Our Bloomington Boys or B2

Life is such a gift.  It seems that everything in life comes full circle. Perhaps it is because when we age, we know what is important and we go for it.  I write of a friendship that goes back to when I was a young middle-schooler.  I remember being at a Kix soccer game at the "old Metro dome" in Minneapolis, MN.  As my friends and I stood at the fence looking onto the field, we heard a loud commotion.  It was Randy Triplett and his buddy Tom Elvidge trying to vy for our attention.  They nick named us " The Minnetonka Girls and we nick named them " The Bloomington Boys.   And so it goes.........................

The boys wanted our number so we could connect. I think they were excited we lived on Lake Minnetonka.  Myself and my buddy Lynn Verville, decided it was best for us to take their numbers. Well, we not only called them a few weeks later, but became fast friends and buddies.  They introduced us to other Bloomington Boys,  Ron Thorud and Mike Elvidge.  We hung out more with them than we did our buddies from our own school.  History was made with the Bloomington Boys and the Minnetonka Girls becoming close friends.  Yes, of course their were some love crushes too.

 Time went by and as high school began for all of us, we saw each other less and less.  Meeting up once and a while was a great treat.  By now, we were all dating others and some marrying.  Ron was the first to marry, and others in serious relationships. Many years went by without meeting or connecting.  Most of us married, some not and life took over. 

Recently, one of the Bloomington boy's found me on facebook.  I thought I'd died and went to heaven.  It has been so much fun.  Once I was friended by Tom, I friended Randy and so it goes.  Just today I wrote them all an email.  We are all feeling giddy in our reunion.  Now that we have shared our lives on facebook, emails and over the phone, we need to get together. I am now coordinating a reunion.  I know it has been great for myself and my twin sister Linda to be talking and emailing The Bloomington Boys again.


I just emailed all of them and let them know I am in the process of writing a mystery series which they are characters in. Life just does not get any better.

Bugs Crawl In

The bugs crawl in; infest my brain
I psychically try to force them out; Let my power be not in vain

It wanders through my peace of mind;
Destroying all sense of stability in kind;

These pesty killers grow and grow, but blind to the naked eye you see;
They rot stable connections, love, time together:  families pay a grand fee;

We try to stay strong,  Live like we will die;
At times we concede; the fear can creep in, it is all a lie;

Dance, sing, cry, share, connect, love, write to stay sane;
Love is all we have:  Part of loving is the deep, dark, ugly  pain;

My fear at times keeps my mind in a panic;
I will try for her not to act frantic;

I refuse to let these buggers invade my space;
I will keep my chin up; and for Linda, put on a brave face

For sisterhood is a gift from the Lord on high;
Their are moments I crumble, stumble and cry;

Keep my presence uplifted, inspired and tall,
 For my lovely twinner; I must not fall

My New Stoop Picture

Hello to everyone today.  I feel so joyous as our snow here in MN is finally melting. I am so over the snow. We Minnesotan's get so excited when there is a glimmer of spring time.  I just went out to my front yard and took a picture of my stoop since my old picture is snow snow snow. Let me remind you that my blog is called "Stoopin It in the Suburbs."  In the spring time, we sit on our stoop and literally can sit for hours connecting with friends and neighbors.  I can see why women stooped it in the olden days.  It keeps you connected to what's real and what's important.  Connection, women, laughter, love, pain, joy, family, God and on it goes.
 


I hope your not too disappointed in the picture of my stoop.  I know that it looks very drab here in Minnesota in April.  I guess you could say we all feel so grateful when any forward leap into spring comes our way. I will make sure to update the stoop as often as the changes occur.  It is so beautiful in Mn come May.  I know that may be hard to believe but it is true.


"It's spring fever.  That is what the name of it is.  And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!"  ~Mark Twain

Why don't you start stoopin it in your neighborhood?

Top Ten Things Not To Say or Do To Identical Twins

1. Your so much cuter than your twin.
2. Don't ever take sides when twins are in the middle of a fight..... That would be your bad...They will doubly turn on you.  @###@@**#
3. My name is Laura, not twin,thank you very much.
4. One Birthday cake for both of us? Puke
5. Don't gossip about one twin to the other lest you want double trouble. ##@@#**#
6. Matching outfits mom? What were you thinking?
7. Which one of you is smarter?
8. Your definately the more outgoing or social twin.  errrrrrr
9. Why are you asking me that?  That is between you and her. " Oh, but your like the same person. "

Give Me Strength

Source: Google

Me and Twinner

Sometimes life is just plain hard. This past week has been extremely difficult since my twin sister got some scary results back after a follow up cat scan.  She is almost  seven years cancer free on St. Patrick's day, so for her lung cancer to come back, would be rare. They have found spots a few times in the past,but they have disappeared  That fact does not take out the fear of the results. In Minnesota, many people get spots on thier lungs that don't cause any problems.  In Minnesota, thawing snow and mold  can cause spots to appear on the lungs When the snow melts. The mold on the snow can cause respiratory issues.
My sister received good news that the spot she had three months ago is now gone. The bad news is, she now has three new spots on her lung. Her  doctor told her it could be  nothing. It is still so difficult and challenging to wait three months to find out if the spots are gone or cancerous.  My sister and I will  rely on our faith and remember that  the Lord has a divine plan. Being human, I  feel  bad she must endure this long wait to get answers.  
I drove out to my Shaklee representative  today and picked up a great supplement that is helpful build up my sisters immune system. On a positive note, Linda's nurse reassured her that the spots were likely due to her allergy symptoms she was displaying. She sounds very congested, is sneezing and hacking.   I have never been so happy that Linda is suffering from allergy and respiratory issues.  
On another positive note, my intuition told me the morning of her scan, that all would be fine.  We are of Irish heritage and I had a dream that had me asking the doctor how Linda was?  The doctor could not understand me and kept asking me to repeat my  last name.  At the end of the dream, I said " Doctor, It's the luck of the Irish."  At that, the doctor finally heard my last name and repeated it.  Now, Linda will be seven years cancer free this St. Patrick's day.  The lucky seven I will hold onto and cling to.  My intuition has served me quite well over the years.  I know this St. Patrick's day we will have the luck of the Irish on our side.
Lung cancer stinks.   Please pray for my dear sis. This is going to be another very long three months. God, give me strength.

Me on the left, Linda on right

Valentines Day; A look at my heart

Love Letters from Billy & Billy's Funeral pamphlet

A table full of letters from Billy.

Valentines day is, as we all know, a very commercial holiday.
I was lying in bed last night, thinking of all the people out there who are just like me. A good person, living a good life, without a romantic partner. We see T.V. ads, billboards, hearts, doves, and love poems all around us in February. The shopping malls and food chains bombard us with reminders that we have no one to shower our romantic love on. I give tons of love to my family, friends and online friends. In this hub, I am talking about someone whom you call sweet heart or darling. At my age, I know the romantic love does not last very long and relationships lose fiz or can lose momentum after the honeymoon stage. I think we need to teach our kids that love can never make us whole, only enhance who we are, if we are with the right person.
I love,love, don't get me wrong, but it can hurt to view all the images and know we will not be held in the arms of the one we love ,in front of a fire, eating chocolates or getting a nice piece of jewelry or love poem from our love. Wow, I must be lonely. My lonely girl button just got pushed. I do miss having that special someone to love. Writing is such a healing process because you never know where it's going to take you.
I think men are wonderful, most of them. I think most human beings are good. I will say for the record, after leaving an abusive marriage, I find I have not been tainted in thinking men are like my ex. In fact, now I can see very clearly how great many of my own friends husbands are and the like. My therapist was very proud of the fact that my love and zest for life did not die with my crumbled marriage. I learned that I had Stockholm syndrome with my ex. Just google that one, since that is a whole other story. I have always been in love with love. My sweet father used to say, " Laura, you idealize love and men". He was right, I was so naive. I think many of us girls have been taught and socialized that love will sweep us off our feet. I have learned how great it is to stand on my own two feet. My kids see how independent I am. I hope I am role- modeling a strong independent woman. I have always believed in the good of human kind and can see it in everyone no matter how evil they are. I believe that is what saved me when the man I loved, the father of my children, terrorized me.
I used to write poems to my love Billy, who I have written about here on hub pages. He was my soul mate and true love. He still comes to me from heaven when I am down and out. He used to write the most amazing poems and notes to me. I have an entire drawer full of them. I will never throw them away. In fact, I put pictures above on this hub, of the letters Billy gave me throughout our relationship. My heart feels really heavy for some reason as I write this.
Lets think of creative ways we can share all the love we have to give to others this Valentines day. Maybe writing a thank- you note to someone who is lonely or someone we care about that we havn't connected with for a while. Sending chocolates to a  friend or co-worker. Helping an elderly person or neighbor by shoveling their snow or mowing their lawn. Perhaps we can babysit for a friend that needs to get out or is short on cash. We could help someone at the grocery store or volunteer at a charity event that gives you passion.
"one kind action never stops with itself. One kind action leads to another. Good example is followed. A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees. The greatest work that kindness does to others is that it makes them kind themselves."
- Amelia Earhart

Valentines Gift from my friend the Curry Diva

The "Curry Diva's" Soup

Heather Jansz, better known as the "Curry Diva"

My Lovely Guest Chef and Friend.

You know, sometimes we all just need a reminder that we are lovable and deserve to be loved. Valentines day is just around the corner and a friend of mine wanted to give a meaningful gift to those women in her life that she felt had given to her spiritually . My friend and guest chef that I have talked about on my blog and hub pages is a true valentine to her friends. I am honored to be considered one of her friends and I don't take that lightly.
Heather Jansz or as she is called " The Curry Diva", is one of those rare jewels in life that we all aspire to emulate. She has her own cooking show and makes delectable curry dishes. She is forever thinking about how to make the world a better place. She does this in many ways. She volunteers as a guest chef, cooking and teaching at risk youth how to cook. She shares her gift at the agency where I am the Director of volunteers, called Perspectives, in our Kids Cafe. She has also fund raised for women in Nepal by cooking her curry food at the Highland Grill. This one act of love, raised ten thousand dollars and was given to the women who had suffered from human trafficking. The money helped to buy them a sewing room and safe haven. Many of you helped in this endeavour on Hub Pages. See how love can spread, just by sharing a link. It is so powerful.
Heather invited many of her women friends over the other night to hear a speaker. He presented on how to rebuild the pancreas in a society that eats to die. I know that sounds dramatic but it is true. We listened intently on the best ways to eat, what the body processes and how and what to eat and in what portions. It was a riveting lecture. All of us women who did not know each other, became fast friends and soul mates. I believe that no meeting is ever a coincidence. I call these meetings " Godcindences." I think we are where were supposed to be and meet certain people, for a high purpose. We just have to listen to the callings. I was led to go that night. My car stalled that morning but the voice was Big and I knew I had to go. My car was working by the time of the event and it was also 20 below here in MN. I am so glad I made it there. Heather cooked a beef curry dish and other fantastic fixings as we listened to the lecture. The lovely meal was followed by a social meet and greet. I felt as if I had always known these beautiful women. We became very connected and before leaving, I committed to having the next get together at my home. We can continue discussion on the healthy eating program and life style change as well as enjoying the eachother's new friendship.
The interesting thing is that my car stalled just days later and just came back from the shop. If I had stalled that night going to the Curry Diva's, it would have been very dangerous since she lives many miles away from me in North Minneapolis, MN. Again, there are no accidents and I was meant to be there that night.
We all have those around us that make us who we are. We just have to remember that all the love we need is already here. Valentines day is just one day of the year that we can show or give our love. Why not use the remaining 364 days to commit to make love happen in any way we can. Happy Valentines Day friends.

Top Ten Reasons Minnesotan's Want Spring So Badly

We Minnesotans' have just about had enough of " Old Man Winter" this March. One day we have warmth and the next day snow. Hail, snow, frost, ice dams, freezing rain, flooding, sleet, warmth, more snow, thunder snow, ice and so it goes.
I had to distract myself from the depressing roller coaster of weather here In Minnesota. Please see my creation and enjoy laughing at us as we endure this torture. You betcha.

10. "Housebound" has a whole new meaning.
9. Me and Me are talking much too often.
8. Hotel California
7. My walls and I are at one with each other.
6. SAD: Seasonal Affective Disorder- It ain't no river in China.
5. Can you say FROSTBITE?
4. You had me at Ice Dam
3. My dry, patchy skin has fallen off
2. The sun?
1. Which do you choose? Arctic or Sub Zero?
I sit here tonight in my warm home in Minnetonka, Minnesota, looking back and remembering. Just two days ago, I was on my deck barbecuing for the first time. OK, so there was some snow around my feet, but I was hopeful that spring had sprung. We got hit again with a snow storm last night into today. Many local schools were shut down, roads were treacherous, but what was worse was the Minnesota defeatist attitudes. We have broken all snow fall records this year in MN. Hopefully, spring will come soon and the ground hog will be right. Spring was to come early for us. Hmmmmmmmmm?  I do not know if I am a believer.