“The happiest people don’t have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything they have. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God."
~Unknown~

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Lollapalooza Grant Park

Joel in Chicago 07-31-2008_500 by you.

Dropped off Joel yesterday morning at about 6am to the airport screeners at IAH. He's headed to the huge Lollapalooza concert in Grant Park and meeting up with his good friend, Callie. Today he text'd me this pic of Chicago. Looks like it's going to be great weather for them all weekend long.

You can watch the concerts live here:

LOLLAPALOOZA LIVE

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

pen pals forever

In 1972, when I was only ten years old, the girl scout badge I wanted had to do with pen pals. There was this little girl in the U.K. doing the same for girl guides. Who would know that 36 years later Sue and I would still be friends. We've met only once when I lived in Michigan but we are sisters through and through. She named her only daughter after me. I am honored to be a part of her life.

Last Saturday was her birthday. We connected again tonight by phone. Just sharing a few of her family pics vacation this past month to Disney California and Yellowstone.

Plans are in motion to meet again, possibly in Seattle on my trip to the Redwoods.
I can't wait!

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Mac went down

Please keep him in your thoughts, prayers... send positive vibes... whatever you believe. A car backed into him and try as he might to avoid it, he couldn't get out of the way fast enough. He was wearing a helmet and seems to be bruised and battered and sore but no broken bones or head injury, thank God. Thank you for taking the time to send healing thoughts his way...

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http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5911871.html

Sunday, July 27, 2008

it's just what we do...

"It's just what we do..." Kuda stated matter-of-factly.

He has spent the better part of an hour or so looking over my oil cap problem during LaLa's party yesterday afternoon after several of the other guys couldn't figure out how to remove it or put it back in (other than Boomer who made it appear easy!! lol). Kuda had ridden all the way from Maryland to come to the opening of LaLa's Saloon (or so she said she's thinking of naming the new biker bar her and Rick built on their property). He had just finished changing the oil in his '47 Panhead (or did he say it was a knuckle... sheesh I'm so bad at remembering! He was wearing a Knuck t-shirt but I could almost swear he said pan).

Finally he took off the o-ring and the cap fit in perfectly. "It's too thick," he said. Someone had replaced the o-ring and this one made my cap impossible to remove and re-cap. After a wonderful meal of fresh grilled shrimp, crab legs, brisket, shish-ka-bob's and more (what a fantastic spread!) Kuda asked for some sand paper and went to shaving down the o-ring as a quick fix for the moment. When he couldn't quite get it to fit properly still, he decided I needed to have a new one.

Mac looked up on his GPS the closest Harley dealerships on his Wing while Kuda looked up phone numbers through Google on his phone. Ain't technology grand!

I dialed San Jacinto first, which was closest to the Highlands according to the GPS. Kuda talked to the parts department. They didn't have what he wanted and didn't really give him a proper acknowledgment of understanding what we needed. Stubbs was second and a winner! They knew of the problem, they told us they had a new cap available and the re-design also had ridges for better grasping.

So off to Stubbs we headed. I found out that pushing '80 on his ride wasn't the best thing for him (sorry about that speed thing Kuda! *sheepish grin*). He bought the cap and installed it first then had me try it. Second try was the charm. I can now officially remove my oil cap and check my own oil... woo hoo!

I have to say thank you to Bob for first checking my oil when I visited him and Lee at their home in La and to both of them for affirming it wasn't *me*. I really thought I simply didn't have the hand strength to remove it after visiting the dealership last week and Bob once again said he thought it was the cap. Also, thank you's go out to all the other guys looking it over and showing me they couldn't remove it either at the party. Validation is such a sweet feeling.

And to Kuda, even though this is "just what we do," you have truly made my bike safer for me now that I can maintain it. Thank you so very much... *kotc* And thanks for thinking I was only 33 or 34... that does a 46 year old woman good.... lmao

Ride safe back to Maryland! Hopefully it will be uneventful, unlike the trip down. And to LaLa, thanks for the great party!!! The food was delicious, the open bar outstanding and the band fantastic. You and your cowboy sure know how to show everyone a great time! I can't wait to come back.

I am wore out after staying out way too late for having an early morning today... but it's in a very good kind of way... *g*

Thanks to Mud Duck too! It was great having you ride to the causeway with me from the Highlands in the middle of the night. You made me feel very safe and protected. Oh, and about the light thingee -- I think I will adjust it once I get the right tool to loosen those bolts. Thank you for figuring out why it's difficult for me to see without my brights at night. Another mystery solved.

Mac, thanks for showing up right at 10am. After being propositioned four times in front of the Texaco Station while waiting for ya'll, I was just a bit worried about standing there any longer.... lmao

Oh, and Cappy, about those pics you took... remember the code -

What happened at LaLa's stays at LaLa's!
This "I can't promise" stuff doesn't fly... LOLOL
Tell your beautiful wife I can't wait to get our sisters tats... :-)

Now off to the cover photo shoot for the Harley's Angels 2009 calendar with my HA sisters. It's going to be a beautiful day for pictures. The sun is shining, the air is warm and living like today is all there is has never felt so sweet. The present is all we have...

*all smiles*

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

let go and move forward

July's Focus - Surrender

"Learning to forgive yourself for the ways you put yourself last will help you put the past behind you. If you can't forgive yourself, the likelihood of you achieving clarity is reduced. Forgiveness provides clarity and clarity encourages insights and that supports change in behavior. When you forgive yourself or another, it does not mean you agree with their behavior, but rather it is about letting go of your need to be right so you can move forward."

~Rhonda Britten, Change Your Life in 30 Days

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Angel in Flight

Harley's Angel Sister
May she rest in peace




DIANA LYNN LINDSEY, 62, beloved wife and mother, nicknamed "DB" by friends and family, went to be with the Lord on July 19, 2008 after a brief illness. She is preceded in death by her mother, Frances E. Cox; brother, Michael R. Cox; and sons, Jeremiah Scott Lindsey and William Derek Lindsey. She is survived by her husband of 32 years, William M. Lindsey; daughter, Arissa L. Lindsey; sister, Karen L. Bennett; brother-in-law, Craig Lindsey and wife Sally; mother-in-law, Ruth Lindsey; nieces, Jennifer Kaplan and Courtney Schermerhorn; nephews, Bryan Bennett, Ryan Lindsey, Matt Newman, Danny Newman and beloved pets. She was a native Houstonian and graduated from Milby High School in 1964. At the age of 16, she started her career with Southwestern Bell as a switchboard operator and retired after 35 years of service as a pay telephone consultant. She never met a stranger and consistently put other's needs before her own. Throughout her earthly journey, she was often described to be vivacious, genuine and comical; she never missed her weekly hair appointment or her weekly shopping trip to Kohl's. Her beautiful spirit and charming ways were unique and she will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her. The family will receive friends on Tuesday, July 22, 2008 from 5-8 p.m. at Forest Park Westheimer Funeral Home. A celebration of her life will be held on Wednesday, July 23, 2008 at 10:00 a.m. in the chapel of Forest Park Westheimer Funeral Home.




Please Keep the Lindsey Family in your Prayers

http://www.legacy.com/Link.asp?l=LS000113803245X


RIP <_______________________>


Friday, July 18, 2008

Big River opening night

Big River opened last night to a packed house. The vocals were amazing. The acting excellent. The play wonderfully done. I highly recommend it! Another great job by director Rob de los Reyes.

Big River at COM

Now Playing!

Big River

Big River
July 17 - August 10, 2008

more information...

Front Row : July / August 2008 (PDF, 1,447 KB)
featuring BIG RIVER

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

ENFP

Facebook is a hoot! The people are great, you get to keep up with your kids and the quizzes are too cute. Took the "Personality Quiz" and here are the results... just playing tonight.

:-)

~~~~~~~

ENFP
You are extroverted, friendly, insightful, creative, romantic, imaginative, sympathetic, eager, and like to motivate others towards a cause.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

be honest with yourself

July's Focus - Surrender

"When you make things up, it is a defense mechanism. You have to decide to give up that defense and focus on the facts rather than relying on how you feel. If you are serious about changing your life, you'll have to be honest with yourself about when you do and don't see the truth inside the experience."
~ Rhonda Britten ~ Fearless Living


Change Your Life in 30 Days

Monday, July 14, 2008

wanting to remember

First solo trip notes:

753.9 miles door-to-door
Covington, La
Bob & Lee's

What a ride!

:-)

Friday, July 11, 2008

Friends Week

My friend Pam sent me an e-mail today about this being Friends Week. Usually I don't forward many e-mails anymore and I really don't know if it is Friends Week or not but this one had a very special way of describing friendship. Since we're long distance, it really hit home. If you're like me, you remember your friends every day... especially the ones too far away to see.

Thank you , Pam. I am honored to be your friend. Can you believe it's been twenty some odd years since the guy's reunion where we laughed and danced and truly became friends? We've watched our lives move forward and now you're entering onto another new path with Andrea's wedding. I am so excited for you!

Btw, I miss you too... always....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Do you know what the relationship is between
your two eyes?

They blink together,
They move together,
They cry together,
They see things together and
They sleep together,


BUT THEY NEVER SEE EACH OTHER
.

That's what friendship is.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Invest in the life you have right now

July's Focus - Surrender

"When you invest in the life you have, you learn to be fully satisfied where you are right now.

Being open to the lessons learned and the tools provided, you will begin to see purpose in every moment rather than a specific career. It seems simple, but it is very difficult to do because you must let go of everything you know.

You must let go of perceptions of who you think you are to find out the truth."

~Rhonda Britten

Change Your Life in 30 Days

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Blue Bells vs. Blue Bonnets

"Those are Blue Bells," Boomer stated. "They only bloom when it's been really dry. You can tell we haven't had any rain in a long time."

Took a ride up to Brenham to meet up with some friends this past Saturday. It was raining in Galveston at 8am but I headed out anyway. I don't mind the rain. Once out past 1960 on 290 there wasn't a drop of rain anywhere and by the time I arrived at Boomer's house the sun was shining. Thank you Karen for breakfast! Especially those chocolate covered strawberries... omgosh... they were wonderful...

After visiting and eating we headed out on the backroads around Lake Summerville and north of Brenham. Stopped for lunch at a nice little place for some great BBQ (thanks Richard!) and more visiting. Boomer told us how 21 years ago he knew he found a "good woman" when he met Karen on a blind date. The story was so tender... years later he recognizes how blessed he is to have her. She doesn't ride. She has her Red Hat ladies and he has his Indian. They truly are two healthy and happy individuals who make up one grateful soul.

After lunch Boomer said we would be opening them up a little more when I said I was really ready to hit the twisties a bit harder. Ohgod how good it was to be riding on those curves, winding in and out, feeling the pegs scrap and enjoying the wind in my hair. It's a free feeling like no other. That is what it's all about for me. Riding Hope -- riding free -- that's when all the negatives go away and all that exists is the road and Hope & I. That is when Hope whispers, breathes and sets me free. We ride as one... I can't tell where I end and she begins when we hit that "zone". We just are...

If I know nothing else, I know this:

All those years I watched the riders going past my home on their way to the hill climb and wished to be one of them -- I now know why. It's something inside... it's always existed. It simply needed to be freed -- to be. So many years I never knew - I never understood how good it would feel to simply be. That's the key to freedom. That's the key to living. That's the key to understanding and quiet contentment.

Just breathe...

Thursday, July 3, 2008

RIP Troy

Senseless... anger is senseless...

A good friend of mine from Michigan called to tell me a friend has been killed. A good man. A family man with four children and a loving wife. He was 33 years young. All because someone was angry.

If we feel angry, we need to take a breath and look inside. Usually, the things that make us angry are things that have to do what's inside of us -- not anyone else. Look inside and find out why you act the way you do. Then change. No excuses.

Work on yourself and let others live their own lives and walk their own paths. You are in control of your own world. Don't be a victim. Stop feeling upset with others and figure out why you are angry within your core.

Don't try to control anyone else's life... no one has that right.
Not this guy with the gun. Not you with your anger.

To Troy... rest in peace...
To Troy's family... my heart goes out to you...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Realtor shot 'execution style' by client in office

Posted: July 1, 2008 09:40 AM

Updated: July 1, 2008 10:17 PM

Troy VanderStelt (courtesy Nexes Realty Web site)
Troy VanderStelt (courtesy Nexes Realty Web site)
Police at the scene of the shooting at the realty.
Police at the scene of the shooting at the realty.
Robert Johnson
Robert Johnson
Prosecutors think this is the home that was in dispute between the shooter and the victim.
Prosecutors think this is the home that was in dispute between the shooter and the victim.
Related Content
WMLAR Reaction Statement

By Dee Morrison and Tony Tagli


MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD)
-- A man, allegedly upset over a real estate transaction, shot a realtor in the head at the realtor's office Tuesday morning.

Robert Johnson, 73, walked into Nexes Realty at 880 Broadway in Muskegon and asked for the realtor, Troy VanderStelt, by name. He went into a conference room and waited.

"It appears this was essentially an execution-style murder in the conference room," Muskegon County Prosecutor Tony Tague said. "He went over there with a handgun, asked specifically for this real estate agent, went into a conference room and within minutes fired a shot at point blank range into the side of the victim's head."

Johnson ran from the office and went to his ex-son-in-law's home on Leif Street in nearby Norton Shores. There, he turned over the gun and surrendered to police.

"You could hear him saying, 'Come out with your hands up.' And they were putting their vests on, their bulletproof vests, and coming out with their guns," said neighbor Christie Hall. "Then they brought him out. And he came out without any real fight. They had him handcuffed."

Tague said Johnson bought a home from VanderStelt. 24 Hour News 8 looked at tax records from the city of Roosevelt Park where the home in question is located. They state Johnson bought the home for $143,000 in 2005. Johnson decided to sell that home and went to a different realtor. The second realtor told Johnson that, in these tough economic times, the home wasn't worth what he paid for it. The home is now listed for $139,900.

Johnson allegedly felt VanderStelt took advantage of him financially and went to the realty office and shot him. According to the Muskegon County clerk's office, Johnson did not possess a permit to carry a weapon.

Tague said this is the first murder in Muskegon County this year. He is working on charging Johnson with first-degree premeditated murder. "It appears he premeditated this murder that he was thinking about it for a lengthy period of time," said Tague.

VanderStelt's pastor, Russell Carlson, said VanderStelt was only supposed to be at work for a few minutes Tuesday. He was planning to take his family on vacation.

VanderStelt, 34, is described as brain dead. He leaves behind his wife, a 16-year-old stepson, a 14-year-old stepdaughter, a 2-year-old son and an 18-month-old daughter. His family is working to donate his organs.

VanderStelt's father was a longtime principal of Mona Shores High School.

Carlson, of Forest Park Covenant Church, said relatives are, of course, struggling to cope with their loss. Those who knew VanderStelt describe him as a good and proud father, a positive and good man, and a good Christian who volunteered at his church.

24 Hour News 8 spoke with a woman who lives across the street from Johnson and knows the VanderStelt family. She said she was saddened and shocked by the way prosecutors describe what happened between her neighbor and her friend.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

mom's visit to the ER

Spent the evening/night at the ER with my mom Saturday night. She was in Kemah with Chase and suddenly became ill. On her way back home, she had to stop several times due to getting sick. She was scared. Thought it could be her heart. She actually didn't know what to think. I've not seen my mother cry very often in life. She's been through a lot. Saturday night she cried. We all knew it was bad.

At 2am Sunday morning in the ER we found out she had passed a kidney stone. This is one of the most painful medical conditions and creates fear due to the unknown so here is a link with some of the symptoms. Know that carbonated drinks can crystallize and cause stones, among other things. Know that the most painful time is when it passes out of the kidney down to the bladder. Know that it feels like it's tearing up your insides. Don't wait to go to the hospital. Know that one thing - if you're in pain, don't wait...

Go to the hospital as soon as you feel ill.

Kidney Stones Symptoms

When a tubular structure is blocked in the body, pain is generated in waves as the body tries to unblock the obstruction. These waves of pain are called colic.

  • Renal colic (renal is the medical term for things related to the kidney) has a classic presentation when a kidney stone is being passed.

    • The pain is intense and comes on suddenly.

    • It is usually located in the flank or the side of the mid back and radiates to the groin. Those affected cannot find a comfortable position, and many writhe in pain.

    • This is opposed to non-colicky type pain, like appendicitis or pancreatitis, where movement causes increased pain and affected persons hold very still.

  • Sweating, nausea and vomiting are common.

  • Blood may be visible in the urine because the stone has irritated the ureter. Blood in the urine, however, does not always mean a person has a kidney stone. There may be other reasons for the blood, including kidney and bladder infections, trauma, or tumors. Urinalysis with a microscope may detect blood even if it is not appreciated by the naked eye. Sometimes, if the stone causes complete obstruction, there may be no blood in the urine because it cannot get past the stone.

♥ live for the moments you can't put into words ♥