Maybe We Need Mikey!

I'm a mom. I am always searching for healthy food options my family will eat.

I love vegetables, & good thing since I am supposed to eat so many of them. My children do not. They only like a few. And to make a challenge even more interesting, they do not even like the same few. My oldest child's favorite vegetables are potatoes & corn. Even though I have explained to her numerous times that these process more like grains & other carbs, she holds fast to her claim that they count. My younger one thinks that green beans are the only cooked vegetable worth eating, however, she will eat the tomato chunks in a chili or spaghetti sauce, unlike her sister, who can throw a tantrum or give a 45 minute dissertation of just how disgusting they are.

Once upon I time I had children that ate whatever was put in front of them. From spicy Cajun rice & andouille (at 7 months old when she was too young to eat it, my first child begged, open-mouthed like a baby birdie for my Cajun rice) to sauerkraut-topped hot dogs, from Chinese stir-fried anything to a spinach salad....I remember her cutting some teeth with a jalapeno ring, chewing the same one all day.

I took pride in how curious they were to try new things. They were real food- adventurers! I liked being the envy of friends & family who thought it so unfair that my children were so open when I was such a picky eater.

And then one day, I don't know what day, something changed. Unbeknownst to their father & me, without so much as a warning, one of them decided that variety at dinner was coming to an end. I don't like green beans. Eeew, tomato chunks! Ugh... Onions. Mushrooms are nasty. I hate peas!

Ok, I hate peas too. But my kids liked them at one point so I bought them & made them & hoped they never noticed that I didn't eat them. They also liked sweet potatoes, which neither my husband nor I have a taste for, but we made them. I'd even choke them down to try to be a good example because they're good for us.

All of a sudden, raw was the way to go- as long as it could be eaten with peanut butter, caramel sauce or ranch dip, we were still in business. Then fruit too became an issue. It was a medium for growing science experiments rather than nutrition. You want me to eat the skin on the apple? Can you peel my orange for me & make sure to get ALL the white stuff off? The little seeds are icky! See ya later strawberries & kiwis. I don't like that peaches fuzzy. No, it's that I don't like eating around a pit. Bye-bye nectarines & plums.

We never subjected them to my husband's least favorite (rutabaga) or mine (okra.) I know you want to laugh because you thought it was peas. Nope. They're nasty, but if they are few & far between, I won't gag if I accidentally eat one, but okra? Yeah, that'll ruin everything for me. Let me explain: I love vegetable soup. My darling husband thought he was going to give me a shortcut one day when I was making it & bought a bag of frozen vegetables labelled 'soup mix' or something like that. It had okra in it. I never had okra before, but was not very interested in trying it either. I'd heard it could be slimy. I'm a textural eater. That's why I don't like mushrooms, so... I used the bag figuring that with everything in there, one thing couldn't stand out too much. Wrong. I do not like okra. No, ma'am.

So peas are done with, mushrooms are out, sweet potatoes are relegated to Thanksgiving & nobody feels the pain. Then my husband starts pureeing the tomato sauce to appease the tomato-chunk objection. Then I start chopping the onions large so they can scoot them off to the side. No green beans? That's ok, we'll have broccoli. I peel & slice apples in no time flat. Orange 'smile' wedges please them.

Then we notice, all the caramel dip is gone, but they've not eaten 1/2 an apple. The ranch dip is gone, but there are still 6 baby carrots on the plate. And now, one of them is claiming she no longer likes peanut butter. That's just unAmerican!

B'bye stir-fries. See ya later, chili. Pot pie, cole slaw, pasta salad, pot roast, stew, pasta primavera, turkey tetrazzini, goulash & shish kebabs, vegetable soup....I miss you!

So we tried to do some sneaky things. We'd hide little bits of spinach in the lasagna. I'd put carrot shreds along with the onions & celery into the turkey meatloaf. We started eating a lot of Mexican-style dishes to trick them into believing that the vegetables were only the spices & seasonings. Jalapenos & green chilies, all peppers were tolerable & onion so small  it disappeared along with smooth tomato sauces & salsas became our mainstays. And we could throw in corn, corn & more corn. BORING!

So I read recipes. I look on the internet & I read magazines & I try to find items my family will eat, ways to bump up the nutrition, especially for the kids who won't eat the 2 sides of veggies that I do. Looking through a 'diabetic' cookbook, I found a recipe for stuffed peppers. It supposedly was a better option than the recipe we've always made because it bumped up the fiber while reducing the glycemic load, sodium, & sugar. Can't hurt to try, right? We like stuffed peppers.

This recipe called for tomato sauce (I think it was a specific brand that was low sodium & low sugar- you'd be shocked how much sugar is hiding in your tomato products, by the way!) It called for a high-fiber cereal, crushed, to replace the rice one usually uses. The rest is pretty much the same.

I wanted to like it. I want to eat healthy food. OMG! Nothing can make that concoction edible. I still laugh when I remember my husband's face. He took the first bite. We all took a bite. It had the taste & texture of wet sawdust. I could not detect tomato, pepper or meat. Just warm, wet pasty stuff that got grittier as I chewed. I used all my determination to move the mess to the back of my mouth & swallow. Every fiber (ha!) of my being wanted to spit it out. I fought against my gag reflex. I looked back at the expectant faces waiting for me to speak. Now I know how Mikey felt....only I didn't like it.

"We need to order a pizza, stat!"

I told my husband to offer the dinner, & I use the term loosely, to his parents. Maybe they could convince themselves they liked it, as they often did that with bland & tasteless foods because they are supposed to be healthy. It';s been about 2 years & there is still laughter about these awful peppers. That's cruel to the peppers though. It wasn't their fault the dish was horrible.

And we've decided to cook what we like & shout over the complaints.

Babe, I'm Leavin'

I must be on my way...The time is drawing near....

Emotionally, I am already in February. Technically, it's the shortest month, but it feels the longest. There's nothing good in February & it just drags & drags & stays & continues to be monotonous. It is winter at it's worst with gray skies, dirty snow & 1 stupid, overly-commercialized excuse (yeah, you heard me) that doesn't even give us a day off work & school.

I don't normally complain too much about winter, the snow, the cold, even the gas bill...but I'll tell you, this year, Old Man Winter can bite me! I'm done! I'm fed up! I want sunshine! I want to get the mail without putting on 14 layers of clothes & still tensing up as I brace against the -5 windchills...It's no longer a winter wonderland. It's all unforgiving, frozen wasteland! It's documented fact. http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/snowiest-cities-in-america.html 
I live a commuter's distance from there. It's dismal this time of year.

I think I have SAD. You know, Seasonal Affective Disorder. I just feel all blahhhhh. Motivation is at an all-time low. Alright, I haven't completely withdrawn from people, but I debate with myself about how badly I actually want to go out. I think it's because I literally do not want to go outside....It's bone-chilling.

Look closely- that's my backyard,
not parkland those deer are grazing in

They say global warming is melting the ice flows in the Arctic Circle & endangering the survival of wildlife. I really think we could bring the polar bears here for a month, & they'd survive just fine. In fact, they could fatten up on all the deer & coyotes that have grown to be nuisance populations. Of course, there's a question of how we keep them out of our way, keep them from eating us, & send them back....LoL!

I'm in a funk & I can't see the end of it anytime soon.

Now in November, when the cold really starts to settle in here in Northeast Ohio, I've got birthdays, Thanksgiving & a bump in the school routine to keep things going. In December, we have Christmas! All the shopping, baking, decorating, wrapping & general hubbub keeps me enlivened & the school vacation gives a long intermission. In January, you start a couple of days into the New year with a new routine, trying to live up to whatever resolution was made. There's MLK day off of school, end of quarter day off from school. It breaks up the doldrums.... but, here we are on that last day off school, the teacher in-service day for the end of the quarter, & here I sit listening to my neighbors snow-blow. I look out the window & see the gray, gray sky & the naked tree branches coated with white stuff that swirls through the air defiantly refusing to stop, the pine boughs that are drooping from it & I ache all over with the weight of it. Ugh.

I am reminded of the Dr, Suess book I used to read to my children all the time....My Many Colored Days. It's fabulous!! Get it for your toddlers & preschoolers if you don't already have it. It's all about moods. "Some days, of course, feel sort of brown & then I feel slow, & low, low down..." He says this of gray days, "Gray day, everything is gray. I watch, but nothing moves..." Well, you'll have to check it out for yourself. I mean, it's a baby book. I could type out all of it here as I think I know it by heart, get myself in some trouble, be sued for money I don't have, worry about it & I just don't want to do that.

I just want out! Get me out of Ohio. 4 days, a week of sunshine! It could sustain me until April or May when the sun might return to the region. Are 4 days really too much to ask? Where is the January thaw??? We usually get a week of sunshine around this time of year that melts the snow & the crocus bloom....where is it? That gives me hope of Spring, & life, & sustains me for the next 3-4 months. The snow is so deep right now, & still coming down, that the snowdrops can't bloom.

Where is my multimillion dollar lottery win? I want to go somewhere warm, somewhere with blue skies & palm trees. I want to wear sandals & sunglasses. I want a warm breeze & a fruity drink that may or may not contain alcoholic spirits.... I want to see bright, happy colors & smiling faces while listening to the sounds of laughter & life....

Sing with me--
Aruba, Jamaica, ooh, I wanna take ya
Bermuda, Bahama, come on, pretty mama
Key Largo, Montego, baby why don't we go,
Jamaica, off the Florida Keys......


Anyone want to do that? Anyone want to hightail it out of here? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

Maybe It's Just Human Nature

According to Wikipedia, human nature is the concept that there is a set of inherent distinguishing characteristics, including ways of thinking, feeling and acting, that all humans tend to have.


I saw this the other day- "A gossip is one who talks to you about others, a bore is one who talks to you about himself, & a brilliant conversationalist is one who talks to you about yourself." It's attributed to Lisa Kirk, & I don't know who she is, but that there is some funny stuff.

Everyone seems to agree that talking about other people behind their backs is a bad thing...yet pretty much everybody does it. I contend that good news is also shared behind people's backs. No one wants to be the subject of gossip, yet there are those that have to be in the middle of everything. And is there really a line when one is talking about their own lives & it overlaps with something/someone else? And what exactly is there to talk about, if we aren't supposed to always talk about ourselves & no one wants you to talk about them? I just don't know anyone who can honestly claim they never do it.

Hold your breath. I'm about to open a can of worms & it could get stinky!!

I know there is just too much ammunition in this topic. I am practically guaranteed to offend someone, hopefully not too many someones. It isn't my intention to be a muckraker, but sometimes you're just damned if you do & damned if you don't. Some people aren't going to be happy no matter what.

Recently I upset someone very close to me. I didn't want to hurt her feelings. I didn't want to embarrass her or make her mad. I was trying to be honest. I was trying to spare her in the long run....& that's the truth. I knew it would be hard to hear & I put it off because I couldn't find a nice way to phrase what I needed to tell her. There's not always a nice way to deliver some news. Yet I did feel that letting her know that something she was doing bothered a large number of people with whom we both socialize & they had let me know. I felt that if I told her, she could avoid the same behavior & thusly, not cause discomfort in the future. I was not well-received. She has the right to be upset. I understand that. I am sure I would be too. I am equally sure that if I was doing something that people were talking about in a negatuive light, then I would want to be told by someone I trusted, in private, so that I could stop doing that, or at least understand the consequences. We all want to be liked. That's basic human nature.

Don't all hop in at once with my flaws & failures, ok? Pace yourselves.

There is 1 gal I know that put me off whe I first met her. She was loud & brash & just kind of out-there. I'm sure there are those that could say the same of me. So we weren't instafriends....but I have gotten to know her more over time & seen behind the boldness & had a few insights & you know, she's okay. We'll probably never be BFFs but I get it, I get her, & I have developed a liking for her & a certain respect. I hope she feels the same. Maybe a first impression isn't all there is to a person & maybe those impressions aren't entirely accurate...Recently she felt she was getting the cold shoulder or feeling a lack of support & she talked to me about it. I totally understood where she was coming from. It's the way she's dealing with them that are making people uneasy, but we all deal differently. There comes a point when one needs to figure out what's working & what's not & take appropriate action. Take the lead instead of reacting. Maybe the outcome will change. Or maybe it never will & peace must be made with the way it is or one must remove oneself from the situation. (This is a lesson I had to learn with a few people.)

And maybe some things are said that are taken out of context or misinterpreted. There are 2 sides to every story & the truth is usually lost in the middle. Maybe in offering sympathy to someone who is pouring out a trouble can make it seem like you agree or that you feel the same. Maybe you do to some degree & maybe you don't. Maybe on some but not on all. No 2 people are exactly the same & we aren't all going to have the same view on it all. There's a point that comes when we keep our opinions to ourselves or we agree to disagree. I will not make all the same choices for my family as some of my friends have made for theirs. It doesn't mean I condemn or condone any of it. My role is not to judge. But I will listen. I don't like to be in the middle of mutual friends' disagreements, but I don't want to be unavailable when I'm needed either. I think I'm pretty loyal & those that know me would surely agree.

The thing is, we all do things. There just is no pleasing everybody all the time. My best guess is that we try to please the most people while remaining true to ourselves, & if that doesn't work, then maybe we are surrounding ourselves with the wrong people for us. It doesn't have to mean that anybody is bad or wrong, but possibly bad or wrong for us. I have long stated that not everybody is going to like everybody, not everybody is going to like everything about everybody even if they do generally like the whole package...& that's why we put up with or dismiss certain things. How long we can put up with or overlook is an individual decision, but what I noticed, is that as soon as 1 is brave enough to say s/he has had enough, others will follow. They will agree that they're done too. There is a breaking point.

 Oscar Wilde had a lot to say on the matter, it seems.

“The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.”

“It is perfectly monstrous the way people go about nowadays saying things against one, behind one's back, that are absolutely and entirely true.”

My favorite, “I don't at all like knowing what people say of me behind my back. It makes me far too conceited.”

So where does that leave us? Stuck in high school? As grown women, do we accept human nature & deal with it? Or do we fight what really is kind of inevitable? I read once that Erma Bombeck said, "What other people think of us is none of our business." I love that. Don't you just love that? I've tried to live by that since the 1st time I saw it. Really, it helps. I know I've been the topic of conversation. I guess I'm thankful to be that interesting! And it's all true, the idea that if they're talking to you, they're talking about you. I say, accept it & move on!!


Eleanor Roosevelt said, "No one can make us feel inferior without our consent." Mm-hmm. I'm singing the praises. Sing it with me & Christina Aguilera, "I am beautiful no matter what they say. Words can't bring me down. I am beautiful in every single way. Yes, words can't bring me down, so don't you bring me down today..."

As I wrote in my last post, self-assuredness, confidence, self-acceptance, contentment...these are the things which project beauty. I grew up singing with Carole King. Let's sing some more, because it's the truth, & we need reminding now & then, "You've got to get up every morning with a smile on your face & show the world all the love in your heart. Then people gonna treat you better. You're gonna find, yes, you will, that you're beautiful as you feel..."

So go ahead, get all Stuart Smalley. Look in the mirror & repeat the daily affirmations, "I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me!" Now we don't have to worry about what who is saying to whom about us....& it's so much better that way.

Maybe We're Not Babes Anymore...

I went through most of December without writing much, & I've repeatedly heard that if you want to be a writer, you have to write...that, & the idea that once inspiration strikes.......I don't remember how that one goes.

Roseanne Barr

Anyway, I was inspired today. (Did you see the flash of lightening? Did anyone else hear the bells go off?) I was inspired by- laugh if you must- Roseanne Barr. She was on Good Morning America, which I often have on while the kids get ready for school. She wrote a book called Roseannearchy: Dispatches from the Nut Farm. I didn't read the book. I didn't even read the excerpts (but if you want to, here's the link- http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/book-excerpt-roseanne-barrs-roseannearchy-dispatches-nut-farm/story?id=12538622&page=1) but I did 1/2-listen to her talk about it & she said something that I liked. She said the thing that inspires me today. She said, & I'm paraphrasing, that people are always trying to deny getting old. She said people tell her, oh, don't say you're old, you're not old, yet...but she's 58. She said she liked getting old. She said she was old, post-menapausal, gray & she was tired of people talking it down. She said she feels more content & more at peace....What's so wrong with getting old, she asked.

Yeah, what is wrong with it? I ask that a lot. People, seemingly mostly female, are in such denial about aging. Not just denial, but actively engaged in a losing battle. The only way to not get old is to die young. Is that what we want?!

I'm not criticizing healthy habits to take care of oneself. Eating right, exercise, sunscreen, & a cap on the vices are perfectly normal & (redundancy alert) healthy habits. I'm not opposed to a little cosmetic surgery if it improves one's self-esteem. If it physically improves one's standard of living, then it wasn't cosmetic.... Got a hook nose that makes you self-conscious? You want some boobies because God didn't give you enough to fill out a t-shirt, I'm not judging. By all means, do what you think is best for you. Jennifer Grey's nose looks great.



Jennifer Grey, before & after

But please don't completely alter your face so that you are practically unrecognizable or perpetually surprised like some celebrities who've had conspicuous work done... You know Phyllis Diller & Joan Rivers & Dolly Parton & Roseanne herself, because they speak freely of it, but google Mary Tyler Moore. The once beautiful, smart, funny woman looks like it's painful to change expressions. It's sad to me. Google any of them. I'm not going to post the pics: Melanie Griffith, Faye Dunaway, Joan Van Ark, Linda Evans, Victoria Principal, Priscilla Presley, Cher, Tori Spelling...ok, some of them talk about it too. But really, if your face looks tight enough to bounce like a ball, your neck can't look like crepe paper. They both look worse that way. And some people have had nice work done, but then they need to know when to stop.

There is this elusive concept called 'aging gracefully' that doesn't mean you have to go get a curly perm & toss out your cosmetics, or trade in your contacts for trifocals. Women look younger in my opinion, when they look confident, carefree, & current. Don't hold onto the hair you wore in high school. Styles change. The blonde or black dye you've used for 15 years is probably 10 years too long. Warm it up. Tone it down. Assess yourself honestly. Don't dress like the 20-year olds unless you are 20 years old. Don't shop in juniors, even if it fits, once you're the mother of one...  Don't continue wearing your makeup like you did when you felt you looked your best- unless that was last week. As we age, our pigmentation changes. Soften the lines. Harsh eyeliner will age you. Wear the right products for your skin, & watch for what does & doesn't settle into the fine lines -or not so fine, depending on your age- around your eyes.

I for one, don't like to spend a lot of time getting ready to go out. I spent way more time 'putting on my face' when I didn't need one than I do now. That's for sure. Of course, heavy makeup & big hair were in style in the 80s & that required real dedication...hahaha. I'm not going to pretend I have fabulous skin & know all the secrets. I don't. I'm 41 (& 1/2) years old & I'm battling wrinkles, oily patches, dry patches & acne simultaneously. Thank you, hormones. Proof that God is a man. But I look critically at people, friends & strangers alike, & think, I can do that with my eyeliner or wow, she has nice skin, or phew! I'm not quite a raisin yet!! (Now you're all going to be checking out my crow's feet & looking for the makeup to cake up in my fine lines...) And remember, a little fat is good. It plumps the creases. We all have to find some self-acceptance somewhere.

The biggest thing we have to overcome in the aging gracefully stage in our lives is the self-acceptance, the confidence, the self-empowerment. Let's lose the phrases like 'cougar' because they really aren't badges of honor as much as the butt of jokes. While theoretically you can find your perfect partner at any age, regardless of his age, it doesn't really seem something to brag about. (Of course, bragging itself is usually not a good thing. It's different from pride somehow.) I'm a few years older than my husband. Big deal. I have a friend who's nearly 10 years older than her husband. That's fine. I have another friend who's husband is enough younger than her that they break that '1/2 your age + 7' standard. And they're happy, so, so what?

Call me uptight, but I think it kind of smacks of desperation when the age difference is the focus., like, looky me, I bagged a babe! Wooo, I'm hot stuff, I still get the hotties... And the truth is, I think the old man with the trophy chick is creepy too. And PLEASE, please, do not say you're robbing the cradle!! That's not a good analogy!! If you did that literally, I would call the police. Obviously, there are instances where it's going to be addressed. Some people will be surprised. Some people will be unkind or whatever, & making a joke is a fine way to get past it, but then, let it go.... you can be the confident woman you should be by remembering that you don't have to convince anybody of anything. Just be....

So we're not babes anymore. I think it's kinda nice to be noticed for my personality, liked or disliked, because of what I say & do rather than to be reliant on how I look for my self esteem. I think it's nice when I talk to a man & he's listening, rather than staring at my jugs or daydreaming about motorboatin'...Don't get me wrong. I like to feel attractive. I just don't require that validation from numerous external sources anymore, & that is a good thing! It really is!!

Of course, the biggest key to aging gracefully, that I've seen in the women I think have done so successfullly, is to remain feminine, to dress appropriately, to keep stylish, & to care for oneself. Doing that helps with the confidence, the self-acceptance & the self-assuredness. Here are my picks for the most beautiful women showing that one can age gracefully....& remain vibrant, relevant, even sexy. (& I think I've read that some have had some work done, but clearly, they knew when to stop.)

Diane Sawyer

Martha Stewart

Jacklyn Smith

Linda Dano

Oprah Winfrey

Helen Mirren

I am so sure I'm going to get flack for this...are you talking about ---? Oh, I've seen that on --- too! Friends, you must trust that I love you. If you recognize yourself here, it's likely we've had this conversation. Also worth noting, not everything here is original. Gasp! Some of these things have been pointed out to me & I happen to find them valid.

It's also important to note that I'm not as old as ANY of these women- not even Jennifer Grey. She has very nearly a decade on me. I wish I looked that good already. But the point of aging gracefully, I think, is to look that good when I get there- to do (or not do) the right things now & pray it's not too late. I can only look as good as the damage done, though I can certainly try to avoid drawing extra attention to any of the imperfections by making unflattering style choices. There is nothing wrong with getting older. It sure beats the alternative.

Oooh, Baby, I Like it Here in Dreamland!

Did you hear the news today? The MegaMillions lottery has jumped up again. Last night, it was a paltry $330 million windfall, but today it has jumped another $25 million for a grand total of $355. That's $224.2 million cash in a lump sum. Sure, you have to pay massive taxes, but it's still pretty damn sweet. Can you imagine?

I can. I'd buy a new house. I'd probably build- & not what you'd think. I'd stay here. I like this town. I have family here. I have friends here. There's a great school here. But I don't live in a great house... I don't need a mansion, far from it, but there are some luxuries I'd really like to have.

I want an open floor plan. I want a big kitchen with lots of storage space for all the kitchen equipment & a really cool cook top with lots of burners & a grill & a vent that really works & goes away when not being used... I want lots of counter space for the simple fact that I've never had any, & I've always needed more. I enjoy baking & cooking & I need space to do it. I want to be able to be part of whatever is going on while I'm doing that, not segregated from the fun because I'm working. And I want lots of task lights!

I want a recreation room that has all the video games in 1 place, kind of adjoining a real theater room. I think a swimming pool would be pretty great. A luxury, but 1 that lots of people have. I'm not so extravagant. I want a big bedroom with separate closets for my husband & me. Until we moved here, that's what we always had & that was pretty wonderful. I don't like sharing my closet. I'm neater.

The en suite bathroom would have a glorious shower. I don't care about those garden tubs. I kinda don't understand them. (They always put them in an area surrounded by windows, but I'm not keen on bathing in public. I don't care if I owned 100 acres & it would be just my family {& the gardener} outside...they don't need to see me getting out of the bath. Pull down a shade & it sort of cancels out the purpose of all the windows...) I'd like a big shower where I can wash my hair without bumping my elbows on the walls, where a curtain won't be blown against my legs, where if my sweetie decides to join me, we're both still under the spray....so maybe with multiple sprays. And a bench so I have something on which to rest my foot as I shave my legs, where I won't bump my head on the cubicle wall when I bend, for that's an issue I currently face.

I'm not really greedy. I'm not really showy. I'd be happy to know I'd repaid any debt I owed anyone. I'd put aside trusts for my kids to be sure their educations were financed & they had a safety net. I would for sure want a weekly cleaning service....seriously, no one likes scrubbing tubs & toilets. I'd still donate to causes I believed in. I'd try to invest wisely to ensure I'm not 1 of those winners who's broke in 10 years or less. I've been broke & it's not fun. I'd want to be 'comfortable' until they day I die.

;)

Aside from a few things upfront, we'd live pretty modestly. Hopefully we could travel well. I don't need to live in a castle. I just want to see one.

My kids asked if we could buy a house in the Caribbean or Hawaii or someplace & I thought, no. I wouldn't do that. We could certainly go there for a vacation, but I don't want to go to the same place again & again. I want to see too many things & go to many places.  

                                                                                                              I haven't been anywhere outside the US except Niagara Falls. It barely counts. And I know I've been blessed to travel as much as I have within the US. Some people never get more than a few miles out of the town in which they were born...

But I dream of travelling, going to Europe. Everywhere! I want to see it all. I love the old buildings & the history & the architecture & the scenery from the postcards... I want to see castles grand & ruined, cathedrals & palaces & museums. I want to drink wine & eat cheese (but I will pass on the blood sausages) & connect with the heritage of my ancestors. I want to go all through Ireland, Scotland, Great Britain, France, Switzerland, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Greece, Spain, Italy & all the in-betweens. 

I want to go to South America, the Europe of the New World. I want to go to the beaches of Polynesia. I want to see islands & mountains & cultures different from our own... I want to see Moscow & St. Petersburg. My husband wants to see Vikings. I want to see Morocco. He wants to see Japan. Maybe I could finally get my dream job- a traveller who chronicles her journeys...& maybe I could do it without leaving my family behind.I think 224.2 million dollars would cover all that. So I have my tickets. I have my fingers crossed. The odds are estimated at 1 in 176 million. I won't hold my breath but it sure is fun to dream....

What would you do?