Mom,
As your son, I was having some trouble thinking of what to "blog" on your new website for a number of reasons... 1) I see you almost every day (a great and sometimes not so great thing for both of us!), 2) could I just text you this!? 3) are you even my real mother? (Maggie McLaughlin might have something to say about this!). But it is your birthday, so I will try my best! :)
I have known you for 23 years, almost half your life, and I'm not sure if that makes me old or you old. From putting up with my yelling in the street with Mike at 3 in the morning to me constantly wanting to know what we are having for dinner, you have been an AMAZING mother to both me and Georgia. Even though our little 4 person family can be disfunctional at times, I have yet to seen one that works as well as ours does (and I work with kids!) and this has a lot to do with you (cause was it really dad!?)!
So I'm not going to make a poem or get super mushy, cause its really not our families M.O. When I think of my mom a number of things of pop into my head and to name a few...
1) You have always been there for all of us and put up with all of our crap
2) You know the difference between an English sky and an American sky
3) Do you have milk? i'll have tea!
But really, I love you and so does Georgia, Dad, and all my friends. You are an amazing person, your smart beautiful, fun, and all around great. You make me smile whenever I'm home. You have let me make my own choices and learn from my mistakes, which I love you even more for. Again, you have been a great Mom and I can't thank you enough for that. I have yet to meet someone that didn't like you. I hope that as I continue to grow older, I have half the passion and love for life you have.
I'm kinda rambling so I'll end it with a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
I LOVE YOU
Dan
Saturday, 20 June 2009
From Claire...
A message from Claire, who is internetless at the moment:
"To Aunty Karen,
Have an absolutely wonderful birthday and make sure you have lots of fun! Here are some words that make me think of you:
Kind (and always caring)
Academically astute (and always open to debate)
Ravishingly beautiful
Energetic, enthusiastic and always motivated
Never without a book, always keeping fit
Never change!!!!
Lots of love
Claire"
"To Aunty Karen,
Have an absolutely wonderful birthday and make sure you have lots of fun! Here are some words that make me think of you:
Kind (and always caring)
Academically astute (and always open to debate)
Ravishingly beautiful
Energetic, enthusiastic and always motivated
Never without a book, always keeping fit
Never change!!!!
Lots of love
Claire"
Friday, 19 June 2009
Birthday greetings from the blogmeister
Dearly regarded Princess Doctor Karen person...
The happiest of birthdays tay yay. Especially as now you have joined the esteemed club of those of us who are 50. And yet, whilst naturally wanting to congratulate you on this auspicious occasion, I feel it is also only right to bring to your attention the huge costs incurred in bringing this multi-media birthday digifest to life. Zoe has a permanently hunched back from peering at her Mac book at 2am..I am seeking anger management counselling in realtion to video editing software..and Bob is unfortunately having to go and report to the MD of the IMF at 4pm on Monday with a telephone directory down his trousers after being caught sending emails and trying to view videos concerning some material that was "..VERY inappropriate and irrelevant to his core function of grinding the bastards down with activity-based cost control..". This photo gives just the merest hint of the sort of high-tech project management resources that were thrown at the task of assembling the "Karen's Hour" tribute podcast. And resources, as you know, cost time and money..and plenty of them.
So I feel it is only fair to seek full recompense for these frankly crippling outlays. Recompense in the form of unlimited supplies of Sam Adams, chilled Chardonnay, chips, salsa and Pepperidge Farm orange milanos - to be available f.o.b Bethesda MD whenever the missus and I can get there.
Have a wonderful birthday mah leetul choux fleur!
Hugs and probably a snog too
Andy
XX
Thursday, 18 June 2009
The glories of Penshaw Hill
Penshaw Hill...County Durham landmark, local beauty spot and monument to the fine achievements and aesthetic sensibilities of the English gentry. Also one of Karen's favourite places..so pour yourself a drink..sit back..and enjoy the sound of the breeze..the skylarks..the youths breaking bottles on the cycle paths..in the company of your genial host, George Bedell MBE!
My family can't blog
Angie, Adam, Maya and Reuben say Happy Birthday but can't work out how to do it this way!
From Lawrence and Barbara
Congratulations Karen - 50 today!
A special Birthday wish this day for Karen who is fifty,
Not everyone can look so good, nor be so very nifty,
You work hard I am sure to stay so trim and pretty,
But the best that I can do is make a little ditty.
You are part of our family, we all love you very much.
You always answer emails, and try to keep in touch,
We wish you could be with us now to celebrate together,
But many things get in the way, so we’ll blame the English weather.
Dear Karen have a super day, with family and friends,
Because the rest of us aren’t there, our congratulations wends
To America by air express, or else it may be late,
Will I ever get things right? I hope it’s the right date,
Do come home whenever you can, and visit the old folk,
We will put the welcome mat out, but it’s getting a good soak
But rain or shine, the welcomes here for Karen anytime,
I’d sing you “ Happy Birthday”, but it’s better if I mime.
Wow, technology is so great! Now I don’t have to buy you a nice birthday card from Hallmark but can post my birthday greeting online. I am sure you will miss the pictures of kittens in a heart-shaped card and the gooey message inside.
Main problem is, I have to go public in declaring my feelings for you – not easy for an uptight Brit. I also have to compete with all these witty and wise postings on this blog site. Anyway, here goes.
Karen, you are absolutely terrific and I am the luckiest guy to have you as my wife. I always warned you that I would trade you in for a younger model as you get older, but I would be crazy to do so. You are still the best looking and sexiest woman out there. If I am concerned, it is that you continue to get smarter and wiser – and with your undiminished curiosity and zest for life, you are bounding ahead. Maybe now that you have reached a mature age you could slow down a bit to give me a chance to keep up...
Do you realize we have each now spent over half of our lives together? Only regret is that it has sailed by so quickly. Thank you for being the best wife and best mother. I am really looking forward to being part of the next 50 years of your life. Bob
Main problem is, I have to go public in declaring my feelings for you – not easy for an uptight Brit. I also have to compete with all these witty and wise postings on this blog site. Anyway, here goes.
Karen, you are absolutely terrific and I am the luckiest guy to have you as my wife. I always warned you that I would trade you in for a younger model as you get older, but I would be crazy to do so. You are still the best looking and sexiest woman out there. If I am concerned, it is that you continue to get smarter and wiser – and with your undiminished curiosity and zest for life, you are bounding ahead. Maybe now that you have reached a mature age you could slow down a bit to give me a chance to keep up...
Do you realize we have each now spent over half of our lives together? Only regret is that it has sailed by so quickly. Thank you for being the best wife and best mother. I am really looking forward to being part of the next 50 years of your life. Bob
Happy Birthday Karen!
Your tributes have said almost all. there is to say. You are indeed a delightful, fun, and generous person...but, I think there are few things left unsaid.
for instance, you are quite thrifty...(i.e., do recall foraging for unexploded paintballs in the dirt , cleaning them and trying to make the boys reshoot?
you have an exceptional tolerance for high decibel sounds (unlike your spouse) (i.e., you obviously tolerated any number of parties at 9403)
you have a wicked sense of humor (i.e., you referred to my husband as Noel Coward after I complained that he walked around in his bathrobe all day)
you are a great organizer (i.e., you created the bookclub that periodically gives each of us heartburn but has opened up the world of literature to all of us)
you entertain with style and are a gracious hostess (already said..but, no one mentioned how you allowed them to return after they had insulted one or more of the other guests...my bad!)
of course you are a terrific mother...to Dan, Georgia, and that other boy from next door
I could go on and on....but in summary, you are a terrific neighbor, we have loved knowing you and your incredible family and friends.
Best wishes for the happiest of birthdays and a truly great year...as you enter your 6th decade...
Maggie Mc.
for instance, you are quite thrifty...(i.e., do recall foraging for unexploded paintballs in the dirt , cleaning them and trying to make the boys reshoot?
you have an exceptional tolerance for high decibel sounds (unlike your spouse) (i.e., you obviously tolerated any number of parties at 9403)
you have a wicked sense of humor (i.e., you referred to my husband as Noel Coward after I complained that he walked around in his bathrobe all day)
you are a great organizer (i.e., you created the bookclub that periodically gives each of us heartburn but has opened up the world of literature to all of us)
you entertain with style and are a gracious hostess (already said..but, no one mentioned how you allowed them to return after they had insulted one or more of the other guests...my bad!)
of course you are a terrific mother...to Dan, Georgia, and that other boy from next door
I could go on and on....but in summary, you are a terrific neighbor, we have loved knowing you and your incredible family and friends.
Best wishes for the happiest of birthdays and a truly great year...as you enter your 6th decade...
Maggie Mc.
Greeting from Cath Sutton
Happy 50th Birthday, Karen. You will always be that young girl running on the beach. The one who gets the jewelry. The one who laughs about your peeing accident and finds a way to use that as a teaching tool. You are the one who does a Herculean task so beautifully then worries if you may have perhaps spoken one word that wasn't right. Or, heaven forbid, said something inappropriate. You set a delightful table, make a fabulous orange salmon dish for lunch, but you make the visiting time even better than the meal. You laugh about fart machines, have been known to delight in a bit of trickery, but only in the most appropriate way. You have a way of putting things together that is so charming and warm, so welcoming, so INTERESTING, so lovely. You shine light and help those around you see things to delight in as you do. My Mom said she loved life. I see that in you, and I want to be at that same place. What more can I tell you about yourself, that you deserve to hear on such a day as birthday #50? Karen, thank you for your kind, compassionate, open and generous spirit and for being an incredible listening friend. You are always aware of the other person. You might be too generous, yes, I think today you should let it be about you and go on and be selfishly lavish with yourself, could you, for once? It is wonderful to watch the depth of your passion about everything from philosophical issues to the bad manners of boorish people. And it is delightful to delve into their badness, all the intricacies and depths of those flaws, in hysterically funny and colorful conversations. And oh by the way, your passion is so big that pieces of it end up clinging to those around you, some got on me and stayed, so thank you, Karen.
You have perpetual youth, it comes out of you. What a quality. If only we could all have this then we'd all stop time. But who wants to, really? Oops, am I saying something inappropriate? Oh, did I talk too much here? Could I have said it better? Yikes.
Karen Bedell, Club-Class Karen with the pink cut-offs, you are beautiful and ageless, you have the wisdom beyond your years, but the spirit of that young girl. Happy 50th Birthday!
Love, Cath
Karen's Hour
Yes..it is true..Karen is the star of a special tribute edition of BBC Radio 4's "Woman's Hour" and you can hear and download the podcast of the show by clicking on the links below. Featuring contributons from family, friends, colleagues and miscellaneous "special guests", the programme will delight all who know and love Karen.
Quite what SHE will make of it is another matter, of course...
Geek Note: These high-fidelity recordings are encoded in AAC compressed MPEG audio. They are done like that because they are enhanced podcasts with photos to go with each chapter (choruses of "oooh! get YOU!). They will play nicely in the QuickTime application purveyed by those nice people at Apple. If you don't have it on your computer currently you can download for free. They probably won't play in Real Player or the Windows Media player, however.
Karen's Hour part 1
Karen's Hour part 2
Quite what SHE will make of it is another matter, of course...
Geek Note: These high-fidelity recordings are encoded in AAC compressed MPEG audio. They are done like that because they are enhanced podcasts with photos to go with each chapter (choruses of "oooh! get YOU!). They will play nicely in the QuickTime application purveyed by those nice people at Apple. If you don't have it on your computer currently you can download for free. They probably won't play in Real Player or the Windows Media player, however.
Karen's Hour part 1
Karen's Hour part 2
Tuesday, 16 June 2009
50 Books for 50 Years...
Happy Birthday Aunty Karen!!!
For discussion...
In no particular order, 25 of the best books of all time (or, more accurately, 25 of the best books I’ve read so far):
1. Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen - what girl doesn’t want a Mr Darcy?!
2. Captain Correlli’s Mandolin by Louis de Berniers - fabulous book, awful film
3. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy – wonderful (though woeful) characters
4. Swallows & Amazons by Arthur Ransom – I never had this much fun in the Lake District!
5.Time Traveller’s Wife by Audrey Niffenberger – about a time traveller, sounds odd but really loved this book
6. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens - I know you’ll agree with me on this one
7, 8 and 9. His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman – ok, so this is 3 books...
10. Wild Swans by Jung Chan – autobiographical account of life in China as the Communists came to power, this really made an impression on me
11. Atonement by Ian McEwan – Saturday’s a close second
12. Birdsong by Sebastian Faulkes – I’m a fan of Sebastian Faulkes in general
13. Testament of Youth by Vera Britain – very moving WW1 autobiography
14. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night - Time by Mark Haddon
15. The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro – another one I know you’ll agree with
16. Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davies – this is the one I got with you, loved it!
17. Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner – really enjoyed this, especially the chapter on the impact your name can have on your likely “success” in life
18. Notes From a Small Island by Bill Bryson – always good for a laugh
19. The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella – complete trash in terms of “literature” but great fun (especially if you’re a sad lawyer)
20. Dracula by Bram Stoker –scary...
21. Last King of Scotland by Giles Fodden - flim good, book better
22. Natasha’s Dance by Orlando Figes – a cultural history of Russia, heavy going in places but fascinating nonetheless
23. Life on Air by David Attenborough – I love this man and his autobiography is great
24. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
25. The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins – really thought-provoking
And now for the 25 worst/ most disappointing/overrated books so far encountered by me:
1. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown – rubbish
2. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh – just didn’t really like the people in it
3. Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
4. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky – not actually managed to finish this...
5. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy – peace bits are good, war bits are very, very ,very long-winded (the SECOND epilogue was the final nail in the coffin for me)
6. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen – about a ridiculous silly girl
7. Tess of the D’Urbervilles – ditto comment re Northanger Abbey!!!
8. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte – may have to reconsider the categorisation of this as am going to be re-reading this for book club but didn’t like it when I first read it
9. Birds Without Wings by Louis de Bernier – not nearly as good as Captain Correli
10. On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan – I know you disagree..
11. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins – another drippy woman
12. God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy –just didn’t enjoy it (though admit, not read it for years)
13. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne –probably a controversial one but I couldn’t believe that Bruno was meant to be 9 and not have a clue as to what was happening
14. Watership Down by Richard Adams – about some really mean bunny rabbits, scared me to death when I was liitle!
15. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens – don’t know why, just don’t like this book
16. Animal Farm by George Orwell – had to read this at school very, very slowly and then analysed it to death
17. Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
18. The Return by Victoria Hislop – enjoyed her other book (The Island) so was disappointed by this
20. 100 Years of Solitude by Marquez – even read this whilst in South America in the rainforest and was uninspired
21. Most of William Shakespeare’s plays – ok, another controversial one and a bit of a sweeping statement! But the stories are all the same; bit of cross-dressing and confusion and then it all turns out OK in the end (if it’s a comedy, or not if it’s a tragedy)
22. The End of Faith by Sam Harris – I know you’ll disagree with this one!! I got on much better with Dawkins though
23. Bleak House by Charles Dickens – like War and Peace, it’s just too long for me...
24. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseni - this is only in this list as I loved The Kite Runner and was therefore disappointed by this in comparison
25. The Sea by John Banville – had to keep looking words up in the dictionary
Have a lovely day, lots of love Katiexxxxxxxxxxxxx
For discussion...
In no particular order, 25 of the best books of all time (or, more accurately, 25 of the best books I’ve read so far):
1. Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen - what girl doesn’t want a Mr Darcy?!
2. Captain Correlli’s Mandolin by Louis de Berniers - fabulous book, awful film
3. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy – wonderful (though woeful) characters
4. Swallows & Amazons by Arthur Ransom – I never had this much fun in the Lake District!
5.Time Traveller’s Wife by Audrey Niffenberger – about a time traveller, sounds odd but really loved this book
6. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens - I know you’ll agree with me on this one
7, 8 and 9. His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman – ok, so this is 3 books...
10. Wild Swans by Jung Chan – autobiographical account of life in China as the Communists came to power, this really made an impression on me
11. Atonement by Ian McEwan – Saturday’s a close second
12. Birdsong by Sebastian Faulkes – I’m a fan of Sebastian Faulkes in general
13. Testament of Youth by Vera Britain – very moving WW1 autobiography
14. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night - Time by Mark Haddon
15. The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro – another one I know you’ll agree with
16. Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davies – this is the one I got with you, loved it!
17. Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner – really enjoyed this, especially the chapter on the impact your name can have on your likely “success” in life
18. Notes From a Small Island by Bill Bryson – always good for a laugh
19. The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella – complete trash in terms of “literature” but great fun (especially if you’re a sad lawyer)
20. Dracula by Bram Stoker –scary...
21. Last King of Scotland by Giles Fodden - flim good, book better
22. Natasha’s Dance by Orlando Figes – a cultural history of Russia, heavy going in places but fascinating nonetheless
23. Life on Air by David Attenborough – I love this man and his autobiography is great
24. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
25. The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins – really thought-provoking
And now for the 25 worst/ most disappointing/overrated books so far encountered by me:
1. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown – rubbish
2. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh – just didn’t really like the people in it
3. Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
4. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky – not actually managed to finish this...
5. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy – peace bits are good, war bits are very, very ,very long-winded (the SECOND epilogue was the final nail in the coffin for me)
6. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen – about a ridiculous silly girl
7. Tess of the D’Urbervilles – ditto comment re Northanger Abbey!!!
8. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte – may have to reconsider the categorisation of this as am going to be re-reading this for book club but didn’t like it when I first read it
9. Birds Without Wings by Louis de Bernier – not nearly as good as Captain Correli
10. On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan – I know you disagree..
11. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins – another drippy woman
12. God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy –just didn’t enjoy it (though admit, not read it for years)
13. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne –probably a controversial one but I couldn’t believe that Bruno was meant to be 9 and not have a clue as to what was happening
14. Watership Down by Richard Adams – about some really mean bunny rabbits, scared me to death when I was liitle!
15. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens – don’t know why, just don’t like this book
16. Animal Farm by George Orwell – had to read this at school very, very slowly and then analysed it to death
17. Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
18. The Return by Victoria Hislop – enjoyed her other book (The Island) so was disappointed by this
20. 100 Years of Solitude by Marquez – even read this whilst in South America in the rainforest and was uninspired
21. Most of William Shakespeare’s plays – ok, another controversial one and a bit of a sweeping statement! But the stories are all the same; bit of cross-dressing and confusion and then it all turns out OK in the end (if it’s a comedy, or not if it’s a tragedy)
22. The End of Faith by Sam Harris – I know you’ll disagree with this one!! I got on much better with Dawkins though
23. Bleak House by Charles Dickens – like War and Peace, it’s just too long for me...
24. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseni - this is only in this list as I loved The Kite Runner and was therefore disappointed by this in comparison
25. The Sea by John Banville – had to keep looking words up in the dictionary
Have a lovely day, lots of love Katiexxxxxxxxxxxxx
Karen:
As I explained to Bob, after 50 you start counting backwards so by my reckoning I am now 46 and therefore much younger than you. However, I don’t think you will have a problem staying young, given your outlook on life.
Thanks for your kindness and generosity, especially towards assorted Nixon offspring who seem to keep landing on your doorstep! I am very lucky to have such an amazing sister-in-law.
With much love and a huge birthday hug from all the Nixon family
Chris
As I explained to Bob, after 50 you start counting backwards so by my reckoning I am now 46 and therefore much younger than you. However, I don’t think you will have a problem staying young, given your outlook on life.
Thanks for your kindness and generosity, especially towards assorted Nixon offspring who seem to keep landing on your doorstep! I am very lucky to have such an amazing sister-in-law.
With much love and a huge birthday hug from all the Nixon family
Chris
Monday, 15 June 2009
Welcome to the Club
GRATTIS till halvtid,
and Congratulations to the Midways Karen!
Congratulations to an amazing woman who transcends all stereotypes people have about women in the 50s! She is still beautiful, and radiates magnetic attraction with her lively intellect, great smile, and her muscular body.
I have known her for about seven years, and she is fun and uplifting to be around with her open mind, intuitive and analytical mind, and as she is genuine and frank, and the most positive sparkling person I know!!! No BS'ing here, definitely not pretentious.
Karen always has opinions, or searching to land one. She has many interests as we all know, but with me she has also shared interests as architecture (house hunting), Jungian psychology, politics and comparative culture analysis (homemade science).
Karen is a person I will call when I need independent advice. Too often people just say what they think the other one wants to hear, which really does not mean much. Karen, however, will speak her mind, even if with care because she is also a sensitive person. She is a person you can trust, a truly great friend.
She has had her share of challenges in life in her family in England. Sometimes she would worry a bit about her children, or her husband working too much, but they have all turned out beautiful. Smart and independent. Keywords for Karen.
Just one thing I have not understood is where she gets her wisdom....Karen is one of the few women who are looking forward to turn 50!! See there, she is good at accepting life as it is, that is truly quite wise. She also talks about looking forward to retire soon!! She, with all that energy ....I guess she is smart not to feel guilty about just enjoying life! She know life is precious. We others know that intellectually. She seems to know it with her whole soul, mind and body. She does what I would like to do...so she is an inspiration to me and many others!
Wish you a fantastic journey with your life in and after the 50s!!
Sr witch Doris Biga
karen bedell <3
KAREN BEDELL<3
Sadly, Karen it took 4 of us to create this.
K is for Karing or Krap because when Karen cares about something she really cares and when she doesn’t, she couldn’t give a crap.
A is for anti-biotics and the funny way Karen says that word. A is also for articulate which Karen definitely is and we are struggling to be right now.
R is for road-runner which we hope Karen continues to be…we also hope, with her old age, she continues to be regular (may need to add some prunes to the diet).
E is for excitable because Karen has such a low threshold for what she can find excitement in (this is a good thing)
N is for the nasty diaper we left as a souvenir in your basement when the girls were babies
B is for brilliant. Because we think Karen is and Karen thinks all good ideas are. B is also for Bethesda which Karen wants to get closer and closer to so she can walk home. B is also for Bob and bike-riding, two of the greatest loves in Karens life.
E is for easy to please because in many great ways, Karen is.
D is for debating because the fact the Karen enjoys this is undebatable.
E is for enthusiasm because Karen brings this to so many things. E is also for euthanize which Karen tried to do to her cat…poor Spike.
L is for laughter, love and lovely chocolates because that is what we wish for Karen
L is also for lots of love from Nancy, Bill, Zak, Emmy and Katie
We’re going to start working on a real poem now for when you turn 60!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Sadly, Karen it took 4 of us to create this.
K is for Karing or Krap because when Karen cares about something she really cares and when she doesn’t, she couldn’t give a crap.
A is for anti-biotics and the funny way Karen says that word. A is also for articulate which Karen definitely is and we are struggling to be right now.
R is for road-runner which we hope Karen continues to be…we also hope, with her old age, she continues to be regular (may need to add some prunes to the diet).
E is for excitable because Karen has such a low threshold for what she can find excitement in (this is a good thing)
N is for the nasty diaper we left as a souvenir in your basement when the girls were babies
B is for brilliant. Because we think Karen is and Karen thinks all good ideas are. B is also for Bethesda which Karen wants to get closer and closer to so she can walk home. B is also for Bob and bike-riding, two of the greatest loves in Karens life.
E is for easy to please because in many great ways, Karen is.
D is for debating because the fact the Karen enjoys this is undebatable.
E is for enthusiasm because Karen brings this to so many things. E is also for euthanize which Karen tried to do to her cat…poor Spike.
L is for laughter, love and lovely chocolates because that is what we wish for Karen
L is also for lots of love from Nancy, Bill, Zak, Emmy and Katie
We’re going to start working on a real poem now for when you turn 60!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Saturday, 13 June 2009
A Scottish Blessing......
So my oldest british/ american pal is turning 50, before me I might add.
I could go on about all the fun and happy times dealing with motherhood, buying houses, reading books, teaching at the Y, converging on the state of the world, America V Britain....yes, this does include Scotland!
But, my mind is on where we are both from and all I really want to say is an old Scottish minors blessing which I think Karen will appreciate.
Wishing you always walls for the wind,
A roof for the rain,
Tea beside the fire,
And the love and laughter of those you hold dear,
Lang may yur lum blaze.
This blessing may seem simple but it has meaning for us lassies from the north.
Happy birthday my dear, you know I hate doing this and my paper card will be arriving via the old fashioned way! Bloody computer freaks!
Karen Bedell: Shameless Schilling!
In case some of you haven't seen Ms. Bedell in action lately....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GupOwjJzHYY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GupOwjJzHYY
Wednesday, 10 June 2009
Power walks and starvation
Perhaps this grand occasion will mark the point at which Karen's metabolism and consciousness finally do the decent thing and adjust to the idea that proper way to spend one's advancing years is by sampling fine food and wine, regularly, and welcoming the gradual advance of midriff corpulence as a natural sign of a life well lived. Rather than by pounding one's tenderised soles over mile after punishing mile of Maryland with only the faint promise of a glass of fizzy water and a dog biscuit to sustain one at the end...
Equally likely, of course, is that the Vatican will open a condom factory..
Equally likely, of course, is that the Vatican will open a condom factory..
10 Things I love about Karen...
- She's older than me. Barely, but it counts.
- She can sell ice water to Eskimos.
- Her bullshit-off the-cuff presentations are 10 times better than my deeply-researched agonized, carefully crafted crap.
- She is extremely beautiful and her smile lights up any room. Keeps me from killing her sometimes.
- She brings me food and always shares her chocolate.
- She is always game for taking on clients that we have no business taking on.
- She can turn the most difficult client engagement into a complete home run. She just might be able to turn Americans into Socialists...
- She is tough as nails and not afraid to say the things that need to be said to the people who need to hear it in a way that gets through.
- She is an active Left winger which allows my lazy American ass to sit by the wayside while she makes sure we actually get a smart President for a change. Between her and Oprah--don't know who Barack Obama needs to thank more!
- For some inexplicable reason, she hasn't left me for a new business partner---yet!
Tuesday, 9 June 2009
I hear that Karen is making many concessions as she joins the over 50 crowd, here are her top ten:
1. She will no longer jog for 20 miles without a water break.
2. Bob will no longer be put to shame by his wife outpacing him on their weekly biking trips.
3. The Bethesda male will no longer see her in a mini skirt and a plunging neckline at the same time.
4. Poor ole George will no longer have to do a triathalon to keep up with his daughter on vacation.
5. Alas, Dan will no longer have a MILF to contend with.
6. The long suffering Zoey can throw away that sock that was constantly tied to the bedroom door when the Corker's came to visit.
7. Mary will now have a full time partner.
8. I will only have to buy walking shoes once a year instead of every thirty days.
9. The book club will no longer have debates at their monthly meeting.
10. Georgia will now be the extrovert in the family.
And if you believe all that, you definitely don't know Karen! Happy Birthday my friend and may blue skies and happy trails follow you all year long.
xoxox Wendyb
1. She will no longer jog for 20 miles without a water break.
2. Bob will no longer be put to shame by his wife outpacing him on their weekly biking trips.
3. The Bethesda male will no longer see her in a mini skirt and a plunging neckline at the same time.
4. Poor ole George will no longer have to do a triathalon to keep up with his daughter on vacation.
5. Alas, Dan will no longer have a MILF to contend with.
6. The long suffering Zoey can throw away that sock that was constantly tied to the bedroom door when the Corker's came to visit.
7. Mary will now have a full time partner.
8. I will only have to buy walking shoes once a year instead of every thirty days.
9. The book club will no longer have debates at their monthly meeting.
10. Georgia will now be the extrovert in the family.
And if you believe all that, you definitely don't know Karen! Happy Birthday my friend and may blue skies and happy trails follow you all year long.
xoxox Wendyb
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