On Sunday December 21st 2003, Tom and I were married in our home, standing near our Christmas tree, with bare minimum of friends & family as our witnesses. One thing we didn’t count on was for the Reverend to be so hurried that he made a couple of mistakes. For one, he asked if I would take Rick. My husband’s name is Tom. Secondly, and probably the greater offense, the Rev. performed the dreaded White Rose ceremony.
Forgive me if you are a fan of the White Rose ceremony. Hubby and I did not request it, and couldn’t believe our eyes when those artificial flowers appeared. Two bogus, long-stemmed roses which must remain together as symbols of our love. If either of us were angry with the other, we were to remove one rose from the vase. Hold up! Vase? These plastic perennials were not getting their own vase! But I digress. Our partner would surely notice the single rose and clear the air.
Over the years the roses have endured much abuse in the hands of our two daughters. The girls have devised their own sport. Fencing with flowers. Invariably each night I mend the flowers and place them atop my dresser mirror.
Somehow the flowers have weaseled their way into my heart, and as strange as it may seem, I am comforted when I see them together. Perhaps they do represent our life. Exhausted and abused by our children daily, finding refuge in our bedroom each night.
Haha! The White Roses made it into this picture!
• Are you a fan of fake foliage?
• How do you know your partner is miffed?
Slim-Fast Blueberry Muffin Bar. Full of flavor and only 140 calories. Is that oatmeal? Are those blueberries? Sign me up!
Dole’s Hearty Italian Salad Kit. Knock me over with a feather. This isn’t your typical bag o’salad. This mix has leafy greens, garlic croutons, cracked peppercorn, chunks of aged parmesan, diced salami, and a Chianti vinaigrette. ::: slurp! ::: Fava beans not included. A slimming 180 calories per flavorful serving.
My Dad made my big noggin out of a punch ball and paper mache. Crafty guy, huh?
Tuesday night while flipping through channels I stopped on Discovery’s Ghost Lab. I haven’t seen many ghost hunter documentaries, but those I have are all hype and zero evidence. Ghost Lab was different. Maybe it was their specialized equipment, or perhaps these two fellows have a real knack for enticing ghosts out of hiding. Yes, they had evidence, but I was still left scratching my head, wondering if it was all a hoax.
This animatronic mouse is not plugged in to any outlet, yet Chucky’s proprietor has heard a man’s voice coming out of the speaker on several occasions. The Klinge Brothers wait until the sun sets, then enter the establishment to have a little chat with the ghost. 
Founder Descendant: I got up early to take a picture of my friend dressed up like an old time pizzeria employee. When I had the film developed, we saw my great, great, not so great uncle in the background! This is not photoshopped. It’s film, and the image is on the negative. My lips are moving, so it must be true.
Later, in the lab, each frame of film is analyzed. After many tedious hours of scanning the images, the team hits pay dirt! A “shadow person”is visible in one photo.
