An Attitude Of Gratitude

Just about every year in November, as Thanksgiving approaches, I'm given to begin thinking in a bit more of an appreciative way.  We probably all do this in one form or another.  And as for me, I know I should do it more.  Every day.  It's one of my many important life lessons that I'm still working on and will continue to do so indefinitely.

This year I am particularly grateful for these things:
 1)  We finally managed to leave Seattle.  It was way beyond time and we needed to make the leap.  Seattle is good in many ways.  Being able to choose our own path is even better.
 2)  Major relief from allergies has been such a blessing.  A whole long summer of being allergy free was like a miracle.  And having noticed a more 'normal' seasonal bit of Fall allergies with the leaves finally on the ground- and full of mold and mildew spores- tells me that being born in a place with perpetual mold and mildew, I should have relocated sooner!
 3)  Connections with friends have been imperative to my sanity this year especially.  Move 1200 miles away and you really do find out who you're friends are!  And some new insights into putting a positive spin on just about anything have been a fabulous gift from one particular friend.
 4)  Dogs are just awesome.  They are there for you, give you purpose, love you unconditionally, and are the best form of entertainment around.
 5)  Seeing things with new eyes.  Slowing down and really looking at all the beauty, strangeness, people around me.  I have found so many things right there in front of my face that I know I would have missed had I kept up the rapid pace I had been and continued on in a subconcious way.  Really living conciously takes effort and it's worth it!
 6)  Being open to more change.  Embracing the unknown really does allow for greater possibilities.  I used to think that control over your life was the ultimate freedom.  That always knowing what comes next was the best way to meet goals.  I have truly changed my mind.  I'll always be a 'planner', but I now know the detours are often the best part.
 7)  I am super grateful for anything that makes me feel useful and productive.  Without much work since moving to California, I have needed to reform my idea of what makes me feel worthwhile.  I have a newfound deep appreciation for everything that anyone brings to the table of life.  We all have so much to offer in so many ways and realizing all the different ways that is manifested is awesome!

 Please do hit me up with some of your own favorite 'gratitudes' of the year!

Treading Water

So in answer to my own question from my last post, my husband and I ended up near the lake that the dogs like walking around- about 4 houses away actually.  With a peek-a-boo view from the guest room.  Renting a home at the beach was just too expensive, it turned out.  Although it would have been fun to experience the true California coastal scene, it is not in the cards for us right now.  Moving out of the townhouse apartment and dealing with the large deposit on another place has been enough of a drag on our time and energy and bank accounts too!

We are hopeful though that we can get into the swing of things and do more enjoying the sun and fun and less of the sweating while moving everything we own for the second time in less than 2 months!  I can certainly say that touching everything you own three times since we packed up and left Seattle in June makes you want to get rid of a whole lot more and certainly puts things like blooging onto the back burner.  I hope to get back to it as I experience new things that inspire me every day.  And now I hope to have the time for it as well.  It's been good to peek in on my favorite bloggers here and there and see that things are moving on as they do.  I really want to join back in soon!

Let's Try This Again!

For anyone who tried to head over to a new blog that I had planned to use, I am sorry but that just didn't work out.  I have reposted below the main info. from the one post that I managed to get out before I realized that the new blog was a bust...

We have 'jumped at' the chance to have a life in 'the sun'!  In just 24 days my husband and I will leave the Seattle area and make a move down to Orange County in Southern California.  We are looking for a warm weather lifestyle and seeking to challenge ourselves to reach higher than we ever have before.

This follows a long journey that started with a desire to move to Texas and a proclamation that California was not for us!  After purchasing a second home in Palm Springs, CA and realizing that there was a good reason why we kept coming back to SoCal every time we had the chance, we could not deny that SoCal is where we belong.  At this moment SoCal feels right for just a time, but we don't know how long that time will actually be.  It feels good to be open to whatever life brings.

Please join me as the journey continues...

I now have just 3 weeks to go before the big move.  Yesterday we started the process of selling off half of everything we own.  It went great!  We sold so much that I had to really dig for stuff for today's sale.  Then I plan to take a 'break' and just pack stuff over the weekend. 

Thanks for hanging in there with me and there will be a change-up of this blog soon, but I will continue to post only HERE!

What If Wednesday: What If You Grew To Be A Giant?

Hey all- it's 'What If Wednesday'!  And today's installment is being done all in fun.  I've had a rough week so far and I'm ready to take a little detour into the realm of silly.

My inspiration for today's post comes from two sources.  First I had to laugh when I saw this:

Somehow nobody looks really comfortable here!

 But it used to work so well!

 

 

 They finally worked it out!

And the second part of my inspiration goes to the dear young man that I was a nanny for, for 9 years.  Luke was always a tall boy.  He knew that there were genes in his family for becoming a VERY tall person.  Some of Luke's male relatives are over 7 feet tall!  I remember him doing everything he could to try to stop his rapid growth.  He would drink coffee from a young age and was always willing to try anything else that would supposedly stunt his growth.  Luke is 21 now and hasn't grown much in the last year.  He is 6 foot 7.  At this height, Luke claims that if he doesn't grown any taller then he will have succeeded in saving himself from becoming 'freakishly tall'.  I'm guessing that from my own 5'4" viewpoint on the world Luke may think of me as simply puny.  And although being short can sometimes be inconvenient, I don't think of it as so tough as being so darn tall that you tower over most other humans.  Still, I am confident that Luke will grow psychologically to accept his own tall statured life as just fine, even if he grows some more.

I can imagine that becoming larger or taller than most people is very difficult, even just for everyday things like driving or walking around inside your own house.  Of course there is an upside.  I know I sure would appreciate some extra height when it comes to trimming my trees and being able to get up onto the roof.  I also like the idea of being able to get away with eating a bit more of my favorite things!

How about you?  Do you see the prospect of becoming a giant as something good or bad?  Would you miss doing some of your favorite things (like my little dog that isn't quite as little as he used to be)?  Or would you embrace the cool stuff that you could do that nobody else can?

My Goodness, How Did That Happen???

Yikes, it's been literally weeks since I've posted anything at all here.  I can't believe it. 
Maybe it was that whole Christmas and New Years holidays thing.  I did actually find myself enjoying the whole process of the holiday season this year....
Or maybe it was the keeping up with homeschooling.  Oh, I'm still learning on that one...
Or could it have been the planning for a great big ol' double 40th seventies themed birthday party?  I've hired my friend, the Elvis impersonator, and yes- it's gonna' be awesome!
Actually I have to admit that the last couple of trips down to Palm Springs have left me sun soaked, adventured to the point of injury twice and yet extra relaxed- dare I say it- even just a tiny bit zoned out of real life.  Heck yeah, even doing detailed cleaning of scrubbing floors and washing windows feels a whole lot better in the sun somehow.  Yes, this doesn't look a bit like my everyday life back in the northwest, but somehow it's beginning to feel more and more like home. 

I'm pondering many thoughts on how this 'California living thing' affects my overall views on life and what this means.  Yes, sometimes I am even capable of deep thoughts while basking in the sun and I'm wondering why it's taken me so long to get to this point.  Ah well, in the scheme of things, 40 years isn't so long to get to your own truth, is it?!

At any rate, it's time to get back at it.  So I think I will!

Tidings

I'm so glad to see that I'm not the only one getting a little behind with the blogging this Christmas season!

It's funny that somehow this year I don't feel so rushed or squeezed and I don't even feel too guilty for what I don't have time for.  Maybe, since I'm about to turn 40, I've finally learned how to prioritize or something like that.  Ha! 

Actually, the fact that I'm helping out with homeschooling my nephew may be the real reason that I'm not quite able to keep juggling all my usual balls and may also be a good reason that I'm willing to drop a few of them.

So for now, I will wish all my blogging friends good tidings of great joy and say that I will pop back in as time permits.  Have a good one, y'all and enjoy everything and everyone the holidays bring to you!

Hanging Christmas Ball by Digitalart, found at: freedigitalphotos.net

Special Souvenir

We're back from a wonderful trip to Yellowstone National Park.

"Scenic View At Midway Geyser Basin" by aeypix, found at freedigitalphotos.net

I should be right back at it with the blog and sharing some cool photos from the trip and such.

However, I seem to have brought back the ultimate souvenir.  You see, my nephew is here with me for the next week or so while his Dad takes a motorcycle license course.  With all the 11 year old energy added to the house, I'm not sure I'll be able to blog much for the next little while. 

We have so much swimming and running and biking, etc. to do....

I don't know how you bloggers with kids do this!

An American Heart: Part I

You may have noticed that I kind of dropped off the edge of the blogging planet here for a bit.  I didn't really mean to, but it happens occasionally.

There seems to be two situations that cause me to have trouble keeping up with my blogging.  The first being a question of time.  Sometimes I'm just up to my ears in work and sometimes I am up to a whole bunch of fun.  Either way, a lack of time equals a lack of blogging.  The second scenario is one that is more recent and may just be personal to me.  You see, I just don't seem able to blog so much when I am up to my neck in worry over whatever in the heck is happening to the country that I love...  (I know, I know.  I shouldn't let it get to me so personally and yet I don't always win the battle to remain positive.)

Recently, I have experienced BOTH of my blogger delaying scenarios.  Today, I will stick with the positive.

As far as the being busy in a fun way, there was another trip back down to Palm Springs for Memorial Day week.  We did make it to the Flower Drop at the Palm Springs Air Museum and it was completely awesome!

There was a solemn beauty in the desert this past Memorial Day as a Mitchell B-25 Bomber was escorted onto the runway:

 

She started up and was off to complete her mission:

The fantastic piece of WWII history buzzed over the crowd three times:

 That third time was the moment of the magical flower drop:

The White Carnations represented our military members lost from and prior to WWI, WWII, Korea and Vietnam. The Red Carnations were for those lost in more recent wars including The Persian Gulf, Desert Storm, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Pride spilled out in the form of tears for so many in the crowd as we focused on the brave Americans who had given everything that these red and white carnations represented, falling against a perfect blue sky.  I can honestly say that I have never seen anything quite like it.  This really was a meaningful way to spend Memorial Day.