Zoom! Zoom!

 

 

A Powerful Rebirth and Personal Transformation or Midlife Crisis?

Just a year away from turning 50, I am now the proud owner of a Can-Am! I even passed the written exam to obtain my motorcycle permit—something I never thought I would do in my life. Is this a powerful personal transformation, a new hobby, or just a classic midlife crisis?

This is a new hobby my husband and I get to enjoy together. Not only I get to enjoy it with him but his brothers and our sister in-law that also ride motorcycles. Since we moved to North Carolina, they have been asking when we were going to join the "pack". I've never been interested in a two-wheeled motorcycle; still not. So, we started looking into the 3-wheel options. I had an opportunity to test-drive one, and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it- there was no turning back!

Through this experience, I have learned that turning 50 isn't about slowing down; it's about rewriting the story. Passing my motorcycle permit exam and bringing home a Can-Am is proof that you can always surprise yourself. This isn't a midlife crisis—it's the next chapter of the Rising Phoenix, and the view from the open road has never looked brighter.

Beneath The Ash

                                  (Me in my new Halloween outfit.)                                         (Shaurie Ann the Upside-Down Clown.)

The Invisible Worlds That Shape Us

"You're wondering who I am (secret, secret, I've got a secret)."

("Mr. Roboto" Song by Styx ‧ 1983)

This Halloween season, we spend time searching shelves and scrolling online for the perfect Halloween costume; the truest masks are the invisible ones we wear every single day. From sunrise to sunset, we cycle through different versions of ourselves, subtly shifting who we are as we move between work, school, social groups, and/or home. It makes you wonder how much the people around us actually know about the real person beneath the surface—and honestly, how much we even want them to know. True vulnerability can be terrifying, so we keep our secrets close, using our daily routines as protective armor and making our everyday lives the ultimate masquerade.

Exploring these common social masks is a fascinating look at human nature, though it's worth gently noting that this everyday adaptability is quite different from clinical conditions like Dissociative Identity Disorder, which carry a much deeper weight and reality for some.

One thing is certain: we are all trying to discover our purpose. Daniel Beaty wrote, "We are the unlimited potential to create, do, or be anything" (Transforming Pain To Power, p. 177).  He states that we are "agents of change and transformation"... "of our own thoughts and feelings" (p. 177). Therefore, we are the authors and creators of our own purpose. "Our purpose becomes the bridge over our limiting thoughts and feelings." (Beaty, D., "Transforming Pain to Power, pg. 177). 

Building that bridge to our purpose isn't something we do out in the open for everyone to see. It starts much deeper, away from the noise of what other people expect from us. To truly act as the authors of our own lives, we have to look inward and tap into that hidden space where our potential is quietly taking root.

"Beneath the ash of who we used to be, and far behind the personas we present to the world, lives a fiercely guarded inner world. This hidden landscape is not fragmented; it is a private sanctuary where our rawest thoughts and quietest transformations unfold. We all carry this invisible back-stage self, quietly shaping who we become when we finally step back into the sun."

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"Crack Cookies"

"CRACK COOKIES," a.k.a. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies.  The food blog debate: lead with the story, start right away with the recipe, or hide it somewhere in the middle? I opted to share the story first and make you hunt a little for my famous recipe. Why the nickname "Crack Cookies"? You can thank my kids for naming my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies "Crack Cookies". They claim you can’t eat just one, two, or three—before you know it, you've eaten a few dozen, and you're begging for more. Apparently, it's a total addiction! (For the record: neither I nor my kids have ever done street drugs, so we are purely guessing here). Just how addictive are they? One autumn, my husband took a batch to work. It instantly became an annual fall request, turning into a tradition that required baking over 12 dozen cookies a year. Now, whenever I bring them to an event, I have to bake a separate stash just to keep at home. I always leave with requests for the next gathering, along with a few special orders. These cookies honestly turn people into monsters. This is the very first time I am making this recipe public. I dare you to try them and not get hooked. Bake a batch, let me know what you think, and tell me: did I make an addict out of you? 

1 15oz can pure pumpkin

1 box spice cake mix

1 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all 3 ingredients. Scoop onto a prepared cookie sheet and flatten a little bit. Bake 12-15 minutes. Let cool, or not, and enjoy. Yes, they are that easy. Share or don't; that's up to you. 

DISCLAIMER: "COMPLETELY LEGAL INGREDIENTS INCLUDED IN THIS RECIPE! NO NEED TO REPORT TO ANY 3-LETTER NAMED AUTHORITY!"

Rising Phoenix: The Next Chapter

Restarting after nearly ten years and using the title "Rising Phoenix: The Next Chapter" may seem a bit cliché, yet it feels appropriate as this blog is being restored following a long hiatus.

I've gone back and forth about restarting ye ol' Blogger and my daughter convinced me I should. I'm unsure of it's contents of yet, but it will be informative and hopefully entertaining. 

BASEBALL GAME

KC ROYALS vs

TEXAS RANGERS

KC WINS 6 - 5

H&R BLOCK NIGHT @ THE K

PLAY BALL !!!!!

After enjoying an all you can eat dinner buffett provided by H&R Block we got to enjoy the hot SUN for awhile before the game. Then the game it self. We got to witness David DeJesus hit his 500th Hit and actually witness the Royals win a game. Which this season comes on very rare.

Birthday 🎂