You Raise Me Up

This afternoon around 4:30 when most people at work are getting ready to leave for the day, I got up to stretch my legs and take a quick potty break. As I walked into a cloud of perfume and a women looking into the mirror at her sweater dress and knee high boots, I think to myself, “Someone’s got a hot date tonight”. I recognized her, we work on the same floor, but I don’t know her name.

A few weeks ago, I saw her at a restaurant near my home. She started talking to me and said, “Was that you I saw at Bonefish a few weeks ago”. I said, yeah, “I was just saying hi”. She told me that her daughter told her I was talking to her but she didn’t realize it. She proceeded to tell me she was high. I kind of looked at her like, wow, really, I barely know you and you are telling me you were high. Anyway, she says, “I was high on medicine”. I said “Oh”. She proceeded to tell me she just underwent a double mastectomy and just returned to work. I was speechless. She didn’t look any older than me, I couldn’t help but ask, “How old are you” She said “how old do I look”? I said my age, maybe 35-40. She was flattered; she told me she was 48. “Wow” is all I could think. She proceeded to tell me she lost her Mom and a sister to breast cancer and another sister had Breast Cancer 10 years ago and beat it, but was recently diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She told me she also had her ovaries removed. Needless to say at this point, what I thought was just a quick visit to the ladies room turned out to be a turning point in my day. We spoke about 10-15 minutes. As she was talking I could see a slight quiver in her lip and her eyes just moved around as to not make too much contact for fear my reaction would make her cry. I almost cried talking to her.

Wow, 48. That is just way too young to have to go through that much loss and suffering. She is 10 years older than me. That could be me, or my one of my sisters, or my mom. Talking to her was like a breath of fresh air. She was so positive and full of life. I told her I couldn’t believe she was back to work already, she said what I am going to do, sit at home and worry. I have to work and stay busy to keep my mind off things

I feel like such an ass for making a quick judgment (to myself) as I nearly swallowed a mouth full of her perfume walking into the bathroom. I’m not perfect and we all judge, right? Anyway, I hope whatever her plans were, she had a good time.

Its people like her and Allie, (my dad’s girlfriend who has been battling cancer for almost 4 years now) and their ability make the best of every situation that really help put things in perspective. I have an abundance of material thing that at the end of the day, don’t really mean nearly as much as the people in my life no matter if they are family, friends or acquaintances.

A few months ago I was also inspired by a friend to begin writing a blog to improve my writing skills and  to use as an outlet. I only wrote a few entries and got busy with life. I was worried no one really wanted to hear what I had to say. It’s not about anyone else, but me. Read if you like, comment if you dare. I welcome all questions, comments and feedback.

Beverly always starts her blog with song lyrics that usually feed into her topic. I promised I wouldn’t do the same, but music is how I best relate to situations. There is a song out there to describe just about any feeling, emotion or damn near any life experience that makes or breaks us. So I’ll share lyrics, music and links to videos that move me in some way, shape or form.

What comes to mind is You Raise Me Up by Josh Groban. Now, some might say this is a religious song. Since I am not a very religious person, this is not about God or any higher being. This is about the people that cross my path, make me stronger and inspire me. Today is was a lady I met in the bathroom

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=aJxrX42WcjQ

Lastly, I have renamed my Blog. When I first created it, I called it Work in Progress, because I had no idea what I really wanted to do. Now, I can honestly say that the title of my blog means something. It means I’m striving towards being a better person, hence Mrs. Do Right. I can’t say I will always Do the Right thing, but know that my heart and mind are in the right place. I also can’t take full credit for the title I stole that off my boss who has a paddle to keep her grandson in line named Mr. Do Right. It just kind of clicked for me, so there it is.

I look forward to hearing your feedback.

Until we meet again.

               

Remembering

Sometimes finding the right words isn’t always the easiest thing to do. On the anniversary of 9/11 as I sit hear reading all the posts on Facebook and Twitter I’m struggling to find the right words to make a profound impact on others. I know I don’t have to, but I don’t want to seem insensitive and not share my feelings of the effects of that historic day. The attacks on 9/11 changed us; even if only temporary it changed us nonetheless. We as a nation began to realize the importance of our lives, our relationships our loves. We no longer took for granted that there would be a tomorrow. We called our loved ones near and far, we cried with friends and neighbors, our relationships become stronger. As with most things, there is a song, music, lyrics that serve as a time machine and takes me back almost instantly. For me, that song would be One More Day by Diamond Rio. It was played over and over on the local radio stations in Hampton Roads, the home to the largest Naval Base in the world…it still brings tears to my eyes. Check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvy_v3UewFg

Another song inspired by the events of 9/11 is Kangaroo Cry by Blue October. Some of you may recall this song from an episode of NCIS, some may not. I first heard this song a few years after 9/11 but as I mentioned some songs/lyrics serve as a time machine and almost immediately I am taken back to that day that shall forever remain in our hearts.  To all those lost and to those in harm’s way every day to make our Country a safer place to live, I thank you for your commitment and sacrifices.  

Check out the lyrics below and the pictures in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bwtdGRbuOs

Losing my control
Here it is the day I have to go
Just sit beside me
I can’t let this show
How sick I feel to leave you so alone
God I’m terrified

We’ve lost respect for decency
When one can turn our world into an ant pile
We run circles, no direction do I see
The dust has blinded you, the dust has blinded me

I kissed her on the cheek
And then I waved goodbye
She had the saddest look I’ve seen in years
A kangaroo cry
A warm pathetic ocean flow we have to live by
We have to live by
Because we have to live

Chorus
And you choose to break our families
Tell me you’ve used all precautions known
And I’ll stand beside the ones who stood alone
How long will we have to sing until you finally bring our sons, our daughters home?
We’ll let the prayers start healing, what time’s been stealing

We only want to feel as close as we can be
Use hands for holding on to your precious family
Just believe in all who shine
The light to help you see
Cause if I believe in you, will you believe in me?

I kissed her on the cheek
And then I waved goodbye
She had the saddest look I’ve seen in years
A kangaroo cry
A warm pathetic ocean flow we have to live by
We have to live by
Because we have to live

Keep hanging on
Keep hanging on
Keep hanging on
Keep hanging on

We’ll let the prayers start healing, when time’s been stealing
Start healing
Start healing

Until we meet again.

Heather

Is Summer over yet?

It’s Labor Day and the summer is unofficially over. YEAH! Fall is my favorite season. Why, well let’s see, there is cooler weather, football and Thanksgiving to name a few. I love wearing layers of comfy clothes and watching the leaves change colors. This year has just flown by and I am excited for all the events I have planned in the new few months.

First, Tammy and I planning an outlet shopping trip in two weeks. I know that may sound corny, but to have another female to shop with is super exciting. Jason hates shopping with me and getting stuck carrying all my bags. He hasn’t quite learned the art husbanding when it comes to shopping. He follows me around in circles and then bitches about it. Come on, go find a seat with all the other husbands and play poker on your phone until I’m done.

Next up in late September, Beverly and her friend Janelle are coming up to see Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat. I haven’t seen Beverly since I left Virginia Beach March of last year. It will be a short visit, but it will be fun catching up in person. Beverly and I have kept in touch through occasion phone calls, Facebook and she even encouraged me to start this blog. None of have seen Jason Mraz live before so we’re all super excited. Beverly said seeing him will scratch one of her “to dos” off her bucket list.

Then in October I have what I like to call my Blue October week. The week begins with Columbus Day then followed by an entire week off work. During that week Jason and I are planning a road trip with Millie to see his three kids in Ohio. Then it’s back home to rejuvenate and prepare for two Blue October concerts.  Yes, I said two. The first one I am going with Cindy (my sister) in Philly and the second in Maryland with Jason. Needless to say, I can hardly wait!

Wrapping up that week I have tickets to a Redskin vs. Eagles game at Fed Ex Field. This is going to be my very first Eagles game. I am little ashamed to admit that my first football game was at Jets Stadium years ago. My boyfriend at the time was huge, HUGE Houston Oiler fan. We got to see Warren Moon quarterback before moving on to the Vikings. I’ll never forget freezing my ass off after getting beer dumped on me by some dumbass drunk. I can’t wait to do it again…although I’m a little smarter now and I’m not sure I am going to wear the opposing team’s jersey.  

Fall winds down with my favorite holiday of the year, Thanksgiving. I love to cook and I make stuffing to die for. Literally. It’s high fat and butter content alone is enough to initiate a coronary embolism.  I don’t care about the turkey other than the fact that I actually stuff my bird with my delectable stuffing. It just doesn’t taste the same if it’s not cooked in the bird. Thanksgiving is the one day where I don’t care how many calories or how much butter is consumed. It’s all about comfort food shared with friends and family. Great, now I am craving stuffing. Thank god summer is unofficially over! Until we meet again.

Baby Making

This one is going to get pretty personal, but as I mentioned before, this was going to be my outlet, my therapy. If you aren’t interested, please just ignore, otherwise, I appreciate hearing from anyone who may have been through similar situations.

Today, I went to the gynecologist for my yearly pap test. I also went in there with the intent to move towards next steps at becoming a mother. Since I can remember, I’ve always wanted to have kids. I wanted to have them young like my parents did, but unfortunately that just wasn’t in the cards for me.

As many of you may already know I haven’t had luck in the baby making department. When I was with my ex-husband we tried and tried and nothing. We’ve seen and heard how much stress it was on others that we decided not to pursue testing to find out which one of us had the problem. Well, a little over a year after we separated I found out he had a son. As difficult as it was hearing, especially since it wasn’t from him, the more real it got for me.

At that time, I was just moving in with Jason and things were going good, but I wasn’t ready to take things to the next level. Fast forward 6 years and Jason and I have been married a little over two years now. Shortly after we got married, we added Millie to our family. Yeah, I’m sure you’ve seen pictures, she’s my little girl. Jason has always said that every dog deserves their own kid. That’s just what we want for Millie. He also jokes about how expensive it will be to have kids since Millie eats food that is more expensive per pound than buying filet mignon. Last year he retired from the Navy and we’re growing roots here in Northern Virginia and we are ready to “settle down” and start a family.

Back to my appointment….So first steps are for me to see if I am ovulating. This will require a thermometer and an ovulation kit. This should be fun, tracking my temperature daily and peeing on stick to find out if I am ovulating. If so, then I am supposed to have sex every other day during ovulation. As if I haven’t been doing that for years….Anyway if after 2-3 months I find out I am not ovulating then back to doc I go.

In December I will be 38 so things can move a little slow since “my eggs are old” or at least that’s what the doc says. So we’ll see how things play out over the next few months. I won’t let this stress me out, I know my limits. If it gets to be too much, we’ll pursue other options. I want to be a mom, I have so much love in my heart to share and having my DNA is not a requirement.

Stay tuned for more. Until we meet again.

Crazy, Stupid, Love

This afternoon Jason and I went to see Crazy, Stupid, Love starring Steve Carell, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. As if you weren’t already in love with Ryan Gossling from the Notebook, you’re bound to fall head over heels for him in this one. This is what I would consider my favorite kind of movie, a romantic comedy with real life occurrences that we can relate to. Since both Jason and I have been married before, this movie has some pain points we both have experienced. Most of which, were after we met.

Call it serendipity or just dumb luck, but there are so many scenes that made me laugh and cry on the inside at the exact same time. I won’t give away too much; this one is definitely worth seeing if you are a hopeless romantic like me.

So just like Cal, my husband drinks his “fruity, girly drinks” right from a straw. Half the time he doesn’t even lift the glass off the table which looks even worse than just drinking from the straw itself. Where can I find someone like Jacob to work his magic and break Jason of this horrible habit? I’ve been trying for almost seven years and my efforts have been fruitless.

Next up, we have the sneakers or tennis shoes as some of you like to call them. Yeah, I think Jason has the very same 407’s. I realize we’re getting older, but I never expected my husband would be wearing the same kind of comfortable walking shoes my sixty-two year old father wears. If only I could get him to spend more than $40.00 on a pair of Adidas or something more befitting someone our age. Again, where do I find me a Jacob?

Last, but not least, we have the scene with the Velcro wallet. Yup, Jason had one of those when we first met. I almost cringed the first time we went out and he whipped that bad boy out. Needless to say our very first Christmas together, I purchased Jason a nice leather “big boy” wallet. To this day, I think he still uses it.

 It took me a while, but he is no longer in charge of purchasing or picking out what clothes to wear. It’s just better this way. I pick out an entire week’s worth of clothes: pants, shirt and tie; he is only responsible for picking out his shoes and socks. Sometimes I like to throw him for a loop and give him a black shirt and tan pants, he always gets confused, brown or black belt/shoes. It’s pretty funny.

These crazy, stupid things are exactly why I love Jason the way I do. Some of it is quirky and cute and others are just down right annoying. Jason and I have a friendship or a familiarity of a twenty five year marriage, yet at the same time, we have the love and passion of a couple falling in love for the first time. We’ve been told often that we are too honest which is sometimes interpreted as being too harsh or just plain old mean.  I really don’t care what other people think; he’s my best friend, my soul mate.

“Let’s get outta here” until we meet again.

My Blog

I’ve been toying with the idea of creating a blog with some encouragement from a former co-worker and friend Beverly. She’s been doing it for quite some time, but I have just recently subscribed to her blog and receive daily emails that I read first thing each morning on my phone. Yes, I said daily. Now that doesn’t mean I plan on doing the same, but I like the idea. With my commute and all the normal day to day stuff, I doubt I will find time to do it daily; it will probably be a couple days a week.

Beverly really has a way with words and knows how to capture an audience. I think she majored in English in College. I on the other hand, have not graduated college (still a few math credits shy of my Associates Degree) and I struggle with writing. It’s just not one of my strong points. My husband Jason likes to point this out all the time. So in an effort to work on improving my writing skills and as an outlet in lieu of therapy, let the fun begin.

Now that I’ve got that out of the way, I need to figure out a title for my blog. I was tinkering around with this a few weeks ago, but I couldn’t find something that really suited me so I stopped. I’m just not creative in that sense so my title will remain a work in progress. When I find something that seems to fit, I’ll stick with it.

The one thing Beverly told me I could not steal from her is blog is how she starts each entry with lyrics from a song. I think that is what has really lured me in. It’s almost like watching Glee and getting so excited because they bring new life to a song that hit the charts some 15-20 years ago during the onset of the age of MTV, which is what I grew up on. Yes folks, I’m a gleek! What can I say, I love music. Beverly and I have a lot of similar musical interests so we just kind of click and when we hear some random word, we just burst into song. Anyway, I have to figure out my shtick and work it into this blog.

She cracks me up though, because she is the President or something of the Rick Springfield Fan Club. Okay, I exaggerate….or do I? No really, she is involved in some way shape or form. She just loves Rick Springfield. Kind of like I love Blue October, Morrissey and The Smiths. They speak to me lyrically and I can drown myself into their harmonious melodies. No doubt they will likely be the inspiration of my future topics. I’m not quite sure what Beverly’s fascination is with Rick Springfield and the fact that he wishes he had Jesse’s girl……or is it the fact that he uses the word “moot” in the song? That just made me think of an entirely different topic which I will save for later. (Note to self-remember to discuss the misuse, mispronunciation and misspelling of words)

Wow, I can’t believe I have almost an entire page and it’s not even double spaced. Apparently writing for fun is a lot easier than writing a paper for Philosophy or Business.  Maybe I should have done this sooner. Either way, I started it and enjoyed it. Once I get the hang of how the blog sites work and how to spread my cheer, I hope to get some feedback and suggestions.  Until we meet again.