Striped Overalls and a Jean Construction Hat...

"It’s not that we have to quit this life one day, but it’s how many things we have to quit all at once: music, laughter, the physics of falling leaves, automobiles, holding hands, the scent of rain, the concept of subway trains...if only one could leave this life slowly!" — Roman Payne 

The nice thing (really... a nice thing?!?) about losing your grandparent as an adult is, you don't have to rely on someone else's stories to "know" them. I will never have to wonder who my grandfather was, or what he was like, because I got direct knowledge of him.  I got to see with my own eyes what kind of man he was. I have first-hand experience with his kind and gentle ways.  I will remember his smile and his beautiful blue eyes, because I got to look at them over my 33 years. I will remember the way he said things, what he ate, and what he wore. The little things that make memories live on forever.  Most of all, I'm blessed to have memories of my own children with him.  Hopefully, my stories will help them remember how special their great-grandfather was.

Yesterday, after I held his hand and gave him a kiss, I told him I'd see him later, and you know what...I will.  I love you Grandpa Ross!

Sending you some....

My hands are small I know....

“Bear in mind that the wonderful things you learn in your schools are the work of many generations.  All this is put in your hands as you inheritance in order that you may receive it, honor it, add to it, and one day faithfully hand it on to your children.”  ~ Albert Einstein

I’ve held his hand many times in my life.  We all have.  We would recognize them anywhere. For 91 years his hands have been teaching the lessons of life. They have held babies, and bombs. They have thrown footballs and hay. His hands have joined in prayer over and over again, for each and every one of us.  His hands have shaped our lives more than we will ever know.  Although his handshake is not as firm as before, he now grips our hearts with more force than ever.

Ice Cube?...yes please!

School started 3 weeks ago, and most of you know, I didn't go back. I have to say I'm enjoying my free time.  Free time I haven't had in a while.  That said, I'm making the most of it.  Tuesday and Thursday are set aside for things like developing Julie Stephenson Photography, nurturing personal growth, getting back in shape, becoming mother & wife of the year, and replying (immediately) to my friends wise-ass emails. I've been enjoying it...a lot!

Here was today's agenda to be finished before the kids got home from school:

1. Make valentines for the kids to hand out.
2. Do the first workout from Couch to 5K.

3. Mail deposit for photography workshop I plan to attend.

4. Do the next lesson in a Course in Weight Loss. (My New Years resolution was to stop dieting and this book takes a different approach to getting compulsive eating under control.) 

5. Make a healthy dinner.

6. Laundry.

7. Pay a bill online.

8. Use the words,fuckhead and Nitro when replying to my friends' emails.

Here's what happened:

1. Make valentines for the kids to hand out. ✔ See photos below.

2. Do the first workout from Couch to 5K. ✔ Not terrible, but I wish I would have stayed in shape from the half marathon I ran a couple of years ago.

3. Mail deposit for photography workshop I plan to attend. ✔ Didn't go to mailbox until late, but it is addressed, stamped and the flag is up.

4. Do the next lesson in a Course in Weight Loss.✔ Today I needed to write letters to my fat-self and my thin-self...that was interesting.

5. Make a healthy dinner. ✔ We had homemade French onion soup; which is Sophia's favorite...it was delicious.

6. Laundry. ✔ I only did one load...let’s pretend thats all I had.

7. Pay a bill online. ✔ Paying bills is the most satisfying thing you can do online...

8. Use the words,fuckhead and Nitro when replying to my friends' emails. ✔✔ This was actually easier than I expected.

Success!  This song keeps running through my head...not so much because I'm a gangsta, but because Today Was A Good Day!

February: Love & Football

This month the Compound Confessions header has a theme: love & football...which makes sense, right? February is the month of love...according to Hallmark, FTD and Russell Stover...so that explains the love theme. As for the football theme...bear with me.

I don't normally get too worked up about sports of any kind, professional or otherwise. I learned my lesson a long time ago. Ever since Debi Thomas got bronze in the Calgary Olympics, I haven't gotten emotionally attached to any athlete. Watching her long program, while sitting in my parents' basement, sent me into what I call "The Devastating Depression of the Winter of '88." It was terrible.  I didn't want to go to 5th grade anymore, my grades went from bad to worse, and I started hanging out with the wrong crowd...the Slalom fans. I'm lucky to have made it out alive!

I would usually argue that professional athletes are over-paid, over-idolized and a few of them have lots of overage charges - do to so much testicle text messaging.  Enter Aaron Rodgers, he is the 2011 version of Debi Thomas in Canada-minus the ice skates, fancy leotard and extra melanin. I'm not really as attached as I was back in the day.  I can promise there will be no tears and screaming if he "double foots the second triple toe" in the game on Sunday.  Although, I may pee my pants laughing if anything even remotely like that happens.

Anyway, I'm crushing on Aaron Rodgers a little. Why?  I can't really put my finger on one thing, but I'll try to explain here. Keep in mind, these are my opinions and since I didn't do much fact checking they may be based on lies, which I'm cool with...because I know Aaron doesn't check my blog...regularly.

1. He played back-up first. He paid his dues. He watched and practiced long enough to learn everything he needed to know to take his talent as a quarterback to the next level...which is about 6 stories above Jay Cutler...just sayin'.

2. He has to continually deal with being "The guy that replaced the Legend" which he does gracefully while winning games.

3. He doesn't comment on the other guy or get caught up in the drama. He kept the class in Green Bay.

4. He is always smiling...seriously, search for images of Aaron Rodgers and look for yourself! He looks like a happy down to earth guy.

5. He gets "it."  When he was asked a question about the way his career has gone until now in a Sacramento sports radio show, he replied the following.  I highlighted what I think"it"is.

   

   “I appreciate that. It really has come full circle and this has been a good week to reflect.…Just the road I’ve been on and the journey has been so sweet for me. Just to be able to go to junior  college and make my way there, starting out my career, and go to Cal and be able to work with Coach Tedford. Obviously things didn’t work out the way I thought they were going to on draft day, but to just never doubt myself and my abilities and keep working hard, believing that my time would come, has just made this journey that much more special.”

6. I read this blog. Which was forwarded to me as an email.  Sweet story...I cried like a baby! 

So there.  For those reasons, I like Aaron Rodgers.  Could he turn out to be the biggest wife-beating, gun-toting, dog-fighting, drug-doing dick in the NFL?  Yeah maybe, but this weekend he and the rest of the Green Bay Packers are going to the Super Bowl, so like any other fair-weather football fan from Wisconsin, I'm going to pay tribute...and probably eat a bunch of dip!