The Thing About Peyton Manning...

It started innocently enough. at a 1998 fantasy football draft.  I was a rookie so I picked rookie quarterback Peyton Manning.  Little did I know that this one simple act would lead to my admiration (some call it obsession) for Peyton.  Not in a weird school girl crush kind of way but in a "I will follow Peyton to whatever team he plays for" sort of way.

I love watching the man play.  Trying to figure out what he will do next, what record he will break, who will be his next target, how he normally figures out a defense by the end of the first quarter, and how intently he studies while he is on the sideline, it has just become well, an obsession.

While not every game was glamorous, they were all exciting!  Since that rookie year of 1998, I have spent countless hours watching Peyton play and normally there was no disappointment.  I was also lucky enough to see him play in person twice, once in NY against the Jets and once in Indianapolis, which was the experience of a lifetime for me.

I have to say it has been a great run as a Peyton Manning fan.  My closet holds two different Manning jerseys,  numerous T-shirts, blankets, collectibles, etc, because when you are a huge fan of someone you buy things and people buy things for you that relate to the person you are a fan of.

Now here I am at what might be the end of his extremely impressive career wondering what will happen.  Will Peyton retire?  Will he return for one more shot at the Super Bowl?  If he retires, what will he do, coach, announce, or heaven forbid leave football totally?  I guess we will know when Peyton decides.

If I could get a message to Peyton Manning, I would tell him that I am proud to be a fan.  There are very few players that have the drive, intelligence, and integrity that you have.  I believe you could make another season and do just as well if not better than this past season.  I know that there are naysayers out there who say you are too old, but only you can decide that.  If the decision is to retire, I would say, I understand and thank you for the memories.  Your future is in your hands Peyton, I can't wait to see what it brings you.

Until then I say Omaha, Omaha!

Celebrity Parenting vs Normal Parenting

"I think it's different when you have an office job, because it's routine and, you know, you can do all the stuff in the morning and then you come home in the evening," she said. "When you're shooting a movie, they're like, 'We need you to go to Wisconsin for two weeks,' and then you work 14 hours a day and that part of it is very difficult. I think to have a regular job and be a mom is not as, of course there are challenges, but it's not like being on set." ~ Gwyneth Paltrow

This is all over the news.  Gwyneth Paltrow thinks it is more difficult for her to work and parent than it is for normal moms.  Needless to say Gwyneth is not making any brownie points with “normal moms”.

Let’s think about this.  Celebrity moms have to leave their children (sometimes) to go on tour, make movies, to attend publicity events and charity balls.  While I am sure it is difficult to be absent from your children’s lives for extended periods of time and to shield them from the harshness of public scrutiny and paparazzi, this is a choice you made for your career and your family.  This career affords you luxuries such as a nanny, a house keeper, and heaven knows who else you employ to run the personal side of your life.  When you come home from wherever you are working, you have time off to reconnect with the family and maybe take a quick holiday in Cancun.

The “Normal” moms leave their kids (if they have a full time job outside the home) for 8 – 10 hours a day and usually they do this to put food on the table and a roof over their children’s heads, no because they choose to.  Most of the time they come home, cook dinner, deal with homework, do laundry, clean up after dinner, do more laundry, take care of miscellaneous children’s issues, and get ready to do it all again tomorrow.  If they are lucky there is a significant other to help out and if they are really lucky they get a one week vacation in the summer to a beach or some other family fun location.  All this, and guess what?  For date night, they pay to see one of your movies, Gwyneth.

I have had the experience of being the “normal” mom.  I wouldn’t trade it for anything, although a housekeeper would have been nice….

So, Gwyneth, really which sounds more difficult now?

Accidental Resolutions

It has been a while since I posted.  The holidays and other things have kept me away from writing.  I am planning on posting regularly from now on.

I have been thinking a lot in the last month about resolutions, not only New Year’s resolutions but resolutions in general.  People make New Year’s resolutions because it is easy to remember when you started and because they want better things for themselves for the next year.

I do not normally make New Year’s resolutions.  I have goals for the next year but I don’t formally announce them or write them down, probably because I don’t want to see what I planned to do and failed to do.  I have, however, made accidental resolutions.  What do I mean by this?  Well, you know, one day you are going along living your life and something happens to make you change or stop a habit, without planning or warning.  That is what I call an accidental resolution.

What brings me to the subject of resolutions on February 7^th?  Well, I realized yesterday that it was the nine month anniversary of me quitting smoking.  In May I got sick with bronchitis and a chest x-ray showed something.  My doctor sent me for a cat scan and they decided that it was scar tissue that they saw on my lung.  You would think that would be enough for me to not smoke.  Well, no, I continued to smoke for two more days even though I was coughing like crazy.  Stupid, I know.  Finally, my boyfriend said to me “why are you forcing yourself to smoke?  You can barely breathe.”  And you know what? He was right.  And that was it.  My accidental resolution.  Believe me, I never really planned on quitting smoking.

I have had other accidental resolutions but I will write about them in future posts.  Have you had accidental resolutions?  Feel free to comment and let me know that I am not (or maybe I am) that weird.

Till we meet again…

Susan

Thankful

Yes, I am thankful.  I am thankful for the obvious things:  family, friends, and my dogs.  I am also thankful for some of the simplest things that maybe we take for granted on a daily basis.

I am thankful for memories, for my children are grown and we are making new memories, but I do love to go into my memory bank and think of the time when I was their world, because they will forever be mine.

1993

I am thankful for my parents.  They have an awesome relationship.  They encourage me every day, even now, as an adult.  I would be lost without them.

I am thankful for the love of my life and I am thankful we found each other with enough life left.

I am thankful for my siblings. There was a time when I wasn’t sure I would have any (I was an only child for 10 years.)  Love you guys!

I am thankful for my Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Nieces, and Nephews.  Life would be boring without you!

I am thankful for medical science.  My family had quite a few medical issues this year and I am thankful for the doctors, nurses, and hospitals that took care of us and made us healthy again.

I am thankful for love, hugs, and kisses for without them we would all be angry, sad, and frustrated.  So hug, kiss, and love someone today…it’s free and it feels great!

I am thankful that I have a job and that I am able to work. (Although, if I could retire and write for the rest of my life, that would be good too.)

I am thankful for my past and what it has taught me and where it has taken me.

Most of all I am thankful for having “enough” to be thankful for.  I have enough love, strength, faith, knowledge, health, happiness, and eagerness to live my life the way I want.

My wish for you is that you also have enough to be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Susan

My Top Five Charities

This time of year is a time for giving.  I try to give all year long, but people are more generous at this time of year.  I have done some research and these are my top five worthy charities this year.  I have included links to their websites.  Please donate to one if you are able to.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

I cannot imagine the range of emotions a parent goes through when learning their child has a catastrophic disease such as cancer.  This hospital not only treats the patient, but also treats the family.  I am sure you have already heard of St. Jude’s, they are highly advertised.  Do you know exactly what they do?  The following is their mission statement and a link to their website, where you can learn more and make a donation.

 

“The mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is to advance cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. Consistent with the vision of our founder Danny Thomas, no child is denied treatment based on race, religion or a family's ability to pay.”

 http://www.stjude.org/waystohelp  

The Sato Project

I came across this charity completely by accident.  Have you ever heard of “Dead Dog Beach” in Puerto Rico?  Neither had I until I stumbled upon this organization.  The stories of the dogs that are abandoned on this beach and left to fend for themselves, have puppies, fight, or die are horrific.  This charity was founded by Chrissy Beckles, a champion amateur boxer who is literally fighting to save these pups.  Check out their website to make a donation or maybe even add a new member to your family.

http://thesatoproject.org/

Team Boom 4 Tripp

This story caught my eye on Facebook.  It is about a family who tried very hard to have a baby and finally did.  When that baby was about two years old he was at daycare playing on the playground when a huge limb fell out of a tree and hit him directly on the head crushing his skull.  This miraculous child has survived surgeries and is the light of his parent’s life.  The family uses 100% of donations towards Tripp’s care and so that his mom is able to stay home and care for him, they also sell items on their website and donate a percentage of their proceeds to other worthy charities.  Check it out.

http://www.teamboom4tripp.com/

Tie the Knot

Tietheknot.org is an organization dedicated to marriage equality.  This is a subject close to my heart; as it is to many in this country.  Tietheknot.org was created by Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Mitchell from Modern Family) and his husband Justin Mikita.  The site sells neckwear and donates the proceeds.  “Tie The Knot was founded to benefit foundations that support marriage equality. Every day, these organizations fight for millions of Americans right to be married”

www.tietheknot.org

Toys for Tots

Ok so pretty much everyone on the planet has heard of Toys for Tots.  I have included this organization in my top five simply because it is an awesome organization and it is one of the easiest ones to donate to.  You either drop and unwrapped toy in the many donation boxes in stores and malls around the country, or you can visit their website to make a monetary donation.

http://www.toysfortots.org/

Times are tough for many people out there.   If you can, please donate, it doesn’t have to be to one from my list and it doesn’t have to be a lot of money.  I find that donating and giving back makes my heart feel good.

I know there are many more charities out there.  Please feel free to add your personal favorites in the comment section.

Thank you.

Till we meet again…

Susan

Just thought I would share this with you, it made me laugh.  Enjoy your day!

My Favorite Things

Around this time of year we have all these celebrities doing shows on their favorite things.  Oprah started this, years ago, and then gave all of her favorite things away to the audience. 

I got to thinking the other day about my favorite things.  Of course it goes without saying that the love of my life, my children, my parents, my siblings, the rest of my extended family members, and my friends are my very most favorite things in life, but I thought I would list some of the not-so-obvious favorite things in my life.

1. My dog, Buster, whom I love with all of my heart.  He has never once judged me or gotten angry with me.  He is aging and I will be very lost when he no longer roams this earth (or the house, under my feet)
   
2. Coffee.  I know there are many people who would list this as one of their favorite things.  My coffee habit is more of an obsession.  I see nothing wrong with this.
3. Music.  Pretty much any music (other than blues or jazz).  I cannot live without music in my life.  I have basically been this way since way before people were carrying boom boxes on their shoulders. (If you don’t know what this means, you are way too young to be reading this blog haha.)
4. Chocolate.  This needs no explanation.  If you are female you know what I am talking about.
5. Sweats. Sweat pants to be exact.  They are my favorite article of clothing.  I know this makes me sound lazy.  I am not lazy.  I just love to be comfortable.  I will never forget the day I found “dress” pants that feel like I am wearing sweat pants.  It was an awesome day!
6. Campfires or fireplaces.  I just love the smell of a campfire and the sound of a crackling fire especially on a chilly fall evening.
7. Football.  I love watching football on Sundays.  There was a time where I would have done anything to avoid the TV on Sunday.  Now I cannot wait for football Sunday and am so sad when the season is over.
8. The change of the seasons.  I know plenty of people who would love to live in a climate such as Florida’s or California’s where it is normally warm and sunny.  Don’t get me wrong, warm and sunny are wonderful but if I didn’t have the changing of the seasons I would die of boredom.  I love snow storms and by the time I am sick of snow storms we are headed into spring.  I also love summer but by the time I am just about sick of the heat, here comes fall.  See how that works for me?
9. Magazines.  I just love reading and magazines are my favorite thing to read.  I think it is because I never get bored with them.  There is so much information in a good magazine.
10. The final thing on my list of favorite things this year is Facebook.  I know, ho hum boring.   I love keeping in touch with relatives and friends I wouldn’t normally see very often if even at all.  I have made many new and interesting friends through facebook.  Plus, who doesn’t like Candy Crush?  Ok, maybe that is a little over the top, but it makes me happy : )  Don’t even get me started on how much I love Pinterest.

What are some of your favorite things?

Till we meet again,

Susan