait to see what this next year will bring.

Happy birthday, honey. 

Monday, January 8, 2018

Learned something

Have you been watching The Crown?

I just finished the second season. I'm still processing.
The one episode that really surprised me was about Prince Philip and his childhood. It really does make sense how one acts in adulthood is in some ways proportioned to how we are raised.

I like to call it the DM, or dark moment, from our past. Clearly, he did not have a good relationship with his father. He seemed to not have spent much time with his mother, who had a mental illness and was institutionalized.   Those family roots  run deep and affect us much more than we care to realize. I understand  because of my own relationship with my mother. 

I felt such empathy for the prince when he received the news of his sister's death in a plane crash. How horrible and alone he must have felt.

We likely will never know just how much of The Crown really is true life or simply drama for ratings, but whichever it is, being a part of the royal family can't be easy. With all of the research and reading, I will forever find them a fascinating part of history.

Do you like The Crown? What has surprised you the most? 


Thursday, January 4, 2018

An Observation

My car on a much warmer day than it is today. The photo's weather is at least an 80 degree difference. This morning, the temperature here in the tundra is a balmy -5 degrees! Feels like -20.

Anyway, it's an observation, but not the one I will share with you!

Even in this ridiculously cold weather, I like to park my car a ways from the front entrance to the grocery store, work, coffee shop, wherever I happen to be. You get the idea. If there's a way for me to get my steps in without going to a gym, it's a win.

Picture me parking off in a distant parking space.  There's no other car remotely close. The masses park as close to the front door as possible.  I like to be the one swimming upstream!  I pull into my preferred spot,  my heater going full blast as the car idles. I pull my arms through my coat. The coat I took off halfway to my destination because I was getting hot due to my heated seats. (Best invention EVER!)

I tug on my gloves and grab for my purse, ready to shut off the engine when I notice a car pull up next to me. Not a few spots down, or even a space between, but RIGHT NEXT TO ME. Driver gets out, sometimes even giving me a wave. I hear  his fob lock his car door as he rushes up the parking lot to the front entrance. My thoughts ensue.

Dude...right next to me? What's with that? Safety? Are you afraid your door will get dinged and pulling up next to my car assures it won't?  Do you want to get your steps in too? 
Even so, why are you parking RIGHT next to me?

It's the strangest thing.  This has happened more than once! I've been so tempted to ask, "Why are you parking right beside me?" . Haven't yet. I'll let you know the answer should I get up enough nerve to inquire.

Has this ever happened to you?  What do you think the reason is? 

Monday, January 1, 2018

It's Happening

2018 is here. My first thoughts as I woke this morning were those of England. I'm really going. AND now I can officially say this year.  THIS YEAR. I'm in awe. Will be for months. It's a lovely thought.

Hubby and I spent some of our weekend booking inns for our trip.  One such place we will rest our heads is the Red Lion Inn in Lacock. I can't wait to binge watch Downton Abbey! Much of the 2015 season was filmed in this village. Very idyllic.
Guaranteed, there will be no shortage of tea drinking!
Anyplace pertaining to Jane Austen will be on the list.
I'm so very much looking forward to our holiday across the pond.
I hope you are planning something wonderful for your 2018 too.

Happy New Year.