MJ & Gene profile picture

MJ & Gene

Enjoy life, and recognize what is truly precious.

About Me


"Life is an opportunity, benefit from it. Life is a beauty, admire it. Life is a dream, realize it. Life is a challenge, meet it. Life is a duty, complete it. Life is a game, play it. Life is a promise, fulfill it. Life is sorrow, overcome it. Life is a song, sing it. Life is a struggle, accept it. Life is a tragedy, confront it. Life is an adventure, dare it. Life is luck, make it. Life is life, fight for it!" - Mother Teresa
MJ says..."I am a Christian who believes firmly that regardless of religious labeling, our relationship with the Almighty, His gracious mercy and our shared belief in a better world should be enough incentive to lay aside all petty theological disputes and work together for the betterment of the world.
In my own small way, I am trying to make this world a better place by fighting to find a cure for Lupus, by challenging perceptions, mine as well as yours, by educating myself about things before forming an opinion, through civil debate (and occasionally agreeing to disagree =) and by remembering to be thankful for both the good and bad in life that has brought me to this particular moment.
If you are interested in learning more about Lupus please visit www.lupus.org or www.niams.nih.gov and search the word Lupus.
A mother of 2 and wife to only 1 (thankfully, love you Gene!) I am currently a Creative Writing/English Major at E.W.U. I like to write phychological thrillers, fantasy fiction and lots of really cheesy poetry.
My fave music ranges from Mozart and Chopin, to Mel Torme and Frank Sinatra, from Billy Joel and Elton John, to The All American Rejects and The Fray.
I love to chat on-line with my friends after the kids are in bed. I have a goofy sense of humor and absolutly LOVE the Maxine toon (pictured below)
I've also had a weird fascination for moose ever since I was "run over" by one while working as a cabin maid in Teton Village, Wyoming.
Oh and just so you know, this is what I look like during a flare up...
Of course Homer is drooling for an entirely different reason, but you get the drift. A complete loss of function.
Because of having Lupus, I facilitate a Lupus Support Group in my hometown, am very involved with the Lupus Foundation of America, and thanks to my wonderful friends I am surviving with a much better quality of life than before diagnosis. I love you guys!! Oh, and I welcome questions so feel free to ask me anything =) God bless you and yours!"
Gene says...NOTHING, trying to get him to actually say anything has always been like pulling teeth. LOL so until he gets his butt on line I am going to say something for him. He likes football, computer games, beer and Star Trek. He likes being Catholic and pursues spirituality and goodness every single day. He loves his family (though he doesn't always listen to his pushy wife), and he is mechanically inclined and very good with his hands. He is a bit of a nerd, but that is respected in this house, and he looks younger than me even though he is 6 years older. UGH. Now if he would like to add anything to this someday it will be a miracle =)
Do you love Muppets like we love Muppets? Take the "Muppet Personality Test" below.
You Are Kermit
Hi, ho! Lovable and friendly, you get along well with everyone you know.
You're a big thinker, and sometimes you over think life's problems.
Don't worry - everyone know's it's not easy being green.
Just remember, time's fun when you're having flies! The Muppet Personality Test

My Interests



MJ says..."My family! Nuclear and extended =). The global environment, art/expression of all kinds, theology, politics, and just plain having fun!"

Me and my kids after building the first snowman of the year (2000?)and yet another bad hair day for me! LOL

I believe in being an involved parent; in forming our children to know themselves, their beliefs, their goals and how to achieve them, and in educating our kids to be responsible stewards of the environment: standing up for what is right and not being afraid to voice objections to what is wrong.

I also believe that "hands on" parenting (one parent at home and both being deeply involved in their childrend's lives) is a dying art that must be revived and soon! However for a look at an exceptionally well raised young lady please feel free to visit one of my niece's website/blog at the following addy...

http://www.splatness.blogspot.com/



Beyond parenting I am into health issues and using diet, exercise and humor to overcome them. Comedy, drama, and the unholy alliance of the two "dramedy", which is NOT a furry, long-necked, hump backed animal found in the desert. I also enjoy studying and debating the basic tenets of religion and philosophy and their effects both good and bad on the world. I am working toward some minor comprehension of physics and it's various theories, and love to "soapbox" about ethics in business and morals in modern society. Wow now aren't I just a bundle of boring?"
Image code by MyNiceSpace.com



Gene says...via his wife: learning everything. He also likes camping, baseball, Catholic talk radio, RPG games, and the "idea of" travel even though we can't really afford to =)

I'd like to meet:

MJ says...

I think Ghandi would have been a fascinating and refreshing break from today's American lifestyle.

Martin Luther King Jr. would also have been a fabulous person to listen to and learn from.

And Mike Rowe, host and star of Discovery Channels "Dirty Jobs" would probably be incredibly and hysterically interesting.

And who WOULDN'T want to meet Morgan Freeman?! I mean come on now folks. LOVE HIM =)

Mother Theresa, William Shatner, Charles Dickens, Colin Powell, Barak Obama, Mark Twain (although I hated Huck Finn due to the dialectual verbiage) and Flannary O'Conner(who also had Lupus), and M. Night Shymalan would probably be fairly stimulating too.
Of course my eventual goal is to actually meet God and be invited to stay at His place!

Music:

MJ says...I listen to a fairly eclectic mix: pop (AAR, the Fray), classical (Mozart, Chaztachovich (sp?)), alternative, r&b (Aretha, Marvin, Taylor), a little country and basically anything that fits my mood at the time.

Gene says...via his wife: 70's classics such as The Monkees, Neil Diamond, etc. He also like Vince Guiraldi (the guy who wrote the "Peanuts" theme song).

Movies:

So the following image pretty much sums up my sense of humor. If you know where this is from and appreciate this film as genius then you and I will get along well ;)

My favorite films include: Young Frankenstein, The Professional, X-Men, French Kiss, Under the Tuscan Sun, Sabrina, anything with Cary Grant or one of the Hepburn gals, the ORIGINAL Dr. Doolittle, My Fair Lady, the Muppets Christmas Carol, Monty Python's Holy Grail and Second Hand Lions. Only one movie stands out to me as life changing however and that was the masterpiece known as "Ghandi"
Beyond that, Gene and I agree, "Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberries! If you come back again I will taunt you a second time!."

What Classic Movie Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Television:

MJ says...Ok I must admit to loving four shows: "House" and "Boston Legal" are my guilty pleasures; "Dirty Jobs" and "Mythbusters" are just thoroughly enjoyable for the entire family. Intelligent, engaging, witty and worthwhile characters in all of these shows make them my favorites. Honorable mention goes to "Grey's Anatomy", "Men in Trees", and "Heroes". The other 99% of tv shows just don't catch my interest like these do!

Both Gene and I must also admit to being Trekkies. Roddenberry's idea of a peaceful and united Earth and the ideals he presented in the show are just too appealing not to like.

Books:

MJ says..."James Michener, James Clavell, Spokane born writers: Frank Herbert - The Dune series, David Eddings - The Belgariad & the Mallorean series.
Heaven knows there are so many more, including the classics: Great Expectations, Beowulf, anything by "the Bard", and the poetry of Billy Collins absolutely rocks!

adopt your own virtual pet!

Heroes:

MJ says..."My husband Gene who supports me through everything, and all the other people who survive with chronic illness yet keep a smile on their faces!"


Myspace Codes: MyNiceSpace.com

Here's a more recent pic of me and my sweet hubby...


And here is a small toon I found to be incredibly appropriate and funny.

My Blog

40 Days - the final day.

Hello friends, Well my final entry is days late.  It has taken me that long to really recoup from the Pig Out activities.  Exhaustion set in on Sunday afternoon and lasted until yesterday.&n...
Posted by MJ & Gene on Fri, 07 Sep 2007 07:38:00 PST

New poem by MJ - Steam

You see it, deep within my eyes, the wish for you to tilt your head, draw me in; breathe my scent as I breathe yours, in unison, letting heat and moisture meet.   Start soft, a f...
Posted by MJ & Gene on Tue, 04 Sep 2007 10:37:00 PST

40 Days - 35, 36, 37,38 & 39.

Oy.  The last day of summer with the kids, running the Lupus info booth at the "Pig Out at the Park", sunshine, wind and bees have all conspired against my keeping my blog going consistently...
Posted by MJ & Gene on Mon, 03 Sep 2007 08:08:00 PST

New poem by MJ

Accept "The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love, and be loved in return" ~ Eden Ahbez I still wonder sometimes, why. How did I end up here, like this, with you. For better or worse, we'...
Posted by MJ & Gene on Fri, 31 Aug 2007 08:08:00 PST

40 Days - 33 & 34

Hair falling out, getting scarey thin.  Pink pee means kidneys going kaput and medication's not working. Owie head, neck, etc.  I am getting another infection in my tooth so my low...
Posted by MJ & Gene on Wed, 29 Aug 2007 07:23:00 PST

40 Days - 29, 30, 31, 32.

Having Lupus sucks, but sometimes I thank my lucky stars cuz it could be much worse.  A friend of mine just sent me her new web page.  She built it on a site called Caring Bridge.  Car...
Posted by MJ & Gene on Tue, 28 Aug 2007 09:29:00 PST

40 Days - 27 & 28

Alright I am listing to the left yet again.  Dizzy, yes but not terribly so.  Just enough to cause me to bump into things as I walk through the hallways and to hang on tightly to the stair r...
Posted by MJ & Gene on Thu, 23 Aug 2007 10:19:00 PST

40 Days - 26

Oh what a wonderful morning, oh what a wonderful day!  No pain, a smattering of rain and cool weather!  The nausea has passed, my hands don't hurt.  I am a bit tired and perhaps a bit m...
Posted by MJ & Gene on Tue, 21 Aug 2007 01:51:00 PST

New poem in the works by MJ

Faux   We let it happen. Corinthian leather realism like Enron's funny, sunny stock report blowing lazy rays past private places, chafes more than just the section sheathed in lightly controll...
Posted by MJ & Gene on Tue, 21 Aug 2007 06:31:00 PST

40 Days - 25

Thursday was a declining day for me.   I was tired all day but not feeling too sick.  Friday was a nightmare.   I woke early Friday morning afraid that I was having a heart attack:...
Posted by MJ & Gene on Mon, 20 Aug 2007 01:26:00 PST