Happiness

All Request Tudor Hour

I received a lovely comment from someone who enjoyed my "Tudor Series" inquiring as to where the Elizabeth entry I promised was. Several months ago I sat down to write one, and then lost patience because her life was so frickin' long (she died at 70 and reigned for 45 years!). However, I am re energized so here goes ..........................

Elizabeth Tudor is better known as "Queen Elizabeth the 1st" and sometimes refereed to as the "Virgin Queen" (though Robert Dudley would probably beg to differ). She was the only surviving child of Henry the VIII and his whore turned 2nd wife, Anne Boleyne.

She is also the 1/2 sister of "bloody Mary" (daughter of Katherine of Aragon) and 1/2 sister of King Edward (son of Poor, Poor Jane Seymore).

History has been good to Elizabeth, but I have no intention of letting her off easily. Let's take a look at some of Elizabeth's highlights, shall we?

1) She had her cousin, Mary Queen of Scots dragged from her lovers arms in Edinburgh and taken to the tower of London, where she was held prisoner for months before being beheaded.

2) She had an affair with Robert Dudly for years but refused to marry him because he was not Royal enough. This did not, however, stop her from having Dudleys wife, Amy Robsart, murdered. Amy was found at the bottom of a narrow staircase with a broken neck and no witnesses. Robert was with Elizabeth at the time.

3) She carried on a long flirtation with her step-father Thomas Seymore (he married Katherine Parr after Henry died). Thomas Seymore happened to also be the uncle of her brother Edward and brother of Poor Poor Jane Seymore (do you see a pattern here?).

4) She had over 900 people executed during her reign as queen. This is more then triple the number of protestants that her sister Mary burned at the stake. Just goes to show you that the "winners write the history books".

Elizabeth never married. Some believe that this was for political reasons and others say it is because she never found "love". Certainly Elizabeth did not view the institution of marriage as "kind to women"? Marriage did not work out very well for her mother or cousin/step mother Katherine Howard. In fact, it was Katherine Howard's violent death that might have had the most lasting impact on the Elizabethan Era. At the age of eight she met one of Prince Edward's classmates, Robert Dudley, and told him of an important decision she had made. "I will never marry," she said. It was a decision that would shape her life.

And now for something really special ...............

Here is the lunar moon today, the day I turn 40.



Here is the lunar moon on the day I was born.



Arent you glad you stopped by?

We missed our 15 minutes!

Several months ago Susie, Papa and I took the girls to see Milkshake at XM Radio's Rompus Room downtown. They filmed the show for the purpose of making the videos to promote their new album. The girls were dressed to the 9's, wearing their tutu's and stripped shirts! We were going to be stars!

Here is the video.

http://www.milkshakemusic.com/video.cfm?id=12

If you look carefully you will see Susie and Papa in the back. The rest of us are no where to be found. Oh well ................... maybe the fact that Ms. Bean never removed her fingers from her ears had something to do with it?

Walk for Autism Speaks

I really debated actually doing this event when I woke up this morning. We had our community Halloween Party last night, and the girls were up until after 10:00 pm. I raised all of my funds online, so I didn't need to drop off any donations. It was a 3.2 mile very SLOW walk, so there wasn't much of an exercise component. Staying in bed looked like a good option! However, I went, and it was worth it.

Ms. Bean, Papa and I took the metro downtown which was remarkably easy and the weather was wonderful. The only major disappointment of the day was the coordination of the WASHINGTON CAPITALS! There was none. We were supposed to walk with their wives and girlfriends who were no where to be found. The people at the Capitals booth had no clue what we were supposed to do or where we should go. I didn't see anyone who looked like they were a Capitals wife? And, the Capitals were supposed to be there, but Olie (who spoke from the stage) informed us that he was missing practice, which leads one to believe that the Caps were in Rosalyn and no where NEAR the mall. I don't know why I am surprised. Considering that the team seems incapable of coordination / good leadership , I have no reason to suspect that their spouses/girlfriends could pull it off.

Regardless, for Annie, Adam, and every other family that has been touched by Autism, it was a worthwhile cause and certainly worth getting out of bed for. Thanks to everyone who sponsored me this morning! D

3-3-0

Well, the Caps lost AGAIN. To the Islanders, AGAIN. They are at 50 and have lost the last 4 games. I am remembering what it is like to be a Caps Fan. Argh.

The Baltimore 1/2 Marathon

We had such high expectations for this race. We were going to train hard, run the whole event, and set a PR. Where none of these things happened, it was still a great day!

The weather was wonderful, food plentiful, and the support staff could not have been better. After waking up early (0500), Tom drove us to Baltimore, where we found my new favorite Starbucks (corner of Eutaw and Baltimore) and sat for 2.5 hours watching the 5k and sipping coffee. THIS IS IS THE WAY TO START RACE DAY! Forget those dark parking lots filled with Vaseline and Portable Potties, we were in the lap of luxury.

At about 0915 we worked our way to the start line where Patty and I started out too far ahead in the crowd. This was a problem. We really like to start slow and pick up the pace at about mile 4. Rather, we were forced to run fast in the beginning (think running with the bulls) which was a little concerning. I also needed to stop twice early in the race to fix a sock problem, causing us to loose time. Patty and our new friend Jessica (we met her on mile 2) were troopers and waited for me, loosing several minutes. Regardless, the course seemed fast, and it was a lot of fun. The best part? 24oz of beer at the finish line. Forget those ridicules shot glasses that we got in Nashville, Baltimore treated us well, and clearly recognizes the importance of liquid carbs while changing your shoes in a parking lot. Thanks Bud Lite!

Today I am feeling really good, thanks to an 800mg Ibuprofen and Tom's willingness to do all of the driving and thinking yesterday. Patty and I are in the process of setting future course goals, and hoping that we can find time to train (this new Job does not seem to support disappearing for 2 hours mid-afternoon to circle the tidal basin). Would really like to run a full 1/2 in the Spring (no walking). Anyone want to join us?

3-2-0

At least I don't have to buy the UGLY red jersey!

I will be walking with the Caps Wives and Girlfriends for Autism research next weekend. I was looking forward to discussing politics, the Ozone Layer, and the great works of literature. Perhaps I will use that 3 miles to discuss the Caps skill set instead. Probably a better use of time.

3-0!

Where did I put the keys to that Wagon ?!?!?!?

2 things to be REALLY excited about .....................

1) Although there was a LOT of competation for the spot, my father choose ME to be his date to last nights WASINGTON CAPITALS Season Opener!

What a great evening ..... The Washington Capitals raised their record to 2-0 for the first time since 2002 with victory over the Carolina Hurricanes and Ovechkin collected his 200th NHL point (which he deserved after loosing a tooth to the Thrashers the night before). It is important to note that the last time that the Caps had a 2-0 start was in 2002, which, is also the last time that they made the playoffs. I don't want to jinx things but what do you think?

I will say this .............. if they make it to 10-0 ............ I will march down to the Verizon Center and get myself one of those ugly red Jerseys that they were wearing last night, no questions asked.

And,

2) Starbucks is giving away free ITunes. Everyday between 2 October and 7 November they are giving away a new song from a featured artist. I plan to go everyday and get a free 50-cent song just for purchasing a $5 cup of coffee.

Yes, I am well aware of the fact that if I make my coffee at home and buy a song that I want for myself I will come out way ahead. BUT, I like the game, and, will have a "cooler and Hipper" Ipod on the metro in case anyone is looking over my shoulder to see what I am listening to.

How is your weekend going?

Decisions Decisions Decisions

Shall I watch Detroit play their Season Opener against Anaheim, OR, should I watch Boston in their first playoff game against Anaheim?

Red Wings? Red Sox?

What is a girl to do?

Sarah's Blog

My name is Sarah. I really like to watch TV every day. I really love my mommy and my daddy and my sister and I wish I had a brother. I really love my papa and my Susie and I love to play outside with my friend Ryan every day.

I like to go to the zoo. I love to work on my own computer and I wish I could be a grown up soon. Then I could walk across the street all by myself. I would love to read my own book but I dont know how to read.

I have nightmares but my mommy comes and sleeps in my bed for just a little bit and then she walks away and I feel better. I like to when she says goodbye when she leaves.

I like to wear dresses and skirts and short sleeve shirts.

I love my pet kitty.

That is the end of my blog. The end.