Tracie's World

On this day before Thanksgiving, I wanted to express my thanks for all the good things in my life, both big and small: 1. My newest niece, Lillie - and for the rest of the 14 nieces and nephews. It's great to have the affection of children in my life. 2. Online check-in with Delta, and the anonymous person who must have cancelled, allowing me to change to an aisle seat. Believe me when I say what a good thing it is for the air marshall's that Tracie is in an aisle seat. 3. Amazon - Bless them for their price war with Wal-Mart that allowed me to get a great deal and super saver shipping. And for the shipping that only took 3 days instead of 9. 4. Bryan Fuller and the cast of "Pushing Daisies". It may have been canceled, but it's now available on DVD and I'm enjoying every minute of it - again. 5. Friends of Tracie - who give me rides, research natural remedies, join me for dinner, meet me at silly movies, talk with me endlessly about Triple-D, accompany me ...

Last week was one heck of a week. I think I went through every single emotion, from joy to sorrow, and back again. And sometimes, it was all in the same day. Tuesday, I found out in the morning about the passing of my former roommate. Segue to sorrow. By that evening, I was celebrating Sarah at her Bridal Shower, and visiting with friends old and new. Segue back to joy. Wednesday was spent in meetings and church work. By then I'd moved from shock and on to exhaustion. Thursday was all about the premiere party for "New Moon". The warmth and humor and enthusiasm of friends, all while lusting over werewolves and vampires. But a late evening, and still in exhaustion mode. Friday was spent at Crowne Burger (ah - comfort food) and the Organ Loft, followed by celebrating Catherine's birthday at the Vriens cabin. More fun, silliness and female bonding. Saturday - My roommate's funeral, and Sarah and Bret's pre-ception celebration. More sorrow, followed by jo...

Today's good news post comes to us from a story by the Associated Press. It's about a program in Maine where volunteers gather to greet the troops as they arrive back in country or depart for overseas at the Bangor, Maine Airport. Some of the volunteers have been volunteering for this project since the war began, and are veterans themselves. Turns out a couple of young documentary filmmakers accompanied their mother to greet the troops several years ago, and got the idea for a movie. They've been filming ever since, and the movie is now finally completed, to be shown nationwide on PBS tomorrow night, in honor of Veteran's Day. (If you want to watch or TIVO the program, here locally, it will be shown on KUED at 9:00 PM MST as part of their P.O.V. series) However you feel about the war, here at least is a group of folks who are finding meaning in their lives through service to others, which is why I think this qualifies as good news. To find out more about the troop gr...

Some video of the groups we got to listen to at the Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Carin Mari and Pony Express - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fimyoutGTPo Sons of the San Joaquin - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us2I90YQ2ys&feature=PlayList&p=81CAF61EC55BAB2E&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=34

Had an absolutely fabulous time yesterday in Heber City. The occasion was the annual Cowboy Poetry Gathering and Buckaroo Fair. I've been wanting to see this gathering for awhile now, and as it was supposed to be such a gorgeous weekend, this seemed like the perfect opportunity. My friends Angel and Amy joined me for the excursion. We had a lovely colorful drive through Parley's Canyon and the Wasatch Valley up to Heber City. Most of the events were held at the new High School. There was a Mountain Man trade show going - we got to see a real live Blacksmith at work - outside the school. Inside we were surrounded by real live cowboys, and all sorts of other folks who'd come from far away to check out the event. We got to hear some traditional cowboy poetry and stories, and got to hear some terrific western music. A couple of the groups we really liked were Carin Mari and Pony Express (her sound reminded me of Suzy Boggess), and the Sons of the San Joaquin (kind of a S...

I saw an idea on a website today, that I quite liked. It was a website about being healthy, eating right, and getting a handle on your emotional eating. The idea was that with proper positive coaching from them, you could learn to work through your emotions to avoid the over-eating and stay in better physical health. There was a particular concept they mentioned, that sounded interesting to me. They called it "Emotional Ammo", and it's basically a deck of cards where on one side, you've written the emotion, and on the other, approaches about what to do when you feel that emotion, so that you don't eat when you shouldn't. For instance, if you're lonely, reach out to others. If you're overwhelmed, stop and take a breath and start planning better. If you're angry, clean. The list goes on. I think there's definitely some truth to that. Well, for only $60, you can buy this deck from the website. Eh - Pass on that. I really like the idea, ...