Finding Your Mojo

     You're not dreaming, I'm posting twice in as many days.  Go ahead and pinch yourself.    

     The past 2 weeks of my life have been a whirlwind of activity in Weaselville and I plan on writing up all the highlights and even making another video or two of our adventures, but I wanted to get back to basics with you and fill you in on how I was able to find my lost mojo.

     As some of you can attest and others may be able to guess, writing regularly is easy.  Writing something of quality and substance regularly, not so much.  Writing something of quality, substance, regularity and keeping it entertaining..........well that is a daunting, overwhelming, sometimes impossible a whole different beast.   A beast that I just happen to love.  The problem arises however, when life itself becomes overwhelming and you can't find your voice.  After all, if life has you not feeling like yourself, how can you write like yourself?

     I mean, you want to keep it genuine, but there are somethings that happen in life that you either can't write about or choose not to.  You write for your audience as much as you do for yourself and even though most of you would like to read whatever your favorite blogs have to say, it's not always that easy to share in such a public forum.  Especially when you don't have your mojo.

     So, how do you find your mojo?  That's like trying to bottle lightening, herd cats, raise Weasels or finding the end of a rainbow.  It can't be done, it just happens and you don't know how.  Pure serendipity.  For me, it came in the form of a message on twitter:

From @NukeDad Anything fun to do in your dive town? My plane lands at 11:30. :)

    
     Without missing a beat, I dropped everything to pick up the phone and make plans to meet up.  Carpe Diem and all that.  By dinner time that evening I was sitting like a bar fly, drinking a Coors Light and stalking the entrance to spot a man that I had never met in person, but consider a cherished friend.  You know, the kind that you will drop everything to see.

     Just as I expected, we recognized each other right away.  There were big hugs and zero awkwardness.  I was meeting a long time friend and walking on that rainbow.  NukeDad and Mr. Weasel also hit it off immediately.  Did I forget to mention that I picked up Mr. Weasel at his office so that he and NukeDad could meet each other as well?  Within minutes they had ganged up on me joined forces to tease me about the velocity at which my jaws flap.  Give me a break.  My jaws are always flapping, hence the nickname of motor mouth that my mother bestowed on my as a small child,  let alone the fact that that I was excited.  I am a interrogators' dream.  No wonder I don't work for the CIA.

     So excited that I didn't remember to pull my camera out.

     A few minutes later, a got a reprieve from the good natured harassment the NukeSiblings and  NukeDad's Mom walked in.  Could my night get any better??????  Well yes, but the NukeKids and NukeMom hadn't made this trip.  Another time, I hope.  What a great group of people.  Our time was limited, as they had dinner plans and The Mr. and I had a train schedule to keep.  Still, the experience was fantasmic.

     Two days later, I was yet again able to clear my schedule and meet up with NukeDad and his sibs again.  This time we remembered to pull out cameras.  We got to talk like old friends, about the fact that life had stolen the blogging mojo from both of us, but meeting this friend that I originally met online, finally in person,  and finding out that that I had regular readers, that I wasn't aware of, who were missing my postings (his siblings) reminded me of how much I loved writing on my blog and interacting online with people.  Especially those people whom I truly consider friends.  Whether we have ever met in person or not.  (Sorry that I couldn't link to all of you who make this list, but then this post would be one giant link.)

     The only thing nuclear about the Nuke family is their warmth and personalities.  They made me feel like an honorary ICBM.  NukeDad and his family gave me the gift of finding my mojo.  Not to mention picking up my bar tabs, which is something my siblings and I never do with each other, mostly because it you would have to take out a home equity loan to cover all of us when we get together.  

     All I can really say is that I am so grateful to have met these wonderful people in person, spend genuine time with them and nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, I got to to hang out with the NukeFamily and you didn't.

Cedar Point Weasel Style 2012

Greetings from Weaselville!!!!!!!!  Yes, we are all alive and doing well.  So well, in fact, that you will be hearing a lot from me in the upcoming weeks.  For now, I made a video for your viewing pleasure of our annual Weasel Family trek through Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, Ohio.  As usual, it was part of our family vacation to Lake Erie with friends.  Mr. Weasel had to bail on us stay home and work, but that made room in the car for Drewbie-Squirrel (aka, Eldest Weasel's beau and surrogate Weasel - he has yet to achieve full blown Weasel status).   

    
Can you believe how much the Weasels have grown?????

Neither can I!  That is one of the things that made this family tradition so very special.  As they all get older, their schedules and social lives make it so much harder to pull off these type of getaways.
     We had a great time at our all time favorite amusement park.  Even if it pained me not to be able to jump on those coasters myself.  I'll never be able to ride those rides again, thanks to spinal cord surgery, but it gave me a chance to enjoy the park from a completely different point of view.  Simply put, loving to watch everyone the Weasels have the time of there lives with each other.
      I encourage all of you to take a trek with your own families to Cedar Point.  It has something to offer for everyone from the adventure seeking coaster enthusiast, to the meek hearted WeaselMomma grandma type who is happy just sitting on a park bench, watching a live show or taking a train ride to the opposite side of the park.

You Make Me Smile

Life here in Weaselville has been plugging along like an old jalopy for a few years months now.  I'm still recovering from surgery, going to physical therapy, etc.  There are good days and bad days.  Money is tight, I won't be able to work for a long time to come, but time with my family is precious.  I have a great family and a great dog.   You could say that life in Weaselville is like a badly written country music song.

Eldest Weasel will be celebrating her 18th birthday and her graduation from high school in just a few short weeks.  Boy Weasel is past due ready to start drivers ed.  Middle Weasel is graduating from eighth grade the same weekend as Eldest and making her Confirmation the same weekend that Smallest Weasel is making her First Communion.  Just this morning, Middle Weasel brought front and center to the attention of myself and Mr. Weasel, that she will be 15 years old by the end of summer.  Monkey Weasel will be slipping off into the 7th grade by fall, with what strikes me as a slight of hand move worthy of David Copperfield I have to give Monkey Weasel props for a much better sense of style though.  When did this happen???????

So, onto the good stuff......

Eldest Weasel, my fantabulous bargain hunter grabbed a coupon out of the mail for JC Penney portrait studio.      Free 8x10 and no sitting fee.  They must hate when families the size of mine jump on those things.  I am really bad at remembering to take pictures let alone making sure everyone is dressed right, hair brushed, etc. to take a really great one.  So Eldest went ahead and made an appointment when she got tired of her mother's procrastinating.  The only appointment that she could get before her coupon expired was at a time that Mr. Weasel would be at work and I would be at physical therapy.  So,.............My amazing, first born, type A, over achieving daughter took it upon herself to dress all the Weasels, fix their hair and take them to the photo shoot herself!

Here is a link to see a slideshow of the magic that all of my Weasels made happen and Eldest facilitated.

I was thrilled to see how well they all turned out, how well their personalities shined through and that I will now have this moment set in time to  treasure forever.

Thank you Eldest Weasel, for this and for the incredible young woman you are growing to be.  I will cherish this gift always.  You, and your siblings, make me smile.

Bionic Weasel

First of all, I'd like to say hello again to all of you faithful readers who have stuck around through months of radio silence and welcome to anyone new who may be lurking around.

Secondly, I'll let you know that all of the Weasels, myself included are happy and healthy.

Now I will get you all up to speed with a World of Weasels update;

Many of you know that a while ago I had gone back to work to help make ends meet in Weaselville.  That greatly impacted the time I had to devote to this blog and also the mojo to have anything of entertainment value to share.

Well there is good news to report.  I am no longer out there in the work force, nor will I be working for the foreseeable future.  Yee-Haw!  It feels good to wake up in the morning and not have that commitment on my shoulders.

However, the bad news is that I still need the job and the income desperately, I'm just unable to work ----doctors orders.

No, I didn't get hurt at work nor, was I  involved in a car accident.  I didn't even manage to slip on a banana peel or anything that entertaining.  I just managed to magically herniate TWO previously perfectly healthy disks in my neck (C5-C6, C6-C7) and those disks decided to lodge themselves directly into my spinal cord.   Where they subsequently cut off the vast amount of spinal fluid flow.

Now I know you all well enough to know (yes, even you new comers) that you are saying to yourselves ----YIKES! (hopefully complete with a sign held up in the manner of Wile E. Coyote, because that would add entertainment value) and yikes is right.

My first visit with the NueroSurgeon went like this;

Him: When was the last time you lost control of you bladder or bowls?

Me:  The last time a heard a really good joke or I sneezed.  I have had 6 kids, after all.

Him: (chuckle, chuckle, look of bewilderment)

Me: Ummm, you seem surprised that I'm not incontinent.

Him: I am.  I'm also surprised that you are still able to walk.

As was every other doctor that saw my MRI results. I unknowingly had been days or hours away from permanent spinal cord damage from my neck down.  I'll let you do the math n that one.

That led us into surgery to rebuild me bigger, faster, stronger.  In your face Lidsey Wagner!  Well not really, but they did rebuild me with titanium and synthetics.  I can walk and talk (although my voice is still weak and raspy for the time being).  I am recovering nicely and enjoying a life that, for now, is free of work, cooking cleaning, lifting, driving, laundry and every other part of mommyhood that we all wish we could take a break from.  So don't feel sorry for me, I'm on vacation.

It will be a long and slow recovery, but one in which that I am grateful for.  It is much better than the alternative would have been.  In the meantime, I am back and better than ever!  For that too I am grateful.

In lieu of 'get well soon' flowers, just send some Coors Light.