You Are What You Eat?

At the beginning of the year, one of my friends began a "Garden of Eden" type diet that allowed him only to eat food in its raw form -- nothing processed or artificial. He ate a vast assortment of fruits and vegetables and he described making smoothies, shakes, ice cream and all sorts of healthy concoctions from all natural ingredients. I envied his ability to make this commitment and stay dedicated. I know I wouldn't have been that strong -- especially post-holidays, during football (junk food) season, and with family in town. He enjoyed the diet and did very well sticking to it. I, on the other hand, ate and drank what I wanted.

Yesterday I went grocery shopping to fill a sadly neglected pantry and refrigerator. I've been wanting salad, carrots, avocados, fresh vegetables, apples, bananas and all sorts of other fruit and have found my refrigerator to be woefully lacking. So I went nuts in the produce department and came home and filled my crispers with everything ranging from green beans to purple plums. I thought about my friend and his healthy diet and was pleased that I too was making some better decisions with food choices.

Today, I got a message from my friend telling me that he went to a local sweet shop this afternoon. When I replied that going to get ice cream there sounded pretty good, he told me that it isn't the ice cream that he likes at the sweet shop. Instead, he listed chocolate dipped rice krispy treats, buckeyes, fudge, and brownies as been the main attractions. He said he likes to believe that they are all organic and made with all natural products...right!

I thought the fact that I was stocking my fridge with fresh fruits and veggies while my "healthy" friend just indulged himself at the local sweet shop was pretty funny. Just enough irony there to merit a blog, I figured.

I spent a few hours tonight indulging as well at A Taste of Glynn, a big restaurant showcase/cook-off with plentiful food of both the healthy and non-healthy varieties. Perhaps one of my favorite culinary creations of the evening was avocado ice cream. It might sound strange but it was wonderful! Only fitting considering that it combines both the healthy and the unhealthy to make something absolutely delicious.

A Birthday in a Bar

I realized last night when looking over the blog entries that were so few and far between this month that I failed to observe a very important occasion with an entry, and I feel horrible about that. So, despite the fact that this entry is more than 3 weeks late, it is no less important than it would have been on the date it should have been posted: March 3.

The number 333 is magical. Three-three-oh-three is the date my son came into this world. And on Thursday, March 3, we celebrated Declan's 8th birthday at Ziggy's. That's right...Ziggy's.

Those of you who live here know Ziggy's as a popular bar and night spot. It's where people go to drink and dance 'til the wee hours of the morning. It is also where my child requested that we hold his birthday party...again. A bar? For a child's birthday party? Being the super cool mom that I am, of course I agreed it would be perfect! It makes me think of that scene in "Sweet Home Alabama" where Reese Witherspoon says to her old friend from high school, "Look at you, you've got a baby...in  a bar!" But really, that's not exactly how it is here...I mean this is Georgia, not Alabama, after all!

Once a month, Ziggy's has a Family Fun Night between 5-7pm. During that time, the owner puts on kid-friendly dance music like Hannah Montana, Taylor Swift and the Jonas Brothers, turns on the disco ball, and lets the kids go wild. There's family-friendly food and the grown-ups can enjoy adult beverages while the kids dance and run around. It's a great idea.

Last year, when we went to Family Fun Night in February, they announced that the next one would be March 3. Declan was thrilled to know that it would be on his birthday and asked me if we could be there for it. I didn't have to think too hard about it -- it's a ready-made party. All I would have to do is bring a cake, some birthday decorations and balloons, and send out special invitations to Declan's friends to join us there. This was a no-brainer. I okayed the plan with the bar's owners and Declan got to party like a rock star on his birthday. It was terrific!

This year, Ziggy's changed the night of the Family Fun Night, and once again it fell right on March 3. Declan asked if we could return to Ziggy's once again for his birthday party. I was on board with that idea immediately! I ordered a big cake enough to feed anyone who might attend, a big bouquet of balloons to decorate the table, and sent out invitations by hand and by internet to our friends. We had a blast once again thanks to the great staff at Ziggy's and our friends that showed up to join the fun.

So, yes, my son turned 8 this month. I can't believe it. I remember that day in the hospital like it was yesterday, but it also seems like a lifetime ago. I thank God every day for the blessing of this child in my life. I can barely remember life without Declan in it. He is the world to me. Even though we have both good days and bad, Declan does make me smile every single day. And that is why I am happy to indulge him by celebrating his birthday the way he wants to celebrate it...in a bar.

Sisters and Bridesmaids

A couple years ago, at the request and urging of my friends Lynda Dalton Gallagher and Mary Miller, I stepped out of my comfort zone and onto a stage for the first time. Lynda is a very talented actor and director of local theater and Mary is a gifted playwright and author. Lynda asked me to play a part in an ensemble comedy that Mary had written and she would be staging around Christmas. I told them both that the only time I had ever been in a play was in grade school productions, but that I would be willing to give the role a shot if they really thought I'd be able to hold my own with the seasoned actors that had been cast.

And so I took the stage as one of three sisters in Mary's semi-autobiographic family comedy, "Unfinished Dreams." Leslie Jackson, a gifted Brunswick music teacher and veteran of Island Players musicals, played my pregnant sister, Elizabeth. Dawn Dyche, a talented singer with The Not Brothers and seasoned thespian, played my ditzy younger sister, Babs. Veteran actors Janet Sikes and Glenn Sellers rounded out the cast as our parents. While learning lines is difficult, I had help from my fellow cast members, my favorite "word Nazi" Clynne Morgan, and friends like C.A.P.E. Theater's Heather Schultz and Dawn's husband, Mike, another talented actor, director, and singer . . . and my darling son too, who listened to me say lines over and over in the car and never hesitated to tell me when I missed a word or messed up a line!

The play was well received by audiences and the experience of working with these incredibly talented people was something I will always cherish. They were helpful and generous and made me feel like a welcome part of the theater family. The cast itself also became like family. Somehow these "sisters" became my sisters. I don't think anyone was more excited than I was when my "pregnant sister" announced that she was really pregnant. When baby Jack was born to Leslie and her husband, Denny, it was like I was a proud aunt once again. I just met Jack in person for the first time a couple weeks ago and terrified the poor child with my squeals of excitement!

The "Unfinished Dreams" experience was so positive for me that I didn't pause for a minute when Lynda asked me to read the script for "Five Women Wearing the Same Dress" a few months later. Only a few pages into it I discovered that we were going to have a very different kind of production on our hands. This play was by American Beauty writer Alan Ball. It had sex, drugs and rock and roll. It was filled with foul language, raunchy discussions of sex, and themes of homosexuality and sexual abuse. Wow. How would the Sea Island crowd react to that? My character? A smart, clumsy, charm-school educated, wise-cracking, and always-eating lesbian named Mindy. And wait . . . we would all be wearing identical hideous sequined green bridesmaids dresses (which were really prom dresses.) I was so in!

My fellow bridesmaids were: Amy Lovin, a Brunswick High teacher who might possibly be the funniest person I know; Liz Gowen, another teacher and the sweet, beautiful wife of the man my son thinks is one of the coolest guys ever, Locos' owner, Zack Gowen; Krista Harris, the wonderful wild child with whom I used to work at The Brunswick News; and Susan Kohler, a dedicated stay-at-home mom and veteran of local stage productions. Amy and Liz were fresh off of the Island Players production of "Come Blow Your Horn" and their castmate Rob Clarkson had the role of our token cute male usher. We came out of the box swinging for the fences with a fantastic poster created by my friend, talented graphic designer, Stacey Nichols. Just that poster made people want to see the play! And then there was the buzz...

Once we finished the opening weekend, everyone was talking about the play. How "real" the dialogue and the characters were. Women loved it, they came back and brought their friends or their husbands. We sold out nightly. When the show ended its run, people were asking when we'd be doing it again. It was amazing! I even got the heady experience of receiving scene applause -- when an audience claps following an actor's delivery in the middle of a scene -- following a tongue-in-cheek beauty pageant contestant monologue that ends "And here's my tits, now my butt, and my tits again...." Making the audience laugh like that is positively electric and I had so much fun doing it!

As for the "Five Women" cast, we had a chemistry that resonated with the audience and we too became a big family. We all wish we could get together more often. Some of us see each other when our busy schedules permit, and we have a great time when we do get together. Amy, Liz, Krista and Susan may have been bridesmaids in the play but they have also become the sisters of my heart. For a girl whose real family includes only brothers, I love that God has found a way to provide me with some wonderful sisters. And I'd be willing to add Rob as another younger brother too. Lynda will always be the mother of our motley bunch. 

With such amazing experiences tucked under my belt, I congratulate myself for being brave enough to do something new and a little scary. I have discovered that acting is something I enjoy immensely and I have made such great friends with each production. I eagerly await this summer's production of "Dixie Swim Club" in the new Brunswick Actors' Theatre. We have a new venue and an official name. I look forward to working with old friends and making new ones. I hope your faces will be among the ones I see in the audience . . . or maybe on that stage with me one day!

**A special side note: I might also be the fertility goddess of the theater. Leslie Jackson became pregnant during our production of "Unfinished Dreams." Liz Gowen announced her pregnancy during the last weeks of "Five Women." Yesterday, Peggy Sue Gowen entered the world prior to her expected arrival date much to her parents' delight. She is a beautiful baby girl (just like her mama) and I again feel like a proud aunt. I can't wait to meet this sweet girl.

Expect the Unexpected

The best things in life are unexpected - because there were no expectations. - Eli Khamarov

They say nothing in life is certain but death and taxes, but I disagree. In my life, there's definitely one other sure thing: the unexpected is much more likely to occur than the expected. I find that whenever I take the time to put some thought and planning into something, the universe often intervenes to disrupt with other plans for me. And, conversely, if I'm busy living with the chaos of daily life with very little thought or planning, the universe often throws in a wicked fastball or a wild curve just to see if I'm paying attention. I like to think that when God granted me the ability to recognize and appreciate humor and irony it was because he was aware that my life would be filled with both.

In a recent Facebook status update, I quoted Dante's catch phrase from Kevin Smith's classic indy film, Clerks. If you don't know the movie, Dante is the manager of a Quick Stop convenient store who's filling in by working someone else's shift and complains throughout the movie, "I'm not even supposed to be here today!"

Sometimes that's how I feel when I look at my life. I, like many other young adults and college students, had a pretty set plan for my life. I was going to study international law and work in the corporate world. I was well on my way, earning a double major in French and Pre-Law at a Big 10 University. I had studied in France and had an internship in a corporate law department waiting for me. Then I met my ex-husband my senior year in college and it all changed...

While I hadn't been entertaining thoughts of marriage and a family, I fell in love and couldn't imagine my life without this guy. When I left Michigan after graduation to return to Illinois and complete an internship, he called me one night less than a week after we had parted and asked me to marry him. I was surprised because he was in the Army and would probably be stationed overseas and I still had three years of law school ahead of me, but we agreed that we wanted to take whatever journeys we had ahead of us together.

Instead of staying in Chicago to attend law school as I had planned, we were married and I moved to Michigan. When I started law school there, I discovered I had no interest whatsoever in international law. I was a strong writer and did well speaking in moot court competitions, so I honed these skills and when I started working, it was in general practice and litigation. My ex-husband ended up taking a civilian job and resigned his commission, landing us in Michigan -- I place I had never intended to stay -- indefinitely. What happened to that job I had pictured as a corporate attorney in the international arena?

When we left Michigan for the East Coast to pursue my ex-husband's career path, I discovered I was pregnant. This took my life in yet another direction that I had not imagined. Becoming a mother fundamentally changed me as a person. And the changes just kept coming...

Today I find myself a single mom working as an assistant editor of a local publication on a little island in South Georgia that I never knew existed before moving here. This is definitely not where I pictured myself when I set out on that path I had so carefully laid a few decades ago. As Dante says, "I'm not even suppposed to be here today!" And, as I explained to a friend, when I say that, unlike Dante, I don't mean that I'm not happy with where I am or that it's a bad thing...it's just so very different than the direction I had imagined my life would take. No Chicago-Paris jet-setting life of corporate meetings and travel. Instead, I have a flip-flop casual lifestyle with a job that allows me to meet amazing people and attend fun events. I enjoy little-hand-in-big-hand morning walks on the beach finding hermit crabs, sunny afternoons in the park and at the pool, and sharing popcorn during movie night snuggles on the couch with content dogs snoring nearby. Not a bad trade, actually.

What those decades of surprise twists and turns on the path of life have taught me is not to fear the unexpected -- it is neither inherently bad nor good, it is just unexpected! I've also learned the importance of being able to adapt to those changes and roll with the punches. As Ann Landers aptly stated, "Nobody says you must laugh, but a sense of humor can help you overlook the unattractive, tolerate the unpleasant, cope with the unexpected, and smile through the day." So, in case you were wondering (or concerned by my abysmal lack of recent blog postings), I'm still smiling and laughing every day!

Picture Perfect Day

Well, today my blog starts with a heavy sigh. Today was the PERFECT day. The sun was shining, the sky was clear and beautiful, and there was a myriad of things to do in the Golden Isles. I was looking forward to heading out to a fun and free community event with live bands, good food, and plenty of friends. But when I began the task of getting ready for the day I decided to tackle some cleaning that was put aside this week for things that were much more fun...a Kid Rock concert, a day in the sun, nights out with good friends. But once I started I discovered that there was really a lot that needed to be done and just should not be put off any longer. Really. Floors and laundry were sorely in need of immediate attention. And so I spent this gorgeous day inside taking care of things that could have been done an hour or two at a time on those days when I went out and played. So frustrating!

So where's the smile in this? I think about those things that I did when I wasn't cleaning...the phenomenal Kid Rock concert, the hours playing in the sun, the nights filled with abundant laughter and sangria, great conversation and pizza...and those thoughts light up my face and warm my heart. Yes, house cleaning is necessary, and yes, I absolutely hate doing it -- especially on warm and sunny days. However, I am willing to trade this one day of play to take on the chores I missed in order to enjoy all those experiences I had last week, because I wouldn't have missed out on those good times for the world!  Spending a sunny Sunday cleaning is a small price to pay. I'm sure there will be more sunny Sundays in my future, so I'll just make the most of those when they come.

Mood Music

If you hadn't noticed, music is a key element in my life. I have an ever-changing soundtrack that reflects my mood. And if I need to change my mood, finding some tunes to fill the day's playlist is the best way for me to begin. My iPod is packed with songs ranging from Celtic fiddle music to reggae, punk classics to moody and brooding alternative, bubble-gum pop to dirty R&B. From Nine Inch Nails to Etta James, I can always find something that suits my frame of mind.

Recently one of my friends was talking about the allure of the mix tape. I absolutely agree with her. From the time I really starting listening to music, I made my own combinations of songs based on my favorite selections off the radio or chosen from my own music collection. I remember preferring the K-Tel mix albums of hit songs by various artists over most of the albums released by a single band or singer. It was rare that I liked every song on an album back then, and that became increasingly true in later years. (Some memorable exceptions: Billy Joel, Def Leppard, U2, The Police, Tracy Chapman, Depeche Mode.) One of those mix albums in my collection that I remember included "Pop Muzik" by M, "Blue Morning, Blue Day" by Foreigner, and "Lonesome Loser" by the Little River Band.

Making a special mix of songs for someone or just for yourself that reflects an emotion or a moment in time is like trapping an insect in amber. Even if the emotions change or that moment is long gone, the music can take you right back there.

I love iTunes and digital music for the way it has made the ability to create your own playlist with any combination of music so much simpler. Whether it's work-out music, driving music, music for a romantic evening or music to wake you up, you can now easily access whatever music suits your mood or your occasion and you don't have to buy a full album for the two songs that you like.

What was on my playlist while I was out enjoying the sunshine on this beautiful day? Since I had no iPod with me, I listened to my tunes outside Palm Coast Coffee where the musicians sang a wide range of songs accompanied by guitar, accordion, and even bagpipes today. That's right, bagpipes.

Another thing you might not know about me...I LOVE bagpipes. I've spent many years attending Celtic music festivals, Highland games and the like, and I am absolutely enamored with the music there. Fiddles, whistles, pipes and drums make my heart sing. There is nothing like hearing those first notes of "Scotland The Brave" from a gigantic massed band. So now that St. Patrick's Day is approaching, I'll break out my March standards that include tunes by The Dropkick Murphys, The Pogues, The Chieftans, Jeremy Kittle, and Solas with pub essentials like "Whiskey in the Jar," "The Wild Rover," and, of course, "The Unicorn Song."

And I'll wrap up here with a little bit of trivia and a tune to get you ready for St. Patty's Day. "The Unicorn Song," while a big hit for The Irish Rovers, was actually written by that wonderful poetic genius Shel Silverstein whose books "Where the Sidewalk Ends" and "The Giving Tree" are some of my favorites. (And -- a postscript here -- he also penned Johnny Cash's "A Boy Named Sue" and "On the Cover of Rolling Stone" which landed Dr. Hook in that very spot!) I just discovered this nugget of information today, so I thought I'd share. For those of you who have never heard (or heard of) "The Unicorn Song," here you go. I hope it makes you too smile.