Three decades plus six

And on my wedding day, my Dad said it would never last. Oh yeah! Well, OK, so Alan and I had only known each other for six weeks! But we proved to Dad that we could make it last - wish he was still around to know that we are still married! On May 25, Alan and I celebrated 36 years of wedded bliss. So what did we do? We visited a winery and got drunk, well I did - Alan said he didn't. I'm not sure about that, because he was really happy buying those nice bottles of wine. For our birthday gifts, Andrew and Mike gave us a private wine tasting at the Leonesse Cellars in Temecula. The tasting included speciality cheeses and chocolates served with seven excellent wines with a really cute guy who presented the wines. To know more about the winery go to:

http://www.leonessecellars.com/

Read this!

I am currently reading a wonderful book, a novel - who knew? It's called "The Help," by Kathryn Stockett. So that I don't have to reinvent the wheel here is what Publishers Weekly writes: "...set during the civil rights movement in Jackson, Miss., where black women were trusted to raise white children but not to polish the household silver. Eugenia Skeeter Phelan is just home from college in 1962, and, anxious to become a writer, is advised to hone her chops by writing about what disturbs you. The budding social activist begins to collect the stories of the black women on whom the country club sets relies and mistrusts enlisting the help of Aibileen, a maid who's raised 17 children, and Aibileen's best friend Minny, who's found herself unemployed more than a few times after mouthing off to her white employers. The book Skeeter puts together based on their stories is scathing and shocking, bringing pride and hope to the black community, while giving Skeeter the courage to break down her personal boundaries and pursue her dreams." Fabulous read!

Southern California Word Weavers

During the summer months I am holding a memoir writing class. It's held on Tuesday evenings from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Pain du Monde, a coffee shop on the corner of Niguel Road and Ritz Carlton Drive on Pacific Coast Highway, Dana Point (near the Ritz-Carlton). When it's cold, we meet inside, otherwise we sit outside. On alternate Tuesdays everyone reads their work and we critique, on the other Tuesdays I teach you how to write the story of your life. I also take home everyone's work so that I can further edit and proofread, returning material the following week. Please feel free to join us. The cost is $10 each Tuesday. If you have any questions about our group and want to join us, just e-mail me at barbarawrites4love@gmail.com

Our next writing prompt is: "All the other kids had... but I didn't."

At the movies

This past week I have seen two really great movies: "Letters from Juliet," and "Sex and the City 2," (much better and way more hilarious than the first one). Don't miss them - fabulous entertainment. You won't believe it when you see the fabulous Liza Minnelli kick up her heels in a song and dance, in the "Sex and the City" movie - wonderful! Warning: These are chick flicks, so you might want to leave the male at home. However, I heard the gays loved it. For movie times and theater, go to http://www.movies.com/.

There's a doctor in the house

Congratulations to our son-in-law, Michael Jason Virata, who graduated on May 23 from San Diego State University and UCSD with a Ph.D. in biology.

“Dr. Mike” as he is now known in the family or as his brother Marc says, “We only need to call him that in public,” also has two master’s degrees. We are so proud of Mike. Now we can say, “Our son married a doctor.”

We are also pleased that Dr. Mike is gainfully employed and has a new car!

Photos of Michael's graduation:

(1) Michael with his parents, brother, niece, aunt and uncle and his husband Andrew

(2) Michael looking cool on stage

(3) Ben, Andrew and I holding what we may never have – a Ph.D. diploma - but then life is uncertain and always an adventure
(4) Michael and Andrew, so happy now that Michael no longer has to study every evening, weekend, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day….

(5) Michael showing his true colors

Remembering Laurel Burch

Darrolyn and I have for years shared the joy in shopping for and wearing the designs of Laurel Burch. We love the colorful art; it makes us smile. Last year when we learned that Laurel Burch had passed away, we dressed in the artist’s finery - shirts, socks, purses, earrings, scarves - and had our own memory service while having lunch. We also sent condolences to her family. This year they asked that those who had sent notes to the family, to please this year honor their mother’s spirit by sending photos wearing her designs. They would post them on Mother’s Day on their web site. So Alan took a photo of Darrolyn and I wearing our Laurel Burch stash and we sent it in. We are on the web site, www.LaurelBurch.com quite a ways into the slide show. Anyway above is the photo we sent in.

Magical Mother's Day

As in the past four plus decades, last Mother’s Day I wondered and I wondered if I would ever hear the voice of my oldest child. Would I ever meet her, touch her, hold her? Would she want to meet me? How would her siblings react in knowing that they had an older sister? This Mother’s Day I don’t have to wonder, the Universe has taken care of everything and our reunion has been whole, complete and perfect.

Today I received a card in the mail, a Mother’s Day card, from Marilyn. I feel so blessed that I know her and that I have held her, my beautiful daughter. Her wonderful three brothers and sister are also over the moon to know and love her. I am so grateful for the support of my children. Our family circle is now complete. This is a different Mother’s Day for me – one with an abundance of thanksgiving; I am finally at peace.

One of many favorite memories this past year is the time when all of us were sitting around the family room talking and Juli said, “Can you believe it, in this group of five kids, there have been three fathers.” I almost croaked, so embarrassing. Then Marilyn piped up and said, “I just want to know who my father is.” Such ungrateful children, but I love them all equally and fully. This is the perfect Mother’s Day weekend!

For all you mom’s out there, on Mother’s Day celebrate, kick back and take it easy. And just think in another 364 days, you’ll get to do it again. (I stole this from Hallmark.) Happy Mom's Day!

Celebrating life

“The butterfly counts not months but moments and has time enough.” Rabindranath Tagore

What wise words from the poet, playwright, novelist and musician. Did you know he was the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature? Love that.

Today I am celebrating 62 years of living on this planet.

To begin my day (after being served coffee in bed by Alan) I heard via the telephone the lovely voices of Darrolyn and Hans singing “Happy Birthday” to me – in harmony!

Next Juli had all of her third grade students at Robinson Elementary School sing to me their rendition of the famous birthday song. What sweet voices - fabulous.

I also had text messages from two of my kids. Marilyn was first at 6 a.m., Andrew second at 6:30 a.m., then calls from Juli at 8:45 a.m., Ben at 10:30 – still waiting to hear from Craig. No competition in this family…

As I celebrate my birthday, what I am most thankful for is all the love of family and friends. Rev. Bruce said it beautifully last night at Wednesday Wisdom that love is all we need. When we have love everything else falls into place – our minds are at peace, we have more creativity, we are healthier, more focused…

I am so abundantly grateful for all of you; each one of you has made a difference in my life.

Life is so good these days that I can’t stop smiling, and I plan to keep smiling as long as I have teeth!

Everyone have a great day! I’m off to have a mani/pedicure.

Why Alan didn't go to church today

Just as Alan and I were about to climb into bed last night, I said, “Maybe we should sleep in the guest room; it’s too crowded in here.” Plus there was just too much hissing and fighting going on for sacred space in the queen-sized bed.

So, instead of retreating to the next bedroom, we moved one of the “peeps” to the tree house next to the window, one between us and one on top of me. Snuggled in, we laughed. For about 15 years with four kids we usually had a kid or two in bed with us, waking us in the middle of the night with, “Mommy, can we sleep with you?”

Now we were in bed with some other critters.

This weekend we have been sleeping with one cat and two Yorkie pooches - our dog “Sarah Jessica,” and our granddog “Parker” and our cat “Amanda.”

And during the day we have found ourselves returning to the dilemma of should we stay home, take them with us or get a babysitter?

We have had options of things to do. We could go to a bead show, a play at the Cabrillo Theater to see our friend Wade in the play, “Rumors,” the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books or to dinner at a friend’s home, but we don’t want to leave the dogs home alone. Sarah is still into chewing electrical cords. And we feel highly responsible for taking care of Parker, whom we are babysitting while his daddies are in Los Angeles celebrating their friend Matt’s 30th birthday. (Say, isn’t Matt still in fourth grade with Andrew plotting how to get out of class – like faking illness from a toxic classroom?) By the way, Parker is so well behaved, we are hoping she will teach some valuable lessons to Sarah today – like how not to poop in the house.

Juli came over with Keith and visited on Saturday and offered to take them home with her so we could go out, but we worried that the dogs would escape through her cat door and run away. Besides I think her husband hates Sarah - he might open the cat door for her. (He gets annoyed when she occasionally poops in their house. Hey, I do clean it up.)

Well, those are just excuses. We really don’t want to go anywhere because we are having too much fun. The dogs are hilarious, playing around us, running on the greenway, eating each other’s food, snuggling in our laps, digging up the seeds in my garden and tearing through the house chasing the cat. When we took a drive to get some pizza, the two pooches sat regally together in the baby car seat looking out the window, like this was the biggest treat of their day.

Sometimes it’s relaxing to be trapped at home – a good excuse to finish reading a great book or watching a movie. Alan is using it to stay home from church today.

Perhaps one of you might like to have that feel of being stuck at home, if so, just let me know, I’ll bring the animals over.

Sharing thoughts on “Oprah” with Erica Jong

I have a confession to make: I have read every book written by Kitty Kelley. There I said it. So, of course I bought the book, “Oprah.”

The reason I got the book is because Kelley wrote it. I like her books and I know that every word in each book has been researched, researched and researched again. I admire her tenacity in getting the truth in her biographies.

Although not a lot is new and revealing in this book – the queen of TV has talked about many of her personal experiences on her show – it is interesting to see how she has changed a few things in her stories to make a better story. The same is true in the recent book about Martha Stewart, “Best Friends.” What I’ve learned in these two books about these powerful women is that they have worked extremely hard to get where they are and they have been relentless in their pursuit of huge wealth - no matter what it takes. I admire them for staying focused and on track. I find it also interesting that they have both worked diligently to “collect” famous friends - they are big-time name droppers – and this is what they appear to be quite proud of. But hey, they don’t know the Butterfly Six Plus Two: Darrolyn Fennelly, Hans Smith, Alan Potter, Wade and Kimberly Wooldridge, Karyn Allen and Rick Dale, to name just a few of my fabulous friends.

Let's face it Martha and Oprah have made a wonderful difference in the lives of women and men around the world. For this they should be celebrated. Can you imagine a life without a daily dose of Oprah? I can't!

Erica Jong has written a piece on the “Oprah” book and I want to share it because it’s exactly how I feel about Kelley’s latest book. By the way, years ago I interviewed Jong, author of “Fear of Flying,” and many other books. She is a delightful person, warm and extremely funny. Here’s the link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/erica-jong/oprah-kitty-and-me_b_536548.html