To fly or not to fly…

On January 13, 2016 By DGThomaIn Humor/Light Hearted, Musings, Travel, Writing1 Comment

It used to be easier to decide whether to fly or drive. I’d simply weigh the cost of flying against the cost of driving.

As the cost of gas rose I often chose to fly more often than drive. Post 911, the added levels of security threw a new slant on the picture increasing the overall travel time. Today my decision point depends upon my mood as much as time constraints and monetary costs.

Driving to my daughter’s house is usually a ten-hour drive. It’s just far enough to require a few breaks for food and fuel along the way that add to the travel time.

Unless my visit is longer than three days in duration, I prefer to fly. A few years ago I could fly one way for less than 100 U.S dollars. It’s more than twice that now so I search for a bargain every chance I get.

I decided to visit last weekend on the spur of the moment. 20 hours of driving would take a huge chunk out of a weekend visit. Unexpectedly, I discovered I had enough American Airline miles for the flight out. Score! I snagged the only flight that fit with my schedule. Although it was silly to fly to Chicago (1,165 miles) to get to Tulsa, Ok (452 miles) it was free!

I arrived at the airport an hour and a half before departure. I had no bags to check and the security lines seemed short, so I anticipated having an hour or so of downtime to catch up on reading.

I breezed to the front of the line quickly. My boarding pass checked, I stepped to the line for the scanners. Shedding my coat, shoes, belts and emptying pockets, I moved toward the stall for my full body scan. Scanned from head to toe, I was directed to stand on the second set of footprints. I guess the first set was reserved for the another unsuspecting traveler. The female agent asked me to step aside and examined my watch without touching it. She directed me to rotate my hand to examine the other side of the band. I passed that test and padded to the conveyer belt to retrieve my shoes and other possessions.

Not so fast….. The agent manning the machine grabbed my bin as it exited the cavernous opening. “Is this yours?” she asked. Yes, it sure was. As she indicated she was going to run it through the machine again, I waited patiently for it to complete the process one more time. After what felt much longer than it was, my belongings made their way down the belt toward me. Honestly, I’m okay with all the checking. I want to feel safe when I’m flying the friendly skies.

Finding my gate was easy and I settled in a seat and searched for my Kindle to read. Instead I spotted my Sudoku book scrunched into the pocket of my backpack and pulled it free, deciding to work on it instead. Burrowing to the bottom of my purse, I found a pencil and something else I had completely forgotten about.

My multipurpose pocket knife with the handy compass, wine opener and more was buried among my pens and pencils. Mortified, I pulled the pencil out and guiltily shoved the knife under anything I could find. There wasn’t a thing I could do but put my purse aside and try not to look guilty. No wonder they had to rescan my purse!

I managed to forget about the offending object in my purse and board my flight to Chicago. I had a two-hour layover in Chicago and worried I would dump my purse while I dug for cash to pay for my lunch. My black bean and goat cheese salad bowl did a great job at taking my mind off of it for a while.

The layover was without incident and I completely forgot about the contraband knife in my purse. When I finally arrived in Tulsa, about 8 hours after being dropped off at the airport, I pulled my backpack from the overhead bin and went in search of the exit.

An airport worker held open a side door for us. As I fell in with my fellow passengers, we filed through. Immediately when I walked through, alarms started sounding. On the outside looking back, several of us glanced around as in wondering what happened. Thankfully no one pulled us back in and searched us, after all we were leaving. I don’t know if the small pocket knife had any effect on the alarm but I was relieved to get in the car and toss into the center console!

The next time I fly, I’m sure I’ll completely empty my purse before I leave home.

New Year, Clean Slate…. 2016

On January 6, 2016 By DGThomaIn 2016, Humor/Light Hearted, Musings, Writing1 Comment

The New Year doesn’t find me zealously making resolutions. It doesn’t seem like a good idea to welcome 2016 with a to do list of things I should have done last year. Those things are probably not going to get done this year either. I’m just saying….

Who knows what I’m supposed to get accomplished in 2016? I sure don’t. The rabbit ears on my crystal ball don’t get great reception.

The things I believed were incredibly important in January 2015 were off my radar by December 2015.

Of course I have things that are top priority. I don’t need a list to remind me of those. Instead of a list of resolutions, I’m voting for a clean slate…. or whiteboard, whichever you prefer.

Today is the first day of… You know the rest.

The big decision today? Is it raining? Better grab an umbrella. Cold? I should hunt for my coat.

No bucket list, no resolutions! As long as I can keep upright with minimum effort and move forward (no matter how slowly) I’m on the right track.

The Quiet After the Tempests

On December 31, 2015 By DGThomaIn Animal Stories, Family, Musings, Travel, WritingLeave a comment

Last year I persistently clacked the keyboard, determined to put some small entertainment on the blank page. If not entertainment, then perhaps grammatically correct sentences. Doggedly producing words, I waited for a gem to flow through my fingers.

Then I faltered. I’ve been away from the page for a while, pulled by distractions and obligations.

It began with Thanksgiving, the gentle nudge away from writing. The busy work and family obligations wooed me. I allowed myself to let writing slide for a while, missing a blog post, then two and three. My novel (s) in waiting went unopened for weeks. New ideas blossomed in my head and faded; notepads empty and computers idle.

Today I attempted to regain focus. Christmas has passed and Christmas future is far away. I took a deep breath, mentally rather than physically and opened a beautifully blank page.

Behind the computer screen, through the windowpane, two red cardinals play in the leaves. I smile and watch them foraging when suddenly the leaves around the bright spots of red became alive with movement. Bobbing in and out of the fallen oak leaves are numerous female cardinals. Their slight movement camouflaged, their coloring matching the dried leaves. Enjoying the activity, I see a squirrel has entered the scene. He too is easy to miss as he darts among the reds and browns of the winter landscape.

Past the tall barren oaks and through splashes of green from the fir trees, my neighbors walk their large white dog down our country lane; his full coat and bushy tail appear at odd intervals through the kaleidoscope of nature.

I recall the many cities I visited in the last few weeks and the family stories I intend to share, later. Now, I’m going to relax and enjoy nature. I’ll be back to catch up on travel and family a little later.

You’ve Got Mail and oh so much more……

On November 11, 2015 By DGThomaIn Family, Friends, Writing2 Comments

An article landed in my inbox this week. A man was reminiscing about an old lamp that sat in the living room of his childhood home. He held a finial, the decorative top piece that keeps the shade in place, in his hand. A smile bloomed on my face, immediately understanding how he felt. I’ve stood in antique shops and thrift stores cradling an object in my hand, lost in a cherished memory.

I enjoy my treasures. As I walk thru my front door I am greeted by an abundance of artifacts. Artifacts from my husband’s childhood in Yugoslavia rest companionably near my grandfather’s carpenter square. A picture painted by Yugoslavian artist, Jovan Obican hangs adjacent to a hand drawn painting of a rooster my sister created for me. An antique hand held mixer rests on the kitchen window sill.

These things and many others fill my home with memories. They make my house a home and ground me in the roots of my heredity.

And then……

Another article popped up in my inbox today. It proclaimed our houses are filled with things that should be immediately thrown out. The article touted the danger of the germs swimming around us. Immediately I envisioned microorganisms crawling through my cabinets, over my floors and on all my possessions. The article mentioned treasured mementos and things you keep out of guilt. Their advice? Toss them! And extra buttons? Get rid of them. You will never use them anyway.

Feeling guilty for enjoying my treasures and more than a little grossed out, I thought about divesting myself of everything except basic essentials. It really would make it much easier to clean and dust. And that button box does have tons of one of a kind antique buttons I will never use. 20151109_201039

But I would also give up the comfort of snuggling into my antique wingback chair, my grandmother’s handmade quilt across my lap, reading a book discovered in my last thrift store perusal. No thank you. I think I’m okay with things just as they are germs, dust and all.

Rainy Days and Halloween……

On November 4, 2015November 7, 2015 By DGThomaIn Food, Friends, Humor/Light Hearted, Writing1 Comment

I decided a few weeks before Halloween to throw a party for my staff. They love celebrating and most of them enjoy dressing up for Halloween. I sent an invitation for 2:00 PM Friday, October 30th promising punch, cookies and a costume contest.

Immediately I went into hyper mode in an effort to plan the perfect party. We’d have a variety of Halloween themed punches, the perfect baked, decorated cookies and lots of decorations.

I spent the next couple of weeks making lists and jotting notes. I searched for the best cookies, polling everyone for opinions. I surfed the web and combed Pinterest for ghoulish recipes.

Settling on wormy orange punch, witches brew and blood (orange) punch, I purchased cauldrons, ladles, spider webs and more. On Thursday night, I worked late but still managed to pick up fresh vegetables, fruit and a few other last minute supplies. I made sure we had enough to feed an army even though I only needed enough for 15 people. I enlisted help from family, picking up the cookies, baking treats, making dip and putting up with my insanity.

Over the course of the week, I brought supplies and decorations to the office to minimize chaos on Friday. All of Austin and the surrounding areas woke up to a deluge of rain on Friday, October 30th. Relieved that most of the party paraphernalia was already stored at my office, we loaded the car with the final touches and began the hour long commute.

Five miles from the house, I realized that the frozen juice cubes for the punch were still in the freezer. Since the National Weather Center had issued flood warnings, it didn’t seem realistic to return home for ice cubes. At about mile 10 I discovered the fruit tray and the vegetable tray were also at home in the refrigerator along with the vegetable dip. No problem. I would just call my son and see if he would bring it in around lunch. Surely the sun would be out by then.

At mile 20, the radio informed us that there was a confirmed tornado on the ground about 30 miles away and the rain wasn’t expected to end anytime soon. I wasn’t going to ask anyone to get out in this mess. No problem. I’d just walk across the street for frozen fruit to drop in the punch and we could live without the vegetables.

At work, reports of flooding replaced any thoughts of the party while I tried to get in touch with any employees not already at work. Now I was trying to contact my son to be sure he was paying attention to the rapidly changing weather conditions.

At 8:45 AM, I received an ‘Extreme Alert’ via my phone:

“Tornado Warning in this area til 9:15 AM CDT. Take shelter now.”

Well, herding hundreds of costumed people down three flights of stairs to the bottom of the parking garage quickly became priority. We are all fine and the storm passed without significant damage for us and I realized that we had everything we needed.

When 2:00 PM finally arrived, it was still raining. The party was fun and everyone was relieved to forget about storms for just a little while.

Rainbows and Lollipops

On October 28, 2015 By DGThomaIn Friends, Musings, Writing2 Comments

Normally, I am happy and contented and suffer only occasional bouts of frustration. I mean, we all have to deal with reality checks at times.

I spend more than a little effort trying to do the right thing because I believe karma can be powerful, both good and bad. Generally good triumphs over evil and doing the right thing pays off. Of course, not always.

Let’s face it, sometimes when you bend to smell the flowers, you get a nose covered in fertilizer. The past few weeks have really been busy and everything has been overly complicated. It’s that time of year when numerous projects are wrapping up, while others are just beginning. Everything and everyone has been clamoring for my attention (at least from my totally unbiased perspective). But as a co-worker said, “Sometimes you’ve got to laugh and keep on going.”

We’ve been working long hours…..

Returning home late from the office.

As you can see, I’m definitely not getting enough sunshine!

I thought I was internalizing my grumpiness pretty well, but I may not have been as successful as I thought.

A good friend stopped by my office with a gift. She said this can be for now or later, you decide. Well of course I chose to open it immediately. It was a present after all. What was inside, made me smile and tear up a little. Underneath a plump stuffed gray elephant lay a book, titled, “You’re Here for a Reason”, by Nancy Tillman.

I’m very fortunate to have a caring and generous friend to remind me what is important. The rest of the story……

My friend is very close to her great nieces. They were out shopping and she has bought me gifts before when they were with her. They are all between 4 – 8 years old. They showed her the book and said, “If someone is having a really bad day, this is the bestest book to read.” Of course she bought it immediately and that is why it ended up on my desk last night.

I will cherish it always and any time I’m feeling down, I think I know just what I want to read.

#17 and a Double!

On October 22, 2015 By DGThomaIn Exercise, Family, Food, Humor/Light Hearted, Travel, Writing1 Comment

Last Friday, Ron and I headed to the Austin-Bergstrom international airport en route to our destination Atlanta, Ga. I was nervous and excited. If all went according to plan, I could cross two things off my life list. My life list is like a bucket list, but a lot more fluid. I add, change and delete from the list regularly. I planned to run a marathon in Alabama on Saturday. This would be my 17^th state to complete a marathon. I also intended to run a half marathon in Chattanooga, Tennessee on Sunday.

There are many people who run back to back marathons and routinely compete on consecutive days. But not me! This would be my first “double weekend”. I considered running the marathon course for both Saturday and Sunday but soon changed my mind. Ron enthusiastically signed up for a marathon on both days.

We booked our flights on a budget airline, so we had to get creative with our packing. Running clothes and shoes for both races had to go in our carryon luggage for safekeeping. The airline charged for carryon luggage but allowed a personal item at no charge. I conscientiously stuffed running shoes, tights, and shirts in my backpack along with my kindle, purse and snacks. Although, I secretly believed if our running clothes got misplaced, it would be a sign. No running shoes or clothes? It just wasn’t meant to be.

In spite of long security lines, we made it to our gate with time to spare. Once on board, I looked forward to napping, but I discovered the seats didn’t recline. No nap for me! I couldn’t get comfortable enough to rest.

Arriving in Atlanta after two hours flying time, even sans nap I felt great. Several trains, walkways, and stairs later we arrived at the rental car lot. After a quick lunch at Applebee’s in Marietta, GA we headed to Chattanooga to pick up our packets for Sunday’s run.

We pulled up to packet pick up after sundown and fifteen minutes before the eight o’clock deadline. Race numbers retrieved we left for Albertville, Ala to find our hotel.

Albertville is 30 miles from Lake Guntersville where the Mainly Marathons Appalachian Series Day seven was being run at 6:30 AM on Saturday morning. The thin hotel walls allowed us to hear talking and movement all night. I didn’t understand the purpose of the mirrors covering the wall behind the bed. I’m sure I slept some but it didn’t feel like it.

Pulling my running clothes from my suitcase to dress, I couldn’t find my running bra. Sure enough I didn’t pack one. The most supportive bra I had with me was my Victoria Secret bra my daughter bought for me.

Victoria’s Secret bra, gloves, jacket, tights and long sleeve running shirt warded off the chill and made it the temperature more tolerable.

Arriving at the park, we checked in and picked up our T-shirts and medals. Yes, we received our medals before we ran. We had to wait until we finished to get our state and year attachments.

We lined up with 60 other marathon hopefuls, ready to run the out and back on the 2.184 mile course 12 times. As one of the other runners said, “After the first few times, you stop noticing how pretty this looks.” That quote was from Bryndis a marathoner from Iceland. There are four marathons a year in Iceland, so she travels to the USA to run. She had run a marathon with the group the previous day on a course that required running 21 laps. Many of the runners were completing the series and were on their seventh day of running. Running a marathon in laps takes patience. You keep up with the laps by taking a rubber band each time you complete a lap. The scenery was beautiful and several times we had to slow for ducks to meander across the trail.

Our bibs had our names printed on them and everyone soon learned our names and shouted support as we crisscrossed the course. It was soon impossible to know who was passing you and who you were passing but everyone was smiling. It was the most non-competitive event I’ve ever participated in.

20151017_120305 — The end! Is it really over?

My watch battery died before I finished so my last few laps were very relaxed. I finished with blisters on both feet. Taking my shoes off to change I discovered my Tiva’s were safe at home so I stood around in my socks. Ron brought me a cup of Fritos, pretzels, jelly beans and an orange for a recovery snack. It was fantastic!

We regrouped and left for Chattanooga. Stopping at a Mexican restaurant along the way and we had a lovely meal.

Anything would have tasted good but our food was great. The meal arrived just as the Texas A&M and Alabama football game began to broadcast on the television mounted above the bar. Since we were in Alabama, we didn’t advertise our support of the Texas team.

We made it to Chattanooga and checked into our hotel. It was lovely and more than made up for the first hotel. We each had showers and got comfortable while we waited for room service. I was feeling spoiled!

Our hotel was a mile from the race tents. We slept an hour later than Saturday and made it to the start around 6:30 AM. The marathon started at 7:00 AM and the half at 7:30 AM, so I was able to watch as Ron crossed the start line.

It was still 43 degrees, but I was getting used to the colder temperatures. Crossing the start line to the tune of Jump On It, by Sir Mix-a-lot was invigorating. Along the course you always meet interesting and fun people. Sunday was no exception. I ran with a couple who were married the day before and this was their honeymoon. Crazy, I think! I also ran with Jeanetta who was running because she is terrified of bridges. She chose to run the four bridges marathon to help get past her fears.

And there is always someone willing to give advice. My favorite advice overheard on Sunday was from a man running his first marathon. He said, “Never pass up an opportunity to pee!”

We both finished our races, Ron much stronger than me, but we had fun. After stopping for lunch at Genghis Grill, we returned to our hotel where we showered and napped before heading back out for ice cream at Ben and Jerry’s.

We wandered around downtown Chattanooga a while. We visited a book and yarn store where the owner was demonstrating how to use a spinning wheel. We ate again before going back to the hotel for the evening. Exhausted and sore, we slept early and soundly. We woke early on Monday and headed back to Atlanta. Our vacation was over. Marathon state #17 – check. Back to back race days – check!

Listening for your song…..

On October 14, 2015 By DGThomaIn Family, Writing1 Comment

Can you hear your song, Jilly Girl? Listen carefully! Your song is deep inside, but if you listen you can hear it. It is a conglomeration of thousands of melodies from everyone who helped make you. Your great-grandmother, Granny Greenway, Nana Thoma, Mama and great-aunts each contributed. There are lots more that I don’t even remember.”

I recently found this message I had written to my granddaughter 15 or 16 years ago. She had asked me to snuggle with her in our oversized recliner and watch a video. Yes, we were still playing video tapes on a VCR back then.

We watched as an inventor named Doc and his dog Sprocket wandered through Fraggle Rock. Fraggle Rock is a Muppet type show created by Jim Henson. It debuted in 1983. Jillian was born in 1996 and has always loved retro things. Betty Boop was her favorite animation and the theme from Top Gun was her favorite music. The Fraggles spent the episode searching for their songs. I heard Jillian humming, and realized she still had to find her inner songs.

I whispered to her, “Start looking now, before your life is cluttered with everyone else’s songs.”

Jillian is 19 years old now. We don’t fit in that old recliner any more. I’m sure neither of us have a copy of Fraggle Rock any longer. We still enjoying snuggling occasionally. She has a lovely song and it’s “cluttered” by many other songs. I was wrong in one respect. Her song is unique, but it’s definitely peppered with melodies and notes from everyone that has passed through her life and that’s the way it should be.

I haven’t shared this with Jillian and I don’t believe she will remember any advice I freely offered to her at 5 years young. I hope she will always remember those special memories we created and continues to enjoy creating more of them.

But mostly, I hope she knows, how beautiful her song has become.

Balancing

On October 7, 2015 By DGThomaIn Exercise, Family, Humor/Light Hearted, Writing1 Comment

I balance, I juggle and I try to stay afloat. People often tell me “You have to keep your life in balance.” Of course I immediately picture myself juggling colorful balls with my hands and feet. Keeping your life in balance….. What exactly does that mean anyway? I suppose the answer would depend upon who you ask.

I know I would like to keep my priorities straight and devote more time to things that are important to me. But if I were truly to do that, I’d be with my family 24/7 and I’m not sure they could handle me 24/7.

My work is not at the top of my priorities but I am in a committed relationship with my job. That means if I want to earn money I have to be productive. Occasionally that means working through the weekend or too many late nights in a row. People always tell me “You work too much!” I agree at times that’s true. As long as I choose to stay in this job, I am obligated to do it to the best of my ability. That doesn’t mean I’m not counting the days until I retire!

Writing is one of my favorite activities and pulls me in quickly. When I am in writing mode, I wake up thinking through story lines, dreaming about them. I sit at the computer creating every free minute. I am the same way when I am reading. Thoughts of any other activity are banished. But if I get derailed and lose focus, I’m done for the short term.

Exercise, I know it’s important and I enjoy working out. I’m not always thrilled with the process but I love the end results. I like feeling energized after a workout and I enjoy keeping fit but when I don’t stay vigilant, or have to miss a week, I find myself refocused on the next big thing.

And there’s nutrition. Everyone likes to weigh in on that one. Gluten free, high protein, low carb, no carb, vegetarian or carnivore. My food plan is pretty basic. Keep things as natural as possible. I avoid red meat, white meat, well pretty much all meat, but I do eat seafood and eggs.

I know I’m not good at balancing my competing agendas. If I notice I’ve been slipping and eating too much processed food or having too many treats, I back off and switch to salads, eliminate carbs and sweets and begin to worry about my weight.

When I start an exercise program, I’m all in. I know I can easily overdo. I immediately increase my intensity and frequency of exercise.

And work is just, well work! I like my job most days, but am not always good at delegating or walking away as often as I should.

So yes I can easily become obsessive and am often out of balance by many people’s standards. But, I love my life! I am happy and contented most days. So while I may not balance my activities, I am aware of it and will compensate next week, or next month or maybe when I retire.

I am not going to worry about it yet…… Maybe all this balance stuff is just too highly overrated!

Take Me Home Country Roads, to a place…….

On September 16, 2015 By DGThomaIn Animal Stories, Family, Food, Musings, Travel, Writing2 Comments

I belong….

Last Friday evening, my husband and I traveled to Houston, Texas. We stayed in a lovely hotel near the George R. Brown Convention Center. The hotel joined the convention center via a skywalk, which made getting to our conference a breeze. Houston is a large metroplex, nearing 2.1 million in population. There is plenty to do and see.

We had a wonderful time on Saturday and it was great being able to access the conference without venturing out into the Texas heat. As we drove away from the conference on Saturday afternoon, the traffic was heavy and the roads were speckled with construction cones.

While we searched for a nice place to eat, all I could think was “How soon can I get back home?” We found a nice hibachi style restaurant and happily celebrated my husband’s birthday. And then we headed home…..

Sunday morning, we slept in until 7:30 AM before rising to head outside for a run down the country road near our house. It was a cool 64 degrees and I couldn’t help but contrast the bustling streets and bright lights of Houston to the quiet country lane.

Purple hued morning glories bobbed in the light breeze, waving a good morning as we passed. Knowing the short lived blooms would already be fading by the time we passed back on our way home, I savored glimpses of them as I ran by.

We passed these beautiful horses peering over the fence curiously as we neared their pond. I’m sure they were wondering where we were headed and if they might come along.

The vultures watched carefully from the tree tops but I assured them we were still alive and well! I encouraged them to move along as we weren’t done in just yet! They were certainly not intimidated by this makeshift scarecrow!