Once upon a ...

Steph's Boys are back!

noreply@blogger.com (ME) — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 06:26:00 +0000

Ah...The boys are back in town. I love watching these two in action. Their banter is fun, fluid, charming, and a bit edgy. What's not to love here?

It's a brand new day...Smile.

noreply@blogger.com (ME) — Mon, 28 Oct 2013 16:01:00 +0000

Ice cream man by Tom Waits....

noreply@blogger.com (ME) — Sat, 12 Oct 2013 20:13:00 +0000

Accents Challenge by Steph's Boys.

noreply@blogger.com (ME) — Wed, 09 Oct 2013 17:39:00 +0000

I absolutely love these guys. Thanks for making me laugh Steph's Boys.

If you like them as much as I do please make sure to share the love and subscribe. Or you can always leave a comment. Cheers ya'll.

Lyn

The nerdiest Bohemian Rhapsody cover

noreply@blogger.com (ME) — Tue, 01 Oct 2013 22:36:00 +0000

The nerdiest Bohemian Rhapsody cover

I want to live.

noreply@blogger.com (ME) — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 04:03:00 +0000

It is so peaceful right now. The only sound I hear is the fan, and it is comforting.

I am tired, but I promised myself that I'd write tonight.

I want a better life. I'd like to not live pay check to pay check.

I wish that my son could go to school and not have me worrying whether or not I'm going to get "that" call.

I want to give my son a home. Not just a place we call home, but an actual HOME.

I want to be successful in life so my son's can succeed.

I want to stop worrying...stressing...fearing.

I want to live my life without doubt.

I just want to live my life.

I want to live.

Lyn Hernandez

Soulful Sounding Singer...

noreply@blogger.com (ME) — Sat, 21 Sep 2013 02:29:00 +0000

I've known this talented young man for a few years now and I have finally gotten a hold of one of his videos. For copyright purposes I can not divulge the song name, but I can tell you that it is awesome. I look forward to him becoming the superstar within.

You are a Rock Star DB!

Warning: The lyrics may contain word usage that may not be acceptable for young children.

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0IAxe3IhUj1rj3JyWwq9vA?feature=watch

If this is viewed by two, twenty, or two thousand people it was worth my time posting it. He is totally worth it.

The angels have your back DB!

Lyn aka your Lynnie the Pooh

Friendships.

noreply@blogger.com (ME) — Tue, 10 Sep 2013 05:12:00 +0000

It's a Saturday morning and the sun is promising a warm and fun filled afternoon. You jump out of bed, scramble into some play clothes, and head to the kitchen for breakfast. Not wanting to waste too much time, you opt for cereal. Quickly, you rush through brushing your teeth, and pull your hair into a ponytail. Dad is reading the newspaper in the living room and mom is reading her book at the kitchen table, so you say "I'm going to Heather's house." out loud. No one disagrees and you leave to go see your friend. Once you get to her house you see that she is already waiting and so is her sister Amy. It's time to play.

Times were much simpler back then. We didn't worry when children left the house and ran off to play with others. My brothers and I would go off on adventures in the woods. We would hike to find blueberries, or to find a fishing spot. Snake hunting and slug exterminations were the norm. I loved spending time with my brothers. It was a much needed change of pace when I had met my friends.

Over the years that have passed, I have realized that the conditions of friendships that remain strong and true are those that are loving and trustworthy. The bonds that tie you with your friends should run deep. You may feel like brothers and/or sisters, or maybe cousins if you have parents that are close friends.

You shouldn't worry if you aren't making friends right away. It's OK to sit back and wait. The friends you want will be there forever. They will go for days on end with not hearing from you and pick up from the last conversation you had. They don't judge you even if you are wrong. They listen intently while you pour your heart out. They hug you.

You, in return, must do the same.

The best part of friendship that I have learned is that it comes from the least likely of places. I still have my Heather and Amy, but I have gained some truly amazing people in my life. Don't be afraid to reach out.

That one person that you smile at in the check-out line might end up as your friend for life.

You never know.

Lyn Hernandez

9/10/13

Choices.

noreply@blogger.com (ME) — Sat, 07 Sep 2013 07:39:00 +0000

I want a remote control for my life. I wouldn't abuse it. At least I'd like to think I wouldn't. I just would like to go back to some moments in my life when I could have made the better decision. Notice I did not state "the right" decision. I'm finding myself, at this point, caught in a rut and I'd very much like to be Adam in that very cute, yet cheesy movie "Click". Sorry Adam. I adore you.

There comes a moment before each choice you make that you pause and that's your brief opportunity to choose. Every time you make your choice you lead yourself down a different path with the hope of eventually ending up on the right one. The Labyrinth of Life is what I call it.

I would like to go back to grade school and stand up to my bullies. I'd tell them that "sticks and stones may break my bones", but their words really did hurt me. {Yeah...Delete.} I'd find that girl that helped me in the 7th grade when I passed out and my books went everywhere. I'd like to thank her. {Rewind and Pause} In High School, when I couldn't seem to fit in anywhere, there were others, just like me, that cared and befriended me. I thank you all as well.

In my 20's I had a devil-may-care attitude. I tossed my sensibility aside and just went what I thought would be fun. At this point my first son was a toddler, Aaron. At this point I should have been there for him, not me. Choices. It was a poor one. I'd love to rewind it, but the path was chosen. I couldn't go back. I'd just have to make it right going forward. Choices.

In my 30's I marry what I thought was the love of my life only to find out I'd be divorcing him 2 years later. Choices. I chose to stay with him even though I knew he was as unhappy as I was. Choices. We get a divorce, but are now casual friends. I could have been a bitter person, but I chose not to be.

In my 30's my son Z was not planned. The best surprise ever. Choice. Neither his father or I were prepared for him. The choice was there, but there was no questioning for us. He was happening. And it's a rewind moment for me when I told him that after 3 tests that "Yes. It is positive."

Fast-forward to the present and you have me and my two sons. One is a Marine, and the other a sensitive 3rd grader with a love for science. Both were born out of spur of the moment choices, and I would not change those choices at all.

I am not saying you should make wrong choices to make the right outcome. I want everyone to just think first, and act later. Choices can define who you are for the rest of your life. And I don't know anyone who "wants" to be labeled/branded/bullied ever.

I am now 42 years old and enjoying making others happy.

You rule your life. Choose wisely.

Lyn Hernandez

Save the Melting Pot!

noreply@blogger.com (ME) — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 04:20:00 +0000

I've been banging my head against the wall. Why? Well let's start with the ridiculous media coverage on events that have been so far pounded into the ground that they are creating bullshit out of the dust.

I'm not going to glorify them by typing their names. Nor am I going to rant about the political misgivings that are currently trending.

My issue is the problem that is arising in our society at present. We have become afraid of our fellow Americans. We have become distrustful of one another so much so that we do not offer help in situations where helping one another should be instinct.

I thought that America was the melting pot of the world. We have people of all races, heritage, religion, and ethnic background. We are Americans because "We" , regardless of our lineage, exist in a country where we are supposed to be equals.

Social media has driven us to lessen ourselves. We pay more attention to what "they" are saying than to what is actually happening around us. I can not truthfully state that I do not pay attention to what is said on Social Sites, but I can say that I have had great restraint in not participating in the BS (Meaning politics, religion, and media sensationalism revolving around certain individuals that, again, I will not name.)

Moving forward, I'd like to address an issue that is bothersome to me. It's called "Helping your fellow man/human/person".

It's not that hard, really. All you have to do is remember "There are good people out there and some may need your help." I know that trust is hard to earn, but imagine if we stopped being so stubborn and just helped each other. How much better we as individuals would feel? I can see it happening, but only when a tragedy occurs. Don't let this be when you choose to rise up and help. Do it proactively. Help anyone that needs it now.

This was something that happened to me today:

By now everyone should realize that there truly is a heat wave happening. If you see someone in distress the right thing to do is offer help. When did we all become self absorbed and mistrustful? On my way to my Mom's house after work I saw an elderly man with a cane struggling to walk and shaking, both lanes of cars just passing him by. I thought he may be having a heart attack or a heat stroke, so I found the nearest driveway and spun around. I pulled over across the street and ran over to him (there were two pedestrians walking across the road from him that didn't even bat an eye). I asked him if he was OK and should I call an ambulance. He said "No. I just have problems walking and I can't see very well." So I asked him where he was going and could I offer him a ride.

It turns out he just wanted to get to the Puerto Rican restaurant across from ST Ann's church. I gladly gave him a ride. This poor man was hardly able to get in my car. I had to help him get in and out of my car, and he was so grateful he kept offering to by me something to eat. He said that the world needed to have more people like me. I told him that there is always hope, and to never lose faith.

When I got in my car the only thing I could think of was "What if that were me? Would anyone stop to help me?" Think about it. People tend avoid potential situations due to the surroundings they are in. (South Main St in Waterbury, CT is not where you'd want to pick someone up. Yet..I did.)

It only takes a moment of your time to make a huge difference in someones life. Take that moment and do something.

United we stand. Divided we fall.

God Bless us all.

Lyn

It's so hot my thought's are melting!

noreply@blogger.com (ME) — Wed, 10 Jul 2013 02:04:00 +0000

It currently 85 degrees and the sun is down. The weather person has promised a break in the humidity by the end of the week.

Liar.

You said the same thing last week, and yet we are still baking like unattended food left in a car while attending to errands.

The only promise of some sort of relief is when the overcast clouds threaten a storm, and at that point I am rejoicing "Please rain! Please.!".

What makes matters worse is that people become delusional in high heat. It's not funny, nor a joke. When a person who has been in high levels of heat and has not been hydrating themselves, they are high risk of heat exhaustion and/or heat stroke. You should always keep drinking water, and avoid caffeinated and/or alcoholic products due to the diuretic properties that will further agitate the issue at hand.

I know it's Summer and everyone wants to have fun, but have fun safely!

"Safety first... no one wants to come back from the dead smacking themselves on the head because they didn't listen!"

Lyn

Christmas...I love you.

noreply@blogger.com (ME) — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 05:14:00 +0000

Oh...Christmas. How much do I love thee?

Even though I work in retail my spirit can not be squashed.

Bring on the commercialism, and the overly priced toys and games. I want to hear bad versions of holiday songs played repeatedly in every store.

What's that? They will be scheduling "Holiday Movie Choices" (Not Christmas. What the?) on all my cable channels.

I embrace it.

Hello...My Christmas tree was up before Halloween. Yes, you read that correctly. I said...BEFORE Halloween. Should I have waited? No. It's up to the individual to decide when they want to start their "Holiday", and I said "Whatever", and then did my own thing.

I love this time of year. Everyone get's a bit frazzled and grumpy. There's traffic all the time on the streets, highways, and in the stores. Shopping becomes an extreme sport, and people are willing to compete to the point of humility just for the chance at obtaining that one item that is on the "Hot" list.

We put out our Nativity Scenes, Menorahs, Kinaras, Santa's, and hide ridiculously-silly-felt- things-that-hardly-resemble-a-Santa-worker in stupid places just to placate our children.

Not everyone has a belief, or tradition that they hold true. Some may not want to participate in our joyous festivities. This is also OK.

I, however, am a Christmas-light-loving-geek! Just add the merry songs and I am happier than an Elf... making toys. (And you thought I was going to say the rhyming word huh?) It will never happen people!

To kick start my homage to the colorful season, I give you one of my favorite songs. I have a several, but this was the one stuck in my pretty, somewhat sporadic mind.

Peace and sweet dreams always,

Lyn Hernandez

P.S. You can not spell Christmas without Christ. :0)

Mea Culpa.

noreply@blogger.com (ME) — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 04:10:00 +0000

Why?

noreply@blogger.com (ME) — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 04:06:00 +0000

Everything is muddled. We are washing away again. Our shores are destroyed and the underground submerged. Insurmountable damage leaves everyone questioning. Why?

My Ink stain.

noreply@blogger.com (ME) — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 04:40:00 +0000

Plain pages of my soul forever tainted by your foul ink. How do I recover myself? I can not erase the stench of your lies. My forgiveness is from pity, and I have the power to say I will, and I can, and I do or do not! Out, spot out! You are the bane of my existence. My ink stain. Lyn Hernandez 10/19/2012

Just a Reminder.

noreply@blogger.com (ME) — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 14:57:00 +0000

Ode to Soap.

noreply@blogger.com (ME) — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 03:58:00 +0000

Oh, my sweet and lovely bar of soap.
You've made me clean and smell no more.
I thank thee for thy cleansing suds
which washed away the scent of yore.
I am grateful for your scent is pleasant.
Yet, I resent thee for thy taste is foul
and if not for my for my curiosity
I may have avoided the mouthful
of suds.

I now must gasp and gag and pray,
that the filth and slime will go away.
I plunge my head into the water clean
again my thoughts are muddled for I
thrust it forth into a latrine.

Faced yet again with my sweet bar of soap,
a bath of suds, and a heart of hope
I plunge myself into the cleansing bubbles
to ease my soul & I erase my troubles.

Lyn Hernandez
10/08/2012

Welcome

noreply@blogger.com (ME) — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 04:06:00 +0000

Hi there.

Welcome to Once Upon A...

I do realize that you may have reached the wrong blog, but I welcome you to have fun with me, and perhaps peruse through the archives.

I am back after a very long hiatus. My platform stays the same. I will stay true to the strange, unusual, and ever morphing events and/or things that occur during the year.

I do throw in the occasional poem, or story for fun. So sit back and just enjoy the nonsense.

Lyn

A Simple Wish.

noreply@blogger.com (ME) — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 02:27:00 +0000

I wish I may,
I wish I might,
Wish this wish I wish again tonight.
And if again it does not come true,
I'll wish it 'till my face turns blue.

I love simplicity!

Lyn Hernandez

It's Alive!

noreply@blogger.com (ME) — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 03:49:00 +0000

I thought for sure I was done blogging anything ever. I figured if I were to do "this" again, I'd do it under a pseudonym. Oh wait. That's right. I am already. I am together happy and sad that I find myself gravitated toward my baby. She is my first creation and still my favorite.

I am happy!

Lyn

Unstuck.

noreply@blogger.com (ME) — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 02:33:00 +0000

I was a drone, a zombie, a woman that woke each day to complete her tasks just to repeat them uneventfully. I was placated by the normalcy of my life. I was comfortably numb. Life was, for me, as simplistic as it could possibly get, and I was fine with that.

My love of fairy tales, folklore, myths, and the unknown is what sparked me to write from the heart. It's not always easy, but you will never fail with being true to yourself.

I have failed miserably in both the love and writing parts of my life, but when I merge the two I don't care. I am infallible.

I can rule the world and never care if there were ever a critic to judge me on how well I write. I could erase the rules and make them mine. I declare there will never be punctuation from hence forth. I am the queen of my MY world.

He makes me this way, and I love him.

I have my King. He is rough around the edges, but he is completely gooey on the inside and I adore him.

I have my two Princes. They are my babies, and my loves. They will forever be the reason that I breathe, and the rocks that ground me.

I don't know if it was that hug, that kiss, or just his smile, but this sleeping beauty is awake.

My King is my "Prince Charming".

I am finally....Unstuck.

Lyn Hernandez
3/12/2012

Alive

noreply@blogger.com (ME) — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 07:40:00 +0000

I set out to find the perfect words...
sought the most beautiful images...
and imagined the grandest of canvas' to paint our world.
A gift, from me, to declare my adoration.
Our Masterpiece would be yellow, but not of age.
It would hold the happiness, giggles, and sneaky smiles.
There would be images of fish, deer, snow, and wind.
We would be able to smell the fresh air, or the scent of our skin.
You would taste the crispness of Mother Nature... and I would feel.
I feel alive.

Lyn Hernandez
3/4/2012

My Top Five 2011

noreply@blogger.com (ME) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 22:35:00 +0000

I was given a challenge by a fellow blogger who is quite an amazing lady. Now...it wasn't declared a challenge, but for me I took it as one. I've been procrastinating, and hemming and hawing about writing on my blog again. I just didn't feel like it. And then life took over. My days turned to weeks and those weeks to months. I am going to post for her Carnival with the stipulation that everyone reading this understands that I am not a traditional blogger. I write for me. This sometimes annoys people. I am careless with punctuation, and/or grammar. I love using visual aids such as photos, and youtube. That being said, I give you my Top Five for 2011.

I had a wonderful presentation ready, but someone knocked on my door and then I received a phone call. Both conversations made me rethink what I should do. He does work in mysterious ways.

#5 Books. What can I say? I love them. I also love children. Some of the best books I've read are meant for children. Regardless of the age I believe everyone should read or be read to. My number five is a demonstration of the passion I have and wish that all schools across America would instill in our children.

#4 Home. I am eternally grateful for the new home that Zach and I have. After years of living in such a cramped space (Yes I was grateful for the roof over my head at the time) it was such a relief to hear those words "Here's your key." It's funny how three words make such a difference in a persons life.

#3 Neighbors. I can not believe how lucky I am to have such wonderful people watching my back. I had something happen to me last week that shook my faith in how much kindness you can actually give to your neighbors. Tonight I had an awakening. One wrong can be righted by the good of another. Never judge those around you.

#2 Friends. I have been graced by God with the best friends a woman can ask for. I can go on forever about the wonderful people I've met this year. My Father told me when I was a kid that you can count your true friends on one hand. I know what he said is true, but I now have two hands.

#1 Family. What would we be without them? My biggest rocks are my Mom & Dad. I am eternally grateful for everything they have done for me and my boys. My Mother & Father have given me so much this year that I could never repay them in this lifetime. My son Aaron turned 19 and became a Marine. My baby Zachary moved with me and has been braving the transition.

So...Although my Top Five may not be the standard pop culture, or holiday ready...I am happy. And that's what counts!

Sweet dreams.

Lyn

Learning how to tie my shoe.

noreply@blogger.com (ME) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 03:29:00 +0000

Learning how to tie a shoe.

How do you tell your child that mommy
doesn't know the right way to tie a shoe?
Mommy doesn't want to tie her shoes.
She wants to kick them off just because it feels good.
She selfishly wants you to remain oblivious to the tainted world.
She wants barefooted days and nights,
and flip flops and floppy slippers.
No alarms in the morning or curfews at night.
So young, you only have the bedtime to worry you.
How do I tie your shoes?
I don't want to.
Not right now.
Let me show you bunny ears.
Let me show you around the tree.
In time my little man.
I will show you how to tie your shoes.

Lyn Hernandez
For Z-man
6/27/2011

Re-edited
11/21/2011

The Missing Photograph.

noreply@blogger.com (ME) — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 17:46:00 +0000

"Missing photo" I know I'm not crazy, so why is it I can not find you?

Snapshot from my mother's past you are grating on my nerves. You captured the essence of her beauty in its simplicity, and I want nothing more than to share that with her and the world.

Long golden locks of hair swept down her back accenting her pale skin. The forbidden mini-skirt that was the source of many a tantrum on my part in my youth, along with Go-Go boots, made her tall frame appear goddess-like.

The lack of smile is apparent, but does not diminish the happiness in her eyes. There is that twinkle. The one that we as children knew expressed her joy without words.

There is no need for her to smile.

She has just been wed to my father in a quiet ceremony and is content.

She is loved.

So where are you "photograph" of this past moment in time?

You can stay hidden, but you cannot erase the image I have in my mind.

I've seen it's value, and it shall remain priceless and untouched in my memories.

For now.

Lyn