It's that time of the year again. Time to make resolutions and promises we will never keep. I don't know about you but there are 3 main areas that I am CONSTANTLY striving to fix or change: Organization, Weight and Finances and these are my thoughts on those issues.
Changing established established habits goes against our grain. I often wonder if habits are due to nature or nurture. For instance, I am cluttery and always have been. My Dad is also cluttery. Did I inherit more of those crappy genes or did his messiness rub off on me? I can resolve to be more organized. I can think positive thoguhts about it every day--but it never happens. I pile, I sweep, I throw things in drawers or closets. I can't help it.
Another common resolution is to lose weight and I have done it many many times. It takes as much or more work to keep the weight off as it does to lose it in the first place. It's such a frustrating process. I know that most weight issues are emoitional and surprisingly I know what my emotional issues are and I've tried to deal with them but they always creep back in. If there were an easy fix for weight issues most of us would have jumped on that band wagon. Most people I know or seen who have had gastric bypass have gained the weight back which reinforces to me that most weight issues are emotional.
Money. Well, I like to spend money so I work hard to make a lot of it. That's my resolution.
I don't want to seem cynical but it seems futile to make New Year's resolutions in the first place so why do it?
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Friday, December 10, 2010
Grandma Geiser and Names
Some of you may not know this but the names we choose for our children and the names that we have are a really big deal. We are judged based on our names. For example, studies have shown that Jennifers tend to be more popular. I can't remember the male counterpart for popularity. When Darrell and I were trying to decide on the name for our son we bought the books, we googled names, we considered many many options. I was amused for certain names reminded us of others in our past that we liked but mostly disliked so those were not an option. We narrowed it down to two names--Tristan and Blake. We considered meaning, how it would sound with Reagan and what would Grandma Geiser think?
Grandma Geiser has an opinion about everything and she is especially opiniated about names. When she meets someone she usually says, "Oh, _______ is a beautiful name do you like it? I don't like my name." Her name is Mildred and it fits her--to me it represents a strong, unique woman and she is that. Grandma Mildred is the matriarch supreme of the Geiser clan. She raised 8 boys and between the grandchildren and great grandchildren--I've lost count. Anyway, when we produced our off spring , she asks the name and unless it's very old fashioned, she usually grimaces and says, "Oh I don't like that." I was sure that she would like Blakes name but when we told her she said, "Oh" and to my husband, "What is your middle name? (It's Eugene.) That's a great name, why didn't you name him that?" I was thinking because we don't want him to be the dork in school. My theory isn't working out as Blake dresses like Scuba Steve, Erkel or my Dad on any given day and as you know--each of those three tend to be dorky.
If it isn't a really simple name Grandma will usually call you the wrong name. My nieces name is Rhiannon and after 10 years, she still calls her Brianna. My husbands name is Darrell, Laurie's is Dave and my cousin's husband is Doug--all D's--she always mixes them up. When I was leaving after a visiting session with Grandma, she said--"Tell Doug Hi." That's Lea's husband but I just said OK.
As a parent, choosing the name is one of the most important things that we do. If you pick a popular name, they could be in school with 5 other Dylans. If you pick a "different" name, people will have trouble spelling and pronouncing it. My sister named her son Rex and my first comment was, "That's a dog's name." Then we adopted a dog and his name is Rex. We should have changed the dog's name because everytime we get together the dog and my nephew are very confused. I have another nephew who has had so many times that I'm not sure what his name is at times. He started out as Elijah, then we were informed that his name is really Dawson and then my brother was trying to talk his mother into changing it to Jaeger. If he has multiple personalities we will know why and why would you want to name your child after a shot that tastes like cough syrup?
We were joking the other day about names that sound ethnic but the person isn't very ethnic. What do you think when you hear the following names: Lamont, Jesus, Tanisha, Maya? If I had a daughter I wanted to name her Lola and others accused me of giving her a stripper name. Lola is a sassy, creative, kick ass name! I'm very annoyed by people that name their children after celebrity's children's names or after celebreties. PUH-LEASE--be more original than that if you want to be original. Here's a news flash for ou, if you name your son Ashton, he's not going to end up like Ashton Kutcher.
We so carefully chose our son's name and he asks me the other day, "Why did you name me Blake? Why didn't you name me Cody?" (Big sigh) In closing, you may like names that are different but your child may not. You may like common names but it's very confusing for the Kindergarten teacher who has 5 others with the same name. Family names are great but you inherit the name and lots of confusion with identites and such. I'm impressed with the guy that changed his name to his jersey number--Ocho Cinco--that's cool! Who knew that I would have so much to say about names?
Grandma Geiser has an opinion about everything and she is especially opiniated about names. When she meets someone she usually says, "Oh, _______ is a beautiful name do you like it? I don't like my name." Her name is Mildred and it fits her--to me it represents a strong, unique woman and she is that. Grandma Mildred is the matriarch supreme of the Geiser clan. She raised 8 boys and between the grandchildren and great grandchildren--I've lost count. Anyway, when we produced our off spring , she asks the name and unless it's very old fashioned, she usually grimaces and says, "Oh I don't like that." I was sure that she would like Blakes name but when we told her she said, "Oh" and to my husband, "What is your middle name? (It's Eugene.) That's a great name, why didn't you name him that?" I was thinking because we don't want him to be the dork in school. My theory isn't working out as Blake dresses like Scuba Steve, Erkel or my Dad on any given day and as you know--each of those three tend to be dorky.
If it isn't a really simple name Grandma will usually call you the wrong name. My nieces name is Rhiannon and after 10 years, she still calls her Brianna. My husbands name is Darrell, Laurie's is Dave and my cousin's husband is Doug--all D's--she always mixes them up. When I was leaving after a visiting session with Grandma, she said--"Tell Doug Hi." That's Lea's husband but I just said OK.
As a parent, choosing the name is one of the most important things that we do. If you pick a popular name, they could be in school with 5 other Dylans. If you pick a "different" name, people will have trouble spelling and pronouncing it. My sister named her son Rex and my first comment was, "That's a dog's name." Then we adopted a dog and his name is Rex. We should have changed the dog's name because everytime we get together the dog and my nephew are very confused. I have another nephew who has had so many times that I'm not sure what his name is at times. He started out as Elijah, then we were informed that his name is really Dawson and then my brother was trying to talk his mother into changing it to Jaeger. If he has multiple personalities we will know why and why would you want to name your child after a shot that tastes like cough syrup?
We were joking the other day about names that sound ethnic but the person isn't very ethnic. What do you think when you hear the following names: Lamont, Jesus, Tanisha, Maya? If I had a daughter I wanted to name her Lola and others accused me of giving her a stripper name. Lola is a sassy, creative, kick ass name! I'm very annoyed by people that name their children after celebrity's children's names or after celebreties. PUH-LEASE--be more original than that if you want to be original. Here's a news flash for ou, if you name your son Ashton, he's not going to end up like Ashton Kutcher.
We so carefully chose our son's name and he asks me the other day, "Why did you name me Blake? Why didn't you name me Cody?" (Big sigh) In closing, you may like names that are different but your child may not. You may like common names but it's very confusing for the Kindergarten teacher who has 5 others with the same name. Family names are great but you inherit the name and lots of confusion with identites and such. I'm impressed with the guy that changed his name to his jersey number--Ocho Cinco--that's cool! Who knew that I would have so much to say about names?
Monday, December 6, 2010
Sisters
When I was a little girl, I was the first grandchild on my Mother's side of the family and I was the first girl on my Dad's side of the family. The terms spoiled and child do not coexist in Grandma Mildred's world but on the hill at Grandma and Grandpa Galvans I was spoiled rotten. I used to wish that I was an only child as I did not like sharing the attention with my siblings but today I cant imagine my life without my sister Laurie or my brothers. We have had some great times together and we love each other very much.
Before Jeremy was born, Laurie was the "caboose" as lovingly described by my Dad. As such she was also teased endlessly and left out by my brother Jerry and myself. I think due to this endless teasing, if you make her mad, you better watch out--she has a temper. Laurie has always had a sparkle in her eye and a laugh that is very contagious. We all know that she can't see when she is laughing so make sure you don't tell her a really good joke when she is driving. She one of the kindest and giving souls on earth. I know many people, including myself, that have benefited from her lifesaving technique of loving,caring and being johnny on the spot when you need her. I was going through some tough times several years back and she couldn't get a hold of me for some reason. She was so worried about me that she drove to Colorado Springs to check on me. I will never forget that as that was the kind of love I needed at that time. I had many nights when she listened to me crying and tried to convince me that it would all be OK and it is. She helps me to see the truths that I can not see. She has helped me to be a kinder and more understanding person as I have a tendency to harden my heart.
When we were kids, Jerry and I had a pact not to tell Laurie everything because she would inevitably tell Mom and Dad. Today, she knows all of my secrets. I don't know if I would call them deep, dark secrets but she knows. She also knows the secrets of many others--she is the person that can objectively look at your problems and give you the best of advice. I don't want to panic anyone but she does have a tough time keeping secrets from me--we tell each other everything. She also knows that if you tell me something that I can't tell anyone--I will forget about it anyway.
She has a BIG heart. If there is someone in need, she will be the first person to help them. Our friend Louis, teased her after a trip to Los Angeles because she gave something to everyone that asked for help and even went back to find someone that she didn't have change to tip at the time. He said that they would have never made it from one end of the beach to the other because Laurie stopped to listen to everyone and to help everyone.
There are so many stories that I could tell. There are so many changes that both of us have been through. Her daughter, Rhiannon is my God Daughter. Our sons are only 4 months apart and our dogs Bubba and Mickey were best friends and her husband is like my brother. My sister Laurie means the world to me and we have the sister bond that many yearn for. We laugh at each other's weaknesses, we admire each other's strengths. I wish that we could live right next to each other like Grandma Rita and Grandma Tina did. We would complain about our husbands and kids (not that there is anything to really complain about) and we would drink whiskey and coffee every morning. We would get in fights but make up by that afternoon. One of us would make lunch and the other would make dinner. For now, we do all of these things over the phone--thank goodness for unlimited long distance. Thank you God for giving us Laurie even though I didn't recognise this incredible gift when I was a little girl.
Before Jeremy was born, Laurie was the "caboose" as lovingly described by my Dad. As such she was also teased endlessly and left out by my brother Jerry and myself. I think due to this endless teasing, if you make her mad, you better watch out--she has a temper. Laurie has always had a sparkle in her eye and a laugh that is very contagious. We all know that she can't see when she is laughing so make sure you don't tell her a really good joke when she is driving. She one of the kindest and giving souls on earth. I know many people, including myself, that have benefited from her lifesaving technique of loving,caring and being johnny on the spot when you need her. I was going through some tough times several years back and she couldn't get a hold of me for some reason. She was so worried about me that she drove to Colorado Springs to check on me. I will never forget that as that was the kind of love I needed at that time. I had many nights when she listened to me crying and tried to convince me that it would all be OK and it is. She helps me to see the truths that I can not see. She has helped me to be a kinder and more understanding person as I have a tendency to harden my heart.
When we were kids, Jerry and I had a pact not to tell Laurie everything because she would inevitably tell Mom and Dad. Today, she knows all of my secrets. I don't know if I would call them deep, dark secrets but she knows. She also knows the secrets of many others--she is the person that can objectively look at your problems and give you the best of advice. I don't want to panic anyone but she does have a tough time keeping secrets from me--we tell each other everything. She also knows that if you tell me something that I can't tell anyone--I will forget about it anyway.
She has a BIG heart. If there is someone in need, she will be the first person to help them. Our friend Louis, teased her after a trip to Los Angeles because she gave something to everyone that asked for help and even went back to find someone that she didn't have change to tip at the time. He said that they would have never made it from one end of the beach to the other because Laurie stopped to listen to everyone and to help everyone.
There are so many stories that I could tell. There are so many changes that both of us have been through. Her daughter, Rhiannon is my God Daughter. Our sons are only 4 months apart and our dogs Bubba and Mickey were best friends and her husband is like my brother. My sister Laurie means the world to me and we have the sister bond that many yearn for. We laugh at each other's weaknesses, we admire each other's strengths. I wish that we could live right next to each other like Grandma Rita and Grandma Tina did. We would complain about our husbands and kids (not that there is anything to really complain about) and we would drink whiskey and coffee every morning. We would get in fights but make up by that afternoon. One of us would make lunch and the other would make dinner. For now, we do all of these things over the phone--thank goodness for unlimited long distance. Thank you God for giving us Laurie even though I didn't recognise this incredible gift when I was a little girl.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
GL
There are many people in my life that I truely consider to be one in a million. Some of you know the person I am about to write about and some of you will not. I considered the challenging question--"What would you do if you were in the same situation?" however I truely believe that you never really know for sure until you are in that situation with your own personal circumstances. You can say what you think you would do but the emotions and adrenaline are not in gear. Your own fears and prejudices don't come into play yet so lets face it, we never really know. The question is, if someone you loved dearly and someone you were related to committed an act that was shocking and distrubing--would you remain by their side? Would you offer them support, love and kindness when dealing with the reality of what they had done?
I know and love someone who has done this. Someone who was there even though the judgement for someone else's action bled over to her and their Mother. She has been there alone, to support and to rally for a healthy recovery. She has been there during the holidays and made long trips to rally for justice. She has even questioned herself asking if she could have done something to prevent the tragedy. There aren't enough people in the world like this and I respect her more than she or anyone can know. She is a great Mother, an incredible wife and the best sister. She is someone I would want by my side when the waters are troubled. I definitely want her around during happy times.
I know she has had some regrets in life but in every difficult moment and life decision she has:
made the selfless decision to support others
to love no matter what
to see the best in others even when they do not see the best in her
to forgive even the unforgiveable
to be the one person you can always count on
to continue living, smiling and laughing.
As I said before, she is one in a million. I love you and God bless you--you are an amazing woman.
I know and love someone who has done this. Someone who was there even though the judgement for someone else's action bled over to her and their Mother. She has been there alone, to support and to rally for a healthy recovery. She has been there during the holidays and made long trips to rally for justice. She has even questioned herself asking if she could have done something to prevent the tragedy. There aren't enough people in the world like this and I respect her more than she or anyone can know. She is a great Mother, an incredible wife and the best sister. She is someone I would want by my side when the waters are troubled. I definitely want her around during happy times.
I know she has had some regrets in life but in every difficult moment and life decision she has:
made the selfless decision to support others
to love no matter what
to see the best in others even when they do not see the best in her
to forgive even the unforgiveable
to be the one person you can always count on
to continue living, smiling and laughing.
As I said before, she is one in a million. I love you and God bless you--you are an amazing woman.
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