"Do I Touch It Now or Not?"

 

I don't know what happened to this week, but for whatever the reason, it feels like I woke up on Monday, I blinked and now it is Friday. I have been very active in getting my next book into publication, but like with any project that you want to display total perfection, it doesn't happen overnight no matter how much you bitch that things are not going fast enough. There are times, where I can demonstrate sheer patience, and other days things feel like they are moving as fast as the speed of a snail in maple syrup. This describes this week precisely – it felt like time stood still, but zipped by at the same time. Now as much of the world has discovered, Facebook can be a valuable resource for a multitude of reasons – connecting with friends and family, locating people of your past, high school reunions, which had always been my reasons for opening a Facebook account.  Now since my book release in May of 2011, I have also learned that it is an excellent source for advertising, networking, and learning many valuable new skills along the way, which is the reasoning behind my blog for today.

I have a friend that I have gotten to know that actually is a person that my husband went to school with, during his days of yesteryear as a single teenage boy with the only things on his mind were farming, food, girls, and going into the military. I have found myself inspired by this friend from the past, which is no shocker, as most of my inspirational moments and ideas come from those around me, whether I know them or not, and what is going on in our world or worlds. He has taken the initiative to follow his dream in radio and now has a brand new talk show on Spreaker.com, which you can listen to by clicking on the links below. He is very serious when he asks for ideas and suggestions. He has gone out of his way to even incorporate my book into his discussions, even though he's only been broadcasting over the last two days, while at the same he has gone out of his way in teaching me the tools of the internet radio trade. I am truly greatful and appreciative for all his support and assistance. Thanks Rod, it means a lot.  

It’s scary to think that people with a passion for the arts, clearly could have it made with this newfound technology that is among our daily lives. In addition to my edits, re-edits and polishing my novels, I too, have a deep seeded want to be a radio personality, but I'm conflicted as to what my radio show is to be about, which has me thinking maturely to wait and create the materials before jumping in with both feet only to find out, I not prepared and find out that I'm so not ready to swim. I love music, I love to write stories that have a moral or a message intertwined within them and I am a sucker for those - Girl Finds Guy, they fall in love and live happily ever after stories. Which has me thinking, everyone one of us has a story to tell, some happy, some sad, some filled with adventure, while others are just what happens in the family around them. Whatever the story, people will share their stories if you take the time to listen to what they are talking about. Yes, there are times when you ask yourself - Why did I start a conversation with this person. Well, we did, because we found an interest in them, but we also have to remember that not everyone has the best speaking skills, or an ability to try and condense their life story into 280 pages or trying to judge ten minutes on a clock with no hands.

So, I guess it is time for my moment of my ever favorite game - 20 questions. I want to know, what interests you? I've had experience as a DJ, but I prefer country and 70's, 80's and some 90's music. My music style is, well to best describe as, an eclectic genera that is incorporated into my unique personality. So my next question - do people want to listen or do they prefer what they have downloaded on their IPods and new style cell phones? And the biggest question to myself - am I really ready to step out and touch this radio opportunity on my own or wait until my wings are a bit stronger in a professional studio? One way or another I’ll figure this out and I guess one will never know what they can do, if they don’t try.  But I know right now, that I have been trying to go to the pool with my kids for the past three days and haven't gotten there yet, and so – until next time – This Mama and her cubs are off to enjoy a refreshing swim on this stifling hot summer day in June.

https://www.facebook.com/#!/rod.swendener 

 http://www.spreaker.com/user/rodswendener/episode_3_6_27_2012_1

"Bellows in the Mist" Book Update

To all of my following readers and supporters that have been anticipating my newest in fictional book releases. "Bellows in the Mist" has undergone a title and cover change, that are the reasons behind its delayed release, but still projected for an undisclosed date in 2012. Still the same murder, mystery suspense thriller that is now titled - "Deemed Crazy" - A book that will leave you stunned, and wondering to yourself - If you could get away with the ultimate crime of revenge, would you?  

"Her Gut Feeling Lead to Her Empowerment"

About a week ago, while shopping with my younger son, I ran into a lady that I assisted while working with our local police department about four years ago.  I never thought that after all the years that have passed I would recall my conversation with her at the station - very vividly.

FOUR YEARS AND TWO WEEKS AGO

She had come into our station wearing a pair of khaki shorts, a white tank top and a pair of flip-flops. She was only wearing mascara and a little sheer lipstick for make-up. Her hair was clean and her finger and toe nails had that, I just came from the salon look to them. She had not filed any report that she had been a victim of a crime. She did not appear to be in any physical distress and she didn't want to talk to an officer. She had simply asked if she could talk to someone about a situation at home with her husband. I think I could safely assume that the person working reception that day, immediately through of the victims unit that I worked in when they called me down to talk to her.

She was clear spoken, and I did what the officers would call the quick once over, as we walking into our lounge area to talk privately. A once over is a quick look as you are walking behind a person and  as they sit down to check for any signs of physical bruising on areas that are not covered by clothing. Usually a victim never notices when a person does this as there is usually other things on their mind. I however was not so cleaver in being undetected, and merely took the opportunity to cover my ways by commenting on her plum purple nail polish.

As we got to speaking, she revealed why she had come to me. She wanted to know if we conducted private investigations. Now I knew the answer was no, but she didn't take a break to let me interject that we did not conduct investigations of this sort. Ours, as far as I knew, were strictly crime related with a report that had generated. Her reasons as to why she wanted a P.I., she believed her husband was cheating.

So let me ask you first - if a person made this statement to you, man or woman, what would be your first response? Mine, I think was the most general answer out there and I replied, "Are you sure of this?" Honestly, there wasn't anything I could do from my professional stand point and I should have just listen without any comment, but my personal emotions kept standing by, as much as I wanted to push them aside. I felt for her as she went on to express how she felt crazy with each time she would confront him, he would deny the accusation and tell her she was over reacting, over thinking, and that he just couldn't believe how could she think so little of him - he loved her and had no desire to be with anyone else. If I only had a dollar for every time I've heard that response by people I've met over the course of my life, and granted there are people out there who do answer like this when questioned with infidelity - and they are not cheating.

There was a genuine sound to her voice that was mixed with a sense of sorrow and betrayal. In her heart of hearts, and her womanly voice inside, she believed that what she felt was so, even with his consistent answer of denial. Our conversation lasted no more than twenty minutes and I never once revealed that for some reason, I believed her.

TWO WEEKS AGO

I remember her face, her voice and her smile, as I tried desperately to recall her name, when she went out of her way to get my attention that day as my son and I did our shopping. "Boy do I have a lot to share with you" she said for all to hear. My son looked at me as if I had lobsters crawling out of my ears. My son has a fear that I will one day become trapped in our home. Why? He believes that my passion to be a writer for the movies, my soon to be released book "Deemed Crazy" and now my new job as a News Anchor and Reporter, will put me into the eyes of a the paparazzi and that one day I'll never be able to go out of the house without people wanting my autograph. Wow, if only I could attain a lifestyle like, buy only for the money that went with it... I'd certainly opt out of the paparazzi type of fame as with my luck, I'd find myself on the cover of Star Magazine with a wild headline that reads - "LOCAL MOTHER WAS ABDUCTED BY ALIENS or LOCAL MOTHER GROWS FULL MUSTACHE OVER NIGHT AFTER SPA LIP WAXING." Ok, the second one is kind of true and I'll share that story in a couple days.

Ok, I'm going off track, let me stop and go back to my story. Anyways, this time, she had a look of happiness, which was accompanied with a voice of anger and determination. In some ways, I think I knew what she was about to reveal, but I let her have this moment. My son just shook his head, he wanted to just leave and get on with our day.

"Remember when I said that I thought my husband was cheating on me and he kept calling me crazy?" she said, with hopes that I would remember.

"Yes, I remember" I replied.

"He has a son with another woman and I just found out about it."

Ok, I wasn't expecting that at all and that not only did she just find out, his side of the family have known for years and never said a word. I felt that I was in the midst of a soon to be LMN movie on True Life Thursdays. What had happened is that just shortly after her and I spoke, both her husband and herself agreed to separate to give them each some space and make it easier on their children that they have together. Now, I will agree, they were thinking about the best interest for the children. There was tension filled with ample arguing and verbal fights, so a break is what they both agreed upon and she felt it was working. Usually in the eyes of others and our legal system, this is considered a separation that last for about six months before they got back together. A SEPERATION DOES NOT MEAN YOUR MARRIAGE IS OVER!!!! IT MEANS IT IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO STEP AWAY AND ASSESS WHAT A COUPLE DOES OR DOESN'T HAVE AS A RELATIONSHIP FOR THE FUTURE. IT IS NOT A HALL PASS!!!!!!Unfortunately For this couple, the husband took this as a freedom card and lived the life of a single man that was faced with serious consequences. Now I know there are two sides to every story and I don't know his. But for me, this is my old fashion side shining through. Until a divorce decree is in hand that says that you are no longer bound by marriage to one another, you are NOT A FREE BIRD!!! You are not free to date, you are not free to sleep with others, you are not free to see whomever you choose! If you think you have this right....STAY AWAY FROM ME as one of these days I'm gonna crush this soapbox I keep jumping on. This goes for a man or a women, so guys don't think I am singling you out, this just happens to be one of those stories that result in a married man that got a woman, other than his wife, pregnant and then tried to live a duel life and got caught.

But this was not the shocker of the story either. The shocker was when she was relieved that she was so happy to learn she was not crazy, when he finally confessed to years of infidelity, before their six month separation. That knowing her instincts and gut feelings were right, gave her a new found sense of confidence that she had never had. That she now has the ball in her court. She wants a divorce and wants his lies out of her life. She has found her inner strength not to fear having to be independent and that her kids want to be with her. She now has found her voice and speaks up for herself. I will admit, that I will never forget her smile when she made a final statement before we left the store "Now that I know how to be a bitch, my husband is super sweet and tells me he wants me, and all that jazz, but for me - I'm living my life for myself and for my children and will never question my inner voice again."

            WORDS OF WISDOM

So my words of wisdom for the day – Choose to live an honest life. Living a lie only hurts you and the ones you love in the end. Have the courage to admit when you have done wrong. Never live a life that you believe that asking for forgiveness is easier than asking for permission – this could lead to very serious consequences. Learn to listen to the needs of your partner and what problems they may be facing. Everyone wants validation that they are being heard. A new found bond of love and trust will enrich your relationship with your partner if he/she knows you’re listening to them, that you will not place judgment upon them, and can feel compassion and understanding embraced by love. The outcome, they find safety to confide in the one person that truly matters to them - YOU. The last thing you want is to push them into the arms/life of some other person waiting on the sidelines for the opportunity to replace you. And believe you-me, those people are out there like crime, just waiting for the perfect opportunity to take something for themselves without any regards in how it will make you feel. So many fall victim to the belief that marriage is easy and realize very quickly it is all but easy. It is like a dance that incorporates a balance of give and take, it takes commitment, work, love, trust, dedication and so much more that would be a blog all on its own. Know what your vows mean and live by them as they are the frame work in building a long love filled life with that special someone. And the biggest, never pretend to be something you are not. Be the couple you are, not what others want you to be.

Have a great day everyone - Blog you later. :)

From the Newsroom....

For the past two weeks I have been in training to become a news anchor for Sunday mornings and as a fill in for others who are out for various reasons. Now when I say two weeks, immediately people think, 80 hours of training, why wouldn’t they, as that is typically the norm when a person steps into a new job. I call it the probationary period. It gives the boss and the trainer’s time to reconsider if you’re the right person for the job.

Well for me, things were different. I didn't have to undergo hours of tedious training while a trainer would update me on all the negatives of the company. There was no gossip, no stress, no pressure, and they also had no doubt that I would be able to do this job.  I have done a total of 14 hours and today I was put behind the wheels for my first live news broadcast. I have provided the audio below. To know they felt that confident that I could do the job and to be put on the air so quickly and then I was out in the field to do an on scene report to call into the station to add to the news, I have two words to describe it -  LOVED IT! But what was hard for me to accept...that it was my voice on the radio. Do I really sound like that? I was stunned while at the same time I can’t even to being to describe how great this feeling was that I was live, on the air, reporting the news. I have no broadcasting experience, but when I love what I am doing, people know it and I will give it my full gusto. 

Now if I could only find that magic feeling when I’m cleaning the cat box or cleaning the cereal bowl of milk that didn’t make it to the kitchen sick for about a week. I think I need to be fitted for a respirator, don’t you?   So to sum up today and thoughts of the future in this field of work - I love what I have learned and have done so far.  The people there are so personable. and I already feel like I am part of a team. But with all this, I couldn't have done any of it without that  special person to guide my days from being fearful of the microphone to embrasing it.  Thank you so much Barbara! You’re awesome and I couldn't have learned all this so fast if not for you! Also I must send a shout out to a dear friend -  JD, who briefly exposed me to this industry 20 years ago, on a tiny island in Bering Sea during my days as a Seabee.

To my friend who sent me a nasty gram that I haven’t been providing her my semi-daily blog lately - relax sweetie, it’s going to be ok. Smile.  To all my newest and dedicated readers, don't worry, now that my training days are behind me, I will be back to blogging and will conquer my clutter cleaning quest once and for all with more photo updates. As much as I would love to write more, I hear the dishwasher calling and the rugs are screaming for a vacuuming. So until next time – ya’ll have a GRRREAT day and I'll blog ya later.

From the WNAV newsroom....I'm Stacey Bolin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAcBN1FUU5o&feature=share

"3 Men and a Lady - What's the Odds?"

H

ey everyone – It’s Friday. With the exception of a slight headache that I get periodically, I have still managed to accomplish the usual Friday morning tasks. Laundry is all done and I am proud to know that I had even took it upon myself, a month ago, to stop the never ending saga of "WHERE'S ALL THE JEANS?" What? You mean you have never heard of this saga? Well, well, my dear readers pull up a chair and sit down as I tell you this glorious tale of how 3 Men and a Lady - fit into one pair Jeans.

Now I will say, that yes,  I was getting rather tired of constantly washing , in a king size washer, two loads of laundry that consisted of 15 pairs of jeans, each, that would suddenly disappear before I even get them out of the dryer.  Even if I had washed them during the day, and had them folded and in three equal piles, I found that when one of my three men in this house went to get his pile, he would skim off the other two that always left the others in the house scrounging for their pair. Now this has been going on for the last two years. It is a blessing and a curse. What do I mean by that you ask? You see, my husband, my two boys, and now myself, all wear the same size jeans...what's the odds of that? However being a good thing on the wallet, it's a bad thing when they are all fighting for their favorite pair. My husband prefers dark boot cut jeans; my oldest son prefers any jeans and will acquire them from the others, when his are dirty and have not made it to the laundry basket. I have caught him in the act, with his extreme quickness, going into their closets or dressers to retrieve them from my husband or younger son, lurking in the shadows, walking swiftly and quietly, and peering around so not to get caught. My youngest son, he likes medium blue in color, but prefers a more standard cut vs. the boot cut dark blue jeans that I buy for my husband and oldest son.

But after a few washing and wearing, something bad happens in this house, all the jeans begin to look alike and soon a bigger issue develops - whose jeans are whose? Another problem we face and I know you will relate to this – We all have that favorite pair that we wear over and over, you know the ones, nicely faded, soft but not to broken in, and the zipper still works. But what happens when those favorite jeans are found on someone else? MADNESS! CHAOS! DRAMA! It starts a war, a big war, and believe you me; there is nothing worse than three men bitching about who has who’s jeans, first thing in the morning. Now I don’t have a clue why my brain had not thought of a solution earlier, maybe I thought it would somehow work itself out, maybe one of them would gain more weight and another would lose weight, but unfortunately that hasn’t happened yet and suddenly I was thinking. If my clue had to be broadcasted on the news this is probably what you'd hear - In the news today, local house wife finally gets a flippin’ clue and stops the jean drama, but the question still remains - Does her blonde hair color really come from a box? More news at 11.  My superbulous idea - Why not put an end to this saga once and for all and put names on the tags inside…BINGO! This Mama got a clue!

 I began with a strategic maneuver that I would like to call the "sniffing them out" approach which involved going into the rooms of my two teen age boys. My younger son, his room is very tidy and he is very good about getting his dirty items into the basket just outside of the bathroom. So I will say I was rather disappointed when I discovered that there were no jeans, clean or dirty, in his room. It was obvious to me that someone else was harboring an excessive amount and I was going to find every pair if it took me an hour. Once I rounded up any pair that didn’t have a man’s body in them, Yes, I know this may sound more on the extra extreme side of things, but a mama has to do, what a mama has to do. I even went as far as not only labeling all jeans in the house, including mine, I did socks and underwear too – That my friends was a feat far too graphic to write about and trust me, a man’s underwear should stay a mystery and be colored not tighty whites. Something about the white cotton briefs, all I can think of is the quote from Forest Gump when we used to have men’s white underwear in the house - "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get" - unless it is boxers with humorous prints on them. Hey I kept it clean - Wink.  All I can say is that if you happen to stumble onto a pair of underwear or socks on your seventeen year old floor, assume they are dirty and leave it at that. I learned the hard way on a pair of sock. OMG! I should have been wearing an instant alert medical device to save me from the toxic exposure. I can still hear it in my head, robot from the old television show “Lost in Space” - “DANGER WILL ROBINSON! DANGER! DANGER!”

I think it was about two weeks before I was able to smell again. Ok, I may have over exaggerated – Smile. It has now been about a month and laundry detail is exceptionally easy. You don’t even have to think, but still it is either my husband or I, that folds the laundry. Even through everything is labeled, once in a great while, someone forgets to get their jeans into the laundry bin. When this happens you know that the jean bandit will strike again and this house is thrown back into the jean drama plague.

So my words of wisdom today – Don’t be a jean thief, always keep your laundry done, and be sure to label all your clothes. Nothing worse than fearing you’re going to have to go to work in shorts, sweats or naked if you’re that behind in your laundry or the jean thief has made his way into your home. Have a FANTASTIC FRIDAY! Blog ya’ll later. 

"The Four Letter Label"

Photo by: Stacey L. Bolin 5/2012

http://organizingstaceybolinby2013.blogspot.com/2012/06/four-letter-label.html

Dumb Sh*t - R U NUTS!

Each morning, I follow the same routine, get up, get dressed, make breakfast for my husband, see him off to work, wake the kids, get them up and off to school, and then do my Internet surfing for about two hours before starting my day as either a writer or a housewife - neither being consistent, but I'm trying. Now as a parent, we all look forward to the first day of school, but over the course of the school year, we get tired of the homework battles, the fundraisers that suck you dry, the calls for this and the calls for that, and wondering who will bring home their report card and who will make some excuse why they didn't get it. So what happens, we being praying for the school year to end and summer to begin. As my kids get older and their lives are constantly intertwined in this crazy world of technology, for our family one thing stands true. In the summer we are not as active with texting and the Internet. I often ponder could we be one of those families that during the summer months has a no technology rule? Probably not, but it sounds good. I also notice that the so called "DRAMA" in the lives of my teenage boys, drastically reduces - that part I love.

In my mind I feel that my boys are handsome, and there is no doubt in my mind they get their good looks from their dad. They are outgoing, love to have fun and they actually care about people and things even though at times it doesn't always show. So what is a mother to do when her son/s get caught up in the world of young ladies still trying to figure out who they are? Or worse, the young men who are wanting to get the attention of the young ladies, but sometimes find themselves singled out when my boys are near gals the other guy knows and the gals only want the attention from my son/s? As a parent I feel how tense these moment get, but heaven forbid if I comment on it. But I do anyways. I don’t ever recall my teenage years being that intense, but I was also very active trying to get a modeling career off the ground. So my blog today is about something I found on the Internet, but first I need to share with you some insite, so that you will understand my blog today. The outcome may even surprise many of you.

It all started when my oldest son was involved in a situation not long ago, that a young lady expressed her deepest feeling for him, in front of a male friend of hers, and wanted him to go out with her, but he just wasn't interested in her in that way. His thinking was - just friends, nothing more. I honestly believe the male friend of hers was very angry, because she only wanted him as a friends and my son as something more. Now come on, you’re a seventeen year old boy, soon to be a man, the attention of the young ladies is nice, but your mind is focused on the upcoming summer,  traveling, (We are going to California) being single, (What young man wouldnt' want to be single if you are going to California) and you certainly don't want to be tied down. You want to be free and just live it up, making memories of great times along the way. Nothing wrong with that. As a mother I actually encourage young adults to remain single and having only friendships so that they can work on the first important steps in their young adult lives - Self-discovery. You have heard the saying “You have to love yourself before you can love anything or anyone else.” That statement is something I laughed at for many years, but eventually learned, is so very true. Learning to love the person who is inside of you is vital.  What is also important is learning to appreciate the talents that you have, and dare to dream of a future that may or may not be touchable. There is a time and place for love in the future and FYI – SEX IS NOT LOVE! Sometimes this thing called love will trip up our teens placing them on a roller coaster of emotions that in turn become the ever dreaded - "DRAMA".

I used to chuckle when my mother said she was very old fashioned, but being a mother now, I value her thinking. I have been working hard at teaching my boys this old technique in the world of dating. Just because Johnny Joe met a girl an hour ago and now they are sucking face in the parking lot, does not mean that it is right or that they are in love! It also makes both individuals engaged in this behavior, look trashy, and the people walking by you – especially if they are walking with little and/or impressionable aged children – WE PARENTS ARE OFFENDED!

Now If I decided to say something, say for instance; I get after my son for hanging all over young ladies weather it is in my home or out in public. What is very sad is the level of disrespect I get when I get a response, usually from one or the other, that they don’t care what people think when they do things – I didn’t ask you if you cared. I said I disapprove of the inconsiderate public display of affection, i.e. If the behavior is making me feel uncomfortable, then I know it is making others uncomfortable and so I don’t give a rat’s fat ass if you care or not – I DO CARE! This isn’t just your world…it is everyone’s world and some of us know there is a time and place, but I also know, NEVER give two teens alone time in the time and place, and I have heard this time and time again, guarantee there will be trouble later and those troubles can be endless. My philo – Nip the issue now, and don’t let it become a problem in the future. They can hate me all they want, but maybe a lesson is learned but but unfortunately it won't be realized until their are my age, maybe sooner - We can only  hope.

So today, as I was looking through the latest posts on my Facebook wall, I came across a photo of a boy I know very well. It was a photo of my oldest son sitting on a desk in his school giving the figure. Immediately I was outraged. There was also a comment on the bottom of it, that instantly had my instinct screaming - make him take it down! It was at that moment that I realized the picture had been put up by the boy who was angry that the girl he wanted, wanted my son. Just lovely! This was the last thing I wanted to deal with the day before the last day of school. My hopes were to have a nice quiet day, take the kids swimming since they have today off, have some fun with them and then tomorrow enjoy the last day of school and the first day of summer. But now I am angry, agitated, and what was worse I new I didn't have all the control to enforce the removal of the photo, but  I sent a message to  have it removed to the teen who posted it. Then my years with the police department woke the rest of my brain up and I did what I was supposed to do. I reported it to the administrators of Facebook and copied the picture for proof of what had been done. Something told me this could be a problem for my son.

I hear you, "What's the big deal, it was just a joke, not harm done.. What kind of problem could it really cause?" Seriously?  This kind of dumb sh*t is what potential employers look for when processing job applications. Your attitude and what you do and say on Facebook can be the reason you get a job or not. (MY SON NEEDS ANY EMPLOYMENT HE CAN GET) When you sign the employers background check authorization, everything you say and do online is now visable to them. The bad thing about this - PEOPLE KNOW THIS AND THEY KEEP POSTING questionable material. Many just don't understand, Facebook and other media sights have regulations that when a users click on the agree too button, they are bound by their ruleings, but then when a person is questioned about their negative actions, they jump up on their soapbox screaming freedom of speach.  Sorry, folks, we can't have it both ways.

Anyways, I couldn't help but wonder, was this done because of the boys jealousy of a love that never bloomed between himself and the girl he wanted, but that she didn't want him, except to be a friend? I honestly don't know. Again, maybe he was just trying to be a funny guy, but I'm sorry Mr. funny guy, this parent was very offended and didn't appreciate it. But I can't just point and place blame on one person, as the truth of the matter is that my son should have known better and should have refraid from having his picture taken with a disrespectful hand jestour and this matter will be dealt with on our end.

To all those soon to be graduates and grads of the future - go out and try to touch those dreams before trying to understand the thing called love. Love will trip you up everytime when your a teenager. Learn to love the person you are first, Live in the moment, BE YOURSELF! DON'T LET THE DRAMA GET YOU! Go off and explore the USA and the world, be proud of what you have accomplised. Once you have experienced these special moments of life, then and only then, will your true love find you and you'll be true to the one you love.

Also, how about trying to have friends off the internet and enjoy life as young adults did before the computer began. Go to a movie, ride a bike, take a walk, cook up some marsh mellows on some sticks from a nearby tree over a steno pot, then take some chocolate and a couple graham crackers and make smores. Paint a picture, go to the beach, something other than living a life in a social world that may say you have 1,000 friends, but in the real world you have three great friends and several aquaintences.  Life if just beginning, don't screw it up before you even begin to really get started. And believe me, you'll know when your true love finds you, as it will be when you least expected and you'll find contentment in your heart. Don't strike out at others because you don't have the people or the things you want, as the truth may be, you never really wanted them in the first place, until another person or item came into the picture and made you feel like you did.

UPDATE:

The outcome of this story - the teen in question that posted the picture was very honorable and realized what he had done and not only removed the photo, he apologized to me. I wrote back to him and thanked him and that his apoloy means a lot. My day has completely taken another turn and is back on the positive thinking road, Well until I need to address it with my son. If I can nip this behavior now - It's going to be a great summer!  Blog you later.

"No Guts - No Glory"

Song that was my inspiration for this story, just something about the melody.
The Shins - It's Only Life
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vi7aVsmH_eo

The Son

It had been three weeks of planning, preparing, and painting with the hopes that his wonder on wheels and his talents to be a demo derby driver would result in a victory of becoming the next, Anne Arundel Country Fair and the Nation-Wide Demolition Derby organizations, V4 car class, winner. Days’ leading up to the main event was filled with entangled thoughts of sporadic emotions that had begun to resonate into his mind as the fear of being injured was setting in.  There was no doubt that he wanted this victory and a chance to prove, that what he had said he could do, would be done. He had seen it done by others, thousands of times. He had seen numerous drivers being carried out by paramedics due to various injuries, but still there was nothing to prepare him for the first impact after the officials blow their whistles and wave the green flags. At that moment he would know, there would be no turning back for the boy in car 22.

 The Mom

She had always feared his getting hurt in things he had done over the course of his youthful life. It was a hard journey to watch her precious baby boy grow through the years. Days’ leading up to the main event she was filled with entangled thoughts of sporadic emotions that had begun to resonate into her mind as the fear of him being injured was setting in.  There was no doubt, she also knew that he wanted this victory and a chance to prove, that what he had said he could do, would be done. She had also seen numerous drivers being carried out by paramedics due to various injuries, but still there was nothing to prepare her for the first impact after the officials blow their whistles and wave the green flags. At that moment there would be no turning back. On June 2, 2012 a 17 year old boy would drive out onto the track and in the end, win or lose, he’d be returning a man whether this mother was ready for this moment or not.

The Dad

As proud as proud could be a dad assisted with the planning and preparing for his young sons moment when he would become a man. This dad wishing he could have had his time behind the wheel, as a 17 year old boy, lived in the moment through his son. The dad would do his part in the pit crews to assist his son with the his motor worries and would also drive the event tractor to pull stranded derby drivers off the track for the next heats. There was no doubt, this dad also knew that his son wanted this victory and a chance to prove, that what he had said he could do, would be done. On June 2, 2012 a 17 year old boy would drive out onto the track and in the end, win or lose, he’d be returning a man, a moment this dad had been anticipating for years and was ready for.

The Event

The Grandstands began to fill rapidly when the gates opened at 4:00pm. The weather masked itself with sheer perfection to trick people into believing it was a glorious fall Saturday afternoon on this 2^nd day in June. The smell of hamburgers, hot dogs, funnel cakes and barbecued meats filled the air. If you closed your eyes, you’d think it was an event at the County Fair in September.  One by one, derby drivers from near and far slowly made their way into the pit area to unload and prepare their wonder on wheels for the most anticipated event of the season – the 2012 Nation-Wide Demolition Derby. Each driver orchestrated their own pit crews as if they were part of the NASCAR circuit with each mechanical technician knowing what their mission was to keep the car and the driver on the track until the very end.  As the event kicked off, pit crews and drivers, not of the engine class on the track, would watch the talents of each driver, veteran and new, hoping to learn a secret strategy to capture the win. The big boys of the V8 Class were first and what a show they put on for the spectators.

What not to do - Drive up the back of another car and then flip onto your side.
V8 Class heat

One by one the class sizes reduced to the most anticipated class in the event - The V4's. The crowd in the stands cheered as each of the six drivers made their way onto the track. Time stood still and then in the blink of an eye - The moment was here.

The minutes felt like hours, and at one point number 22 had hit another car so hard when he commenced to disable a car with the back end of his car, that his helmet was knocked off and landed in the back of his car. The officials decision - Put the helmet on and keep going. We all were tense, our fingers and toes crossed as the six cars dwindled to five, four, three, two and then....

Proud Dad and Son Enjoying the Win

The man does what he said he would do  - HE WINS!  Congratulations to my son - Ryan. I am so very proud of you and in my eyes, no matter how tall or how deep your voice gets, you'll always be my baby boy. All my love - Mom.

The Day after the Night Before

IT'S REALLY GOING TO HAPPEN!

Our son in the Anne Arundel County Fair Demolition Derby tonight. Gates open at 4pm, there is food, fun, moon bounce, funnel cakes and the best Ice Tea this side of the Mason Dixon line. Event starts at 7pm. Make your sign, cheer on car #22. He is raising money for the Anne Arundel County Jr Fair board, and he has to pay his dad back. hahaaa. I am so nervous for him. This will be my biggest challenge yet. Letting my almost 18 year old, be his own man. I wonder, after the bumps and bruises will he need his mommy? I'll update you on the hightlights of the event. We are so proud. So here's to wishing him his first win.  Have a great weekend. Blog you later.