Slow, but steady -- jcarolek

Tonight I was a little late getting to my dinner engagement, where I was to meet tj, a lovely young woman I met here on the blogs, and had the opportunity to meet tonight in person. She was, as she had promised she would be, patiently waiting. I had to run back to the car as soon as I touched base with her, because I wanted to get my camera....to capture a new/old friend in real life. We had about half an hour to get acquainted outside of the restaurant as we waited for our number to be called, indicating our table was ready.

I was thrilled to meet tj. She wanted to know if I was surprised by how well she spoke, and I answered truthfully. Nope, not surprised at all. I found her to be exactly

I have to go to the bathroom NOW!!! -- jcarolek

As I sat in the Atlanta airport this afternoon, awaiting my connecting flight to Melbourne, FL, a woman and her three young children sat down beside me. The two eldest were boys, and typical of such creatures, spent the better part of the hour plus wait, aggravating each other. Meanwhile, the youngest, a little four year old girl, natural restlessness augmented with soda and Starburst candy, spun and rolled in the chairs, legs in the air, shirt pulled up to her armpits, skirt whirling about, as mom tried to tame her. She was a bundle of energy and a vocal one at that. Somehow I knew, I JUST knew, these were destined to be on the same plane to Melbourne, and would be seated in close proximity to me.

I was not wrong. I was in the very last row and

Stamps and Burl Ives -- jcarolek

I've always been a "busy" person. As far back as I can recall, I was doing something, filling every free moment with activity. I can honestly say it has been the rare occasion that I have actually experienced boredom. Of course, as a kid, Mom and Dad made certain we had plenty of chores to fill the hours that might otherwise lead to boredom, and with six kids in the family, there were always games and battles to be won and fought.

But I also had my "special" interests that were mine alone and to which I devoted many hours. One of my favorite pastimes was my stamp collecting. Now, admittedly, this sounds like a dreadfully dull pastime for a young girl, but the stamps from around the world fascinated me. As I lay on my belly

Four children, $468 parking and a copperhead -- jcarolek

Saturday was another busy one for me. I wrapped up my work in southern CA, did just a wee bit of sightseeing and then made my way to the San Diego airport. As things happen in my life, so it was Saturday. I did not check my flight schedule before packing up my computer, confident that my memory was reliable for the information stored more than two weeks ago. In my mind, my flight was a USAir flight leaving San Diego for Dulles at 11:00 PM PDT. So, I set out with plenty of time to return my rental car, grab the shuttle to the terminal, check my single bag (my overstuffed backpack),

A little boy -- jcarolek

While in Los Angeles last weekend, I spent some time at a co-worker's house, sharing a wonderful evening with her and her family. I arrived late in the afternoon, and was greeted at the door by my friend, her husband and her little boy. This was the first time I had been to their home and they made me feel immediately welcome.

The little boy, an only child, 7 years old and bursting with energy, was the obvious star of the night. He engaged us with his ready grin and his lively eyes framed with a headful of red curls. We visited. We shared a meal. And we were treated to a show, created and performed by this little star. He had us captivated.

She Wears It Well -- jcarolek

OK, I admit it. I'm being lazy! I'm up here in one of Dad and Lynne's guest bedrooms, while everyone else is downstairs eating breakfast, going for morning walks etc....I am editing photos from yesterday's party before heading down to help get ready for today's party. Yesterday was a lot of fun, highlighted by none other than the birthday girl herself.

My mother is a "knitter" and she loves to knit for others. She was quite anxious to see how Alicia, her now 21 year old granddaughter would like the present she had made her. We all dutifully came in from the deck, where the grill was still offering the pleasant aromas of the marinated meat

Hand-Me-Downs -- jcarolek

It seems I have lived a life of hand-me-downs. Of course, I was the second child in a family of six children, with parents who had to make the best use of every resource they had, and once clothes were purchased or made for my sister, they could not be discarded when she outgrew them. So, thankful at least that I WAS a GIRL and these hand-me-downs were GIRL clothes, I accepted the clothes that fit my tall skinny sister well, and which would stretch uncomfortably around my chubbier frame, while ALWAYS requiring hemming....since I grew up 40 years before it became fashionable to walk on the hems of pants and such.

I remember thinking how unfair it was that Jeannie got all the "good stuff" and I got all the used stuff. Truthfully,

Forever Goldilocks -- jcarolek

When I was a kid I heard the story of Goldilocks and the three bears. I remember considering that Goldilocks quite brave to venture into a place unknown to her and to, once inside, have the nerve to sample the porridge in the bowls on the table. Had it been THIS little blond, curly haired youngster, I would not have been so brave. I wasn't sure whether she was really brave or just "dumb."

But I suppose I was focusing on the wrong message when I was a little one. I related not to the finding of the perfect chair, the perfect bowl of porridge at the right temperature and the perfect bed to sleep off a satisfying meal. Instead

Four Guys and Me -- jcarolek

Today, though I did not know it when I awoke and started working in my office at 3 AM, I was to have an office full of action. Yes, that's right. My little 10 X 12 room that serves as my home office for my real work, my eBay shipping center, my upstairs eBay blogging headquarters, and my occasional nap-time place on the futon, was to be invaded by a team of four guys installing my new 2 1/2 ton AC/heat pump unit.

Now, to be honest, it all started off innocently enough at about 7:30 AM. Killian alerted us to the fact that no-good delivery types were approaching and had the audacity to actually drive their vehicle into HER territory. I rewarded

Mom's Hands -- jcarolek

On my mother's birthday last month, I took the opportunity to photograph her hands. I did this upon the suggestion of another blogger, who, as she watched her mother pass away from cancer, spent many hours studying the hands of the woman who had raised her. For the love that was between these two was demonstrated not so much in the words, "I love you" spoken, but in the actions of these hands.

My own mother was a little surprised when I snapped a photo of her hands, and asked why. I responded with my typical, "why not?" And she then went on to explain that at 73, her hands look better than did her own mother's who died