Celtic Woman

So the bratlet is turning ten this weekend. A few months ago, I found out that a group she likes, CELTIC WOMAN, was coming to town around the same time as her birthday.

(I like them, too.)

And it was also my mom’s birthday back in January.  So I figured I’d kill three birds with one stone.  I’d get my mom a birthday present…the tickets.  I’d get to see them.  And I’d take the bratlet for her birthday.

Of course, plans never work out as planned.  Mom was really excited…right up until she got sick a few days ago-dog sick.  Doing better now, but no way she could go.  The bratlet doesn’t know what the surprise is, but she knows her grandma was supposed to come, but grandma was sick-now what?

We ended up taking a friend of the bratlets with us (I bought my mom a CD…not the best trade, but since she wasn’t able to go, figured it might help a little).

So last night we watched CELTIC WOMAN at the Louisville Palace.  The Louisville Palace is so pretty, it’s practically worth the cost of admission.

The singing was phenomenal.  The lights were gorgeous.  The entire show was just….wow.  Very, very much wow.

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Heard a cool quote on the radio

cross posted from my personal blog

Heading back from Ohio last night, I heard a cool quote on the radio. Can’t remember exactly WHO said it, or how it was worded…but the basic idea was…

IMAGE IS NOT MORE IMPORTANT THAN CHARACTER.

The guy was talking about how much focus western civilization puts on the ‘ideal’.
Women must be a size six or under to be considered the ‘normal’ ideal of beautiful, or at least that’s what media leads us to believe. Men must be ripped, buff, big and tall to be consider sexy.

To both of those ideas, I say bull. Beauty is more than skin deep. Sexy goes way deeper than looks. Looks can help…but if the guy is a jerk, his sex appeal drops so quickly, it would make the stock market look like it’s sitting pretty. If a woman is beautiful, but shallow and cruel, she’s not really all the beautiful to me.

Image, in the long run, doesn’t matter all that much. Because it doesn’t last. Decency, strength of character, compassion, honor… those things matter.

IMAGE IS NOT MORE IMPORTANT THAN CHARACTER.

That quote just really stuck with me, and I wanted to share.

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Childhood Memories

My granddaughter, Anastasia, lost her first tooth a couple of weeks ago. It brought back for me lots of memories of teaching kindergarten. I love kids that age, because they adore school, and everything is new and fun. Their enthusiasm is contagious, and the days are never boring.

Sometimes, as adults, I think we forget the joy and fun of doing something new. We get in our ruts, and life trundles along as usual with no pizzazz.

Anastasia will go to kindergarten this fall, and this time next year, she’ll get to do all the fun Valentine activities at school. She’ll be starting a whole series of “firsts”. I hope she can hold onto her childlike sense of wonder and adventure for a long long time.

February 14th is coming up this weekend. Some of us have “sweethearts” and some of us don’t. But we all have a chance to “love” life and take advantage of every day we are lucky enough to have on this earth.

I’m sending out a challenge today to all of us (me included). Find something new to be excited about, or even renew an old love for gardening, reading, painting, playing with a child, anything that gets the creative juices flowing and reminds us why we get up in the morning!

Wishing all of you a Happy Valentine’s Day and a year filled with blessings, good surprises, and new experiences.

Janice Maynard

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My Favorite Phantom

Good Morning!  I thought you might like another excerpt.  I hope so.

The ghost was there, right in front of Kaci.  The most hideous thing she’d ever seen.  She opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out. 

“Go away,” she finally managed to squeak and ran to Peyton’s room, slamming the door behind her and executing a flying leap that would’ve earned her a gold medal in gymnastics.  She landed with a plop on Peyton’s bed, quickly scooted beneath the covers, and threw her arms around him.

“What the…”  His words slurred together from sleep.

“The ghost is out there,” she whispered.  “Shhh…”  She pressed closer and realized he slept nude.  She was too frightened to be embarrassed…or leave the safety of his bed or the heat of his body.    

     “Isn’t that what you wanted?  To draw the ghost out, then zap it into oblivion?”  His words were thick with sleep.

     She stilled. 

     “That is what you wanted?” he prodded, seeming to come more awake.  At least, his words were getting easier to understand…unfortunately.

     It was time to lie…act.  “Yes, of course.  I…uh…dozed off, and when the spirit showed itself, I was startled.”

     “This is more than startled.  You’re trembling.” 

He started to move away, but she clung tighter.  She couldn’t help it. 

“Please, can I stay in here tonight?”

Silence.

God, she was such a wimp. 

“If you stay, we won’t be sleeping.”

 

Karen Kelley has quickly become one of my favorite comedic authors. I know without a doubt that I am going to spend a lot of time laughing and occasionally snorting while reading one of her books.  Laura J reviewer The Good, the Bad, and the Unread

 

Have a great day!

Karen Kelley

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