5 things that made me smile this week

Laughing about.........Chaco Tans.

Dreaming of...............Russia.

Missing.......................Spokane.

Remembering............Badger Creek.

Craving.......................Pike Street Market's Mac & Cheese.

Favorite Things

Now introducing my favorite things posts. No, I'm not Oprah...obviously, but there are things in this world that I think are just great. Today I am highlighting:

Milkshakes

(more specifically chocolate malted milkshakes)

I'm not talking about the kind that brings all da' boys to the yard. I'm talking about the sweet, cold, ice cream treat: the stuff of diners and muffin tops.

The term "milkshake" was first used in print in 1885 and was an alcoholic whiskey drink with the consistency of the eggnog that we drink today. Five years later in 1900, they were referred to as "wholesome drinks made with chocolate, vanilla or strawberry syrups." Soon after that, they were requested with ice cream and by the 1930s milkshakes were a popular drink at malt shops which were popular meeting places or hangouts for students. When the blender came around in 1922, it gave the milkshake that modern whipped and frothy form. That same year, the use of malted milk powder was popularized in the USA by the Chicago drugstore chain Walgreens....and aren't we grateful.

Every time I have a milkshake, I am transported to another time. A time of jukeboxes, checkerboard floors, and full circle skirts, record players, chrome bar stools and roller skates. They are happiness in a stainless steel cup. Add a dollop of whipped cream and I'm done for. It soothes...it relaxes...and it fattens all in one fail swoop.

Love it. Crave it. Gotta have it.

26 Ways to Stick it to the Man

"Oh, you don't know the man? Well he's everywhere. In the White House, down the hall...And the man ruined the ozone, and he's burning down the Amazon, and he kidnapped Shamu and put her in a chlorine tank. There used to be ways to stick it to the man. It was called Rock 'n' Roll." Here are some other ideas on how to stick it to the man...feel free to add your own:

1. Start a business

2. Become politically active

3. Write a book

4. Sing in your car, the shower, the bathroom stall, and during important meetings

5. Don't get into debt...get out of debt

6. Keep your pennies

7. Walk on the grass

8. Drink milk straight from the carton

9. Run with scissors

10. Fake it till you make it

11. Wear socks with sandals

12. Walk into a restaurant with a gorilla costume on

13. Be good or be good at it

14. Instead of walking, skip

15. Push a door that says pull

16. Slide down the supermarket isles in your socks

17. Ignore the food pyramid

18. Use and get free stuff, even if you don't need it

19. Do random acts of kindness (Sometimes you stick it to the man by going out and loving the man while sticking it to him)

20. Be fearless

21. Make funny faces at people when they're not looking

22. Stick your head out the car window and laugh maniacally while driving double the posted speed limit in the underground parking garage

23. Listen to rock music (You're welcome Jack Black)

24. Be weird

25. Keep loud

26. Get a life

Feeling grateful

Just yesterday, I was thinking about my first pair of point shoes. I still have them in a box in my closet; the only pair I've kept. The day I bought them was a proud day, for they were well earned. My ankles had to have a certain strength and my skill and technique had to handle the responsibility. My fellow dancers and I had been preparing for this day for quite some time. Going to the dance shop was a field trip for us young dancers, not unlike seeing a museum of dinosaur bones for the first time. Phillip, the fitter, placed lambs wool in the box of the shoe as to soften the shock of skin on wood. The anatomy of a point shoe doesn't exactly aid in pretty feet, other than when one is wearing them to dance. I placed my hands in his as he aided me in rising to my tippy toes. I might as well had been on the tippy top of the world.

Agnes De mille, a dancer, said, "To dance is to be out of yourself. Larger, more beautiful, more powerful. This is power, it is glory on earth and it is yours for the taking." That is how I felt in that moment. Taller. Stronger. Proud. Strange how something so foreign can bring so much happiness. I had never worn point shoes before, yet I somehow felt that I had made a new friend. My love for dance has only grown as I have. I smile when I remember that first time and the many times that dance changed me for the better. If ever there was a short-cut to happiness, dancing is certainly one of them.

Freedom is what dance gives you; Freedom of the heart, freedom from the mind, even freedom from your body. It's like the soles of your feet take flight. You can be anyone or anything in that moment. When I am on stage, and I am dancing, that is when I feel the most "me." I feel that if I have something to say, I can say it without saying a word. I am moved by it, inspired by it, touched by it. It's pure creativity. It is pure being..."to chase the glowing hours with flying feet." So...I'm feeling grateful that it exists and that I can exist in it.

"The dancer believes that his art has something to say which cannot be expressed in words or in any other way than by dancing...there are times when the simple dignity of movement can fulfill the function of a volume of words. There are movements which impinge upon the nerves with the strength that is incomparable, for movement has power to stir the senses and emotions, unique in itself. This is the dancer's justification for being, and his reason for searching further for deeper aspects of his art." - Doris Humphrey, dance pioneer.

Dream Big

Have you ever wondered what you would be or do if you knew you could not fail? My mind goes wild with possibilities. Climb Mount Everest. Be a backup singer. Write a book. Be a choreographer. But there's one dream that makes me howl like a wolf:

Talk Show Host

How cool would that be?

You could see the world, interview all kinds of people, and basically get paid to be curious. So...I've made a goal and I've given myself a 90 day deadline: 3 months. 12 weeks. 90 days. Phew! I have no idea how I'm going to do this, but all I know is that I am going to do it!

Here's my affirmation: " I bring awareness to things I'm passionate about with my witty, witty banter, love for humanity, and perspective as a talk show host."

Thank you, Thank you

Yes, this is pretty "out there," But since when have I asked for something this big of the universe. Why not? Why shouldn't I be able to shoot for the stars. Anything can happen. I'm taking a risk here. But courageous risks are life-giving, they help you grow, make you brave, and help you realize that you're better than you think you are.

Gift of Life

In the fashion of Maria Von Trapp, let's start at the very beginning; a very good place to start. I met life on May 9,1987. At an impressive 2lb 4oz, I passed more for a frog than a child. Supposedly I needed a couple of more months in the oven, but I was anxious to get started on what would prove to be my

greatest

adventure

yet.......

Life!

There's a Chinese Proverb that states, "The miracle is not to fly in the air, or to walk on the water, but to walk on the earth." We are all little miracles. Our bodies holding a heart that will beat 3,000 million times in a lifetime. Our mind that contains, on average, about 100 billion nerve cells and when those nerves fire up, that impulse travels at about 170 miles per hour. In the last 24 hours, you've breathed almost 24,000 times. In and out...in and out.

We are only given one human body, one life. This is it. I often ask myself, "Am I treating my life as a miracle or less than? Am I using this gift for good? What am I learning from this life?"

What are some of your thoughts on the gift of life?