I love the hype and tradition involved with Super Bowl. Whether or not I watch games all season, I watch almost everything today. I'm recording the puppy bowl so I can watch it during the week. I brightened the day of my die heard Eagles friends as I sent some Patriot cookies this week - they had a good laugh and knew immediately who they were from...LOL! In return, they sent from Philly an Eagles balloon, star glitter and Dunkin Donuts (hope they know that Dunks started in Boston) heart shaped donuts with the Eagles symbol on top..I laughed and laughed. All good fun of course. I only hope it's a good game. I have my snacks ready and it will be me and Lady (I think she'll be snoring) having a nice evening. Be safe where you are. GO PATS!!!!!
I will say the TV here has had much coverage of Minnesota - especially Minneapolis for the past week. Showing things to do (even in the winter), restaurants and venues to try, and of course The Mall of America (huge). I think of my Minnesota family (hello all) each time I see something. The first time I ever heard the term "Minnesota nice" was from my BFF's mom - Biddie/Cushion (nicknames of course). I also got to experience it many times over the years during my visits. Every day on the news they talk about "Minnesota nice" and I think of Biddie.
Overall, it was a good week. As I mentioned over the past few weeks I had been trying to make some really tough decisions. I will say the decisions have been made, the action process has begun and I feel like the weight of the world has been lifted off my shoulders (always a good sign the right decision has been made in my opinion). It will take a bit to come to fruition. I will talk more about it in future blogs, but suffice it to say I am definitely feeling more balanced and even keeled.
I spent some of the week gathering my parents' tax paperwork. I may not be the most organized person there is, but I keep any mail related to my parents bills, statements, etc. in one place for the year and then sort/separate accordingly. There was a lot to separate. I have an appointment already (set last year) and they want customers to drop off paperwork in advance so they can see if anything additional is needed before sitting down to go over everything. Not a bad idea, so you know what I'll be doing early this week. Then I can focus on mine ...talk about papers here, there, and everywhere. Some days I can't seem to find my own items although I know they are here in this house. I don't know how I did it, but I can't find my county sticker (for VA) I know I had it sitting here in the living room for a long time. Overall, not a huge deal, except I will be headed to VA in March and my luck a county police officer will notice. I will keep digging as it might have gotten mixed in with some other papers. I know I can hear many of you say, why didn't you put it on the car right away...some times I procrastinate a little too much...LOL!
Have you ever thought about what expectations your parents might have had for you? Every once in a while I wonder what my parents expectations were for me. We never actually talked about it. I know they taught me right from wrong and expected me to be on the right side of things. I know they expected me to help out at home whether it be cleaning, cooking, etc. I know they expected me to graduate from high school. College was never discussed and I never thought about it. I know they wanted me to be happy, but no specifics came up. I know they expected me to be a good person - pretty sure I fulfilled that expectation. I only bring this up as I know there are parents out there that push and push their kids to head in a certain direction - school, military, religious life, etc. There is no right or wrong as I believe parents do the best they can based on what they know, their culture, their experiences, etc. Some people want to do the opposite of their parents - some want to follow in their footsteps. Perhaps expectations change over time? I also believe it takes a village at almost every step in life. I look back and think my parents did a damn good job raising my sister and I - we turned out pretty well. Yet, I also know there were family and friends along the way who also helped steer me one way or the other. I was in a discussion the other day with some people about how it seems we've gotten away from teaching children the basic essentials of how to live and cope with every day life situations. It's not up to the schools only to teach this as it starts at home.
I think I'm rambling this morning as I'm not sure why I wrote the above paragraph or if it even makes sense. There was so much going on in my brain around the topic that I tried to pare it down.
I did not finish any books this past week although I am reading a really good one. I am taking advantage of a few minutes each morning and reading - TV on mute and no computer until after I finish at least a chapter or two. The only exception is Sunday when I start the blog...sometimes it takes me a couple of hours to put this together.
I wanted to let you know that after I published last week about the unclaimed property list I heard from a friend. She and her partner read the blog and on a whim went to investigate the list...her partner found his name. We had a good laugh about that.
Happy Belated Birthday to my dear friend Donna! Friends since high school and yet your birthday always sneaks by me...sorry no card, but dinner soon.
I am going to leave it here for today. I hope you have a wonderful week. Take care. Chat soon. Go PATS!!!! Marie
“When you stop expecting people to be perfect, you can like them for who they are.” - Donald Miller, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life
“Expectations were like fine pottery. The harder you held them, the more likely they were to crack.” - Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings
“You are your own worst enemy. If you can learn to stop expecting impossible perfection, in yourself and others, you may find the happiness that has always eluded you.” - Lisa Kleypas, Love in the Afternoon