PaulaMaupin

The Reunion

A couple of weekends ago, Bobby and I headed north to the Missouri bootheel to attend a reunion of my mom's side of the family.  To say that this was a strange occurance would be putting it mildly. 

Okay, so I'm a little strange myself, but being around folks you haven't seen in oh let's say six years is beyond strange.  Don't get me wrong...I love my mom and all of her family...including her sisters; the nonattending brother (my only living uncle) and all the cousins with their kids and grandkids...but lordy!  I think they have just been having them too often or something...the thrill seems to be gone...kapoop...not happening!  I'm thinking the prescription drugs were kicking in big time.

Bobby was a hoot though and the life of the "party"!  He met so many people that day and could go up to any one of them and call them by name (well the adult people)  He drew the line when it came to remembering all the kids.  That crowd needed a smile or two and he provided. 

I'm so thankful for my 87 year old mother.  She looks forward to seeing her sisters and their families at the reunion.  It's also a time for her to see several of her kids and grandkids AND great grandkids.  She is not perfect, but I love her.  She is not the vibrant lady she used to be, but I love her.  She doesn't get around very well anymore, but I love her.  I have to help her take a bath and get dressed, but I love her.  That lady has been through a lot in her lifetime and has had her share of health problems and I love the way she has come through each stuggle with dignity and grace.  With all her faults - she loves her family with a mothers love, sometimes a little on the cranky side, but I might be cranky too if I'd gone through what she has endured over the years.  Mom is one of the few people that I know I can count on to be on my side...no questions asked.  It wasn't always that way growing up, but as an adult, I know that she trusts me and wants me to be happy more than anything. 

So with all that said, going to a reunion and making that 87 year old lady happy, is priceless!

Ed, Farrah, Michael and Billy

Well...below are pictures of the celebs that have died in the past few days.  

Some would say that Billy Mays doesn't belong with all these pictured here...but...who has not heard his bellowing voice on infomercials in their lifetime.  He was a bit irritating, but you had to admit that he got your attention for sure.  He had a family that is going to miss him terribly.  There was a new show that he was starring in called Pitchmen.  Billy's death was sudden as was Michael Jackson.  

The King of Pop has touched the lives of generations of fans.  You haven't been able to turn your television on in the past 3 days without hearing "Thriller" or a multitude of other hits sung by Micheal Jackson.  I can't look at those and not feel a little sad over the tortured life he's lived.  I have no way of knowing if what he was accused of was true or not, I just know that he has not been happy for a long time due to lots of things in his life.  He had to take pain meds just to carry on in his day to day journey.  The last breath he took was because he was needing Demerol and had it readily available to him or something similar to that - I know, I know they haven't said that was the cause of his demise, but somehow I think we will hear that eventually.  We can play the blame game and blame everyone from his doctor to his family for not helping him. We did the same thing when Anna Nicole Smith died. It just boils down to...I am sad about his death...he was 50 years old and still was not able for whatever reason to reach out for the help he needed.  

Then we come to Farrah Fawcett!  Wow what a beautiful lady.  In her hay day, every girl in America wanted their locks cut to look like hers.  Her poster was plastered on the walls of teen boys everywhere...that beautiful smile was unforgettable.  She was human though,  all celebs are that ya know?  She grew up in Corpus Christie, TX and had a mom and dad that loved her just like you and I do.  The difference is that Farrah became a celebrity with a face recognized everywhere.  She developed her fame in Charlie's Angels and later had a family of her own.  Her son was in jail and not even able to be by her bedside when she died.  Yes, Farrah had her time in the spotlight, but she had to face mortality, just as we all will someday.  

Lastly we come to Ed McMahon.  Wow...I remember when I first started watching the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and saw the interaction between him and his sidekick Ed.  They played so well off of each other...you never watched that show without laughing out loud.  There was something about Ed's smile that was so genuine...made you feel like you knew him.  He had his own set of problems as he aged.  Money problems...who would have thought...the guy that was always knocking on unsuspecting people's doors to give them a big ole check from Publishers Clearing House died in a home that Donald Trump paid for because he was broke.  

All of these "celebs" will be missed for different reasons.  I think we should all think of how short life is and realize that someday we will face the time when we take our last breath.  Do ya know your Maker?  Don't think that you'll have time for one of those death bed confessions.  Do you think Michael or Billy had time for that?  I think not.  Now Ed and Farrah could have...but do you wanna take that gamble?

Favorite? Can't even begin to pick yet!!!!!!!!!

Our favorite show for the summer has arrived and Bobby and I couldn't be happier!  There's just something special about these kids learning a dance style that they've never attempted before, and then coming out and absolutely tearing it up.  You know they've done exceptional when you here Mary scream...and boy can she scream.  That lady has some lungs on her.  When they have not only done the technic right but just have that extra "umph" or "hot" factor...Mary puts them on the Hot Tamale Train...they all strive to make it to that train.  The judges are so kind on this show...they are honest with them and how they did on their performance...yet they do it with kindness, which Bobby and I love!

It is very difficult to pick a favorite this year, because all of them are so freaking talented.  This week it was the couple that actually didn't do very well the previous week...they were in the bottom 3 couples and had to dance for their lives.  This week they did a a dance that showed so much emotion.  I can't think of their names right now...but they were coached by the guy from Dancing With the Stars.  He drew on the emotion from the young man who was raised by his grandmother until she died and he was on his own when he was 17.  I cried ...of course, it doesn't take much to make me cry...Bobby cried too...of course doesn't take much to make him cry either!!!  I'll try to learn the names and pick out my favorite soon...right now it is just too hard!

What's in my ear?

I listen to every morning on my way to work and then when I get to work...I find them from their website and listen on my computer.  They have a way of bringing you serious issues that will cause you to stop and think.  Even if you don't agree with them on every single issue, you can sense their sincerity in how they see things.  Right in the midst of a serious topic...someone will eventually make me laugh, whether it be Greg (who makes me laugh a LOT), or Speedy or Rick and Bubba...someone will say something that will make me laugh right out loud sitting at my work desk.  They are a hoot and a holler (so they say in my neck of the woods.) 

On my way home from work...I catch the first part of the

He also has a way of giving you the "poop" scoop on lots of issues in a manner that only he can.  Of course, he is actually a comedian of sorts, so that stands to reason that he would use humor in telling his version of the news events of the day. We are living in a very different world than I grew up in...it is a world that is changing every day.  The events that take place on a daily basis, would have been unheard of in my childhood...or even in my young adulthood.  Listening to Glenn Beck, I feel that I am gonna get the news straight.  Isn't it sad that you can't trust the news sources that we have such as the papers and the prime time news broadcasts?  They always slant it to go along with their point of view instead of reporting it as it really happened.  Glenn will tell it like it is...he gets his point across without having to stretch the truth ... he will let you know if he is elaborating on something to help you understand what's happening. He let's you know that not one particular party has caused the mess that we are in right now in America...we have gotten here because of unwise decisions that have been being made and continue to be made by both parties.  I still think that America is the greatest nation ever...I will continue to love my country and be a proud American.

Thanks Rick and Bubba AND Glenn Beck for giving me something worth listening to in the morning and in the afternoon as I travel my commute to work - it makes the crazy traffic not seem so bad.

Fox Nation Video

Just saw this on Fox News Channel and it touched me to the point that I wanted to post it here on my blog...I love this country!