getting satisfaction.

I feel pretty good these days. And I haven't posted in a while, so I guess I was kind of thinking I didn't need my "online therapy," aka, my blog. But I am figuring out that it's good to write about the good stuff too. To constantly be reminded of the blessings you receive every single day in multitude.

I had a fabulous night Friday with the girls and their friends, and moms and Don, as we whooped it up for the HSM3 premiere in New Lenox. There is nothing quite like knowing, in the midst of an event, that you are participating in a night that people will remember for the rest of their lives. The moms talked about when they first saw "Grease" and "Star Wars." Do you remember those experiences? This was kind of like that level of excitement, except I got to scream out loud when Zac Efron appeared on stage! whoop-whoop-whoop!

It was a blast!

But I digress...

My photo business is gaining momentum, and I have kicked off my "revival project," a charitable endeavor that I hope will have a life of it's own and help me to feel very, very good about the gift I possess and the way I choose to use it.

Every month I will devote a few hours (in Chicago, we say "a couple, two, tree") to photographing single moms and their children for a "new-ish" family portrait. I have figured out a few basic truths in the past year:

1. Everyone loves photos of themselves with their kids.
2. Photographs stabilize life and bring great joy to all who surround themselves with them.
3. Single moms need new photos during a difficult time, and their resources can be very strained.

For $25, I will take the portrait, give the mom an 8x10 photograph and donate $10 to the Crisis Center for South Suburbia, a local organization that provides assistance to battered women and children.

I feel very, very good about this latest project. It is a labor of love, and any single mom is welcome to participate whether they are divorced, separated, widowed or never been married.

I am not interested in the circumstances of someone's personal life, but do want to spread the word.

So, do me that favor and let's all get some satisfaction.

Have a great week.

there's no place like home.

So the game outcome was the only slightly less-than-great thing about being back in Champaign this Homecoming weekend. It was a balmy 88 degrees and we were roasting in the upper deck. The girls did great and had fun cheering for the Illini. They love going there, and I love that they do.

I also had the pleasure of the company of my niece, Lizzie, who is thinking about going there in two years to study engineering. Yes, she is both beautiful and smart! Considering I have been gently nudging her in that direction since she was born, no one could be happier!

We made our annual photos by the Alma Mater statue, and she is as beautiful as ever!

The Quad trees are turning red and gold, and it felt like the very best days spent on campus as a student. We snuck into classrooms at Gregory Hall, and the girls sat at desks in some of the rooms that I learned about journalism, philosophy and history. Greg Hall smelled exactly the same, and it was like a warm, comfortable blanket. Ever reliable for the way it always was and likely ever will be.

I spent Saturday night at the DI, in their fantastic new building on Green Street. It's not where I worked while I was there (20 years ago now, YIKES!) but it still feels like coming home.

And that's the key. The audience at dinner ranged in age from 93! to current students. And though not tied by years spent working together, we all enjoyed the same experience of working for the paper. We learned the sense of camaraderie and teamwork was the very same in 1935 as it was in 1985. It pretty much is the same in 2008. The connective thread is amazing, so that even if you don't know each other, you kind of know each other, if that makes sense.

I was so happy to be there, sharing the experience of my "home away from home" with three young women I love, and lots of friends that I love too.

I can't wait to go back!

so how late was he?

Today I went to Chicago State University to cover a dedication of the "Emil and Patricia Jones Convocational Center" at Chicago State University. It was a lovely event, and a gathering of the powerhouse Jones family with Emil's son, Emil III getting ready to take over dad's seat in Springfield, and a tribute to a man who spent most of his adult life in politics.

So, Blagojevich was there. A half-hour late. Which is early for him. This particular government official doesn't wear a watch, and regularly shows up late anywhere he is expected to be. I once waited upwards of two hours and 45 minutes for him to show his face at an expected appearance, and I am not kidding.

The bigger picture of this is that it reminds me how disrespectful it is, not to the news media in particular (though it is) but to people like Emil Jones, who was expecting to dedicate a building at 10AM that had his and his late wife Patricia's name on it.

I suffer my own shortcomings when I need to be on time. I recognize it, I admit and I am working on it. I have friends who are ALWAYS on time (Patti) and those who are NEVER on time (not mentioning!)

But I am working on it, and hanging around the guv certainly makes for a good reminder on how to lose friends and alienate people.

Get a watch.

every day is a new blank page.

Ooops, sorry for those who got the blank email just now! I accidentally sent without writing. Quickest read on the Internet!

My dad was over last night. He summed up the election in three sentences:

She's an idiot. He's old. Do you want her running the country if he dies?

(I just wanted to share that lug nut of wisdom with you!)

I had some great things happen to me this week. I have a great new opportunity to grow my business through a partnership with Drama Queens here in Mokena, which hosts little girls dress-up birthday parties. Thank you Nickey, whose eyes and ears are spectacular! I am ironing out the details, but it looks like it will work. I also received three calls from people wanting me to do work for them.

The Sox made it into the playoffs, and it's a good thing it's a five-game series. Boo Devil Rays.

After this year, I hope to never work another Christmas as long as I live. I said that out loud today.

I am continuing in my Divorce Care class, which I really enjoy. I have met some great people, and the friendships are shoring up for the long term!

The best bit of wisdom I can share came from class tonight:

Every day is a fresh start, every day is a blank page in the re-write of your story. Even when things don't go as you had thought, hoped and wished, you still have that blank page. Decide what you are going to do with it, and re-write your story.

On a sad note, a girl I knew from high school, Karen Praska, died this past weekend. She was 41 and had a great husband and four children.

Her life was way too short. Please keep her in your prayers.