Living Proof

How cute are they? Maria and Chris had a wonderful day last Saturday, May 20th. I was so happy to be there to celebrate their union. I'm so glad Maria found a terrific guy who treats well. She deserves that. Yep, that’s me and the runaway bride. She decided to get married after all. (Sorry Maria, had to put that picture up there---the resemblance is uncanny, isn't it? I still think you're prettier than Jennifer Wilbanks though!) The wedding was a blast and the after party was just as good. I was just so thrilled to see my girl get married. She’s finally happy and it shows. There were many interesting moments that I have to keep to myself. Although I would love to share these unique stories, I have to keep my big fat mouth shut due to respect and …umm… that some of these people now have my blog address. Lips are sealed! I will say one thing—I have never seen so much fun and laughter, as well as drama and turmoil in one night. I can mention the bathroom situation though. Yes...

Today my close friend that I grew up with is getting married. Maria and I met when we were fourteen years old. We met under different circumstances. My friends were against her friends. We were in art class one day, and everyone was basically at war with one another. Her friends sneered at me—as I tried to ignore them. I thought Maria was ‘one of them’, but she wasn’t. Maria came up to me and said hello. We started talking and telling one another what our plans were for the weekend. “Well, I’m going to this big party tonight! You should go!” Maria said. “Really? I would love to, but my boyfriend is holding this huge party at his house tonight.” “Oh, who’s your boyfriend?” Maria asked. “Rob.” “Rob???” Maria screeched, “That’s the party I’m going to!” We ended up making plans to meet one another. She even slept over my house because I told her my curfew was pretty much lenient. It was as if I found a sister I never knew I had before. The both of us found ourselves spending the aftern...

What is it that makes other people think that their religion or beliefs is right —or better? What proof do they have that tells them this is wrong and this is right? Sure you can flip through the bible and read some proverbs, scriptures and passages from history; but why do so many people interpret it in different ways? Why are there so many sectors to Christianity? There are some Christians, like myself, that believes in the basic ‘right and wrong’. Then there are radical extremists who feel they need to pull out parts of a story of the bible and make it abundantly clear to the entire world that this is the worst kind sin! A sin is a sin. When you do something wrong, you generally feel it in your gut; you know it’s not good. It’s whether or not that your conscience lets you stop what you’re doing in order to not let it be a ‘sin’. I believe that your conscience is a gift from God. Not one person is this world can say, “Well that’s a sin and that’s wrong!” No one has that right ...

Locked into your zone; I’m mesmerized with your eyes, your mouth; the way the words flow out of your beautiful lips. Your eloquence puts me in a calm state of mind; luring me in every day, every hour. Your voice soothes me and your stories make me feel alive. Your ability to share absolutely everything with me without any reservations makes me believe this is real; this is what everyone desires. It’s the way you look at me when you have something on your mind. It’s the way your smile warms my heart. I can read you; I can feel you; I know you. I feel safe with you. You encourage me and most of all, you inspire me. You make me believe I can do anything—even if it seems impossible. Your amazing ability to reach me on every level is astounding. You’re amazing. Every day I learn something new about you. Each day I wonder what you’re thinking, what you’re doing, how you’re feeling and excited to see and hear from you. The anticipation is overwhelming. Completely overtaken by your beauty, yo...

It’s always a challenge to decline food from mom. Her little kitchen may be small, but the amount of food that comes rushing out is huge. Everyone always wonders why her food is better than anybody else’s. We try to guess her ingredients or ask her the recipe, but like an old fashioned Italian mama, she refuses to give it up. She’ll tell you the base behind it, like tomatoes, parsley and basil—but stops in her tracks at the most crucial parts. We always say, “Well she made it with love.” And that works for me. It’s worked for me for many, many years—as well as it worked against me as far as keeping my weight down. It’s hard to refuse anything she makes. Mom’s meatballs are out of this world. It’s like a chip; can’t stop at just one. Her meatballs cure all. If you have a headache —“Here have a meatball…” If you’re sad, “Here have a meatball…” Even if you have a stomach ache —“Here have a meatball!” This stuff is magic! And, it really does work. Did mom mess with our minds? Did she ps...

My friends forgave me for the AA 12 step program apology post I had written prior to this, and went out with me for a few cocktails last night. And yes, of course I have the pictures for evidence, as always. It started out nice. We were pacing ourselves, socializing and just having a great time. Here’s my friends Jodie and Brianna. They called me up last night and said, “Deb, come on out.” And I never hardly go out on Friday evenings because Madelene has to get up for work early the next day—so Saturday is our out night. Bri was very convincing though. I went by myself to head all the way upstate to join the gang. I think Bri hit the sauce a little earlier in the evening--but that's okay-- we won't say a word. Umm… Bartender! Bartender! Can you stop drinking for five minutes and bring me a beer please? Now I’ve heard of taking a few swings here and there while tending bar, but this girl was ripe. She was ready to party on the job. I was ready with my camera and luckily got a...

Vulnerability is a hard trait to show when you’ve been hurt before. Sometimes a person can come off as ‘tough’ or ‘stoned face’ when it comes to revealing how they feel; when in fact, a lot of emotions are flowing through them. There’s a saying, “…Love like you’ve never been hurt before.” I don’t know who quoted that, but it’s a hard rule to live by. Our memory gets stuck in the past sometimes, not letting ourselves be free with the ones we care about the most. Are we scared that every single person is out to hurt us? Why do we think that one person may act like another person from the past? Each person is different—with different feelings. For a lot of us, it’s difficult to trust someone. ‘Well, I’ve heard this story before and it all sounds the same to me’ kind of attitude. Why are we placing blame on the person we’re currently with? Why do we expect everyone that comes into our lives to hurt us? Is it a self-defense mechanism? Or do we choose to close ourselves up and let no one i...