A Test in Patience (and courage) Life on the Road

 If you are ever so inclined to test your patience level, all you need to do is drive down any main road in Miami. I kid you not, if untangling Christmas lights (or fetal monitoring cords) gives you anxiety, do not drive in Miami, because it is worse, I promise. 

I ventured out yesterday and it took me 33 minutes to drive 11 miles. I'm not the greatest driver, but I am a patient one. At least I was in NY. I have never missed Rochester roads like I have this week. In my opinion, the roads here make absolutely no sense. Each side of the road has 5 lanes...that alone should be enough to move traffic along, it is not. There is a median between left and right lanes on every main road, as if driving here isn't bad enough, if you pass your destination, you get to drive further ahead to make a left "U TURN" and pray to whoever you pray to that someone will let you get into the left turning lane, and then, wait for it, you get to make ANOTHER U TURN to get back to the right side of the road you want to be on...I know, mind blown right?  Here is my advice in Florida, if you see a place on your right that you wish to visit, do it as soon as you see it, because you will probably never be able to get back there easily again, or if your memory is like mine, you will forget where and what it was you saw in the first place. 

Which now brings me to my left turn rant. For the love of all that is holy, I have never feared a left turn as much as I do here. This is where courage comes in to play, I literally fear for my life with every left turn. You have 2 lanes with left "arrows." They last all of about oh maybe say 7 seconds, there are always at least 10 cars in the turning lanes... after that, you either sit for another eternity at the red light, or you put your life in danger and proceed to the middle of the intersection so that you can make that quick last minute left turn on the red light, with all the other cars that now have a green light beeping angrily at you or ready to run you down. Each light I think I see 2 or 3 cars sneak through this way, I sit back and shake my head...what else can I do? I'm sure not risking it, and then the driver behind me blares the horn again, at me for being the idiot who could have made the green arrow but didn't.  Then there is the lovely I95. It feels like a racetrack, my heart races, my stomach is usually in my feet. Speed limit ranges from 55-70 but traffic as always steadily at roughly 85-90, until there is a crash, then the speed limit is 5-10, with no way out, bumper to bumper. It is always midway to my destination that I question my sanity in traveling and driving in Florida. I don't want to mention the gas prices, but I am sometimes tempted to shut my car off and just sit and wait, I mean I just paid $5.69 a gallon, but let's not talk about that. 

Lastly, I would like to talk about walking in Miami. By the beaches there is no choice, but again, no one wants to slow down to let you cross the street (even though they are sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic) so you say a Hail Mary every single time, and again, the horns blaring. If you love frogger, walking in Miami is definitely for you because that my friend is what it feels like.  Imagine it, 10 beautiful lanes to cross in 13 seconds, better get a pep in your step or you get to stand in the median like some kind of fool and sometimes you just wave at the drivers like "Hello, Hi, yes I ran out of time to cross the mile long highway!!!" At every light, I imagine I am in the middle of a game of frogger, but it is not nearly as fun as it is to play on a video screen. 

The locals say I will get used to it, and I sure hope they are right. But today I stayed in, and I can honestly say, I did not miss driving at all. 

If you have read this far, I thank you, please be sure to follow me it would mean a lot!
With so Much Love, 
LB

The Open Trail

It was June 23,2019 when I first found the open trail. 

I was going through a lot at this time in my life. I had moved from my suburban home to a luxury apartment, it was time to finally take care of myself on my own. Remember the empty nest? This was the next phase. It was important for me to move on. There are a million different reasons, but I do not feel the need to explain, suffice it to say it was time for me to pull up my big girl pants and move along.

I set up a family day with my children, my mother's birthday is June 21st, and I was feeling the way I usually feel in June...awful...My mother's birthday, and the end of my marriage on my 10th anniversary on June 27th...what a fun week. I curse my brains muscle memory to remember tragic events but never remember why I walked into the next room. Maybe it was miscommunication, maybe I'm just not the best person to be around in June...maybe a bit of both but it was finally brought to light that January and June are my absolute worst months, and I need to be as good to myself as possible and not put others in my line of fire. Me being me with my big grand family ideas of course I set up a "family day" ... this day did not go as planned...all I can say is I left abruptly, cried all the way home yelled at my grown children, basically making them all think I had indeed gone mad. After this tantrum that I'm not at all proud of I did what I could to reinvent myself so that I would never feel this way again. I remember going to sleep that night and promising myself that I would find a better way to deal with my grief.

Because of this day I found the open trail. It was in my backyard! The first time I hit the trail I ran 5 miles. Okay, I didn't run, I walked most of it, but I ran sprints in between. I had never felt this good in my life, I never thought I was a trail person, but here I was, feeling better than I ever have. It was this day I realized that the open trail was as important to me as breathing. It is hard to explain. I walk down the road, less than 1/4 mile, and when my feet finally hit the trail it's like I become someone else. My feet hit the trail and my music is on, my mind is clear, and I feel like I can conquer the world. I spend the next hour, sometimes two, processing the past few days, daydreaming up big ideas, and it is the most exhilarating feeling I have ever known. 

There are times that I am sure I self-sabotage, because after about 4 months I took a break from the trail even though I knew in my mind it would not be good for me. I lasted almost through October and it had started to get dark earlier and it was cold. Days turned into weeks, then months until of course the dreaded cycle starts all over again. 

Of course, I have no idea where I was going with this story, except to remind myself and others that  self care is important. We spend our days taking care of everyone around us, that it is so easy to forget that we need to take care of ourselves too. In order for the heart to feed the rest of the body it needs to feed itself first, we should all take that advice from the heart. 

To this day I hop on the trail, not as often as I would like, but some is better than none. With all that said, I'm going to pack up and find a trail nearby. 

Make it a great Day!!!
LB

First a Single Mom and then the Empty Nest

 I think I was a really good Mom. What bothers me the most about this statement is that I always have to preface this sentence with "I think."  I have come to the conclusion that almost all mothers at some time in their life will feel this way. Do you ever watch a movie or television show and the breakfast is an amazing Sunday brunch every single day? I'm talking eggs and bacon and pancakes, fresh squeezed orange juice...oh you want cereal or toast instead, I got that too...you get the picture. Do you know I still watch things like this and wish I did better? Regret is a huge waste of time, I know this now, but I still have many regrets of the mother I was because it was not supposed to be that way. When I was young, I was going to be the best Mom in the universe...I mean, that is all ever I wanted, to be a Mom, to have children. Of course I would be the loving and cool Mom ... my house would be "the cool house" ...I'm not sure I was the cool house, but I did my best... I can say for certain that when I cooked dinner (which always included dessert) on the nights we didn't have baseball or football or lacrosse games that I did in fact cook enough for the entire neighborhood to eat with us if they were so inclined. My belief was that a home should always have enough dinner to feed the entire neighborhood if necessary.. to this day I struggle cooking for one, I might as well start my own meal service, Now I'm looking for a meal service for myself!!! 

I can ask my children what they remember and every one of them will have a different perception of our home life, many times, they have a different perception than I do, sometimes that is a good thing and sometimes it is not, but such is life. 

Mornings were rough...sadly my boys were lucky if I woke them up with enough time to eat breakfast and pack their lunch... Hence my feeling of regret for the beautiful spread of breakfast in what seems like every tv show or movie I have ever watched. 

They tell you when you first have a baby how fast the time will go. I can tell you firsthand to heed the warning, because you will blink and 20+ years will pass you by in a matter of what feels like seconds. 

So... maybe by now you are asking what I really want to say? Maybe you don't even care, but I do, and I feel its worth a blog or we wouldn't be here. 

I was NOT ready for the empty nest. Not even a little bit... I had greater than 21 years to prepare...nope, not ready. How? How do you have children starting when you are 22 years old and not be ready for empty nest when you are in your 40s???  

I have caused a whole lot of ruckus since then...I feel bad for my kids...they did what I prepared them to do...they left home to be independent... I mean, they were raised by a very independent, wooden spoon wielding mother...go on, get out there, live your best life...but wait...I miss you so much...come back... 
One of my favorite movies has a similar quote:
We have so much time and so little to see. Wait a minute. Strike that. Reverse it.”
"don't ... stop ... come back.” – Willy Wonka

I never dated...truth be told, I never wanted to be divorced, but I did not have a choice in that. What I did want, was to raise my boys in the healthiest environment possible with both of their parents.  One day I might tell you about my childhood, but for now, suffice it to say, their young innocent beautiful lives were my priority, and I trusted no one with them but me, their father, and a select few family members. I worry sometimes that I may have not made the right choice, I think what this decision may have done was make my boys worry about me being alone and unhappy. I did not trust a stranger in my life with my children, that was that. 

When my last son left the house for good , I cried. 
I was happy for them, I truly was...but for me, I was not ready...I lost my identity...being Mom was natural, but who was I without them? 

I remember it was October. I checked my mail and there was a Christmas tree shops flyer. When I opened it they had a porch rug that said "A Witch and her little Monsters live here." I started to cry. I called my ex-husband and I said I was not ready for this, I'm crying over a halloween flyer... His answer to me was "I'm sorry, I knew this was going to be really hard on you. Just remember how much they love you...and that you are a really good Mom." A huge thank you to him for that. (I thought I hated him once,but isn't that love...I was thankful for him especially now) 

I am lucky. I raised some incredible sons. Do I worry about them? Of course I do...The Empty Nest gave me the strength I needed to get out here on the road. 

This past year has been hard on all of us with me traveling... as I navigate my life I am beyond thankful for my children, they do not know my childhood story that I owe them so they can somewhat relate with who I am and at some point I  need to tell them so they can understand me a bit better, but they love me, they put up with me, they forgive me for not always being present and they continue to make me so proud to be their Mom.  

With so much love
LB

A new year, a not so new me

Oh, what the years can do..."It took so long and went so fast" is a phrase I think of often. It can be used for almost anything, a minute, a day, a week, a month, a year, several years. Truth is, time is a thief and I have decided that it is time to stick with my bucket list, and blogging is at the top of my bucket list. I have learned the hard way that I need at least the first 3 weeks of January to get myself and my thoughts together. I used to think I suffered from seasonal depression. A few years ago, I realized that what I suffer from is the tragic memory of the loss of my mom on January 21st, 1990, when I was 24 years old. Yes, I was lucky to have her for 24 years. The tragedy was losing her when I was finally starting to appreciate her wisdom and all she sacrificed for her family. I won't dwell on the loss because that is not what she would ever want me to do. What my sweet mother would want me to do is to love myself and live my best life, there is no doubt in my mind she is with me still. 

As you can see it is the middle of March...It is also 10 years since I started this blog!!! I am still getting it together this year. What I am truly learning is to be gentle with myself. So today I have decided that there is so much beauty to be seen in this world, and I would like to share my stories. I am still getting used to life on the road, but I feel that there is a reason for everything and at this very moment I am exactly where I need to be. 

I hope you will enjoy my journey along with me. 

With so much Love, Lori

Serving the People ...Serving Myself

This Blog is Dedicated to Alyce...thank goodness we didn't allow first impressions to get in the way when we first met in 1984 at Record Town, where we realized we both were "experts" at music...
We started our waitressing career together, and the memories are incredible...we became, to our surprise as well, the very best of Friends...and I will always and forever be grateful for her friendship.  She was the one person who was always there at a moments notice when my marriage fell apart, she was someone who treated my boys as if they were her very own, and she was the only one, for the longest of times, who would just show up, with that warm and beautiful smile, a cassette tape she made just for me, and the ability to make me laugh, even through the hard times when I didn't even think I could smile.
Thank you Alyce, I hope you will always know just how much you mean to me <3


      I think each and every working person should be required to work in the Service Industry for at least 2 weeks out of their lives...I'm convinced there are many people who are not aware of just how much skill and organization it takes to be a really good server...along with the skill it takes to always be "smiling" even on your very worst days...

     I must say working in a restaurant created some of the best memories of my life, and I have never made quite as much money (or had nearly as much fun) as I did when I worked for tips, however it was some of the hardest (yet most rewarding) work I have ever done. And trust me, I could tell you story after story, some good, some not so good.  (Don't worry, most of us don't do anything to your food when you make us mad...MOST of us I say, and truly I only know of one incident in over 20 years of waitressing where this was so, and I promise you it wasn't me) but just in case, I suggest you always be nice to servers, especially the "not so nice" ones :)
 As anyone who has ever worked in a restaurant can tell you, it is a lot like a family...a very large, and very Dysfunctional Family :) and just like family, there are a whole lot of ups and downs, and fights with each other behind the scenes. Especially between cooks and servers.

     I was just 17 when I found my very first waitressing job at Perkin's Restaurant.  I was lucky enough to start this career with my very Best friend at the time, Alyce.  We worked the graveyard shift together...and we also worked at Record Town in the Mall together...to say we made quite a pair is an understatement...we were the modern day Lucy and Ethel I swear, and to this day, we can crack each other up watching paint dry...I mean honest, when we are together, you will beg us to give you some of whatever we are taking, we just feed off of each other, we usually laugh until we cry, and honestly, if we had taken our show on the road, well, I'm quite sure we would have been famous and Lord only knows where we may have ended up (most likely on a sitcom)!!!   I keep meaning to tell her, that when I watch the new tv sitcom "2 Broke Girls" with Max and Caroline, I immediately think of us back in those days...although, I promise you, back then we were not 2 broke girls, we both had 2 jobs and made a whole lot of money...and spent every cent!! (well, I did anyway) !!!!     Needless to say, Alyce       (Not pronounced Alice, Pronounced AhLeese, or as my boys used to fondly call her AHHHHHHHHYEESE), She was my hero, as she was funny as hell, and never at a loss for words when it came to quick comebacks! (I'm not sure I can now take all the credit for my funny comebacks, because now that I'm thinking about it, I'm not really sure I had quick comebacks the way I now do, until we were together every day...I think I really found that talent myself when I started hanging around with her!  And she will probably want to phone you from the car herself on that one...(inside joke, wayyyy before the time cell phones were available to all... will try to share with you later ...but anyways...Thanks Alyce!)  And Thank you for giving me permission to use your real name and photo in my story...xoxoxo 

     Sassy as the day is long, that was me back then...I went from so shy I could barely speak, to working at the mall for Record Town as Assistant Manager and Perkins as a Server...and just like that, this flower opened and has not stopped yakking yet...I also have one volume, and its LOUD, but in spite of that, many love me anyways:) so back to the story...
... We had a cook, Donnie, May God Rest his Soul, I miss him to this very day,  who decided he would test me to the limit to see just how far he could push me each and every night...Donnie and I became the best of friends oddly enough, you see, he was one of those people who had to see just how far he could go to irritate you, and he and I both had some control issues at the time, he wanted to control me, and I just wanted to control myself (still do)!!!!  He thought he was bad-ass, and so did I (still do!!) We fought like sister and brother, and until we actually became friends, poor Alyce was stuck in the middle of some very ugly fights in the middle of the night !  I will leave the fights we had in the past...what I want to say is, thanks mostly to Donnie, I think,  Alyce and I became two of the very best servers around, (and I'm proud to say that over 20 years later, I still am, when I was in Nursing School I had to go back to serving, and again loved every minute of it!!!) however, because of him and his temper, my mistakes were far and few between, because of him, I always made sure I had the right order, and that it NEVER sat in the window getting cold...bottom line, because of him, I learned to HUSTLE and I learned to double check that the order you were picking up had better be for your table!!!  Because of this, my tables were usually happy!!
 I would like to share with you some of the really funny stories that stick out in my mind, as they still can make me laugh out loud.

     Working at night can be quite strange...as there is a few hour window, between when everyone goes to sleep and the bar crowd come in, where it is, well, like a graveyard...mostly quiet with very few people and hardly any noise...On any given weeknight we had 1 cook and 2 servers...my enemy cook turned best buddy was a practical joker, so this one night I went walking into the back where he jumped out from under the prep table and almost literally scared the piss out of me...good thing I was young is all I can say about that one!
    
     Another morning, I put on my moon boots and jacket, said good-night to Donnie, who was smiling (a bit too much I might add), I then proceeded to my car, feeling quite bouncy hmmm...well, it would turn out that when I arrived home, I was mortified to find that 1). he attached a tampon to my car antennae, 2). He also lined my boots with "maxi pads" ...and 3.) a week or so later, I would also realize that my pockets were full of something, and when I said "what the heck" in front of a bunch of people of course, and pulled one out of the pocket, it was then that I discovered that I had about 8 tampons in my coat pocket...well he sure was original LOL.
    
     In the middle of a busy night, again, just 3 of us running the restaurant, that actually filled up right at 2:15am...I had to go into the walk in cooler to get another pie...we used to have these "HUGE" buckets prepped full of pancake batter...I used to use these as my "step-stool" to reach the pies...as they were so heavy duty they could take it....well, the one I chose to "step" on this night did not have the lid on quite right, so, there I went...I fell knee deep into pancake batter...let out a little scream(which no one could hear from the walk in cooler) I stepped out of the buttermilk, and proceeded on to the bathroom (well, hello...there were batter footprints all the way there) ...I'm not sure when Donnie stopped laughing about that one...I worked the rest of the night quite uncomfortably with buttermilk up to my knees!!!!  We actually laughed over that one for several weeks~!

     I'm not sure if you remember this at all, but Perkins used to have uniforms that matched the curtains...only problem was, they were wrap around jumpers that attached with velcro...one very busy night as Alyce was taking an order at a table behind me, I happened to glance back, and well, I saw her behind LMAO....when I did a double take, I noticed her velcro had become detached at some point and separated, and, well, you could basically see her entire behind...when she turned around and looked at me, I was laughing so hard I couldn't quite get out the sentence that her skirt was not attached in the back...when I finally did, laughing still, tears running down my face... she almost passed out from embarrassment...we STILL (ok, I STILL) laugh about that one!!!!

     Christmas becomes alot more fun when you work the night shift, and decide to go shopping during the day on no sleep, and a whole lot of silly...such was the case this particular Christmas season, when Donnie, I, Alyce, and Sharon decided to make a day of it and do our shopping...pretty sure no one else appreciated our antics, but we sure had fun (we were 18 remember) just mere children ...well, Donnie was 20 something...but anyways....we went to Marketplace Mall just after breakfast...we sat on Santa's lap...we rode the escalators at Sibley's the wrong way...to say we were annoying and juvenile is an understatement, but I can honestly to say, to this day, that memory sticks out in my mind as one of the best as far as Christmas shopping goes...a close second is the first year I was a single mom at Christmas and Alyce and I went to Greece Ridge Mall...somehow we ended up at Fridays, and well...we became the entertainment and drank free for quite some time that day...oh to be young and cute again!!!!

     Another good story is when a bunch of us decided to go to CoCo's next door to Perkins to drink for the night...funny thing about this crew, is that we had weekends off, and like I said, we were like family, so on the weekends we would hang together as well...we would drink at CoCo's (they all knew us by name, since they came to eat at Perkins every night after their shift) and wow, did we have a good time there, especially on the dance floor (I owe my dance moves to them and their awesome DJ lol ) to this day Alyce enjoys when I do the "Wiki Wiki Wiki Wiki" dance :) ...also known as "Jam on It"
 Well...of course once we were done drinking we went to Perkins for breakfast...and the cook who drove us over there in his standard jeep, well he hit the building, shook the entire pie case...scared the patrons inside, and when the manager came outside to see what was up, there we all were...most of us a bit tipsy...and of course it was the really "strict" manager...he was not amused at 3am, especially when we told him I would not be at work at 6:30 (I had just recently picked up some day shifts on the weekend to help out...oops)

      I could go on and on, with story after story, but I won't...They live in my memory bank, where I hope they will always be...I also hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane with me...Alyce is still in my life, I don't see her as much as I would like to, but she is still one of my best friends...Donnie, I still think of him all the time, and miss him, his sense of humor and antics can never be replaced, and I wish he was still here, on earth, with me, he truly was the brother I never had...Sharon, I hope to one day reconnect with, we have been out of touch for several years...she is a Sheriff at the Jail now...hard to believe how we all have changed, yet remained the same ...

...OH...as promised, here is the "phone from the car" story...
One night...Alyce and I were driving from one place to another, looking for fun as we often did, when we decided to request a song from a local radio station...I had recently noticed, that the Rochester Telephone building next to Southtown Plaza had installed pay phones, that you could actually drive up to and "phone from the car" ...amazing I thought, that is so cool...so as we were headed to our destination, and wanted to request a song , I said, "Alyce, we can phone from the car" (if you know me, you know how excited I said it too) and Alyce said "OH MY GOD, you have a CAR PHONE???) she said this seriously, looking all around for the "car phone" and of course, no, I did not, in fact, have a car phone, but I drove up to the payphone, and said, "Look, isn't this SO cool?"  ...we laughed for years over that one!!!!!! And several times we would look at each other (after cell phones) and say "wanna phone from the car?!?!?)

     To anyone who has never worked in the service industry, I hope you will remember the next time you go out to eat, that your server is a person, much the same as you are...they may be having a horrible day in their personal life, yet they do the best they can to serve you and keep you happy...before you get really annoyed about waiting, or thinking they are scatterbrained (may I remind you, servers who work in this industry for years cannot be scatterbrained, for there is a whole lot of skill and organization required to do this job) remember they may have just been held up by a rude table they were taking an order from before you, being yelled at by a table, being held up by a table who requests items one at a time because they can't quite think of everything they need at the same time and keep sending their server back for "just one more thing"...dealing with cooks who are testing them or withholding their food on purpose because they don't like them or are mad at them for something...the examples are endless...and YES, I will say, there are horrible servers out there who are rude, or just plain can't cut it in the service industry...but before you judge, or withhold their tip, please think again, and just remember they may be doing the best they can, and the 4 dollars an hour they are making will not feed their families...(If they are just plain rude, or act like they could care less, or act like they are doing you some kind of favor by serving you, then by all means, don't tip them, they do not deserve a tip if they are portraying this kind of behavior) ...but please please please...if you know they did the best they could, at least give them 15% for thier effort :)

      There are far too many special people to mention that have become family to me over the years, from every restaurant I have ever worked in...but I know that you all know who you are, and the special place you will forever hold in my heart. All of my Waitress/Server/Cook/Restaurant Friends (wow does this go back to quite a long time ago) There are so many of you who became my very best and dearest Friends...and I cherish the memories of each and every one of you!

     I now realize that while Serving the people, I truly Served myself and made so many wonderful memories...

     I've so enjoyed these memories...I sure hope you did too, and thank YOU for reading, and supporting my blog <3 





                                                                                     Much Love,
                                                                                          LB

Me and Donnie

Me, Alyce, and Sharon (And Santa)

                              Donnie was there....he was watching, he would NOT sit with Santa LOL

Communication and the Art of Listening

Good Communication does not mean you have to speak in perfectly formed sentences and paragraphs...Simple and Clear go a long way...John Kotter

     Communication...I truly believe many arguments would not happen, if we took a step back and learned to listen to each other.  I'm not just talking about significant others, I'm talking about friends, co-workers, children and the like.  How many times a week

do you feel as if your communications with others are actually "miscommunications"?

     I was talking to a friend the other day, and we are very honest and very candid with each other about our strong yet quirky personalities, and how they are sometimes perceived by those we love.  With each other, we say what we mean, and we mean what we say...we are not vague, we are not indifferent, we are just honest with each other.  She asked me why was it so easy for us to be so truthful with each other, and to say exactly what we were thinking or feeling, yet it was so hard to communicate with those we love.  This started me thinking, that our lives would be so much easier if we could actually communicate, truthfully, with each other.  For instance, have you ever been in a situation, where the one you love wants to do something without you, and you don't want them to, but you say "This will be fun for you, go ahead, have a great time!!!" and then they do!  And you get so mad...in your mind you are thinking, "I cannot believe they went, without me! I wanted to go, I wanted to be invited!"  but you said to go ahead, you said it was fine (by the way, if you use the word fine, it should just be a no-brainer that it is NOT fine lol)  ...anyways, they return, and you are mad, even though you know you shouldn't be, you are...and when they say to you, "is everything okay?" you blow up..."no everything is not okay you say....I cannot believe you went without me, I wanted to go"   Important rule here...say what you mean, and mean what you say...this whole issue may have been different in the beginning if you simply said...
"I know you want to go, I know you will have fun, but if I can't go with you, I would rather you stay here, with me."  This way, you spoke the truth, and you don't have to spend days being so angry about it that it causes an argument...I know....easy to say, for some reason we do not communicate well sometimes, I think human nature is to please others, but for goodness sakes, we need to start pleasing ourselves too.  Simple, yet Clear, I think this just might be the key to effective communication.

~~Listening is a magnetic and strange thing, a creative force...The Friends who listen to us are the ones we move toward...when we are listened to, it creates us, it makes us unfold and expand~~



    Those of you who know me, know I love to talk...sometimes, it is hard for me not to...but along with talking, I love to listen, and throughout my life I have perfected the art of knowing when to "just listen".

This art of listening did not come easily, and I can admit that when I was younger, I felt far more compelled to put my "two-cents in" whether it was necessary or not.  I also found that many times, my "two-cents" could cause more harm, because I found that more often than not, some conversations do not require help or advice, or a know-it-all opinion, you see, some conversations only require a listening ear, a strong shoulder to cry on, and no words at all.  There is a quote that I go to when I know only listening is required, and it is this one:

ღ The best kind of friend is the one you could sit on a porch with, never saying a word, and walk away feeling like that was the best conversation you've had ღ ~Author Unknown

     I myself, have been through some pretty hard times, and I have always been lucky enough to have some of the best friends there are...these are the friends who would listen without saying a word, they would listen to me go on and on about the unfairness of life, they were gentle with me, and my emotions...the best thing about this type of friend, is that they would wait for ME to be ready to brush myself off and move on, they never hurried me along, they never told me what to do, they simply listened.

     When you perfect the art of listening, you learn alot, and you also see a whole lot more than you do when you are doing all of the talking.  Have you ever walked away from a conversation, where you felt like you could not get a word in edge-wise?  Isn't it a bit annoying?  Do you walk away thinking, wow...I just needed someone to listen to me, and now I feel worse than I did before the conversation, or, you run into someone who everytime you see or talk to them, all they can do is talk about their life, they have no interest in you or yours...   All I am saying is to just be conscious, to just be aware, are you listening enough to those who need you to "just listen"?

     As a mother, I have done a whole lot of talking, I can also say, and I am quite proud of myself for this, I have done far more listening, listening to them, to their friends, and their girlfriends. For me, this is very important to know when to be there, and also when to take a step back.   From the beginning, it is very hard to sit back and watch your children make mistakes, our first reaction is always to help.  But go as far back as you can, do you remember when you just knew they were going to fall, and you also knew that they needed to know how to pick themselves back up, brush themselves off, and move on?  It's no different when they are grown, there will be many times you want to intervene, there will be many times you want to be the one doing the talking, the one doing the fixing, the one fighting with or for them...I would like for you to remember one thing, and do your children the biggest favor you can, Just listen...trust that you have given them the tools necessary to work things out for themselves, on their own, trust that they will pick themselves up, brush themselves off, and move on...and ALWAYS, always, always....be there to just listen, and provide a hug when necessary.

"Open your Heart, Open your Arms, Close your Mouth" Lori Broccolo

Much Love,

LB

        



Learning to Fly

"You Will Never Learn to Fly if you can't let go"

     I love this saying, but I must admit, I have the hardest time at letting go...Why do I have such a hard time letting go I often wonder?  I see people who are able to do this easily, all of the time, yet for some reason I will hold on, even if the line is cutting off my circulation, and more often than not, it is!

     I think for me to let go means to fail, now I'm not really all that competitive, but still,  I don't like to fail, so maybe there is a competitive edge to me after all...Honestly...I think we probably all have felt the struggle of letting go of something, or someone,  at some point in our lives.  That being said, I think it is very important for us all to realize the truth of this beautiful quote: 

 "Giving up doesn't mean you are weak, it means you are strong enough to let go." author unknown

 Change is inevitable, we as people become creatures of habit, and do all we can to resist change, yet I just know if I could just embrace changes as well as I embrace life itself, I would be much happier, and less disappointed much of the time.  Flying is a skill we must all learn, if we are going to live our lives to the fullest extent, Fly we must, and we must also learn how to Fly Well~!  (I prefer a Broom, but you go ahead and use any means of transportation you like!)

     I'm really good at giving advice, but I must be honest, I almost never take my own advice...I'm really good at giving, and much more uncomfortable at receiving.  I am a firm believer though that we are all living the lives we are supposed to be living, and if that means we have to learn from our own mistakes, and learn from them in the hardest of ways, well, then so be it.  I have a real issue with Judgement...I cannot tell you how many times in my life I have heard "If that were me, I would Never _______"

You fill in the blank...I'm pretty sure I've said it a few times myself, and as soon as I say it want to put a clamp over my mouth...because how, exactly, can I know just what I would Never do ...if I have Never done it?!?!?   You know these people, they are everywhere, and they have Perfect lives...I am a firm believer that until you have walked a mile in my shoes, you have no right to judge me...(That way, when you do, you will be a mile away away from me, and you will still have my shoes heeheehee thank you Jack Handey, I LOVE that line) But, in all honesty, you know what I mean, there is always someone who can handle your life and your decisions better than you can, or so they think...yet I find, when these same people are facing a very similar crisis, all of a sudden, they realize all too quickly that what they "said" they would do, and what they "actually" do, are two different things.  Only You can decide what is best for you, and only You can decide, when or what to let go of...But I do want to say that I have come to realize, many of the situations we hold on tight to, are actually toxic to our souls.  If we could just let go, I mean really let go, who knows just how far or fast we could fly? 

     I'm learning...a little too slowly sometimes, but I am learning...and the older I get the wiser I am about what I hold onto and what I let go of.  I like to call myself a "life-long-learner" ... as long as I am alive, I will in fact learn something new every day.  I too am hopeful, that I will learn how to fly, just as fast and far as I need to.  I also am hopeful, that as I learn to trust myself and build my own confidence that this so called "Flying" will thicken my skin a bit as well, so that I am not as easily hurt as I am now by the things I have no control over.

     So go ahead...just jump right in...I want to see you to learn how to fly too  ...and it doesn't matter what it is that you need to let go of to do so, it doesn't matter how big or small...what does matter, is that whatever it is needs to be good for You and only You...

                                   You may just find out that your soul will be thankful you did <3

Wishing you SO MUCH Happiness,

and Much Love,

LB

Friday Funnies

TGIF and Much Love to all xoxoxo

Bringing Home Baby #2

...At first I was going to try to have some sort of order to this blog, but then I remembered, I have never had any sort of order in my life.  I am not that person who is always organized (unless I am at work, that is a whole different story) ...I am that fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants type of girl...I am impulsive, and quite honestly I am in my personal life quite scattered and extremely unorganized...That being said...I am going to write as it comes to me, and so, it may be out of order, and at times quite random and wacky...but would you love me any other way??  I didn't think so...I tell this story to alot of the new Mom's having baby #2 when I am at work, especially if they are as emotional as I was when they see their firstborn for the first time after delivery...

      I have dedicated this Blog to all the Great Mom's out there

For Without your Mom, who would you be???

Now...onto todays story, and its a bittersweet one ...I hope you Enjoy!

     Having a second baby is very exciting, as well as exhausting, because you don't have the luxury of napping at will like you did with your first one.  There is a lot of planning that comes with a second baby and along with that the explaining to your firstborn that he will have to *gulp* share Mom's love...

     I must admit when I first found out I was expecting, I was on cloud nine, and I had visions of brotherly love (sisterly if it was a girl) never really realizing just how much my world was about to change, and how the dynamics of the family would change with it.

     I spent my days preparing, and I spent many afternoons explaining to Michael that he was going to be the "Big Brother" ...soon he was going to have a new little brother or sister to love and share with.  Keep in mind this Big Brother was not quite 4 years old, and he was pretty happy with the set up he already had being the "Only" ...he never had to fight for my attention, or his Daddy's, or his "Brampa" who had a wonderful way of making him feel like the King of the World when he was around!  As prepared as I thought he was, and as prepared as I thought I was...WE were clearly not prepared at all.

     I fell off the porch bringing groceries in the house the Sunday I went into labor, hurrying around with this big round belly and skinny legs was a recipe for disaster...I remember feeling like I was attached to one of those big balls with handles that we bounced on as kids, thats how it felt as I rolled onto the sidewalk,  I scraped my chin, I bruised my knees, and I was worried sick that I had harmed my baby.  After calling my Father in law to see if he would mind coming over to play with Michael, I then made several calls to my OBs answering service over the next few hours, because I just didn't know what else to do.  Yes I still felt the baby, but was he/she as active as before the fall?  I just didn't know, our minds play funny tricks on us when things like this happen.   Needless to say, I wouldn't have to worry long, as I was fortunate enough to go into labor late that Sunday evening, and by 2am Monday Morning we were on our way to the Hospital to have baby #2...I thank God everyday that I went into labor when I did, as when I fell that day, Gino turned a bit and the cord wrapped around his neck not just once, but twice, so it was a true blessing that I delivered him the very next day.

    I cried when Michael came to see his new brother Gino...the emotions in me are still painful to recall...I remember thinking I had cheated Michael somehow, what made me think this was going to be easy?  I am a very sensitive being, hallmark commercials make me cry...for me, this hallmark moment was turning into a nightmare, and I felt so horribly guilty...I had prepared physically for this moment, but I had never prepared emotionally...we had bought a gameboy to give Michael, from Gino...he was the most amazing child I had ever seen to master video games, (well, come on, his mother was the video game queen, again, a story for another blog lol) but he was both shocked and amazed that this baby came bearing gifts, right out of his mothers belly no less!!!  This was incredibly awesome...While Michael fired up his new gameboy, I couldn't stop crying...I felt like Cruella DeVille, how could I think this was all going  to be okay...my baby boy would now have to share me after all these years :(  ... call it hormones, call it whatever you want...I truly felt, that day, like the devil in disguise...Every time I thought of his visit for the rest of that day it brought tears to my eyes.  He looked so confused, and was actually quite scared to see me in the hospital bed, it took him quite a while to get up on that bed with me, I think he was scared he was going to hurt me more.

     I was happy to go home, I couldn't wait, and I have to say it was sad for me, as I had lost both my Mother and my Mother-in-law in the last 2 years...1990 and 1991 respectively...Thankfully, My newest Angel here on earth Grama Esther agreed to come and stay with us for at least a week to help me...I hope she knows, just how much she did help, and just how grateful I was to have her there...as much as I thought I was ready...I really wasn't prepared at all.  We somehow made it through that first week.  I remember being so afraid when Grama Esther went home, it was really scary being the mother of two little boys.

     Our life went on, and our life became normal, routine, well as routine as it was ever going to be.  I was really enjoying settling in with my boys.  When Gino would nap, Michael and I would play, he would try to teach me how to play Sonic the Hedgehog, which I never did master...we would revert to cars or coloring or watching movies or making cookies.  After about 2 weeks of this, it would seem that Michael, who I thought was adjusting quite well, had decided that he was not quite sure of the new set up we had, to this day I laugh just thinking about it.

     It had to be about 2 weeks later...I was in the kitchen making us lunch one day, Gino was in his playseat, and had started to cry.  Michael, came running in the kitchen, hands over his ears, and he said
"Mommy", with the most serious look I had every seen, "Mommy, when is his Mommy going to come and pick him up?" Stunned, I just looked at him and said "Michael, I am his Mommy" ..."No Mommy, you are My Mommy, he's been here a long time, I think its time for her to come pick him up."  All I could think of was here was this 4 year old, who must have been thinking, I really have been patient, I have been doing the best I can, but this is getting ridiculous, shes been watching this kid for far too long...and so it began....sibling rivalry at its best...I don't really recall how I managed to make Michael realize that this was his brother and he would be staying with us forever, but I do remember thinking all of this was going to be even harder than I had anticipated. 

     19 years later, and this day is still vivid in my mind, yet for some reason it brings a smile to my face, because we survived.  We survived years of living in the same house, me yelling at them to please stop fighting, to please get along...them yelling back about how much they hated each other...and me, forever being the silver lining person that I try to be, found the silver lining in the fact that they were here, they were healthy enough to be fighting with each other, and I loved them both with all of my heart...To this day, I am amazed at the unconditional love I have for each of them...but, truth be told, there are still times they can make me want to pull out the wooden spoon...yet again, a story for another time xoxoxo

*All 3 Baby Boyz 1994*

For a mother is the only person on earth
Who can divide her love among all her children
And each child still have all her love. anonymous

Much Love,

LB

The Magic of Blue Popsicles

In Loving Memory of My Nana Margie...who I loved with all of my heart

     I was not lucky enough to have a Nana who lived in the same city as I did, but I was fortunate, that she was close enough to travel by car, and I was able to visit her by myself for a week (sometimes 2 weeks) every summer.  Those times for me were magical summers of dreams come true.  I could escape my life every summer and be treated like a princess.  I was the lucky one, for I had a "True Nana".

     So every summer, I would pack my flowered suitcase, stuffed animals, big fluffy blankets and pillows, and run not walk to the Vista Cruiser, jump in and settle in for the 2 hour drive to Nana’s house.  Every year I was so excited, I couldn't wait, just what adventures would Nana have in store for me this year?  What would we play? What would we do? How many times would we walk to the grocery store? What would "The Love Boat" or "Fantasy Island" be about this week?  What night would we order Pasquales Pizza? And would we be able to wait for it to cool before we burned the roof of our mouths on the delicious melted cheese?  Would she have frycakes from Hemstraughts? Would I be able to stay quiet every day from 3-4 while Nana watched her favorite soap that she so dearly called "General Hoppy-Hoop"?  And just HOW MANY BLUE POPSICLES would she have waiting for me in the icebox?  Would there be enough for us to have one every night? What puzzle would she have started for us?  What card game would she teach me? And then let me win every hand? (For Tina...and you know what UNO game I am talking about...this is where that poor sportsmanship was created...I'm blaming my Nana for this one ...I've yet to play cards with anyone since who won't let me win LOL)


     Anyone who has a "true" Nana knows, just how very special she is able to make you feel...as if you are the only person in the world that truly matters.  Nana's have a special way of making the world slow down, just enough for you to catch up and enjoy every special moment (Unless Nana is in a hurry...stay tuned for more about that one later!!)  We would lazily crawl around on the grass looking for 4 leaf clovers, she truly was the master at this game, because she found so many, and to this day I can honestly say I look, but I have never myself found, a four leaf clover!!!!  We would have tea for the Queen and her Princess every morning, and I was even able to convince her to let me have coffee instead of tea, which I would then dip my toast (or frycake) into, and it tasted better than any breakfast I have ever had.  (To this day when I do this, I lovingly think of her) ... My Nana spoiled me from the minute I arrived, until the minute I left, and then cried because I was leaving...anyone else after 2 whole weeks of spoiling would probably drop-kick you out the door, say adios and good riddance and look forward to a nice long nap...no ma'am...not my Nana, there she would stand, tears in her eyes, a kleenex in her hand, waving good-bye until she could no longer see the car (probably longer if I knew my Nana!) And then, she would wait rather nervously until I called to say "We are home safe Nana, thank you so much for the wonderful time, I love you and cannot wait until next year." And she would always say"I had such a nice time with you, and I miss you like crazy already, but I look forward to not getting kicked all night by those spider legs of yours."  Nana always said I had the longest legs she had ever seen, and they were certainly unruly while I was sleeping...I always felt bad for kicking her in my sleep, and would offer to sleep on the couch, but she would not hear of such a thing...and she knew I was too scared to sleep out there alone anyways, another thing wonderful about a "True" Nana. Besides, she always said, you are so skinny you can't do that much damage to this old girl.  I loved her so much...and I miss her to this day. 

     I know you will all find this hard to believe, but I was a quiet and shy young girl. (Keep the laughter to a minimum please)  I spoke when I was spoken to, I answered your questions, but it took a whole lot for me to be able to think of anything to really say that I thought would be interesting to anyone, so I would stay quiet. (For years this labeled me as "Stuck-Up" but I truly was paralyzed with no words sometimes (and Words do hurt, despite the sticks and stones reference, sometimes they hurt very much)  I don't know who I became those weeks at Nana's, but I could talk and talk and talk about nothing, and she would pull the rockers out on her upstairs front porch (which to me was the way coolest thing ever, to sit on the second story front porch) and watch the world go by, and yes, you guessed it, there we would sit, and rock, eating Blue Popsicles and chattering away like the best of friends that we were.  Blue Popsicles were rare...I had never seen a blue popsicle in Rochester, the popsicles we always had were Red, Orange or Purple, never ever Blue.  (Years later, I would find them in the freezer at 7-11 and wonder, had they been here all along?)  They were my special slice of Heaven, I looked forward to them all year long.  We would talk for hours, Nana had so many special stories, and she was very funny, she could make me laugh until tears ran down my face.  I still can laugh out loud when I remember a joke she told, and I wish there were someone nearby to share it with who would find it as funny as I still do.  I remember always wondering why my Nana was not remarried (Her and my Grandfather had divorced in a time when it was not common to do so) But here was this wonderful, giving and funny woman, and she never remarried, it always made me so sad.  She always said her Children and Grandchildren and God were enough for her, (and I must tell you, she lost my Aunt Betty at age 7, and it still amazed me that she would still talk to this God who I was still mad at for taking her beautiful baby girl) and she made my life so special all the time, that I really believe we were enough for her.  On that front porch, sitting on those rockers, eating blue popsicles, I was a true chatterbox...sometimes I even shocked myself...but you know what, I didn't shock Nana, for she knew, that in order to get someone to talk, to really open up, you had to first make sure they knew how much they were loved, and you then had to make sure that they were truly comfortable and felt at home.  I trusted my Grama, more than anyone I trusted in my entire life, she never "pretended" to listen or be interested, she truly did listen, and she Was interested.
The summer of my first broken heart, there she was, blue popsicle in hand, telling me the story of her first broken heart.  Those summers I really found out a lot about her, the girl she was, the woman she was, the mother she was, I already knew all about the Grama she was, and I just remember being thankful that for whatever reason, she was My Grama, and no matter what was going on in my life, she was there. I could go on and on with story after story, but I think you get the general idea of just how important and influential she was in my life.

       As promised up above, there is a funny story about Nana being in a hurry (not as funny as my sisters experience with her "Nana Margie" in a hurry of course, but that story is for her to tell, not me) To this day, I will not walk on metal street grates, for the fear I have of them.  I told you how long and skinny my legs were...Well, One day, Nana and I were walking down the street to the grocery store, and we were in a hurry...I kept goofing around, and she kept telling me to "hurry along" ...one of the sewer grates, must have been pried open at some point for someone to retrieve something they had lost...because as soon as I walked over it, (instead of around it like I was told to do), down I went, and got my whole leg stuck in that grate...I was so scared that no sound came out when I yelled...and there went Nana, around the corner, without me...it took her a few seconds to realize she was walking alone...finally, after what felt like forever, there she came, backtracking around the corner to see what kind of dilly dallying I was doing...I can still see her face and then she yelped, there I was, stuck in the grate, and I couldn't get out...well, being typical "true" Nana, it took her a minute to get me out, because for one she couldn't stop laughing at how in the world I got in there in the first place, and two, we were in a hurry after all so between the laughing she had to scold me for "such nonsense" and for years we laughed as we reminisced about that one! "The Sewer incident."
    
     Many years later, I found out that my Nana also was a poet and a writer, and I was proud to find yet another connection in myself of this amazing woman. And now, many years later, I find myself telling everyone they are in my prayers, as I heard my Nana say to so many people all of my life, and  I am so proud, to be so much like this wonderful and amazing woman, who taught me to live with grace and dignity, and to be selfless, instead of selfish.   I always feel so sorry for my Children and my Nieces and Nephews, having lost their Nana’s  so early, (Gino and Salvatore were not even born until after they both had passed) that they will never share that special bond that is created with "Grama's" for I know how truly special mine was to me, and I cannot imagine my life without her in it. 

     I still have Blue Popsicles when I find them every now and again, and I think of Grama Margie,  but I have to say, they do not taste as good as they did when I had them with her, so all of those years, I thought the magic was the blue popsicles, but as it turns out, truly, the magic, was Grama. 

                                                                           Much Love Grama,
                                                                                     Lori xoxo

A love of words...The Beginning

     I really struggled with what could be my first post...after much thought, and giving you a glimpse of my "every year I fail" New Years Resolutions (which by the way had to be the 1st post, for the New Year) I decided it would be most important to start at the beginning...with what my Mom always called "My forever love of words and reading" ...So this is for you Mom, for always encouraging and loving me, and letting me always know how much I meant to you xoxoxo...When I watched "The Help" just recently, there is a statement Abilene says over and over that reminds me so vividly of how my Mom has always been able to make me feel...In "The Help" Abilene says to Mae Mobley "You is Smart, You is Kind, You is Important"  I would like to say "Thank You Mom" for always doing all you could to help me believe this about myself...I love you and miss you more than words could ever say ...because of you I know that I am Smart, I am Kind, and I am Important.


     I think I was 5 years old...having missed going to Kindergarten with my Best Friend Cheryl (I missed the cut-off by 29 days) due to having a Birthday on December 30th with the cut-off being December 1st (Yet another reason to growl at having an untimely Birthday) ...anyways...being 5 years old I remember reading everything in sight, from road signs to cereal boxes..."Mommy, what does this say?" I would ask her over and over, she did years later point out that I never asked until I had tried to say the word several times until it made sense to me, when I became frustrated and could not make sense of it, I would then ask.  I remember beaming and feeling like a genius when I got it right, because of course every time I did, my Mom would say, "Can you believe this? Lori you are teaching yourself how to read, you are so smart." And I was, beaming with pride, me...she was talking about me...I was SO smart. And she told anyone who would listen, her smart girl knew how to read before even starting school.  What I must say now is, I am certain after awhile I became exhausting, day after day, word after word, she probably just wanted me to close my mouth by then, but gracious as she always was, she would smile and marvel at me for wanting to know every word.


     My love of words, turned into a love of reading, and in 1st Grade, my favorite teacher in the world, also encouraged me, by now I had mastered all of the 1st grade books, and she had me reading to the class everyday at story time, can you imagine how excited this was for a 6 year old???  Not only did I read to the class at story time, I was put into the 2nd grade reading group to further encourage my love and dedication to reading. 


     And so it began...I went from reading to writing poems to writing short stories, to writing grand letters to anyone that would read them...I fantasized that one day I would be this world famous writer. The very first "adult" book I ever read was when I was 12 years old by Mary Higgins Clark and it was titled "Where are the Children" ...I have managed to read every single book she has written since, and have never missed one, to this day she is still a gifted writer, and I still get excited waiting for her to newest novel to arrive on the shelves.


     In High School, I remember holding my breath with each short story, each book report, and not letting it out until I saw the "A" in bold red marker, by one of my favorite English Teachers, who again, encouraged me to write as much as I could.  I still have my Final Thesis from 12th grade...I still am so proud of that paper and the bold "A+" it bears on the front of the page.  There is also a comment on another paper I wrote that same year that says, you are a gifted writer, and I always look forward to reading your stories.  I'm not sure I ever told him exactly how much that meant to me, I do hope he knows.  Last Year when my favorite 1st grade teacher retired, I was lucky enough to have been located (a childhood friend I was still in contact with now worked with her)  and I was invited to her Retirement Party.  I wanted her gift to be so special, as special to her as she had been to me, so I wrote her a beautiful letter, that was read to her on that special night in front of her friends and family.   I arrived there late due to another function, and missed the reading of my letter, however, I truly felt like a famous writer that night, many of her colleagues, with tears in their eyes, told me that they all hope they have touched at least one students life, the way she had touched mine, and how beautifully written it was, Me, I was just happy to have at last been able to share with this amazing Woman, just how much she had meant to me when I was only 6 years old, as I had lost touch with her 30+ years ago.


     I guess I wanted you to know, just how much this new Blog means to me, and just how excited I am that I have finally started this journey I began so long ago.  If I'm not singing my heart out at Karaoke, you can most likely find me turning the pages of my latest favorite book, or spending hours at the library or bookstore, just searching for the perfect "new" book to read...oddly enough, that is my favorite place to spend my time, and I can get lost in there for hours at a time, well, then of course there is The Beach ...but that story is for another time.


                                                                                         Much Love,
                                                                                               LB

First Grade Classroom ...I was The Valentine <3

Mommy and Me (One of the only pics I have with her in it, she hated pictures of herself)

New Year...New Beginnings

     Every New Year brings me so much excitement.  A clean Slate, new beginnings, resolutions that last for a week or two.  Every year as January 1st rolls around, I am going to be FABULOUS!
I will change everything!! I will lose those pesky 30+ pounds, I will buy a new wardrobe, accessories and all, New Shoes, New Bags...and did I mention I would have unlimited funds to shower around on all of those I love as well?  I will get rid of old clutter, color coordinate my closet, be caught up on laundry and my house will be clean everyday!  I know for some this is their reality, for me it is pure fantasy...

     Why does the New Year convince me each and every year that I need to change?  Probably because a New Year brings with it a yearning to be better.  It is no wonder that only two weeks into a New Year I have already managed to not only overwhelm myself, but all of those around me as well.
    
     This year Will be different...for one, instead of "Becoming FABULOUS" I will realize (with extreme gratefulness to all of my loved ones) that I already am Fabulous...The only thing that truly needs to change is that I need to be gentler with myself.  I need to stop many times a day, as I truly love to do, to find the magic and wonder that surrounds me.  A compliment, a kind word, a smile for someone who doesn't have one, is all that is truly necessary in this complicated world we live in.
    
     This year my only resolution is to be okay with who I have become, the rest will fall into place as needed.
    
     This New blog is my greatest gift and resolution to myself this year, as it has been my dream since childhood to be a gifted writer.  I hope you too will enjoy this new journey with me...as I am so excited to share some wonderful life stories, favorite quotes, and laugh out loud moments with all of you my friends...

                                                                   Happy New Year to You All !
                                                                              Much Love,
                                                                                          LB <3