Mechanical Bull Ride?! *AS IF* !

My husband, daughter, son-in-law and I were in Pittsburgh this past weekend.  A new restaurant, Cadillac Ranch, opened up and we decided to give it a try.

We parked the car, and as we were walking in we saw by their advertising that they had "steaks, chops, BBQ, burgers, cocktails and bull rides" (?!)  Knowing full well that it would be one of THE LAST things on earth I would EVER do, my husband teasingly said to me, "Look, honey, they have a bull ride!  You wanna do it?!"  And before I could even comment, my quick-witted son-in-law piped up (a LITTLE too enthusiastically!), "I'LL PAY!" 

Boo and Bentley -- Update on "My Boys"!

YES, I am a terrible Raggie mom! HOW LONG has it been since I have given an update on my two sweet boys?! I know, I know, I've been dreadfully, terribly negligent, and I can only plead "crazeeee busy". Please forgive!

OK, so here goes:

Boo, our "seal bi-color", will be four years old on January 31, 2011. Hard to believe! He is SUCH a sweetheart. And just look at that face -- soooooooo cute, cute, cuuuuuuuute! I can hardly get enough of him!

Boo is also VERY vocal... always *complainin'* about something. Tooooo funny!

 

Bentley (aka "Squeak" -- because he rarely meows -- I think we've heard TWO true "meows" out of him his whole life so far. Every now and then he'll kind-of *chirp!* or *squeak*-- but that's about it!) is a "blue lynx mitted" who will be a year old on December 1, 2010. Whereas Boo is just so darn ADORABLE you can hardly stand it, Squeak is simply a striking, magnificent-looking animal.

They BOTH weigh the same right now -- 12.5 pounds! Which is kinda funny, because anyone who knows Ragdolls knows that they continue to grow and mature till about age 3 or 4 years old, so Squeak will likely (far!) outweigh Boo one day, because Boo is likely fully grown. And for a reference, when Boo was Squeak's age (10 months), he weighed about 9 pounds. Yep, that Squeak -- he's gonna be a "BIGGUN"'!!! That's OK, though, just more to snuggle and love!

Their favorite activities? Rip-snorting through the house at warp speed, then crashing and burning for a 4 hour nap on the bed or our favorite chair!

They also love mutual grooming... watching the bird feeder out the window... eating, of course (hey, it's one of MY favorite pasttimes, too!!!)... and OH how they love to *PLAY*! Quail feathers, feather wands, Da Bird, and those little furry mice (that Squeak "kills" and eviscerates in about 15 minutes flat) are their current favorite toys.

And have I mentioned that Squeak actually FETCHES, and he has since he was a baby?! Yep, just like a puppy dog! Sooooooo stinkin' cute!



OH yeah, in case you can't tell, I am totally smitten with these guys.  Spoiled little furballs, indeed!!!

  P.S.  In case you missed 'em, some of my other Raggie posts are here:  BOO'S STORY, CAT FANCY ARTICLE, and BENTLEY'S STORY.

Thanks for looking!

Day # 30 ("Hopes, Dreams, Plans for Next 365 Days")

Whoa, seems like a pretty heavy way to end a fun and fairly light-hearted 30-day blog challenge!  (By the way, in case you have NO IDEA what I am talking about ["Blog challenge??!  What blog challenge???!!!"]  please go HERE for the whole scoop!)

And speaking of this blog challenge, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it; so please feel free to leave a comment or contact me through my profile, at right.  I hope it has been as fun for you as it has been for me -- although I really do need to get back to my regularly scheduled life now!!!

But, back to the topic at hand.  Hopes, dreams, plans, eh?  Well, let's see how philosophic I am feeling.

HOPES?  Well, I continue to hope for all the best for my children... I wish them nothing but bright futures and happiness.   I hope for continued health and happiness for my mother, and the rest of my family.

DREAMS?  Honestly?! I am really only dreaming of a 5-stone diamond right-hand ring (but if you've read HERE, you already know this!)

PLANS for the next 365 days?  Hmmm...
1. Take up the carpet in our living room and refinish the lovely oak hardwood floor underneath.  (Unless I chintz out and just re-carpet!!!)
2. Take a winter vacation (or two!) with my boy.
3. Finish the quilt for my guest room and hopefully start another.
4. Lose a few pesky pounds that have crept up on me. (*grooooan!*)
5. Continue to enjoy my simple, happy, everyday life with my husband and our two kitties.

So...I guess that's about it right now for all my "dreams, plans and hopes".

OH WAIT!  Almost forgot -- world peace, of course!   ;o)

Day # 29 ("A Person I Love")

(Me and my boy, in an earlier photo!)

This post was hard AND easy.

"Hard" because I love so many people...how to chose?!  I love my two children, my mother, my sisters, my niece, my nephews, my brothers-in-law, my great nephews... and so many dear and wonderful friends who feel like family.

But really, once I really thought about it, it got pretty easy -- and one familiar, smiling face kept coming to my mind... that of my husband, Barry.

We've been together (well) over 30 years now.  We were high school sweethearts... got married (very!) young, had a baby right away and another 9 years later.  We worked hard to build a home and a life together.   We've had our ups and downs, it's true... and it hasn't all been easy.  But through it all, our mutual love and commitment to each other has been like a glue that holds us tight.

My husband is wonderful -- easy-going, hard-working, quiet, and FUNNY.  He can build or fix anything, and he is what I proudly refer to as a "Finisher".  If he starts a project, he finishes the project... and it is done well, done right and done fast.   (And yeah, baby, I *LOVE* THAT!)

He's also adorably handsome, and I truly am so thankful to have him be "mine".  I have honestly never known anyone else I would rather share my life with.

Here are some pictures of my boy... "through the years"...

This is us... I was 15, he was 16!

Married now!

When I reflect on our lives together, I think that the greatest gifts he has ever given me have been his unfailing loyalty, and unconditional love.  Really.  I have never had to doubt his love or commitment to me or our family.  He loves me no matter what, and I am 100% confident in this.  Bad hair day?  Bad mood day?  Up a few pounds?  Down a few pounds?  Sick as a dog?  Cranky as a crab?  No make-up?  No dinner?  No matter.  Really.  He calls me "Peanut" and "Lovie",  and he tells me every day that he loves me and that I'm "beautiful". 

There's a song by Martina McBride called, "My Baby Loves Me Just the Way that I Am"... and I always think of him when I hear it.  Every girl should be loved like this.

MY BABY LOVES ME JUST THE WAY THAT I AM
-- Martina McBride

Don't need no copy of Vogue magazine
Don't need to dress like no beauty queen
High heels or sneakers he don't give a damn
My baby loves me just the way that I am
My baby loves me just the way that I am

He never tells me I'm not good enough
Just gives me unconditional love
He loves me tender and he loves me mad
He loves me silly and he loves me sad

He thinks I'm pretty, he thinks I'm smart
He likes my nerve but he loves my heart
He's always sayin' he's my biggest fan
My baby loves me just the way that I am
My baby loves me just the way that I am

When there's dark clouds in my eyes
He just sits back and lets 'em roll on by
Come in like a lion, go out like a lamb
My baby loves me just the way that I am
My baby loves me just the way that I am

He thinks I'm pretty, he thinks I'm smart
He likes my nerve but he loves my heart
He's always sayin' he's my biggest fan
My baby loves me just the way that I am
My baby loves me just the way that I am


Hear it and watch the video here:


I love you back, baby.  Forever.  xoxoxo

Day # 28 ("A Place I Love")

WHOA!  This was a HARD ONE!  I just didn't know how to answer it.

My husband, on the other hand, would have NO problem answering this question.  His favorite place on the planet is definitely Cancun, Mexico.  We have been there several times, and he LOVES it there.  In fact, I think if I LET HIM, it might be the only place we ever vacation!   But life is simpler for my husband  ;o)  as (admittedly) I tend to DWELL ON things, dissect, belabor and hash them over (and over and over...) 

So, no, for ME, the answer didn't come so quickly because there are simply SO MANY places that I *LOVE*!

For example, I love...
Thailand -- where we had the adventure of a lifetime... (You can read about it HERE)

Alaska -- vast, pristine and just so much FUN!

Hawaii -- such beauty, perfect weather, the sea, the volcano, the waterfalls...

Japan -- an entirely different world and culture.

The Caribbean islands -- bright skies, clear blue waters, so relaxing... always the perfect "getaway"...

Costa Rica was a wonderful adventure, too, and somewhere we'd definitely like to return.  (You can read about that HERE)

Plus we've had the opportunities to visit Belize... Roatan... Honduras... the Mexican Riviera... Cancun and Cozumel... Canada... and many of the states right here in our own beautiful country.  We've been very blessed to have been able to experience many different, incredible places, cultures and people.

So how to choose ONE "place I love"?  It almost seemed impossible.

Then I looked around... and realized... the answer is actually very simple: the place I love BEST in the world is the place we call HOME.

My home.  With my bed and my kitchen and my favorite quilts! Home -- where we start and end each day... where we laugh and play and tease and talk... Saturday night bonfires in the back yard and Sunday dinners in the dining room.  HOME is where my family and friends come, where my kitties are... where the simple miracle of everyday memories are made. 

The fact of the matter is this: no matter how excited we are to travel... we are always very happy and appreciative to come back *home* again.

Day # 27 ("A Child I Love")

As you may know, I don't have any grandbabies. I have several grand-kitties (whom I do adore!), but none of the human variety. In fact, do you think my dear daughter was trying to tell me something when she bought me the pillow, pictured above???!

BUT... there is one darling child on the planet who calls me "Grandma" and OH, I LOVE IT!  His name is Eric, and he is 9 years old.

Eric is the son of our dear ("almost-son"), Jerod.  We love spending time with BOTH of them (and Jerod's wife, Steph).  They are our "family", too.

Here is Eric (at 2 years old) with his daddy. Are they NOT two peas in a pod????!

And here are a few recent pictures. Isn't he ADORABLE???!

Eric loves motorcycles, trucks, soccer, trampoline jumping, and those crazy little "silly bandz". 

And I am proud and honored that he loves me, too... he gave me this note recently (for no apparent reason whatsoever). 

Awwww, I love you, too, Squirt!!! xoxo

Day # 26 ("A Funny True Story")

Well, if you have been following this blog at all, you have probably noticed that my hair style(s) tend to be a little... um, tousled-looking.  At least that's what my hair stylist (bless her soul) nicely calls it.  Some people might call it "messy", or "windblown", or whatever... but all I know is that I have never been a big fan of sleek, smooth, perfectly tailored hair - on me, anyway.

So my father had been gone for several years, and when my mom was 68, she remarried a really great guy named Bob.  And Bob loved all of us, and our families, and the feeling truly was mutual.

Well, one day while we were all together shopping, Bob (who had a quirky sense of humor) said to me teasingly, "Did you forget to comb your hair this morning, Lynn?"

Well, my dear well-meaning mother (protective Mama Bear that she still is) didn't miss that remark and she immediately jumped to my defense, saying, "BOB!!!  I happen to know for A FACT that Lynn spends A LOT OF TIME trying to make her hair look like she just got out of bed!!!"

LOL!  Way to go, Mom!  ;o)

Mom and Bob: