Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 510

Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here tomorrow to add your link to the party. 

Note-there won't be a Hodgepodge next week (July 5th). The Hodgepodge will return the following week, July 12th. God bless America! 

Now back to today~

1. What's one thing you're excited about in the coming month? 

2. What was your life like when you were ten years old? 

3. What's something from your childhood you still enjoy today? 

4. What state (that you haven't been to) do you most want to visit? Tell us why. 

5. Do you like to drive? Tell us how you learned to drive. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Raindrops on Roses

Back on the blog after a couple of very busy weeks. I did manage to sign up for this year's April A-Z blog challenge, at the eleventh hour but still, I'm in. I'm not going to be too hard on myself if I fall behind, miss a day and need to combine letters, or run past the last day of the month. I know I'll reach letter Z at some point, just maybe not in April. 

Except May is also very busy so I am aiming for April. 

If you have no idea what I'm talking about the A-Z challenge is pretty simple. You blog every day of the week except Sundays in the month of April. Yes I know today is Sunday, but I'm just coming up for air here which means I'm already starting off behind. Like I said... I'll get there. 

When you take Sundays out of the equation in the month of April you're left with 26 days of posting, one for every letter of the alphabet. Your posts can be themed or not and mine are generally very loosely themed. I have been participating every April since 2011 and enjoy the process. 

I can't do deep and heavy right now so I'm going with something fun. Although sometimes my blog has a way of going places I didn't anticipate so I guess anything is possible. 

It's 2022 and 'these are a few of my favorite things'. 
26 things to be exact. 

Here we go-

Day 1-A is for America

America is a bit of a mess these days, isn't she? Originally I thought I might write 26 posts on this word alone, but that feels too hard at the moment so I'll keep it to one letter. Probably. 

I love America. I've lived away from America and I have traveled to many many places around the globe, but America is home. I view the wider world from the lens of this country, for better or worse and honestly it's almost always a bit of both. 

America is not a perfect place, but it is a good place to call home. One of the best in fact, yet it seems lately we're determined to hyper focus our lens on all her imperfections and only her imperfections. Do they exist? Of course! We could make a list right now of all that's wrong with this country, but let' s not. Let's focus the camera for just one minute on what's good and right and hopeful. 

What do I love about America? 

I love her can-do spirit. 

I love her wide open spaces and her too noisy cities. I love her diversity of thought, experience, culture, food, and climate. I love her music, college football, and small town USA. 

I love her many freedoms and the men and women who fight to preserve them. 

I love her natural beauty and her volunteerism. Her history and her modernity. Her compassion and her fortitude. Her southern drawl, New England clam chowder, purple mountains majesty and the way the sun sinks into the Gulf on a warm July night.

I love her optimism. It may be harder to find these days, but step away from the angry rhetoric filling our screens and our news feeds and sometimes even our neighborhoods, and you'll find the extraordinary. Everyday people working hard, loving their families, helping their neighbors, and praying God's blessings on this nation we call home. 

Good Morning Vietnam

We've reached the final week in this year's A-Z Blog Challenge and these last few letters are always a doozie. Here we go-

V is for Valor

Dear Darling Grandboys living on the other side of the world, 

Nana misses you. When we talk via Facetime I want to cry from the missing, but you're so precious and so hilarious I smile instead. You live on the other side of the world because your Daddy is serving his country in the US Army. My daddy served his country too. You never got to know him, but you hear stories about your Poppie and that helps a little. 

In going through some boxes recently at your Mema's house in preparation for her move, your great aunt found a letter I'd written to my Dad (your great-grandfather) when he was in Vietnam. That's on your side of the world but to a not quite nine year old in 1969 it might as well have been the moon.

The letter is written on purple paper and I used four different colored markers to make it feel extra special. Across the top I've written Remember I Love You and I circled it too so he wouldn't forget. 

There are so many things I love about this letter, the first being my question to him asking-'What are you doing over there?' with a follow up ...."I hope you are having a good time." At age nine I did not know or understand the first thing about how war worked and for that I am so very grateful. 

I was telling my brother about the letter and he said that's exactly the kind of letter you want to get when you're fighting a war a world away. One that tells you the ordinary thoughts and doings of your little girl. One that reminds you home is a safe place and love lives there. 

The other thing I absolutely treasure about this letter is my dad kept it. He brought it back home with him when he returned from Vietnam. It was tucked away and this is the first I've seen it in decades. I guess the magic markers were not the only thing that made it special. 

Boys be proud of your homeland. Of America. The small towns and big cities. The natural beauty from coast to coast, her purple mountain majesty and amber waves of grain. 

The peoples so incredibly diverse in their race, religion, thought, and voice. 

The opportunities that abound for anyone willing to work hard. 

The risk takers and the homebodies. The volunteers, the philanthropists, the boy who mows his elderly neighbor's lawn. 

The generosity and unity of spirit we embrace when calamity occurs.

The freedom we have to pray, worship, gather. 

The freedom we have to speak, choose our leaders, be who and what we want to be. 

This is our foundation. It's what those early patriots envisioned when they put pen to paper and birthed a nation that would live on long after they were gone. It's what they gave their life's blood to and for, and what our service men and women have been defending ever since. 

Be proud of the men and women who sacrifice so much to defend the ideals this nation was founded upon. Noble ideals set in motion by imperfect people doing the best they could with what they knew in the times in which they lived. 

Is America a perfect place? No. There are no perfect places. But your country, the US of A, is better than most. She is a nation still growing up, a nation willing to learn from her mistakes, a nation longing to always do better, be better. Be proud of that and know too, how incredibly fortunate you are to be a citizen of the land of the free and the home of the brave. 

When I signed off on my letter to Poppie I told him I couldn't wait until September 29th, the day he would come home. That I was counting the days. Know I am doing the same for you. 

xoxo
Nana

'Merica 2020

Happy July 4th! I know I'm a couple of days late, but it's never too late to mention Independence Day in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

We're still that, in spite of all the messaging out there currently.

I'm a bit weary of it to be honest. Weary of the complaining and the nit picking and the nastiness. The steady stream of fault finding and blame/shame and most of all the thought police who tell us loving our country is wrong.

America is an imperfect place full of imperfect people. She was founded by imperfect people too, people doing what they felt was right given the times in which they lived. Making mistakes, failing in a lot of ways, but also gettting a whole lot right because here we are more than 240+ years later and America still stands, still brims with opportunity, diversity, and a long long list of freedoms so many people around the world can only dream of.

A long time ago, before the internet, television, or even the telephone, courageous men and women envisioned something beautiful and set the wheels in motion to birth a nation.

The wheels are still turning and we're not there yet, but we have come a long long way.

If this country were my children I'd send them to their room to write a list of all the good and hopeful things to be found in America. I'd make them read it every morning as a reminder that gratitude is a habit just like complaining, but it's gratitude that softens hearts while complaining makes us bitter.

Are there things in this nation worthy of real complaint? Absolutely. But those very real issues are lost in the noise and chaos of so much that is not. Somewhere along the way we adopted an 'everybody get out there and change the world and be loud about it' sort of mantra. And p.s. if you're not you don't count.

Maybe we need to stop aiming for the whole world?

This is planet Earth not heaven, and I for one wish we could each strive to bring peace, forgiveness, and kindness to our own little corner of it. America is a beauty. Flawed and free. Pained and  passionate. Imperfect, impatient, strong and generous. She is not just one thing. She is not an either or.

America is a mixed bag of people, emotion, imagination, wit, brains, skill and heart.
'May God shed His grace on Thee....'

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 371

Whew. It has been an exhausting-hard-sad week here in the land I love so going to try to keep this week's questions on the lighter side. Answer on your own blog then pop back here tomorrow to share answers with the world wide webbers. See you there!

1. What's something you could do today to feel more peaceful?

2. June 2nd is National Rotisserie Chicken day. Who knew? Are you a fan of rotisserie chicken? You've purchased one at your local market for tonite's dinner. Will you serve as is or make something else using the chicken?

3. I read a list recently (go here to read more) of 20 of the most beautiful places in America. How many of these have you seen up close and in person? Of the sites on this list that you haven't seen, which would you most like to see?

Antelope Canyon Arizona, Kenai Fjords Alaska, White Mountains New Hampshire, Crater Lake Oregon, The Palouse Washington and Idaho, Grand Prismatic Spring Wyoming, Multnomah Falls and Columbia River Gorge Oregon, Horsehoe Bend Arizona, Na Pali Coast Kauai Hawaii, Antelope Valley California, Lake Tahoe California, The Berkshires Massachussets, Maroon Bells Colorado, Angel Oak South Carolina, Acadia National Park Maine, Grand Teton National Park Wyoming, Turnip Rock Michigan, Central Park New York City, Niagara Falls New York, and Skagit Valley Tulip Fields Washington

4. What's one pretty spot you'd add to the list in question #3? Are there travel plans of any kind on your calendar right now? Does that make you happy, anxious, excited, sad, or relieved?

5. Tell us one un-COVID related thing you're looking forward to in the month of June.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Thoughts From A Church Pew

Good Morning! And happy Thanksgiving to you all! I love this holiday perhaps more than any other because it feels good to stop and smell the roses, count your blessings, and let a meal wing you back to the memory of childhood dinners on the good china.

A week and a half ago I sat beside my daughter in a church pew on a military base in South Korea. I looked around my seat at the (mostly young) men and women, the newlyweds and the single folks, the families with young children, some with a baby on the way, those who left family on the other side of the world for one reason or another, and I felt so much love for these people who I don't even know, that I wanted to cry.

I listened as the pastor reminded everyone there were sign up sheets out for Thanksgiving dinner, people opening up their homes to share a meal with singles who might want a home cooked plate of turkey and dressing or families who want a full table on this day of gratitude, and I thought this is America. Right here.

I thought about life back in the states, about all the angry noisy noise and how our all day news and our 'friendly' social media feeds and our television screens are filled with so very many complaining about so very
much.

We have that luxury in the land of the free and in 2019 we've run with it full throttle.

Someone said something I don't like. 

They need to be verbally assaulted, eviscerated, labeled. 

Someone is going to give a speech on my college campus and I already know I don't like or agree with anything they will say-think-feel so they should be protested, banned, their every sin laid bare. 

Every little thing an emotional trigger for somebody somewhere.

Me Me Me 

Meanwhile, on a military base in S. Korea young men and women get on with things. They rise at dawn as the trumpet blows. No calling in sick, no skipping class or an assignment, no tweeting their outrage and discontent from the warmth and comfort of a 60K a year dorm room paid for by parents or exorbitant student loans.

They get up and put on a uniform. They head out to pt because there is value in being both mentally and physically fit. They do their jobs, large and small, the seemingly menial and the obviously meaningful because it takes all kinds to make the world go round.

They grow in ways they didn't expect and develop the sort of skills and character traits America was built on...self-discipline, adaptability, patience, courage, selflessness.

As I sit down at the table with family today I will say a prayer of thanksgiving for our military men and women. They can't jump in the car and go to mama's for the weekend, in fact here in S. Korea most don't even have cars.

Or packages delivered to their door 24 hours after hitting purchase.

Or their favorite television shows, favorite stores and restaurants, or a million other things we take for granted every single day.

Some are homesick for America and go to bed tired from the mental energy it takes to live an ordinary day in a foreign country, base or no base.

But these soldiers are tough and resourceful and optimistic and they will find a way to mark the holiday. It won't be grandma's homemade rolls on the table or watching the game with dad, but it will still be a day of giving thanks.

And while we're giving thanks let's also remember the young wife married just a month before moving around the world, far from the only hometown she's ever known. And the mama with a just turned one year old who has yet to meet his grandparents in person because 7000+ miles is just not that easy or affordable to arrange.

Think of the aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, best friends, missing their soldier today and every day.

Think of all we have at our fingertips here in the USA and be grateful without any buts! attached.

Vow to hit pause before hitting send-publish-share on words that do nothing in the way of adding peace to this land we love.

Hug the people you're with knowing there's a mama somewhere who would love to do the same but who settles for FaceTime and phone calls squeezed in around upside down time zones.

May your Thanksgiving day be blessed!

Hodgepodge in the USA

Welcome to the Hodgepodge on this first day of July. Are you in summer mode yet, or like me still trying to figure out how it got to be July? You know the drill here-answer the questions on your own blog, then jump back over to add your link at the end of my post. Be sure to at least say hi to the blogger who linked before you, because that's the neighborly thing to do. Here we go-

1. On Saturday July 4th America celebrates her Independence (If you're not American,  feel free to answer in terms of a national holiday in your own country) What is your favorite thing about the day? Your favorite food on the 4th? Do you fly a flag at your house? Fireworks-yay or nay? Any special plans this year?

I love the 4th, and probably my favorite thing about the day is the patriotic pride on display in the form of flags flying, tiny town parades, and children and adults alike dressed in red, white and blue. We definitely fly the flag at our house, and my favorite food on the 4th would be red ripe watermelon. Fireworks are a must. We don't have firm plans this year, but whatever we do we'll end the day watching fireworks from the deck in my brother's back yard...prime viewing for their small town's spectacle.

2. What's something  you recently got for free?

Besides advice? I guess it would be the scoop of frozen yogurt my pup was treated to when hubs, my mom, and I went for ice cream last week.

3. The Statue of Liberty, The Liberty Bell, The Washington Monument, or Mount Rushmore...how many on the list have you seen? What is your favorite historical American monument, and why?

I've seen three of the four listed, never been to Mount Rushmore although I'd like to someday. Of the four my favorite is probably The Liberty Bell. I love the history associated with the city of Philadelphia and the story of our nation's early days.  

4. When it comes to the news are you more ostrich (stick my head in the sand) or hog (they have room to take a whole lot in)? How much attention have you given the recent news reports regarding ISIS and the acts of terror they've perpetrated against those who do not share their beliefs or support their cause.

I'm probably somewhere in between, but I've certainly been paying attention to the stories mentioned. I think Americans are so easily distracted by things that don't matter in the long run. I wish we could focus more on the atrocities being perpetrated against Christians, and a little less on Bruce Caitlyn Jenner et. al. I'm not in the mood to rant today so I'll leave it at that.

5. We're talking plain ice cream...vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry? Choose one.

It really depends on my mood and whether or not the ice cream is homemade. If it's homemade then give me good old plain vanilla. 

6. Share a song you love containing the word 'stars' in the lyrics or title.

He's Everything to Me 

Some of the best lyrics ever written. 'In the stars His handiwork I see, On the wind He speaks with majesty, Tho he ruleth over land and sea, what is that to me? Till by faith I met Him face to face...and I felt the wonder of His grace...then I knew that He was more than just a God who didn't care, who lived a way out there and...' 

7. Describe and/or say goodbye to June with an acrostic.

Just a whole lot of rigmarole

Unloading boxes, cars, houses, suitcases

New location and never ending paperwork

Eager to get started on the next phase of our home build. 

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Sunday hubs and I met my sister, brother-in-law, and nephew at the Tall Ships Festival on the Camden waterfront. There were ships on both sides of the river, but we parked on the NJ side since that seemed simplest.

One word- crow.ded. The festival was essentially rained out on Saturday, so the whole world decided to turn up Sunday. 

We spent a big chunk of the day standing in line, but the weather was delightful and it was fun hanging out beside the water. Also, stepping below deck on one of the Tall Ships confirmed for me the fact that I was not born for a life spent at sea. 

Monday was a picture perfect day, so my brother and sister-in-law invited us over for a swim and BBQ. We had more paperwork to tend to in the morning, but the rest of the day was spent relaxing beside the pool and sitting in the cool breeze on their back deck while the moon showed off. We decided Monday's weather was going to be included in the top ten days of summer. 

Not a bad way to wrap up a crazy-busy June. 

Not Quite Spring Hodgepodge

Welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge! If you've played along this week, add your link at the end of my post before you run off into the sunshine.  And please go say hi to the blogger who linked before you because we're friendly here.  

1. What's the first image that comes to mind when you hear the word 'spring'? Which phrase best describes the season of spring where you live right now (today)-sprung!, almost there, or still waiting?

When I think of spring I think of crocus peeking through the snow, the fabulous way it feels to leave the house with just a light jacket as opposed to a parka, gloves, and muffler, daylight lasting a minute or two longer every day, and hope. Spring always feels so full of promise. 

As far as the season here currently? Pretty much still waiting. We're having warmer temperatures this week, but it's still not spring. We have literal mountains of snow all around, and not a speck of color anywhere. I did hear a bird singing when I took the rubbish out to the curb this week, and I noticed. I stopped and listened and it made my heart happy. 

2. Bed, couch, stapler, garage door, computer mouse, recliner, flashlight, door knob...which household item containing springs most needs replacing in your home? Speaking of springs...dis you ever own a slinky?

We have a doorknob in our house that I'd like to replace. It works, but is just one of those things I'd like to replace. When your house is for sale that's exactly the sort of thing that gets done too. 

3. March is Women's History Month. Share a favorite quote by a woman.

"Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God." Corrie ten Boom  

4. What's a question that looms large in your mind right now?

What's next? I'm sure I'll have more to say about this, but in the meantime, see #3. 

5. Are you a sugar freak? By that I mean how much do you love sugar? With all the bad press sugar gets these days, have you made any efforts to reduce the amount of sugar you consume?

Not gonna lie... I have a sweet tooth. I don't feel like the word 'freak' applies, but I do enjoy a sweet treat now and then. Everything in moderation, right? I don't drink soda, don't add sugar to my coffee or tea, and I don't snack on cookies or candy on a regular basis.  

I'm a little bit discriminating when it comes to my sugar calories, and mostly indulge if I'm in a restaurant or I'm having dinner in someone's home where a fabulous home baked something is offered. I am the person who upon being seated and handed a menu looks at dessert first. 

I'm not tempted by store bought ice cream, pre-packaged goodies like Little Debbie cakes, or even dessert for dessert's sake. I am tempted by a wonderful home baked pie, cake or cookie, anything from a bakery in Paris, and some of my favorite restaurants dessert menus. 

6. Would you rather have less work to do or more work you enjoy doing?

I'm not currently feeling overworked, so I think more work I enjoy doing. In my opinion one of the biggest challenges in this season of 'empty-nesting' is figuring out where to invest my energy. 

7. Ever been to Texas? Of the top ten Texas tourist attractions which would you most like to see-The Alamo, The San Antonio River Walk, The State Capital, Dallas World Aquarium, Padre Island National Seashore, Houston Space Center, Schlitterbahn Waterpark in New Braunfels, Six Flags Fiesta Texas, Moody Gardens, or Galveston Island?

I made a flight connection in Dallas one time, and I've been to Houston, but I think that's the extent of my Texas travels. Hubs and I will be near Austin for a wedding this month, so maybe I'll get a glimpse of the capital. 

Of the sites listed I think I'd like to see Galveston Island, mostly because I always loved the Glenn Campbell song. I know that isn't logical, but it's the first thing I thought of when I read this list. The other site I'd like to see is the Padre Island National Seashore. The longest stretch of undeveloped barrier island in the world, which sounds like something worth seeing. 

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Today is my mother-in-law's birthday, which gives me an excuse to post another picture from the wedding collection. 

Happy birthday to my very young-at-heart mother in law! 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 211

Grrr...it's the first week of March. Time for snow, ice, and the Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then come back tomorrow to add your link to the party.  See you there! 

1. 'In like a lion, out like a lamb'...does the first part of this saying describing March weather ring true  where you live? 

2. March 4th is National Grammar Day. What common grammatical error bothers you the most? 

3. William Arthur Ward says- 'The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.' Which one are you?

4. What's something you need to 'march forth and conquer' this month?

5. An ongoing debate around here...do you dust first, then vacuum or vacuum first, then dust? Of the two routine household chores, which do you dislike the least? How's that for wording? 

6. According to thrilllist.com, the ten most photographed sites in the U.S.A. are- Cinderella's Castle in Orlando, Southernmost House in Key West Florida, The Space Needle in Seattle, The Site of the Boston Massacre in Boston, The Bellagio Lake/fountains in Las Vegas, The Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC, Coit Tower in San Fransisco, The Art Institute of Chicago, Niagara Falls, and snagging the number one spot-The Guggenheim Museum in New York City. 

How many on this list have you photographed? Which on the list would you most like to visit and photograph?

7. Fifty years ago Monday (March 2, 1965) The Sound of Music premiered at the Rivoli Theatre in NYC. Have you seen the film? Do you own a copy? On a scale of 1-10 how much do you love it (or not)? Ten=best movie ever. If you're a fan, what's your favorite scene or song from the movie? 

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Three Cheers for the Red, White, and Hodgepodge

Welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge! Please add your link here, only if you're participating in the Hodgepodge! Wishing everyone a safe and happy 4th of July!

Here we go-

1. Speaking of 180...when was the last time you 'did a 180' on something?

Winter weddings.

It's not that I had anything against a winter wedding, its just I always imagined my summer girl would get married in warm weather.  As we were trying to pin down a date I prayed God would wrestle the calendar from my tightly held grip and take command of the calendar. Daughter1 and her groom will have a winter wedding, and I am absolutely loving all the possibilities. 

I love the elegance and  the twinkle lights and the no humidity and the fact that its less common so feels a little bit original and so much more. At one point we thought we might have to push the date out to next summer, and I was actually disappointed to think about giving up the winter theme. So glad it all worked out to keep it there!

2.  It's Independence week in the US of A! What's your favorite thing about America right this very minute? Favorites only! Let's hear what you love about America!

'The mountains, and the prairies, and the oceans white with foam....'

3. Stars or stripes? Red, white, or blue? Watermelon, homemade vanilla ice cream, or blueberry pie?

All of the above. 

Okay, I'll play along...stripes if we're talking clothing, but stars if we're talking Christmas-ha! 

Navy blue. 

Watermelon, but I wouldn't turn down any of those last three!

4. When did you last see stars, figuratively speaking?

I think the expression is normally associated with a bonk to the head and thankfully I haven't done that in quite a while.

5. 'Clear as a bell', 'with bells on', 'lots of bells and whistles', 'saved by the bell'...which phrase 'rings' truest for you lately? Have you ever seen The Liberty Bell?

Hmmm...these type questions always tax the brain a little, don't they? I'm going with 'lots of bells and whistles' which is loosely defined as things not necessary, but that make something more exciting. 

We're deep into the wedding planning round here, and really the only thing necessary is a bride, groom, and officiant, right? Except we want lots of bells and whistles! 

Not literally, but details help make the day more memorable I think, and they're the fun part of the planning. 

6. Are you caught up in World Cup Fever? Have you watched a lot, a little or none at all?

Definitely! I don't always find 'futbol' exciting to watch, but there have been so many last second wins (and losses, sigh) in this series it has been fun tuning in. We became real fans living in the UK, plus Team USA's star (Clint Dempsey) went to the same small uni as my girls, so we love rooting for him to do well. Such a tough loss yesterday!

7.  Bid farewell to June in ten words or less.

Over already? Huh? Wait, what? It's July???

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."~ Thomas Paine

Hodgepodge Mayhem

Welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge on this merry day in May! Add your link (Hodgepodge answers only please!) to the end of my post, and then go spread some Hodgepodge cheer to your neighbors.  Here we go-

1. It's still May, right? When were you last in the middle of something that might be described as mayhem?

April 26th, Newark Airport. How's that for specific? Terminal A is where most of the regional flights arrive and depart, and it quite often feels like chaos. The gate section of the terminal is circular in design, so there are always a lot of people everywhere. On this particular date, nearly every outbound afternoon flight was delayed and not just a little bit. Mayhem.  

2. When did you last feel dismayed?

Pretty much any time I listen to the news. The media...politicians...the combination of the two...fallout from the aforementioned shenanigans on social media and the nastiness that sometimes ensues. Dismayed feels like exactly the right word.

3. What's a food combination you like, but other people may find strange?

I don't think I have strange food combinations, but as a child I liked ketchup on my rice. Shudder!

4. "It is never too late to be what you might have been." Do you think that's true? Why or why not?

In general, yes I think it's true. Not in absolutely all things (childbirth for instance), but in most things.  If there's something you've always wanted to do or be, then absolutely- go do and be. 

I will add here, that I think its easier to give that advice to some other person than to follow it yourself.  

Dear self-see #4. 

5. US News and World Report listed the best historic destinations in the US as follows-Washington DC, Philadelphia PA, Williamsburg VA, Charleston SC, Boston MA, Richmond VA, Savannah GA, Santa Fe NM, Yellowstone, San Antonio TX, San Francisco CA, New Orleans LA, and Charlottesville VA. 

Of those listed how many have you seen in person? Which two sites on the list would you most like to see in person?

How many have I seen in person? Quite a lot actually. I grew up on the NJ side of Philadelphia so that city is home to me. We spent nine years living on the Maryland side of DC so that also feels like home to me. When we were newlyweds hubs and I moved to Richmond Virginia so that city was also home for a time. 

Home is a complicated thing when you're me. How about the historic destinations on that list I haven't seen in person?

Yellowstone, San Antonio, San Francisco, and New Orleans.  Of the four I most want to see Yellowstone and San Francisco in person. 

6. May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month. If you had to participate in a single fitness activity for the next half hour, which activity would you choose?

I am loving boot camp, so I'd probably choose that. If you'd told me a year ago that would be my answer I would have laughed.  Hey-it's never too late to be what you might have been! 

7. What did you like best about the city, town, or neighborhood where you grew up?

My mom and I were talking about this over the weekend, since I was in the neighborhood for Mother's Day. We both agreed it was a wonderful place to raise a family, a sweet place to grow into adulthood.  I started to list the reasons why, but remembered I wrote a post on this back in my early days of blogging.  If you're interested click the link-  My Very Own Wonder Years

Of course you're interested!  

8. Insert your own random thought here.

My girls spoiled me with sweet gifts this Mother's Day. They bought me a really cute new beach bag and two new beach towels. I'm still using towels that say American Girl so am more than a little bit overdo for new beach towels. 

The bag features my signature color which apparently is orange. I didn't know for sure I had a signature color until recently, but I do, and it's orange. My girls are laughing. They would say I've always had a signature color, I was just the last to know. 

The bag is insulated on one side, so you can put drinks or snacks or aloe in there to stay cool. I love it! 

They also got me this water pitcher which I absolutely love. It's shaped like a fish, and is called a gurgle pitcher because when you pour from it, the pitcher gurgles. Like a fish. Too cute! And you can never go wrong with pretty pottery.

That being said, the best gifts I received came in the form of words. I like words. Words are my love language, and my daughters know this. I like reading them and writing them. I like cards and notes and letters. Pretty stationery, post it notes, hearts spilled onto a page and shared. 

This year both my girls wrote such sweet posts on their blogs. They knew this would be a gift I'd treasure, and I do. Their words made my heart happy in a way a wrapped gift cannot. 

Even if that wrapped gift is pottery or something in my signature color. 

Falling Into the Hodgepodge

Welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge! Add your link at the end of my post and then be a good neighbor and go say hi to the bloggers linking around you. Here are my answers-

1. What's one thing that's still the same about you as when you were young?

Two things came immediately to mind...a) I'm an eternal optimist, always have been, always will be, and b) if an airplane, boat, or amusement park ride are on the agenda I'll be needing that Dramamine.  

2. What's more important-history or science?  Why?

It's a tough call.  I think most disciplines are interconnected, but if I'm forced to choose I'll say history. Science is powerful, but history is what helps us use that power wisely.    

3. Lima, kidney, string, garbanzo, black, or pinto-your favorite bean?

I like all beans, but string (green) beans are my favorite. 

4. What's something people come to your town to do?

Hmmm...not a lot happening in our little town. You kinda need to go somewhere else if you actually want to do things.  There's a lake, but you can't just pull up and dump your boat in.  You might come here to sit by the lake, get an ice cream cone, or watch the water ski team practice or perform. 

5. When was the last time you were in a meeting? Sum it up for us in five words or less.

As it happens a meeting is happening at my house this morning, but since I answer the HP on Tuesday and the meeting is on Wednesday I can't summarize.  

Did that sentence make you feel like you'd stepped into some kind of time warp?  

I was in a meeting of sorts yesterday (and by yesterday I do mean Tuesday)-my women's bible study.  Does that count?  Since I make the rules I'm going to say yes, it definitely counts.  To summarize-

I'm loving the story of Ruth. 

I realize that's six words, but I needed every single one.  Is anyone surprised that my five word answer is now paragraphs long?  

6. What special event would you like a VIP pass to attend?

The Olympics, Wimbledon, or a concert by one of my favorite bands.  

7. What's one piece of advice you'd give a writer?

Use your own voice.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Have you seen this video of the Star Spangled Banner that's been making it's way around various sites? I normally hate it when a singer messes with the anthem in any way, shape, or form, but I have to say I love their rock and roll version of the song. 

I went to their website to see what else they do, and they talk about loving America which is kind of refreshing. They perform at a lot of veterans events, and it turns out they're local boys. Hubs and I might have to check them out in person one of these days.  

Born in the USA

Dear Daughters (and any other 20-somethings who happen to be reading here)...

It's an election year in the US of A and I feel like there are some things I want to say to you before November rolls around. And another November in four years and all the Novembers ever after.

The dialogue in America when it comes to all things political (and everything is political in 2012) can best be described as coarse. Don't let the tone discourage you from participating in a process that is your right and a privilege still denied to many all around this world.

When I was growing up we got our news mostly from the three main television channels and the local newspapers. Anchormen and reporters had opinions and political inclinations but the news was presented in a mostly straightforward manner, leaving the listener to form his/her own opinion. That's not the case anymore which is why I encourage you to seek out the truth for yourselves.

If you want to know how a candidate feels on a particular issue, read what they've written in their own words. All of them. Unedited and un-spun. See how they've voted in the past and what experience they bring to the table. Go to the source-their own books, websites and speeches. Read these words in their entirety and in context, not slashed and tweaked and sensationalized in a way the speaker didn't intend just to invoke outrage or create the illusion of scandal where scandal doesn't exist. If you see an ad that's far-fetched or hear the media try to spin something in a way that sounds ridiculous and unbelievable then it probably is.

Avoid bandwagons. You have a brain so use it. Think for yourself. So much of the mess our nation finds itself in right now is of our own making. Expecting something for nothing. The urgent need to keep up with the Joneses, no matter that the Joneses make 10x the salary. A sense that life must be fair and everyone should have the same everything whether they've earned it or not.

No matter what happens down the road always, always work hard. Follow our example, not that of Washington -don't spend more than you earn. There will be things you want in this life-expect to work for them and trust me when I say you'll appreciate them more so for the working.

Learn to save, and sometimes to sacrifice in the immediate for something better in the long term. I realize this is counter to the message our culture spews out at every turn, but I hope you'll be smart and swim against the current here. If you can't afford to pay for cable television, a day at the beach, or a Starbucks latte on your way to work then don't. It's not the end of the world. Food, shelter, and clothes on your back are necessities. 300 channels and a $4 coffee drink every day are not.

Plan for your future and don't assume the future will take care of itself. Planning and saving, and not spending every dime you earn, opens the door to something wonderful in your life. The gift of generosity.

Be generous. Support those people and charities closest to your heart, whether it's an orphaned child through World Vision, teenagers navigating adolescence in a Young Life club, or a cancer research doctor trying to end leukemia. I believe God gives each of us a heart for something so listen to yours and invest your money, time, and talents where you feel His prompting. When you give you get, in ways that cannot be measured by net worth or the bottom line.

Be informed...listen to the news or read it online or whatever the next wave of technology allows, but do it in small doses. Take time to mull over what you hear and decide for yourself if it makes sense. When you listen to a lot of news it's easy to feel discouraged and adopt an attitude of 'what's the point', but there's still a point. When I look at you I see intelligence and compassion. I see big dreams and youthful energy. Don't let the world (or an actor, rap artist, or political pundit) tell you what's important. You know what's important.

Finally, don't whine. Nothing is more tiresome than an over privileged nation that does nothing but complain, so don't add to the noise that fills our television screens, our subway cars, our too long lines at the DMV. Instead, smile at the world you encounter every day. We know first hand that life is a gift and time is precious. Listen more and talk less. Be honest, but kind.

Our country could use a little more optimism...don't let the 24/7-ness of the online world make you numb or jaded. America is not just a plot of land. She's people and ideals and principles, and she needs your tender loving care.

An X-tra special post

That might not be quite true...isn't every post here special?

Regardless, I wanted to write a little bit more about our trip to Normandy and I figured letter X would be a good time to do that. If you missed part one you'll find it here.

X is for X-tra special

There is so much to see and do in the Normandy region of France.

Much of it centers on the WW2 sites and I'll get back to that in a minute but one side trip we took that we all enjoyed was to the little town of Bayeux.

There is something quite famous known as The Bayeux Tapestry. The whole time we were en route to Bayeux hubs and my brother in law kept saying things like-

We're doing what?

We're driving an hour to stand in a queue to go see a tapestry?

Isn't that like needlepoint?

Seriously?

Whyyyyyyyy?

But we ladies who had done our pre-trip homework knew that this was most definitely something to see. The tapestry illustrates the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England in 1066. Legend says the tapestry was made by Reine Mathilde, the wife of William the Conqueror but it's more likely the tapestry was designed and woven in England. The tapestry hangs in a museum in the town center but its original home was the huge Gothic Cathedral Notre-Dame de Bayeux.

This all might sound so very very dull but it is absolutely fascinating. Even the boys agreed. The tapestry is about 230 feet long and took approximately ten years to complete. After viewing the tapestry I felt like I finally understood the chronology and characters who were key to the conquest. Let me just add that William the Conqueror and the Battle of 1066, while very very old, are still talked about pretty darn often as you travel around the UK and France. Its good to understand what all the fuss was about. Plus the town of Bayeux is so old France.

It's in the Calvados region which is also pretty well known for something else...Calvados Brandy.

Tastes like apples.

Tipsy apples but apples nonetheless.

I want to talk about the American Cemetery in Normandy before I wrap this up.

(This photo is a postcard and no credit is listed)

Really, what words does one use to describe a sight such as this or the feelings that wash over you as you stand high on a bluff overlooking a beach called Omaha? There is no looking away...no matter where you turn your eyes they will land on a row of white crosses which mark the final resting place of over 9,000 American servicemen and women. The American Cemetery at Normandy is 172 acres and free use as a permanent burial ground was granted by the government of France 'in perpetuity without charge or taxation.'

That means forever.

There is an area in the cemetery known as The Garden of the Missing where the names of over 1500 soldiers who gave their lives in the region but whose remains were never recovered or positively identified are engraved on stone tables.

The six of us walked in silence thru the cemetery and after a few minutes we met at the intersection of a row of graves.

A row like every other row.

Row upon row upon row.

We talked quietly and were commenting particularly on the age of some of these brave boys.

We looked down at the cross that happened to be in front of us.

We couldn't believe it.

The cross marked the grave of the young man from Utah whose letter we'd read that very first day in the museum at Caen. It was a distinctive name and town so there was no mistake.

Of all the graves in the cemetery we had come to stand before his.

One grave among thousands.

He didn't feel like a nameless faceless soldier.

We'd read his words, so poignantly written before he died.

We 'knew' him.

Or at least it felt like we did.

He was someone's precious son, a young bride's beloved husband.

A boy who went to war and had plans to come home and work the family farm...to raise a family of his own.

A boy whose life took a different turn.

Bravery and courage and patriotism are not just words.

They are words that require action.

Frankly I think every American should plant their feet on the soil in this cemetery for a day.

Acknowledge the sacrifice.

Let politics and rhetoric and protests fall away.

The land we live in that is so truly free might be a very different place were it not for the farm boy from Utah and all those many other sons and husbands and brothers who lay beside him in this place of unspeakable beauty and peace.

"Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point."

C.S. Lewis

This post was originally part of the 2011 A-Z April blog challenge.

Take off your rainbow shades...

Switching continents for today's A-Z challenge post...

time to touch base with the good ole' US of A.

S is for Sedona

or Scottsdale...take your pick.

In a sense I think choosing a topic for the letter S was almost harder than some of the tricky letters still to come. Those tricky letters don't give you too many options but with the letter S the possibilities are endless.

I met hubs and some of his work colleagues/friends out in Scottsdale Arizona one December for a few days of R and R following a sales meeting. Hubs says every day is R and R when you're me, but I digress. I love the landscape out west so we're talking Arizona today.

Did anybody out there get my post title?

If you were born after 1980 forget it.

Unless of course you are one of my children and you've grown up knowing all the words to the music of the 1970's. The song has nothing to do with the state but is actually about a hippie girl named Arizona. As my daughter pointed out, it doesn't matter what the song is about because I only sing the chorus.

I've been out west before...in fact, both of my parents were from 'out west', not Arizona but nearby states, and I lived in one of those states as a toddler. We made a few trips west when I was growing up too, to visit grandparents and cousins and I love the big sky and the mountains and the red rock.

Arizona in December was nice because it was warm during the day and cool in the evenings.

I do talk excessively about the weather, don't I?

This trip was eleven years ago yet here I am recalling the temperature.

Great weather can mean the difference between a great trip and a not so great trip ya know!

We were staying in Scottsdale but spent a day in Sedona and I thought it was beautiful.

On the way to Sedona we made a stop at Montezuma's Castle which is perched right into the side of a cliff. This amazing five story stone cliff dwelling at one time had about 20 rooms and as many as 50 people living inside. It was carved right into the limestone on a high cliff and you needed a series of ladders to reach it.

Just look at the color of that sky.

I read later that visitors used to be able to actually climb up there but that ended in 1950 due to extensive damage. Thank goodness because hubs, aka the mountain goat, would have been all over that. The 'castle' and area around it were declared a US National Monument back in the early 1900's and it is definitely worth a stop if you're in the area.

Once we got to Sedona we had a wonderful lunch at a restaurant called L'Auberge. L'Auberge is a luxury hotel in the desert and is a place I'd love to return to spend a weekend in one of their cabins on the creek. The setting is gorgeous.

We wandered around town and later took a jeep tour so we could get a closer look at some of the amazing rock formations.

The color is not like anything you see on the East Coast.

Most of them had names based on what they resemble and we might have had fun coming up with names of our own.

How would you like to go to church here?

This is the Chapel of the Holy Cross, a Catholic church that rises two hundred feet high in the red rocks. I don't think any regular services are held here but, the view...I am all about the view.

And the weather, but especially the view.

Would you look at that blue sky?

Another fun thing we did while in Arizona was a trail ride.

Hubs is always disappointed if they don't let him canter.

Once on a holiday in St. Lucia (see, there's another S) they let you run your horse across the beach if you wanted. They did not have to ask him twice.

Arizona looks nothing like St. Lucia.

I love all the cactus.

fyi-we do not have cactus growing in NJ.

They like it dry don't they?

Our guide was an adorable little cowgirl who warned us to keep an eye out for snakes...might make the horses skittish.

Okay.

If you live out west do you ever stop noticing the sky?

We trekked up Camelback Mountain while we were in Scottsdale.

It was warm and we were not really dressed appropriately because I had a fleece on when we started out and was broiling by the time we made it back down.

It's actually a pretty good climb.

Do you see the teeny tiny blue speck in the middle of the bottom of the mountain?

That's a person.

She changed her mind about going any higher.

Changing your mind isn't an option when you're with the hubs.

Most of my A-Z posts have been focused on Europe because that's where we've spent most of our life and travel time in recent years. The more you travel the more you realize just how much there is to see in this world and how little you'll manage to get to in your lifetime.

Travel broadens your view of the world and of your own back yard. It connects you to people you'd probably never connect with in the course of an ordinary day. It makes you think. It makes you appreciative of the place you call home while simultaneously making you long for the places you've never been.

America is a beautiful country and its geography is so diverse from coast to coast. Each part of this great land offers something different in the way of food, language, custom, and natural beauty.

And I would like to see it all.

The Art of Coming Home

Did you know it was an art? Do you even know what I’m talking about? Isn’t this home? Should returning to the country of your birth ever need to be anything more than a tiny blip on the radar that is life? Did you have any idea that people of all ages and nations and walks of life have been studied and whole books have been written in order to better understand the phenomenon known as reverse culture shock? I’ve been reading one such book, which is aptly entitled, The Art of Coming Home by Craig Storti (don't know him, not doing any kind of review, yadda yadda yadda...just reading a book).

This concept of reverse culture shock is something I've wanted to write about on my blog for a while now, mostly because it’s a topic that consumes much of my thinking. I’m more or less in the throes of it…I’m up, I’m down, I love it here, I miss it there, I wish I could see/do/be xyz here, I don’t miss that about there, I cry and wring my hands in frustration, won’t someone understand… I go hours or days without life there even entering my thoughts at all… but wait, that's no good…I want it to stay fresh in my head…no, it needs to fade…who am I now… how do I take what I learned about myself and people and differences and life and make it fit here…where do I belong and how do I balance memory and reality?

There is a problem though in writing about all of this in a forum such as blogland, or for that matter anywhere outside of the expatriate community, and that is this: at the very core of 'coming home' is the undeniable fact that people don't really care. I’m truly not being critical here, just keeping things real. It’s a bit of, "So what's the big deal? You were here, you moved overseas for a while, blah blah blah, and now you're back.... where you belong. Home.”

Do you know how many times I've heard those words...here... home... where you belong? The thing is we're not really feeling it. Not yet anyway. We will I’ve been told but at the moment not so much. I'm sure a few of you are rolling your eyes as you read this thinking, ‘My goodness, will she just get on with life already???” That's an honest reaction and I understand it. Recently the welcome wagon lady stopped by my house. She stayed for almost 2 hours and I’m pretty sure I mentioned we'd just moved back to the states after 6 years overseas but what she really wanted to talk about was...herself. Her reaction to me was pretty much the reaction I get from almost everybody when I mention that we're new... ‘Wow, London, that's nice...so anyway back to me’. A slight exaggeration but I think you know what I mean. We're all very much about our own stuff...our own little corner of the world, what's going on inside our own house and particularly what is going on inside our own head. Perhaps this reaction is a blessing in that it is what helps me move on, to look forward, to be in this moment and not moments past.

It’s a high wire act I find myself walking most days. I want to feel settled and at home here, in this place, this town, my country, but in doing so I don’t want to let go of a single thing that has been added to my life in the past six years. A friend who also lived in the UK for six years but has been back in the states for seven years now recently said to me, “Sometimes I forget I ever lived there. Like those years never happened.” Is that feeling inevitable? Oh I really hope not. How exactly do I embrace the new without letting go of the old?

I started my blog back in January. We’d been told since the previous June that we would be repatriating in the next few months and it was just after Christmas that the time frame seemed to come together. I knew then that I would be overwhelmed by my own thoughts and feelings and I started blogging to capture that in some way, to put some of those thoughts and feelings in writing so they wouldn’t keep me awake at night. I wrote about what I expected to feel as we made our way back across the pond. Now I’m feeling it and I want to write about that too. Perhaps this post reads like one great big giant whine but I assure you that is not the case at all. My heart is in fact feeling very full…full of gratitude and sweet memory and hope for the future. A future where memory and reality are blended in equal parts…where I smile at the old and welcome the new….where home is where I am and the rest is in my heart.