Trucking up to Buffalo:)

Above is a picture that is painted on the wall at Root Middle School.

Mrs. Werger, the art teacher painted this.....and it is of my favorite musician....Jerry Garcia.... Speaking of Jerry, Mark and I are trucking up to Buffalo in April to see the Grateful Dead (The Dead ...Now).....I am very excited for this.

I hope you enjoy the quote below....it was on my Starbucks cup and I loved it.

Have a great day!!!
Namaste,

Michele

The way we get to live forever is
through memories stored in the
hearts and souls of those whose
lives we touch. That’s our soul
print. It’s our comfort, our
emotional nourishment at the end
of the day and the end of a life.
How wonderful that they are called
up at will and savored randomly.
It seems to me we should spend our
lives in a conscious state of
creating these meaningful moments
that live on. Memories matter.

- Leeza Gibbons

Love

Mrs. Werger painted this picture too:)




“People are afraid of themselves, of their own reality; their feelings most of all. People talk about how great love is, but that's bullshit. Love hurts. Feelings are disturbing. People are taught that pain is evil and dangerous. How can they deal with love if they're afraid to feel? Pain is meant to wake us up. People try to hide their pain. But they're wrong. Pain is something to carry, like a radio. You feel your strength in the experience of pain. It's all in how you carry it. That's what matters. Pain is a feeling. Your feelings are a part of you. Your own reality. If you feel ashamed of them, and hide them, you're letting society destroy your reality. You should stand up for your right to feel your pain.”

Jim Morrison

Smile........

Anybody ever see Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind????
I just watched it last night and thought it was beautiful.
It goes up there with my favorites (Garden State and American Beauty.)
Hope you like the words below....they make me smile:)
Peace to you,
Michele

Helpful Tips for a Happy Home

The following is from an actual 1950's home economics textbook intended for high school girls, teaching them how to prepare for married life:

1. Have dinner ready: Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal-on time. This is a way of letting him know you have been thinking about him, and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospects of a good meal are part of the warm welcome needed.

2. Prepare yourself: Take 15 minutes to rest so you will be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people. Be a little gay and a little more interesting. His boring day may need a lift.

3. Clear away clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives, gathering up school books, toys, paper, etc. Then run a dust cloth over the tables. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift, too.

4. Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children's hands and faces if they are small, comb their hair, and if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part.

5. Minimize the noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of washer, dryer or vacuum. Greet him with a warm smile and be glad to see him.

6. Some DON'TS: Don't greet him with problems or complaints. Don't complain if he's late for dinner. Count this as minor compared with what he might have gone through that day.

7. Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or suggest he lay down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soft, soothing and pleasant voice. Allow him to relax and unwind.

8. Listen to him: You may have a dozen things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first.

9. Make the evening his: Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner or other places of entertainment; instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his need to be home and relax.

10. The Goal: Try to make your home a place of peace and order where your husband can relax.

DeJa Vu

Once again, Mira has forgotten her lunch (fourth time this year.)
In keeping with family policy, she received a boxed lunch......(with a box inside a box and all kind of shipping materials inside and a calendar marking this special occasion....the ladies in the office liked it so much that they asked if they could put bows on it....) I am very certain that she will not forget her lunch again!!!
have a great day and enjoy the quote below!!!
Peace to you,
Michele


"If we couldn't laugh, we would all go insane."- Jimmy Buffett

The eulogy that was never "aloud" to be read

Here is the Eulogy that Mark wrote for Robear....He was told by the priest that he could not read it.
so the priest gave his eulogy....he did a good job but I don't think eh ever met Robear....so here is Mark's beautiful tribute to Robear.
I hope it makes you smile:)
love,
Michele

A Eulogy for Robert Gentile

Robert Joseph Gentile presented me with a live pig on the occasion of my 30^th birthday. Yeah, he walked it into the party on a leash. It was only this big, but it grew to be a porker about this big. That little story tells you four important things about Bob Gentile. He loved to give gifts, was very creative, had a warped sense of humor and loved a party. That, in a nutshell was Bob.

I knew Robert, or Bob, or Robear, or Mr. Bob, however you may know him, for he had many incarnations – for all of his 49 years. I cannot think of another friend that I have known longer. Our families met way back in the Kosciusko Ave. apartment days, and remained close. There wasn’t a holiday, or special occasion growing up that didn’t somehow bring the Gentiles and Kuhars together, and often it was just for something as simple as one of his father’s secret-recipe spaghetti and meatball dinners. His mom worked for my dad at his dentist office, I worked together with his dad at Sobol Sales Co., and Robert and I even worked together for a bit at Gino’s Jewelers.

Robert was the brother I never had.

So . . . how do you say good-bye to someone who has been there your whole life? It’s a difficult question.

How do you say goodbye to someone who played with your toys with you?

How do you say goodbye to someone with whom you had sleepovers as a kid?

How do you say goodbye to the one who invented the game “Richies,” (and that’s a reference only a few in this room will understand.)

How do you say goodbye to someone who was there when you went on your first date with the girl who would eventually become your wife?

How do you say goodbye to the person you called to help you pick out an engagement ring? Actually he wouldn’t let me get the one I wanted. “No,” he said in true Bob Gentile style, “It’s gotta be bigger.”

How do you say goodbye to someone who showed up on the day of your wedding in a vintage candy apple red GTO convertible. “You sure you want to do this?” he said. “Absolutely,” I answered. “Well let’s go then,” he said, and off we drove in our tuxes to the best party I’ve ever been to.

How do you say goodbye to the person who gave you and your wife a pet dog named Cookie, who turned out to be the most obnoxious animal ever?

How do you say goodbye to someone who stood next to you in the cold of Cleveland Municipal Stadium at the AFC Championship game and watched the evil John Elway drive 90-some yards to beat the Browns? How do you say goodbye to someone who stood next to you at River’s Edge in the Flats and watched Ernest Byner fumble away your dreams? As Dan Buckley said at the funeral home, we never got to drink that bottle of champagne Bob had saved for the moment we went to the Super Bowl.

How do you say goodbye to someone who celebrated with you into the wee hours of the morning as the Indians went to the World Series for the first time in more than 40 years?

Once Michele and I were at Jacobs Field in 105 degree heat and we ran into Robear, who immediately found a way to take us up to the Terrace Club where we could watch the game in air-conditioned comfort. He was always coming to the aid of someone in need.

How do you say goodbye to someone who almost got arrested with you hawking anti-Art-Modell T-Shirts on the streets of Cleveland?

Bob Gentile never got to see a Cleveland sports team win a championship, and that makes me very mad.

How do you say goodbye to someone who showed up to take you to countless Bruce Springsteen concerts in a limo, and who tried to pass off his cousin, Joe Gallipoli as E-Street Band member Nils Lofgren to a bunch of gullible girls?

How do you say goodbye to someone who showed up on the day of a Jimmy Buffett concert in an RV to cart all his friends off to the show?

Let me quote from a Jimmy Buffett song lyric:

“Where no bird flies by my window
No ship is tied to my tree
Love is a wave building to a crescendo
Ride if you will, ride it with me.”

That was Robert. He wanted everybody to ride along with him and join in on the fun.

How do you say goodbye to someone who ushered in New Years with you in Las Vegas, joined you at an Indian wedding in San Jose, called you from New York to find out what your kids wanted for Christmas, called from Rodeo Drive to say he was, “just doing a little shopping.”

How do you say goodbye to someone who always remembered your wife and kids at holidays?

How do you say goodbye to someone who was there for you when your dad died, just as you were there for him when his dad – and mom – died.

Once I was at a trade show in Las Vegas, and Robert was there too with Brennan Industries, and they had a fabulous party at the top of the Las Vegas Hilton in Barry Manilow’s private suite. So we’re at the party, and he motioned for me to follow him, and he took me to Barry Manilow’s room and pointed to a coffee mug on the table. It had “Barry” written in script letters on it, and Robert was laughing like a little kid. “Is he afraid he’s going to set his cup down and confuse it with somebody’s else’s cup up here?” he said. How do you say goodbye to someone like that?

The memories are numerous and the stories and many, and they are all true. Everybody has a good Bob Gentile story, whether friend, relative, former co-worker or customer of Sensational Celebrations, where he turned his personal affinity for creative parties into an honest day’s work.

I heard someone mention that they were mourning Robert’s death, and I thought no, he wouldn’t want that. He’d want us to celebrate his life. And I think we have done that well, thanks to Linda, Jeannie and everyone else.

It wouldn’t be a eulogy without a Bible quote. So here goes. In the Book of Acts , it says, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive,' and in First Book of Timothy it says ‘be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share.’

I cannot name another person who exemplified the spirit of giving more than Robert Gentile. From the time he was a kid and got so excited about Christmas right up until the time he was an adult and, well, still got excited about Christmas, this was a person who loved to give. It was always about doing for someone else, oftentimes in private, and many times, in spectacular ways. Even in hospice, his concern was for others, and he wanted to know that people were alright.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “You shall know them by their fruits,” and the fruits that Robert Gentile brought forth were plentiful and freely given.

So how do you say goodbye to someone like Bob Gentile? Well, I’m not going to say goodbye, because as far as I’m concerned, he is still here, he’s still with us, in our hearts and minds and in the memories of the great times and good deeds associated with his life.

It is a testament to Robert that so many people shared in his illness, showed up at Western Reserve Hospice to comfort him, and came today to remember him.

At the funeral home this morning, you heard “Terry’s Song,” by Bruce Springsteen and I can think of no better way to end this eulogy than to quote from it:

Now your death is upon us
And we'll return your ashes to the Earth
And I know you'll take comfort in knowin'
You've been roundly blessed . . . and cursed
But love is a power greater than death . . .

When they built you brother, they turned this dust to gold
When they built you brother, they broke the mold

Warrior of Light

Macy took this picture last summer. I needed to reminded of the warmth:)



I have been struggling the past few days. The loss of two close friends to a long battle of cancer has really took it's toll on me. Not that I feel they are gone because I know the soul goes on, but I hurt for those they left behind.
My friend Sue left behind her only child...Evan who is 13 years old and she leaves behind a very loving and devoted husband.
My friend Robear left behind his only sibling, Linda. Their parents have already passed and she was saying that "there would be know one waiting for her" anymore when she comes home.

I have found comfort in two things that two different friends have said recently.
I would like to share them here because they brought me great comfort.

One is from my dear friend Sue Hudson when she was saying something to me about Robear's passing:
"Hey, Michele. You and I know that Robear is now in a place that is much purer than here. He is a part of the white light we all call on to help us through the hard times. He is a part of everything that is good. We love you."


and the other one was from my friend and kindred spirit, Paul. He wrote a note about how he feels his late wife, Donna's presence. Donna also died from a long battle with cancer.
"When I choose to immerse myself in other people, regarding their needs before my own is when Donna becomes very real to me, not just as a memory, but a very active presence.
Just as God relies upon us to manifest his love through our actions and interactions so too is Donnas love made known through my actions.
I believe I can feel her presence in this manner because I believe Donna exists all around me."

and those words have encourage me to go on about my path, to continue to have faith in the journey and to continue to try to serve others and be a better person. My friend Sue Rudo taught me so much about service to others. Even when she was feeling her worst and could not even drive anymore, she and I would go out and do good for others (by her suggestion of course)
One day last November, we went all over the place delivering things she wanted to donate...one place she took me was Malachi house....a place where the indigent can go to die.....it was such a beautiful place....Sue was so in the moment there....took time to hold a baby, talk to the therapy dog, time to donate carnation instant breakfast that she could not tolerate......that was what she was all about.......serving others.

hope you are having a great day.
and hope you enjoy the quote below:)
Namaste,
Michele


Warrior Of The Light Paulo Coelho

Every Warrior of the Light
has felt afraid of going into battle.

Every Warrior of the Light
has, at some time in the past, lied or betrayed someone.

Every Warrior of the Light
has trodden a path that was not his.

Every Warrior of the Light
has suffered for the most trivial of reasons.

Every Warrior of the Light
has, at least once, believed he was not a Warrior of the Light.

Every Warrior of the Light
has failed in his spiritual duties.

Every Warrior of the Light
has said 'yes' when he wanted to say 'no.'

Every Warrior of the Light
has hurt someone he loved.

That is why he is a Warrior of the Light,
Because he has been through all this
and yet has never lost hope of being better than he is.

Rest in Peace Uncle Robear

Robert Gentile's passed on 1/15/09. (or Robear, as many of you know him....a name I gave to him in 1984 at a Brown's football game.) I guess just like when your car breaks down and can no longer run, it is the same with our bodies.....we just get out and go home.


Below is a poem that talks about what is important is the dash between the years.
1959-2009. Robear lived a very full life in his dash between the years. He was one of the most giving and generous people that I have ever known. His joy was found in his giving.
Even last week, when visiting him at the hospice center, he still continued to ask everyone how they were doing. His selflessness remained even though he was in the dying process.
I was told he saw Mark's dad (who passed about 15 years ago) sitting in his room and I was told that he died with a smile on his face. Mark is very honored to give his eulogy and to be one of his pall barriers.

Please read the poem below:)
have a great day.
love,
Michele

The Dash Between the Years

I read of a man who stood to speak At the funeral of a friend He referred to the dates on her tombstone From the beginning...to the end. He noted that first came her date of birth And spoke the following date with tears, But he said what mattered most of all Was the dash between those years.

(1935 - 2001)

For that dash represents all the time That she spent alive on earth... And now only those who loved her Know what that little line is worth. For it matters not, how much we own; The cars...the house...the cash, What matters is how we live and love And how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard... Are there things you'd like to change? For you never know how much time is left, That can still be rearranged. If we could just slow down enough To consider what's true and real, And always try to understand The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger, And show appreciation more And love the people in our lives Like we've never loved before. If we treat each other with respect, And more often wear a smile. Remembering that this special dash May last only a little while.

So, when your eulogy is being read With your life's actions to rehash... Would you be proud of the things they say About how you spent your dash?

by Linda Ellis

Life's path

Friends of ours, Steve and Leslie, gave Mark and I this drawing for our 1st anniversary. That was 19 years ago.....and we still have this infamous picture. hope you like the words below....I do!!!
Namaste,
Michele


Life is complex. Each one of us must make his (or her) own path through life. There are no self-help manuals, no formulas, no easy answers. The right road for one is the wrong road for another … The journey of life is not paved in blacktop; it is not brightly lit, and it has no road signs. It is a rocky path through the wilderness.
--M. Scott Peck

Remember Peace!!!

These are pictures of the kids messing around outside on Saturday. They decided to take pictures of each other I guess. Hope you enjoy the words below. Mark sent this to me today. I really liked the writing!!! Namaste, Michele


The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We' ve learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever. Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side. Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent. Remember, to say, "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.
Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again. Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind. AND ALWAYS REMEMBER: Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
-- Thomas Taylor

Making choices

Macy took this picture of Mira on Saturday.

Make choices based on what

makes you feel freer and happier,

rather than how you think your

ideal life should look.

— Martha Beck

More to life!!!

There's this instinct inside of

each and every one of us that

there's more to life than meets

the eye.

— Elizabeth Lesser

slowing down to create and connect

some bumper stickers on my van





We are snowed in over here, but we are enjoying it. All of the kids' activities were canceled due to weather. sometimes it is nice to just do nothing. I have been thinking about the connection that I felt at the Hospice center.....and I think because they are on my time frame. If you don't know me, I am on "Jamacia time"...and that is what I found at the hospice center....people are in no particular rush....when it gets done, it gets done. No where to rush to, nothing pressing.......
I love all the art therapy there, and music therapy and meditation and pet therapy.
but the question comes to me...why do people wait to create art/music, and slow down for when they are dying??? me included....why don't I take more time to create and play my harp, just sit and visit with people and pet my dog?

Maybe this is a message for me to continue to indulge in these things.....because that is what connects me. I don't know...maybe I think too much.
I hope you like the quote below from the movie "Ghost" .....one of my all time favorites.
Namaste,
Michele
It's amazing, Molly. The love inside, you take it with you.
-Sam, from the movie Ghost

everything is gonna be all right

I spent about 5 hours yesterday at the hospice center.....visiting Robear again and his sister Linda. Linda is amazing........she has not left his side and sleeps in a chair beside him. There is so much love in that place...and so many nice things going on there.....I saw a drum circle...a music therapist playing a wooden flute...a pianist that played songs on end by memory.....just lots of peace there.
hope you like the quote below.
love,
Michele






When you begin to realize that you are more than your body, that your purpose is greater than your profession or your career—that every life, because you were born you have a right to be here and there is a calling on your life—it means you live your life without fear and you know that no matter what happens, no matter what happens, you are going to be all right. You are going to be all right. That's what spirituality is for me. - Oprah

Our spiritual journey

Mira took this picture at the bowling alley last week with her friends.
I thought that it looked pretty cool.




I was watching Oprah yesterday because Elizabeth Lesser was on (founder of Omega Institute.)
below is something that really stuck with me.....I will post the link to the show also.
Have a great day!!!!
Namaste,
Michele



After the plane crashed, John says he saw people strapped into their seats, burning. As he watched, he says he noticed what appeared to be auras leaving their bodies, some brighter than others. "I thought, 'The brightness and dimness of the auras were how one lives one's life,' so to speak," he says. "That's one of the major things that really has changed within me ... I want to live my life so my aura, when it leaves, is very bright."

Elizabeth believes the colorful auras were people who fully lived their lives. "What the world needs are people who have come alive. That's what we all need to do to become fully ourselves," she says. "Alive. Joyful. Present in every moment."

http://www.oprah.com/dated/oprahshow/oprahshow_20081117_spiritual

Yoga

Picture by Macy.
....so off to yoga I go:)



“Yoga is a vehicle to put us in touch with the place in us that hasn't been touched by the circumstances of our lives."
~ Tim Miller

Angels in disguise

Uncle JimBob treated Mark and Macy to a Cav's game. Macy was in her glory.
She is obsessed with the Cavs and said that was her favorite thing she did all Christmas break.
For some of the game, they got to sit in these 400.00 seats and Macy said "Mom, I could have reached out and touch Lebron in those seats." I love to see her all lit up. Thank you Uncle JimBob for making Macy so happy:)
Marko woke up in a very bad mood today....I think he was expecting a snow day.....I am going to take him up some Burger King for lunch at school today and eat with him and stay for recess.
maybe that will cheer him up.
Hope you are having a great day and I hope you like the quote below!!
Namaste,
Michele


At moments in our lives when we really need help, the universe moves to support us in ways that may seem strange to us. Angels sometimes show up in our lives in odd bodies, odd shapes, odd forms, odd experiences. Our job is to keep our hearts open to angels in disguise.
-Mary Manin Morrissey

Smile if you want to!!

"There are always flowers for those who want to see them."
- Henri Matisse

Seize the day!!!

I made this collage with the kids at work.
hope you enjoy the note below...it is my results and Mira's.
Leave your random things in the commet box below (since this came from facebook and your can't tag people on here)
....I really enjoy reading others random things!!!.
Namaste,
Michele

25 Random Things...Now tag 25 people

Rules: Once you’ve been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25
random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25
people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged
you, it’s because I want to know more about you.


1. I usually do not do these kind of chain letters, but this one was very
interesting to me. Maybe I should not be so quick to delete these kind of
things.

2. I met my husband in 1983 at a summer job at the Medina County court
house.
I was his secret admirer and would bake him brownies and stuff.....then I
took off for Ohio State and he would stop in and visit once in awhile my
freshman year.....he had already graduated from Ohio University.

3. I live on the same street that I grew up on.

4. I hated pop until I made myself drink it at age 16....I hate the
carbonation because it prickled my tongue.....our kids don't like pop
either....well Mira is starting to like it now at age 15....actually maybe
at age 14.

5. I am an only child and always wanted a bunch of siblings.

6. I live on the same road that I grew up on and have lived here in this house for 11 years. My parents live down the street and help us out a lot with the kids. My mom just told me that they would never move south until the kids are grown and in college....She said she would feel like she was missing out on so much...she loves all the action.

7. Omega Institute is my favorite place to vacation and we go there every
year for family week. well we have gone there for the last 7 years.

8. We built a log home on 7 1/2 acres in Medina and lived there for 5 years...but we moved because I did not like living out in the country without sidewalks....I felt too isolated.
I wonder if I would feel that way today.

9. Our oldest daughter, Mira, was born on new years day and we missed our tax deduction by 45 minutes....she was worth it though:)
Anyway, she was the first baby born in 1994 at Akron General and we were given some cool gifts by the hospital.

10. Our second child, Macy, was almost born on the highway....I did not get my epidural and our doctor did not make it to the hospital in time.

11. Our third child, Marko, was a big surprise to me. Mark found out at the ultrasound that he was a boy. The person doing the ultrasound typed him a note so he could know...and I did not want to know. He kept the secret the whole time and I thought he was a girl. I was so sure that my mom and I washed all of the pink clothes and had them hanging and ready in his nursery.

12. The only one to know that Marko was going to be a boy was our basset hound, Dudley and he kept the secret too.

13. I have a perception problem and can not read maps.

14. Our kids all will go to the same schools that I went to.
(elementary, middle school and high school)

15. I do yoga everyday...it helps me feel centered.

16. I want to work at the new hospice care center opening in Medina....but not sure that I will ACTUALLY apply...I really like the the child psychiatric nurse position that I have ( I am drawn to talk and listen to people) and the benefits and salary and flexible schedule probably will keep me where I am. I hate when I let Money rule my decisions....I love hospice and the whole philosophy.

17. I tend to talk too much and think too much.

18. I did not know that I could draw until I started drawing with Mira when she was 2 1/2....I am not the best artist but I love to draw..and I am always drawing with the kids at work. Someday I am going to take lessons.

19. I play the lap harp and would like to play it for hospice patients when I get better.

20. I have regrets how I treated some people as a young girl/teen....I have learned to forgive myself and I hope others have forgiven me.....I tell my kids all the time about the importance of kindness.

21. I am a beverage snob (as my husband calls me):I only like filtered or bottled water, good coffee (esp. Flavored coffee) and micro brew.

22. I only have one coat and my husband has like 10. I wore my last winter coat for about 7 years and my family called it "my red puffy coat." Mark and the kids bought me a new winter coat for Christmas.

23. I did not like the Grateful Dead until way after Jerry died. I wish I could have seen him perform.

24. I love tie-dye. Our bedroom is decorated in tie-dye and has orange walls.

25. We have a 1976 VW bus that we camp in ......in the summer.
We don't trust it to go very far so we only camp within an hour radius with the bus. I love camping and being outdoors.




Mira did this too:






25 Random Things...by Mira...(published with Mira's permission)

Rules: Once you’ve been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25
random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25
people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged
you, it’s because I want to know more about you.


1. my birthday is on january 1st! i was the first baby born in 1994 in the akron general hospital.

2. ive never been in the pacific ocean.

3. ill never eat salami or ice cream cake again on account of i threw up after eating them when i was 10.

4. my moms side of the family has a neighborhood named after them in brunswick because the property its on is on part of their old farm. All the street names are names of members of my family.

5. ive never seen a scary movie.

6. ive never needed braces or glasses.

7. i own about 10 or 11 tie dye shirts.

8. the first time i went to the movies alone i saw 'yours, mine, and ours.'

9. i started dancing when i was 7. so ive only been dancing 8 years.

10. ive only been out of the country once...and i walked.

11. ive known my best friend maxine for 14 years.

12. my first screen name was m5hippies in 3rd grade. i stopped using it because someone i didnt know talked to me and threatend me so i changed screen names.

13. my favorite teacher ive ever had was mr.wyemura.

14. i beat guitar hero on medium and easy!!

15. if i could, i would have a smoothie from smoothie king everyday.

16. i wish buelers sold their homemade ice cream year round. i live for that in the summertime. i like to ride my bike there so i can get a cone:)

17. i recently discoverd skinny jeans are sweett.

18. my new favorite store is forever 21. i got this cool pink zebra stiped bag there and ive loved it ever since.

19. i hate to think about death and dying. i wish everyone in my life could just live forever. i never want to live a day without them.

20. ive been to 7 concerts in my life. i think im going to grow up as a big concert person.

21. im pretty sure that i have ADD. i lose everything and can never remember what im supposed to do.

22. i have a sinus infection and right now i am currently trying to pop my clogged ears.

23. my dream is to live in italy some day. okayy maybe not live there but at least visit for a few months.

24. my favorite color is purple just like my dance team color:)

25. my favorite movie is juno. kate and i enjoy texting each other random juno quotes. me and annie also have a favorite juno quote ;D

Great winds across the sky

This is a picture of my friend(Carlos), and his girlfriend(Vivian..who is now my friend too!), Carlos' mom(Pilar), and me.
It was taken last year sometime when they were here visiting. I forgot about it until Vivian posted it on her facebook yesterday. I love Vivian and Carlos...they are both free spirits.
I got to see Carlos yesterday as he visited our friend Robear at the Hospice of the Western Reserve yesterday....all the way from California. Carlos is a wonderful friend with such fun and happy energy....he brightens a room by his presence........ and we needed that last evening.
hope you like the words below.
Love,
Michele



Sometimes I go about pitying myself
And all the time
I am being carried on great winds across the sky

- Chippewa proverb

stand by me

This video is dedicated to our dear friend Robear who is not doing well.
Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.
He is a beautiful person whom our kids call "Uncle Robear."
Mark's lifetime friend and "cousin". He was in our wedding party:)
He is currently at the Hospice of the Western Reserve.