Homonymy

Mom in the '60s or 70s on Christmas

Looking at this picture, it's no wonder that I love plaid, big hair, and more than anything, vests! I love Vests! I have 9 I think. At least 4 sweater vests, 3 suit vests, and 2 long cotton ones - one of which has a lace back and lace panels.
That being said... definition states:
In linguistics, a homonym is, in the strict sense, one of a group of words that share the same spelling and the same pronunciation but have different meanings. Thus homonyms are simultaneously homographs (words that share the same spelling, regardless of their pronunciation) and homophones (words that share the same pronunciation, regardless of their spelling.) The state of being a homonym is called homonymy. Examples include: stalk (like a corn stalk) and stalk (the act of following/harassing a person.)
(thank you Wikipedia.)

So, why the Grammar lesson, you ask?
Well, first of all, I like grammar. And everyone could use a grammar lesson once in a while. But seriously, upon reflection this past weekend, I think my Mom and I are Homonymy. We are the same, but with completely different meanings.

My parents have sold our childhood home. Their home for the last 18 years. My Dad was in the Navy until the summer of 1990. Prior to that, we moved every 3 years to military housing. So in 1990 we moved to Clinton, Iowa. In 1992, my parents purchased their first home. And it was a doozy. Built in the 1860s (I think) it was 2200 sq and 2 stories with 4 bedrooms and 1 upstairs bathroom, an unfinished basement that still had the original oil drums from when the furnace was converted from coal to oil, before our own natural gas, and no central air conditioners. It had many previous owners, the last of which was a middle-aged bachelor who started projects and then... moved onto something else. So my parents had a lot of work to do with their first home. But they (along with my aunt and uncle) did it. They made a huge house into a home. And we loved it. So... Shannon and my little family travelled back to snap some pictures of our old house and our hometown. To have something to show for the 18 years of memories that we made. We plan on making Shutterfly books to hold these memories.

Mom and Dad are scheduled to sign the papers on their new condo on Thursday, November 10th.
Scary... a whole new place to live.

Guess what? I am wearing a sweater vest today. Navy blue over a white button down... with my hair in a high (but much smaller) bun.
The Homonymy continues.

Career Woes

I love the people I work with. I love some of our customers. It's just becoming difficult to be here. This economy is not helping a Family-owned business. And neither is our Congress or President - which is sad considering we've been in business for 67+ years. But there is only so much an employee can take. And I think we've all hit our limits:

Instagram!

I've recently joined Instagram... kind on a photographic Facebook App for my iPhone. I got turned onto this by CJane at CJane Enjoy It... I love the square photos and the filters that take any picture back to the days of non-digital photography. Beside the filters, one of my favorite features is the "Tilt"... this allows me to to focus on a specific part of the picture and gradually unfocus the rest of the picture. I always wanted to learn how to do this with a real camera.
So... here's a tour of my favorites so far from my growing collection of pictures that no one "follows."

This is my Post-Tango picture. Tangles of curls pried from tons of hairpins, lipstick worn off, and eyes still lined and a little drowsy. Sometimes I look at this and think I look angry, the rest of the time I look at it and think, "Wow... I've never felt so empowered and sexy."

Last Friday - We went to Valle Drive-In in Newton, Iowa. It was a first... for all of us. I love this picture of my boys waiting for the "Dark Time, so the movie can start" (Weston.) I love how Weston is so very comfortable... leg thrown over the chair and all. I felt the situation deserved a retro touch.


"Leave. Me. Alone. Mom." Yesterday... Weston's dark mood seemed to fit this dark filter. I love how his lips are pursed in frustration.



Yesterday we were at Adventureland. Weston rode the Chuck Wagon ride, this is the closest to a Farris Wheel as he can get. I chose a filter that would be reminiscent of tintype photographs... a little burnt looking around the edges. I love taking pictures of this boy.


Hydrangea Explosion... These petals were literally the size of Weston's head. This picture got a little saturated in a Photo Shop App on my iPhone, and then a blurred filter on Instagram. It just glows now.

Tango 2011

*** Pictures to come ***Ok, so it was beautiful and fun. the food was mediocre. Pretty but not as delicious as usual. I felt a little self confident in my strapless dress. I wish someone had told me to never sit down, because the "girls" literally rise so far to the occassion that I looked awful. All boobs and nothing else. And so white in pictures! And Shannon looked amazing, but her dress never showed the details in the pictures. Which is incredibly sad considering how stunning it was in person. Lots of sequins, lots of silk, and even a few uni-pants (or silk jumpsuits, if you must.) My favorite person of the night was a young blonde who looked like she walked off the beach at the Hamptons for this. Dress: browns, burnt-raspberry, teal, white, woven with gold... Small little triangles for a top that were perfectly spaced apart to show her sternum with skinny straps, detailed, beaded empire waist, flowy (to the ground) bottom. Small heeled sandals, flowing sun-kissed blonde hair on perfectly tanned body. I want to be this girl. Not kidding. Perfection... alas, I have no pictures of her to show, you'll just have to trust me on this one.

it's coming...

8-20-10: this is me in my doorway pose for my husband. He wasn't there. I just wanted to show him what he was missing. And then I made Sister Shannon pose too. (at the bottom) I have a thing for doorways. I love them. I love the sizes (especially big ones,) and the different materials used, and all the designs. And the fact that they always have a purpose. Crazy thinking I know. Anyway, this post is not about doorways. It's about Tango.

Tango is the Children & Families of Iowa's biggest and most elaborate fundraiser. It's spearheaded by some of the wealthiest women in the area. There's food, drinks, music and best of all - fundraising! The goal is raise as much money as they can through donations, tickets sales, a silent auction, a live auction, and new this year - Gaming Tables!!!

And it's tomorrow!!!!

So, Shannon has to work the Shelter Table, and I will be helping her. The plan is to wear a beautiful strapless royal purple dress and fun hair done by my friend Jean. Shannon is wearing an amazing black dress that does wonderful curvy things! I promise, pictures to come! And yes, most of them will be of the food. ;)

I think I have become an Emotional Sponge

My Dad once said that his children are "Human."
And by that he didn't mean that we were human, 1 step above the apes. What he meant was that we were Human - we possess an enhanced version of the things that make humans... well human. For example, according to Dad, my sister can empathize with anyone. And she can take in the pain of those around her and then project what they need to cope. This is what makes her an amazing social worker/advocate and will soon make her an exceptional therapist.
My brother sees things. He sees the past, the present, and though we'll never know for certain, I think he also sees with a little 6th Sense as well. I think this in some ways is more difficult to live with, or it certainly seems so for him (and that creepy kid from the movie.)

And that brings us to me. I have the talent to read people, and places. In the first few minutes of a meeting, I know whether or not the person I am with is a... good person, an honest person, a person that I want to be around. I'm not right all of the time, but if I am meeting this person alone, I am usually pretty close. Obviously this skill has helped me out along this journey of life, specifically on job interviews and as a bartender. I get feelings about places... and sometimes, I just turn around and leave. Sometimes I wish I could do that with people.

So, why am I telling you this?
Yesterday we drove up to Cherokee for a "Celebration of Life" party. It was more memorial service than party, but it was nice. My friend Jess' mother-in-law Denise passed away suddenly Sunday night. Only 49 years old, and it has been suggested that it was an asthma attack, and considering the conditions outside this year, it's not surprising that an asthma attack was fatal. Anyway, this has been an incredibly hard week on my friend. Her husband is useless on a good day, so imagine him with his mother's shocking passing. So... I walked into the VFW for the party. I stopped to chat with my godsons. And then I found her. And she came sobbing into my arms. And I fought back tears. For the rest of the day I fought back tears. While I normally wouldn't have cried during a memorial in front of so many people who looked at me as if I were an oddity, I brushed aside tears that just wouldn't stop. I felt sadness and fear and anger. I was overwhelmed by strong emotions. I knew Denise, she was a very nice woman. But other than the interactions within my friend's family, we didn't know each other that much. So where were these feelings coming from? I think I actually became an emotional sponge. I was feeling all of Jess' emotions. Her sadness and loss of Denise. Her fear of the future with her husband and their son, her anger towards Denise's family for thinking ill of her and abusing her husband's rights - the greed pouring from them instead of grief. I felt everything she felt, as if it were my own. Once I was certain that there was little else I could do for my friend, we said our good-byes and left. And I almost cried all the way to Scott's mother's home. I told him that I was feeling Jess's... everything. And that she was so sad at my leaving her and at being responsible for her husband; and that I thought there was worse to come.

We left Cherokee about 90 minutes later. And I "knew" something had happened with Jess. And I was right. Denise's family treated her poorly, they spoke so low so her half-deaf husband couldn't hear what was being decided about his mother's estate. Etc. etc. etc. I felt raw inside. I had wicked headache brewing. You know the kind... the one that you get after you've been sobbing and crying all day. Except I hadn't been. None of these emotions had happened to me. But I soaked them all up, just like a sponge. It took 2 Excedrin and 2 Tylenol PM to tame the headache. And the drug-induced coma I had been hoping for only lasted maybe 5 hours with another hour of laziness. Not enough to reset my system, but enough to give me a head start. I'm available for calls... but I don't think I will be calling up North for a while. I need a break. And a way to block this new level of empathy. Either that or I need to become a sponge for an overly happy person. Know anyone like that?

Post Birthday Reflections...

3 Going on 23, enough said.

We had a great party Saturday. Lots of fun. Lots of friends, and LOTS of family!

It was a long day, but I figure when people drive 3 hours for your party, well then it should be worth it. :)

Weston wanted to go to Adventureland on Sunday. So after brunch with my family, we went. Weston rode all of his favorite rides, got a tattoo, and played some games. A great day again.

I've said it before, and I'm saying it again - I Can't Believe my baby is 3 years old! Yesterday I realized that he will start Kindergarten in 2 years. 2 years!!! OMG. Where has the time gone?