Kissed by a Wolf

  It is early in the morning and I am awakened by a big wet nose in my face. My new best friend, or maybe I should call him my “Grand-dog/wolf” loves to wake up grandma with a big kiss. Part timber wolf, arctic wolf and malamute, Diablo is also very much human. His favorite thing in the world besides Daddy is water and whenever his water dish is near the sink he starts to hop up in the air like a giant rabbit. Unfortunately at the mature age of 11, his bladder does not hold the water very long so he needs to take a lot of trips outside. When his leash is presented he hops in the air, all excited to go out. Every morning the two of us go for a walk, which is a bit challenging because he REALLY PULLS, especially if we run into another dog, cat or squirrel. Diablo, also called affectionately “Ruppy” loves to talk and voices his opinions all the time. I never thought that I would fall in love with a wolf and look forward to his kisses.

Diablo may look scary but he is just a big baby

This week-end starts out with the movie Paranormal Activity 3 and tomorrow is the “I Heart Brains” Denver Zombie Crawl. Since I can’t get anyone else to dress up with me, it looks like I will just be a spectator this time.... maybe, still undecided. Well It should be a lot of fun anyways, and I promise to take a lot of pictures. So what are you doing this week-end? Hope you have fun doing whatever it is.

Sentimental Reunion

Life is full of surprises and I have certainly had my fair share.

It was a surprise to me that I found my sons father with little effort after 35 years on Facebook. It was a surprise to me that he wanted to get involved and to know his son. It was a surprise to me that we would become friends and one day stand together with our son, who we had given up for adoption so many years ago. Monday, we all got to spend the day together. He flew in from Texas for a meeting related to his job a day early in order to spend time with us. It was a very surreal experience that is hard to put into words. It was cold and raining that day, so we just went out for lunch and spent the day hanging out at our sons apartment. We looked at pictures, reminisced and talked about the future. In a strange sentimental sort of way the hours pasted quickly and then we drove him back to his hotel and said good-bye. I don’t know when I will see him again but I am glad that my son got the chance to spend a day with both his parents. It may have been surreal for all of us, but as I said, life is full of surprises.

Father, Son and Mom together for the first time

People say he looks like both of us. I think he looks more like me, but then again, I guess I am partial. What do you guys think?

Mother and Son

Father and Son

Our sons wolf is indifferent, here he is all upset because he can't play with the frog brothers

  Denvers Zombie Crawl is coming up and I am undecided, should I dress up as a zombie, or not? Have a great day and I will be back soon with more updates on my trip!

My Memory Box

Some of the greatest moments in life are free. I try to keep these in my memory box, stored away safely behind my mind’s eye where I can take them out whenever I need too.  Overwhelming beauty, extreme peace, the abundance of joy and the sensations of love, these are the memories in a moment that are meant to be treasured. Here are a few that I collected these past few days.

 My son and I looking over South Park Valley

Norway does have its mountains, but Colorado has mountains just as beautiful.

Fairplay, Co.

 Outside of Breckenridge, Co

Frisco, Co.

 Breckenridge, Co.

 My memory box will never be too full and this week I will continue filling it. Hope you are filling yours as well.

Pay it forward and the Danish Frog Brothers

In today’s post I have three blogs that I want to mention as part of Matthew MacNish at the blog, The Quintessentially Questionable Query Experiment and, Alex J. Cavanaugh blog fest, Pay it Forward. These are blogs that I really enjoy reading. Like favorite jewelry I take them out of my box and look at them whenever I can.

The crazy life of a writing mom

The hilarious “misadventures of a writing mom” is the place you need to go for a good laugh. She has made me laugh so hard that my neighbors have come knocking on my door.

In Time

“Creativity is a terrible thing to waste.” Michael Di Gesu has more than his fair share of creativity. Writing, art and design are his passions and he shares them with such beauty that he makes me want to crawl up inside his words.

Melissas Imaginarium  

If you want to know about the movies and you have a good sense of humor take a mind trip to this blog. Melissa has a point of view that is very entertaining.

CrazyWorld  
What can I say; I love crazy and look for it where ever I can. Funny and charming, this accident prone crazy lady shares her craziness in ways that will keep you laughing for days.

Frederik and Henrik reunited

 Frogging out on my Chili

Frederik and Henrik have been hoping around from blog to blog. My favorite brother frogs, who you can read about here, hope you get a chance to check out all of these blogs. I have not seen so much of my Danish Frog friends since Frederik and I arrived in Denver. They have been busy doing their own thing and staying out of trouble for the most part, however, yesterday they got into my pot of chili. Frogs and chili are not a good combination. Both of my friends are feeling a bit under the weather today so I don’t think they will be up for going to the movies. Tonight I am going to see “The Thing” with my son and his girlfriend. I loved John Carpenters original, so it should be interesting to see this prequel. Otherwise this week-end we are taking a trip to South park and I am meeting my sons father who I have not seen for 35 years. What are you doing this week-end? Whatever it is, I hope you have a great week-end!

Stuff Yourself Brazilian Style

If you have a big appetite you still need to wear loose clothes if you plan on eating at Texas de Brazil. By the time you cannot squeeze any more food into that storage place you call your stomach you will want to cry. 

Yesterday I went out for dinner with my son and his girlfriend to celebrate his birthday at this amazing place, and I experienced a meat orgy like none other. The Brazilian clad waiters kept coming with tasty spits of assorted grilled meats that they eloquently carved onto our plates throughout the entire dining experience. It is up to the diner to say stop and go with small table cards that are red on one side and green on the other. You can drive your plate on a meat highway all night long if you so choose. The salad bar was amazing, the atmosphere incredible and the service outstanding. A word of advice, do not eat much before going there.

 After dinner, stuffed but still smiling

We are a lot alike, my son and I. That is what his girlfriend says, but I really don't need her to tell me that. We share a love for good food, movies, books, music and we both have that goofy and some times very "Blond" sense of humor. We both love to cook, he made me an incredible Pot Roast the other day and today it is my turn in the kitchen. I am off to explore his cupboards and experiment with a foreign stove to see if I can whip up some home made "Texas" style chili. This should be interesting.

Have a great day everyone, and come back soon to see how the chili turned out.

Our First Birthday

It may have taken 35 years but I finally get to celebrate my son’s birthday with him. October is a big birthday month. My birthday was the 9^th, my son the “Musicians birthday” is today, and my daughter the “Artists” birthday is on the 27^th. Being able to finally be together with them on their birthdays is a wonderful and long awaited experience that I am looking forward to.

 Our first meeting at the airport

My son has worked hard to get to where he is today. Being left with no choice but to give him up for adoption, he was raised in Mpls. by two loving parents, both of which died while my son was still quite young. His grandparents also passed away, leaving him on his own. 

 Hanging out with his friends and music

After finishing high school and holding down several different kinds of jobs he eventually turned one of his hobbies into a career. My son is a geek and works as an onsite computer technician for Best Buys “Geek Squad.” Today he is living in Denver, sharing his apartment with a wolf and he has a wonderful girlfriend.

  

Dressed for work

 

Talented, determined, intelligent, funny, loyal, stubborn, proud, attractive and trustworthy. Those are some of his qualities. I am proud to be his mother and I love him more every day. We are going out for dinner with his girlfriend to celebrate his birthday and I will be posting pictures of that and our other adventures soon.

So---Happy Birthday Sweetheart, I am so happy to be spending it with you!

Across the Atlantic

As Frederick the frog and I flew across the Atlantic and past several time zones, we watched the sun and waited for darkness to fall. Who knew that a day could be so long and the Atlantic ocean so large? Norway turned into Amsterdam, then Atlanta and finally after 18 hours Denver. It was almost midnight and I felt like Cinderella going to the ball, almost afraid that at the stroke of 12 my fairytale would disappear. 

Jet-lag followed me off the plane and into the airport terminal where my son and his girlfriend were waiting for me. Finally I was going to meet my son, and when I put my arms around him I knew that a part of me that was lost had come home. After almost 35 years the image of a small baby boy behind a glass window was replaced with the warm smile of a man excited to meet his mother. There are no words that could possibly describe the emotions that filled that first embrace.

It has only been a few days since I arrived in Denver. I am still adjusting to the time difference and although I feel tired all the time, sleep does not come easy. Sleeping seems like such a waste of time. Denver is a beautiful place. The weather is fantastic, the mountains majestic but for the time being I cannot seem to concentrate on any of that. I am too busy with the most important thing Denver has to offer and that is getting to know my son. 

Meet Herr. Frederik the Frog of Denmark

Frk. Reisende Duck also better known as Anne will not be crossing the Atlantic with me this time. She has come down with a bad case of bird flu and is unable to travel. I was rather upset that Anne would not be joining me on this adventure but I happen to have convinced a good friend of mine to make this trip with me. He always wanted to come along but is terrified of flying. More of a water creature by nature let me introduce to you, Herr. Frederik the Frog of Denmark. 

Herr.Frederik the Frog of Denmark

A few years ago while I was working on the ferry boat to Denmark I met Frederik and his twin brother Henrik hiding in a storage closet on-board the boat. They were stowaway frogs, too poor to pay for passage to Norway. They told me about their hard life in Denmark and how they had lost their whole family to a group of ozone corrupted pollutant frogs. These frogs travel in large groups around Denmark devouring all healthy frogs that they come across. Hearing about the abundance of water and fresh air in Norway they decided to make a hop for it and smuggled themselves on-board the first vessel going there. I felt sorry for these sad little frogs and hid them in my cabin until we arrived in Norway. They came home with me and have been living happily together until last May.

When I found out that I had a son that was living in Colorado, Henrik got all excited and begged me to send him to America. So after a few sad good-byes, I sent him off in a large white envelope to stay with my son. Frederik who was too terrified of flying decided to stay behind. He has been missing his brother very much so it wasn’t too hard to convince him to travel with me in my hand luggage. Tomorrow the two of us are going on a great adventure to meet my son in Colorado and to reunite Frederik with his brother. We will also be taking a trip to Minnesota to visit my daughter and her family. Frederik is excited about seeing his brother again, meeting my son and daughter, going on his first Zombie crawl and Halloween party and so much more. He will be making appearances on my blog from time to time this month to tell you all about his adventures, so don’t forget to come back again soon.

Happy hopping everyone, and see you soon on the other side.

PANIC : IWSG

My second post for the Insecure Writers Support Group is about Panic. As a writer we are forced to meet certain deadlines and make compromises that do not always leave us smiling. As these deadlines approach time has a funny way of moving faster, excuses turn into a work of art, and as you stare at words that make no sense panic takes over. Do you recognize that feeling? If you are anything like me you tend to wait until that last minute. In a confused state of denial you will look at the calendar and at the clock and say, “That can’t be right!”  So what do you do? How do you focus to get things done when that nasty panic takes control and you sit there like a zombie staring into space?

Overdrive is a natural built in human defense mechanism. For same strange reason panic is the trigger that puts me into overdrive. Once I accept it for what it is, I push it aside and move on with super speed to get things done. I work well under pressure, I do not waste time and I become more focused. So my word of advice here is to not fear panic, do not let it take control of you for too long. Panic came to visit for a reason, so once you have said hello, politely close the door as it leaves. Then you can find your super human “writing overdrive” and get things done.

Summers End

October has always been one of my favorite months. I love the smell of it, the colors that span the horizon and the feel of the crisp air against my cheek. The last traces of summer scatter in the wind and as I walk on a colored path of leaves towards winter, summer will end, but I will carry this one with me always.

Summers End

The flavor of summer has changed.

The clouds rolled in to let me know

that soon the ground will be covered in snow.

The trees sigh, the flowers bow,

the harvest waits the farmers plow.

It is time for the night to sing its song

and bend the days to sing along.

While we watch this summers end

and taste the autumn on its breath,

we gather its bounty in our arms

and lay the ground so soon to rest.

----Siv Maria

This Saturday I will be trading in the beauty of a Norwegian October for one in Denver Colorado and Mpls., Minnesota. If any of my blogging friends are in this area I would love to meet you. Just send me an e-mail and let me know. Next time you hear from me I will be sitting someplace far away, looking out another window and enjoying the company of my son.

Wish me luck on my journey because I seriously do not enjoy long plane trips or airports.