Looking on the Bright Side. . . or More Appropriately the Dry Side.

I realize that at times I can come across as rather pessimistic about things. So, in the spirit of being more positive, some thank you notes.

First, I would like to thank all of the people involved in the designing, producing, marketing, purchasing and installing of my bathroom sink. Because it does not have a relief drain, I have had two exciting instances of bathroom flooding. You see I have a little monkey boy who enjoys fiddling with things. He is especially fond of messing with the drain stopper when he washes his hands. He is also 4. Attention deficit is not a disorder, it is a way of life, so he forgets to shut the water off. Stopped up drain + running faucet + no relief drain = a creative twist on my daily workout routine and some quiet time to hork down an entire carton of Ben and Jerry's while the 4 year old spends the rest of the afternoon in the corner. Thank you!

Thank you, cement sub floor for being able to hold up to 2 inches of standing water. I know the wood sub floor in my last house just wouldn't have handled the situation well.

Thank you, wet vac. You have not been the time saver in the kitchen that I thought you would be, but you are awesome at times like this. Even on the carpet, you were fantastic sucking up nearly 3 gallons water there alone.

Thank you flood waters for cleaning my bathroom floor. It was pretty bad.

Wizard Words of Wizdom

My family recently was in charge of our family reunion. By"my family" I mean my mom and her sisters and cousins. I mostly just attended. Those of you who aren't in my family may think, "Meh, so you plan a dinner and sit around with a bunch of old boring people." Oh, contraire my little friends. My family reunion rocks. Over 200 people attend and we are not boring, we have Irish ancestry. Three days of partying and fighting and more partying ensue.

Our family reunions are themed and we dress up. This year the theme was Wizard of Oz.

I chose an appropriate costume for my personality, a witch with very awesome red shoes.

Here's the kiddos. From left to right--Nephew-Horse of a different color, Drama Queen--Dorothy, Mini Knievel--last minute lollypop guild, Monkey Boy--Lion.

My hubby, not so keen on dressing up and thinking, "Yuppers, I married into crazyville. This should have been my first clue that perhaps she was just pretending to be normal before we got married. Now, look what I live with!"

And Drama Queen's 2nd costume. I, of course, did not make this. My mom did.

Isn't she amazing!!!

As part of the activities, I played Professor Marvel-a (that's the girl version). I told fortunes with my "genuine, magic, authentic crystal used by the priests of Isis and Osiris in the days of the pharoahs of Egypt." I wrote up six "fortunes" based on the movie. I swear if we all lived according to The Wizard of Oz we would all lead happy and amazing lives!

1. Along the yellow brick road of life you will have many challenges. You may have to dodge wormy apples and fireballs. Witches will try to take your dog and your really cute shoes. At times you may just be too tired to go on. Don't be discouraged. Remember you are smarter, braver and have more heart than you give yourself credit for. Just stay on the right path and you will reach your destination.

2. Running away from your problems never solves anything. You can never find a place where you won't get into any trouble. It doesn't exist. The storms of life will always come and when they do, especially the whoppers, you better get your butt home and into the storm cellar with the people who love you. Only they can make the troubles melt like lemon drops.

3. You will run into bad witches in your life, but even when you have a witch mad at you, you will have loyal friends who will say, "I'm not afraid of witches!" and they will stand beside you as you dodge the witches fireballs. Just have courage and remember the most wicked witches are probably covering up their weaknesses. It may just take a little water to make them melt into a big puddle of witch goo.

4. Whether you are good or bad people can see it and read it in your face. You can't hide what you truly are. Kindness and generosity will draw friends to you. The kindness you give will always be returned. Your friends will be willing to brave spooks and flying monkeys to rescue you. Bad deeds will be returned in kind as well. Only bad witches are ugly.

5. When seeking help in reaching your goals, be careful who you trust. Sometimes those who seem to have the answers are not what they appear to be. Those who proclaim their greatness the loudest are often the smallest. The wizard was just a man behind the curtain. You always have the power within you to make your wishes come true.

6. When you feel you are missing something in your life. Don't go searching beyond your own back yard. If you do go looking elsewhere in the world, you may open the door to a life of color and adventure, but you will soon realize it is nothing without those who love you. Remember, there is no place like home.