The TOP 10 Things you won't ever hear me say....

We've all read those lists  "Top 10 things you won't hear a "redneck', 'southerner', 'northerner' say".  I think we should all have lists like that.  In fact, I think it should be a prerequisite in life to have one.  Then no chance of offending someone.  They won't ask you to do something that's not on your list.

SO, here goes:

"The Top 10 Things you won't hear Leasa say":

• Let's go to the mall, instead of on a bike ride
• I was thinking of not going anywhere this year.
• I'm sorry, I can't do that
• Oh, that race is too far
• You've poured me too much wine
• I want to start another remodeling project in my house
• I'll never finish that book
• My career comes first
• He's WAY too old/young for me

And the number ONE thing you won't hear me say

• I haven't watched enough hockey this weekend.

What's on your list?

Spreading the love

Be afraid.  Be very afraid.  Especially, if you have ever met me or Carolyn TOGETHER - especially, if you have met us in Vail, CO. :-)

Truth be told, you would be proud to have us as friends.  The scary part of having us as friends, well, is the fact, that well, we DON'T go away.  Good thing/bad thing.  Glad you had you the experience/Not sure you want the daily reminder.  We aren't THAT bad.  We aren't DAILY reminders.  We just pop up when you least expect it.

We SO were the FB of our times - only we thought WE had to keep in touch with everyone.  And not all the time (there is NO time for THAT).  Not some computer program.  MUCH, much easier now.  Just an "update" here and there

Really, we didn't think we were going to stalk you.  It goes back to collecting.  We weren't collecting seashells, we were collecting people.

Any why not?  The more people in the world whom make the world a better place.......Why wouldn't we want to be friends with them.  Or more importantly, why wouldn't they want to be friends with us??

You may think it was a casual encounter.  And you may continue to think, "it was really nice to meet them".  But then somehow you look into our blue eyes.  You have just checked into the Hotel California.  There is no going back.

Backstory:     Carolyn got divorced in 2001. Her divorce was final on THE 9 11.  It puts it all into perspective.  (I'm talking the divorce, not this story).

And you REALLY shouldn't be jealous when your best friend (shouldn't that be in capitals like a title:  Best Friend) gets divorced.  Sorry for the ADD there.

I moved out of my house (the house with the husband and kids) in Jan 2002.

Carolyn met a wonderful guy in 2004.  That's another story.

The POINT OF THE STORY is:  from Jan 2002 - Spring 2004.   Those are what we refer to as "THE FOUND YEARS".

Not the "Lost years", but those we found.  While looking for ourselves out there......

Somehow, and I remember how, but it was random (imagine that!) we ended up in Vail for the weekend.  Superbowl weekend 2003???  must have been.  We had only been to Vail to ski one other time.  We had never stayed and never gone out.  Wait a minute, we had gone out, but not in Vail.

We are in Vail and we are standing outside of a restaurant and we hear live music.  (Note to others:  We ALWAYS stop for good live music).  We should go in.

And that's a whole other story.  A good one at that.

Fast forward:  October 2011

What, 8 years later?  We text 2 of the people we met that weekend.  "On our way to Vail.  Drinking Mojita's and remembering the good times"

We got two texts back.

Thanks for making us smile.  You are welcome for your smile (And to the general public, yes we kept in touch, well, for a while).

And it was all good.  Then you need to send the one final e-mail.  The one to find out about the one who got away.....  "Whatever happened to Fisher?"   "Haven't heard from him in a LONG time, but I had a Dr pepper/diet coke mix today and thought of you.  And yes, the Diet Coke was on top".

So here we are - Eight YEARS later.  Still spreading the love.  And all we wanted to do was, well, be the FUN PEOPLE.


UPDATE:

As a recruiter (AKA a stalker) for a living - we found Fisher.  He got married last year.  And truly, my very first thought was "should we send him a wedding present??"

I e-mailed Carolyn.  And her first response was "Did you send him something??"

"Could you imagine the look on his face?"

And we wish him the best.  And we don't want anything.  Anything other than him to know:  We were thinking of him.  WOW!!!!

How great would that be if everyone we cared about knew.  Just for a moment.  We were thinking of them.....

Spreading the love......

Volunteers

Unbeknownst to me, there are different definitions of volunteers. 

When we say the word "Volunteer" - we, or at least me, think of people contributing something (time, money, etc) to a cause.  Any cause, a thing one believes in.  Political, schools, kids, cancer - you name it and there are incredible people out there whom help others.

There is also another definition of the word. 

And until a few years ago I had never heard the word used in this text.  Volunteer - something that grows unexpectedly.

This year, I discovered volunteers.  And the best type of volunteers at that!  In my back yard, I have TWO blooming tomato plants. 

We didn't plant plants this year.  There is nothing growing in the garden but weeds and grass.  And oh yeah, two tomato plants.

In general, don't volunteers make other people happy.  And aren't the best things in life - well, not things???? 

Cherry tomatoes - free tomatoes, unexpected pleasure in life that surprises you at your own door-step - without even asking for it.  THAT would be a volunteer.  And once again, life delivers you something when you least expect it.  This is the universe telling you to go look.

After all, there are only two things money can't buy........

Mork calling Orson

About to show my age here.  "Mork calling Orson, come in Orson".  Still not sure why I remember this series - unless it was foreshadowing in my life.  I'm not a big "TV person" - usually light years behind in what is popular.  In fact, whole seasons, and series can go by, and I catch up YEARS later.  (Please don't tell anyone I have never seen an episode of "The Office" or "Housewives from where ever". :-) 

Mork and Mindy.  Circa - what, 75?  I have no idea.  All I remember is Mork was from Ork.  Pam someone played Mindy and he lived in the attic in Boulder, Colorado.  AND, Saturday, September 17, 2011 I stood in front of the house. 

The first time I went to Boulder, I remember asking, "hey, is the Mork and Mindy house around here". While I'm not a big "star searcher", love it when you can be silly in life.  (After all, I have seen the LARGEST BALL OF YARN......) 

Saturday, I'm in Boulder with a friend whom has never been to Boulder.  We are talking about the "Mork & Mindy" house.  Previously this has been a pipe dream - or a "I know it's somewhere here in Boulder, this is the older section, but ok, let's find it next time kind of dream". 

It's all changed now.  We have Internet on our phones.  Let's google "Mork & Mindy address".  1619 Pearl Street.  We are standing between 16th and 17th on Spruce Street.  One street over..... 

On Spruce Street, before the "Oh, we need to go by the Mork & Mindy house moment" - we were standing in front of a used bookstore.  "Catcher in the Rye" was on the sale stand outside.   So,you are telling me "we have a chance"........

Yes.  Is the answer to all your questions.  Poor lady whom still lives in the house.

Yes, we went to the house.  The house that still looks the same, only I don't quite remember what it looked like.  If I had to picture it, yes, this was the house.

Yes, I finished Catcher in the Rye.  - and if I didn't tell the story, please remind me too - it's a good story  (both Catcher in the Rye and the story I have to tell about the book that took me ten years to read).

Yes, sometimes you go to Hawaii.  Sometimes Hawaii comes to you.  Sometimes, you better be careful what you wish for..... it just might come true.

This is Mork signing off.  Good-night Orson.  Good-night Mork.

Sunday's are the worst

Several years ago I read a book about "recovering from a loss" - (I think that was the name) and it was an easy read and bullet points. One of the bullet points said: "Sunday's are the worst". That quote stuck in my head.

Sunday evenings are about routine. Getting ready for the week. Rituals. Wrapping up the weekend. When your routine changes and things are different, you get used to everything during the week, but Sunday's are the hardest to change.

And really, I love Sunday evenings - the house quiets down early, it's usually clean for a few hours, the laundry is done and put away. Ready for the week to begin.

One exception. And it's without fail.

When friends/family come to visit, Sunday's are the day they normally leave. A nice weekend visit - Wednesday to Sunday or Thursday to Sunday. Sometimes Monday afternoons, but like I said, Sunday evening.

And the drive home from the airport is ALWAYS the same. Quiet in the car. And I can't even call anyone - just spend the time listening to music having happy thoughts about glorious weekends. And then, I'm sad. Sad the weekend is over. Sad the person is leaving. And I'm not ever sad. I've been here 19 years, and EVERY TIME Carolyn leaves, it's the absolute same feeling. You would think we would be used to it. And it's not just Carolyn, but she's been coming to visit the longest.

So this Sunday evening feels the same distant sadness. The weekend was action packed - from touring Denver, to the Pro Cycle Challenge in Vail, to a hike, a 30 mile bike ride and sitting on the 18th row of the 30 yard line for a Broncos game. Thanks for coming and touring my state. Happy and sad all at the same moment.

This Sunday evening it's okay to just be content. Sunday's aren't the worst - maybe melancholy is a better word. Sunday's are melancholy.

And really, I just need to think: I have to do this again 3 weeks from tonight. When I drop him at the airport again.

Weddings

People still have weddings. Can you believe it? In this day in age? There are two people out there whom are willing to buck the odds and go for it?

You say you aren't a risk taker? Yes, you are going to not only get married, but have a wedding?? Yes, YOU, are a risk taker. Only we don't think of it that way. We think - "that, is what you are supposed to do". It's not really taking a risk. But, if you look at the odds - sorry, you are better off going to Vegas with $10,000.....

Weddings tell us - I still have hope. I still believe. I still believe, that I am different. And isn't that funny, the rest of our life, we want to be just like everyone else???? See, you are a risk taker.

I attended a wedding this weekend in Nathrop, CO - the back drop to the "collegiate mountains" - Mt Princeton. It's beautiful. No argument there. And in fact, it was an afternoon wedding. A risk in Colorado in the summer. Rain. And yes, it clouded up, and darkened, then sprinkled. Then, just as the ceremony starts, the sun comes out. Sometimes hope is enough.

That is the thing about weddings - it's all about hope. I never thought about it before, but really the wedding has only something to do with the bride and groom. It has TONS to do with parents saying "look what I accomplished" and TONS to do with people wanting to get together.

And truly...... My favorite people I met at the wedding????? And it's almost hard to admit, but anyone who knows me, knows this answer. The mother of the groom and her best friend.

Because truly it's funny, I just told you - I don't believe marriages last against all odds. BUT, the two best girlfriends know - they last. It doesn't matter, and weddings are great and we have all hope and I wish nothing but the best for Sharon and Ross.

However, I KNOW what will last until the end of time. I know Ross's mom will be standing next to her best friend at the moment she needs her. I'm NOT saying Sharon and Ross won't last, I'm just telling you what will.

You know why? Because we never had to, we just wanted too. And it's ok, we got left behind and separated, but we've always known, who'd we pick up in the rain, 2000 miles away.

Really, weddings have EVERYTHING to do with LOVE. EVERYTHING to do with gambling. AND EVERYTHING to do about best friends.

Sometimes in life, we understand, they greet us in a couple of different ways.....

Chameleon

Chameleons (family Chamaeleonidae) are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of lizards. They are distinguished by their parrot-like zygodactylous feet, their separately mobile and stereoscopic eyes, their very long, highly modified, and rapidly extraditable tongues, their swaying gait, the possession by many of a prehensile tail, crests or horns on their distinctively shaped heads, and the ability of some to change color. Uniquely adapted for climbing and visual hunting, the approximately 160 species of chameleon range from Africa, Madagascar, Spain and Portugal, across south Asia, to Sri Lanka, have been introduced to Hawaii, California and Florida, and are found in warm habitats that vary from rain forest to desert conditions.

Many, many years ago, I was in Houston - for the first time. At my best friends house. For the first time. We had a New Year's Eve party.

The next day, I came downstairs. My hair was in a "french braid". Normally, my hair looks fairly blonde - sometimes, it is straight, sometimes curly, dark, blonde, it's changeable. "Mom" says, "You know, you're like a chamelon" "You never know who is going to come down the stairs. " I've remembered that moment. The chameleon.....

Poof....

She's in Vail - skiing; She's married; She's pregnant - having a son and a house in Cherry Creek; She's living in Colorado; she's the career woman; she still think she's the insecure girl without much money; she's running a marathon in Greece; she's the hockey mom, she's learning to surf and on and on. You get the idea.

When I am in a moment - I am COMPLETELY there. I don't ever wish I was somewhere else. Right there and then - whatever the moment, I am PRESENT. And I assimilate. Become part of the place, the experience. I fit right in.

And here I am. School starts Thursday, pre-season hockey, blah, blah, blah..... Right back into the swing of things.

It's funny. Last year, after running the marathon, I thought things would look different when I came back. They were the same. It was an experience. I wasn't the same.

Assimilate: "to take in and incorporate as one's own; absorb: He assimilated many new experiences on his European trip."

Assimilate - is that the right word?

I always think of the word really as the opposite. I do absorb, but become part of - transform - and I guess that is where the chameleon comes in. I change to fit the environment.

Did you ever meet someone and you know - that the moment you speak to the person - your life will change forever? I've had that happen twice. And I think I've added a third time.

But, I have to tell you about the second time. (Can't tell you everything at once - you'd quit reading).

SO, SIX years ago, I was skiing in Vail...... I was at at the Red Lion. I was with a girlfriend and we were trying to move away from these annoying guys. We just started talking with these guys at the next table. I hear the story. "this group of us get together every year, blah, blah, blah" Same story, different day. This guy is talking TO me (not with me) and I look over and see this cute guy with the group (the group the guy I am speaking to) . Blue shirt - and WEDDING RING. Dammit. Of course.

I believe in attraction - you are either attracted to someone or you are not. No amount of money, beauty, finesse, etc, will change that. Now, you can become MORE or LESS attracted to someone, but, if it is there, well it's there.

The guy I'm speaking with has to go to the bathroom. And as he leaves, his friend stands up from across the way. Literally, my first thought: "Please, please don't come over here". How can you have a thought like this, well, when you haven't even spoken to someone?"

Let me give you the short version of a very long story: As of today, he lives on the East Coast, he's still married, and has an incredible career. AND, we still keep in touch. Which, truly, I think, is the funniest thing of all. Some people collect seashells, I collect people......

The reason I bring all this up....... He was in town today - Denver. We had lunch. How RANDOM is that?? We were talking work, life, Hawaii, love, children, happiness...... Isn't that what friends do? Keep in touch???

And TRULY - at lunch today, I wouldn't have been anywhere else in the world.

What do you do?

You believe. You assimilate. You be.

I have incredible friends. And I believe it takes hard work. And the chameleon is part of whom I am. She was there today. Giving advice to a Fortune 100 Executive. ....

Have you seen the movie "Au Chocolate"? Jonnny Deep?

Yes, at some moment, we need to shut the window....... Or maybe we don't. Don't let the spirit guide us to the next point. Maybe we are supposed to stay here.... Here - not the next moment. Not , not, not.....

Not transform..... just stay here. Not all Chameleon's change......