Christmas Greetings, dear friends,

Here's just a little Christmas joy from my house to your house.(you can click on any picture to enlarge it.)













Colin was my only grandchild to visit Santa this year. Megan and Illeas are too little and that red suit and white beard are rather scary. Anyone recognize the last pic of the two cuties with Santa?


My friends and I enjoyed a wonderful Christmas Concert by Clay Aiken in Wichita the end of November. We partied of course.












And here is a personal Christmas story i wrote as part of the fan club.


Christmas is a time for families to be together, even if they live hundreds of miles apart, and each family has its own traditions as every married couple quickly discovers. My husband’s family lived in another town in Missouri – a three hour drive for us. And they absolutely knew the best time to celebrate Christmas was December 24th with a big dinner that afternoon and then the opening of all the presents on Christmas Eve. All family members were required to be there. My family, on the other hand, who lived in our home town, knew that Christmas morning was the correct time to celebrate the season, so that all of Santa’s presents would be miraculously on hand. And all members of the family were required to be there.

So, like the obedient son and daughter, my husband and I were, we attempted to please everyone. Early in the morning of each December 24th we packed up our two kids, a load of presents for seven relatives, and of course, the dog……a very even tempered, though rather large, German Shepherd named Frieda, and drove the three hours from the Lake of the Ozarks to Kansas City in order to spend the day and evening with DH’s family. Then around nine or ten p.m. we repacked presents from seven people to the four of us, and tossed Frieda and the sleeping kids into the back of the station wagon, where they nestled quite comfortably on the foam rubber mattress in the back, (anyone else remember those?) and began the three hour drive home. If you’re not old enough to remember these wonderful inventions, station wagons were smaller than a minivan, but larger than a SUV, although without the four-wheel drive and the prestige.

Usually this drive passed relatively quickly, flushed as we were with family conviviality, Christmas turkey, and new and unusual presents, not to mention a tiny bit of Christmas Cheer. However, this particular year the weather Geni decided to grant the wishes, not of obedient, traveling sons and daughters, but those of frivolous stay-at-home children pleading for a White Christmas. A blizzard was gathering force as we left Kansas City heading south.

The return trip was taking far longer than the usual three hours, and one of the main reasons for this was because DH always took the rural Missouri, back country roads home, instead of Interstate 70. This was because he had personally checked the mileage both ways…. and hell would freeze over ( and it almost did that night) before he would waste an ounce of gas driving extra miles. Nevermind the fact that Interstate 70 would be under constant maintenance by numerous snow plows, even though it was midnight on Christmas Eve.

So…. when we were about three-fourths of the way home and down to twenty miles per hour on that path that was less traveled…. but needless-to-say….an unplowed, curvy, hilly, two lane road…..the fury of the storm intensified to near Antarctic conditions…..and since the windshield wipers could barely remove the snow fast enough (not to mention the ice buildup that the defroster wasn’t able to manage) visibility was down to a few feet, and we barely missed a car stalled at the side of the road.

DH swerved and skidded the bulky station wagon to a stop. I heaved a sigh of relief when I realized we were still on the pavement and not sliding off the shoulder and sledding down one of the scenic Ozark Hills. But said sigh immediately turned into a gulp as I realized he was shifting into reverse and slowly backing up to the stalled car. I stared at DH with a look that said, “Are you out of your mind, picking up a hitchhiker in this storm? We’ll disappear from the face of the earth and no one will ever even find our bones?”

About this time a man’s ungloved hand rapped on my passenger’s side window. Well, whatcha gonna do??? I rolled down the window. The snow frosting the man’s uncovered head told the story of his long wait for another car to come down this lonely road so late at night on Christmas Eve. In a few words he told us that his car had run out of gas, but they only needed to go a short distance to the next town, if we could just take him and his family there to their relatives.

“Sure, get in” I heard coming from the generous man sitting beside me. I gritted my teeth, which I tried to turn into a smile. Then I saw his pregnant wife exiting the car, holding a sleeping youngster. Another child climbed over the front seat and they all quickly ensconced themselves between the multitudes of presents in our back seat.

Of course, this woke up my children and Frieda on the mattress at the rear.
The four sleepy children stared at each other over the back seat and Frieda’s smile was somehow similar to mine, I think….which could have been misconstrued by some, but not this desperate family. They all settled in and seemed to relax in the warmth of the car.

Not a word was said as we drove the few miles to their intended destination. Perhaps
they were as uneasy about getting into a stranger’s car and I had been about inviting them. But it wasn’t long before we came to another of the small towns that dotted this infrequently traveled road, and the man pointed out a small, brightly lit home, obviously waiting at that late hour for their Christmas relatives. As we pulled into the drive, an elderly face appeared at the window and the door immediately opened. The stranded family piled out of the back seat and hurried inside.

This family man, of so few words, paused as he held the open back door, obviously searching for just the right ones to say. Then he stuck his head back inside the car and I heard a soft, choked, “God bless you,” as he quickly closed the door and turned to follow his family inside the welcoming house.

Yes, Christmas is a time for families to be together, regardless of the day or the date…and I’ll always remember the blessings given and received on that snowy night by those who believed in the Spirit of Christmas.

HAPPY
THANKSGIVING


TIME TO COUNT OUR BLESSINGS.........................








i'm their Mimi


trong>

CLAYNATION NEW BULLETIN REPORTS: Clay to Star in Spamalot on Broadway!
Clay announced today that he's been invited to play Sir Robin in Monty Python's award winning musical comedy, Spamalot. Award winning director, Mike Nichols had this to say:




"Clay Aiken is amazing beyond that glorious voice. Turns out he is an excellent comic actor and a master of character. People will be surprised by his wide ranging talent, since the first impression is of great country charm and a singer to remember. This guy is not only a star, he is a lot more. We are lucky to get him for SPAMALOT."

Clay will be entertaining crowds from January 18-May 4 at the Shubert Theater. Tickets are on sale NOW at www.telecharge.com or by calling (212) 239-6200/(800) 432-7250. Ticket prices range from $36.50 to $251.50.

Read the full press release on the Public side of the official fan club site.

Clay Tells Fanclub Album is Still on Track!
We can't quote him directly as Clay's blog is part of the paying members perks for joining the fanclub....BUT when Clay announced the Spamalot news, he noted that this does not impact the work on his fourth album which is expected next year. He indicated he is in the studio working with producers this week!! Fan club members can read his blog at http://www.clayonline.com

Clay Attends a UNICEF Event on October 1st.
Clay attended the launch party of Jenna Bush's new book, Ana's Story: A Journey of Hope in New York City on Monday, October 1st. Clay attended in his capacity as a UNICEF ambassador as proceeds of the book will go to benefit UNICEF.

The New Yorker interviewed Clay at the party. "I read it on the plane to Afghanistan," he said of the book. "I was quite impressed. I remember thinking she must have had a ghostwriter, but she didn’t. She did it herself."

Air Date Set for Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader
Both Fox and the official fanclub have confirmed that Clay will be part of a two hour special celebrity charity episode of Fifth Grader on Thursday, November 1st, pending the results of the World Series. If the World Series goes seven games, the episode will be pushed back. The episode will likely air from 8-10p Eastern, and Clay will be on with Regis Philbin. Check your local listings.


"Christmas in the Heartland" Tour
From the Official Fan Club: "It will soon be the Christmas season once again and you know what that means... So, dust off your bells & don your Santa hats, cause before you know it, Clay and the gang will be touring "Christmas in the Heartland" for the holidays." Read more at http://www.clayonline.com

Fan club pre-sales, available to the Fan Club members, have already begun. The following venues have been announced:

11/26/07 Central Christian Church, Wichita, KS
11/27/07 Fox Theatre, St Louis, MO.
11/28/07 Morris Center, South Bend, IN
11/29/07 Genesee Theater, Waukegan, IL.
11/30/07 Miller Auditorium, Kalamazoo, MI
12/02/07 Warner Theater, Washington, DC.
12/04/07 Kirby Center for the Performing Arts, Wilkes Barre, PA.
12/06/07 State Theater, New Brunswick, NJ.
12/07/07 Palace Theatre, Albany, NY.
12/08/07 Mair Hall, Poughkeepsie, NY.
12/09/07 Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville, CT.
12/11/07 Count Basie Theater, Red Bank, NJ.
12/12/07 State Theatre, Easton, PA.
12/13/07 Mayo Center for the Performing Arts, Morristown, NJ.
12/15/07 Community Arts Center, Williamsport, PA
12/16/07 Erie Civic Center, Erie, PA.
12/17/07 State Theatre, Playhouse Square Center Cleveland, OH.
12/19/07 Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis, MN.
12/20/07 Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis, MN.
12/21/07 Slosburg HallOrpheum Theatre, Omaha, NB.
12/22/07 Star Plaza Theater, Merrillville, IN.

END OF NEWS BULLETIN ---- BEGINNING OF GENI


Hey, sports fans, I saw Spamalot almost two years ago….March 2006.
Lara and I had great time in NYC.

And of course I wrote a blog about the trip to CT. Here it is :




....had a great time in chilly NY and CT. Lara. Harry, and babytobe are fine. Spamalot was hilarious but it was disappointing that Tim Curry was no longer in it as King Arthur and for some reason (probably he heard black-cloud-geni was coming) Hank Azaria did not appear that day…..but the actors were very funny. David Hyde Pierce was pretty much the way he was in Frasier, rather droll. The play followed the plot ? of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, so if you’ve seen the movie you know the antics that were going on in the play. I hadn’t seen the movie in so many years that most of it was a surprise…still laughed at the coconut clacking horsehoof sounds, and the knight who wouldn’t give in…but I think lots of it was new, with new songs…and the opening musical number…which was "Beautiful Finland", replete with native Finlandish costumes…until the narrator returned to the stage and repeated that the play was about BRITAIN! being the cynic than i am, my favorite was Not Yet Dead Fred, who refused to get on the dead plague victims cart…..so much so I bought the tshirt.




End of original blog…


Gosh, a lot can change in a year and a half, can’t it? I’ve been working at an Emergency Assistance Center for almost a year now. The eagerly awaited first baby is now a year and four months old.

I’m still amazed at the baby shower dd’s in-laws arranged for her. Here’s what happened back then.
Lara's baby shower in CT was quite interesting to a Midwesterner. Don’t know what you do in your part of the country (or Canada) but in MO we serve cake, mints and Mr. Peanut assorted nuts. We had a full sit-down dinner, choice of 3 entrées, and champagne punch in CT. My daughter received every imaginable baby appliance… and she had 6 helpers….one unwrapped, one wrote, one handed her the card, which she then read and held up the gift, one stuck the card in the box, two carried the gifts to the sides of the room, (restaurant banquet room) where there was still room to stack things.oh, forgot, one took pictures. i occasionally went out to the bar and sat with my SIL and his dad and sipped wine.

Oh, and another baby is on the way in CT. Yes, a lot of things have changed….but one has remained constant. My enchantment with the cutesingerguy. Yipper, I’m still here and just as much as fan as ever. Haven’t gotten my ticket to see Clay as Sir Robin yet….but I’m definitely gonna see that play again. So much is going on with clay lately….and actually I’m wondering how in the world he can do three things at once…..finish a new album, rehearse and tour for Christmas, and rehearse for his January debut in his first Broadway show????? Guess that's why he's a star!!


it’s just me, geni


------------------------------

OSAGE MENACE CONTROL/TURTLE HABITAT UTILIZATION DEPARTMENT

ASPCA NOTICE: NO TURTLES WERE HARMED IN THE CREATION OF THIS BLOG

Here at beautiful Lake Oz, we have an insidious menace threatening our shores…..namely turtles. No not sea turtles, those notorious terrifying terrestrial tortoises. My versatile cocker spaniel, Tommy, has declared open season on these ferocious reptiles infesting our woods
.
Here is Tommy in the official OMC/THUD vehicle – a recent purchase from the Russian Mafia (according to H2’s superior knowledge of the auto industry.)











In my last blog, I forgot to mention Tommy’s main occupation, which is serving as the Assistant to the Department Supervisor of OMC/THUD, namely me. Tommy’s job is to locate these menacing marauders, root them out of their perfidious hidden crannies, wrestle them to the ground, and scare the shit out of them.












A DEFEATED TURTLE SCREAMING FOR MERCY

First of all, I must confess that Tommy loves his work and absolutely loathes turtles. He thinks they are too dumb to live around civilized people, and also they are invading his territory. Tommy and I have decided that since turtles are the oldest living reptiles – older than snakes and lizards - 215 million years of evolution has rendered them essentially mindless shells with feet.

They journey through the woods and end up facing our fence and have no idea what to do next. Obviously they have no knowledge of left or right turns, let along U turns. So they just sit staring at the fence for hours, while Tommy, on the inside of the fence, loudly exhorts them to leave. Needless to say, the neighbors do not understand his rationale and phone me to do something about my noisy dog.

It does no good to just say “shoooo” to a turtle. Since my duty as Department Head of OMC/THUD is habitat relocations, I have to walk through the woods around the outside of the fence carrying a bottle of red fingernail polish to where this pea brained reptile is sitting in his shell (guess he doesn’t like the barking either) and carry it back down in the woods facing the opposite direction. Now you (and the neighbors) may ask, “Why are you carrying nail polish?”

To which I answer, “to paint the shell of the invader, naturally”. If the same one shows up at my fence again, he is soup.







TURTLE AFTER HABITAT RELOCATION

Now, if a tortoise is encountered on our daily outing, Tommy is on it in a New York minute. He looks like he’s playing soccer with the hapless creature. The way he bats the thing around perhaps he mistakes the shell markings for soccer ball hexagons. They are quite similar, ya know, and Tommy is a big fan of David Beckham. We’re so glad he and Victoria moved to the U.S. and now we have another vapid blonde to watch on the Insider…..Oh, wait, I digress…………


Davey does seem to have somethin goin for him…..but can he sing???



Clay content: I wonder if Clay might be interested in helping me set up a turtle sanctuary. After all, these helpless creatures need to included in conservation efforts just like the more gifted (and attractive) animals. He knows my number if he is interested.
it’s just me, geni

"If dogs don't go to heaven, then i want to go where they go."



No this isn’t Tommy. This is the twelve million dollar Maltese, Trouble. Just goes to show that everybody loves pets. You don’t even have to be a nice person to love a dog. Well, yes, there is the possibility that Leona just left the dog that money to piss off her kids…..,..gotta love that woman
.


CLICK ON ALL PIX TO ENGLARGE. YOU DON'T WANNA MISS THE MISCHIEVIOUS EXPRESSION IN TOMMY'S EYES.

Here’s my Cocker Spaniel,Tommy. He’s a wonderful dog and I wouldn’t sell him for twelve million dollars. (Please, Lord, don’t tempt me on this.) He is so smart, and talented. He works hard and loves to celebrate in his off time.





He really likes Halloween and greets each Trick or Treater at the door with
the bucket of treats in his mouth. Sorry I couldn’t get a pic of that, but he somehow ate all the treats when I wasn’t watching.





Independence Day is one of his favorite holidays. He loves the fireworks displays and he isn’t afraid of a little noise like those finicky Corgies or Poodles. Of course, there is the possibility that he just likes the BBQ hamburgers. Cost me a pretty penny last July when he burned his tongue on the grill.





He loves for me to read to him. Cat in the Hat is one of his favorites. He’s friends with the neighbor’s cat although he did get a nasty scratch on his nose (more vet expenditures) when all he was trying to do was greet her just like dogs greet each other……… I think in this pic he may be saying a few choice words about that hat.






He likes to play games. Cowboys and Indians is fun (but why do I always have to be the Indian?)





But I get back at him when we play dolls and he has to wear the bonnet.





We love to play Star Wars. I think he has a thing for Princess Leia and he never shares her with me. I have to make all the whooshing noises for the X wing fighters, but he’s working with his speech therapist on this problem.











Tommy is a really big Clay Aiken fan. He insists that I play Clay’s cd’s all the time. He even tried wearing his hair in bangs like his Idol.





And as I said, he’s a hard worker. Here’s Tommy resting in his easy chair after a hard day at the office, checking the stock market. Needless to say, his portfolio has been depreciating considerably…..he just threw down his hat in disgust.









Oh, I almost forgot his favorite holiday. Christmas of course. He just loves to wear that Santa hat. Oh, wait, that’s me…….nevermind.






Ok, so I lied a little bit. He didn’t lose that much in the stock market. He invests his funds very conservatively.

All right, the truth is….here’s where I find him every day when I come home from work. But the minute I wake him up…..he’s really happy to see me. He hasn’t figured out how to open the treat jar yet……






it’s just tommy’s playmate, geni

GENI IN THE SPOTLIGHTS




Dear loyal and concerned friends,
Just wanted to let you know that all is well and I am home. That nasty gall bladder is only a bad dream – sorta like a nightmare starring Kath y G. Now that I have a little time on my hands, I’m wondering what hospitals do with those extra parts? Maybe I should have asked to take it home so I could preserve it in Lucite or maybe just bury it in my back yard. You know, it was a part of me for many years and it deserves some respect.

And I know that y’all are really as interested in my operation as I am and so want to satisfy your curiosity as to the nature of a gall bladder operation. So hold on to your swivel chair cause I have an anatomy lesson planned that I know you won’t wanna miss.

THE PRECEDURE:
A newer way to remove the gallbladder is called laparoscopic (say "lap-are-oh-skop-ick") cholecystectomy. With this surgery, a laparoscope (a small, thin tube with a scope on the tip of it that is used to see the inside of your body) is used to remove the gallbladder. The laparoscope is put into your body through a tiny cut made just below your navel. Your doctor can then see your gallbladder on a TV screen and do the surgery with tools inserted in 3 other small cuts made in the right upper part of your abdomen. Your gallbladder is then taken out through one of the incisions.
Every good teacher has media now and I know you want to learn more about this spellbinding subject so i have a video which I am selling for a very reasonable price at genihasgall@cheapvideos.com. paypal accepted.

THE VISUALS:

I hope that isn’t a frog that has somehow made its way inside me. Maybe it’s one of those South American ones that the natives use for their poison darts. I bet that’s why I have been so sick.

Oh, wait, maybe this has been the problem all along.



I’m feeling so good now that I’m planning on going to the mall tomorrow because I haven’t been able to get out much lately. I bet I lost at least one dress size since I am rid of that troublesome organ.

and here’s what I look like now.



it’s just the new me, geni

Get Your Own! | View Slideshow

REMEMBERING

9.11 is the Pearl Harbor of our generation.

I remember my mother talking about Pearl Harbor. She said everyone was in such shock…but the main thing she remembered in her later years was that at that time ….she was in her twenties then….that her main thought was that this meant a war was coming and that her new husband would be drawn into it.

9.11 is the Peal Harbor of our generation. We all remember where we were and what we were doing that morning. I was getting reading to go with a friend to her out-of-town doctor’s appointment. I was in the shower when the phone rang.

I rushed to answer it. It was my daughter in CT calling to assure me that she and her husband (who works quite close to New York) were ok. I didn’t know what she was talking about. She said, “TURN ON THE TV”. So I did.

I stood there transfixed as I watched the replay on CNN of the first plane. Shivering in my towel. I was speechless. My daughter kept saying, “Mom…Mom”. I finally answered her ……asking her for what little additional information she had.

Then the second plane arrived. I sat down.

My friend, Carol, and I did make it to her doctor’s appointment. Life always goes on. Tragedy can slow life, but it never stops, I’ve discovered. There was a young couple in the doctor’s office, and when my friend went in, I started talking to them. He was a Marine and had been alerted to report back to his base. He had made arrangements for his flight and was with his wife before going to the airport. He wasn’t real sure any flights were leaving St. Louis, but he was going to be there at the gates just in case. When they rose to leave, my heart rose in my throat and I said, “God bless you.”

He turned back to look at me. He had such a strange look on his face. Amazement that someone would say that out loud in a public place, perhaps…..perhaps, concern that the oath he had taken in peace time to serve his country was a very serious thing , indeed, now…and, perhaps, a realization that all Americans were united that day….Marines and middle-aged ladies in doctor’s offices included.

In Mid America, half a continent away, this tragedy was all that was talked about. American was united on that day and for a few years after. Of course, we are back to our old scappy selves now. But that’s what America and our Star Spangled Banner is all about anyway, isn’t it?

I always wonder where that Marine is now.