Lasting Friendships

This weekend we had a barbeque with some of my long time friends. We brought together a group of friends that haven’t seen each other in 15-20years. Though I’ve seen some of them off and on we haven’t stayed connected the way we should have, Rick hadn’t even met some. When you do something like this memories fly back into your mind making you feel almost like a teenager again and taking you back to another life. Alina, the redhead was my best friend growing up, we met in first grade. We just reconnected after a 15 year separation and it’s like we never were apart. As always we have promised to stay in touch and I think this time we will, we are all mature enough to realize how quickly time flies and how important true friends, old and new, are to our lives.

Carmen

The Elections are finally over!

Regardless of how you voted in these elections or how you feel about the outcome I bet you are glad it’s over! I am very politically active, very involved in women’s issues and very passionate and vocal about my opinions in these areas…much more than my other half--Dr. Rick. (The picture above is from the Miami County Commission for Women.)

This year in particular the election cycle has been hard. My family has been divided on the candidates and some of the issues as have some of my friends so this has put an unusual amount of stress on many of our relationships. Dealing with these issues is hard for all of us but in the case of step families where we combine families that may not have the same opinions on political issues it can be a real challenge. It takes a lot of patience, communication, compromise and love to work through it all but with a little effort it can be done. Luckily for our stepfamily we share similar views on most things in our little unit (or at least I think we do) but the extended family is a different story and it’s been tough…I for one am glad that this election is over, we’ve survived it and now we can all move forward.
I hope this change is a positive one and that our country and families will be unified under this new leadership. Step or not it is family that is most important, it’s time to get over our differences and look forward to better times and a brighter future!

How did this election impact your life?

Have a great day,

Carmen (aka the better half)

THE ELECTION!

THE ELECTION.
What brings a family closer together or drives them further apart than politics?

I try not to bring the subject up in my family for fear of offending someone or worse, opening the door for them to offend me! The current Presidential election is one of the most important elections in our country’s history. We are at a social, financial, and moral crossroad.Whomever you choose to lead our nation, be sure that he (and in the future, she) does it surrounded by hand-picked intelligent, motivated, hopefully objective people, chosen for their expertise and leadership qualities.

Let’s face it, we all have an opinion, and thankfully in the United States, a voice to express our thoughts and feelings. Use it responsibly, and may the best candidate win leading us back on a positive track.

Dr. Rick

Getting older is real.

Getting Older.
Is it just a cliche? I don’t think so.
Getting older is real. More forgetful, get tired sooner, can’t stay up as late, can’t eat anything and everything without the Rolaids handy, creaks and aches that come out of nowhere. As my mother used to say, “Getting older is not for sissies!”
On the other hand, better insight, stronger ties to family, more mature attitude (sometimes!), better decision making, higher tolerance for disappointments. This is me. How about you?

Dr. Rick

"Greatness"

I've been watching the Olympics for the past week, as I'm sure many of you have. I'm impressed by the athlete's dedication, commitment, and skill, but also, their teamwork and support of their families and friends. It seems as if each one of them has a contingent of people who love and care about them, regardless of the result. Wouldn't it be great if we all had this unending, relatively unconditional support for us in our endeavors. Wouldn't life be a little easier if there were people cheering for us? Or, maybe like the world-class athlete, we need to muster up our courage, motivation, and drive from within ourselves. An important lesson--although it's nice to have others acknowlege our "greatness," it's more important that we acknowledge it ourselves. Have a week of "greatness."
Dr. Rick

Cool Stepfamily Father's Day e-Cards

I wanted to share an example of one of the cards I created for Father's Day 2008. I hope you can see it clearly here. The card reads.....

When you married my Mom, I wasn't sure how I felt. I knew we were OK before you got here, but I didn't know what to expect. You make my Mom happy, and that makes me happy. Happy Father's Day!

Let me know what you think - you can see all of the Father's Day cards on my website. If you would like to submit your own sentiments - I will gladly feature them here. Father's Day is June 15th. Don't forget to send your dad a special message!

-Dr. Rick

Father's Day

Father's Day.
Father's Day is June 15th this year. That would be my father's 83rd birthday. A two for one! He passed away 9 years ago tomorrow. We had a great relationship. We played tennis and golf together, although he wasn't that good at either. It didn't matter. I miss him alot, but I'm never sad about it. We talked and shared a great deal (not everything, of course), but enough to know how we felt about each other. My relationship with my
Dad wasn't perfect, or maybe in its way it was. Take the
opportunity to say and do the things with people you love while
you have the chance. To all you Dads and Stepdads out
there--Have a great day!
Dr. Rick

Dr. Rick LIVE on the RADIO!

Hello Everyone!

NOW AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE AT http://www.thestepcardcollection.com/.
Click on NEWS and then click on 'On the Airwaves'. You can listen to the interview directly from the site. Updated April 9, 2008.

Just a quick heads-up. Our radio interview with Charlie Kaufman will air today, Wednesday, December 19th on WDNA radio 88.9FM at 11AM EST. The best way to get the broadcast is to go to their website. www.wdna.org

Thank you all,

Dr. Rick