Saturday:) Sometimes You Have To Break Free

“You don’t have to live with whatever life throws you–or whatever you’ve gotten yourself into…

You can choose to Change Your Story!”

― Kirstin Leigh

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On my recent walks, I’ve been infatuated with this flower that has been bursting through the confines of a six foot wooden fence a few blocks away. I laugh to myself as I think of the analogy on life that this bold flower represents. I think we can all relate to wanting to break through the fence that holds us back from doing the things we want to do are are meant to be doing.

This flower represents our lives. Nothing should hold us back. Don’t be kept in the shade behind a tall confining fence. Find a tiny crack or space to squeeze through and burst through. Feel the warmth of the sun and the fresh blustery breeze. Be free! Great analogy, right?

Friday:) Friends, Friends, Everywhere Friends

“It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them.”

― Ralph Waldo Emerson

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I’ve always been blessed with as many friends as there are stars in the sky. And like in real life, more stars are discovered all the time, and more friendships are made every day.

My week was filled with fun and friendship. Monday, I met a few new people over at the senior center country dance.

Tuesday, I went to Zumba and wiggled and jiggled with friends at the YMCA. Afterwards, I met my friend Mary, that I greet with at the door before Mass, for coffee/tea and catching up.

Wednesday, we celebrated a farewell Mass with friends and Father Charles. It was his last weekday Mass, but we will be giving him a proper send off and pot-luck lunch on Sunday.

I also received a call from a couple of friends I hadn’t heard from in over a year. Michael and Derrick were the sales reps when I bought my new house in 2014. Michael and my friend, Linda Grossman, (World’s Greatest Realtor) got me a great deal on my beautiful home. Because I walk every day, I’d always stop in at the model home and talk with the guys. I’d stop in to cool off in the summer or warm up in the winter. One time, Michael even called me because he was worried that I hadn’t been by to visit. They were checking up on me. I reminded him that I was in Chicago for my son’s wedding.

It’s nice to have friends that worry about you. In the meantime, both guys moved on and are employed with a different builders in Forney. So, when they called and wanted to meet and catch up, I was delighted.

Thursday is always a fun friend-day at the VFW, karaoke night with singing and dancing.

Bob even got Jerry up to sing. Granted, there were only 3 words in the entire song, but they had fun razzing each other.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zimdBVVTEiA

Then, I had a photo op with my handsome date for the evening…

I made a funny comment about most men not using their head or their brains to think anyway.

This morning I walked Bella, went to the Y, rode the bike a few miles and went to the Zumba class. It’s been a busy week with many friends. I’m always keeping busy. Now, let’s see what the weekend holds.

Thursday:) Those Young At Heart Seniors

“The longer I live, the more beautiful life becomes.”

~ Frank Lloyd Wright

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I’ve been doing something crazy. Well, crazy in my mind. I’ve been going over to the McKinney Senior Center on Monday afternoons. They have a country dance venue that is such a kick. I never learned to dance when I was younger. When you think of a senior center, your mind gets all sad and sympathetic, and you envision a bunch of old white-haired codgers shuffling around. Oh my, quite the contrary.

I’ll admit, I’m probably one of the youngest people there, but these folks can move like nobody’s business. And talk about sharp. They know about a dozen different line dances that have more moves than Michael Jackson. I still haven’t mastered one. I’ve almost got the two-step down, but that was after stepping and stomping on the toes of several unsuspecting gentlemen. I did apologize.

Then, everyone takes a short break and nibbles on goodies that volunteers bring to share with the group. I made some brownies that quickly disappeared.

You only have to be 50 or older to join the McKinney Senior Center, and it costs a whole $5 a year for a resident membership, non-residents, $10 a year.

I had a great time, learned a few moves, and made some new friends. This getting old stuff isn’t all that bad when you keep dancin’ and singin’. Speaking of which, I better get moving…off to karaoke at the VFW.

Friendly Farewell To Father Charles

“The heart of a father is the masterpiece of nature.”

― Antoine François Prévost

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Today, at St. Gabriel’s, Father Charles celebrated his last morning Mass. Our beloved Father will be going to St. Francis soon. During his homily, he thanked all the people who made him feel so welcome during his years at St. Gabriel’s. We have become his family, and will always remain family. Fortunately, he won’t be too far away.

After Mass, people gathered to say farewell and get in some last minute hugs. The children, especially, will miss the kind and friendly Father.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHlYqqWwFP0

Farewell lunch for Fr. Charles

Sunday, July 1, 2018, 12:00 PM
Location: Community Center
Say goodbye to Fr. Charles as he moves to his new assignment at St Francis and JP II High School. We will have a lunch for him after the 11am Mass. The Kenyan Choir will also sing at the 11am Mass. You will also be able to give him a card and say goodbye after each Mass. We will miss you Fr. Charles! Thank you for your sincere service to the people of St. Gabriel.

Thank you, Father Charles.

Toni’s Tasty Tortilla Tuesday

“Don’t just make a delicious dinner. Use those darn leftovers.”

~ Toni Armenta Andrukaitis

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When I have no idea what I’m going to make for dinner, I rummage through the fridge, grab a tortilla or two, then see what’s in one of those mysterious to-go containers. Let’s see… what did I find today? There was a small styrofoam box with my leftover chicken fried chicken from lunch the other day. I found half an onion, an almost mushy tomato, a really ripe avocado, some black beans, an almost empty bag of shredded cheese, and a handful of baby spinach.

While the slivers of chicken and onion and black beans sautéed in the pan, I diced the tomato and the avocado. I’m usually not that neat and tidy, but I wanted to take a nice picture. (This would be a good vegetarian meal. Just leave out the chicken. There wasn’t that much anyway.)

The tortilla was so full, I decided to make only one instead of two, The bad part about having all those leftovers is, now… there’s enough leftover leftovers for another day. Oh no!

“It’s not leftovers that are wasteful, but those who either don’t know what to do with them or can’t be bothered.”

~Julian Baggini

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How blessed our we to not only have enough to eat, but enough left over for another day.

Montage Monday:) A Week In A Peek

“Life is like a basketball team. It takes a lot of practice, coaching, teamwork, and sometimes sweat and suffering. You just have to keep dribbling down the court and keep aiming for the basket.”

~ Toni Armenta Andrukaitis (I coached 7th grade girl’s basketball once upon a time.)

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Unity is strength… when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.”

~Mattie Stepanek

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Every Monday, when I look back at my week’s worth of photos, it’s like reliving each day and smiling at the wonderful events and people that have blessed my life. I put together a little montage, using a dozen or so of my favorite pictures and quotes. That’s a tough task. I usually take a zillion pictures every week. Well, maybe not a zillion, but maybe a million or two. Ha!

This week, I did a lot of baking, visiting with friends, a few lunches, a couple of dinners, a few margaritas, visiting cute firemen, dancing at the senior center, singing at the VFW, painting, well, the list goes on.

This is my life…isn’t it grand?

Sunday Sermon and CRHP Sisters Singin’ Karaoke

“We hang out, we help one another, we tell one another our worst fears and biggest secrets, and then just like real sisters, we listen and don’t judge.”

– Adriana Trigiani

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The early morning was overcast with helpful clouds, but by 10am, we went from tolerable to oppressive. Welcome to Texas. This morning, greeting before Mass with Jerry and Mary, we gave out a LOT of hugs. It was a huggy kinda morning.

Today’s Gospel according to Luke was about the birth of John the Baptist. Everyone thought that Elizabeth would name her baby Zechariah, after his father. There was no John in the family. All were surprised when even his father wrote on a tablet, “John is his name.” Then the father spoke, his tongue freed, and everyone knew this would be a special blessed child, and they wondered…

“What, then, will this child be?”

For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.

The child grew and became strong in spirit,

and he was in the desert until the day

of his manifestation to Israel.

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My take on it… John the Baptist was destined to be a special child and blessing to the world. But, you know what? Don’t we all wonder when we have children, what “this child will be?” Each and every child brought into this world should be given a special name of honor, and be a special blessing. One of my favorite quotes is, “Your perception is your reality.” You are what you believe you are. Perhaps if everyone believed they were special from the start, a gift from God, and was put on this earth to be great, loving and a blessing, then maybe it would be a much better world.

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After church, I made some brownies to take over to our CRHP 28 Sisters luncheon hosted by our sister, Theresa. These lovely ladies and I have shared so much in the past year or so since we first met at our St. Gabriel’s women’s retreat. We try to get together every month or so. Theresa was kind enough to invite us to her home for food, fun and…yes, karaoke.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAiYFqyleI4

Sisters that sing together, cling together.

Saturday:) Something Special

“I usually don’t just give a gift. I try to make something special that comes from my hands and my heart.”

~ Toni Armenta Andrukaitis

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Last Monday was Jerry’s birthday, and I wanted to paint a couple of martini glasses for him. He collects martini glasses. But, to come up with something special and not girlie. I like to paint roses and bluebonnets. He also collects African art, so I researched some African art paintings and found just the right thing.

The variegated background and trees were easy, but that darn little giraffe was a bit tricky. But they came out ok.

I presented Jerry with his gift on Monday night when our Single Mingle group met for dinner. Miss Pat baked 3 pecan pies for the occasion,

Jerry appreciated the fuss for his birthday. When he got home, he proudly displayed his gift. I didn’t realize how perfectly it matched his decor.

A special gift for a special friend. Homemade is always the best.

Friday:) Firemen and a Few Other Friends

“The shortest distance between truth and a human being is a story.”

~Anthony de Mello
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Friday turned out to be a fiery hot day. I took Bella across the street to the park for only a few minutes at a time. I, personally, am a bit crazy, so I put my cool wrap around my neck, and went out for a walk. I walked half an hour, came in to sit under the ceiling fan, then back out again. Yep, I’m crazy.

My goal today was to go to get some walking in, go to the bank and take some brownies over to my firemen friends at Station 5 and 9. I decided that I finally needed to write a little story to share with the friendly firefighters. I’ve been taking them goodies for so many years, so I wondered if they might like to know why I do this. It’s a special story. So, I wrote it down, printed it and attached a special photo. I took the story and brownies over today.

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MY ANGEL MOTHER

In 2002, my sweet mother had a serious stroke. She was visiting with me in Hawthorn Woods after not feeling well for a few days. Her speech was slurred and she collapsed in my arms. I held her with one arm and dialed 911 with my free hand. The Lake Zurich fire station was just around the corner. The dispatcher kept me calm and gave me detailed instructions. “The ambulance is on the way. Make sure the front door is unlocked. Stay with me on the phone. It’s going to be OK.” The paramedics arrived in just a few minutes.

The care and compassion, not to mention, saving my mother’s life has always remained with me. After that experience, I have always visited my local fire stations with homemade cookies, brownies or cupcakes, especially at Christmas and September 11th. At Easter time, I make those cute Peep cupcakes, but many times, I just stop by because I feel like baking and sharing.

When I moved to McKinney in 2004, Station 5 was my local station. I brought my baked goodies, and even hand-painted ornaments at Christmas. In 2014, I moved a little further north, and Station 2 was closer. That just gave me double the incentive, so I just stopped by with goodies for both. Now, the new Station 9 is walking distance from my house. That just adds to my baking and sharing.

I wanted to share why this is so important to me. Not only do all of you risk your lives every time you go out on a call, but you do this for strangers or neighbors or friends. It doesn’t matter who you are helping. Some selfless compassionate people saved my mother’s life those sixteen years ago. That sweet angel mother recently passed away on February 15, 2018. I know she’s smiling down every time I stop by.

One of her proudest moments was when she visited me a few years ago from Elgin, Illinois. She went with me to take some brownies to Station 5. When I asked if I could take a photo, the guys on duty insisted on taking her back to the fire truck for the picture. One of them held her arm as she shuffled down the long hall with her cane. After the photo was taken, she was escorted and helped into my car. She was so proud that day. I made copies of that picture that she showed off to all of her lady friends when she returned home.

That’s why I bake and share with you all. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOU DO!

First, I stopped at Station 5. I told the guys that I wanted to let them know why I’m always stopping by. They both thanked me and asked if I wanted to come in. I said I’d just like to take a picture. The captain glanced at the story and asked, “Are you the one who made all those hand-painted Christmas ornaments?” I told him I was, but I missed last year because I was in Chicago for a month to visit Mom and my new grand-daughter. (I guess I owe them an ornament.) That was a nice recognition.

After my first visit, I stopped at the store around the corner. I was ALL out of chocolate ice cream. OH NO! Today is Black Russian Friday. I need my chocolate ice cream.

Who did I run into in the ice cream aisle? Why, my good friend Laura Bartlett. Great minds think alike. We both were getting ice cream.

I’m a smart Texas girl. I keep a cooler in the back of my car pretty much all year long. I put the ice cream in the cooler and headed towards home. But, Station 9 is on the way home. I stopped, called on the outdoor phone and a nice fireman came to the door. I gave him the brownies and handed him the story and photo of Mom. He noticed Captain Floyd in the old photo. He said, “Why don’t you come on back. Captain Floyd is here today.”

We walked back to the office, and when I asked to take their picture, the young man said, “Let me get a picture of you with the Captain.” That was nice. They offered to go back to the fire truck, but I didn’t want to bother them. We have some of the nicest fire fighters here in McKinney, not to mention the cutest. (Thanks for all you do, McKinney Fire Fighters!)

This has been a really good day and a fun Friday. Hey, and I have chocolate ice cream in the freezer. I am blessed.

Theme Song Thursday:) Saying Goodbye

“Moving on is simple. It is what we leave behind that is hard.”

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Today, we said our goodbyes to our friend Richard at karaoke. He’s moving to Washington to be with his son. It will be nice for him to be with family, but we will miss his smiling face, and I think he’ll miss us too. All the ladies ladies will really miss him at the VFW on Thursday night because he is a marvelous dancer and would always take turns dancing with each and every lady there. A great dancer and true gentleman.

I made him a special big poster size card with a bunch of photos that I’ve taken throughout the past few years. Everyone signed it and wished him well on his new adventure.

Then, when it was my turn, I sang “Leaving On A Jet Plane” and dedicated it to Richard. “All your bags are packed, you’re ready to go. You’re sitting there, right by the door. We hate to see you leave and say goodbye….You’re leaving on a jet plane…”

Good luck and safe travels, Richard. We will miss you. Keep dancing!