This Girl

It's my first day. I watch as the crowd exchanges cheers and jeers back and forth each time a new kid gets picked. I look back and forth from team to team and wonder with whom will I get stuck. It's my turn. They call my name again. Reluctantly, I rise and stroll to my fate. Taking my time. Dragging my feet so as to defer the agony that surely awaits. Now, it's time. I approach the stage and take the seat. Onto my head the Sorting Hat goes. And now.....I will forever be....a member of the house of....... Ok, so I'm not a character in the Harry Potter series. J. K. Rowling apparently did not even think to write me into the script. How could this be? Must be a mistake, because I surely feel like a character. Only the screen play is Reality. The setting, Life. The stage hands, those who set the norms. The players, you and me. And now.....Action. We are taught from an early age to be careful who we hang with, else we'll get a reputation. If you lie with dogs, after ...

Hal Stigler, owner of medium size business, Hal's Pal's, is feeling a little left out of the current political banter over our Nation's troubled economy. The Monee, IL entrepreneur has gainfully employed 102 local residents for the past 5 years, disqualifying his company from being classified as a small business , while bringing Hal's Pal's no where close to the same league as their big business cousins. "It's just not fair," said Mr. Stigler. "Corporations are rewarded with tax loop holes and bail outs and small businesses are constantly being heralded as job creators. Where are my loop holes? Where's my recognition for creating 102 jobs?" Mr. Stigler conceived the idea for Hal's Pal's while working to sooth his beagle's separation anxiety. Mr. Stigler's canine friend, also coincidentally named Hal, would chew his 6-year old daughter's dolls until the family returned home in the evening. The family tried everything ...

Yeah. Yay. Hoorah. Boorah. OMG. OMFG. Yippee. Youser. There are many ways to express pure, utter delight, awesomeness, triumph, glory, excitement, etc. You name it. If it is something to be happy about, there is sure to be a short word or acronym that is understood by the masses to convey that this thing about which you are so happy is a BFD. But the one word--or words--that I just can't get my head around is woot. I mean, is it supposed to be woot, or whoot? Woo-hoo or Woot-hoot? Woot-woot or....you get the drift. How is this supposed to be spelled and where did these many variations come from? Searching deep within my soul, I did the only thing I could, which was to go to urbandictionary.com and investigate the matter. Because, I'm here to tell you, I have been totally SMOed over this for some time. I mean really. Seriously. For real. But sadly, what I learned, as is usually the case with urbandictionary and all things in cyberspace, there is no one right answer. What ...

We were quite fortunate growing up. We had a real cherry tree in our back yard. Real cherries meant real cherry pie. And this was the only kind I knew for quite some time. I remember the first time I had cherry pie made with that thick, gelatinous, super sweet cherry pie filling that comes in a can. I felt so sad for those unfortunate people who had never experienced real cherry pie before. What a dour life they must lead. Never knowing that there is something better our there. Never quite grasping that real cherries are not encased in a thick, gelatinous syrup, are not all super sweet and more times than not, don't retain their plump, spherical shape during baking. Those poor people. How sad for them, indeed. Now that I think about it, though, this is not unlike the first time I had really good chocolate. You know, the kind that melts in your hand as well as your mouth. With the first taste of a real chocolate morsel, came the sad realization that I had been eating chocolate-fla...

I can talk. What would you like to know? Pick a topic. We'll discuss. Yes, I can talk. The problem is that so can my husband. And he is much better at it than I. But I don't mind. His love of conversation--and his skill at it--is one of the things that drew me to the big lug in the first place. But just as capable as we are at talking, we are capable of sitting in silence. And we don't think there is anything wrong with that. One of my favorite movie quotes is from When Harry Met Sally: (Harry, to Sally) "It is so nice when you can sit with someone and not have to talk." How true is that? I often joke with my husband when we are dining out that people can probably tell we've been married a long time because we are usually the only couple in the place not talking. Take note, fine, young newlyweds--some of the best conversation you will ever have will come from not conversing at all. Yes, as the old saying goes, silence is golden. After perusing other quotes a...

Granted, Jesus probably had something a little more spiritual on his mind when he spoke those words (thanks, St. John for sharing), but I cannot help thinking about how those words ring true for earthly Father-child relationships. **Caution--I'm going to get a little emotional here.** It has been seven years since my Dad passed on, and to this day, I still dread certain days of the year. For starters, the day I got that unforgettable phone call that will never escape my memory. I cannot get through that day without breaking down. Going home and having to face my Mom that night was probably the most intense and least pleasurable experience in my life. I always imagined more for my parents' retirement than one carrying on without the other. The two hardest workers I've ever known deserved the most peaceful and enjoyable time together after the last kid had left the house. After years of worrying how to put us kids through school were over. After years of working shift work an...

The housing crisis has now hit home for a local Robin family. Pat and Susan Robin are finding themselves suffering from nest arrest as they struggle to sell their single-room dwelling so they can move into more spacious quarters. Going with the age-old real estate mantra "location, location, location," the young couple chose the uniqueness of a bicycle tire upon which to build their humble abode. The location is not turning out to be as big a draw to home buyers as expected. "We thought we'd start out small," Pat said. "You know, get a little starter nest going. After our first baby, we planned on getting a bigger place." The Robins thought they would have more time on their wings, but Mother Nature had something different in store for the now family of 6. "When I laid that first egg, I thought, great, it's over. We can finally relax for a while," said Susan. But the very next day, the new mom found herself laying another egg. Then anot...