Washington...

Was in Washington, DC.....Made a visit to the National DAR museum....WOW!!!!!  So much history....so little time.....Also went to the Newseum....it was amazing...I can't wait to go back!

What do all of you think of the situation of Silent Bob?

I would like to hear what people out there are thinking of Southwest Airlines taking Silent Bob off the flight for being overweight? My opinion is that maybe we should develop another way to fly...at least a flight friendly airlines that does not cram as many people as they can on the flight with seats that are so narrow for a domestic 2 hour flight that most people cannot move at all; enough leg room so the long legged people do not have their seat back in your lap; room for the stewardesses to get down the aisle with those carts that also barely fit down the aisle; and room to actually turn around in the bathroom! I've been in an hour long flight w/3 seats on each side with so much more room, and empty seats. Flying is tough enough to have to put up with a bucket of bolts that sound like they are going to fall apart before they land!

Amazing site!

Please check out this website a friend sent me...All kids Must see this!

/Users/michelemcwilliams/Desktop/are-you-going-to-finish-strong.avi

thegoldengirlsnextgeneration: thegoldengirlsnextgeneration: Tripping down Memory Lane!

thegoldengirlsnextgeneration:

thegoldengirlsnextgeneration: Tripping down Memory Lane!

thegoldengirlsnextgeneration: Tripping down Memory Lane!

http://us.mc838.mail.yahoo.com/mc/welcome?.partner=sbc&.gx=1&.rand=1opsmg6sepa07#_pg=showMessage&pSize=25&sMid=1&fid=Inbox&sort=date&order=down&startMid=0&filterBy=&.rand=1191251626&midIndex=1&mid=1_184280_AFtVk0UAAPLISh4JwQ7ehwUcGl8&m=1_192621_AFdVk0UAAPYpSh5jng0rXXJ4OMI,1_184280_AFtVk0UAAPLISh4JwQ7ehwUcGl8,1_182355_AENVk0UAAELQSh3qGQF6sFHER3o,1_181694_AF1Vk0UAAF4WSh3pXgh0w3dSrNs,1_180999_AFtVk0UAAO7XSh3nRA8lXX%2BeiSY,1_180217_AF9Vk0UAATltSh3eagQuYxlpm18,1_177360_AElVk0UAANEWSh3CfAi3y3BZcsQ,&hash=9f2aa5bb391688d8e9bc2f35782fad2d&.jsrand=3278765

Memorial Day Weekend

When I was a kid, I used to love this weekend! Somebody ALWAYS had a cookout and the local pools were opened....(my favorite!) It was the beginning of the real summer, even if we had another week of school...although it was always the last Monday in May....Now, depending on where you live in the country, school may have gotten out, or the kids may have almost a whole more month to go, depending on what the winter was like and if snow days were built in to the calendar. After this weekend, most kids have totally zoned out and the teachers would love to one out, too! But whoever is in power at the state or diocesan level, feels a certain number of days must be required...Why? So their district/state/diocese learns more?

I really feel sorry for the kids today...they have too many pressures placed on their shoulders, and no real true relief. A lot of them can't come home and sit and talk with someone, because there is no one to talk to...they don't have a lot of down time because they have so many activities and so much homework piled on them, they can really be YOUNG!...They have to worry about getting into a good college and then a graduate program....

People wonder why there are still so many drugs around, and so much violence in schools....all they have to do is look at themselves...What kind of parent are they really? Push, push, push...Is there no relief for these kids? The kids that are bullies AND are part of the "cool" crowd, usually have stuff going on at home and really are facing some hard things themselves, but don't want anyone to know it, so they have that nasty exterior...they find someone who is basically pretty happy, but won't really fight back....Then those poor kids become so frustrated, they just snap....after they have just been beaten down (figuratively speaking)...

And the teachers aren't always too helpful...they either stop the problem, want to be the "cool" kids friends, or just do not pay attention (not all teachers)....

I used to love school...and I loved summer.....I loved going to the pool, or packing my lunch and going on an all day hike....having sleepovers, reading one book right after another, and getting all of my book reports done within one week...no reading list...just read for the sake of reading...I still love to read...anything and everything...And I hate to be interrupted in the middle of a good novel!

Which...that's what I'm going to do, right now....go read my new novel by John Sanford!

Enjoy the weekend....Would love to hear some comments on kids in school, summer, or anything you'd like to talk about!

Angels and Demons--The Movie

Tonite I saw the much anticipated movie Ron Howard/Tom Hanks combo. (As usual, a great duo!) I really enjoyed it. But I never read the book. (Not that it would have mattered)....I have heard mixed reviews, but most people had read the book...The only really negative thing I heard was that the movie's story-line didn't follow the book in a couple of important areas...which I won't say in the minute chance someone might read this that hasn't seen the movie!

However, I did enjoy the acting and the story-line. I had the result completely wrong...and I'm usually pretty good at figuring out the mysterious ending.

I'd like to hear what other's have to say.....leave a note or a vote!

thegoldengirlsnextgeneration: Elizabeth Edwards

thegoldengirlsnextgeneration: Elizabeth Edwards

http://bennycat.blogspot.com/2009/05/excerpt-from-resilience.html

New Knees

It's been awhile since I have posted to my blog...No wonder no one comments or follows!

I'm finished with my knee surgeries, and both went extremely well...I now have 2 full knee replacements! The recuperative period is technically not over, but I've been back at the gym, and ave started working out again with my trainer....I find that I need a trainer to help do the exercises correctly and to help vary my routine, so I really get a complete workout. Since I am a type 2 diabetic, I have to work out for my health..not just my weight...and unfortunately, my will power is not what it used to be! So, if I pay for it, I use it...sad, but true :-(

However, if anyone out there is thinking of knee surgery, I suggest using a trainer to help get you ready....or at the very least begin working out at least 3 months BEFORE you are scheduled for surgery. Not only do your calves and thighs need to be strong, so do your arms! In the hospital you have to be able to pull yourself around in your bed with the use of this "trapeze type" of contraption. ;m sure there is a correct name for the equipment, but I just don't know what it is!)

And let me tell you...what a great icebreaker! People see your scars and have a million questions because they need the surgery and are scared or interested OR they are part of that "club", too! It's great! (Not that having to HAVE the surgery is great, but there is an upside to it.)

The downside is: NO EXCUSE for lack of exercise! Oh, well!

If you have any questions that I can answer from a layman's point of view, please ask!

Elizabeth Edwards

I have recently read the newest book by Elizabeth Edwards, Resilience, and loved every page. But if you are looking for a tell-all gossip book about John Edwards, I think you better forget about it and go buy te "enquirer" or "Star" at your grocery store. Below is my feelings about her books, which I had written previously on Benny's World, another blog I follow.

I have read "Resilience" and am currently reading, "Saving Graces." Both books are about Elizabeth Edwards' life, experiences, feelings, etc. They are NOT renditions of those ridiculous "supermarket tell-all" magazines. While reading the books, I felt as if I had known Elizabeth Edwards my whole; life---I felt like instead of reading, I was sitting at the kitchen table having coffee with her and talking, like good friends. I cried while reading her chapters about Wade, which are heart wrenching and proud; and laughed at some of the antics of her family during her "formative years." She is a woman who is fiercely protective and very proud of her family and what they have all accomplished as well as WHO they are as individuals. The books she has written, are truly what she wants her family to always know and remember HER as: strong, remarkable, bright, loving, gifted, and someone who has been thru more than any one human being should go thru in a lifetime, yet has weathered the storm (or as she says in her book, "adjusted her sails")! I truly admire and respect this woman, and wish I could one day meet her face-to-face!...Elizabeth Edwards really stands up for what she believes in...she is not just a "preacher", she is a "dooer"-- a true activist in every sense of the word! (As my husband would say, "not an empty suit") I wish she had run for president...she would have had my vote in a second...and I'm a republican

Light a doodle for diabetes research! Thanx!