"Because I am a Queen"

A friend posted this photo on Facebook of the bunch of us at lunch celebrating Lucky coming to Utah.  When I first saw this photo I thought "Wow, that is such a good picture of everyone!"  And I posted something like that on Facebook.  

Here is what I know.  When each of the women in the picture (we are women now right?) saw this photo, the first thing we all did was to find ourselves and critique how we looked.  Then we looked at the other girls and thought how beautiful everyone else looked.  It's what women do. 

I hate that.  I want to look at myself the way that others do.  The people who love me for me.  I want to see in myself the same thing I see when I look at these beautiful women.  Strength, beauty, joy, class, and style.

I want each one of us to see the beauty in us that God created.  I get terribly sad when my daughter critiques some part of her body.  "Hey", I think.  "I created that! Don't knock it".  I'll bet OUR Creator feels the same way when we focus on our perceived "flaws".  Don't you?

Here is a song that makes me feel so much better every time I hear it.  Whenever I'm feeling down about myself, I play this.

Enjoy.

(It won't let me embed it, so link to it. It's worth it)

Sometimes I shave my legs and sometimes i don't
Sometimes I comb my hair and sometimes i won't 
Depend on how the wind blows I might even paint my toes 
It really just depends on whatever feels good in my soul 

I'm not the average girl from your video 
And I ain't built like a supermodel 
But, I learned to love myself unconditionally 
Because I am a queen 
I'm not the average girl from your video 
My worth is not determined by the price of my clothes
No matter what i'm wearing i will always be India. Arie

When I look in the mirror the only one there is me 
Every freckle on my face is where it's supposed to be
And I know our creator didn't make no mistakes on me 
My feet, my thighs, my lips, my eyes; Im lovin' what I see

I'm not the average girl from your video 
And I ain't built like a supermodel 
But, I learned to love myself unconditionally 
Because I am a queen 
I'm not the average girl from your video 
My worth is not determined by the price of my clothes
No matter what Im wearing I will always be India. Arie 

Am I less of a lady if I don't wear pantyhose? 
My mama said a lady ain't what she wears but what she knows 
But Ive drawn a conclusion, it's all an illusion, confusion's the name of the Game
A misconception, a vast deception 
Something's gotta change 
Don't be offended this is all my opinion 
Ain't nothing that Im sayin law 
This is a true confession of a life learned lesson I was sent here to share with you all 
So get in where you fit in go on and shine 
Free your mind, now's the time 
Put your salt on the shelf 
Go on and love yourself
'cuz everything's gonna be all right 

I'm not the average girl from your video 
And I ain't built like a supermodel 
But, I learned to love myself unconditionally 
Because I am a queen 
I'm not the average girl from your video 
My worth is not determined by the price of my clothes
No matter what Im wearing I will always be India. Arie

Keep your fancy drinks and your expensive minks 
I don't need that to have a good time 
Keep your expensive car and your caviar 
All I need is my guitar 
Keep your crisp style and your pistol 
I'd rather have a pretty piece of crystal 
Don't need your silicon I prefer my own 
What god gave me is just fine 

I'm not the average girl from your video 
And I ain't built like a supermodel 
But, I learned to love myself unconditionally 
Because I am a queen 
I'm not the average girl from your video 
My worth is not determined by the price of my clothes
No matter what Im wearing I will always be India. Arie

Gang fight breaks out at Provo mall, police say

When I saw this headline, it made me think back to The Princess' birthday party this year, and how 007 got busted by the mall cops.

TP wanted to have a big party this year, turning 13 and all, so we came up with the idea to have a scavenger hunt at the local mall.  Thereby killing several stones with one. ie: I don't have to buy a bunch of party crap, no teenagers running around my house (not that I don't love when she has friends over, I really do - just not 20 of them), and I can supervise, so no trouble. OR SO I THOUGHT!

All was going well, the kids all showed up (two couldn't come so I asked the Princess if we should just stop by their houses to get the gifts, but she thought that would be crass - whatever).  I organized the 18 kids into 4 different groups and sent them on their way to gather exciting items like blue thread and business cards with the name "Mark" on them.  That should keep 'em busy, I thought.

TP wanted an ice cream cake so I asked 007 to bring it to the mall at the end of the party so it wouldn't melt while they were scavenging.  Good man that he is, he brought it right on time.  I knew it would be hard and frozen so I had brought a sharp knife wrapped up in foil (so as not to cut myself when I reached in my purse).

007 cut the cake, which turned out to be pretty messy, chocolate ice cream and all.  He went to the bathroom to rinse off his dripping hands and TOOK THE KNIFE.  I saw him waving it along his side as he walked back to the table. That doesn't look good, I thought.  

Next thing I know, the kids are saying, "Look!  Someone is getting BUSTED by the bathroom!" I looked and "Hey!  That's no someone, that's my husband".  Just what we need, eighteen 13 year old's telling everyone how The Princess' dad got busted at her party.  And I was worried about the teenagers.  Silly me.

I guess what happened is two different people saw him walking into the bathroom with a knife and called 911.  One of them even reported him having a "bloody knife".  3 mall cops surrounded him in the bathroom, Paul Blart style and questioned him. When they asked where the knife was, he was brave and said "Oh, in my wife's purse".  Thanks babe.

Well the kids all thought it was coolest thing ever.  The Princess wanted to DIE, like OMG Dad.  I laughed my head off, and 007 felt crim for a day.  

And now back to our regularly scheduled program

Inquiring minds want to know:

If you exercise, how often do you do it?

Do you work out at home, or in a gym?

If at home, what do you do, and for how long?

If at a gym, how many days a week do you go?

If you DO NOT exercise, why not?  (you may answer anonymously for this one - one time only)

Now before you get defensive, know this.  I never regularly exercised when I was working full time (or for most of my life, really).  I love to ride my bike down the river trail, but that was about it.

But this whole turning 40 thing has thrown me for a loop.  My body is changing, and it scares me.  This year I started going to the gym, mainly out of fear I was gong to be bedridden and immobile by the time I was 60.  

And guess what?  I LOVE IT.  I love how I feel after I'm done, and I love that instead of spending my ENTIRE day thinking about the fact that I'm not exercising, I can get it over with and not have to think about it again the rest of the day.  

P.S.  Even though I love how I feel after, I still have to talk myself into going.  Every time.  

So tell me...

Cjane: Patron Saint of the Bloggernacle

Happy Birthday Cjane.  

A Haiku for You  (already you are seeing what a poet I am)

YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE

YOU GIVE ME HOPE TO CARRY

ON; YOU, YOU LIGHT UP...

MY LIFE (and two for extra credit)

Love, Sue

P.S.  Did I ever mention the time I lit a candle at the Retro House and my Goiter was miraculously healed?  

For information on making a dashboard shrine to our favorite saint, click here.

To see other fabulous tributes to Cjane, click here, here, here, here, and here.

A typical conversation with The Princess

The Princess: "Mom, why did you decide to do your eye make up like that today?"

Mom: "Oh, I went to the MAC counter and had the girl do my eyes today"

The Princess: "Was she new?"