It Really Shouldn't Be This Hard!

In 25 days I leave for the trip of a lifetime.  Along with 3 other teachers, 17 students and 7 parents, I leave for a 10 day trip to London and Paris!  I'm so excited and, if I am completely honest, very anxious about the trip.  To think that I am going to be in some of the most famous landmarks in the world is unbelievable!  I can't wait!!!!

The preparation for the trip is causing  major anxiety though!  We are going to London in March!  So the weather can be anything:   snow, rain, cold, heat, cloudy, sunshine, etc.  In addition to the weather, I also have to pack for 10 days!  The stress is causing me sleepless nights!  The two biggest items for me is a coat and a pair of shoes.  The coat is taken care of!  The issue was it had to be water repellant in case of rain, but also warm enough for chilly weather.  But then it couldn't be too heavy in case of warmer weather.  Then factor in the fact that I am a penny pincher! ( No North Face here!) I mean, while I could buy what I needed over there, then I have to deal with room in the suitcase! So,  I went on 3 different trips to various malls around Columbus looking for the perfect coat!  Finally, 2 weeks ago I found the coat of my dreams at Eddie Bauer! It is water proof, lightweight, and a gorgeous chartreuse green.  The best part is the separate fleece pullover that goes under it for warmth!  How cool is that?!?!  The fleece can double as a separate shirt if it were warm enough!  Score!

The shoes, however, are proving to be a different story.  I want water proof, comfortable walking shoes that won't break the bank! After all I will be walking 5/6 miles a day.  I need to be prepared for rain while maintaining comfort.   Apparently I am asking for the impossible!  If the shoes are completely waterproof, then they aren't comfortable.  If I go for the cush and ease, then they aren't waterproof.  It really shouldn't be that hard to find a pair of shoes!  Well, it is!  I am now on my 4th pair of shoes.  The first 3 pairs were waterproof, but hurt my feet after only a couple of hours.   I got tired of returning shoes, so I reevaluated my list and decided to make comfort my number #1 priority.  After spending 1 1/2 hours in Dick's on Friday, I am now test driving a pair of Asics.  After only 1 day, they do seem to be something I can wear for hours.  Unfortunately, if it rains hard, I'm in trouble.  With my luck it will rain the first day and I'll have wet shoes for 9 days!!!

Now I have no one to blame for my dilemma, but myself.  I have a bad habit of over thinking everything, therefore, making it impossible to make a decision!  I just want this trip to be perfect, and it is causing me so much stress!  As much as I would like to be one of those people who can just go with the flow, I'm not!  If ever there was trip that I need to be able to go with the flow, it's this one.  Of course, as long as I am concentrating on the damn shoes, I don't have to think about the outfits and how I'm going to get them all into one suitcase!  I have decided not to stress too much about it right now.  I will stay focused on the shoes. When the time gets closer and weather.com can give me a 10 day forecast, I will make those finally clothing decisions.  I can guarantee one thing...my next trip to Florida will definitely seem like a breeze!

Make Everyday Count....

Denise

Who says you can't go home again?

Somewhere someone once wrote 'you can never go home again'.  In my humbled opinion that is complete hogwash!  I believe if you feel that way it's because you never had a home there to start with.  Every February I go home to Coshocton for a quilting retreat. I spend the weekend with 74 other women who all share a love of cloth and thread.  We spend our time creating beautiful pieces of love, laughing our butts off, and eating fabulous food.  (Don't worry, I don't cook any of it!).  And yes, there just might be a little drinking.  For most of the women, it is a weekend away to relax and unwind.  For me it's more than that.  It's about reconnecting with the place that helped mold me into the person that I am today.

One of my favorite things about the weekend is running into people I know and haven't seen a long time. In fact I'm always on the look out for familiar faces in restaurants and stores.  Of course my girlfriends always tease me about running into people I know.  They say I could be in a shack in the middle of no where and still run into someone I know.  I love reconnecting with people who were important to me as I grew up.  The first place I always go is  my favorite quilt shop Mercantile on Main.  The owner, Denise, is a friend from high school.  It never fails, I walk in the store and she puts me to work! I either cut fabric or price merchandise or put bolts away or all three!  The best part is spending time with Denise and catching up.  While at the store on Thursday I ran into Edna Brenly.  She is a Coshocton icon!  She was the long time manager of the local bar, Bandos. That bar was a rite of passage for every 21(18) year old kid! It is legendary.  Bando's is long gone now, but Edna is still kicking it.  She is 85 and quilting up a storm!  I am so glad we got to visit with one another.

Due to the popularity of Facebook, I am friends with some people that I went to school with and haven't seen since graduation.  Yes, for you math wizards, that was 32 years ago!  A couple of us made plans to get together over the weekend.  We met at the local coffee/wine bar, Uncorked, in Roscoe Village.  I don't know what it is about being in Coshocton, but I always end up acting like an 18 year old again.   I immediately fall back into old habits and shenanigans.  Darin, Nina, and I never missed a beat.  You would have never known that we hadn't seen each other in a 1/4 of a century!  We told stories and laughed our butts off.  The two hours passed by before any of us knew it.  It was so nice to make the connection again with them.

Then there is Kelly.  She and I have been friends since the 6th grade!  Yes, math people, I know that it is 38 years!  Our friendship has evolved over the years.  It has had it's ups and downs.  There were times we were tight and then times we drifted apart.  It's called life.  I believe our friendship has endured because will have know each other's deep, dark secrets and still like each other.  As someone once said, 'It's not the number of friends you have, but the ones that are there when you need them most'.  Kelly is a keeper, and I love our time together during the 3rd weekend in February.

Now I know what you're thinking.  It is great to visit,  but surely you wouldn't want to live there again, would you?  Denise you are just on a flashback high and it will all look different in the morning.  My answer is I would move back in a heartbeat.   You know I didn't have the 'normal' family structure growing up.  We had our issues.   But looking back, it was the friends I had and the community that I lived in that helped make my life 'normal'.  It was a great place to grow up and create memories.  Luckily, those same values still exist today.  The wear and tear is showing, but the heart of the soul is still burning bright.  Thanks to Coshocton and friends for recharging my batteries.  I can't wait to return again.

Make Every Day Count....
Denise

Cupid Be Damned!

Another year and another Valentine's Day!  I'm sure this doesn't come as a surprise to those of you who know me, but I don't like the holiday.  In fact I wouldn't even call it a holiday.  It is some made up day that corporate America uses to over charge us for roses, chocolate and cards!  Now,  before you all start calling me some hateful, unromantic witch, I want you to know that I am a romantic at heart.  Just because I don't like weddings, cupid and Valentine's Day, it doesn't make me cold hearted.  As with anything, I have my reasons.

If you think about it, the day sets people up for disappointment and heartbreak.  It starts in kindergarten.  When I was kid you made a box and took it to school.  Then on V-Day your classmates would put cards in your box.  Back in those days, we were not political correct as we are now.  You only made cards for the kids you liked.  I remember some kids would only get one or two cards while the more popular kids got oodles!  Now before you accuse me of sour grapes, I just want to point out that I was in the latter group.  This is not a 'I was done wrong' song!  It is simply an observation I've  made over the years of endless elementary V-day parties.   Of course, I was the kid that made sure everyone had one much to the chagrin of my more snooty girlfriends!

Luckily we live a more politically correct society today and everyone is required to give everyone a V-day card.  However, that doesn't mean there aren't other ways to crush hearts.  I'm reminded of a Valentine story a friend, Natasha,  shared with me.  (I hope she doesn't mind that I share this with you!  Names have been changed  to protect the innocent!)  In the second grade she had a boy named Boris who sat in front of her.  On Valentine's Day, he garnered up the courage to slip her a special card asking her to be his Valentine.  Natasha responded with no because you are big and lazy!  She crushed the poor boy with her words!  Luckily,  Boris was persistent,  and he and Natasha have now been married for 10+ years with three kids!  I swear this is a true story.   But what if Boris wasn't a strong, young man?  For some kids this could have scarred them for all future V-days.

As we become adults, the stakes are even higher.  There are so many expectations for V-day.  For some it's planning the perfect evening. As we all know the saying, 'the best laid plans'!  There is so much pressure to get it right and when it doesn't it can be devastating for some.  For others it's all about just having someone to share it with so that you don't feel left out.  It's hard to hear about  your friends' V-day plans when you are not in a relationship.  Let's face,  V-day can suck if you are in the throes of a break up or divorce.  I mean you have FTD commercials  in your face telling you that only special people will get their overpriced red roses on Feb. 14.  I don't know the statistics, but my guess is there are more lonely people on V-day then not.

Lastly, I believe everyday should be Valentine's Day.  Why not celebrate the love we have for each other more than once a year?  Do we really need some cherub with a bow and arrow to tell us when we should honor our love for each other?  I say hell no!  I mean a love note to your best guy or gal on a mid summer's night says I love you more than some $3.99 Hallmark card.  Or a handpicked  bouquet of wildflowers in the fall?  I think it says I love you more than 12 roses that cost $50 and look like everyone else's.  Now I know that all women love chocolate and there is no substitute for the real thing.   I just think that your loved one should buy it for you at least once a week.  The love comes from not pointing out the size of your hips and butt when you devour your Goumas candy!!!  (For those of you not familiar with Newark, Ohio, Goumas is the to-die-for local candy store!)

Now I'm not advocating that everyone should chuck their V-day plans.  Please carry on!  And I hope it is day of fireworks and all things lovely. I hope you feel special and all fuzzy!  Like I said I am a romantic at heart.  I am just advocating that you make everyday a day to honor the love(s) in your life.  After all don't we all like to know we are special more than once a year?

Make every day count.....
Denise