Am I really going to be 50?

My 50th birthday is fast approaching - a little faster than I'd like! I didn't think it would bother me too much but as the day draws near I'm feeling more and more anxious. Why does that number bother me and so many others so much? If 50 is just a number then why does my heart pound out of my chest each time I think of it?

I have been pondering what being 50 means to me. I guess it means that I should finally be grown up. Funny how I don't feel so grown up at times. That's the strange thing about aging. No matter how old you are your brain doesn't quite catch up to your body. I was chatting with my Dad about this and he says he still feels like a 20 year old man, except when he looks in the mirror.

25 years old seems like yesterday, but I've lived 25 x 2 already! What in the heck have I done for 25 years? Sure I've had kids, a couple of marriages and a whole book of crazy adventures, but am I really that old?

I visited a website on being a woman over 50 and they featured some great things about being over 50:

1. After turning 50 I felt liberated. I felt like I could say what I wanted to say, do things I wanted to do, and wear things I wanted to wear.

I've always done that, should I have waited until I was 50?

2. At 50, if you use condoms it's for safe sex, not for avoiding pregnancy. What a relief when that's not a worry anymore!

You mean I still have to have sex after 50?

3. We don't sweat the little things anymore -- and we've learned that darn near everything is a little thing!

The operative word being "sweat" - menopause causes you to sweat over everything!

4. You say "screw it" to plastic surgery. I read somewhere that more women in their 40s get plastic surgery than in their 50s. I think it's because once you hit 50, you don't care. You say, "I am who I am."

Who are they kidding - my bags under my eyes are more like suitcases now! I have a plastic surgeon on speed dial.

5. In their 50s, women realize they don't have to have a mate. They realize it's OK not to have a date everywhere you go.

That's what girlfriends are for - they are usually more fun than men anyway.

6. You get new hair, new clothes, to match who you want to be. You don't feel old, look old, or act old.

Yeah, I get new hair because mine is thinning and going grey, new clothes because I've gained weight, I feel 80, look like a stooped over old lady and catch myself saying "when I was younger".

7. Once you get past a wrinkle or two, a woman over 50 is far sexier than her younger counterpart.

Sure, that must be a 50 year old woman saying that, not a cute 28 year old guy.

8. We've discovered that we can act like teenagers whenever we feel like it, and people think it's nifty.

Only someone over 50 would use the word "nifty".

9. A woman over 50 will not lay next to you in bed and ask "What are you thinking?" She doesn't care what you think.

This much is true, as long as she's had an orgasm she isn't thinking about much.

10. Women in their 50s make great lovers. Going through menopause can be extremely freeing. As she ages, her sexuality becomes more important, and she is better able to enjoy it.

That's because a woman in her 50's has a nice assortment of vibrators and couldn't care less if her husband minds if she uses them!

City of Thieves

While on vacation I read the most amazing book. City of Thieves is David Benioff's second novel and for those that enjoy a quick paced, exciting read this book is a must!

The book centers around two characters, Lev and Kolya, during the seige in Leningrad in January 1942. Lev is a 17 year old virgin who is self conscious of his lack of sexual experience and that he has a large nose. Kolya is a young soldier in the Red Army who brags of his sexual prowess.

Lev and Kolya meet after being arrested and are both subject to summary execution for their crimes. A colonel in the NKVD - a Soviet Secret Police Agency - stays their execution and in return orders them to find a dozen eggs for his daughters wedding cake.

The two then set off to locate the illusive eggs - a nearly impossible task with war time rations. They encounter harsh weather conditions, Partisan soldiers and a sadistic Einzatsgruppe commander along the way.

City of Thieves is a quick read with 250 jam packed pages. Gun fights, romance and hair raising escapes all add up to a thrilling read.

Alaska tourism job?

We are back from our Alaskan cruise, well rested, full of tales to tell all while packing around a few extra pounds.

We flew to Los Angeles and drove north for 3 hours to Tulare, which is outside Fresno. My father and his wife live there so a trip to L.A. of course has to include a visit with them. I hadn’t seen my Dad for a few years so it was nice to see them both.

We headed back to L.A. on Saturday for the start of our cruise. Even the first few moments of a cruise can be slightly overwhelming; from the sheer volume of people to the confusion of where to go to line up. A couple behind us in line commented on how nervous they were as it was their first cruise. I don’t feel nervous, just excitement.

We spent 3 days at sea heading to Juneau, Alaska. The first 2 days were met with fairly rough seas and given that I’m not of good mariner stock I was a bit under the weather. Nothing that a good dose of Dramamine can’t cure but with it comes drowsiness; the frequent naps were thoroughly enjoyed!




Day two had an unexpected bit of fun added to it. We went to late night entertainment show which was a “world famous magician” “Murray” – never heard of him before the cruise, even though he was from the Vancouver area!! Murray’s show was filled with the usual girl in a box and cut in to pieces, disappearing items and illusions. At one point he headed out to the audience as he needed 3 assistants. Of course no one wants to volunteer as you never know what you will be asked to do. I thought we were safe as we were in the upper portion of the theatre but next thing I knew Murray was grabbing my hand and dragging me up on stage. He had us help him shuffle cards and choose one each from the deck. He then threw the deck of cards in the air and our 3 cards were suddenly speared on his sword. I was standing 3 feet away from him and have NO idea how he did this trick. He then dismissed the other two assistants but kept me on stage while he did some balloon tricks. It was a bit strange standing up there for so long in front of so many people but it did add to the cruise for sure! I was teased for my autograph by my fellow cruisers for days!




Day 4 was spent in our first port in Juneau. It was great to see land after 3 days at sea and we were thrilled to see the sun shining in all its glory. Previous trips to Juneau were filled with cloudy skies and drizzly weather. I have to say though that the Alaska board of Tourism needs to review their choice of welcoming committees. During our first trip down the downtown strip we were greeted by an extremely intoxicated gentleman who followed us along and poked his head in to each shop while yelling at the shop keepers “you are more useless than he is and he is more useless than you are”!!! It was funny to hear but sad to see the state of a barely functioning alcoholic. When leaving Juneau we headed up to the top deck for sail away. On the pier was another intoxicated “gentleman” (I use this term very loosely!) who was unimpressed with our cruise ship. With a beer in his hand he proceeded to give us double handed middle finger gestures all while screaming obscenities at the ship. I suppose part of his job description is to keep the masses happy so his act also included dropping his jeans and performing a musical interlude on his manhood. It was hard to hear what he was playing but he was giving it his undivided attention, all while holding on to his beer!



Day 5 was spent in Ketchikan. I love how pretty this city is. Quaint and charming with an east coast sort of vibe. Again we had the most glorious weather, which in April is almost unheard of. My hubby and I aren’t much in to the shopping experience in the ports as they are filled with dozens of jewelry stores and souvenir shops, neither of which we are interested in - ok, I love jewelry but I make it for a living! The day was spent reading, eating and playing scrabble. Perfection.

Much of cruising is spent idly looking out the window at the ocean. I often take this opportunity to read but mostly I use for a time to shut down my brain. The most I had to think about during this cruise was which restaurant to eat at. Unfortunately a little too much food was eaten, a few too many margaritas were consumed and both my husband and I look like we are ready to give birth.

We had a great time and fell even more in love with each other. We are very compatible when travelling and love to spend time with each other. Our adventure lasted 9 days and I have to say that although I love to travel I love to come home to my family and my own bed even more.

Leaving on a jet plane......and then on a ship!

We are finally leaving on our much needed and much anticipated vacation! We were originally booked to leave on a ten day cruise from Hawaii to Vancouver but given the economic climate these days we decided to be more financially responsible. We were able to find a great repositioning cruise from Los Angeles to Alaska and back to Vancouver. I've been to Alaska four times already but for me it's not always the destination but what happens on the trip.

I've always loved to travel. Perhaps it was that I started at a very young age with the pipe band I was in. My biggest trip with the band was when we travelled to Scotland to compete and I was only twelve years old! I spent 6 weeks there and quickly caught the travelling bug.

Most of my trips have been purely for the needed rest and relaxation. Some have been for business with a bonus rest period mixed in; it really was tough having business meetings in Hawaii!! Some have been because a good deal was involved - thanks to the Dorfman family Hawaii became my go to destination.

These days it's hard to get away. Both my husband and I are self employed and it takes many weeks of preparation to get ready for our trips. Sometimes it feels like the pre-trip work adds too much stress but we so look forward to our time away so it all seems worth it.

So, we are off to Los Angeles for a couple of days before the cruise and then off we sail. We don't try to plan things out too much, just sort of fly by the seat of our pants and see what happens. We have met some great people on our trips and some have remained our friends even after the luggage has been put away. We look forward to whatever this adventure brings us.

Bon Voyage!

Susan Boyle

I'm sure you've recently heard about Susan Boyle. If you haven't you must have been living under a rock, or have no TV!

Susan Boyle is a 47 year old British spinster who just happens to be a wonderful singer. She surprised everyone with her voice on the Britain's Got Talent show. If you haven't heard her sing have a watch.


Susan Boyle Stuns Crowd with Epic Singing - Watch more Funny Videos

Although her type of singing is a bit lost on me, I do appreciate that she has a beautiful voice. What I'm having a hard time with is how much she is being judged for her appearance and how much her looks make a difference in the music world.

Many blogs, news articles and forums have been discussing Susan and her appearance - both on her performance on the show, and how she looks. Many have been positive, but of course there are those that are terribly negative and hurtful. Even Rosie O'Donnell, the plus sized comedian, that you either love or hate, weighed in on Susan. "Interviewed while showcasing her artwork at a Florida gallery on Sunday, O'Donnell told People the world should "enjoy (Boyle's performance) for what it was." "Here is this freaky miss, a fat, ugly girl, like Shrek comes to life, directing energy towards her soul," O'Donnell told the magazine. "This was so rare ... something authentic in a world that is usually manufactured. It was a perfect moment which will never happen again." What I'm sure was supposed to be a positive comment came across sounding like a back handed compliment to me. This from a woman who has not achieved stardom through her looks.

Why is it that we place so much stock in how someone looks? Why can't we accept that people are different? We all come in different shapes and sizes and have varying degrees of so called beauty. What really makes someone beautiful anyway? Is it really how pretty their face is or is it what type of person they are? I know plenty of "pretty people" who in fact have rather ugly personalities.

Is she being judged by her looks because she is a woman? Are women being held up to outrageous standards that men would never have to? Do you remember what Luciano Pavarotti looked like? Would a woman be able to look like this and have a successful singing/acting career? Somehow I doubt it.



African American singer Angie Stone, who has an absolutely beautiful voice, chose not to have a lot of publicity shots taken of her while her first CD was being released. Angie is gorgeous and a plus sized woman. She wanted her CD to be about music, not how she looked.

Remember back in the day when we listened to music for what it sounded like and what emotion it evoked? Sure, during our teeny bopper days we fell in love with David Cassidy and Donny Osmond because they were cute, but I don't believe we fell in love with The Rolling Stones because Mick Jagger was pretty!

I hope that Susan Boyle ends up with some sort of singing career as I do believe she has some talent. What I fear is that her looks will always shadow her voice and that would be a shame.

New Bridal Pieces

"Kristi"

I've been feeling a little creative the last day or so and made up some new bridal pieces for my jewelry collection.

My favorites are these new earrings - designed for Kristi Gordon of GlobalTV news. I'm meeting with her today to discuss her wedding jewelry, I hope she likes them!

To see these and the other new pieces please visit my site at www.kelliesutton.com

Noise Pollution

It seems that there is an ever increasing amount of noise in my life and I really feel the need to turn down the volume!

One of the first signs of spring is usually the crocus flowers peaking through the dirt. For me, the first sign of spring is noise. People start to peak their heads out of their homes as soon as the sun starts shining, and along with them comes the noise.

Motorcycles - parked in the garage over the winter they all make an appearance with those first rays of sun.

Leaf blowers - most of the fall leaves were already collected before the winter cold but now all those nasty pine needles etc. need to be blasted off the driveway.

Power washers - living in a rainy dark place means lots of moss and slimy green stuff - nothing better than blasting it all away with the power of water.

Lawn mowers - even though the grass has barely woken up there are neighbours out there happily pushing their lawn mowers for the first of many trims.

Kids on trampolines - we are "lucky" enough to have 2 of them in neighbouring yards - ok, better to have the kids around the house and not out wreaking havoc in the streets but the sounds of their screams bring me to murderous rage at times. Can't forget the thump, thump, thump of the basketballs and the SWACK! of the hockey pucks.

Music - there seems to be a need to crank up the volume on your stereo system while washing your car. Do I need to hear Creedance Clearwater Revival at 8am on Sunday morning?

Birds - if you've read my previous posts you'll know I'm no bird lover. All I see is food when looking at a bird. At the least the new neighbours don't have those two charming cockatiels in cages outside like the previous neighbours did!

I suppose all these little noises wouldn't bother me if I weren't already being driven insane by the rest of the noise in my life. Televisions, blenders, washing machines, dryers with buzzers, phones ringing, husbands snoring, train whistles, cell phones beeping and buzzing, alarm clocks, car alarms and now airplanes since the flight path has been moved over my home!

I don't think I'd like to live in a world of silence but I surely could use a break from the noise once in a while.

"True silence is the rest of the mind; it is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment." William Penn