What I Appreciate About My Family

My husband Dale – I appreciate how you've made me a stronger woman, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

My oldest daughter Angie – I appreciate your encouragement and positive attitude.

My middle daughter Amanda – I appreciate you making me a grandma and yet how you still need me, occasionally, as your mom.

My son-in-law Wayne – I appreciate how you let me speak my mind and love me anyway.

My youngest daughter Lisa- I appreciate your ability to make me laugh even in the midst of sadness.

My son Sasha – I appecaite how you always offer to help me and don't get mad when I say "I'm not that old!" or "I can do it myself."

Taylor my granddaughter – I appreciate how excitedly you say "Grandma!" when you see me. It makes me feel so good.

Austin, my grandson – I appreciate your smile that is just for me. I melt at your smile.

What I'm Irrational About

Me? Irrational? According to my daughter Angie, I am.

Lots of bottled water at the HP Summit – Sustainability fail

Everytime Angie and I go to the McDonalds drive thru, and I'm driving, I buy bottled water with my food. Angie insists on getting free water in a cup. This is where, according to Angie, I get irrational.

It's embarassing asking for free water when I offer to buy her bottled water!

Then she gets irrational about me buying water and adding to the destruction of the environment by using plastic.

The conversation is always the same. Maybe we should avoid McDonalds.

What I'll Remember Most About 2011

Siniša’s desk

What I'll remember most about 2011 was going from a partime job to being layed off to a full time job, with a raise, without ever leaving the company I've worked for since 1999. Now that doesn't happen often!

My Parent’s Influence on My Personality

Thanks Mom and Dad.

Even though I’m a Mama’s girl, I’m still very much my father’s daughter.

My dad is the director of the Head Start Association of Hawaii. He’s always had a passion for youth of all ages. He’s worked with Big Brothers Big Sisters and numerous other agencies involved with children and youth. Throughout my life, I too have been involved with people of various ages. As a teenager, I rode the church bus to pick up kids for Sunday school and church; at various times in my adult life I’ve been a Sunday school teacher for all grade levels, co-op preschool class helper and preschool board member, Brownie leader, Junior Achievement teacher for middle school students, parent volunteer in my kid’s elementary school classes and crisis pregnancy counselor.

My dad is easy going, laid back, doesn’t get ruffled about much; so am I.

My dad can work a room and make everyone feel welcome and comfortable. I saw him in action at my brother’s wedding reception. I’m good with small groups of people. I’d like to work to be better in a large group setting. I’m not the charmer that my dad is but I do have a bit of that trait too.

Makes me wonder how much hereditary plays in personality development.

My favorite sounds of summertime.

Trees and Taylor

The winding tree

One of my favorite summertime sounds is the sound of a gentle breeze blowing through the tall trees in my back yard or at the cottage. I love to sit on the deck in the morning or late evening and hear the leaves in the trees rustle as an occasional breeze blows gently through its branches. I close my eyes and take in the relaxing sound.

Another favorite summertime sound is the sound of my granddaughter laughing while playing in her pool or the hose. She loves to play in and with water! My 7 month old grandson got his first taste of pool play this summer. Next summer will be really noisy!

My Favorite Form of Exercise

Gray Lake or Bust!

23 Mile Ride!

I enjoy bike riding. My daughter Angie and me have been training for a 30-35 mile bike ride this summer from Sanford to our cottage on Gray Lake in Farwell, (MI) along the Pere Marquette Rail Trail.

To date, our farthest ride has been 21 miles. Our next goal is to do two 25 mile rides before riding up the cottage in Farwell.

Walking also is enjoyable and a good workout for my bike trip.

Brooke, the fishing dog

This is Booke, our family dog. (Technically, Brooke belongs to my daughter Angie.) After four summers of cottage visits she has finally discovered fishing, doggey style.

Brooke is a mix of pit bull and American Boxer. She’s a dog-of-all-trades, so to speak. She hunts down and chases rabbits, squirels, chipmunks and the occasional stray cat. She’s also been known to chase flocks of crows out of our yard. Brooke loves the water and fetching sticks thrown into the lake. Doesn’t like baths but throughly enjoys wading in lakes and rivers. And we have pictures of Brooke laying in my three-year-old granddaughter’s plastic pool, just chllin’ in the hot sun.

This year, Brooke has discovered the fish in Gray Lake. Why it took her four sumer’s to take any kind of interest, I’m not sure. But this year, she’s taking her new “hobby” seriously. I believe Brooke has a strategy or is it just a game between canine and fish?

Brooke scours the waterfront searching for a place to fish. Any fisherman knows, a good fishing hole is key to catching fish. Once she’s found the perfect spot, she stands perfectly still, head down looking in the water. This draws the curiousity of the various size bluegills. I’ve see 12 bluegills, all positioned directly in front of Brooke, in a stare down with her. She stands with statue-like stillness, only her eyes roving the water in front of her. They float effortlessly, their almost-neon green tails waving back and forth, staring at her dark honey colored legs, probably wondering if she’s food or foe.  I can tell when she’s really excited, her legs twitch enough to cause ripples in the the water around her. Then, whoosh, Brooke strikes by jumping into the waiting school of fish! Of course, the fish scatter like dead leaves in a summer tornado. And she comes up mouth empty, but the fish always return a few minutes later and the game begins again.

She’s having about a much luck fishing today, as I am.

Bad Habits that Need to Go

Here and gone!

Italian dark hot chocolate

My name is Mary and I’m an espresso addict. It’s been one month since my last espresso.

Many a time I was tempted. For example, between 9 and 10 a.m. every weekday morning, when many of my co-workers did a coffee run to this really fun and cool place around the corner from the newsroom, the Sweet Boutique.

Oh the wonderful smell of chocolate and espresso that greeted me at the door each trip. My blood sugar would plumet just at the sight of all that chocolate yet my adrenaline would quicken as Rob handed me my most favorite drink in all the world: a 16 oz hot chocolate with a shot of espresso, (or two shots depending on how my morning was going.) My heart races at the very thought of the warm chocolatly drink caressing my throat with each sip, and how the espresso gave me the jump start I so needed. And afterall, Michigan winters can be brutal. Everyone needs a warm up on a cold, blustery winter day (or a lukewarm, sunny-almost-spring day), don’t they?!

After a physical, my doctor told me to cut back from my 3-4 cups a week habit. I said to him “It’s all or nothing, Doc.” There was no way I could “cut back.” How could I only drink 2 cups a week of the most wonderful drink known to this mankind?!

Nope, I quit cold turkey. It was hard. I had some withdrawl symptoms and was a tad cranky at times. My heart would race when I heard the familair phrase, “Who’s wants coffee?” Sweat would form at my brow when I saw my co-workers return from their coffee run, each holding the Sweet Boutiqe’s familiar cardboard cups.

But I persevered and saved myself, physically and financially (addictions are costly!) and I feel better for it!

Now, I’m on to smoothies!

The Best Musical Performance I’ve Attended

“Singing in the Rain”

Umbrella

The best live performance I’ve ever seen was not Cirque du Soleil, the Moscow Circus or the show outside Treasure Island hotel in Vegas.

It was a dress rehearsal for the Midland Center for the Arts’ production of “Singing in the Rain.”

Many years ago I worked at The Midland Daily News with a wonderful woman named Penny Padget. Her teenage daughter was a very talented actress and singer. Even though I can’t remember her daughter’s name, I can still see this high school-age teen singing and dancing the raining street scene from the show. Her voice was strong and clear, she danced around the light pole so carefree and happy, twirling her umbrella. The real “rain” falling on the stage was mesmorizing. Me and my 7 year old daughter, Lisa, were so caught up in that scene that we didn’t speak during the entire scene. We were awed!

My Childhood Dream Job

Nothing but a teacher.

Classroom

My childhood dream job was to be a teacher. For as long as I can remember, all I ever wanted to be was a teacher. (I thought about being a jocky for awhile but I grew too tall.) Throughout my childhood and into my teen years, there was never any doubt: I’d be a teacher.

When I was seven, I used to arrange the TV trays and diningroom chairs like a classroom in my dad’s den. Winnie the Pooh, my dolls and other stuffed animlas were my students. My class was well-behaved. Even when I graduated from high school in 1983 I took pre-req classes for teaching.

After a year of college I dropped out, got married, had three kids and went back to college in 1994. During those years absent from academia, I was bitten by the journalism bug. So, instead of getting a teaching degree, I earned a Journalism degree.

I was very active in my chilren’s education though, from preschool and beyond. I was a local co-op preschool board for two years, I taught Junoir Achievement at the elementary level for many years, taught Sunday school, was a Brownie leader, and a youth leader at church so I still got to hang out with kids of all ages and hopefully impart a few bits of wisdom in some young lives.

I’ve lived the best of both worlds.