Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 267

It's that time again...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. See you there! 

1. How should success be measured? Using that as your standard, who is the most successful person you know? (Or one of the most successful?) 

2. Have you ever been to a hot air balloon launch/fest/party? Ever taken a ride in a hot air balloon? Is that on your bucket list? According to Frommers the ten best hot air balloon adventures in the world are-

Loire Valley (France), the Serengeti (Tanzania), Napa Valley (California), Lake Champlain (Vermont), Cappadocia (Turkey), Istria (Croatia), Gstaad (Switzerland), Yarra Valley (Australia), Muelle (Costa Rica), and Albuquerque (New Mexico). 

Which one on the list would you most like to experience? 

3. May 25th is National Brown-Bag It Day. Did you/will you pack a lunch today? When did you last pack a lunch for someone and what are your go-to ingredients for a brown bag lunch?

4. What's one of your favorite dance scenes from a movie or television show? 

5. John F. Kennedy made famous the line, '...Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." So what can you do for your country?

6. Weekends are made for __________________________________.

7. On this last Wednesday of the month, bid farewell to the month of May in seven words or less. 

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Rock n' Romance-Wedding Post 7

Let's talk music. It's a snow day round here, so why not? One thing has nothing to do with the other, but I'm housebound and still need to wrap up some of the reception details, so let's.

And by details I mean the band. THE BAND!!

When it comes to music and wedding receptions there are essentially two options. You can hire a D.J. or you can hire a band. Some venues require clients to use their D.J. services, but since ours was 'a la carte' we had choices, and we knew we wanted a band.

Hubs and the bride know and love their music. My hubs is one of those people who can tell you a song title, singer, and year of release, almost before the first full note is played. Daughter1 is the same, and since their musical tastes are happily similar, finding the band was a job I left in their capable hands.

I'm not gonna lie...deciding on which band to hire was a teensy bit stressful. There are a couple of reasons for this stress, one being hubs and his girl both had very specific ideas about how the band would sound, what songs they would play, and most especially, what songs they would NOT play.

In addition to their precise requirements, if you haven't actually seen the bands you're considering in person, then you're making a judgement call based on short YouTube clips, websites, and reviews. It was a little overwhelming and we knew we needed help. We worked with a company called East Coast Entertainment, and they were absolutely wonderful to deal with from start to finish. If you need a band for an event of any kind, I highly recommend checking them out.

East Coast has an online questionnaire outlining the specifics of your event (date, time, place), how much you want to spend, what sort of music you like, etc., and then they send you links to bands that meet your criteria. The best part about East Coast though, is they assign you an agent, and our agent Marty really helped us narrow down the choices. He took the time to listen, get to know us a bit, understand our personal tastes, and in the end helped us secure our band, The Business. 

Hubs said from the get-go our band must have horns, and The Business included both sax and trumpet (which hubs may or may not have had a turn at sometime during the night!). They're based out of Asheville, NC so came and went the same day.

They're an incredibly talented group of musicians, and their vocalist Jim Arendell has a wonderful soulful sound to his voice which I absolutely loved. Really which everyone loved, as there wasn't a single song the entire evening where people weren't dancing. They brought such a fantastic energy to our event, and I'd hire them again in a heartbeat.

So I guess you can tell we were happy with the band-ha! The bride and groom delighted the whole crowd with their sweet first dance as husband and wife, True by George Strait. Country artists somehow put into words so much of what the heart longs to say.

After dinner hubs had his moment too, and he enjoyed every minute of his dance with the new Mrs. M. Deciding on their song was another hard decision. While they both love country music, they also love beach music, southern rock, the Motown sound, and more. I think Daughter1 always imagined they'd dance to beach music, but in the end hubs wanted lyrics that captured his heart.

They danced to My Little Girl, a song made famous by Tim McGraw, but which our band played and sang. Not a country band, but their soulful sound was absolute perfection here.

At some point in the song selection process my daughter asked me if hubs had thought much about their song before now? Um, only since the day he first laid eyes on you in the delivery room of a Midwestern hospital.

She thought I was exaggerating, but I wasn't.

Honestly I think when that newborn baby daughter is placed into her father's waiting arms for the very first time, that father flashes forward to dancing at her wedding. In those first minutes of her life, his mind positively rebels at the very thought of ever handing over his beloved girl to anyone ever. Ever ever. Never. He prays for time to please go slow.

But time it has its way with us, and in a blink that day is here. He sees the smile on her face and the light in her eyes. He is carried along on the wave of pure, unadulterated joy spilling out of her heart and he does not rebel. The happiest day of her life is the happiest day of his life, and he loosens his grip on the golden thread that binds her heart to his.

He knows you can't stop time.
He's surprised to discover he wouldn't want to.

A Wordy Hodgepodge

Welcome to the first Hodgepodge in this brand new year! So happy to have you play along each week, and newcomers are always welcome. It's hard to visit everyone who links up here on Wednesdays, but do try to at least visit the blogger who linked before you because everybody needs somebody.  Okay, here we go-

1. What's your best piece of advice for a newly married couple? I'm asking for a friend.

Back in April I wrote a whole series of posts on the topic of marriage as part of the A-Z challenge. You can read your way through my alphabet if you're so inclined, by clicking here, but for now I'm going to paraphrase something I said back then which was this-

Love is an action word. Yes it's important to talk the talk, but it's more important to walk the walk. Married life isn't just about the big stuff. In fact, I think more than the big stuff, it's the small acts of kindness, self-sacrifice, and generosity, done regularly and without a whole lot of fanfare, that help us create a deep and lasting affection for our mate.  

Small kindnesses, in the grand scheme of things, are really not so small. They fill up the well of good will you'll need to dip from on occasion, in seasons you find challenging and on those days your spouse is maybe something less than completely lovable.

2. Before we're too far into the new year I wanted to post a question Teresa submitted during the December giveaway. Teresa blogs over at Being Refined as Silver, so everyone go say hi.

Teresa asks, "What were you doing on December 31st, 1999?" and " Did you or your family make preparations for Y2K?"

Wow. Doesn't that sound like ages and ages ago? Fifteen years so technically I guess it was. We were living in Maryland, Daughter1 age 11 and Daughter2 age 9. Sweet sweet days. We took a trip to Disney World in November of '99, and the ball at Epcot was all decked out for the big change. And for some reason I was wearing overall shorts. Moving on...

I kind of remember hubs checking our computer for some little something or other-ha! That's pretty much what I knew about computers back in 1999. In the months leading up to Y2K everyone was in a tizzy as to whether or not computers would recognize a new century. I recall getting cash out of the bank in case they didn't, and we also stocked up on groceries, powdered milk, and bottled water in case of ?. 

3. According to Global Language Monitor, the most used word of 2014 isn't a word. It's the heart emoji. Huh? How can something that's not a word be the most used word, but I digress. What do you think was your most used word in 2014?

Wedding. Insert heart emoji here. 

4. Speaking of words, it's that time again. Time for Lake Superior University to present a list of words they'd like to see banished (for over-use, mis-use, and general uselessness) in 2015. You can read more about the decision making process here, but this year's top vote getters are-

bae (before anyone else), polar vortex, hack, skill set, swag, foodie, curate/curated, friend-raising, enhanced interrogation, cra-cra (as in crazy), takeaway, and -nation (a suffering sports suffix)

Which of these words/phrases would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why? Is there a word not on the list you'd like to add?

Polar vortex. Ugh. Can't we just call it winter? I don't understand the 24/7 news events relating to snow and cold weather. Not blizzards, but just regular old winter. The same season that's been rolling around since the dawn of time. 

Do we honestly need to be told to 'make preparations' for cold weather? Also, while I'm on a mini-rant...we're naming snowstorms now? Not just storms either, but plain ole snow, the kind we should expect to fall in January. In the middle of winter. 

Also, friend-raising should not be a word. Or a thing. Just sayin'. 

5. January is National Hot Tea Month? Are you a fan? Do you like flavored teas? How do you take your tea? Have a favorite cup or teapot? How many cups of tea do you consume in a given day?

Oh, definitely a fan. I have a cup of tea pretty much every afternoon about 3 o'clock. I blame England. I'm not a big fan of flavored teas. Give me a steaming cup of Earl Gray with just a splash of milk and I'm good to go. I believe my love affair with beautiful pottery has been well established here, so I'll just share one or two favorites. This mug-

...and my Polish pottery with matching cups and warmer to keep the water hot-

6. Whatever happened to__________________________________?

...whip n' chill, Supertramp, and Little Kiddles? Sort of lame, but those were the first very random thoughts that rolled through my head as I wrote the question. 

7. What is one book on your must-read list this winter?

I have a long list, but The Martian by Andy Weir is near the top. I'm normally not a sci-fi fan, but this book has received stellar reviews from readers who would say they don't love sci-fi either. My niece told me she didn't really want to read it, but then absolutely loved it. It's been described as Apollo 13 meets Castaway, and Hollywood scooped it up pretty quickly. The movie version will be out in November, starring Matt Damon and Jessica Chastain.  

On my non-fiction list, first up is Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God by Tim Keller. I like his writing, and this is a topic always on my heart and mind. 

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

We won't have pictures back from our photographer for a while yet, but I feel like I should post a photo in my random thought space today. I've been 'borrowing' pics from friends and family who've posted online, and I do hope that's okay. The bride posted this one on her blog earlier this week, captured by my sister-in-law and I love it-

First dance.
Dreamy. 

Gold Medal Memories

I've been working on my photo organization and yes, I realize I've been saying that since 2010, but in my defense we have a lot of photos here people. Most are of the old fashioned variety so it takes time to sort, toss, scan, date and make copies for the appropriate people. Plus I might lack the discipline of an Olympic athlete and am easily distracted.

Anyway, I've come across envelopes filled with pics of my girls participating in various athletic endeavors and thought it would be fun to discuss some of my favorites in this week's Thursday Thirteen. The Olympics of their childhood so to speak. I know that's a stretch but I do better when I can springboard off a theme.

Springboard.

Seriously I could work the Olympic analogy all day long.

I'll play commentator...here we go-

1. My girlies participated in a variety of sport during their growing up years, and yes I'm counting ballet as sport. If you don't think it requires skill, strength, coordination, and hours and hours of dedicated practice then you've never stood on your toes til they bled.

There has always been a softness about my girls...not in the sense that they're weak, but in the sense that they are delicate. Petite. Small boned.

Case in point-that's daughter1 in front there and I think it's safe to say she's got her game face on. Intense. Serious. Determined.

She is equivalent in weight to a hummingbird.

Maybe.

2. Not convinced? Exhibit B-daughter2.

Are there certain photos in your collection that you get a little lost in until all of sudden you realize you've been staring for several minutes with your face stuck in a ginormous smile? That's how I feel when I look at this picture. It is so her.

The sassy pose, the infectious grin...happy just to be alive sharing a Saturday morning with friends, distracting the opposition (and possibly her own teammates) with her running chatter about why the grass is green or why she loves the color blue, counting the minutes until her favorite part of the match-the end. At age five she was all about a high five and a snack.

3. Glancing at my girls, the first word that pops into your head would most likely NOT be fierce.

Apparently though, they do have a smidgen of the fierce.

4. It's harder than it looks to run and cradle a ball while wearing a shirt the size of a dress.

Whose idea was it to stick this little peanut in the goal?

Probably hers. She might never have set foot in a goal but that's neither here nor there. She would have those coaches convinced she should play goalie.

5. Speaking of goalies...I'm pretty sure at age 10 daughter1 did NOT volunteer to be goalie. I think this was a case of everyone has to take a turn in the cage.

Lady coach on the right is giving daughter1 a big giant pep talk. Man coach on the left is trying to figure out what in the world is the deal with that goalie jersey? My girls spent most of their elementary school years wearing uniforms at least four sizes too big.

6. Unless we're talking ballet 'uniforms' which are technically called costumes and are made to fit just right.

A role in The Ballet Theatre of Maryland's 'The Nutcracker'.

I saw the show six times that year.

I'm a mom.

It's what I do.

7. Field hockey in the state of Maryland, and particularly the town where we lived, was over the top. We tried it. We liked it. We did not want to dedicate our lives to it which, in a nutshell, is my biggest complaint about organized sports for young kids in the 21st century.

8. In her heart she's always been a dancer. A coordinated dribble or a graceful arabesque...you have to choose.

When you're fourteen should you have to choose?

9. Spinning skirts and pointe-y shoes called her back to a barre on the wall and Tchaikovsky in the air.

Everything about this picture makes my heart leap.

10. When we moved to England daughter2 joined the swim team. Daughter2 had never in her life been on a swim team and while we knew she could swim we were not certain she could swim at the level required for team competition in high school.

See #4.

The team needed swimmers and she was game. One of the things I loved about the International school was that the kids were encouraged to try all sorts of sport they'd never have a chance to compete in back home. If you haven't been on a soccer team most of your growing up years you'll likely not make a high school team in the US. You might even be pretty good if given the chance but often the coaches have been following the players thru the younger leagues and know who they want on the team.

Our school's motto was more of the, 'Hey, why not try out for soccer?' mentality.

And so it was that daughter2 ended up on a swim team for the first time at age 14. That first race was a little hard to watch but her fellow swimmers yelled and screamed and cheered her on and she did it. She mastered the butterfly and the flip turn and you know what else? Ending up on that swim team meant she saw Paris and Antwerp and Cairo with her teammates.

I would have gone swimming for a trip to Cairo.

11. I've blogged about this before but daughter2 went off to uni and phoned home one day to say she tried out for cheerleading and made the team. Huh? Had daughter2 ever in her life been a cheerleader? Nope. Does she ever let a little thing like inexperience keep her from grabbing what it is she wants in life? Nope.

Has this attitude turned my hair gray?

A little.

I've saved two of my favorite pics for last.

12. This picture takes me back to the sweetness that lies beside the spunk in daughter2. Here she is with her basketball coach. This little team had such a fun season. The coach had a bunch of children of his own and a very nice way with a gaggle of girls. At the end of the last game he made a little speech and each girl went up individually to receive her trophy and shake his hand.

Not daughter2. She flung a heartfelt unexpected hug on him and the sweetness of the spontaneity just made your heart melt. His too. I'm telling you she gets under your skin and into your heart in the blink of an eye.

13. And then there is this-

We don't forget the big things in a child's life. Birthdays, celebrations, graduations...those moments are marked in a hundred different ways and can be brought to mind in a quick second. But the thousand little pieces of yesteryear that once upon a time filled your every thought and hour? Their detail is a little harder to recall.

The sweetness of an orange on a sunny Saturday.

The muddy shoes and damp, sweaty hair.

Innocence on a lightly freckled face.

Moms and dads in camp chairs chatting on the sidelines, no one eager to hurry the day along.

Games, lunch, unscheduled minutes to fill.

Cleats tossed into the corner and too big shirts into the wash.

The song of the neighborhood in late afternoon.

Grass mown under a brilliant blue sky.

Bicycle tires across the pavement and the sound of a swing flying high.

Children's voices light on the breeze as day rolls into dusk.

Tiki torches and dirty feet.

The fairy light of a firefly beckoning a pony-tailed girl to chase.

I see this photograph and I remember what I never wanted to forget.

The extraordinary ordinary of childhood days.