Favorite Cheap Dates

Yesterday, the Tribune ran an interesting article about dating on the cheap without appearing cheap. As a single woman this intrigued me.

Sure, I enjoy over-the-top romantic Bachelorette-type dates, but that's not realistic. In my opinion, the best dates are the simpler ones that don't cost a bunch of money. I'm happy as can be with a creative date where we can laugh and have fun any time.

The Trib had 10 general recommendations:

1. Cook dinner at home;
2. Watch movies at home;
3. Pack a picnic, stargaze (I have a terrific telescope!), fishing at midnight, fly a kite, or take a walking tour;
4. Hang out at the library (I recommend the Arlington Heights Memorial Library. They have many free programs.);
5. Volunteer to babysit a friend's kids;
6. Volunteer in the community;
7. Exercise;
8. Attend free days at a local museum;
9. Attend a local high school or college football game (I recommend John Hersey High School and Lake Forest College, my alma maters.); and
10. Go out for dessert.

Those are good ideas, but I have my own:

1. Mini-golfing;
2. Visit an historic state park;
3. Watch the sunset with a bottle of wine or the sunrise with a thermos of hot chocolate;
4. Concerts in the park (many towns have free concerts);
5. Local movie nights in the park;
6. Lawn seats at Ravinia can be very cheap and pack a picnic;
7. Attend a local festival;
8. Ice skating at Millennium Park (or anything at Millennium Park);
9. Zoolights;
10. Check out the holiday lights on State Street;
11. Attend a parade;
12. Game night at home (Parcheesi and Candy Land are personal faves); and
13. Take a frisbie and a picnic to Lake Michigan.

What are your favorites?

Senator Ted Kennedy, 1923-2009

This summer just keeps getting sadder.

Just two weeks after the death of his sister and the founder of Special Olympics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the Lion of the Senate, Senator Ted Kennedy has passed away. (Senate website here)

I don't even have words to describe the full impact that Senator Kennedy's life has had and will continue to have for generations to come. Millions of people live better lives today because Senator Kennedy gave selflessly for decades. Voting rights; Civil rights; Education; Pell Grants; SCHIP; Medicare; and so much more.

Here are what I consider to be Senator Kennedy's two greatest speeches:

First, "The Dream Will Never Die" speech delivered to the 1980 Democratic Convention where Senator Kennedy lost to President Jimmy Carter.






Second, Senator Kennedy's speech at the 2008 Democratic Convention in Denver nominating Barack Obama for President.



Read President Obama's statement here.

Click here for the Time Magazine Photo Essay.

Crystal Beach Community Church & Me

On Sunday, Mom and I went to church at Crystal Beach Community Church. I don't attend church often and have many conflicts over what I believe religiously. For this reason, I haven't been a member of any church since I was in high school and had been confirmed at the First Presbyterian Church in Arlington Heights.

That said, I hate missing an opportunity to attend services at Crystal Beach Community Church. It just feels like home to me.

When I sit within its walls, I can feel the weight of the history of the church and my family.

My step-grandfather, Rev. C.W.A. Bredemeier was the founding minister and the first member.

My late Nana was the second member, taught Sunday School, and was the church secretary and treasurer. Nana also helped found the first CBCC Youth Fellowship, which met on Sunday nights for Bible Study at the church and every Saturday night down at former Seaside Hall for recreation and Christian fellowship. Obviously, Nana's Celebration of Life service was held at CBCC last month.

At Nana's Celebration of Life Service last month, a dozen people came up to me with the same story. "I'm a member of this church because of how your Nana greeted me and my husband 20 years ago when we first walked through the door. She invited us to sit with her and made us feel like we'd always been members." Wow. What a legacy. She will certainly live on for years and years. I felt her beside me on Sunday and as we sang her favorite hymn, "What A Friend We Have in Jesus," coincidentally one of the three hymns we sang.

Before he died in 1961, my grandfather, Jesse Paulk, also a member, taught Adult Sunday School, and sang in the choir. When he died in 1961, Nana brought all the money to the church that was donated to the family, saying "Jesse had been wanting us to start a Pew Fund so that we would have pews instead of the wooden folding Army chairs to sit on. Here is the money to buy the first pew." From that beginning, the church raised enough money to buy pews for the entire church and both choir lofts. Plus, there was enough money left over to have the church walls & concrete floor re-painted, as well as to build the current alter and lecterns, communion table and the tall wooden candle holders, all of which were designed by my step-grandfather and founding pastor, Rev. C.W.A. Bredemeier.

My mom sang in the choir, attended Sunday School and the Youth Fellowship Group, and was even married at CBCC to my dad in 1970 by Rev. Bredemeier.

I was baptized at CBCC by my step-grandfather Rev. Bredemeier on September 12, 1971, my mom's birthday, the anniversary of my grandfather's death, and just weeks after Rev. Bredemeier and Nana were married in the church . When I was a kid, I used to go over to the church and sit with the woman who was responsible for the chimes being played every night at 5:45 and could be heard all up and down the beach. Each night, she'd let me play the organ and let me believe that my playing was being heard throughout Crystal Beach, What I only learned last month is that the chimes had been automated since long before my days of playing them, so only the organist and I heard my "music."

No matter where I go, what I do, or even what my current internal struggle with religion, CBCC always feels like home and when I'm in Crystal Beach I have to go to church.

Chivalry Is Dead

Mom, our friend Chris, and I went out for seafood after church today. I drove us all to Tarpon Springs in my 2009 Pontiac G-6 rental car.

As we walked out of the restaurant, Mom asked if I could open the doors with the keyless remote, but the car didn't come with that wonderful feature. So I walked over to the passenger door to unlock it and let her in only to discover that there was no keyhole. I checked both back doors and neither of them had keyholes either. Finally, I opened my door and hit the button on the inside of the door to open the other doors. Mom and Chris let themselves into the car.

Driving back to Crystal Beach, Mom and Chris were commenting on how surprising it was that the only way into the car was through the driver's door. I listened to them for a moment and then piped in saying, "Well, I guess this car was designed by a man who'd had it up to here with opening the car door for women. Chivalry is obviously dead."

LMS Health Tip Friday: Surgical Masks & Kissing

That's right kids! It's Health Tip Friday here at Little Merry Sunshine! You didn't know we had Health Tip Friday, did you? Well, as of today, we do!

As you probably know, Swine Flu (aka H1N1) is all the rage and not in a good way. You may have thought that no one cared about it anymore because the media coverage has died down a bit, but you'd be wrong. Swine Flu is about to be back and more vicious than ever, so now, in addition to thoroughly washing your hands on a regular basis, the good folks at the Centers for Disease Control have some new advice for you:

Always Wear a Surgical Mask While Kissing

Heidi Montag & Spencer Pratt demonstrate how you can still be romantic while wearing surgical masks.

Seriously.

Now you and I both know that this possibly takes some of the fun out of tonsil hockey, but it's for your own good and it will require you to be a little more creative. So just do it. I'm going to.

You should also avoid sharing eating utensils with sick friends - whether they're wearing a surgical mask or not.

I can't help but wonder, if preventing the spread of potentially deadly germs is important, wouldn't placing a condom on your tongue or a dental dam be more effective than what is essentially a two-ply paper towel?

Just Another Day In Paradise

Are you familiar with Jimmy Buffett? Of course you are. Do you know Bertie Higgins? I highly doubt it.

Bertie Higgins is a Florida-based international recording artist famous for hits from the 80s, including "Key Largo," (and here's his performance of "Key Largo" from Solid Gold hosted by Andy Gibb and Marilyn McCoo) "Casablanca" and "Just Another Day in Paradise."do

What you definitely don't know is that Bertie Higgins grew up in Tarpon Springs, Florida with my mom and her best friend Jane. I don't know if he still lives in Tarpon Springs or not, but he did at least through the late 1980s. He also knew Nana and would go visit her at the bank. Nana just adored him.

During one visit to Crystal Beach during Spring Break 1983, we went to visit Bertie at his Tarpon Springs home. I remember meeting him and seeing his Gold Records (for you kids out there, you can learn about records here) hanging on the wall. He was wonderfully gracious and it was fun getting to meet someone famous my mom grew up with. We even took pictures with him, but I can't find them.

Whenever I visit Crystal Beach and Tarpon Springs, I'm always reminded of his song "Just Another Day in Paradise" because I think it's about this part of Florida.



Lyrics

The big cold city is such a lonely place to be
Hustle all day and dream of the islands and sea
Millions of girls but none of them seemed right for me
Til you came along, you touched me and set me free

So I slipped away last night, eased on down to the Key
Flyin' so high, we hitched a ride on a Gulf Stream breeze
Livin' on love and the fruits from tropical trees
A song in our hearts and our eyes on the West Indies

It's just another day in paradise
Love in the night, oh we do it so right
Seein' that 'I Love You' look in your eyes
Just another day in paradise

A bottle of rum, listen to the steel drum band
Laughin' in the moonlight, along the beach we ran
Splashin' naked in the sea, makin' love upon the sand
Fallin' fast asleep like children, hand in hand

It's just another day in paradise
Love in the night, oh we do it so right
Seein' that 'I Love You' look in your eyes
Just another day in paradise

I woke up this morning with the sunlight in my eyes
Guess it was only a dream, I hear the city outside
But I look at you sleepin' and honey now I realize
That anywhere with you is paradise

It's just another day in paradise
Love in the night, oh we do it so right
Seein' that 'I Love You' look in your eyes
Just another day in paradise

It's just another day in paradise
Love in the night, oh we do it so right
Seein' that 'I Love You' look in your eyes
Just another day in paradise

Natural Highs

#15 on the list of Natural Highs.
Taken by me at Watervale, August 2007.

A good friend sent me a delightful email yesterday that put a big smile on my face. It was titled "Natural Highs" and I'm sure you (like me) have seen this list before, but it's so good it's worth repeating.

How many Natural Highs have you experienced recently? I've had 25 Natural Highs lately.

Natural Highs

1. Falling in love.

2. Laughing so hard your face hurts.

3. A hot shower.

4. No lines at the supermarket.

5. A special glance.

6. Getting mail.

7. Taking a drive on a pretty road.

8. Hearing your favorite song on the radio.

9. Lying in bed listening to the rain outside.

10. Hot towels fresh out of the dryer.

11. Chocolate milkshake (vanilla or strawberry).

12. A bubble bath.

13. Giggling.

15. The beach.

16. Finding a 20 dollar bill in your coat from last winter.

17. Laughing at yourself.

18. Looking into someone's eyes and knowing they love you.

19. Midnight phone calls that last for hours.

20. Running through sprinklers.

21. Laughing for absolutely no reason at all.

22. Having someone tell you that you're beautiful.

23. Laughing at an inside joke with FRIENDS.

24. Accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about you.

25. Waking up and realizing you still have a few hours left to sleep.

26. Your first kiss (either the very first or with a new partner).

27. Making new friends or spending time with old ones.

28. Playing with a new puppy.

29. Having someone play with your hair.

30. Sweet dreams.

31. Hot chocolate.

32. Road trips with friends.

33. Swinging on swings.

34. Making eye contact with a cute stranger.

35. Making chocolate chip cookies.

36. Having your friends send you homemade cookies.

37. Holding hands with someone you care about.

38. Running into an old friend and realizing that some things (good or bad) never change.

39. Watching the expression on someone's face as they open a much desired present from you.

40. Watching the sunrise.

41. Getting out of bed every morning and being grateful for another beautiful day.

42. Knowing that somebody misses you.

43. Getting a hug from someone you care about deeply.

44. Knowing you've done the right thing, no matter what other people think.

OMG! Michelle Obama Wore SHORTS!

Yes, seriously.

Imagine my surprise this morning when, barely awake, I opened my online newspaper of choice, and discovered an article on whether it was appropriate for First Lady Michelle Obama to wear shorts. Before reading the article, I thought "Huh, that's odd. She's usually so appropriate, why would she make such a poor choice when meeting a foreign leader?" I mean, would the media really be covering this if it weren't some major foreign relations snafu?

Evidently, yes, although it seems it wasn't an article, so much as a poll asking if it was appropriate for Mrs. Obama to have worn said shorts. It seems that she made this most egregious fashion faux pas while on vacation with her family at the Grand Canyon. You know, it's not exactly a temperate climate out there at the Grand Canyon. With an average daily temperature in August of 104, I'd say as long as folks don't go naked they are just fine and dandy with me.

I happen to be out of town this week, sort of on vacation, and it's hot. Damn hot. Drying my hair is optional and my makeup hasn't seen the outside of my suitcase. Now I understand that the First Lady is in a slightly different situation, but she's still on vacation with her family. Do people expect her to wear heels, hose, and a shirtwaist dress while traipsing through the Grand Canyon?

Since I'm on vacation, I haven't been paying much attention to the news, so I turned to MSNBC for more on this story. They called the shorts "short shorts" and they also had a poll and a video. Now I don't mean to argue with MSNBC, but these are short shorts:

And these are not:
Michelle Obama's shorts are age and body appropriate. They are also appropriate for the activity she is participating in.

To the media, I beg you. We've got real problems in this country. Health care reform, 2 wars, and an unstable economy to name just a few. Can we please focus on what's really important? This stuff just makes you look stupid and petty.

And if we can't do that, can we at least all focus on my major concern today? Should I have my nails painted "Overexposed in South Beach," "Kinky in Helsinki," "Vodka & Caviar," or "Feelin' Hot-Hot-Hot"? at my mani/pedi this morning?

Tonight's Sunset from Sunset Beach

I've spent my life visiting Tarpon Springs and tonight I found a spot I'd never been before. More than that, Mom grew up here and didn't know about Sunset Beach. We just happened upon it.

It was a gorgeous night for a sunset after an afternoon of storms. I don't think I've ever seen the tide so low going so far out into the Gulf. It was so low, the seaweed made the Gulf look like it was covered in green grass.

My Day at the Beach - Before & After

I finally made it to the beach today! And what a spectacular beach it was! I absolutely love Caladesi Island and it seems I'm not the only one because it was named the Best Beach is the U.S.!

The day started a bit cloudy, but by 9am, it was bright and sunny. Mom and I caught the 10am Ferry and learned that the UV Index was 9, which means that without sunscreen a person will begin to burn in 10 minutes. Being the one of the fairest skin women in America, I slathered up with SPF 4,000 or so, sat under and umbrella, and never took my Lake Forest College t-shirt off.

I took a delightful nap, which is one of my favorite things to do on the beach. Is there anything better than drifting off to sleep listing to the waves hit the sand? I honestly don't think so. The water was a warm 87 degrees, although I didn't get in it. Salt water mixed with sand is not really my thing.

Part of what I love about Caladesi Island is that visitors are restricted to just four hours on the island, which keeps the it from getting overcrowded like Clearwater or Daytona and it also prevents me from sitting in the sun too long and spontaneously combusting. On my way back to the Ferry, I discovered this turtle and it was kind enough to pose for me - twice.

As we boarded the ferry, coming across the bay from the east, there was a huge storm complete with lots of thunder and lightning, but we made it back to Honeymoon Island just before the skies opened up. You can see how dark the skies are.

In spite of my SPF 4000 sunscreen, you can see what happened at the beach today from my before and after pictures.

Obviously, even though I have a lobster-like tan, I still have a smile on my face. How could I not? I spent my day at Caladesi Island!