Tomorrow is another Day...

Trying to keep a positive attitude.... trying to keep a positive attitude. I have one week down and two more to go. Maybe we will all actually survive that, although I can not say that with any certitude.
Sometimes things happen that put all the petty shit we are dealing with into real perspective. My friend, Kate, called me tonight - from the hospital. Kate is really sick - she has aplastic anemia, which is like the adult form of leukemia. Not good. She is a widow and all her 14 year old son has in this world. The doctors think that she may have viral pneumonia. She is a blogger and, of course, her blog is listed among my friends - Jonathan's Closet. If you haven't ever read her blog, it truly is a must. She and her son often blog together - alternating entries. Jona is amazing! So for those that pray please send prayers and positive thoughts to my good friend Kate, for a speedy recovery. Thanks!
Somehow listening to Kate and all she has been dealing with, put my demented MIL in perspective. My husband came home at lunch today and gave his mother a much needed attitude adjustment. She has apologized and I have accepted her apology, but I will never forget what happened and I will never leave my children alone in her care ever again. I don't know if our relationship can ever be the same - not that it was ever all that good. It's a lot to think about.

Finding ten things today is going to be a challenge, but it is something that I think, especially on days like today, NEEDS to be done.
1. I am thankful for all my wonderful friends - online and IRL. I love you all and appreciate all your support more than you all will ever know.
2. Earplugs. I am going to start using them - extensively!
3. Lilacs in bloom, or the wonderful Yankee candle.
4. Speaking of Yankee Candles - aromatherapy is a wonderful thing!
5. The taste of fresh, cold water after a good workout.
6. Butterfly kisses and every other kind from my daughters.
7. I'm thankful for Sporty's resilience - in spite of her Grandmother's insanity and keeping her up until after 11 pm last night with her deranged antics, she seems amazingly unfazed.
8. I am thankful for my car - right now the urge to just get in it and drive and drive and drive until I run out of gas is almost overwhelming.
9. I am thankful that I am getting OUT of the house and away from the insanity for almost all day on Saturday and all day on Sunday. There is a GOD!
10. Speaking of God, I am so thankful for all the wonderful gifts He has given me, even if it doesn't always seem like it. I love the quiet sense of peace that just flows over me when I am at Church. Maybe I will stop by there after Curves tomorrow. Maybe that will help me find some peace. Somewhere.

Thoughts on Life... For Jen, Kate and Roe

My friend Nikki of Chaos in the Country, knowing that I LOVE doing meme's, tagged me for this one! Seriously, I really do love meme's, I think that they are fun and I always learn something, both about my friends and about myself.

In this meme, Who is Part of My Life, you choose a quote that speaks to your heart and dedicate it to three other bloggers. All of my friends who read this blog can choose to participate. If you do, leave a comment here so I can come and check out your quotes! As I already said, my blog here today is dedicated to Jen, Kate and Roe.

In the true nature of a Libra, I couldn't pick just one. That would have been WAY too easy! And, being the "funky ecclectic" that my friend Jen tells me I am, these quotes all speak about my life, but also to my friends. I hope you guys will enjoy reading them, and I look forward to reading yours! Please take a moment to really think about each one, because I think that each quote reverberates a greater truth, which is what makes them worth repeating in the first place.

" All happy people are grateful. Ungrateful people can not be happy. We tend to think that being unhappy leads people to complain but it's truer said that complaining leads people to be unhappy."

"The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grows it under his feet." James Oppenheim.

"Learn the richness of solitude and quiet. That "still small voice" is yearning to be heard. Susan Jeffers


“We have no right to ask when sorrow comes, ‘Why did this happen to me?’ unless we ask the same question for every moment of happiness."

If you have made mistakes, even serious ones, there is always another chance for you. What we call failure is not the falling but the staying down." Mary Pickford

"Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward in the same direction". Antione de Saint -Exqupery.

"Once you choose HOPE, anything's possible..." Christopher Reeve

And my favorites, by one of my favorite authors:

"We must try not to sink beneath our anguish, but to always battle on."

" The Time is coming Harry, when we all must choose between what is RIGHT and what is easy..." J. K. Rowling

As I said, each one of these quotes speak about areas of my life, and I hope that they will speak to each one of you.

Where does she come up with this stuff?

So, you ladies that have been reading along know that my hubby and I are headed off to our romantic retreat tomorrow. So excited about our trip to the B&B!!! My mom is here, staying with the girls and I'm not sure who is more excited - me or them! At any rate, I e-mailed my MIL to let her know that we would not be here tomorrow. She tends to call on the weekend and I didn't want her to worry if we weren't here. Additionally, she tends to get a little jealous of my mom ( I don't know why and I wish it wouldn't happen) so I just thought it was better to head this potential problem off at the pass.

You know what they say - out of the frying pan and into the fire. Ugh. Whoever came up with that phrase must have known my family. I sent my MIL an e-mail telling her that the trip to the b&b couldn't come at a better time because my husband had a rough week. Last night, I got a nearly hysterical e-mail from her worrying that hubby and I are on the road to divorce. She kept reminding me that my life as a Navy wife isn't permanent. I think I understand that better than she does and I often wonder where all this comes from.

Is it just that misery loves company? She got divorced several times so maybe she thinks that is always a hazard? I don't know. I can understand that considering her point of view, but she seems transfixed by the idea that hubby and I are unhappy. I have no idea where it comes from. It isn't him, they barely ever talk. It isn't me, because all I ever say to her is that I adore him, can't imagine any version of my future without him...

Is it me? Am I the one whose point of view is skewed? Do any of you get where this might be coming from? I'd really love some insight.

Are men really from Mars? I dont' think so....

I know that we women often comment on how different men are from us. I know that men do this too. But are we really so different? Sometimes I think we are more alike than we even realize. I definitely don't think we are from different planets.
I think that women and men both have a lot of misconceptions about one another.

I realized this the other day when my husband told me that he was worried about some things in our future. You see, I always thought of him as being so self assured, so confident and collected. I really didn't realize that he worried over certain types of things - like our house, his job, time away from the family. I was so taken aback and I guess that I shouldn't have been. It made me feel so selfish because I get so caught up in my own cares and concerns that I often don't think of his. Actually, to be totally honest, outside of his job, I didn't really think he had any concerns.

I was talking with some friends today and we were talking about men. It was all in good fun, but many of these misconceptions came up. You know the generalizations that I am talking about because we have all have heard them. Men can't do laundry, they don't think things through, they don't plan for the future, they don't multi - task, etc..... Maybe my husband is an anomaly, but he does all of these things. Even the laundry, and yes, he even manages to not turn our underwear pink. ( It's a good thing since I am sure he would get ragged on no end about that on the submarine.)

I do think that there are some fundamental differences in the manner in which men and women communicate. For example, men like to "fix" things. They don't really understand our need to vent. Girlfriends really are better for venting. Trust me on this. Another thing, if you give a man ( or if you are a man reading this the opposite would be true for you) a task to do which they do not normally do, IE the laundry, you must give them explicit instructions, even things that you may think are obvious and take for granted that they know. Be specific. In my relationship it would be the same if my husband were telling me how to fix my computer. He would have to be explicit and take me step by step, otherwise something bad would be bound to happen.

Men don't have hidden meanings in the things they say the way that women do. Come on ladies, to be totally honest you know that we all have mastered the art of the backhanded compliment. How many times have you walked away from a conversation with another women - in my case especially my in-laws - where you find yourself saying, "what did she mean by that?" In my limited experience with men, they say what they mean. There is no hidden context. If there are any guys out there reading this, you can correct me if I'm wrong here, but I don't like veal means I don't like veal not I dont' like the way you fix it, my mothers is much better.

I also think it is sad that men seem to be hardwired by society to hide their feelings, their cares and concerns from their loved ones. Maybe they are afraid of not being "manly". I think it is up to us to make them feel secure enough in our relationships that they can confide these things honestly and openly.

I just think that we get so caught up in our differences that we forget those things that bring us together, that make us the same. We all want to be happy, we all want our children to grow up to be healthy and safe, we all want to know love.... I guess we are all Earthlings after all.