Away....

23rd Psalm

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.

I will be away for a while with my family in Ohio. We lost a cherished loved one and home is the only place I can be right now-- close to family.

I've told you about Dave, my Mom's sweet husband-- His beautiful daughter passed away from a long battle with cancer. Our family will gather and love and support each other while our hearts break.

Hold your loved ones extra close today.

xo

Joanna

Summer Resolutions

Spring is in full bloom and summer is just around the corner. Finally!

But, it seems like every Labor Day weekend I'm asking myself where the summer went. It happens without fail! Before I realize it, Memorial Day, July 4th, the glorious weather, and all things summer have flown by without a moment to enjoy any of it. But this year I'm planing ahead and that's going to change, baby!

This year, I'm making my list of Summer Resolutions and I'm sticking to it-- I'm making plans, organizing my calendar, spending quality time with family and friends, slathering on the sunscreen and ceasing the opportunity to ENJOY the best months of the year!

My Summer Resolutions are simple--

1) Potluck dinners will be on the calendar faster than you can say "pass the potato salad" to connect with friends I don't see nearly as often as I'd like.

2) Plant tomatoes-- My BFF has seedlings for me in her greenhouse and this summer I'm going to nurse those gems into beautiful, ripe fruit that makes my mouth water just thinking about it.

3) Godson and I will fly to Ohio to meet the newest addition to our family-- My sweet niece's baby is due June 19th and I can't wait to get my hands on her.

4) Beloved Husband and I will sneak off for at least two extra long weekends together-- Hopefully one will be in NYC and the other with a spa massage for me and tennis for him.

5) I will find my treadmill again. I know it's here somewhere, under piles of junk, but I WILL find it and use it five days a week like I used to-- Because I want a lot of.....

6) Pool parties! (And this year I'd like to actually swim-- translation: wear a bathing suit.) After the massive repair job we're undertaking on our sinking pool and deck (The construction is moving along swimmingly, by the way.), we will definitely be splish-splashing this summer.

7) Yoga. I'm going to figure it out and find a class or two per week that Beloved and I can take together. Yes, zen is definitely in our future this summer.

8) War and Peace. I've never read but this summer-- Cover to cover by Labor Day.

9) I will remember to cut fresh flowers from the garden and bring them in the house to enjoy. We have huge rose bushes loaded with blooms that will brighten my days.

10) And I will partake in mindless entertainment, like this....

Cuz a girl needs a little fluff in the summer, especially after War and Peace.

What are YOUR Summer Resolutions?

Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com - Joanna Jenkins

Photo Credit: Joanna Jenkins

What's It Really About?

It's been easy for me to stay out of the Tiger Woods sex fiasco because, really, it's not my business. I'm sick of celebrity bad boys and girls in the news and have learned to tune them out-- Until now.

Thanks to The Masters Golf Tournament and Tiger's big debut after rehab, this little ditty has been on the airwaves....

"Tiger, I am more prone to be inquisitive to promote discussion. I want to find out what your thinking was. I want to find out what your feelings are, and did you learn anything?"

It's supposed to be Earl Woods, Tiger's father, speaking in the commercial.

Yes, we all know Nike is standing by their man. And yes, Tiger is facing the music so to speak. But bringing his late father into the whole sorted, nasty, mess is, in my opinion, tasteless-- proving to me, that it really is all about money.

What do you think?

Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com - Joanna Jenkins

Wobbling

So there I was at the cemetery-- An old friend, June, passed away on April Fool's Day-- She would have found great humor in that so I mention it here-- And she was being buried on Easter Sunday, again another "rising" subject she'd have made a joke about with no disrespect intended.

I arrived early for the funeral to visit another dear friend, "S", buried at the same cemetery a year and a half ago. "S" was a great, great, gal pal and I miss her terribly.

I'd been standing at her grave for a good ten minutes-- On my toes, so my high heels wouldn't sink into the ground. It was windy and I was sad and I started to feel a little wobbly. I blamed it on crying and my shoes so I stepped onto a paved walkway next to her grave. With both feet firmly planted on the sidewalk, I still felt uneasy and I momentarily questioned if I was about to passout.

Hmmm, my head felt fine, but my vision, as I focused on the grave marker, was shaky at best. I continued to wobble but a few moments later felt fine again. I thought it best to slowly make my way to the gathering for June's funeral.

I sat at the back of the Chapel in case I was in fact getting sick and needed to make a hasty retreat. But by the time the funeral started I was beginning to think I had dreamed the whole thing. My eyes focused, the prayers were easy to read, and standing and sitting weren't a problem.

After the service, I stood out in the fresh air and breathed deeply. Since I was feeling fine I dismissed the earlier incident as a heavy heart.

Then I started my car and turned on the radio. Helloooo! Earthquake! Why didn't I think of that? I'd felt a big 7.2 quake centered in northern Mexico that lasted upwards of 40 seconds. I didn't have spaghetti legs, or vision problems, the earth really was moving. Dang, I hate when that happens.

Once I figured things out, I thought of my friend, June, and what a kick she would have gotten out of having an earthquake at her funeral. Her sense of humor was legendary and I'm sure she was looking down at me saying with a wink, "fooled you".

Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com - Joanna Jenkins

Photo Credit: © Vickie - Fotolia.com

Sundays In My City #30 - Let's Roll

Unknown Mami hosts a great Sunday theme inviting YOU to get out and take pictures of your city and/or Sunday to share with the rest of blogland. Click HERE to see Unknown Mami's Sunday in her City today.

No matter where people are from, if they haven't experienced one before and they are in California, the conversation usually turns to earthquakes. For the record, I hate earthquakes-- A LOT, but I'm happy to talk about them with out-of-towners.

Several members of my niece's University's Horse Riding Team and their families asked about earthquakes last weekend. I explained how they rock and roll and make noise and scare the daylights out of me. But all agreed they'd like to experience one before they left town-- Preferably a small-ish one.

These banner are all over town promoting "April is Earthquake Preparedness Month". Who knew?!? Note the tagline... Are You Ready To Roll?

After the horse show finished (and they came in 1st place), the Team made a side trip to Hollywood to see the Walk of Fame, Madam Tussauds, the Kodak Theater and the likes, including this sightseeing bus below that made me laugh out loud.

Both buses are for Hollywood tours but the blue one sold the entire side of their bus for a toilet paper advertising campaign with the tagline-- Now Softer & Stronger. That's How We Roll. It's a campaign that's been running for a while-- Call me crazy, but it cracks me up.

I'm not sure which is funnier-- The Toilet Paper bus answering the Earthquake Banner question or that tons of people pay $40 to ride in a bus selling toilet paper-- And I'm pretty sure the TP advertisement isn't also on the side of the bus the door is on.

But, as they say in showbiz-- Just roll with it baby.

Follow-up Sunday 5:30pm - YES! I felt the 7.2 earthquake centered in Mexico. It was a rolling long one but mild in our area. I'll post more about it soon.

How's your Sunday?

Welcome to The Fifty Factor - Joanna Jenkins

Photo Credit: Joanna Jenkins

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Blue Ribbon

Living cross-country from my family means I've missed a lot of milestones, adventures and thrills with them, especially my ten nieces and nephews. (Ages 12 - 28) But I fly home to Ohio as often as I can, usually 4 or 5 times a year, and try to cram as much time together as I possibly can in my always too short visits.

Over the years I somehow managed to time trips around the birth of several of the kids, and as they grew, checked schedules for special events and activities they'd be participating in so I could cheer them on in person from the sidelines.

One of those events was a horse show my baby sister's oldest daughter, Cee, participated in when she was 8 years old. She'd taken English and Western riding lessons for a while when the instructor arranged for a show competition complete with ribbons and judges so the kids could get the experience for future 4-H riding programs.

Yes, I'm a bragging Auntie, so you won't be surprised when I tell you Niece Cee won her very first blue ribbon-- 1st place in her 1st horse show! That was in 1998 and I have still this picture on my office bulletin board because it was such a special day that I was thrilled to have witnessed.

Fast forward to last week when Cee was in town for Spring Break from college and for the collegiate Semi-Final riding competition with her Midwestern university's equestrian team-- which just happened to be held in Los Angeles over the weekend. (Lucky me!)

We spent five great days together taking in all the usual tourist attractions and girl-talking before I dropped her off with the team to buckled down and prepare for their big competition on Saturday and Sunday.

I'm at the age when I regularly feel "the changing of the guard" so to speak, as the younger generation matures into adulthood and I step back and watch them spread their independent wings taking them to college, into marriages and even parenthood.

It seems like just yesterday I was knitting baby blankets for them. Now we're discussing career plans, life goals and baby names while I'm in awe of their many accomplishments.

And speaking of accomplishments-- Cee's team won 1st place in the Semi Finals competition which qualified them for the National Championship competition next month in Kentucky! Not bad for a little girl who's first horse show was in a small pasture wearing a pair of too big riding boots and a very proud smile.

Watching Cee ride, seeing her success and her team's victory was a blue ribbon moment for me.

Have you had a blue ribbon moment lately?

Welcome to The Fifty Factor - Joanna Jenkins

PS I'm back from Spring Break vacation (and resting up from vacation!) and will be making the rounds to catch up with you all this weekend. xo jj

Photo Credit: Joanna Jenkins