tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56602042011-09-19T01:52:22.479-05:00Random thoughts about random things, including, relationships, religion, politics, military & our heroes, life, music, literature, etc.gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.comBlogger1771100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-26277179728983933962011-09-11T14:29:00.001-05:002011-09-11T14:31:43.704-05:00

I normally post my daughter's story - and you can go back through my daughter's archives to find that - but today, I'm going to link into another blog that has a wonderful job on this 10th anniversary of memorializing all of the events (and emotions) of that day....http://creepingsharia.wordpress.com/

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-89792411079213643362011-09-10T11:08:00.004-05:002011-09-10T11:18:29.906-05:00

Please don’t think I mean to detract from or diminish the significance of the 10th anniversary of 9/11/2001 – if anything my goal is to increase the significance with what I am about to write.I was thinking as I was driving this morning about tomorrow and how important it is in not only our country’s history, but world history. Then I got to thinking about today – or rather what I was doing 10

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-89250948118787104062010-10-19T23:41:00.000-05:002010-10-19T23:44:26.178-05:00

That is little “r” with an “s” (as in personal revelations), as opposed to big “R” with no “s” (as in the revelation of John, the last book of the Bible).I’ve often said before (if not here, elsewhere) that God puts me in a place where I am frequently in a plane so that I draw very close to Him. To say I was a “nervous flier” would be an understatement – I used to be that person that you avoided

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-72387732960011533782010-10-04T23:45:00.003-05:002010-10-04T23:52:09.765-05:00

Tonight on the way home from taking my daughter to class (her car broke down so it was mom to the rescue) we decided to stop by Target. Sometimes I wonder if my daughters and I are the only ones that go to Target just to kill time. It’s a very dangerous thing, usually, because I can always find something I “need” (read want) – it’s amazing how fast those dollar items will add up. We were

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-55721288331775477082010-05-29T23:43:00.003-05:002010-05-30T00:08:06.499-05:00

"Thank you" seems like so few words to honor those who have sacrificed so much for our freedoms. Yet on this somber weekend, admist the bbq's and camping and gatherings, let us not forget the reason for this holiday -- to honor those who have sacrified so much, and in some cases gave all, so that we can enjoy all the freedoms we have. Please note, this video was compiled by me. Mostly

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-51441651617168940052010-02-07T10:26:00.000-06:002010-02-07T10:27:25.591-06:00

Last night I went with my friends to see Dear John. It was a great chick flick with enough glorified shoot ‘em up action that even a guy could enjoy it. I highly recommend it, especially for those of us who are from military families, the military or just happen to love someone in the military. There is a lot in there you can relate to. From this point on, I’m issuing an EXTREME SPOILER

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-64966992206386934702010-01-31T13:43:00.004-06:002010-01-31T14:22:18.895-06:00

How strange is this?? Here I am above the clouds and I'm surfing the internet... Cloud surfing!!! Wow! New terminology for our era. Of course I'm sure all of you skydivers have used the term for something entirely different which involves jumping out of a perfectly good airplane, but it works for this!When I was young we still had rotary dial (my generation's version of "we had to walk to school

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-64201444109777025982010-01-04T22:51:00.001-06:002010-01-04T22:54:33.259-06:00

Here it is the 4th day of 2010 and I still haven’t fully acknowledged or verbalized what my resolutions will be. I didn’t want them to be the same old, “I resolve to lose weight” or “I resolve to pay off all my debt”. The problem with those is that the first decadent dessert or cute outfit I cave into lets in a tinge of guilt that manifests to the point where I usually abandon all resolutions by

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-63640759394784596402009-11-26T09:55:00.000-06:002009-11-26T09:57:08.918-06:00

Good tidings & blessings to my friends, family & readers far & near! A special blessing and thanksgiving to our great military and their families who sacrifice so much and are apart from each other on this day. I wish each of you great joy & blessings as you celebrate the holidays and the joyous Christmas season. God bless each and every one of you!My Thanksgiving gift to each of you is to

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-54919427751765136572009-09-29T00:40:00.003-05:002009-10-01T10:10:25.804-05:00

As I was laying in bed in my hotel room I realized it had been quite some time since I’d written in my blog – though I didn’t realize how long until I signed in. Life has a way of happening and sidetracking us. I’ve had so many things on my mind that I could have written every day – politics, memories, travel – but often if I don’t get it down on “paper” right away it slips by and is lost

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-1805372276747414612009-07-12T23:44:00.002-05:002009-07-12T23:54:46.452-05:00

The first years of our life as we discover everything for the first time life is exciting and amazing. Everything has a mystery about it. Somewhere a long the line the little things aren’t so fascinating anymore and everything fades into the background. We are in a hurry to get somewhere – though no one really knows “where”. Another tomorrow? A year from now? Most of us as adults become so

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-20017186260178399632009-06-20T09:33:00.000-05:002009-06-20T09:34:30.784-05:00

I know I should be crying and depressed – so many people tell me that. My babies are gone. However, I’m a “glass half full”, silver lining kind of person. I have given my babies my all for the better part of 21 years. Not that they didn’t get all of that 21 years, but the first eight I was married so the journey wasn’t the same. I am ready to be totally and completely independent with no one

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-45535657455429880092009-06-19T08:06:00.001-05:002009-06-19T08:07:23.309-05:00

Life provides us with many different “eras”. We start life in the infancy stage (which some people never seem to mature beyond) and move into the toddler/preschool era. Most of us have very little personal recollection of these eras other than pictures and what older siblings or parents tell us. Soon we are in kindergarten, which is an era all by itself. Here we start to engrave lifetime

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-43775132201030401662009-05-28T13:03:00.001-05:002009-05-30T09:14:06.388-05:00

First, I know it’s been awhile since I’ve written. I apologize for all of you that have been waiting with much anticipation for my next post and I hope this won’t disappoint. Aside from the fact that I’ve been extremely busy at work, I decided substance was far better than quantity. I could be one of those who rants daily about things that are bugging me politically (though that’d be more like

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-40791399232043355002009-03-03T00:03:00.001-06:002009-03-15T19:23:41.257-05:00

No cliché has ever proven to be as true in my life….well, maybe “a watched pot never boils” but isn’t that in the same grain as the first cliché? The premise of both is if you are enjoying life and occupying your time, it goes by much more quickly than if you sit and wait and wait for life to come to a boil. Ok, so that just sounded good.My slide scan project has had me in an extremely nostalgic

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-55312399125827000062009-02-14T16:55:00.001-06:002009-02-14T17:16:35.812-06:00

A few years ago (maybe it was less) the Lemony Snicket’s movie came out based on the books. It was a good movie—strange, but good. For those that haven’t sent it, it was about two children who endeared some very odd and horrific experiences, each one set in motion because of the one before. Let not your heart be troubled, though, there was a happy ending. It really was an exaggeration of life –

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-3232202033806638852009-02-02T21:28:00.002-06:002009-02-03T08:39:51.672-06:00

Yesterday our pastor’s sermon was on Ephesians 5. I’m sure he felt led to preach on these particular scriptures since our church just started the Fireproof Your Marriage program – inspired by the movie Fireproof. As an adult single in a couples’ world another might have cringed, after all us singles have enough reminders we are “alone” this time of year with Valentine’s Day rapidly approaching.

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-11909537477699659662009-01-20T20:40:00.000-06:002009-01-20T20:41:38.072-06:00

Sometimes I feel like the older I get the harder it is to find my way back to memory lane. It’s a struggle to remember as much – fewer and fewer details come to mind easily and I have to pull out old yearbooks, photo albums and scrapbooks to remember. It’s like losing a friend to lose all those old memories. Not that I want to live in the past, but those memories are part of what made me who I

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-3765383014937092962008-11-24T19:10:00.001-06:002008-11-24T19:11:28.635-06:00

Twenty years ago life was so different –or was it? Back then we played Atari 2600 ™ with a screen full of boxy graphics and got blisters from the little joysticks, today a cordless wand mimics our every move on often life-like graphic and we often pull muscles or break things (didn’t mom always tell us NOT to play rough in the house???). It seems like it was just yesterday that I sat in the

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-24838067580290943302008-11-17T20:35:00.002-06:002008-11-17T21:00:33.684-06:00

Close your eyes and think back to your childhood. Do you remember that segment on Sesame Street where they’d put graphics of a few items and one didn’t belong in the group? There’d things like a turkey, chicken, duck and moose and you had to figure out which one didn’t belong – like it wasn’t totally obvious! Of course it was directed at preschoolers! I think Sesame Street was warning us as

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-4355672119103123052008-10-19T22:10:00.002-05:002008-10-19T22:39:50.125-05:00

This blog is dedicated to Cowboy….We’ve all made mistakes in our lives that have had unintended consequences, or sometimes they were intended at the time because of anger or stupidity (or both) but later we regretted our actions.Cowboy has reminded me of that lately, not directly, but through our discussions. Even though Cowboy and I are no longer in a non relationship (hahahaha) we are still

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-24636454209976239232008-09-30T10:37:00.002-05:002008-09-30T11:11:34.203-05:00

Last week I was blessed to have lunch with a friend from grade school. (His new blog name is now “Tiger”…he’s probably laughing. There’s a couple reasons for that…1) Our grade school mascot was a tiger and 2) I remember him from grade school as a small awkward and fun loving “cub” (who amongst us wasn’t?), and he’s grown into a person who has lived through the jungle and conquered much.} It was

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-84504221637408889562008-09-23T00:16:00.004-05:002008-09-23T00:26:07.155-05:00

A few months ago I wrote a blurb about the church I'd passed with the 30-minute worship. Recently, Pastor Kevin of that very same church responded to my post...wow, I was shocked that people actually find and read my blog outside my personal close friends...but that's cool!!! Hey, Pastor Kevin! ~~~(those are waves, at least that's what my teenage daughter tells me)I posted his comment/response

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-79770164102208577542008-07-29T19:39:00.002-05:002008-07-29T19:45:16.406-05:00

Well, we still have FOUR puppies that need homes. They were going quickly for awhile and then all of the sudden it slowed down. The gentleman who bought Rigger & Runt decided after a couple of days that he didn't want to be tied down with puppies after just having cared for his elderly parents for several years -- I understand, but I still need GOOD homes for the pups! They are now 12 weeks/3

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-56070934739112194292008-06-30T08:09:00.002-05:002008-06-30T08:14:17.136-05:00

We are down to three puppies. Sole, Hannah, Rigger and Runt all found wonderful forever homes this weekend -- in fact, Hannah is going all the way to Maryland to be with a loving family! A litte plane ride to start her life, she'll have two Basset Hounds to play with. Rigger & Runt are going to a home together with a wonderful bachelor and Sole is with a fun young couple and will have another

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-46303852423618326972008-06-22T07:21:00.002-05:002008-06-22T07:25:27.774-05:00

I know my regular blog readers I wishing I would get back to regular writing, but right now it is very important to me to find good homes for my "babies"...Yesterday Rock, Zoe & Miley found wonderful forever families!! If you are still looking for the collie puppies, yes, I still have puppies left (see previous two posts for pictures--I'll be posting new pictures later today.The following puppies

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-24222071555483927302008-06-12T21:44:00.000-05:002008-06-12T21:46:12.534-05:00

This may not make sense to you unless you start here: http://gingerlyspiced.blogspot.com/2008/05/cute-fluffy-seeks-good-family-to-love.html Bandit & Sneetch found a really great home yesterday! They went together which is very cool so they won’t be lonely. I think their new mommy is keeping Bandit’s name and Sneetch will be Dixie. I’m very excited and I like their new mommy! I still have

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-79867753031618792812008-05-30T19:58:00.005-05:002008-06-07T17:01:23.858-05:00

BY NEXTDAYPETS.COM VIEW MY DOGSOriginally we had intended to breed Kaui, our female AKC Collie, with Bo Duke, our male AKC Collie. We were trying to keep Kaui separated, however when she was in heat she did get out of the yard and I cannot be 100% certain that Kaui’s litter of 12 are purebred Collies. As such, I am not registering them. Because of this we are charging a low adoption fee to

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-6136705918228113182008-05-26T00:28:00.002-05:002008-05-26T00:31:20.436-05:00

A man of strengthIn my travels I meet many different people—and sometimes I don’t meet them, I just watch them. Last week I was in the lobby of the hotel grabbing some breakfast. As I turned to find a table I saw a man take a seat and then pray over his food. Something you don’t see many people do in public anymore. I took a seat at the table next to him and as I did I smiled at him and said,

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-84529812297607760742008-05-15T11:59:00.002-05:002008-05-15T12:05:33.363-05:00

I'm on my way out the door. In about 3 hours I'll "officially" have my MBA's. In truth, the school work and tests have been done for over a week; today is just a formality, but one I wouldn't miss for anything. When you work so hard to climb a mountain you have to let out a yell when you get to the top -- that is what graduation ceremonies are for, to let out that yell, "I've made it!"One day

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-11375994376142010662008-04-07T20:03:00.002-05:002008-04-07T21:19:49.481-05:00

Yesterday I was driving down the interstate and there it was – the ultimate sign of what our drive-thru society has come to – a sign on a church advertising “30-minute worship” on Sunday mornings. I’m pretty sure the church wasn’t Baptist – Baptists can’t even greet each other in 30-minutes let alone complete a worship service. Now, before you get mad at that, I am a Southern Baptist – practicing

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-55217425241687662932008-03-19T22:52:00.000-05:002008-03-19T22:53:02.267-05:00

As I near the summit of another milestone in my life I was able to take a brief break from the grind of research and writing. I took my daughter and a friend of hers down to Galveston for Spring Break. Coastal fog tried to dampen our fun (literally) but we still managed to have a good time. We stayed at an historic hotel out on the water – the Flagship. Supposedly it’s haunted, but I didn’t

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-32940142529907215612008-02-04T00:18:00.000-06:002008-02-04T00:20:44.952-06:00

Yesterday I took my youngest on her first college campus tour. She’s a high school junior this year and early applications are due in the fall. She wants to have time to explore before she commits to one college. She was impressed with the campus and, of course, the boys as well as what the college had to offer. Afterwards we met up with Cowboy for an early dinner at Rudy’s BBQ since we were

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-56581705428530388292008-01-14T07:38:00.001-06:002008-01-14T07:45:14.759-06:00

I rarely post writing that isn't mine, but this one is good. I've been feeling "old" since I found out I was going to be a grandma at such a young age. CherBer's mom forwarded this to me. After almost 30 years of being best friend's with CherBer, she is as much a mom to me as one could be without having raised me--though, in some ways she shared in that since CherBer and I were almost inseperable

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-78863840961375096042008-01-11T23:49:00.000-06:002008-01-12T00:02:04.083-06:00

For so long I’ve accused Cowboy of being a commitment phobe and, while he may be one, I am beginning to think that maybe I am the bigger commitment phobe. I was thinking today how I really enjoy the ability to make plans, travel, go where I want, and do what I want without having to consult anyone. Well, except I still need to make sure my daughters are ok – but at 17 and 18 they don't really

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-79655134634740853672008-01-09T00:15:00.000-06:002008-01-09T00:17:29.399-06:00

I really need to apologize to all of my loyal readers for my long hiatus. It’s been a busy last couple of months. I’ve started the last push in my climb to that next peak – I will graduate in May with two MBA’s. Of course that means much research and writing which has left me little time for leisurely reading and creative writing. I have many thoughts I want to delve into deeper…soon. In the

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-6984022897103082992007-11-09T21:38:00.000-06:002007-11-10T09:06:47.671-06:00

pil * grim * age -- any long journey, esp. one undertaken as a quest or for a votive purpose, as to pay homageI’m very fortunate that my job affords me the opportunity to travel to fascinating places. This year it was a trip to D.C. that happened to coincide with Veteran’s Day weekend – I couldn’t have planned that better if I tried. It’s strange that at 40 years old I’ve never been to our

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-72175512743749387692007-11-03T13:30:00.000-05:002007-11-03T13:31:16.660-05:00

This past week I heard something on the radio that had me pontificating all week – there are no “do-overs” in life. Sure, you can get second chances to make amends or redo something, but once something is done, it can never been undone. This isn’t just about saying and doing things we regret. It’s also about missed opportunities-- a missed opportunity to live life to its fullest. A good example

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-40255930076201722952007-09-24T19:03:00.000-05:002007-09-24T19:04:06.869-05:00

I’ve known my oldest daughter was moving out of state for over a month now. I’ve been excited for her – moving some place new is stimulating as it is frightening. Yet, today when she came to get the last of her stuff and let me know they are leaving at the end of the week I wanted to cry. I did good not to cry in front of her. She’s been a difficult teen, to put it mildly, so when she finally

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-34956660835048827902007-09-23T22:15:00.000-05:002007-09-23T22:17:44.556-05:00

…at least that’s what the calendar says. Somehow it doesn’t feel much like autumn when it’s still 90 degrees during the day and doesn’t get much below the high 60’s at night! In fact, the only thing that makes it feel a little like autumn is that the air is much drier and the humidity is gone (for the most part). It is this time of year when I really miss living in Chicago. About this time of the

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-23186012717245707582007-09-16T15:46:00.000-05:002007-09-16T15:49:39.754-05:00

Yesterday I was out in my yard spreading mulch. I’d picked up a truckload when I dropped off some junk at the county dump. As I walked under the tree in my front yard, chopping weeds down with my hoe so I could mulch around the tree, I bumped the bird feeder Cowboy had given me that I’d hung up in the tree. The last strand of the worn and frayed rope that tied the feeder to the tree finally broke

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-4092193682008135642007-09-08T00:02:00.001-05:002007-09-08T00:02:54.677-05:00

Sometimes pain seems to linger no matter what you do to get rid of it. And just when you think the pain is gone, something (or someone) happens that brings it back…it’s like pulling the scab off a wound that is almost healed to make it bleed anew. Everything that comes near that wound irritates it again – soap, water, salt – well, you get the idea. After not seeing Cowboy in over six months, I

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-74285487718650228542007-09-02T23:10:00.000-05:002007-09-02T23:18:04.420-05:00

It’s hard to believe that this Tuesday it will be 19 years since my mother passed away. It seems like it was just yesterday that she was here. Friday night Cowboy and I met for dinner and I was listening to him talk about his uncle’s passing. My mind went back to losing my parents, and especially my mother as we talked about losing family in general and how funerals bring out the worst

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-16339558092362151522007-08-26T09:02:00.000-05:002007-08-26T09:07:14.459-05:00

No, it’s not the juicy kind of confession you read about in some of those smutty magazines …well, maybe it is if you are from Texas. So, what is this great confession???I live in Texas and I don’t know how to Two-Step!!! I also don’t have any ro-de-o or honky tonk wear! I don’t even own a real pair of cowboy boots! I do have a BA-donky-donk rear (emphasis on the "BA"), but that’s another subject!

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-7975914619159582462007-08-18T17:17:00.000-05:002007-08-18T17:20:36.335-05:00

Now that I have a couple of days break between my mini-semester classes, I have time to put down on virtual paper something I’ve been thinking upon all week.I received an email from my good friend, ‘Dru. We have something rare in this day and age – an ability to correspond with each other. In Internet age, so few people do more than send a quick email – even to those they love the most. A short “

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-26150520974203123972007-08-17T08:29:00.001-05:002007-08-18T17:21:20.439-05:00

I apologize to my loyal readers –I haven’t been diligent about writing. I do have a very profound pontification I’m going to post as soon as I get the time to write it all down. Yep, school has started again – and with a bang. I had 2 weeks to write a 20 page paper. It’s due Tuesday, so don’t expect anything too profound before the end of the weekend.So, to my quick thought…..Dating is such a

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-37951743914486397152007-08-10T21:49:00.001-05:002007-08-10T21:49:31.035-05:00

I’ve noticed now that I’ve unofficially, kind of sort of, entered the dating game again that there are so many people that cannot function without an almost significant other (ASO). I refer to them as ASO’s because so many tend to “settle” for Mr. or Mrs. “right now” or “almost good enough” rather than waiting for their heart’s desire. I’m not sure if they are afraid of being alone or they

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-64013141192372676722007-08-05T08:51:00.000-05:002007-08-05T08:52:13.470-05:00

One of my friends convinced me to think about dating again – well, she dragged me into it kicking and screaming. She “gifted” me a membership to a dating website. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very appreciative of the gift; it’s just I’m not convinced this is the way to find love. On the other hand, what is the way when you are middle aged?As I scrutinize the matches the dating company has decided

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-15039686038038122932007-07-30T22:31:00.000-05:002007-07-30T22:52:23.338-05:00

This past weekend I had the wonderful experience of caring for three drama llamas. Normally I have one around the house, but three was quite a treat. My writings usually muse of dating adventures for middle-aged people, so teleporting back to high school will be a slight departure in the time continuance.A few weeks a few weeks ago I already found myself nursing my own drama llama’s broken heart.

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-5490102510011373692007-07-21T14:43:00.001-05:002007-07-21T14:43:56.499-05:00

Nothing is harder on a mother than seeing their child in pain. Regardless of how old the child is a mother’s heart aches when their child aches. After my youngest daughter’s surgery a few weeks ago she contracted a bad infection and ended up right back in the hospital. After living at the hospital for the last week (and a few more days to go) I have seen a great amount of emotion on passing

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-3734981023021604972007-07-12T23:32:00.000-05:002007-07-12T23:34:36.079-05:00

(Advanced warning....this blog will be long today, but it will be well-worth the read!)It has been a long time since my last episode of “Adventures in Middle-Aged Dating.” In some measure it is because I find it difficult to write concerning a matter that I have no current experiences to draw upon. I equate it to some in academia that teach but have never “done”. Even now I have no first-hand

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-66628476427211946182007-07-08T14:01:00.000-05:002007-07-12T23:37:09.065-05:00

All of the rain we’ve had has “blessed” us with an abundance of bugs – mosquitoes, ants, flies, beetles and the worst of all – chiggers!! For anyone who has ever been attacked by these little microscopic spawn of Satan, you will understand what I am talking about. What they lack in size they more than make up for in “itch power”. They are hard to combat because you don’t even know they are on you

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-72318625663304626852007-07-07T08:51:00.000-05:002007-07-12T23:37:39.416-05:00

I shouldn’t be complaining about all the rain we’ve had—last year we were in a drought and a “burn ban”. It’s just when it rains for 10 days straight after one of the wettest springs on record, well, you tend to feel a bit soggy. My land has turned into a veritable swamp. There is standing water everywhere and pond scum! Throw in a few alligators and I’d be all set. We already have frogs and

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-48546044518748262912007-06-17T23:05:00.000-05:002007-06-17T23:06:01.039-05:00

Perhaps I’ve spent too much time as a single mom. The last ten years I’ve received a miniscule amount of child support and raised two girls basically on my own. Their dad is not out of their life – it’s just that he doesn’t provide the financial or emotional support that he could/should. I only make this statement to give background as to why I’ve been so “thrifty” for the last decade. Rarely

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-17688492490415510462007-06-16T08:59:00.000-05:002007-06-16T09:02:41.877-05:00

It’s been strange this summer to not have school. I’ve actually had time to relax, work on “fun” projects that I’ve wanted to do and yes, be bored. Boredom is something I haven’t faced in a very long time. It’s not that I don’t have plenty to do to keep me busy, I just have this nagging feeling like there’s some paper I need to be writing or research I need to be doing. I’ve started on my

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-22176379804553496192007-06-05T21:37:00.000-05:002007-06-05T22:13:25.722-05:00

Somehow I thought hitting 40 would be a bigger deal. On my 30th birthday I went into deep depression, but last week when I hit 40 I felt a great anticipation. This decade will be full of exciting changes. This is the decade that I finish my masters (and maybe my doctorate); the decade that my children go off to college and life suddenly becomes "mine" again; the decade my children (probably)

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-86873078603993928372007-05-24T19:18:00.001-05:002007-05-24T19:18:41.961-05:00

The older my teenagers get, the less they stay around the house—especially this time of year. I suppose I should be happy, after all it means free time. It’s just weird to go from no free time between work, school, teenagers and church to an abundance of free time. The house seems so empty and quiet. It’s not that I hate being alone or that I’m always lonely without them—God knows I love my “

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-90411058857063060942007-05-20T18:38:00.000-05:002007-05-21T22:20:14.110-05:00

Last year I thought I bought an acre and a half of land…I was wrong; I am merely being allowed to live here by the fire ants that consume my land. Every once in awhile they remind me it is their land, too! I’ve tried every over the counter product to eradicate them but they seem to develop immunities. Sometimes I think they infiltrated Monsanto and the ant poison is really some kind of fire ant

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-54884019429265714752007-05-16T19:27:00.000-05:002007-05-16T20:39:08.257-05:00

Some people go through life in such a hurry to get "there" (wherever there may be) that they never experience the journey. They treat life as a means to an end, rather than the end itself. They merely exist as they speed along the interstate, not even noticing what passes by. They buzz right through everything with tunnel vision as they look for the next exit to stop briefly for a short

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-5483251221459837182007-05-14T18:18:00.000-05:002007-05-14T20:08:39.285-05:00

Why is it that even as grown women the sight of a "bad boy" conjures up day dreams that would make a stripper blush? Don't get me wrong, I don't want a bad boy...I grew out of that a long time ago. I know they can never make you happy for more than the night. Most of us women know that but it doesn't stop us from having fantasies-fantasies that we would never act on, but fantasies nonetheless. I

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-35369635282402217512007-05-08T07:50:00.000-05:002007-05-08T07:51:07.139-05:00

‘Dru read my blog—specifically the entry entitled “Steamy Dreams on a Steamy Texas Night” and called me a tease?!?! Me!! Ahh, the male intellect, they can’t imagine what I dreamed about I have to describe it to them! LOL I guess my mom was wrong when she told me growing up that men like something left to the imagination! ‘Dru, shame on you! This isn’t Penthouse Letters ™ !!! Besides, real

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-67246141838132257542007-05-06T23:00:00.000-05:002007-05-06T23:01:49.121-05:00

I “aced” my classes this past semester…that’s four semesters of grad school in a row getting straight A’s…I rock! Sometimes we have to toot our own horns. I think it’s a pretty amazing feat since I work full time, go to school full time and have teenagers—let alone the rest of the curve balls life pitches at me. It is also even more remarkable when you consider during January and February I had

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-84213706081244527982007-05-05T23:56:00.000-05:002007-05-05T23:57:04.021-05:00

I just finished my last final exam (take home) for the semester. I am officially off for the summer! I don’t go back until mid August. I think this is the first semester (including summers) that I’ve been off school in four years. Granted, I still have to work. But, that’s ok. I genuinely love my job. At least now after work, however, and on my weekends, I’ll have ME time. I don’t know how

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-8701505810301452762007-05-04T22:47:00.000-05:002007-05-04T22:49:40.148-05:00

It’s just barely May and already we are having those warm, sultry nights. It’s still about 74 out and the relative humidity has got to be about 85-90%. Perhaps the clammy weather is responsible for my steamy dreams. My regular readers will remember that dreams are fascinating to me. I don’t know if anyone reading this remembers that old 80’s movie, Dreamscape. The concept of the movie was

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-83313237123985518392007-04-29T17:03:00.000-05:002007-04-29T17:05:28.468-05:00

I’ve neglected to write for a period again and so I have a potpourri of thoughts to put down on paper….A WORTHY CAUSE…..Nearly 20 years….it doesn’t seem like she’s been gone that long. This September 4 it will be 19 years since my mother passed away after a 14-year fight with breast cancer. I remember the day Mom and Dad told us kids vividly….we were sitting around the kitchen table—the burnt

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-63932822236698206112007-04-22T17:44:00.001-05:002007-04-22T17:44:52.795-05:00

I still remember the afternoon in May that I walked into my older daughter’s room—both my daughters were giggling and laughing behind closed doors and it was a strange sound as the two of them were usually at odds. I opened the door and the girls were sitting on the older one’s bed, both looking like the cat that had swallowed the canary. They couldn’t keep a straight face and they kept

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-78326733866446798722007-04-09T22:55:00.000-05:002007-04-09T23:04:53.368-05:00

I've been so "non serious" in my posts lately I may have lost some of my readers that enjoy my more serious and intellectual side. I must apologize. It's just that after writing so many research papers, I have little energy left to get serious about politics, life, or anything, really....at least in my writing. I write in my blog to free my mind of the seriousness of the world while I’m in

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-27958438396097012642007-04-06T03:28:00.000-05:002007-04-06T03:43:41.993-05:00

There’s a marvelous book out there called Hell Hath No Furry. You’ll forgive me if I don’t turn on the lights and go to my bookshelf and get the author – it is 3am. It’s not really “authored” in any case. It’s edited. It’s a compilation of famous “kiss off” letters through the ages. I love it because it shows that being scorned by an ill-intending man (or a man with good intentions but one who is

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-21594159977816701122007-04-03T08:13:00.000-05:002007-04-03T08:14:24.138-05:00

No, I’m not talking about the Democrats…It’s spring time in Texas and the bullfrogs start mating. Their mating calls are extremely loud and the noise at night, mixed with the crickets and other night creatures, is something right out of a Stephen King movie. Add in the full moon and you can imagine swamp creatures or masked murderers roaming the night. It’s quite amazing these creatures are so

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-31486697914629596742007-04-02T08:15:00.000-05:002007-04-02T08:17:24.563-05:00

Must love dogs….I understand some people are not “pet people” and that’s ok. What I don’t understand is a person that gets dogs and then leaves them outside in a pen or tied/chained up 100% of the time. What is the point in having a dog that you don’t interact with? Of course even worse are the people that just let their dogs run and never interact with them. I think this disconnect with

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-9414764049025575412007-03-31T00:21:00.000-05:002007-03-31T00:28:43.154-05:00

I'm too tired tonight and a bit melancholy to be witty and humorous. I have some substantive thoughts, but no will to put them on paper right now. But, to my "soul sistas", I wanted to give you a song. Ladies, why do we keep chasing those blue racers? Don't we know if we catch them they'll probably just bite us?To CherBer, SusieQ, V2 and Pammy....girls, this song is for us, probably the words we

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-32377161329636904292007-03-29T08:17:00.000-05:002007-03-29T08:18:55.934-05:00

This guy needs a forum on main stream media!!! Maybe he should run for President!!!

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-23523606205029589262007-03-28T23:04:00.001-05:002007-03-29T08:07:10.857-05:00

I haven’t quite figured out why it is that no matter how early I set my alarm to wake up, and no matter how late I let them out for the last time the night before, my dogs have this “instinct” that wakes them up about an hour before I need to get up with a desperate urge to go outside. I could understand if it was the same time every morning—I’d even learn to adapt to that. It’s not, though. It’s

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-89530745314043185892007-03-23T23:37:00.000-05:002007-03-24T00:01:05.622-05:00

It’s been a long week. You’ll have to excuse me if this seems like many strung together incomplete thoughts. I am not at my sharpest point tonight. My travel schedule was brutal, but successful. I had so much teenager drama to deal with this week with my oldest daughter---rough age, almost 18. Not quite a child and not quite an adult. Though, she wants really badly to be an adult and to be

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-10369839416345362302007-03-20T08:47:00.000-05:002007-03-20T08:49:00.449-05:00

I’m not going to go into actual scripture here, but if you want some background, you can read the 2nd chapter of the book of Daniel in your Bible (if you don’t have a bible, I’m sure you can find one at the local library or do a google for Daniel 2 + Nebuchadnezzar).This is actually about our dreams. I’ve long been fascinated with dreams, their meanings, why we have them, etc. There are so many

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-22888203412948122802007-03-15T19:26:00.000-05:002007-03-19T12:52:03.579-05:00

I’m not talking about diets, here—though, it seems women always are! I’m talking about those infamous relationships all of us have had at least one in our life—yes, even you men too. Men have long had a web site for them to gripe and complain about this (www.intellectualwhores.com). I must admit, even as a woman, the guy who wrote the “Ladder Theory” is very intelligent and witty, and some of

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-70787778615487462362007-03-08T22:38:00.000-06:002007-03-08T22:39:27.556-06:00

That is probably stating the obvious. It’s been tested by psychologists (http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/conditions/02/14/science.of.love/index.html), sang about by musical icons and pondered on by philosophers for years…maybe even centuries. I know people that are addicted to the sensation of falling in love…you might too. The symptoms are fickleness, commitment phobia, and the general inability

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-81771984209563096812007-03-07T21:47:00.001-06:002007-03-07T21:47:31.827-06:00

That’s usually the reaction I get when friends and I discuss the fact that I’ve been celibate by choice for over four years. It’s a long time, that’s for sure…but the key is, it’s by choice. I am not “frigid”. I was married to a Marine for over eight years and the only thing right in our marriage was the sex. We’ve been divorced for over ten years now (yes, I know, the math doesn’t add…) I

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-1173064189182590682007-03-04T21:08:00.000-06:002007-03-04T21:14:25.560-06:00

As someone who absolutely used to hate flying – to the point where I had to get tranquilizers – I’ve amazed all of my friends and family with the total “180” into a frequent flier. I really didn’t have a choice…I have to do it so much for work, so I figured I may as well get used to it or change jobs. Now I love it…most of the time.There are so many things about flying that I love. First and

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-1172333566328574992007-02-24T10:12:00.000-06:002007-02-24T10:12:46.346-06:00

Last night I took my daughters underwear shopping. I don’t know what it is about a new bra & panty set that makes you feel special and pretty—even if no one else knows you’re wearing the new set. It’s like a special secret only you know. I think my girlfriends would agree…when you are out for the day –whether at work or at play – (hey, that rhymed) and you are wearing a new set, you just have

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-1172155633443247602007-02-22T08:46:00.000-06:002007-02-22T08:47:13.466-06:00

I am so blessed to have friends spread all over the world (quite literally). I enjoy all of them and each of them brings a different facet to my life. They are a joy and an inspiration. Once a friend, always a friend…at least that’s the way it’s always been. I’ve disassociated with past “loves” because they weren’t truly my friend, but I’ve never had someone that was truly my friend (even past

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-1171856630923393552007-02-18T21:43:00.000-06:002007-02-18T21:43:50.933-06:00

One of the benefits of spending so much time soaring through the clouds is you have the opportunity to meet interesting people. There are times when I keep my nose in a book and am not very sociable…those who know me best are laughing in disbelief knowing how loquacious I am, but, air travel time is prime studying time and I need to sneak it in anywhere I can. On some flights, though, someone

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-1171118694471046172007-02-10T08:43:00.000-06:002007-02-10T08:44:54.483-06:00

After having some work done on my new house…mostly a new front porch put on…I decided it was time to start my gardening. For those of you north of the Mason-Dixon line, I realize this sounds weird, but remember, it’s Texas! I love gardening…it’s good exercise and it’s relaxing. Admittedly it was a bit chilly this morning at 7am, but I wanted to do it before I have my nails done (makes sense,

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-1170855641338545222007-02-07T07:39:00.000-06:002007-02-07T07:40:41.350-06:00

This time I built the walls so tall and so sturdy that, like the walls of Jericho, it would take an act of God Himself to bring them down. I like my fortress—it gives me a sense of peace, contentment and above all safety. It’s going to take more than some rock-climbing, educated person to scale the walls this time. Please don’t take this as a cry for pity…for the first time in over three years I

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-1168148117366420432007-01-06T23:23:00.000-06:002007-01-26T13:55:32.160-06:00

I know I haven't written in awhile...graduate school is consuming all of my "spare" time after my family, work and church (not necessarily in that order). I have had many thoughts, especially with the research I've been doing for school. It seems, however, by the time I get a moment to collect my thoughts I am too exhausted to compile them into something coherent.I haven't forgotten my readers...

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-1163731290197275142006-11-16T20:41:00.000-06:002006-11-16T20:41:30.206-06:00

One of the greatest benefits to my station in life, in my humble opinion, is the ability to travel. I know I previously stated that it becomes a bit overwhelming at times, but I always try to make the very most out of every day and every experience. Quite often it’s not so hard to do that—like today…My travels took me through the hill country of Tejas—it truly is “God’s country”. I was out in

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-1163471224975845072006-11-13T20:25:00.000-06:002006-11-13T20:34:29.950-06:00

With all the travel I do for work I hardly get excited about going anywhere any more. My idea of “rest and relaxation” these days consists of staying at home and doing some gardening, redecorating or just reading a book by my fireplace. In the last year I have been to so many cities and towns they have almost started to blend together. This past week, however, I did get excited about a trip…a

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-1153614083722490112006-07-22T19:20:00.000-05:002006-07-22T19:21:23.733-05:00

Katherine Hepburn said in Love Affair, “The trick in life isn’t getting what you want, it’s wanting it after you get it.” These past few weeks in life I’ve watched as my friends seem to finally be getting what they want… Piggie and J are finally getting a chance; SuzyQ and G seem to be making things work this time and Pammy and D have finally been able to settle their differences and make “the

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-1151163140976127362006-06-24T10:31:00.000-05:002006-06-27T13:23:46.626-05:00

Something has been irritating me for a long time…well, there are a lot of things that irritate me, but this one takes the cake. I’ve noticed a common thread that my single girlfriends and I have….we are very intelligent, strong and independent women—self assured and confident. I’ve known for a long time men tend to be intimidated by that—but I’ve formulated a theory as to why and I want to

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-1150458113392472172006-06-16T06:41:00.000-05:002006-06-16T06:41:53.403-05:00

This year has been a year of “going home” for me. My brother & sister-in-law sent my daughters and me plane tickets to go home to Orange County California for my eldest niece’s wedding. I was able to see my great nephew and great niece, stay in the home I was born & raised in (and even my old bedroom), visit with all of my family and go to Disneyland (something I did regularly as a child since

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-1149734778415259362006-06-07T21:45:00.000-05:002006-06-07T21:47:29.776-05:00

The only thing worse than suffering a broken heart yourself is watching one of your children suffer their first major heartache—today I have to help my daughter with something that as a parent I hoped I could shield her from (but knew, unfortunately, in my heart I couldn’t). B had been dating the same young man for just shy of the past year—he’d given her a promise ring and everything. J was an

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-1149225717246875082006-06-01T23:38:00.000-05:002006-06-02T00:21:57.326-05:00

Until now I've remained relatively silent about the illegal immigration issue--at least here on my blog. I have mixed feelings about it (and some very strong opinions) and until I rectified my feelings I couldn't state them succinctly and with confidence. First let me recognize that all of us in America were immigrants at one time or another (even the Indians who originally came across the

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-1149161054994770392006-06-01T06:20:00.000-05:002006-06-09T15:42:33.586-05:00

Happy Birthday to me, even if Cowboy forgot, Happy Birthday to me! And for my birthday, I won an all expense trip to El Paso.....hahaha. Actually, I'm heading out there for work. I've never been, so at least it's some place new! 39...ugh...next year is the big 40. I'll now share with you my birthday resolution--this way I'm beholden to it and I can't cheat because y'all will know. Since I'm

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-1149118235689308302006-05-31T18:30:00.000-05:002006-05-31T18:30:35.700-05:00

…and not in a conniving kind of way, either! Being somewhat creative myself I have always loved “homemade” gifts. Be it a hand written letter or poem, a crocheted blanket, a painted picture or really anything “homemade”—especially when it is “me”. Homemade gifts ROCK! They show that someone really put something of themselves into it –a little extra love – and that they put some thought into

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-1149046272831145332006-05-30T22:30:00.000-05:002006-05-30T22:35:16.420-05:00

I think I know why I avoided taking statistics like the plague during my undergrad courses—one day into it and I’m already dreading the next three months. I keep telling myself “one bite at a time”, however I had to glance through the textbook and it resembled a calculus text—a subject I never took. In fact, I never went past geometry in high school. I was going to major in photojournalism, what

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-1148960617904672352006-05-29T22:42:00.000-05:002006-05-29T22:43:37.913-05:00

There is a famous saying… “How does one eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” I think in a similar vein, that is how we move on with our life after a tragedy – the end of a relationship, death of a loved one, etc. -- one breath at a time. So often we have these tragedies and we try and envision our whole life afterwards. Those of us who are “big picture” thinkers especially have a hard time with

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-1148860528200937202006-05-28T18:52:00.000-05:002006-05-28T18:55:28.466-05:00

Tomorrow is Memorial Day. I wonder if many people in our country even remember why we observe it. It’s gone the way of so many holidays with all its commercialism. It’s become backyard barbeques and weekends at the lake—the official start of summer. However, none of that is the reason for Memorial Day. The same way Christ has been taken out of Christmas, the American veteran has been taken

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-1148738713526779032006-05-27T09:01:00.000-05:002006-06-01T13:05:17.336-05:00

I thought I’d take a break from discussing love today. We all need a break from my cynical outlook about love. Today we are going to discuss one of my biggest pet peeves—old men with ponytails (which takes a close second to comb-overs).For you 30-something and 40-something men out there going through your midlife crisis, you may want to listen up! Women do not find “soft” men with thinning long

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-1148649158371488882006-05-26T08:09:00.000-05:002006-06-01T13:07:31.350-05:00

Little pop diva Michelle Branch has “gone country” and I like it! Her and her pals formed a band called “The Wreckers” and they are good! I consider myself somewhat of a music aficionado—my taste varies from punk to classic, from rock to jazz and from bluegrass to country. I love it all. Music is the universal language of love. Music can comfort us, bring us up when we are down or just sit

gingerlyspicedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00865183840119337546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660204.post-1148613025525805192006-05-25T22:06:00.000-05:002006-05-25T22:16:24.376-05:00

I’m borrowing the title of one of my favorite hymns; It is Well With My Soul. I found peace this week from my anxiety attacks of the previous two weeks. Anxiety partially brought on by severe disappointment that Cowboy didn’t show for my graduation --- something I worked hard at for a long time and in some ways he supported me for. He said he got me something. I’d rather him show up than he buy

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