New Year's Resolutions

I am really bad at making New Year's Resolutions.  The years that I make them I undoubtedly break them before February.  Most years I don't even try, but this year I am documenting them for all the world to see.  Accountability.  Friends and Family- I challenge you to call me out when I am straying and also please commend me when I not. I was at a party the other night and someone said I wish I just got a Report Card on my life.  Please give me a report card.  So here they are- in no particular order.

Meghan Little Carty's 2017 Resolutions

• I will love more. 
• I will not try and lose weight.  ( If I say not try I think it might work better than the other 30 times I said try.)
• I will not eat the things that make me feel badly, except for Taco Bell.  I can't give up Taco Bell.  I know my limits.  I will limit my consumption of Taco Bell compared to this year.  
• I will drink Vodka instead of Red Wine so the morning after isn't as taxing, BUT if I do drink wine I will remember to take my Claritin to offset the red wine's inflammatory response.
• I will only read my news from reputable news sources. 
• I will not read social media posts that are hateful, racist, sexist, homophobic or anti whatever religion. I am not saying I won't read things with which I disagree, but you can bet if it came from Breitbart or Addicting Info I will not read it and I will question how we are friends if you posted it.  
• I will try and see the other side of things
• I will not subscribe to Donald Trumps twitter. 
• I will be "For" things instead of being "Against" them. I will compromise if it means that progress can be made.  
• I will not sit quietly when I see hatred and I will teach my children to do the same.
• I will cherish my friendships and realize how lucky I am to have those friends for so many years.
• I will do more things in life that if I were to post on social media would require a jazz hands emoji.  I have recently found out that some feel the jazz hand emoji is actually the give me a hug emoji.  I still say it is jazz hands, but feel free to give me a hug if you want.  (Just don't grab me by the p***y please)

My Saint Patrick

My Godparents- Pat Gallagher and Cindy Kohart

In my family St. Patrick's Day is a big deal.  Not only is it a celebration of everything Irish, but it was my Uncle Pat's birthday.  Uncle Pat was my Godfather and half of my cousin's too.  He was a good guy.  A really good guy.  He had nicknames for all of us.  I was Muggsy or Muggs for short.  He said because when I was a baby I would punch the air like a prize fighter.  I can't remember if Graham or Kevin was MadDog, but the name fits either of them actually.  Uncle Pat read more than anyone I knew.  He was a total history buff and knew so much about the Civil War and World War II.  He loved all things Irish.  He was into ancestry way before Ancestry.com.  He wrote letters to the post office in Ireland to find some of our relatives and he succeeded.  He mapped out the family tree and went to the library (his favorite place) and made us all copies.  My kids will have no problem going back several generations if they ever have to do a school project.  He was a Vietnam Veteran, and the war was very hard on him.  Not physically, but emotionally.  He never really talked about it, but the pain was always there.  You could see it.  He had the kindest heart.  He always remembered my kids at Christmas and I always appreciated his gifts more because I knew he was on a fixed income.  He really connected with Owen for some reason.  They were about as different as two people could be.  Pat was kind of quiet and calm while Owen, well ...  He rarely traveled far from home but he went to Arizona to see my Aunt Bonnie and all along the way he sent Owen postcards.Owen loved getting those in the mail and still keeps them in his bedside table.  I will never forget the last time I saw him.  We were at my mom's for a visit and he was over and so excited about his trip to one of the Dakota's ( North I think).  He was going to ride the train and meet up with his regimen from Vietnam.  I believe it was the first reunion he was going to attend.  I don't think I ever remember him being so excited about something.  When he got up to leave I gave him a hug and told him  to have a great time.  He started to cry which made me cry too.  I am not sure why he cried.  Maybe he knew.  Who knows.  All I know is I miss seeing him sitting in the chair at family events.  I miss listening to him talk to me about civil war history.  I miss him calling me Muggs.  I am pretty sure he is hanging out in heaven listening to a Celtic Reel reading a Civil War book.  Grandma probably made him some Corned Beef and Cabbage (the best in the world, BTW).  He is most definitely wearing green.

Happy Birthday Uncle Pat!!!!  Love Muggsy

Driving Mr. Graham

I feel like Morgan Freeman but instead of Miss Daisy I am driving Master Graham.  I have been driving around for four weeks with this huge picture of him.  It is his Senior Picture from 1993 that the photographer used as a sample.  I love how it shows how serious and intense Graham is.  I find the shadow particularly interesting.  The shadow looks as if he is sitting on the pot talking on the phone which he has been known to do when I call him.  The worst is when I didn't know that is what was going on and then I hear the flush.  Anyway,  Saddler's Photography sadly shut down this year and they put out an announcement that you could come and get the samples.  I hated to think of him being thrown in the trash (this is a sign of how much I have grown in 40 years), so I made an appointment to go pick him up.  I left him in the car so I wouldn't forget to take him to my mom's when I go at Easter, but got sick of him falling all over my groceries and such so now he sits in my dining room on the bench with the rest of the stuff that I just can't find a place for yet.  I am thinking of auctioning to the highest bidder and the money could go to the charity of Graham's choice.  If I forget to take it to my mom's at Easter that is definitely what I am going to do.  Where does the bidding start for a wicked cool picture of a hipster before hipster's were cool?  Maybe I will just keep it and put it back in the car to help keep me company on long drives.

Snow Days

I am not a fan of snow.  Proof is that I looked all through my photos and this is the only one I could find that was of me outside in the winter.  I am sure my grandmother took this photograph.  She took the most god awful photos of me.  I am always in a ridiculous position.  Never gave any warning.  Just started snapping.  To make matters even worse, she would have doubles or triples printed and give them to me.  Anyway, that is a story for another day.  Snow.  Not. A. Fan.  Sure, I love to ski, but I don't fall.  I am not a fantastic skier, but I really stay in my comfort zone and if I fall, I am done.  TO THE LODGE!!!  I like to sled.  One time.  Walking back up that hill is for the birds.  Especially all bundled up and feeling like the Stay-Puff Marshmallow Man.  One and done and I am good.  The older I get the more my disdain grows.  My kids had over 3 weeks of snow days last year.  Who needs that stress???!!!!

But alas we are in the middle of our biggest snow event in several years.  The Blizzard of '92 kept me from the Adam Ant concert.  The Blizzard of '98 ruined my moving plans.   Now we name our winter storms- this one is called Jonas  and it is particularly annoying as it is taking several days to pass.  Because my New Year's Resolution is to try and find the good in things I tried to remember some good times that I had during some snowstorms.

Sometime in the '80s.  Location Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.  The "forest" next to Heather's house.  I remember we walked around and pretended it was our Winterland.  I am sure it seemed much bigger than it actually was, but every time I see trees with those icy drops covered with a dusting of white fluffy snow I go back there.

Also in the 80's, many different times, sledding at Valley Vista.  Now that I live in the mountains I chuckle at how big I thought that hill was.

1988- We moved to Bristol.  Stayed at the hotel where Elvis stayed until our furniture got here.  Got ready for first day of school only to arrive and find school was cancelled because it might snow.  WTH???  I have been here almost 30 years and am just now getting used to that one.

Blizzard of '92.  Was supposed to go see Adam Ant with Rachel in Atlanta.  Cancelled because of weather.  Nooooooo!!!!  Rachel tries to leave Atlanta and gets stuck in one of the worst traffic jams of all time.  (I am pretty sure this is the same traffic jam that brought my friend Tracey together with her husband.  They may be the only people in the world who are fond of that traffic jam.)  Tried to make the best of missing the concert so I played Stripped over and over (much to the disdain of my friends) and found some friends to help me drown my sorrows.  Problem is every store on the The Strip ran out of beer.  Oh no!!!  Never fear- there's always liquor.  Tequila doesn't make your clothes fall off when you are playing outside in a blizzard, but it does make you feel that sledding down The Hill on a cafeteria tray is a good idea.  It was really fun, but flying off the hill over the wall and onto the street can leave one with a gigantic bruise on one's ass cheek.

Blizzard of '96.  Decided to get snowed in at my mom's with some friends.  Best place to get snowed in.  All sorts of tasty treats, most likely with dill at that time, and really fun board games.  Playing Taboo or Win Lose or Draw with my mom is a total hoot!!  My favorite memory of this storm is sledding down Bellebrook Dr on those exercise slides that came out about the same time as step aerobics.  We are talking Clark Griswold super secret spray fast.

Snow Day January 2010.  Sledding at the Campbell's.  This picture makes me smile.  Nothing like sledding on a plastic.  PS- this is the same plastic you use for Redneck Slip n Slide at the Campbell's.

  So as I finish Day 1 of being snowed in I have a new attitude.  I will enjoy Day 2 of Winter Storm Jacob.  I may go build a snowman or make a snow angel.  Or I may stay in my pajamas and binge watch all the British dramas that I can't get enough of on Acorn.  One thing is for sure- I will thank God that I don't live any further north and have to do this more often.