Blogging

1. Total # of films you own on DVD/VHS : With ones I inherited from hubby approximately 150. Most likely more.

2. Last Film I bought : Wasn’t a film per se, but the Season One of Nip/Tuck. (That Dr. Christian Troy is damn sexy!)

3. Last Film I watched : Enduring Love. (Don’t ask)

4. Five films I watch alot, and that mean a lot to me: Tombstone (The all time best Western, of all time!) Gone with the Wind. Parenthood with Steve Martin.  The Godfather Trilogy. And Jesus of Nazareth.

5. Is now tag five new victims. So here goes. 1. You know I love you Rachel! from Bitchalicious http://www.bitchalicious.com/blog/
2. Becky http://beckypretz.blogspot.com/ at April Fool. (I hear you like movies! Ask Jade, she told me.)
3. Sassy! Saaaaaaaasssseeeeeee! I know you’re out there! http://www.sassybrat.net/
from SassyBrat! I know you’ll help a girl out!
4. Dawn, I’ve never nailed you before...so its your turn. http://webmiztris.diaryland.com/ Thanks Dawn at Tiny voices in my head!
5. Hey Blondie, how ya doin’?:-) http://runningblonde.webcrap.net/ And I know Blondie at Running Blonde will be a good sport and play along;-)

Sorry Gals! This really isn’t my fault here. If ya wanna go egg G-mans site at Digital Fishwrap???
Just kiddin G-Man!!! This was short and painless.

Total Volume of music on my hard drive :  Zip! None. Nada. Nothing. Zilch.
I would actually have to KNOW how to do this, for any to exist.

Last CD I bought :  Bud Buckley’s Feel my Love http://budbuckley.com/blog/

Song playing right now : INXS—Never Tear Us Apart

Five songs I listen to a lot : Journey-- Don’t Stop Believin’

Journey--Stone in Love

INXS--Never Tear Us Apart

INXS--What You Need

Terri Clark-- You’re Easy on the Eyes

OK, now the next one is Five Bloggers I’m tagging! Since this Meme is bringing our the closeted Bitch in me, I’m gonna be ruthless. But will add, that you can take your time getting this Meme up and displayed. (Just can’t come outta the closet completely!) Don’t worry, I’m thinkin if I hang around Priss long enough, that inner bitch will most certainly come outta the closet eventually!

1. Jade at Jaded Sunburns http://azjade.com/ Take your time girlfriend I know you’re busy.

2. DB! at Corporate Crap and other Dubious Wisdom http://dbrooks.bfpmedia.com/

3. Ma! at Tutu Bent http://www.tutubent.com/ (I didn’t want to leave you out Ma!)

4. Andy Martello Tales from Andy Land http://andymartello.blogspot.com/ C’mon, we wanna know what your listening to.

5. Bud Buckley at Confessions of a singer/songwriter (When he gets back from Hawaii of course.) http://budbuckley.com/blog/

And when you’re done, be sure to tag five others. Whew! That wasn’t too painful!

Of course this list would not be complete without the very talented musician, and songwriter Bud Buckley, whose heart is as big as his talent! http://budbuckley.com/blog/
You can also pick up his CD there as well! I’m lovin’ mine!

And new to blogland, or maybe just to me, are The Vegas Brothers! http://thevegasbrothers.blogspot.com/ So far, I have only seen Nicky out there, roaming blogland, with his quick wit, and smooth lines. And he is racking up quite the list of eX-wives to be, here in blogland. Of course, I am proud to be a memeber of that list! OK, mainly because of the company there. He’s marked Jade at http://azjade.com/ at Jaded Sunburns to be one of his X’s. As well as Priss http://www.prissed.com/ from the House of Crap, and the beautiful Bitchatude http://btude.bfpmedia.com/ all of which are destined to be a Nicky X-wife! So I’m feelin’ pretty puffed up to be in such high esteemed company as these gorgeous and wonderful ladies!

While our backs are turned, who knows how many more X’s Nicky is gonna stack up! But they damn well better be as high a quality as the list he has established here in blogland. Wow! I already sound like an X wife!

These are some fun and funny sites! I highly recommend them to all who want to have a good time! I know I am. And have!

I was over visiting Becky at http://beckypretz.blogspot.com/ and her topic was about a friend from her college days, who died, far before he should have. As well as what she desribed as the end of her innocence.

Of course this got me to thinking about the end of my innocence. I know the time. I have long since recognized it, for what it is/was. I know how old I was, I know exactly how it felt, the shock and the pain. In that sense, I feel I had awesome parents, as they protected (over protected?) me from the end of my innocence until I was an adult. And then fate intervened to an extent. Having never lost anyone who was very close to me to death.

So the end of my innocence came at the demise of my first marraige. When I had a three month old baby, and I walked away battered and bruised. Honestly, I had never even given thought to the fact that I was a battered wife. (Slow on the uptake I tell ya!) I left my first husband just days before my 21st birthday.

I had hidden the facts that I was being beaten, and abused from my parents. And was very good at presenting this picture perfect little family when they were around. I assumed that I pushed him to do it. If I was a better wife, or a better housekeeper, or I didn’t mouth off when he was drinking, on and on and on and on with the excuses.

And always I forgave him, and we played fappy little hamily in between torture sessions. What he, or I didn’t realize or expect, was that my sense of motherhood would be so strong, that there was no way in Hell that I would raise my son in this situation. He put him at risk a couple of times. The baby became the pawn, in which he tortured me with.

When I left him, and drove to my parents house, I unloaded. Every last gory detail of the abuse to my dad. So torn up that I didn’t notice the quiet rage building in my father’s eyes, as he calmly let me vent, asking questions to get a better understanding. I don’t know what I thought he would do. Somehow save my marraige and make him not hit me anymore? That wasn’t the case, he wanted me out, period. And met Kevin #1’s rage, with his own. (A post for another time)

So began the journey of single parenthood. The divorce I swore I would never have. All the Christian upbringing, and happily ever after fairytales came crashing down. The shock and pain, and loneliness was unbearable, or so I thought. I came full circle, when I finally admitted to myself, that it wasn’t him that I missed. It was my innocence. He took it from me. Or more to the point, I handed it to him on a silver platter. And for many years after that, what was born was a hardness towards men. A definite I’ll get mine, and men be damned outlook! Time heals wounds if you allow it to. And I did, and I do allow for it now.

The end of innocence is a hard one to swallow for some. It was for me. But with it comes some sense of wisdom, and lessons learned if you allow for it. I would not trade my life experiences for anything. They make me who I am today, and I happen to like that person.

So waht I wanna know, if you can remember is what age did you loose your innocence? Do you remember? Was it the death of someone close, or another life experience that took it? What did you learn about yourself thru it? If you can, tell me, I wanna know…

Two old guys are pushing their carts around Wal-Mart when they
collide. The first old guy says to the second guy, “Sorry about that.
I’m looking for my wife, and I guess I wasn’t paying attention to where
I was going.”
The second old guy says, “That’s OK, It’s a coincidence. I’m
looking for my wife, too. I can’t find her and I’m getting a little
desperate.” The first old guy says, “Well, maybe I can help you
find her. What does she look like?”
The second old guy says: “Well, she is 27 yrs old, tall, with red
hair, blue eyes, long legs, big bust, and is wearing short shorts. What
does your wife look like?”
To which the first old guy says, “Doesn’t matter, let’s look for
yours.”

And one more, that made me chuckle a little!

An elderly couple, Roy and Bessie, recently moved to Texas. Roy has always wanted a pair of authentic cowboy boots. Seeing some on sale one day, he buys them and wears them home. Walking proudly into the house, he says to his wife, “Notice anything different about me?”

Bessie looks him over, “Nope.”

Frustrated, Roy storms off into the bathroom, undresses, and walks back into the room completely naked except for the boots. Again, he asks, a little louder this time, “Notice anything different now??”

Bessie looks up and says, “Roy, what’s different? It’s hanging down today, it was hanging down yesterday, it’ll be hanging down again tomorrow.”

Furious, Roy yells, “AND DO YOU KNOW WHY IT IS HANGING DOWN, BESSIE? IT’S HANGING DOWN BECAUSE IT’S LOOKING AT MY NEW BOOTS!!!!!!”

To which Bessie replies, “Shoulda bought a hat, Roy, Shoulda bought a hat.”

Ya, I like corny humor! No, actually I like ANYTHING for a laugh! Nothing is sacred, or taboo, where laughter is concerned. Gotta good joke? Gotta BAD joke? Send them my way!

It was great getting together with her for a lunch we have planned off and on for months now! She is a warm, down to earth, real person, and I just loved her! And look forward to continuing this new phase of our friendship that was started here in the blog world.

Her kids are near my kids age, and I hope to have them over soon for a day of swimming, eating and chatting! Jade, thank you for making the long trek out here! And for not making TOO much fun of me almost hitting the island in the middle of the road, on the way over to my house. I am normally spacey anyway. But this going w/o cigs thing, is making things a little more hazy.

While I’m confessing, I also managed to be late to the resturaunt, when I live a mere 5 miles or so from it. Reasoning? I got lost. (I’m serious! I did) And I’m serious when I say I get lost in my backyard. I’m not dumb as a doorknob, just geographically challenged. Oh, and I passed right by the resturaunt as well, then had to turn left at the hugest busiest intersection! Maybe not the hugest, or busiest, but close enough.

Jade on the other hand, had absolutely no problem finding it and getting here!:-) She did great! And I think we both had a good time, sans cigs. too!

I want to thank you Jade http://azjade.com/ for making today a fun, great day! And please thank your beautiful daughter Bean for me as well! She was delightful, and sweet! And I could tell Riley liked having her around, when he did his homework out there while we chatted. First off, Riley did his homework!!! Without being hog tied and beaten for an hour!! That was impressive from my end!

Today is a day, that made me wish I knew how to use my digital camera, that still sits in its box. Today is a day, I wish I knew how to download pics from said digital camera, to the computer. Today is also a day, I wish I knew how to add those pics to posts!

On that note, I may very well be planning many many swim days this summer, so I can milk Jade’s brain for all of her skills and know how! Too much fun! And I look forward to more Jade!

To top off the day, the hubby is bringing home take out for dinner! Not that I’m hungry after all that food at the Red Lobster! But the good part being, I’m not making dinner tonight! Woohoo! Yaaaaa for me! OK, I must calm down, see what a couple of cosmos and some girls gossip time does?

Thanks again Jade!

My blog, Stumbling thru life w/ Grace, has more then a few meanings for me.

Growing up, I had all of my 5’10” height by the 6th grade. I have always been the tallest in Elementary School,
and the clumsiest. My father early on nicknamed me “Little Miss Fart Stumble and Fall.” They put me in ballet while in grade school, in hopes that I would establish some grace. And over time it worked.

As a young adult, I made many many many mistakes. Unwittingly of course! I’m on my 3rd marraige, and I have 3 kids, and did more then my share of “partying” in the decade of my 20’s. (Don’t tell my kids.)

I’m a Christian, and believe in His Grace. His power to forgive me; cover my sins. Grace.

I look back in retrospect, and am amazed at my luck! Or His Grace?

I have stumbled into marraiges, and had kids for some wrong reasons. Basically stumbling my way thru life. Using my blog as a journal, I have put it all together, based on my childhood and then my adult years.

Learning to be gracious, and valuing this attribute in others, is somthing very close to my heart.

The name I use on my blog, 3rd times a charm, is representative of the happiness and contentedness I have in this 3rd marraige. And I have 3 beautiful, kind kids. 3 is just my magical number.

So for my first post, on my new site, I want to ask everyone to comment, by answering this question. (Thanks Jay) How did you choose the name of your blog? Why? I’m curious, so tell me!