How many times have we heard this or another comment I love is "You look just like?" I have always heard we all have an identical twin in the world walking around. I can't count the amount of times I have been stopped no mater where I am in the country an told I look like someone, or don't I know you....
When I found out 20 years ago that I had been adopted as a baby (Yes at the age of 28 I was told I was adopted at birth) the above statements created even more of a mystery to me. After almost 7 years of researching (this was before the true internet age) one of the first things I found out was that my birthmother and grandmother lived almost within walking distance from the first home I lived in. Pretty bizarre!! Once you start the search process it is truly amazing how much your lives can truly parallel.
Our church has been celebrating 50 years in existence this year. Over the past several weeks they have invited former pastors to help celebrate with us. I have only been a member of this church for 5 years but not a Sunday goes by where someone thinks they grew up with me or ask me what year I graduated from the local high school. Then the story proceeds that I am not from the area. Actually in all the mysteries it is true that my material side is originally from MO and also from an area not far from where I live now but I really knew nothing about my Missouri roots until the whole adoption subject came up.
I had heard many stores about the pastor who recently visited. That he was young and fun and everyone hated to see him go. Ironically, when he left Sedalia he transferred to Arcadia, CA. Always the MO/CA connection. He had not been back since he left in the mid-70's and understandably he had difficulty putting names and faces together. As we left church and greeted the guests he abruptly grabbed my hand and pulled me toward him into a hug and said "I remember You!" and stated and name of one of the charter families of the church. I was a little startled and said "No I am sorry I am not". As quickly as he grabbed my hand in thoughts that he had knew me, he just as abruptly let go I assumed a little in embarrassment and said "Sorry I guess I don't know you".
Sometimes I really have doubts in the correct way to respond but I guess it's something over time you just accept, but not really sure if I ever will.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Too Much Multi-Tasking
I think one of the most notable traits of a good percentage of women today is multi-tasking. I often wonder why I have trouble turning off my thoughts when I settle into bed. I am thinking about what I need to do the following day, what my schedule is and how I can fit any tiny little thing in. Sometimes it takes alot. Other days I just want to turn off the phone, close the shades and sit in a dark, quiet room. Someone once told me I should consider taking yoga. Wait isn't that something where you listen to calming, peaceful music, stretch and bend into a pretzel? I do a form of it at home, usually while I am watching second running of daily soaps, in between commercials.. Oh isn't that another form of multi-tasking.
Lately on the weekends I tell David I am not going to turn on the computer when it comes to e-mails or even answer a work related phone call. Unfortunately the two of us usually spend at least one call during our many even on the weekends discussing work. This week was a little sketchy and I never got a chance to go to the market. I hate going on the weekends just because I know usually everyone else has to shop then but I just really couldn't wait another day so off I went. After stopping to chat during my supermarket trip to a friend and also my daughter (I still spent my usual one hour there) I came home to unpack my purchases. As usual I didn't hit the door without the phone ringing and it of course was my hubby. The pups were later than normal on their eating time and were jumping up and down creating havoc and I was also trying to unpack the groceries and talk on the phone at the same time. As I picked up the pint of blueberries the top popped open and out flew the whole entire pint on the floor. With phone in hand telling the dogs "don't eat them, don't eat them" they froze in there tracks. I told David I would have to call him back to discuss business as I had a blueberry explosion on the floor.
Note I am always reading how certain things make dogs either deathly ill or cause them certain death and I didn't know if blueberries were on that list. Our one dog Scooby heeded the command to step away from the blueberries, Snookie our Bison froze in sitting position but as several blueberries rolled in his direction he did what every dog does and attempted to pick one up only to after me yelling at the top of my lungs to "drop it" pop them out of his mouth. Bouncing blueberries either from atop a table or out of a pups mouth is amazingly funny. After scooping up the mess (including two that I stepped on and almost had another total catastrophe) the mess was done, groceries were put away and back on the phone I went to finish our business conversation.
I sometimes get from various people "how do you do it?" Hey I don't know. It's a part of my chemistry to do as many things as possible at one time. Will it ever change I doubt it. But at least in this I know, I am just like pretty much every woman in America...
Lately on the weekends I tell David I am not going to turn on the computer when it comes to e-mails or even answer a work related phone call. Unfortunately the two of us usually spend at least one call during our many even on the weekends discussing work. This week was a little sketchy and I never got a chance to go to the market. I hate going on the weekends just because I know usually everyone else has to shop then but I just really couldn't wait another day so off I went. After stopping to chat during my supermarket trip to a friend and also my daughter (I still spent my usual one hour there) I came home to unpack my purchases. As usual I didn't hit the door without the phone ringing and it of course was my hubby. The pups were later than normal on their eating time and were jumping up and down creating havoc and I was also trying to unpack the groceries and talk on the phone at the same time. As I picked up the pint of blueberries the top popped open and out flew the whole entire pint on the floor. With phone in hand telling the dogs "don't eat them, don't eat them" they froze in there tracks. I told David I would have to call him back to discuss business as I had a blueberry explosion on the floor.
Note I am always reading how certain things make dogs either deathly ill or cause them certain death and I didn't know if blueberries were on that list. Our one dog Scooby heeded the command to step away from the blueberries, Snookie our Bison froze in sitting position but as several blueberries rolled in his direction he did what every dog does and attempted to pick one up only to after me yelling at the top of my lungs to "drop it" pop them out of his mouth. Bouncing blueberries either from atop a table or out of a pups mouth is amazingly funny. After scooping up the mess (including two that I stepped on and almost had another total catastrophe) the mess was done, groceries were put away and back on the phone I went to finish our business conversation.
I sometimes get from various people "how do you do it?" Hey I don't know. It's a part of my chemistry to do as many things as possible at one time. Will it ever change I doubt it. But at least in this I know, I am just like pretty much every woman in America...
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Lady Liberty Open Again
Recently I heard on the news that the Statute of Liberty was going to be open all the way to the top starting July 4, 2009 for two years. After 9/11 all tours were stopped inside which if you have never experienced that tour is amazing.
In 1989 David and myself and several of my friends on the synchronized team I skated on called the "Fabulous Forties" participated in the National Championships in Providence, Rhode Island. After the event (we won!) a group of us decided to stay for several extra days and travel to Boston, New York City and other sites. Mind you this was in late March early April so the weather was still a little cool.
One of our many stops was on the ferry to the Statute. Ellis Island was not yet an attraction you could tour. They were still in the construction stages but we couldn't pass up the Lady Liberty Tour. It was a little intense and several were afraid of extreme heights so only a few of us actually got all the way to the top. Also if you have any tendency toward claustrophobia it is really not the place for you. When they say they are taking groups of 10 at a time that's a crowd. I remember that the closest I could compare the space in it to was as a child I played at a park that had a spaceship you could climb up into and slide down the slide. Anyway that's exactly what memory it brought back to me.
Let me say the experience was breathtaking. Unfortunately the day was really cloudy so the pictures didn't do it justice but just to say we were a part of it was something all of us will never forget.
We have a group picture of some of us standing on the 107th Floor of the World Trade Center which of course now is bittersweet. That is the only place in my entire life that I was slightly afraid of heights because the building moved so much.
Someday I hope to get back to that part of New York City and experience it all over again.
In 1989 David and myself and several of my friends on the synchronized team I skated on called the "Fabulous Forties" participated in the National Championships in Providence, Rhode Island. After the event (we won!) a group of us decided to stay for several extra days and travel to Boston, New York City and other sites. Mind you this was in late March early April so the weather was still a little cool.
One of our many stops was on the ferry to the Statute. Ellis Island was not yet an attraction you could tour. They were still in the construction stages but we couldn't pass up the Lady Liberty Tour. It was a little intense and several were afraid of extreme heights so only a few of us actually got all the way to the top. Also if you have any tendency toward claustrophobia it is really not the place for you. When they say they are taking groups of 10 at a time that's a crowd. I remember that the closest I could compare the space in it to was as a child I played at a park that had a spaceship you could climb up into and slide down the slide. Anyway that's exactly what memory it brought back to me.
Let me say the experience was breathtaking. Unfortunately the day was really cloudy so the pictures didn't do it justice but just to say we were a part of it was something all of us will never forget.
We have a group picture of some of us standing on the 107th Floor of the World Trade Center which of course now is bittersweet. That is the only place in my entire life that I was slightly afraid of heights because the building moved so much.
Someday I hope to get back to that part of New York City and experience it all over again.
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