Ketchup Post

Miss me? I've been too sleepy to post lately. Sorry, ya'll. I've written some lovely posts in my mind, however. I'm just too lazy to post those, though. Anyway, life moves on.

Lately, I'm dealing with a husband who is playing "phone tag" with his doctor about his hernia that we've waited to get fixed. He never seems to connect with his doctor. I ask myself why? Is this because he secretly doesn't want his hernia fixed?!? Hmmm... And he never seems to connect with the hospital to do a sleep study. Is this because he doesn't want to be told he has sleep apnea?!? I don't know, but I have resolved that this is the year he gets this taken care of. (So Mr, you can keep ignoring me, but this is where I take a stand and become the nagging wife. If you're reading this, ask yourself if you have picked up the phone of your own accord and called your doctor. And do you really want your beautiful, amazing, and loving wife to keep bugging you about this?) As an aside note, I think it is really funny that our doctor is "Dr. Reddy" (sounds like "ready" as in "Are you ready?!?").

Work has been busy lately. I had an incredible book club meeting last night. (I don't usually blog about work, but this was cool...) I host a reading club for 4th and 5th graders at my library and I really have the most incredible group of kids ever. We read "The Misadventures of Benjamin Bartholomew Piff : You Wish" by Jason Lethcoe for this month and the kids really loved it. The book is about an orphaned boy who makes a wish on his 11th birthday for all the wishes in the world and because he follows all of the wish-making rules exactly, he gets his wish. All kinds of magical problems follow at the "Wishworks Factory," where the wishes get processed and a great little story ensues. The book was excellent for discussion because it had a lot to say about wishes vs. curses and hope vs. revenge. Anyway, I had a book to raffle off, so when the kids came in, I had them make a wish and then write their name on a little slip of paper. Some kids even wrote their wishes. They knew it was for a raffle, but didn't know I was raffling off a copy of the book. Well, when I drew the name of the winner, I was shocked to see that this girl had actually wished for a copy of book! How cool is that?!? So afterward, I made sure to read all the slips of paper to see the other wishes (don't judge me) and two of the kids in my group wishes that I would do a reading club for them when they got to 6th grade! Now if that is not flattering, I don't know what is. Especially since these are 4th and 5th graders - and they were wishing for something not tangible. Think about it. That is real cool. Like I said, I have the best group of kids in the world.

What else has happened that is of note? I placed a bet on the Super Bowl this year. If you actually KNOW me, and know that I basically loathe football, and have no interest in the sport, then you will find this mildly entertaining. The town I work in (Westchester is divided up by towns and villages - odd) does a spread sheet thingy where you buy a box and if your box is the game score at the end of the quarters, then you win "points" (a legal way of saying "dollars"). It is 450 "points" for both the 1st and the 3rd quarter, 7oo "points" for half, and 1400 "points" for the final score. (The box itself cost me 30 big fat "points.") It's a total long shot, but this way, Tim and I can watch the game and possibly enjoy it. Now I just need to learn the rules of football! The box number I bought was number 42, because it is the answer to all the questions of the universe. (If you're a geek like me, you will get that literary reference.) So here is hoping that the Giants score ends in a 2 and the Patriots score ends in a 5 at the end of one of the quarters!

That's all folks.

52 Blessings - Fourth Edition

My Kitties... I love these little furr balls.

Wordless Wednesday - Metro Card Fun

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MLK Tribute Song

This is an awesome song by one of my favorite singer/songwriters Patty Griffin. She is amazing and this song is inspiring.

Up To The Mountain (MLK Song) by Patty Griffin
Because you asked me to
Up over the clouds
To where the sky was blue
I could see all around me
Everywhere
I could see all around me
Everywhere

Sometimes I feel like
I've never been nothing but tired
And I'll be walking
Till the day I expire
Sometimes I lay down
No more can I do
But then I go on again
Because you ask me to

Some days I look down
Afraid I will fall
And though the sun shines
I see nothing at all
Then I hear your sweet voice, oh
Oh, come and then go, come and then go
Telling me softly
You love me so

The peaceful valley
Just over the mountain
The peaceful valley
Few come to know
I may never get there
Ever in this lifetime
But sooner or later
It's there I will go
Sooner or later
It's there I will go

52 Blessings - Third Edition

Well, of course this is one of my blessings! I probably have the best family in the world (not that I'm biased or anything...). I've had family on my mind all this week, both with baby Emma's first birthday and my father-in-law's visit and all, and I just have to say that my immediate family and my married-in-to family are so wonderful. I really am blessed to be a part of my family.

This is one of my favorite pictures of my in-laws. It was taken a couple of years ago when we first moved up here to NY. We took them around town and to the Bethesda Fountain in Central Park. It was a perfect day anyway, so it is a perfect picture to capture that. Terry, my pops, is here visiting now and it's been fun hanging out with him today and just chatting. I LOVE that he has to take business trips up here and I can't wait till my mother-in-law retires (the end of this year) so she can come up with him for visits too!

And here is a picture of my cute folks at the NY Botanical Gardens. My momma loves to visit here whenever they come up. She lights up at all the pretty flowers... and usually my dad lights up when he sees her happy, so it is a working balance. This is one of my favorite pictures of them. Dad is being silly and sweet - this is rare to catch on film!!! (Not that he isn't normally silly - which he is ALL the time...) Aren't they adorable?!?

Here is another picture of the Bennetch crew, in all our glory. This was taken this past summer when my sis, her hubby, and baby got to visit from Canada. I am SERIOUSLY looking forward to their next visit this coming summer. It is rare that we are all able to get together (and sometimes it can be a little crazy) but there is nothing else like it in the world. But, I am lucky to have my little brother nearby. He's become one of my favorite girlfriends!

And finally, here is a picture from a Bomgardner family trip down to San Antonio. This trip has special memories for me. It was such a neat time for all of us to be together doing something really fun. My cute little niece Morgan, sitting beside me in this picture (who is now in the 7th grade!!!), still talks about how much fun she had on this trip too, and that is super cool to me. I will always have the memories of strolling along the river walk, listening to mariachi music, and basking in the warmth and love of my Texas family.

So yep. I am blessed. Stay tuned for the fourth edition.

Birthday Grrrl

Today is sweet little Emma's first birthday. I can't even believe it has gone by that fast. My little niece is now a one year old! Uncle Tim and Aunt Suzy, well, we couldn't be more proud.

Now for a little story time:

It was around this time last year that my mom and I were absolutely FREAKING out because we hadn't heard anything from my big sister about whether or not she was in labor. (Mom knew she had started having contractions and whatnot the day before, but Beck was radio silent for nearly 24 hrs.) I had to work that day, so I went in at 9:00 and I couldn't focus on anything. My boss suggested calling the hospital up in Canada where she was, so I put on my librarian hat and went to work trying to locate a number that could connect me. I tell you, those four different Canadian women I spoke to went out of their way to help me find my sister.

When I was finally connected with their room, Jerry answered the phone and told me I had a brand new niece. You know how there are certain unforgettable moments in your life that you'll always remember where you were at a particular time? Well, this was one of those special moments for me. I remember getting all emotional in my office at work while Jerry told me how my big sis was doing and how Emma's birth went. And he was so pleased that I had tracked them down and was the first family member to hear the news. Special memory.

Tim and I are godparents to this awesome baby grrrl and we are so happy to be a part of her life. Happy birthday Em! We wish we could have been at your party to see you experience cake for the first time!

Daily Sick and Andy is Visiting

My mom let me know today that it is inappropriate (in blog etiquette) to mention something and never follow back up on it. True, true. I apologize reader.

So, about The Daily Show on Monday, we had a great time. Fifty points if you actually watched it in hopes of seeing yours truly. (I would be SO impressed.) Anywho, we were the second group of people in line and we sat pretty close to Jon. They were really good seats as far as proximity, except that we were in a odd corner so half the stage was blocked from our view. Bummer. But in case you're wondering, Jon Stewart is just as much a cutie pie in real life (I know my sister was probably wondering this...) and he is a seriously funny guy - writers or not. And wow, he is pretty short, too! I never pictured him as such a petite fella, cause he is always behind that desk, but he is tiny!

We felt sorry for him because he is back on air with over half of his staff missing due to the writers strike going on still. But he was great about it. He was calm and patient with the rest of his staff, I even saw him thanking people and such. He just seems like good people. But it was freaky walking into the studio with an angry picket line boycotting what you were about to see. It made me feel like such a rebel. So yeah, Jon Stewart is an amazingly witty guy and a master at improv and we had a good ole time.

Sick? Did anybody say sick? Umm, yeah. I am sick for the 5th time this dang season. And I just want to say that I am awfully sick of being sick. The only thing that would make my chapped runny nose feel better is if somebody would buy me this tissue holder. Anybody? Come on... I can't even breath here...

Well, I gotta go - baby brother is here for a visit and we need to girl-talk. We gotta go make cookies too. He is so great. I wish everybody had a little brother. I'll just try not to sneeze on him too much.

Scary

Go here to see the footage of Tom Cruise talking about Scientology. If that doesn't scare the beajesus out of you, then consider yourself hardcore. As for me, whenever I hear his creepy laugh from now on, I am going to be transported to unhappy place where crazy fundamentalists roam the land and think that their own set of "ethics" should be placed before others (and yes, he says exactly that in this video clip. I kid you not.) - either that, or I will just sing Jesus Loves Me and sit in the fetal position. One or the other.

Below are some of the highlights (and these are straight quotes... and yes, he does seem disjointed and illiterate) :

Tom Cruise: ...I think it’s a privilege to call yourself a Scientologist, and it’s something that you have to earn because a Scientologist does... has the ability to create new and better realities and improve conditions. Being a Scientologist, you look at someone and know absolutely that you can help them.

"Being a Scientologist, when you drive past an accident... you know you have to do something about it because you know you’re the only one that can really help.

"We have a responsibility.

"We are the authorities on getting people off drugs, we are the authorities on the mind, we are the authorities on improving conditions... we can rehabilitate criminals.

"I have to do it because I can’t live with myself if I don’t, and that really is it.

"So it’s our responsibility to educate, create the new reality. We have that responsibility to say, 'Hey, this is the way it should be done because we do it this way and people are actually getting better.'

"I want to know that I’ve done everything I could everyday, and I think about those people out there who are depending on us. I think about that and it does make me feel that we’ve got more work. I need more help, get those spectators either in the playing field or out of the arena. Really, that’s how I feel about it.

52 Blessings - Second Edition

Number 2 of the 52 Blessings Meme is gonna be "sense of adventure." That is definitely something I have in abundance (travel wise - not food experimentation wise) . I intend to collect memories and NOT dust. Speaking of which, tomorrow, hubby and I are going to a live taping of The Daily Show. Strike, shmike. More on that tomorrow. For now, pleasant dreams of Jon Stewart will dance in my head!

Funny

Here is a seriously funny story I got in an email. Warning: this contains expletives and you will literally laugh out loud. I'm serious.

Pocket Taser Stun Gun, a great gift for the wife. A guy who purchased his lovely wife a pocket Taser for their anniversary submitted this:

Last weekend I saw something at Larry's Pistol & Pawn Shop that sparked my interest. The occasion was our 22nd Anniversary, and I was looking for a little something "extra" for my wife. I came across was a 100,000-volt, pocket/purse-sized taser. The effects of the taser were supposed to be short lived, with no long-term adverse affect on the assailant, allowing her adequate time to retreat to safety.... WAY TOO COOL!

Long story short, I bought the device, and brought it home. I loaded two triple-A batteries in the thing, and pushed the button. Nothing! I was disappointed.

I learned, however, that if I pushed the button AND pressed it against a metal surface at the same time; I'd get the blue arc of electricity darting back and forth between the prongs. Awesome!!!

Unfortunately, I have yet to explain to the Wife what that burn spot is on the face of her microwave.

Okay, so I was home alone with this new toy, thinking to myself that it couldn't be all THAT bad, with only two triple-A batteries, right?!!! There I sat in my recliner with my cat, Gracie looking on intently (trusting little soul) while I was reading the directions, and thinking that I really needed to try this thing out on a flesh & blood moving target.

I must admit, I thought about zapping Gracie, (for only a fraction of a second) and then thought better of it. She's such a sweet cat. But, if I was going to give this thing to my wife to protect herself against a mugger, I did want some assurance that it would work as advertised.

Am I wrong?

So, there I sat in a pair of shorts and a tank top, with my reading glasses perched delicately on the bridge of my nose, directions in one hand, and taser in another. The directions said that a one-second burst would shock and disorient your assailant; a two-second burst was supposed to cause muscle spasms, and a major loss of bodily control; a three-second burst would purportedly make your assailant flop on the ground like a fish out of water. Any burst longer than three seconds would just be wasting the batteries.

All the while, I'm looking at this little device measuring about 5" long, less than 3/4 inch in circumference; (pretty cute really, and loaded with two little bitty, itsy, bitsy triple-A batteries) thinking to myself, "NO possible way!"

What happened next is almost beyond description, but I'll do my best.

I'm sitting there alone, Gracie looking on with her head cocked to one side as if to say, "Don't do it master," reasoning that a one-second burst from such a tiny little ole thing couldn't POSSIBLY hurt all that bad...

I decided to give myself a one-second burst, just for the heck of it. I touched the prongs to my naked thigh, pushed the button, and HOLY MOTHER OF GOD, WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION @!@$$!%!

I'm pretty sure Jessie Ventura ran in through the side door, picked me up in the recliner, then body slammed us both on the carpet, over, and over, and over, and over again.

I vaguely recall waking up on my side, in the fetal position, with tears in my eyes, body soaking wet, both nipples on fire, testicles nowhere to be found, with my left arm tucked under my body in the oddest position, and tingling in my legs.

The cat was standing over me making meowing sounds I had never heard before, licking my face, and undoubtedly thinking to herself, "do it again, do it again!"

Note: If you ever feel compelled to "mug" yourself with a taser, one note of caution: there is NO SUCH THING as a "one-second burst" , when you zap yourself. You will not let go of that thing until it is dislodged from your hand by a violent thrashing about on the floor. A three second burst would be considered conservative. SON-OF-A-%#&**%#... that hurt!!!

A minute or so later (I can't be sure, as time was a relative thing at that point), I collected my wits (what little I had left), sat up, and surveyed the landscape. My bent reading glasses were on the mantel of the fireplace. (How did they up get there???)

My triceps, right thigh, and both nipples were still twitching. My face felt like it had been shot up with Novocain, and my bottom lip weighed 88 lbs.

I'm still looking for my testicles. I'm offering a significant reward for their safe return.

Wordless Wednesday - Venice

I just ordered the last of our pictures from our European vacation we took four years ago... so I guess that means I'm in the home stretch as far as scrapbooking it goes. This is one of our favorite pictures from one of our favorite places.

Inappropriate Children's Book Titles

My library buddy Tennessee Celeste sent me a link to this... too funny. I tell ya, there are some creative geniuses out there. Either that, or there are lots of people with a whole lot of time on their hands. Check out more titles here...

"52 Blessings"

Along with a post I had just a couple days ago (3 or 4 that is - heh, just kidding Tim...), I decided to start a new meme. I call it "52 Blessings" and it is most appropriate that I start it on the first Sunday of the new year. I want it to help me focus on the beauty in my life more than the small stuff I've been sweating lately. Call it my resolution. Anyway, the most important person in my life is my #1 blessing. It's my fella, Timmy. I adore him. I can't imagine life without him. He is my very best friend and the person whom I admire most. He is the best thing about my world.

A New Favorite...

I LOVE this song. And I think she is just too cute. Regina Spektor is now on my list.

(Also, check out this song and this one too - then you'll really see why she is so great!)

Pollyanna

You know, there are a few people in my life that I can have a short conversation with and I just feel like my spirits have been lifted. (There are also a few that have the reverse effect upon me!) And sometimes I don't even need to talk with these folks, they can just send me a quick email or toss me a little smile and I immediately feel better about myself and the world around me. I love those kind of people. The world needs more people like that.

I'm sure this post sounds kind of random, so I'll focus on my point here. I've been thinking about these people in my life that have such a profound effect upon me, good AND bad, and I need to make a conscious decision to rid myself of those rotten apples and focus on the people who bring me up. And you know, I also need to be one of those people who brings others up. I received three notes this past week that really encouraged me, just about little things, and these notes seemed to clear a fog that's been hanging over my head. How powerful is that?!?

This year if I am going to make any kind of resolutions, it would be that I want to become a person that has a positive effect on people. I want to be an encourager and a motivator. I want to send somebody a note and have their world cleared of the fog that is daily life. I want to be that person. (And thank you to my note writers - I know that two of you read my blog! You are encouragers and you make me smile when I think of you. And that is a legacy.)

Bethlehem and an Amish Suzy

Right, I've been a lazy poster again. I have all these great things I want to write about, but I've just been enjoying frolicking in my PJ's and watching old TV sitcoms. Also, I went on a little trip!

So, Tim and I got out of town Saturday and Sunday for a mini vacation. We had so much fun. We drove to Bethlehem, PA (a.k.a. Christmas City) for the day, spent the night in Lancaster, then went on to Hershey the next day. All in all, we didn't drive far. Hershey is only about a two hour drive from here. I still managed to fall asleep, though. I swear, I am a car-narcoleptic.

Bethlehem was our first destination. What a beautiful little town! It's a Moravian settlement and it is immersed in Moravian culture, especially at Christmas time. (I wasn't really sure what this was meant before visiting, so if you don't know reader - don't feel silly. Here's a little Bethlehem history...)
A Moravian Christmas has all sorts of neat traditions, my favorites being the Moravian star, single candles in every window as a sign of welcome, and the Christmas Putz (basically, a nativity scene with a whole set of vignettes, using mosses and trees and other natural materials). We spent the whole day learning about the history of Bethlehem, doing a bit of Christmas decoration shopping, and seeing the sights. I bought some amazing Christmas decorations for next year at the Christkindlmarkt; there were some incredible buys! I got a small German Christmas Carousel (the little wooden pinwheel that spins with a candle under it) which I've always wanted, a cool set of sleigh bells on a leather strap, a neat crackled porcelain nativity set, a tiny ribbon Moravian star ornament, and a little clay gingerbread house. I can't wait till next year to use these!

And Bethlehem at night was simply GORGEOUS. There were white lights everywhere (because white light symbolizes purity) and a candle in every window. One of the coolest things about this town is the Bethlehem Star. This star is about 80 feet tall and is on the side of a mountain, overlooking the town. My pictures don't do it justice. But I definitely foresee another pilgrimage to Bethlehem in our future.

That night, we drove a bit farther and spent in a refurbished train caboose! We stayed at this awesome little place in Amish country called the Red Caboose Motel. I HIGHLY recommend! We only paid about $80 bucks and had a caboose with a jacuzzi spa in it. It was fabulous.

In the morning, we had blueberry pancakes in the dining car, complete with special effects. There is a button at the front of the car that the waitress pushed to make the dining car shake like it was moving. If that isn't adorable, I don't know what is.

After breakfast, we drove around the Lancashire area to see some other cool off-beat places. We visited Dutch Haven for a piece of the best shoo-fly pie in North America, the Outhouse (which was closed - bummer!), and the National Christmas Center (which was also amazing). This Christmas museum was CRAZY. I've never seen that much Christmas memorabilia in one spot in my life like that. It had everything from the desk that Clement Moore wrote "The Night Before Christmas" on to a life-sized walk through nativity scene to a replica room of a Woolworth 5 & dime store. It was AWESOME.

Then we drove up to Hershey, PA. I've not been to Hershey since my childhood. I remember that visit and being so impressed with the fact that we could smell the chocolate factory from miles away. I also remember being completely enthralled, getting sick on so much chocolate, having lunch in the cafe area and being mad at my parents for buying me chocolate milk on top of all the chocolate I'd already had that day. Ahh the memories. Let's just say that memories can sometimes be better than the reality of a place... How sad I was when all those things I hyped Tim up about were no longer true of the Hershey factory! The smell was no longer there and the huge samples of chocolate that I remember getting sick on because there was SO MUCH were reduced to tiny bite-sized unmemorable things. And it was so expensive! What a bummer. I think I'm also a bit jaded to Hershey now that I've been to the Cadbury Chocolate Factory in England, too. Hershey just PALES in comparison. And I know that Hershey has been bought out by Nestle. That may have been a factor as well. What ever the case, it was a bit of a disappointment. But we made the most of it anyway.

All in all, it was a fun little trip. I have pictures of it here if you'd like to see. There are some pretty good ones, if I do say so myself!