I've Got You, B!

It's hard to believe, but today my friend Bertha turns 50.

What makes this so incredible? Bertha is a mere 13 days older than me - something I remind her every chance I get. (why her son believes she's in her late 30's is a question you will have to ask her.)

We met in 1979 - just 19 and emerging from the protective cocoons of our childhood. I was living away from home for the first time in my life while attending college in New York. We bonded instantly as sisters and have remained that way ever since. Bertha and her entire family welcomed me into their lives with open arms and a fair amount of teasing, which I've come to learn is their way of showing love and acceptance. Along the way, I've acquired an affinity for cuban food, a second set of parents (who are not afraid of exercising their parental rights, sometimes more than my natural set) and the gift of a second language, thanks in great part to the spanish-speaking branch of my family.

Bertha and I have weathered through a lifetime of experiences - graduations, weddings, births, deaths, the occasional emergency room visit and countless family dinners. We've laughed together, cried together, argued and made up, and kept each others' secrets. And we've celebrated every birthday landmark together as well.

In our 20's, we shared our hopes, dreams, first loves and first heartbreaks. In our 30's, we journeyed into adulthood, celebrated our expanding families, discovered first grey hairs and bemoaned our expanding wastelines. Our 40's brought about lots of change, including cross country moves to the great Southwest, where we continue to share more reasons to laugh, cry and celebrate. We've traveled through each decade together, sharing the common bonds of age and experience.

As we reach our Golden Birthday celebration, I think back on those two naive girls full of promise. I reflect on the amazing woman we've become. On the inside, we are still those two 19 years old girls today. Still dreaming, still aspiring to be the best that we can be, both wishing for another 50 years or more to enjoy this life we've been so fortunate to share.

Happy Birthday, Bertha

My Sister

My Friend

Never stop dreaming...

Happy Birthday, Terra!

For Terra

(cue the music...)

da-da da-da da-da

"They say it's your birthday! It's my birthday too, yeah.

They say it's your birthday. We're gonna have a good time..."

I remember turning 30, and 40 and well, I'm not touching upon the next

landmark birthday looming before me...

On this very special day in your life, I search for the right words.

But what pearls of wisdom do I have to offer, if any?

Birthdays seem to be anniversaries for introspection and self-evaluation.

Birthday landmarks are a time to for the people in your life to remind you that

you are worth celebrating!

So, on this anniversary of your 30 years

I wish you:

a feeling of joy with every sunrise

a sense of well-being at every sunset

plenty of play time

a home large enough to hold your personal library of books

lots of wishes come true

endless moments of wonder

very few tears

a reason to smile at least once a day

a heart full of love

and

a lifetime of memories to cherish with every passing year.

Happy Birthday Terra,

with love.

Free Books for Soldiers!

I recently adopted a soldier who is stationed in Afghanistan. I adopted my soldier, after hearing about the Adopt a US Soldier Organization (http://www.adoptaussoldier.org/) from a co-worker, who has already adopted 2 soldiers! A friend of mine, who reads my blog, read my story about adopting Dylan, and has adopted a US Soldier, too! It's amazing how just word of mouth can achieve wonderful things.


Today, I learned from my neighbor, a local bookstore in Phoenix, Dog Eared Pages Used Books, is boxing up used books and sending them to soldiers stationed abroad! All they need is a name & address of a soldier and they'll take care of the rest. Or, if you're interested, you can make a donation to help their cause.

Check out their website: http://www.dogearedpagesusedbooks.com/?page=shop/disp&pid=page_event&CLSN_2929=127808875029293b431247e1a83a2ebb

I come from a family of readers and know what joy a good book can bring. It makes great sense to send books for those soldiers in stationed abroad who can't just pop into a local bookstore to pick up a great read. I plan on giving them the name & address for my adopted US Soldier! If you know of anyone who might be interested in sending books to a soldier serving this country, please pass this link along!



So, now it passes from me to you.... I hope you'll pass it along.

Adopt a US Soldier

Last week at work, a coworker mentioned she'd adopted a US soldier and was preparing to send her a care package. It sounded like such a do good, feel good thing and since I already love sending long-winded emails to family and friends - I figured it would be something I'd be good at! I applied to adopt a US Soldier of my own that very afternoon. Three days later, I received an email from the organization with the name and contact email for my adopted soldier, Dylan.

A week later, I've already corresponded back and forth a few times with Dylan - a 19 year old young man who is currently stationed in Kabul, Afghanistan. I enjoy hearing from him as much as I enjoy writing. His birthday is coming up soon, and I plan on sending him a little surprise package filled with things he likes. It makes me smile just thinking about it.

I'm not going to share too much about Dylan here out of respect for his privacy. After all, he may not want to be included in my not so private blog. But, if you think you'd like to do something good for a soldier serving our country and have a few minutes to spare out of your day something nice for someone you don't know, just because you can, I've got the website for you: www.adoptaussoldier.org

And who knows, the positive difference in someone's life may very well be your own.

The E-Woman Network.......pass it on

Passing on a link and some information about the ewomennetwork.com local chapter here in Arizona. Great group for getting more exposure for your company - and a great forum to meet other professional women like YOU!

http://www.ewomennetwork.com/chapterHomePage/chapterNews.php?chapterCode=AZ101

They're looking for sponsors for an upcoming event in August. See attached flyer for more.

Fun Times in Queen Creek

Memorial Day weekend was fun and I finally downloaded a few pics from a trip on May 30th to Queen Creek to commemorate Robert's birthday (OK, and to pick up that amazing fig balsamic they carry at the Queen Creek Olive Mill, since I was out and desparate to pick up new!)

We enjoyed a lovely lunch at the Mill - and then picked a few peaches at Schnepf Farm nearby. Definitely an easy trip from Scottsdale and worth the miles to enjoy a sense of countryside and home-grown things. Plus, it's always nice to support local businesses.

Thinking about heading back again in a few weeks to pick plums & apples (wondering how Arizona apples will be...) when they're in season. Will let you know how they taste. The peaches were heavenly.

Time is on my side...

It's Wednesday and also my "Friday" for this workweek, since I'm taking the next 2 days off. While I am certain there will be plenty of time for reading and relaxing during the next 4 days, there is a lengthy "to do" list waiting for me at home. I just hope I can satisfy my craving for lazy time and find motivation to attack the pile-up of neglected chores around the house... after all, 6 months of working 2 jobs with little time off has left my home in need of some TLC, too.

My Memorial Day weekend was the perfect mix of work time and play time. Free time still feels like a luxury to me - almost every weekend since November of last year [not to mention 2-3 weeknights a week] has been consumed with work. I'd nearly forgotten how good it feels to laze around at home. And thanks to giving up the part-time job, I plan to rectify that without further delay!

Time, for the moment at least, is definitely back on my side.