Ladies Night .......

Every year, one of my best girlfriends and I throw a party for our favorite girl friends. Some of the faces are the same every year, sometimes they change. This year many of the faces have changed since I no longer work where she does and have added a few friends of my own.

We take turns hosting the event at either of our houses. This year I'll be going to her house. We send out fancy invitations, no children, no men, just women who remain friends throughout all the changes in our jobs, our men, through broken hearts, failed careers and life.

This years menu is: Brie, Crab Puffs, Artichoke Hearts, Spinach Pear Salad, Fillet Mignon, Bacon Wrapped Prawns and Caramel Cheesecake. And oh yes, this years beverage of choice is Wine. The designated drivers are standing by and the case of wine is being unloaded.

So to my friends with whom I'm about to consume large amounts of alcohol with and share in some great food and laughs, an oldie but goodie comes to mind.....

Ladies Night by Cool & The Gang......

Mm oh yeah,what a night
Oh yes it's ladies night
And the feeling's right
Oh yes it's ladies night
Oh what a night, oh what a night

Girls, y'all got one
A night that's special everywhere
From New York to Hollywood
It's ladies night and girl
the feeling's good
(*Repeat 2 times)

Romantic Lady , single baby
Mm sophisticated mama
Come on you disco lady yeah
Stay with me tonight , mama ,yeah

If you hear any noise
It ain't the boys, it's ladies night , uh huh

Gonna step out ladies night
Steppin' out ladies night
Gonna step out ladies night
Steppin' out ladies night

On disco lights your name will be seen
You can fullfill all your dreams
Party here, party there, everywhere
This is your night, baby
You've got to be there

This is your night Tonight,
everything is gonna be alright (repeat)

Come on let's all celebrate(repeat)

Oh ladies night and the feeling's right
Come on let's all celebrate
Lovely lady, lady, I love you

Girls, y'all got one (what?)
A night that's special everywhere
You dance, you smile, the guys go wild
So chic so fine you all looks so divine

Details to follow.........

Tomorrow....

"Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday." -John Wayne

Watching You, Watching Me, Watching you, Watch Me....

You think your special?
So did I....
I thought I had his heart,
Since I loved him from the start.

Through you, I live my past.
I watch your moves
Only to remember my own.
A repetition of days gone by....

A game of tennis, a point scored.
A photo taken, a photo shared.
A dance, a sweet embrace.
A concert shared, a song remembered....

A touch so light.
A kiss so deep.
An embrace so tight.
A release so slow....

One heart broken,
Another soars.
One tear drops,
The other smiles....

At one time, he was mine,
A moment later, he was yours.
But facts are the same,
There is only one winner in this game....

She's the one who rolls the dice,
Who writes the rules.
Who dreams her own dream
Of a soul far away....

What a silly game we chose to play.
Risking it all for a love far away.
Clinging to someone,
Who is as lost as we are....

Love....

There are a million songs I could sing, to tell you how I feel.

Perhaps, I should quote a phrase from some long, dead, famous soul.

But those words would only belong to someone else but me.

You hold my heart within, the palm of your hand.

You may choose a soul other then my own,

But facts remain, despite my pain, I'll love you to the end.....

Stronger Woman - Jewel.....

I guess you could say I'm one of those girls
That's always been with one of those guys
You know the type
Like right now, he sleeps while I write
But it's better than crying
I'm worn out from trying
From loving a man who always makes it clear
I'm not welcome here
Just when he's hungry or frisky or needs something clean
You know what I mean

But not tonight
'Cause come the morning light
I'm gonna love myself more than anyone else
Believe in me, even if someone can't see
A stronger woman in me

I'm going to be my own best friend
Stick with me till the end
Won't lose myself again, never, no,
'Cause there's a stronger woman,
A stronger woman in me

Light bulbs buzz, I get up
And head to my drawer
I wish there was more
I could say
Another fairytale fades to gray
I've lived on hope
Like a child
Walking that mile
Faking that smile
All the while
Wishing my heart had wings

But from now on,
I'm going to be
The kind of woman
I'd want my daughter to be, oh

I'm gonna love myself more than anyone else
Believe in me, even if someone can't see
A stronger woman in me
I'm gonna be my own best friend
Stick with me till the end
I won't lose myself again, never, no
'Cause there's a stronger woman,
A stronger woman

This is me, packing up my bags
And this is me, headed for the door
And this is me, t
he best you ever had
I'm going to love myself
More than anyone else
Believe in me even if someone can't see
The stronger woman in me
I'm going to be my own best friend
Stick with me till the end
Won't lose myself again, no, no
'Cause there's a stronger woman
A stronger woman
There's a stronger woman,
A stronger woman in me


Thanks to you my friend, A Stronger Woman I will be.....

It Is What It Is.........

I saw a show tonight so profound it may quite possibly have changed my life. About a man dieing from Cancer. A noble, brave, honorable type of man. The kind of man that has left footprints in the souls of almost every person he has crossed....

While the man's courage and conviction of his destiny left me in awe, his wife who will one day be the survivor of the legacy he leaves behind, affected me just as much.

When speaking of her husband's impending death she said, "It is, what it is." Simple and pure, spoken in truth and compassion. A fact she cannot change but instead embraces with knowledge that how she deals with her loss may be greater then pretending it never existed.

We all experience loss, lose grasp of the very things that make us feel alive, make us feel loved, makes us part of who we are. Somewhere along the line, someone takes a left, when we take a right and as we look over our shoulder in search of our destiny, the plan we envisioned, the dream we nurtured we find it running in the opposite direction of no fault of our own.

Maybe, just maybe our destiny, is bigger then a person, place or thing. Maybe our destiny is a chance not taken on their part, a path the lazy man cannot follow, a destination not achievable by all. Maybe our desires are greater, grander, felt with more conviction then theirs. Maybe, just maybe, life 'It is what it is.' Maybe it's God letting us know, that there is something so much more in store for us, then that little thing, person, goal that we thought meant everything......

Maybe it really isn't maybe. Perhaps things happen for a reason. To learn and grow bigger then the things we thought were possible. Maybe God believes we are capable of so much more. I think beliveing in ourselves is far more important then believing in those around us...... Maybe surviving has everything to do with ourselves, and maybe we deserve so much more then "that" person is capable of giving, maybe we give "them" so much more then they deserve. Maybe it's up to us, Maybe, "It Is What It Is".............

Have A Litte Faith In Me........

When the road gets dark
And you can no longer see
Just let my love throw a spark,
baby Have a little faith in me

When the tears you cry
Are all you can believe
Just give these loving arms a try,
baby Have a little faith in me
Have a little faith in me
Have a little faith in me
Have a little faith in me
Have a little faith in me

When your secret heart
Cannot speak so *easily*
Come here darlin’
From a whisper start
To have a little faith in me

When your back’s against the wall
Just turn around, you will see I will catch ya,
I will catch your fall
Just have a little faith in me
Have a little faith in me
Have a little faith in me
Have a little faith in me
Have a little faith in me

Well, I’ve been loving you for such a long, long time baby
Expecting nothing in return
Just for you to have a little faith in me
You see time, time is our friend *for you and me*
Cause for us there is no end
All you gotta do is have a little faith in me

I said I will hold you up, I will hold you up
Your strength gives me enough
So have a little faith in me

Hey baby, oh, baby
All ya gotta do is have a little faith in me
All ya gotta do is have a little faith in me
A little faith in me

I'm happy to say, today, I believe in me..............

You are My I Love You....

I am your parent;

you are my child.

I am your quiet place;

you are my wild.

I am your calm face;

you are my giggle.

I am your wait;

you are my wiggle.

I am your carriage ride;

you are my king.

I am your push'

you are my swing.

I am your audience;

you are my clown.

I am your London Bridge;

you are my falling down.

I am your carrot sticks;

you are my licorice.

I am your dandelion;

you are my wish.

I am your water wings;

you are my deep.

I am your open arms;

you are my running leap.

I am you way home;

you are my new path.

I am your dry towel;

you are my wet bath.

I am you dinner;

you are my chocolate cake.

I am your betime;

you are my wide awake.

I am your finish line;

you are my race.

I am your praying hands;

you are my saying grace.

I am your favorite book;

you are my new lines.

I am your night-light;

you are my starshine.

I am your lullaby;

you are my peekaboo.

I am your good-night kiss;

you are my I love you.

Written by: Maryann K. Cusimano

Summer Of 64'....... The Story Of Me....

It was the summer of 64', where free love roamed the country and lingered, if for one moment in the small town where I was born. Lyndon B. Johnson was running the country by default, trying to fill in the footsteps of JFK, a national icon shot down in the prime of his life. Vietnam was raging on, in a country far away, while America was humming to the tune of "Just a Spoon Full of Sugar" from one of the years biggest movies, Mary Poppins.

The irony of it all left the bitterness of saccharine in your mouth. The war angered the youth of our country but the youth in our family were oblivious to to the chaos the rest of America was experiencing.

In the home that I was born, a celebration was taking place. Johnson had just signed the Food Stamp Act designed to aid needy families in a cooperative federal state food program. It was a sign of things to come. Relief, when there was thought to be none. In a blended family with six children news like this rocked our world with greater impact than the Beatles's national tour. I grew up in Reno, a small thriving community set in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, known not so much for its beauty, rather it's ability to attract dreamers. It lured visitors with the hope of fortune and prosperity, a land a riches.

It was the hope of these things that attracted my parents to this desert paradise. My parents worked the business, or perhaps it was the business that worked them. As if pre-determined by the food gods; my parents were destined to meet. My father was cook in one of the larger casinos on Reno's mini strip; my mother a waitress in another. Their union joined by the commonality of food, but nurtured by alcohol and gambling.

The gaming industry helped my family put food on the table; almost as much as it took it away. In a state that boasted no income taxes a disease was spreading with my family: addiction. Alcohol ran much more freely than Kool-Aid, a feat of its own considering the number of children involved. My mother was on her third marriage and giving birth to her sixth and final child. The world as she knew it was about to change, never to be the same for any of us again.

Our family was a huge boulder rolling down a steep hill. Momentum was building, there would be no stopping what was to happen. We were headed for a crash, breaking us all apart; leaving nothing behind but a handful of sharp-edged, jagged rocks. It would be years before the edges would be rubbed smooth and the damage repaired....................

This is my story, albeit not always perfect. My past has had it's challenges, full of mistakes and on occasion regrets. But when all is said and done, like those of my past and those of my future, all mistakes and challenges were made in search of love. Flawed as they may be, but always sought in search of truth...........