FLASHBACK 1983

"eenie, meenie, miney, moe, catch a tiger by the toe"
most of us are seniors in high school. 10 of us,  all sitting in the living room watching a movie. we're bored. someone gets the bright idea to go outside and play flashlight tag. we climb trees. we hide in bushes. we run. we scream. we crack teeth (sorry kirch). 

FLASH FORWARD today

we're all adults now. we have children. some of us have grandchildren. we are busy all the time. we have jobs. we have houses to clean. we have groceries to buy. we're just plain tired. 

we need to take a break from work and play. play hide and seek with your kids or grandchildren. sit down with your friends, or family, and play a board game. or maybe you golf. or play tennis. maybe you enjoy video games. maybe you love working out. whatever it is you enjoy, take the time to do it. especially today. today is national day of play. 

join me in a game of flashlight tag...i triple dog dare you ;)

fun games:

FLASHBACK 1967

"wanna see my smilin' face on the cover of the rollin' stone"
the very first issue of rolling stone magazine is released today. john lennon is on the cover. it's founded by jann wenner (who is still chief editor) and music critic, ralph gleason. it's devoted to music and pop culture.
FLASH FORWARD 1970's
rolling stone becomes known for it's liberal political coverage because of articles by gonzo journalist, hunter s. thompson (who published his most famous work, "fear and loathing in las vegas", in the pages of the magazine). rolling stone launches the careers of many amazing authors, including cameron crowe, joe eszterhas, patti smith, and pj o'rourke. rolling stone will publish many of its most famous works during this decade.
FLASH FORWARD 1980's and 90's
to appeal to a younger audience, rolling stone changed it's format to include youth~oriented television shows and movie actors, becoming less political and more of an entertainment magazine. it's now being criticized for choosing style over substance. 
FLASH FORWARD today
with the addition of two young journalists, michael hastings and matt taibbi, rolling stone is becoming relevant again. taibbi has emerged as a finacial expert, covering the country's financial meltdown and fraud committed by big banks. hastings has covered all things related to the dissention in the middle east. the magazine has undergone many changes to it's look, looking like a tabloid newspaper in it's beginnings to becoming a standard style magazine in 2008. today, it is also available on the web. the website includes the complete archives of rolling stone. 
you know you wanna see your picture on the cover :)

             

 

             

 

FLASHBACK 1984

"i'm walking on sunshine...and don't it feel good?!!!"
i graduate from high school. my parents give me a new~to~me 1979 ford pinto. a car i DON'T have to share with my brother. I AM SOOOOOOO HAPPY!! until i have to use my OWN money to gas it up. until I have to check the oil and get all dirty. happiness disintegrated.
FLASH FORWARD 1986
i move in with the future ex~husband. we have our own little house. i decorate it the way i want. i cook and clean and take care of MY OWN place. I AM SOOOOOOO HAPPY!! until. well. until i decide that i don't really like the couch. and the paint i chose for the bedroom is ridiculous. and the bathroom is too small. and the neighbors are nosey. happiness disintegrated.
FLASH FORWARD 1987, 1988, 1990
i gave birth to a beautiful baby boy in each of those years. they each are perfect. all 10 fingers. all 10 toes. two blue~eyed, one green~eyed. two bald, one blonde. two tiny, one gigantic. I AM SOOOOOOO HAPPY!! until i don't get any sleep. until my life becomes a sea of diapers and baby bottles. until they start walking, talking, and fighting like brothers do. happiness disint...oh who am I kidding? I AM SOOOOOOO HAPPY!! 
FLASH FORWARD 1994
she arrives in an ice storm. flown from ohio to upstate new york. a great pyrenees. she's an amazing addition to our family. I AM SOOOOO HAPPY!!!! until. well, she didn't come housebroken. ugh. she sheds 365 days a year. nobody told me that. she slobbers. she slobbers buckets. nobody told me that. happiness dis...nope. once again, all that doesn't matter. she's an awesome addition to our family. I AM SOOOOOOO HAPPY!!
FLASH FORWARD today
our founding fathers wrote, in the declaration of independence, "we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and THE PURUIT OF HAPPINESS". this week (november 7~13) is "pursuit of happiness" week. why do we need a week to remind us to be happy? we all want to be happy everyday, right? right. but, i feel we don't really recognize what truly makes us happy. we think it's that new car. that great pair of shoes. that FABULOUS diamond ring. but these are all materialistic things that will fade away, taking the happiness with them. the car will age, and rust, and require a lot of work. the shoes will go out of style and end up in the back of your closet. and the diamond ring might lose it's shine and end up in your jewelry box, being replaced by a newer, shinier ring. it's matters of the heart that bring forever happiness. finding your soul mate. the birth of a child...or two, or three. even the addition of a pet. 
so, this week, and every week...listen to your fore fathers and strive for true happiness. let go of stress. quit worrying about the materialistic stuff. try something creative. make yourself healthier. help a neighbor. and smile. smile everyday. soon, you won't be able to explain why. you'll just know you're truly happy.

                        

a gallery of what makes me happy:

     

 

               

FLASHBACK 1986

"songbird sweet and sour jane and music is my aeroplane, it's my aeroplane"
i move to north carolina. i notice the license plates say "first in flight". i'm an ohio girl. i know that OHIO is the "birthplace of aviation". what is up with that?
FLASH FORWARD today
living in the state for 23 years, i consider myself a tarheel. and, raising my kids there, i had the opportunity to study that phrase...first in flight. since november is aviation history month, i thought i would take this time to explain that ohio and north carolina, both, have the right to take credit for the wright brothers and their world~changing invention.

in 1896, the wright brothers (orville and wilbur) started working on a series of gliders, in their bicycle shop on the south side of dayton, ohio. the gliders were, both, unmanned and piloted. each model got more sophisticated. needing regular breezes and soft landing surfaces, it was suggested that they test their flying machines in kitty hawk, north carolina. after testing several versions of their gliders, they travelled back home, to ohio, and began work on "the flyer"...the first powered airplane. back in kitty hawk on december 13, 1903, at approximately 10:35a, orville wright launched the first airplane flight in the history of ever. 

so, you see...both states are right. the idea of the airplane was conceived and built in ohio, making it the "birthplace of aviation". but the first ACTUAL flight took place in north carolina...technically making that state "first in flight". and i am proud to be able to claim both as home.

           

 

 

 

^looking for something to do this weekend? in honor of aviation history month, why not visit the national airforce museum? it's located at: 
1100 Spaatz St  Dayton, OH 45431 (937) 255-3286 
hours of operation: 9a~5p, seven days a week. closed thanksgiving, christmas, and new year's day

                                                 

FLASHBACK 1826

"i'm free and i love to be free...to live my life the way i want...to say and do whatever i please..."
women weren't always excluded from voting. a rich old widow named lydia taft was allowed to vote in town meetings in uxbridge, massachusetts. and new jersey permitted women to vote if they had at least £50 in cash or property, referring to the voter as "he or she". a law was passed, in 1807, to exclude women. so, in 1826, a scottish woman named frances wright comes to america and doesn't like what she sees. she starts giving lectures on women's suffrage. then, in 1836, polish born ernestine rose campaigns so hard for the right to vote that she even gets a hearing with the new york state legislature, with a petition that only has 5 signatures.  in 1840 boston, lucretia mott and margaret fuller are fighting for women's suffrage. and, in 1848, lucretia mott becomes the first woman nominated for federal executive office when, liberty party nominee, gerrit smith calls for extending women the right to vote. that same year, strong women begin holding conventions for women's rights. these rights include more than just the right to vote. women also want social and legal equality. i could go on and on, and name every single important female that fought for women's rights, but we would be here all day...so i'm gonna skip to 1890. that year, two separate women's right organizations decide to merge. their leader? susan b. anthony. this group obtains a hearing before congress every year until 1919. on may 21, 1919, a bill introducing the 19th amendment is brought before congress for the 5th time. it passes the house with 42 votes more than necessary. on june 4, 1919, the bill passes the senate. it is not ratified by the 36 required states until august 26, 1920. 
FLASH FORWARD today
it's november 6, 2012. election day. i am so excited for this day to be over. my state, ohio, is a swing state. both parties have inundated my television with attack ads. i can't get on any form of social media (facebook, twitter, even pinterest) without being attacked by "friends" who think i'm an idiot if i don't vote how they vote. for a second, i consider not voting. then i remember how hard all these women fought for my right to cast that vote. i think about how lucky i am that the law DOESN'T require me to stay at home and not be heard. so, today, i will find my warmest coat (it's brrrrr chilly rabbit out there!) and go stand in line for an hour or two. and i will cast my vote for the candidate i feel represents me the best. and, win or lose, i will be satisfied that my voice was heard. 
male or female...please exercise your right today. let your voice be heard. 

                 

 

^lucretia mott and susan b. anthony^

                                        

FLASHBACK 1784

"time is on my side, yes it is..."
ben franklin mentions the possibility of what we now call daylight savings time.
FLASH FORWARD 1895
george vernon hudson, an entomologist from new zealand, proposes the modern version of daylight savings time.
FLASH FORWARD WWI
daylight savings time is first implemented. why, you ask?  well, mr franklin thought it would save on candles if people got up with the sun and went to bed with the moon. remember the phrase "early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise"? yeah. that was ben franklin. mr. hudson collected bugs. he appreciated daylight after work. it frustrated him to lose these hours as the sun's relation to the earth changed. and, then, there was william willet. an english builder and outdoorsman who was an avid golfer. he didn't like having to cut his round short at dusk. so they proposed extending the daylight hours in the summer. in april of 1916, germany used daylight savings as a way to conserve coal during wartime. the united states began using it in 1918.
we all know how it works. in the spring, we "spring forward", setting our clocks from 2a to 3a. and, then, we all cry about that hour of sleep we lose. boo. in the fall we "fall back", setting our clocks from 2a to 1a. and we all rejoice over that extra hour of sleep. 
FLASH FORWARD today
today is the day AFTER daylight savings time ended. i woke up, yesterday, at 7a. i was bright eyed and ready to face my day. since it was lazy sunday, all my day would hold was donuts, coffee, reading, and watching football. it was a great day. until the clock said 8p. i'm yawning. i really want to go to bed. 9p. i'm DYING!! i really really want my bed. FINALLY! 10p and it's time. i sleep like a baby. the alarm goes off this morning. i don't want to get up. ugh. the extra hour we all got? yeah. ummmm...it's gone now. and i'm back to wishing they wouldn't change time. that it would just stay the same all year round. i will really feel that way in spring, when the powers that be force me to "spring forward". which will lead me to fall...when i am extremely grateful to "fall back".

                                

 

FLASHBACK july 2009

"lazy Sunday, wake up in the late afternoon..."
i fly in to cincinnati for my first weekend with the bk. sunday morning he says he likes to go out and get a donut, coffee, and a newspaper. cool. i'm down for whatever. so, we get up and i start to go get dolled up. "what are you doing?" ummmm...getting dressed and ready to go get donuts. "what's wrong with what you're wearing?" ummmm...i'm in my pj's. "so? you look cute". so, off we go. me in my pj's, a sloppy bun, and VERY dark sunglasses. as we are walking out of the donut shop, bk stops to talk to someone. he introduces me to lance and alissa. i am SO mortified that i look like a live under a bridge. in my head i hear lance telling danny "bk's girlfriend looks like a troll, man". ugh.
FLASH FORWARD september 2009
i have moved in with the bk. our first sunday morning, off we go. a donut. an extra large coffee. a newspaper. and football. all day. we never get out of our pj's. tradition.
FLASH FORWARD today
the bk and i continue our little tradition. but doesn't that get boring? don't you feel like you're in a rut, you ask? ummmmm...no. if you are in a rut, you do something all the time with no thought. kind of by habit. like smoking, only it could be going to the same restaurant every friday because you can't think of anywhere else to go. or walking the same trail because you aren't sure where the other trail will take you. you start getting bored, but you're afraid to try something new. but a tradition? a tradition is something you truly enjoy. you can't wait to do it. it boosts your spirits. our tradition. our lazy sundays. we can't wait for them. they boost our spirits. 
do you have any little traditions? tell me about them... :)

                       
 

               

 

ps...3 years later, lance and alissa are allowed to see me looking like a troll...