25 Random Things

Facebook strikes once again! I was sent this challenge from one of my friends (it seems to be the latest thing to do on Facebook) List 25-random things about yourself. So, here's my list:

1. I love to clean.
2. Although I'm afraid of heights, I have gone to
the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Empire
State Building and the Stratosphere in Vegas.
3. I would love to live in Southern Italy, part-time.
4. I love to garden
5. I dislike scary movies and gory movies.
6. I could eat chocolate-chocolate chip Hagen

Daas every day!
7. My children surprise me every day
8. I would love to be a professional equestrian
9 I wish I could play the piano
10. I want to drive a Ferrari down the Amalfi Coast
11. I wish I could spend more time with my parents
and brothers
12. I have always wanted to start a wild and exotic
animal refuge.
13. I wish I had perfect vision
14. The best things in life are free....especially being
loved
15. My children make me laugh everyday
16. I hate frivolous lawsuits
17. I love Bones, Saving Grace, The Closer, CSI and
Leverage
18. I will always stop to watch The Sound of Music
19. I have found, that as you get older, your close
friends become fewer
20. I have always wanted a pet cow
21 I need to be more organized
22. I would love to spend a day with George
Clooney!
23. I'm dreading the day my children leave home
24. I love to ride motorcycles
25. I always could use more sleep

Is There Rehab for Facebook?

Never let it be said that I'm the first to jump on the latest in technology. It took me 5-years to get a cell phone with a keypad and internet capabilities! Like I said, I'm slow. So recently, I decided to delve into the world of Facebook....a world I love and despise. I love it because I've been able to reconnect with friends from my childhood, high school and college. I've chatted with people who have moved to different parts of the world and across the country. I've found old friends whom I've lost touch with and I can talk about work and share ideas with friends in the radio business...It really is a fabulous tool for networking. BUT, I despise it because I'm addicted! I find myself spending every free moment on my Facebook page...adding comments, pictures and video links. I'm always looking for new applications so I can poke a friend, send them on safari, have a squirt gun fight or throw a snowball...It's taking over my life. I find myself staring blurry eyed at my page until all hours of the day, (it doesn't help when you already function on 4-5 hours of sleep!) I put off doing important things like laundry and dinner so I can spend more time chatting with an old college friend....It's my new obsession......And now the radio station has its own page, so I'm constantly checking that site to see who's new on the list...Like I said, I'm obsessed ....if you'd like to join the WRMF page, simply go to search friends and type in WRMF...you should find us without a problem ....and don't worry I'll be there watching and waiting for you to become our friend....so hurry up and get on it...join now......Have I mentioned that I need REHAB for Facebook!

Hope and Promise

History in the making...millions of us watched today as President-Elect Barrack Obama became our 44th president...a day seeped in history...Our first African-American president has inspired our nation like few before him. He has instilled hope and promise in all of us. He's urging all of us to stand up, take action and accountability and rise from the ashes...to save our great nation. A nation now enveloped in an economic crisis, unemployment and war. But a nation that President Obama has vowed to save....with our help.... "Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.....Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America: They will be met." I, as I'm sure many of you agree, hope that President's Obama's promises for change become a reality. It's a new beginning, a day for all of us to say, "I'm an American and I'm proud." Let's pray the future holds promise for all......

Life's Little Rewards

Okay, you can all give me grief for not being more current with my blog....As I like to say when things slip by the wayside... "Life gets in the way!" The holidays were awesome..my family came to South Florida to celebrate and they all stayed at my house! I felt like Cinderella! For 8-days all I did was clean, cook, wash clothes and entertain.... but it was well worth it.... Now onto more current events...Nothing makes a woman prouder than the success of her children. For some that may mean a child gets a "B" on a test a school, he learns to ride his bike, or maybe she gets accepted into med school.....For me, both my children have always made me proud..my oldest, Samantha, is about to graduate high school and enter the collegiate world..quite exciting, yet very scary! (more on that at a later date!) But just the other night, my youngest, Caroline, finally got to see the rewards for her years of horseback riding. We attended the Palm Beach County Horseman's Association Awards banquet at Broken Sound Country Club in Boca.(nice joint!) I knew she would receive an award because she had finished with the most points in her division (Pony Jumpers)......but I never expected the size of that reward! As you can see from the picture, the trophy was almost as tall as Caroline! (she's 4-feet, 8-inches) She was delighted and smiled from ear to ear. But she wasn't the only one smiling. I was as proud as a mother could be. My little girl, after years of lessons, had finally taken home the trophy she had always dreamed of: Champion!! The smile on her face was priceless and one that will remain in the recesses of my brain for an eternity. Her trainer, TJ, has taken my little girl from a novice to a superb equestrian, and for that, I will always be grateful! (see picture of Caroline with TJ..above, right) By the way, Caroline was so excited about the award, that she actually slept with it! Today, it sits on a special shelf in her bedroom! It's a great accessory and one that will always bring fond memories when I do my least favorite chore: dusting! Thank goodness for the little rewards that life has to offer.

THE BIG 18TH!!

It's hard to believe that my oldest is 18! As everyone says, "where did the time go?" It's scary to realize that she's now an adult...legal in almost every aspect of the word! And as a parent, I hope that the morals and ethics my husband and I have tried so diligently to instill in our children, will actually take hold. These are virtues that only time will reveal........On to the subject at hand...On Samantha's 18th birthday we enjoyed a quiet dinner with the family and a few friends. She wanted it to be a laid back affair...me, I wanted a party! (maybe for her high school graduation!) But I had anticipated this day for many years because I had a special surprise for her. When Sam was a little girl, her father and I divorced. Instead of completely trashing (or selling) my wedding ring, my dear friend Gail suggested that I remove the main diamond and replace it with Sam's birthstone (mind you, Sam was only a toddler at the time!) As a matter of fact, Gail (Sam's Godmother) bought the single diamond from me (I was desperate for money at the time!) and as a gift to me had the setting refitted with a yellow topaz! (the birthstone for November). The ring was beautiful! I decided at that moment to give it to Samantha when she turned 18...hence my anticipation for her birthday. Since the day it was set, the ring has sat in my jewelry box waiting for Samantha to become an adult. We were all gathered around the kitchen table as Sam opened her presents....a digital camera, a new shirt, a couple of pairs of jeans... She was delighted. As everyone started to leave the table, I asked them all to please wait because I had a special gift for Samantha....everyone sat back down and looked puzzled...what could this gift be? As I turned to Sam to present her with the small package, I started to cry....I couldn't even get the words out to explain the history of the gift....she grabbed the box with trembling hands and opened it ever so slowly. When she saw the ring, she too started to cry..(As a matter of fact, everyone had a tear in his eye) ....it truly was a unique mother-daughter moment..and one I will never forget... I guess I did good......I only wish I could say that about all my parenting skills......

As you may, or may not know, I'm a graduate from THE Ohio State University. It's a phenomenal institution known for it's medical research, agricultural breakthroughs, veterinarian college, countless exceptional programs and a little thing called Big 10 Football! As a girl from a small town in Rhode Island, I couldn't comprehend the greatness of this football team until I attended my first football game at Ohio State in the shoe. (it's now closed, but when I attended Ohio Stadium was a horseshoe!) It was awe inspiring. The fans, all 65-thousand of them, are completely out of control. (today the stadium holds more than 110-thousand!)Tailgating starts the night before and the alumni are far crazier than the students! And win or lose, Ohio State fans know how to celebrate or drown their sorrows. I've done my share of both! But regardless of how well the Buckeyes play, the entire season hinges on 1 vital game: Michigan!! Ohio State can lose every game of the season, but a win against Michigan erases all those losses. And vice versa...an undefeated season up until the Michigan game can be wiped out with a loss to the Wolverines. I was fortunate to watch Ohio State beat Michigan 3 out of the 4-years I was there....and craziness ensues. It's a feeling like no other, a rivalry unsurpassed by even Florida-Florida State..... .. This past Saturday, I plopped myself in front of the boob tube to watch my Buckeyes take on the blue and maize...life stops for every true Buckeye fan during this game....(as well as every Michigan fan!) The first quarter was tenuous and I was doubting my Buckeyes could pull off the win...but then the 2nd quarter started and it was all downhill for the Wolverines... The Buckeye intercepted, recovered fumbles, sacked their quarterback, ran back punts for 85-yards and just crushed Michigan. It was an incredible feeling for any Ohio State alumni...and of course, it gives all of us the most obnoxious bragging rights against any Michigan fan (sorry to my dear Michigan friends..you know who you are! ) The final score 42-7 doesn't really represent how well Ohio State played...or how badly Michigan played...but at least for the next few days I can gloat! To add insult to injury....The win not only clinched a 5th-shared or outright Big Ten championship for Ohio State under coach Jim Tressel, but it also was the 5th-consecutive win for Ohio State over Michigan – a first in 119 seasons of football!!!! Oh yeah, maybe I'll be an obnoxious Ohio State fan the whole week!! GO BUCKS!!

Horse Heaven

For many years, my husband has encouraged me to do something for myself.....a release from the daily stresses, the children, my schedule, etc...For whatever reason, I have always ignored those urgings..maybe it's motherly guilt, Italian guilt....whatever, but everyone else has always come first....UNTIL NOW!!!! Call me crazy, but I have finally done something just for me. A release that provides exercise, fun, love and solitude (if desired). You guessed it...I got a horse!! He's magnificent! Black Jack stands 18-hands, (as you can see by the picture, that's extremely large. I'm 5'7" and he towers over me! The 2nd picture is of Black Jack with my youngest, Caroline!) He's as big as a barn, but as gentle as a lamb. In a word: perfect! I have always enjoyed riding, an activity I began when I was just 5 years old! But when I went to college, my favorite pastime fell by the wayside. After college it was work, than marriage, children and family. As you probably can relate, "life got in the way." But now I've decided to take the selfish approach. My children are old enough to fend for themselves and my husband tells me I need something to do besides clean the house!! Since Black Jack just arrived, I've only had the opportunity to ride him twice. He's like riding a cloud! His trot isn't harsh and jarring, his canter is as smooth as silk...and when it's just him and me....it's awesome. No screaming kids, no barking dogs, no TV, phone or other annoying electronic device....just me atop this magnificent creature and the sounds of the world around us. It's solitude at it's finest. I have found my inner sanctum from our crazy world and it's big, black, white and loving. I'm in horse heaven and I think I'll stay here for a long while......