Set Back for a Special Occasion

Celebration 101:
Enjoy an incredible bottle of 1997 Terra Valentine Cabernet that you have waited to sip for a LONG time. We got this bottle on one of our fabulous trips to Napa...this vineyard is off the beaten path on Spring Mountain Road. Along with Terra Valentine, we found many wineries that became some of our favorites along Spring Mountain Road-- Pride,Cain and Smith Madrone to name a few. Smith Madrone has a grassy lawn area perfect for a picnic lunch with dramatic views of the Napa Valley. A special place.
Actually, most folks think that Disneyland is the Happiest Place on Earth.
I say it's Napa.


Our celebration was two-fold.

10/2/1999
11 years ago I met Joe at an ASU football game. I recall it was a day game against UCLA and about 150 degrees in the stadium. The rest is history.

We also celebrated our newest pride and joy,
Kennedy Elise Moreno
Born Sept.24, 2010 in Boulder, CO.

Besides being beautiful, she is extremely intelligent.
Grandparents are the first to notice these attributes.

Here's To New Life.
Good Life.

Isn't That Interesting

Combine one of my favorite songs of all time with this man--

One of the most interesting and influential people I have ever had the privilege of seeing was Jim Rohn. I love his teaching, his mannerisms, his voice,--- just everything about him rings true with me. He has a saying, "Isn't That Interesting?" for use when you are inclined to say something you might be sorry for later. It works wonders!

Unfortunately, he passed away this year. How wonderful that we have his words on CD or written down to savor and share for generations to come.

I should read this article every day....

What Constitutes a Good Life? by Jim Rohn

The ultimate expression of life is not a paycheck. The ultimate expression of life is not a Mercedes. The ultimate expression of life is not a million dollars or a bank account or a home. Here's the ultimate expression of life in my opinion, and that is living the good life. Here's what we must ask constantly: "What for me would be a good life?" And you have to keep going over and over the list—a list including areas such as spirituality, economics, health, relationships and recreation. What would constitute a good life? I've got a short list.

Number one, productivity. You won't be happy if you don't produce. The game of life is not rest. We must rest, but only long enough to gather strength to get back to productivity. What's the reason for the seasons and the seeds, the soil and the sunshine, the rain and the miracle of life? It's to see what you can do with it—to try your hand. Other people have tried their hand; here's what they did. You try your hand to see what you can do. So part of life is productivity.

Next are good friends. Friendship is probably the greatest support system in the world. Don't deny yourself the time to develop this support system. Nothing can match it. It's extraordinary in its benefit. Friends are those wonderful people who know all about you and still like you. A few years ago I lost one of my dearest friends. He died at age 53—heart attack. David is gone, but he was one of my very special friends. I used to say of David that if I was stuck in a foreign jail somewhere accused unduly and if they would allow me one phone call, I would call David. Why? He would come and get me. That's a friend—somebody who would come and get you. Now we've all got casual friends. And if you called them they would say, "Hey, if you get back, call me and we'll have a party." So you've got to have both, real friends and casual friends.

Next on the list of a good life is your culture. Your language, your music, the ceremonies, the traditions, the dress. All of that is so vitally important that you must keep it alive. In fact, it is the uniqueness of all of us that when blended together brings vitality, energy, power, influence, uniqueness and rightness to the world.

Next is your spirituality. It helps to form the foundation of the family that builds the nation. And make sure you study, practice and teach. Don't be careless about the spiritual part of your nature; it's what makes us who we are, different from animal, dogs, cats, birds and mice. Spirituality.

Next, here's what my parents taught me: Don't miss anything. Don't miss the game. Don't miss the performance, don't miss the movie, don't miss the show, don't miss the dance. Go to everything you possibly can. Buy a ticket to everything you possibly can. Go see everything and experience all you possibly can. This has served me so well to this day. Just before my father died at age 93, if you were to call him at 10:30 or 11:00 at night, he wouldn't be home. He was at the rodeo, he was watching the kids play softball, he was listening to the concert, he was at church; he was somewhere every night.

Live a vital life. Here's one of the reasons why. If you live well, you will earn well. If you live well, it will show in your face, it will show in the texture of your voice. There will be something unique and magical about you if you live well. It will infuse not only your personal life but also your business life. And it will give you a vitality nothing else can give.

Next are your family and the inner circle. Invest in them and they'll invest in you. Inspire them and they'll inspire you. With your inner circle take care of the details. When my father was still alive, I used to call him when I traveled. He'd have breakfast most every morning with the farmers. Little place called The Decoy Inn out in the country where we lived in Southwest Idaho. So Papa would go there and have breakfast and I'd call him just to give him a special day. Now, if I was in Israel, I'd have to get up in the middle of the night, but it only took five minutes, 10 minutes. So I'd call Papa and they'd bring him the phone. I'd say, "Papa I'm in Israel." He'd say, "Israel! Son, how are things in Israel?" He'd talk real loud so everybody could hear—my son's calling me from Israel. I'd say, "Papa, last night they gave me a reception on the rooftop underneath the stars overlooking the Mediterranean." He'd say, "Son, a reception on the rooftop underneath the stars overlooking the Mediterranean." Now everybody knows the story. It only took 5-10 minutes, but what a special day for my father, age 93.

If a father walks out of the house and he can still feel his daughter's kiss on his face all day, he's a powerful man. If a husband walks out of the house and he can still feel the imprint of his wife's arms around his body, he's invincible all day. It's the special stuff with the inner circle that makes you strong and powerful and influential. So don't miss that opportunity. Here's the greatest value. The prophet said, "There are many virtues and values, but here's the greatest: one person caring for another." There is no greater value than love. Better to live in a tent on the beach with someone you love than to live in a mansion by yourself. One person caring for another, that's one of life's greatest expressions.

So make sure in your busy day to remember the true purpose and the reasons you do what you do. May you truly live the kind of life that will bring the fruit and rewards that you desire.


Life is good....and interesting! -D

Frugal

Had lunch with my sweetie at this place....


Two Hippies Beach House
They take extra care with their ingredients and try to be as organic as they can be. They are expanding to a lot of little spots here.
Two Hippies Breakfast Joint
Two Hippies Dropped Out of College and Opened a Pizzaria

you get the idea.

Good food, extremely casual, low $$. They have a special from 4-7 for 89 cent steak tacos which got me thinking....if you were on an EXTREME budget, you could eat there pretty inexpensively....which reminded me that I always think that if I were homeless, I would save up any money that I had for a yearly Costco membership. A person and their family could eat there every day on all of the food tasting displays.

Indians and Bagpipes

My son, Aaron graduated from the University of Oklahoma in May.

It's a big deal for me. First of all, I always assumed my children would grow up, go to college, and become successful adults. Well, Aaron gave me just a little bit of a challenge in his high school years....and I was slapped with the "reality check" that kids don't always do what their parents have planned for them. (Duh) I really struggled with this, though. I never even thought is was a remote possibility--and to have to let this go was tough, **TUF** tough. I really didn't know if he would graduate from high school, let alone go to college. Not because he couldn't handle the education piece, mind you....he is very smart. However, he made some, shall I say, poor choices in extra-curricular activities that caused him to have to go through a harder route than he could have. So, in May 2010 he made it through the School of Mass Communications and Journalism as a Sooner with a degree in Advertising.


Now--the festivities! Only in Oklahoma could you attend this event and see a bunch of Bagpipers fully kilten clad and bagpiping up a storm
while an entourage of Indian chiefs in full regalia come marching down the aisle.

I will say that I enjoyed the speakers at this commencement so much! The first evening was a Pulitzer Prize winning author and presidential historian named Doris Kerns Goodwin. She was one incredible lady and speaker!
She was so interesting and talked a mile a minute and never even looked at her notes or anything! Full of great stories....she also knows a TON about the Brooklyn Dodgers! Quite accomplished, very educational, enjoyable...just all around special treat for what is usually kind of a dreary pomp and circumstance kind of event!!
The next day was for the individual college...and the speaker was an OU alum that invented the Happy Meal! It was a very interesting story of how it came to be....(too bad that it was a precursor to the rampant childhood obesity we face today-not to put a damper on things--I'm just sayin'....)

Anyway...it's on to bigger and better things for him! Austin, Texas is where is he heading now! Congrats to Aaron!

You Can't Fence Time

What were you doing 30 years ago?
Thirty years ago today for me was life changing. I was 3 weeks out of college, almost 23 years old. I was scared, confident, excited, hopeful, ready.
You never forget that moment when they hand you that wrapped up, 8lb.6oz bundle and your life is forever different in ways you have never imagined.

Today is the big Three Oh for my beautiful daughter, Lindsay.
Lindsay. The name I thought NO ONE would have but her. :-)
Famous nose, freckle face (that's how many friends she has), big blue eyes and now a family of her own. I thought it would be appropriate to share bits and pieces of how she has grown and changed the past 30 years.






Do I see moves like Boston here?


A fashion show model at almost 5:


She helped our dog deliver 2 litters..this was the largest pup-Sir Charles Barkey. How about the large Suns hat Aaron is sporting?


























Aaahhhh..the 3rd set of braces.








DRAMA--- Cherokee heritage I guess.



First grandbaby and GRAM


Going to all the trouble of a spiral perm









It started here:


It went way farther up than this looks before they came down!!!




Nutcracker Suite Tonight





Broken Arm after the top bunk mishap!


Asymetrical Haircut


Time for bed but you had other ideas

Orange Crush










White on White Handsewn Quilt from Gram





Martina





I had stacks and stacks of photos to rummage thru...she was the first baby you know.
Awesome memories. All of those feelings she now describes for her own little ones I have all over again as I look at this third of a century.

I am so proud of her. She is fun, smart, a college graduate and almost done with her masters, a good mother, has found a really good man to share her life with, and she loves God.

My little pony-tailed girl grown up to be a woman
Now she's gone in the blink of an eye.



Happy 30th to my little girl.
No, you can't stop time.