Pamela Jo Bowman

If you don’t watch SNL then you won’t know who this girl is! Which is probably a good thing.
We love her!

Will the real Gilly please stop tormenting this family?

Gilly? Gilly?

Tinker bell! Can you find Gilly’s shadow? I think she shot it! Don’t know if you have enough pixie dust to make Gilly fly,
but I think someone else is flying high…. Don’t bogart that joint my friend, pass it on over to me!

I won.
The best carved pumpkin.
I really did.

But it didn’t really mean as much because this guy
won most original tool use.

When he got to the mouth he was stumped. Wasn’t sure what to do. I suggested the chain saw.

Was totally ignored!

The kids went to town with their creations.

This year I chose the music. It helped to carve to Led Zeppelin. Why wouldn’t it!

In the end, as you can tell, I won. Size does not matter!

Wisiie's haunted salt and pepper shakers. ?????

Ciera's tribute to Wicked

Chris's tool man

Pamela's Wicked Witch.

The other two entries won consolation prizes. Due to copyright issues we are unable to display their “works of art.” They will be prominently displayed on Saturday barring disintegration. the management also known as THE WINNER!

For a couple of years I have thought about remodeling. We have just been so busy that we couldn’t bring ourselves to take the time to do it. Finally this week we just did it!

And I like it. It isn’t quite finished. I am still trying on different colors, different styles, adding animation and texture. I am a little obsessive, but I like it.
Check it out at reminesse.com . I think it will be worth your time.

Would love to hear what you think. Does it make you feel welcome and inspired? Does it make you want to get busy documenting your life, your moments and your memories? Hope so.

Next week we are back to doing what we love, working, writing and researching. Looking forward to the creative process!

I have been avoiding this season’s T.V. lineup. I don’t care too much for T.V. Mostly it seems like a HUGE waste of time. Having said that, I do read about show premises. This season I read about GLEE. Honestly, I was grudgingly interested, probably because…I can’t sing. Hidden inside is this fantasy about singing and what that must feel like, blah, blah, blah.

My kids, some of my friends, other family members and even business associates are avid followers. Finally, my daughter sat me down, turned on hulu and forced me to watch the first episode. Or maybe it was the second because I have heard about an episode where there was some scenes I might find objectionable. Haven’t encountered them as yet. What I have encountered are some characters that showcase people in my life and I bet yours.

I ponder on certain story lines. And I fear that the predicable will happen, at times it does, but many times I am surprised. I like to be surprised. I love that the characters are familiar, but also are quirky. I love that. Aren’t we all a little quirky? A show that actually embraces our differences and a show that has the courage to be politically irreverent. It really is brilliant in its honesty.

I also like to be inspired. And that is really what the show is doing for me. Inspiring me to go for my dreams and also validating my efforts as I try to encourage others to go for theirs.

Yes, I was up this morning at 6:15 hitting the streets for some exercise. By 8:30 I have the laundry done, the kids off, the house clean and I am ready to work.

It isn’t really about the show. It’s about that the show will go on with or with out me. I think I’d like my quirkiness to show up. How about you?

I will not talk about what happened at the cabin this week. I don’t have to.
Sometimes life has you tied up in knots.

And sometimes you feel like things are just left up in the air.

When those times come up it’s good to know you have friends to hang onto to.

and sometimes friends just need you to hang onto.

Even when you do things a little backwards, they help keep you balanced.

Until you feel you can fly on your own again.

Even when you want to stay awake and savor the moment, sometimes you still hit a wall. Now where is that picture of Jules sleeping? hmmmm. Hitting a wall is not the same as crashing… through a fence is it? Just wondering. Again, not talking about it.

Would someone please enlighten me? PLEASE!

We are driving down the freeway… quickly. I notice many red lights that signal to me that there is a problem ahead. We break and (just for kicks we will refer to the driver as…the driver) the driver begins to maneuver through traffic trying to get ahead of all the other vehicles before we face the stand still (or sit off). My thoughts were something like, “ I hope it isn’t an accident.” And “where are the kids tonight?”

Pretty soon the traffic is stopped. The vehicles are all merging slowly to the right lane. The passenger door on the car in front of us opens and a girl gets out and does a little jig. Windows are down and everyone is sharing their musical choice. There is nothing we can do except wait, be patient and inch along and enjoy the carbon monoxide.

I was wrong, “the driver” has found something to do. Accelerate, brake. He rides the next cars tail gate. This will prevent a car from merging in. Accelerate, brake. Would not want that to happen! We are going to get there first! Accelerate, brake. “There are cars ahead of us that are actually letting in other cars! What idiots! What is going on?” the driver wants to know. “Did you see any signs posted about a highway closure?” “Why is that car letting in those cars?” I do not have the answers to these questions. I also do not know why “the driver” feels compelled to beat all the other drivers. If this is a race I want to know where the finish line is. But experience tells me we are all going to different destinations so how can we really tell who wins?

“She, ( how “the driver” knows the car is driven by a woman is beyond me) has enough space in front of her for five cars! This is my lane! She is letting them in! What a dork!”
Now I try to reason with “the driver”.

“There is nothing you can do, Just relax. Eventually we will all exit the freeway. It doesn’t matter if you do that one car faster or not. Does it?”

Apparently it does.

I wait upon the answers to these and other thought provoking (?)questions.

I thought this month about being my age. Mostly I am ok with it. But this week the reality of how quickly the next 20 years will come and go hit a nerve. Of course my nerves seem a tad rawer lately.

This summer when I tried to pull myself out of the pool… it was more like a beached whale rolling on the deck. I don’t want to pull my knees up and land on them! Refer to raw nerves in earlier comments.

Climbing my stairs, I am winded after 5… stairs. I am also winded after 5 p.m. and 5 a.m. You are thinking… 5 a.m. you are sleeping. My advice? Stop thinking. It shows your age.

I watched some kids jump down from a stage tonight and run through the audience and dance. Then they jumped back onto the stage. I managed to flex a muscle. I smiled… because I imagined another beached whale scenario without the weightless water to assist. Not a pretty site…amusing, but definitely not pretty.

Being my age. Not sure when that happened, but definitely can feel it! 20 years left. More or less. 20 christmas’, 20 birthdays. I can’t really remember what happened during the last 20.

I know I have these 4 pretty fun people that call me Mom. They like to tell stories of my mothering. I don’t always find the stories amusing or accurate, but they do. Why did I take mothering so seriously? Rather egomaniacal. I actually believed that their actions were a reflection on me. HA! No more than my actions should embarrass them! Okay, I do embarrass them. It’s a gift that keeps on giving.

What I know right now and will forget in just a minute is that I really want to make the next 20 years worth remembering.

What I believe is that grandbabies would help.