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!
Showing posts with label inspiration from other bloggers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label inspiration from other bloggers. Show all posts
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
It's The Little Things- A link back to Barb at: This and That (As I Bounce Thru Life)
Barb posted an interesting little ditty about the little things that
make her tick and then asked others to share their own -and I actually
had a moment and felt inspired to participate, so here goes!
1) Bubble bath that fits the season. Right now I'm into gingerbread scented.
2) A dress that hits in all the right places and even makes my thighs look thinner.
3) When little kids figure out that we have a candy dish that is open to ANYONE at ANY TIME!
4) A stranger that smiles back at you.
5) The times when I feel badly that I'm running late and then the other person is too!
6) Warm puppy wiggles
7) Adopted plants that turn out to be super cool
8) When that thing that I would really like to have, but can't possibly pay 'that' much for goes on a good sale
9) A warm house and a furnace that has 3 nice blue gas flames going
10) Unexpected sunshine!
Here's the link back to Barb's original post:
This and That (As I Bounce Thru Life): It's The Little Things
Care to join in?
1) Bubble bath that fits the season. Right now I'm into gingerbread scented.
2) A dress that hits in all the right places and even makes my thighs look thinner.
3) When little kids figure out that we have a candy dish that is open to ANYONE at ANY TIME!
4) A stranger that smiles back at you.
5) The times when I feel badly that I'm running late and then the other person is too!
6) Warm puppy wiggles
7) Adopted plants that turn out to be super cool
8) When that thing that I would really like to have, but can't possibly pay 'that' much for goes on a good sale
9) A warm house and a furnace that has 3 nice blue gas flames going
10) Unexpected sunshine!
Here's the link back to Barb's original post:
This and That (As I Bounce Thru Life): It's The Little Things
Care to join in?
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Not Comfortable
A wise blogger I once met irl (you can find her blog at: http://yourdailydose-robin.blogspot.com/
) and I have talked about the fact that life seems to keep sending you the same message over and over and over until you get it.
Oh yeah, some days can really feel like head to wall experiences if you get caught up in this little hamster wheel of the universe.
So right now I'm thinking that I hope this is the last time around for me needing to learn that it's OK to be in uncertainty. Not that this will be the last time that I'll ever have uncertainty... Nooo, that's completely unrealistic. I get that.
But this should be the last time that I ever have to equate uncertainty with getting all anxiety ridden, overly emotional and just certain that the only thing I could be certain of in a moment like this is that all things negative eventually grow out of uncertainty. Whew- did you catch your breath after that one?! (This is where those of you who were raised in households in which you needed to be hyper vigilant to avoid any possible upsets to the ol' family apple cart can rest assured that yes, this is a personal shout out to you.)
This time around I am learning that not only does life go on while we are in uncertainty; it can actually go on in a remarkably positive way. If you try hard enough to separate yourself from the queasiness that tends to take over in the midst of uncertain moments, those moments of uncertainty can lead to paying attention in sharp detail to every day things that will leave us with memories and appreciation that we might have otherwise missed.
Today, in this moment, that's where I'm at. I'm stopping to take notice of the little things. I'm listening with a more open heart. While it's true that I will probably always be more comfortable when things in my life are fairly 'settled', I am making a concerted effort to allow the positives that always exist- even when life is a bit out of sorts, to come through. I want to experience the best life has to offer, no matter how unsettled I might be feeling.
) and I have talked about the fact that life seems to keep sending you the same message over and over and over until you get it.Oh yeah, some days can really feel like head to wall experiences if you get caught up in this little hamster wheel of the universe.
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| found at: commons.wikimedia.org |
So right now I'm thinking that I hope this is the last time around for me needing to learn that it's OK to be in uncertainty. Not that this will be the last time that I'll ever have uncertainty... Nooo, that's completely unrealistic. I get that.
But this should be the last time that I ever have to equate uncertainty with getting all anxiety ridden, overly emotional and just certain that the only thing I could be certain of in a moment like this is that all things negative eventually grow out of uncertainty. Whew- did you catch your breath after that one?! (This is where those of you who were raised in households in which you needed to be hyper vigilant to avoid any possible upsets to the ol' family apple cart can rest assured that yes, this is a personal shout out to you.)
This time around I am learning that not only does life go on while we are in uncertainty; it can actually go on in a remarkably positive way. If you try hard enough to separate yourself from the queasiness that tends to take over in the midst of uncertain moments, those moments of uncertainty can lead to paying attention in sharp detail to every day things that will leave us with memories and appreciation that we might have otherwise missed.
Today, in this moment, that's where I'm at. I'm stopping to take notice of the little things. I'm listening with a more open heart. While it's true that I will probably always be more comfortable when things in my life are fairly 'settled', I am making a concerted effort to allow the positives that always exist- even when life is a bit out of sorts, to come through. I want to experience the best life has to offer, no matter how unsettled I might be feeling.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Thoughts On God And A Request
Yesterday when my husband and I were going through the pre-op paperwork we came upon some stuff about a living will. Now I'm all for people having a living will if that's what they want to do and my husband and I have a standing ruling on this sort of thing. It goes a bit like this: Try real hard not to let go of me too quickly or easily, but if I'm not going to be anything but a shell of myself then figure that I'm actually already gone and it's time to let me go. Being that we're coming into this with my husband being healthy (other than 3 giant hernias and multiple abdominal defects) we're counting on the fact that this living will thing will not be needed!
So that brings me to the fact that I don't often talk about my impressions of God and you probably wouldn't usually see detailed descriptions of my religious views around here. But naturally things like my husband needing to be under the knife for at least 4 hours and facing a lengthy recovery afterward do tend to bring those thoughts to the forefront.
The truth is that I don't talk a lot about my religion because I actually don't know what all I really think about it myself. This is a very strange thing for me. I am known for my decisiveness in my overall life and I can honestly say that it serves me pretty well. Regret is super rare for me and going with my gut instinct has always been the most comfortable place. And yet the religion thing evades me. And the weirdest part is that I'm OK with that. It feels just fine for me to live in a sort of no mans land when it comes to religion and, believe me, that's not like me on any other topic. I ALWAYS have an opinion and ever since I've been out from under my families' thumb I'm likely to share it with you at some point!
So to give it to you in a nutshell: I was raised Christian- sort of. I often went to Sunday school by myself or with a neighborhood friend but my family didn't usually go. The times when my family did go they got all 'churchy' for several months afterward immersing themselves in Christian radio and all things church and then just dropped it and acted as if that never happened after a few months. It was a lot like my mothers yo-yo dieting.
We did the usual Christian holidays in a pretty secular way. I got saved- three times, mostly because I was young and didn't understand that when church people ask you if you know for sure that you are going to heaven when you die and you don't answer with a resounding "yes", then they pray with you and ask God into your heart. Naturally I didn't tell each of them about the others before because I didn't want to hurt any feelings. I've since gotten a backbone and would never do that now.
As a kid, my favorite place to experience God was at my good friends Catholic church services. I loved the beauty and tradition and it felt safe and friendly. Although I liked the feeling in the Catholic church I never felt the need to delve deeper. I've never been to confession. Then as I grew older I realized that the probability of having a boatload of kids if I were to follow Catholicism fully was not going to work for me either so I eventually drifted away from that too.
I have friends who are Jewish. That feels more like a national identity that I am not a part of. I know people who ascribe to have more of a Native American type of belief system. Kind of interesting, but again I feel like an outsider to those ideas. I have friends who love their dressed down tennis shoe wearing pastor and VERY casual funky congregation that meets in a school gym. I would be lying if I didn't tell you those people kind of freak me out. Although I cannot perfectly define what I do believe, I am naturally put off by atheists.
For me I guess it goes like this: I believe there IS a God. I cannot perfectly define what that is, but I usually refer to God as a he. Maybe simply because that's what I am used to. I cannot look at the world around me and assume that it all happened by chance. I just cannot accept that idea. I've never felt the NEED to attend church regularly and yet I am not opposed to people who do or occasionally ending up at a church service myself. I often express my gratitude in private prayers and try diligently not to be one of those people that only 'talks to God' when I need something. I still celebrate Christian holidays and I do it with more of a focus on the idea of what the holiday means- rebirth or renewal for example, rather than the actual biblical story as I admit that I am usually a bit weak on the details. I believe I am a non-devout Christian and yet I don't believe that if someone else believes differently then they are headed straight to hell (do not pass go, do not collect $200 dollars). I feel as if we are stronger people for having a diversity of views and yet I do worry about atheists. There I go again with my one hold out!
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| Credit: androxa.wordpress.com |
So that brings me to the fact that I don't often talk about my impressions of God and you probably wouldn't usually see detailed descriptions of my religious views around here. But naturally things like my husband needing to be under the knife for at least 4 hours and facing a lengthy recovery afterward do tend to bring those thoughts to the forefront.
The truth is that I don't talk a lot about my religion because I actually don't know what all I really think about it myself. This is a very strange thing for me. I am known for my decisiveness in my overall life and I can honestly say that it serves me pretty well. Regret is super rare for me and going with my gut instinct has always been the most comfortable place. And yet the religion thing evades me. And the weirdest part is that I'm OK with that. It feels just fine for me to live in a sort of no mans land when it comes to religion and, believe me, that's not like me on any other topic. I ALWAYS have an opinion and ever since I've been out from under my families' thumb I'm likely to share it with you at some point!
So to give it to you in a nutshell: I was raised Christian- sort of. I often went to Sunday school by myself or with a neighborhood friend but my family didn't usually go. The times when my family did go they got all 'churchy' for several months afterward immersing themselves in Christian radio and all things church and then just dropped it and acted as if that never happened after a few months. It was a lot like my mothers yo-yo dieting.
We did the usual Christian holidays in a pretty secular way. I got saved- three times, mostly because I was young and didn't understand that when church people ask you if you know for sure that you are going to heaven when you die and you don't answer with a resounding "yes", then they pray with you and ask God into your heart. Naturally I didn't tell each of them about the others before because I didn't want to hurt any feelings. I've since gotten a backbone and would never do that now.
As a kid, my favorite place to experience God was at my good friends Catholic church services. I loved the beauty and tradition and it felt safe and friendly. Although I liked the feeling in the Catholic church I never felt the need to delve deeper. I've never been to confession. Then as I grew older I realized that the probability of having a boatload of kids if I were to follow Catholicism fully was not going to work for me either so I eventually drifted away from that too.
I have friends who are Jewish. That feels more like a national identity that I am not a part of. I know people who ascribe to have more of a Native American type of belief system. Kind of interesting, but again I feel like an outsider to those ideas. I have friends who love their dressed down tennis shoe wearing pastor and VERY casual funky congregation that meets in a school gym. I would be lying if I didn't tell you those people kind of freak me out. Although I cannot perfectly define what I do believe, I am naturally put off by atheists.
For me I guess it goes like this: I believe there IS a God. I cannot perfectly define what that is, but I usually refer to God as a he. Maybe simply because that's what I am used to. I cannot look at the world around me and assume that it all happened by chance. I just cannot accept that idea. I've never felt the NEED to attend church regularly and yet I am not opposed to people who do or occasionally ending up at a church service myself. I often express my gratitude in private prayers and try diligently not to be one of those people that only 'talks to God' when I need something. I still celebrate Christian holidays and I do it with more of a focus on the idea of what the holiday means- rebirth or renewal for example, rather than the actual biblical story as I admit that I am usually a bit weak on the details. I believe I am a non-devout Christian and yet I don't believe that if someone else believes differently then they are headed straight to hell (do not pass go, do not collect $200 dollars). I feel as if we are stronger people for having a diversity of views and yet I do worry about atheists. There I go again with my one hold out!
So with all this being said, let me ask you for this: whatever you believe, whatever feels right for you, could you please keep my husband in your thoughts, prayers, etc. tomorrow on 5-16-12 at 12 noon Pacific Daylight Savings Time?! This is when his surgery is set to begin. Whatever any of us believes, I believe that we have more power together than any one of us alone.
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| imseobots.com |
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Update: Looking Forward To A Summer Of Change
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| credit: picturedepot.com |
Wow, I have been at this here blogging thing for about a year and half now. I can hardly believe it!
Not only am I shocked that I am still in the same location geographically that I started in- since this whole blog got started as a way to document the process and express myself during my much hoped for move to Texas, but certainly maybe more surprising and rewarding is how much I have learned from the other wonderful blogs that I read on a regular basis.
There are simple and major things that have just clicked for me over this past year and a half and I can't really believe that my everyday life would have been as enriched, brought down to earth, or given as much perspective if I hadn't been sharing it, even in a vicarious way, with so many of you. I appreciate your posts and the comments that you kindly take the time to give, in a huge way.
Now, as to the update:
This coming summer is shaping up to be a doozy. On May 16th my husband will have his much anticipated reconstructive surgery. It will come exactly one week after his next big actuarial exam. We planned it that way so he could recover without having to study intensely for another test right away. He will have a major test every 6 months for at least the next 2-3 years. Although I am pretty OK with all the medical things and physical therapy stuff that my husband will need to deal with, I have to admit that I may run into some emotional roadblocks. I know that I am much better equipped to deal with the challenge this time around and I trust that things will go smoothly. My husband deserves the best outcome and I will do whatever it takes to help get him through this.
This past week my husband and I have truly set things in motion to make our dream of owning a condo in Palm Springs happen. After lots of research on what it will take to be successful with owning and managing a vacation home, we are starting the pre-approval process. Even though I am aware that things are different these days when it comes to mortgages, we do have a down payment ready and should only require a small loan so we are trusting that the bank will see us as a good risk. It feels like a huge step and yet it feels right. By the week of July 4th my husband should be feeling pretty darn good and we plan to be in Palm Springs, physically looking at properties. With some major prayer and a little luck we are hoping to be owners of a vacation rental that is available to rent by October 1st.
To top it all off, my husband and I have absolutely not given up on our dream of moving to Texas. As soon as he is recovered enough to make it feasible for him to travel for an in person interview, my husband will hit the application process hard again. With another test passed, he should be a more interesting candidate within his chosen career. If all of our wildest dreams could be realized, my husband and I just might be putting the finishing touches on a vacation condo in Palm Springs on our way to a new home in Texas.
I certainly do believe that everything we do in this life has meaning and that all things happen when and how they should. I also feel as if these things that we are wishing for are possible and worth planning for. I can dare to envision a future that holds so much for my husband and I to work hard for and share with everyone we love.
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| Credit: sea-life-style.com |
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Fearless Husband Update
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| Thanks Retta. That was super fun! |
Sometimes the right people with the right ideas come along just when you need them. Retta over at Loretta's Journey from 460 to 199... drew the wonderfully creative item above in black and white and asked her readers to have some fun with it and add our own inspiring word. She encouraged us to do whatever we wanted without worrying about being good or doing it right and then share it.
I took her art and uploaded it into photo shop and then just colored away. It was fun because I could try different colors out quickly, erase them if I needed to and then just stop when it looked good to me. I don't think I've ever just finished coloring without every space being filled, no white space left. But this felt right to me this time and with Loretta's permission I got to do just that! How freeing!
And now for the update part: With definitive information from a current CT scan, my husband and I now know that the most extensive repair with help from a second surgical specialist is the best way to go. We want to achieve the most permanent result possible with the highest life quality quotient. Knowing how well my husband came through the initial life threatening infection, our doctor believes that he will have a fabulous result. So, it's go big or go home!
Do I have fears? You betcha'. Are there downsides to this choice? Naturally. As with anything worth doing there are no guarantees. But where would any of us be if we never took a risk?
We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey.
-Kenji Miyazawa
Saturday, December 31, 2011
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
...to all of you, everywhere in the blogosphere!
For last year's words belong to last year's language
And next year's words await another voice.
And to make an end is to make a beginning.
~T.S. Eliot, "Little Gidding"
And next year's words await another voice.
And to make an end is to make a beginning.
~T.S. Eliot, "Little Gidding"
Who knows what the New Year will bring?!
Looking forward to all the insight, laughs and love you have to share in 2012 and beyond!
Monday, September 5, 2011
What Would You Do?
There was a woman cutting fabric at a counter in the back of a store where no one else was around and she started talking to me. She asked me if my husband was a nice man. She then asked me if he had ever cheated on me! Naturally, I was shocked.
It turned out this was just a preface to her telling me all about how her husband was cheating on her and she knew it. She also told me that he was never really ever kind to her and gave me several examples of how mean he could be. She was so sad and looked just lost.
Eventually, she ended up asking me what I would do if I were in her situation. Again, I was shocked. I sensed that she needed someone to talk to about all of this and that I just happened to be there at a desperate moment. But I didn't expect her to ask me for any sort of advice and I wasn't sure what I should say with her being in such a fragile state.
Still, I felt the need to be honest. So I was.
I told her that if I were in her situation I would probably feel pretty sad and that I would need to take the time to make sure that I was taking good care of myself. I also said that I wouldn't do anything rash as sometimes the best answers to a problem take time to figure out. Then I said that in the end I was sure that for me the answer to this particular problem would involve me leaving this man, knowing that there were better men out there in the world that would love to spend time with a quality woman.
With that said I made it clear that no one can tell anyone what to do in any certain circumstance, but that there must be people close to her who could support her through this particular problem, if only she were able to open up to them.
Then I went about the rest of my day. But, of course, I couldn't quite shake this woman from my mind.
I couldn't help but wonder if I had done the right thing. Was she really looking for an answer? Would it have been better to just listen? What would you have done in this situation?
photo credit: stunning mesh
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Updates For Those Who Pay Really Close Attention
Today I am going to give several quick updates to a few loose ends that exist among the archives to this blog. It's for people like me who are always wondering, "What ever happened" with this or that. I have a shockingly good memory and am always thinking things like that. If you have only stopped in once in awhile this post may be strange for you or, at best, annoying. You've been warned!
1) I saw my friend with her special needs child the other day and absolutely could not believe how well the first of many surgeries that her child will go through has turned out. If this is an indicator of the future, then God has decided to take his own hand and literally heal her. The surgeon who did this surgery noticed a small imperfection in the result right as he was about to finish and proceeded to do the entire thing over. Yeah, God is doing his thing.
2) My friend with colon cancer is getting worse. She doesn't have much energy and can't tolerate the chemo very often anymore. On the positive side, her husband finally got a job after a whole year without one. Talk about a stressful situation. I know it may sound weird, but I feel like now that he has a job and she sees that as him being O.K. she is starting to allow herself to go. I'm sad, but then I see how much she suffers.
3) My husband has decided to get himself into better shape before having any reconstructive work done. He seems pretty serious about his efforts and definitely paid special attention to the results that my friends baby got out of her surgery work. It is such a good example of how different results can be when you go into the work as a completely healthy person, instead of being on the verge of death! It gives us both a lot of hope.
4) We have also realized that barring total collapse of our plans, my husband and I should be in a warm weather place in no more than a year. Based on his work towards associate level and then fellowship in the Society Of Actuaries and the tests that he has already gotten through this year, his progress is ramping up. We are thinking that maybe one more winter is worth waiting through to be sure we end up in Texas, but are not opposed to some wonderful opportunity that arises elsewhere!
5) My nephew, Nathan, is healing up quite nicely from his bike wreck. His Dad says that the scar on his cheek is already barely visible. It does my heart good to hear this, even though I know I can't save him from all of his boyish antics. I will see him again for the Independence Day holiday. I can inspect him myself then. As a side note: I sent his teacher a great big bouquet of flowers for today- the last day of school. She has been just what we needed for Nathan this year and I know it has not been easy having him come into her class in January of this year. She has gone above and beyond the call of duty for him.
6) We are still experiencing June-uary type weather here. We have had a total of 3 days that have edged up into the low 70's. I know some of you would like some relief from your relentless heat and humidity. Until I can get an audience with whoever is in charge, we'll just have to suffer through and continue to believe the grass in greener on the other side.
7) My dog seems to have hit a nice mellow spot in his journey with dementia. The meds. are really helping and he has not had any problems with negative personality changes at all, which I have been warned can get ugly. He is continuing to stay true to his nature of always bouncing back just when you suspect that he might be headed downhill. I will be so grateful if he can just fade away quietly in his sleep one day...
I think I have hit on just about everything I can think of. So, if there's anything else- feel free to ask. I like keeping up with others and what they're up to as well.
1) I saw my friend with her special needs child the other day and absolutely could not believe how well the first of many surgeries that her child will go through has turned out. If this is an indicator of the future, then God has decided to take his own hand and literally heal her. The surgeon who did this surgery noticed a small imperfection in the result right as he was about to finish and proceeded to do the entire thing over. Yeah, God is doing his thing.
2) My friend with colon cancer is getting worse. She doesn't have much energy and can't tolerate the chemo very often anymore. On the positive side, her husband finally got a job after a whole year without one. Talk about a stressful situation. I know it may sound weird, but I feel like now that he has a job and she sees that as him being O.K. she is starting to allow herself to go. I'm sad, but then I see how much she suffers.
3) My husband has decided to get himself into better shape before having any reconstructive work done. He seems pretty serious about his efforts and definitely paid special attention to the results that my friends baby got out of her surgery work. It is such a good example of how different results can be when you go into the work as a completely healthy person, instead of being on the verge of death! It gives us both a lot of hope.
4) We have also realized that barring total collapse of our plans, my husband and I should be in a warm weather place in no more than a year. Based on his work towards associate level and then fellowship in the Society Of Actuaries and the tests that he has already gotten through this year, his progress is ramping up. We are thinking that maybe one more winter is worth waiting through to be sure we end up in Texas, but are not opposed to some wonderful opportunity that arises elsewhere!
5) My nephew, Nathan, is healing up quite nicely from his bike wreck. His Dad says that the scar on his cheek is already barely visible. It does my heart good to hear this, even though I know I can't save him from all of his boyish antics. I will see him again for the Independence Day holiday. I can inspect him myself then. As a side note: I sent his teacher a great big bouquet of flowers for today- the last day of school. She has been just what we needed for Nathan this year and I know it has not been easy having him come into her class in January of this year. She has gone above and beyond the call of duty for him.
6) We are still experiencing June-uary type weather here. We have had a total of 3 days that have edged up into the low 70's. I know some of you would like some relief from your relentless heat and humidity. Until I can get an audience with whoever is in charge, we'll just have to suffer through and continue to believe the grass in greener on the other side.
7) My dog seems to have hit a nice mellow spot in his journey with dementia. The meds. are really helping and he has not had any problems with negative personality changes at all, which I have been warned can get ugly. He is continuing to stay true to his nature of always bouncing back just when you suspect that he might be headed downhill. I will be so grateful if he can just fade away quietly in his sleep one day...
I think I have hit on just about everything I can think of. So, if there's anything else- feel free to ask. I like keeping up with others and what they're up to as well.
Friday, June 3, 2011
All Kinds Of Growth
I'm finally seeing some signs of hope that we really will be enjoying some sunny weather here in the Northwest at some point. The pink rhododendrons at the front of my house have exploded!
Seeing this lovely display and reading some of the posts about peoples gardens, such as those at Middle Passages or Faith Love Kids and Me have inspired me to give planting some edibles a chance again. When I was a kid we never planted any food plants and I always wanted to. Then when I was newly married I tried a few but didn't have any idea what I was doing and I was not successful at all! Now I have realized that if I just give the food crop plants much of the same care I give the flowers I do well with, then I'll probably see some decent results. Yeah, I know- a real epiphany!
Also, over the past long weekend, I took care of a funny little puppy for one of the people I work for. She is a hairless Chinese Crested and looks like this:
She feels like an elephant and will only ever have hair on her head, tail and feet- kind of like a pony.
At first we were a little put off by her appearance as you really can't imagine how different from an average dog she is without seeing her in person. But within a couple of days I grew to like how warm her skin always is and realized that her personality is absolutely super! As she got comfortable with us, she showed us how wild and crazy she can be and proceeded to run non-stop and go in fits about the house looking for the next thing she would chew!
On Monday night I got a call from my nephew Nathan's Dad. He let me know that Nathan was in the Emergency Room because of a bike accident. Nathan was riding on a bike trail and had just made it down a pretty steep hill when he hit a bump where a tree root protruded up into the trail. Nathan took a major face plant and came up with a tooth protruding from his cheek! At the ER it was discovered that he had 3 broken teeth while the doctors superglued his cheek shut!!! After a few hours of worry and research we figured out that Nathan follows my slow growth pattern and his 3 teeth were only baby teeth. (Because his Dad only got custody in December, we didn't know for sure.) Whew! What a relief. I'm glad to report that no, I don't have any pictures of this and yes, Nathan is going to be fine and was in school showing off his cracked bike helmet on Tuesday. A typical boy who says he will be more careful in the future.
We'll see about that!
They are native plants that grow wild in many areas out here and have apparently benefited greatly from all the rain we have gotten. I've never seen them bloom so much before!
Seeing this lovely display and reading some of the posts about peoples gardens, such as those at Middle Passages or Faith Love Kids and Me have inspired me to give planting some edibles a chance again. When I was a kid we never planted any food plants and I always wanted to. Then when I was newly married I tried a few but didn't have any idea what I was doing and I was not successful at all! Now I have realized that if I just give the food crop plants much of the same care I give the flowers I do well with, then I'll probably see some decent results. Yeah, I know- a real epiphany!
Also, over the past long weekend, I took care of a funny little puppy for one of the people I work for. She is a hairless Chinese Crested and looks like this:
She feels like an elephant and will only ever have hair on her head, tail and feet- kind of like a pony.
At first we were a little put off by her appearance as you really can't imagine how different from an average dog she is without seeing her in person. But within a couple of days I grew to like how warm her skin always is and realized that her personality is absolutely super! As she got comfortable with us, she showed us how wild and crazy she can be and proceeded to run non-stop and go in fits about the house looking for the next thing she would chew!
On Monday night I got a call from my nephew Nathan's Dad. He let me know that Nathan was in the Emergency Room because of a bike accident. Nathan was riding on a bike trail and had just made it down a pretty steep hill when he hit a bump where a tree root protruded up into the trail. Nathan took a major face plant and came up with a tooth protruding from his cheek! At the ER it was discovered that he had 3 broken teeth while the doctors superglued his cheek shut!!! After a few hours of worry and research we figured out that Nathan follows my slow growth pattern and his 3 teeth were only baby teeth. (Because his Dad only got custody in December, we didn't know for sure.) Whew! What a relief. I'm glad to report that no, I don't have any pictures of this and yes, Nathan is going to be fine and was in school showing off his cracked bike helmet on Tuesday. A typical boy who says he will be more careful in the future.
We'll see about that!
Monday, May 30, 2011
A Memorial Day Thought
I took the weekend completely off from the computer when the laptop was put away before a party we hosted on Friday night. While I enjoyed a little down time, I did think of the true meaning of Memorial day. And having come back online this Monday night I find that one of my favorite bloggers has posted a lovely bit from YouTube that puts my feelings about our soldiers into perspective quite nicely. So thanks Christine over at a Deliberate Life and here is the link. (Pause the music player before viewing.)
A Deliberate Life: For our Soldiers......
Have you thanked a veteran lately? What do you know about those from your own family that have served? It's never too late to get to know the important stories that sometimes never get told by those who are so amazingly humble. Sometimes we only get to hear about greatness after someone is gone.
A Deliberate Life: For our Soldiers......
Have you thanked a veteran lately? What do you know about those from your own family that have served? It's never too late to get to know the important stories that sometimes never get told by those who are so amazingly humble. Sometimes we only get to hear about greatness after someone is gone.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Strange Dreams
I like the artist that sings this song, Heart. They always bring a kind of dreamy quality out in me. Not just in this song, but in all of their stuff. I grew up listening to them and hearing stories about what it was like for my mother and aunts who attended high school with the girls from Heart. This song just seemed perfect for what I woke up to this morning.
For a long time I never remembered any dreams at all. I mean literally at least 10 years went by when I thought that I must not be able to dream anymore. Prior to this period of time, I was always a vivid dreamer and much like I am able to utilize a very photographic memory in my conscious life, I had always experienced dreams that were very real. I suspected that I was still dreaming, just not remembering them for some reason. I finally came to the conclusion that I had lost my ability to remember my dreams when I was going through a time when I felt that most of my 'dreams' for life seemed dead. Bingo! I began remembering my dreams upon waking yet again. It was as if the floodgates of my mind had opened. All of this coincided with a very turbulent time of becoming aware of how much of myself I had given up trying to fix or fit in to my very disturbed and mentally ill family. As soon as I realized that this was not a worthy cause to spend my life energy on, I got my life energy back and with it, my dreams- both in slumber and in real life.
I tend to be an early morning dreamer. Especially when I wake up in the wee hours and then fall back asleep, I have extraordinarily vivid dreams. Recently, I woke up replaying a particular episode with my mother when she had broken a restraining order on Christmas day and came knocking at my door. While I am proud of how I dealt with that situation in real life by just speaking through the door and calling the sheriff immediately so as to minimize the drama, I also like how I dealt with it in my dream. In the dream, I opened the door right up and faced her and told her that she was no longer welcome here and that she needed to leave my property. I then actually realized that I was dreaming and said, "besides this is just a dream and you don't really matter in my life anymore." Boy did I feel satisfied upon waking!
This morning I had a very intriguing dream. I dreamed that my husband and I were walking down a sidewalk and these 3 young guys came up behind us and kind of invaded our space. I tried to sort of ignore them and my husband and I gave each other knowing looks. We were approaching a strip mall area. One of the guys ended up brushing up against me. I turned and faced him and brushed him back. Then for some reason I ended up walking ahead and leaving my husband a little behind with the guys right there and tension clearly in the air. I remember wanting to get inside one of the stores and get to safety and tell someone what was happening, but I also knew it was really strange for me to leave my husband there with those guys. He is NOT a physically tough guy. He is an intellectual who uses wit to get himself out of any trouble and would never fight with anyone. Besides, it is just out of character for either one of us to desert the other for any reason. Anyway, I end up inside a gift shop and the weird thing is that I then get distracted and totally forget about why I came in! So I'm there just shopping around for awhile and I suddenly realize that I have forgotten all about how I left my husband outside with these 3 guys. Immediately upon remembering this, I run outside and I catch the very end of some police action going on. All I see is the cops putting handcuffs on my husband while he slowly turns his head to face me. I see a little blood on his neck area and a few scratches. I notice his glasses are gone. But overall he doesn't really look that bad for what I imagined could have happened. I scream, "what did they do to you?!" But the look on my husbands face says something like resolve or strength or some combination of that. His blue eyes are so clear in my mind. The 3 guys are not in the picture. I have no idea what happened to them and I sense that I don't care.
I think this dream has something to do with some loose ends that need dealing with when it comes to a near death experience that my husband had back in July of 2009. I haven't really shared any of that on this blog. One of my friends who is pretty intuitive stated that she knows that though I have a lot to say, I'm not always saying everything I need to. So it may be time to share that moment in my life. It is a turning point for me. A pivotal moment in time that changed everything for me. I was on my way to changing, but that experience made me know that there was no going back.
I am confident that I will share this soon. In the meantime, any insight on my dream would be appreciated. It seems to me that fellow bloggers are often the best at giving me the knowledge that I haven't quite grasped yet for myself.
For a long time I never remembered any dreams at all. I mean literally at least 10 years went by when I thought that I must not be able to dream anymore. Prior to this period of time, I was always a vivid dreamer and much like I am able to utilize a very photographic memory in my conscious life, I had always experienced dreams that were very real. I suspected that I was still dreaming, just not remembering them for some reason. I finally came to the conclusion that I had lost my ability to remember my dreams when I was going through a time when I felt that most of my 'dreams' for life seemed dead. Bingo! I began remembering my dreams upon waking yet again. It was as if the floodgates of my mind had opened. All of this coincided with a very turbulent time of becoming aware of how much of myself I had given up trying to fix or fit in to my very disturbed and mentally ill family. As soon as I realized that this was not a worthy cause to spend my life energy on, I got my life energy back and with it, my dreams- both in slumber and in real life.
I tend to be an early morning dreamer. Especially when I wake up in the wee hours and then fall back asleep, I have extraordinarily vivid dreams. Recently, I woke up replaying a particular episode with my mother when she had broken a restraining order on Christmas day and came knocking at my door. While I am proud of how I dealt with that situation in real life by just speaking through the door and calling the sheriff immediately so as to minimize the drama, I also like how I dealt with it in my dream. In the dream, I opened the door right up and faced her and told her that she was no longer welcome here and that she needed to leave my property. I then actually realized that I was dreaming and said, "besides this is just a dream and you don't really matter in my life anymore." Boy did I feel satisfied upon waking!
This morning I had a very intriguing dream. I dreamed that my husband and I were walking down a sidewalk and these 3 young guys came up behind us and kind of invaded our space. I tried to sort of ignore them and my husband and I gave each other knowing looks. We were approaching a strip mall area. One of the guys ended up brushing up against me. I turned and faced him and brushed him back. Then for some reason I ended up walking ahead and leaving my husband a little behind with the guys right there and tension clearly in the air. I remember wanting to get inside one of the stores and get to safety and tell someone what was happening, but I also knew it was really strange for me to leave my husband there with those guys. He is NOT a physically tough guy. He is an intellectual who uses wit to get himself out of any trouble and would never fight with anyone. Besides, it is just out of character for either one of us to desert the other for any reason. Anyway, I end up inside a gift shop and the weird thing is that I then get distracted and totally forget about why I came in! So I'm there just shopping around for awhile and I suddenly realize that I have forgotten all about how I left my husband outside with these 3 guys. Immediately upon remembering this, I run outside and I catch the very end of some police action going on. All I see is the cops putting handcuffs on my husband while he slowly turns his head to face me. I see a little blood on his neck area and a few scratches. I notice his glasses are gone. But overall he doesn't really look that bad for what I imagined could have happened. I scream, "what did they do to you?!" But the look on my husbands face says something like resolve or strength or some combination of that. His blue eyes are so clear in my mind. The 3 guys are not in the picture. I have no idea what happened to them and I sense that I don't care.
I think this dream has something to do with some loose ends that need dealing with when it comes to a near death experience that my husband had back in July of 2009. I haven't really shared any of that on this blog. One of my friends who is pretty intuitive stated that she knows that though I have a lot to say, I'm not always saying everything I need to. So it may be time to share that moment in my life. It is a turning point for me. A pivotal moment in time that changed everything for me. I was on my way to changing, but that experience made me know that there was no going back.
I am confident that I will share this soon. In the meantime, any insight on my dream would be appreciated. It seems to me that fellow bloggers are often the best at giving me the knowledge that I haven't quite grasped yet for myself.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
When I'm Bad I'm So So Bad
Today's post is brought to you by a little exchange that I had with Candance over at Crazy Texas Mommy. She was cookin' up a storm during the recent snow in Texas and I saw a recipe of hers that I needed and offered her one of mine in return.
That brought up some interesting memories, which brought me to this post. Somehow everything reminds me of something else...
When I was a kid, I moved a lot. One of the places I lived in was at the end of a block, on the corner. At the other end of the block there was another little girl who it turned out I had something in common with. Both of our mothers had just given birth to our first siblings when we were both 8 years old. And, coincidentally, it turns out our moms both had better things to do with their time than raise said siblings so this girl and I were the only 8-year-olds raisin' babies around. Of course, we became quite close.
It turns out that there is one problem with this whole scenario. (Besides, the obvious one.) When you meet someone who is doing something that you are doing that is fairly rare, it seems you inevitably find out that there's not a whole lot else that you do really have in common.
Over the years I did try quite valiantly to keep my ties with this girl in tact. Way more than I should have, it turns out. Way after I figured out that the things we did not have in common were so much more important than the things we did. Anyway, I kept in touch with her off and on for about 25 years. She ended up living in B.C. Canada. I guess it was a good thing she wasn't closer as many of the phone calls we shared were when she was in a mental hospital. Or times she should have been but wasn't.
I look at this situation now knowing that the things I learned were priceless, but the price of learning them was a little too much. There were good things that I got out of this whole scene, but I'm not sure I couldn't have obtained them in some other fashion. Sometimes the price to play is just too high.
So, to pass along to you one small thing that I got from this that I feel kind of embodies the whole shebang within the confines of a very tasty treat, I give you this:
That brought up some interesting memories, which brought me to this post. Somehow everything reminds me of something else...
When I was a kid, I moved a lot. One of the places I lived in was at the end of a block, on the corner. At the other end of the block there was another little girl who it turned out I had something in common with. Both of our mothers had just given birth to our first siblings when we were both 8 years old. And, coincidentally, it turns out our moms both had better things to do with their time than raise said siblings so this girl and I were the only 8-year-olds raisin' babies around. Of course, we became quite close.
It turns out that there is one problem with this whole scenario. (Besides, the obvious one.) When you meet someone who is doing something that you are doing that is fairly rare, it seems you inevitably find out that there's not a whole lot else that you do really have in common.
Over the years I did try quite valiantly to keep my ties with this girl in tact. Way more than I should have, it turns out. Way after I figured out that the things we did not have in common were so much more important than the things we did. Anyway, I kept in touch with her off and on for about 25 years. She ended up living in B.C. Canada. I guess it was a good thing she wasn't closer as many of the phone calls we shared were when she was in a mental hospital. Or times she should have been but wasn't.
I look at this situation now knowing that the things I learned were priceless, but the price of learning them was a little too much. There were good things that I got out of this whole scene, but I'm not sure I couldn't have obtained them in some other fashion. Sometimes the price to play is just too high.
So, to pass along to you one small thing that I got from this that I feel kind of embodies the whole shebang within the confines of a very tasty treat, I give you this:
Nanaimo Bars (pronounced Na-Ni-Mo, named after a place in B.C. Canada)
Yield 2 dozen (you will so regret that it doesn't make more)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/4 cup butter
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 2 tablespoons instant vanilla pudding mix
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 4 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
Directions
1. Mix 1/2 cup butter, white sugar, cocoa, egg and vanilla in a heavy sauce pan or double boiler. Stir over low heat until mixture is of custard like consistency.
2. Combine graham crackers, coconut and walnuts and add to the melted mixture. Mix well and pack into buttered 9 inch square cake pan.
3. Cream 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla custard powder and milk. Beat until creamy and spread over melted base.
4. Refrigerate till hardened.
5. Melt semi-sweet chocolate with 1 tablespoon butter and drizzle over custard icing. Refrigerate. When totally hard cut into square bars.
These suckers are so good that they will haunt you. Kind of like that friendship did for me. I really only make them for Christmas, but my husband actually asked me just the other day if somehow there were not some still left over in the back of the refrigerator somewhere. After I had first tried these up north of the border I had always wanted to find a good recipe for them. Now that I have, it is oh so dangerous.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Here's To YOU Thursday/ 80's and Beer, What Could Be Better?
One of my good blog buddies, Robin, over at YOUR DAILY DOSE does a really cool thing every Thursday. Only this week she is feeling so crummy that she wasn't able to do it. And I know that means that she is feeling absolutely horrid. What a bummer. She is super good at finding incredible footage on YouTube and then dedicating it to those she sees fit for, each and every Thursday. I know she puts a lot of work into this and I know she's disappointed that it didn't happen this week.
NEVER FEAR, Robin. Your support for me and this here blog are always appreciated. When I heard rumor that some were posting 'Here's to you Thursday' posts in your honor, I had to join in.
Robin lets people guess why they're getting whatever video she posts for them, but just in case you're not familiar with her I'll let you know that this one is because it's Superbowl week and Robin loves the 80's. I miss how cool the commercials for the Superbowl used to be.
So, Robin, this one's for you: (Pause my music player so you can check out the video.)
NEVER FEAR, Robin. Your support for me and this here blog are always appreciated. When I heard rumor that some were posting 'Here's to you Thursday' posts in your honor, I had to join in.
Robin lets people guess why they're getting whatever video she posts for them, but just in case you're not familiar with her I'll let you know that this one is because it's Superbowl week and Robin loves the 80's. I miss how cool the commercials for the Superbowl used to be.
So, Robin, this one's for you: (Pause my music player so you can check out the video.)
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Finally, Some Vacation Pictures As Promised... and then I'm gonna' get all intropective or something up in here...
So first things first- I needed some sun. I got some sun. My husband and I took a little jaunt to Palm Springs. We had never been there before. We were there for over a week during New Years and the temperature didn't get over 65. People in town couldn't remember a New Years this cold in at least 10 years. Most of the time it was only about 55. I know, poor me. But really, next time I put in a request for sun I'm going to be a little bit more specific. Anyway, as you know already if you've read my stuff before, I enjoyed the sunshine and I drank in as much as I could. So here's the proof:
Yes, Palm Springs is a desert. It is surrounded by mountains and is full of beautiful golf courses. No, we don't golf, but the views are nice.
This is the pool that I intended to spend a lot of time in. This is the hot tub that I actually did get into.
After seeing this pet area, we really wished we had taken at least one of our dogs with us!
We visited a 'Cactarium'. It was actually pretty cool.
Some of the cacti were just beautiful.
Some were scary lookin'!
Some were fodder for my husband and his weird photography humor...
(Palm Springs really did have some of the bluest skies I have seen in a long time.)
Speaking of weird humor- Here is how one of the signs in
Joshua Tree National Park appears to most people:
Here is how my husband sees it:
Yeah, you're welcome...
More photos to come, if you can stand it!
So here's the deal. Along with having a good time, which is what we truly did, this trip served to remind us of two very different and distinct things. 1.) that we are really fortunate to be able to get away and just kick it around and be forced to shop in cool boutiques and eat at yummy restaurants in town because it's too cold to swim. Especially when others around us are struggling so mightily lately- our friends with the special new little lady have discovered that her diagnosis will require MUCH more treatment than doctors had initially thought before she was born. For many people we know, this would be a dream trip of a lifetime. Or they may never get to do something like this at all.
So..... that makes the second thing we learned seem like small potatoes.
Still, here goes 2.) that we really need to move to a warm weather place, ASAP. The time has come and that's all there is to it. We are happiest in the bright warm sunshine. My husband and I want very badly to be in Texas. We have visited many places and that is the one that feels most like home to us. However, the current economy, housing market and job market are complicating our plans. We have had many leads for jobs evaporate on us. Employers end up deciding that they want a different type of position in the end, or none at all. Worse, they want a person who is more local. Hello, we'd be local, if you'd let us! We don't even care if moving expenses are not paid for. We just want to get there. We can't sell our house without taking a huge loss, so we have made plans to rent it out using a management company. Yes, we have heard the horror stories of what renters will do. We're willing to live with that too.
So it seems as if it all comes down to this- What are we really willing to do to change things? Staying here in the cold, long, rainy Northwest winter is yet another reminder that this is not what we want. It seems it's time to go out on yet another limb of this here tree of life. After much discussion, a decision has been reached. My husband is going to greatly expand his job search to include many other warm weather type places! Who says a stop along the way in some other city for a year or two would be a bad thing?! After reading other blogs and seeing what many of you have done, by choice or not, I figure we need to give this more of a real try. What do you think? Are we nuts?
Thursday, January 6, 2011
What I learned from a 'Sun Break'
Boy do I feel like I missed a bunch while I was away! My friend had her baby, a month prematurely and now I need to get crackin' on that blanket I was planning to make. (I'm really good with a project that only requires straight seams.) The baby is well. All the bloggers seem to be up to so much what with the New Year here and all. It was worth it though, to be in sunny weather like I won't see here in the Northwest until at least May. It wasn't quite summer weather, but I'll settle for warm spring-like temps. instead of the freezing cold we had here. I will post some pictures from the trip as soon as I get them loaded up onto my computer.
So I learned a few things from this little get away:
It turns out this was just the right time to step out of my 'real life' for a moment. I missed out on some family holiday drama that ended up taking care of itself. Seems I keep getting the message that sometimes it's best if I just leave things alone. My worrying doesn't often change things, at least not for the better. Maybe I can finally stop getting that message, if I will just heed it.
I also really experienced first hand that, at least for me, waking up to the sun shining makes a real difference. I've never thought of myself as having Seasonal Affective Disorder, but I could be wrong. All I know is that even though it was still a bit chilly that sunshine just made my heart sing.
Just a little indulgence and luxury really does do me some good.
If you do a ton of walking (like at least 5 miles a day) you can eat out a whole bunch and come back a pound lighter than when you left! That, my friends, is amazing.
Lastly, petsitters who leave my bathroom and kitchen trashed will NOT be hired again! I always make sure the house is spotless before I leave for a vacation so I can relax upon my return, not needing to clean things up right away. I am a bit of a domestic goddess and don't appreciate those who can't see that their mess does not belong in my domain.
Happy New Year, everybody! Here's to a fabulous 2011 that I hope will find everyone just where they want to be, doing just what they want to do with those that they cherish!
So I learned a few things from this little get away:
It turns out this was just the right time to step out of my 'real life' for a moment. I missed out on some family holiday drama that ended up taking care of itself. Seems I keep getting the message that sometimes it's best if I just leave things alone. My worrying doesn't often change things, at least not for the better. Maybe I can finally stop getting that message, if I will just heed it.
I also really experienced first hand that, at least for me, waking up to the sun shining makes a real difference. I've never thought of myself as having Seasonal Affective Disorder, but I could be wrong. All I know is that even though it was still a bit chilly that sunshine just made my heart sing.
Just a little indulgence and luxury really does do me some good.
If you do a ton of walking (like at least 5 miles a day) you can eat out a whole bunch and come back a pound lighter than when you left! That, my friends, is amazing.
Lastly, petsitters who leave my bathroom and kitchen trashed will NOT be hired again! I always make sure the house is spotless before I leave for a vacation so I can relax upon my return, not needing to clean things up right away. I am a bit of a domestic goddess and don't appreciate those who can't see that their mess does not belong in my domain.
Happy New Year, everybody! Here's to a fabulous 2011 that I hope will find everyone just where they want to be, doing just what they want to do with those that they cherish!
Monday, December 27, 2010
A Little Holiday Sharing
Yes, I must admit again how much more difficult it has been than I had imagined it would be to try to fit in some blogging during this holiday season. But for all the right reasons.....
So much fun and frivolity, a truly enjoyable Christmas this year. What an absolute gift.
So much fun and frivolity, a truly enjoyable Christmas this year. What an absolute gift.
And all of you that read and especially those that respond to what I have to say here are a fabulous gift as well. So for that I say a heartfelt THANK YOU! And I offer up a couple of photos that tell some of the story of how things have been for me this Christmas time:
The beauty of taking the time to use the good china and crystal. Not because I feel I need to. Instead, because I get to show my loved ones how special they are to me and how
much I feel they deserve to enjoy the best I have to offer.
A father and son. Reunited. Finally.
This holiday season I have been shown again the important lesson that imperfect relationships are beautiful in their own right. That the love we show to one another through the patience and tenacity we have as humans preserves that which we deem as necessary to our very existence.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
First Award And I'm Already Gonna Cheat...
Robin, over at YOUR DAILY DOSE saw fit to give me this:
Now it is up to me to bestow it onto 7 others. Then I have to give those who read my blog 7 new tidbits about me that I haven't shared before. Oh and dazzle the giver, Robin, back- which is easy to do as she's super cool.
Robin looks at things in all sorts of unique ways. She writes about her life and her BIG IDEA and weaves in some fun and her own brand of wisdom while she's at it. Robin was one of the people who inspired me to start the blog that you are now reading. I would often read her and so badly want to join in. So basically without her (and a few others), there would be no 'A Yellow Rose Of Texas'. Robin loves 80's music and fun TV and likes to share insights, often using video to do so. I only wish that I could write as prolifically as Robin, and have her knack to make that writing be meaningful in some way. Robin was nice enough to comment on everything I wrote when I got started a couple of months ago. I can't thank her enough for her support in this whole blogging thing.
Now, on to the 7 new recipients of the 'Stylish Blogger Award'.
1) The Big Fat Gini Blog Gini is funny and she really lets it all hang out. I like her 'cuz she's from Texas and reminds me of what made me want to move there in the first place.
1) The Big Fat Gini Blog Gini is funny and she really lets it all hang out. I like her 'cuz she's from Texas and reminds me of what made me want to move there in the first place.
2) Loretta's Journey From 460 to 199...One Good Choice At A Time Loretta has an awesome heart and she knows how to read my heart as well. She is a fabulous artist and her weight loss journey is pretty amazing too.
3) Faith, Love, Kids and Me Amber is a real family woman. She makes living at her house sound like all kinds of family bliss. Good, real, chaotic fun going on over there.
4) The Southern Girl Gang Chronicles Candance, Leiah, Aunt Crazy and Michelle make up a tour de force of Southern Charm mixed with some good old fashioned inappropriateness. Makes me wish I was born below the Mason Dixon line, just so I could be as cool as all this.
5) Middle Passages Liza is a real life writer. She's published and everything. She's also just real. Which I like. 'Nuff said.
6) Life In Texas/ Wonder Walking Krista knows how to live in the moment. She is someone who also made a move to Texas, so I can relate. She also touches on many topics I don't relate to, so I learn stuff.
7) A Deliberate Life Christine gets hit with the award stick pretty often, so this is where the cheating comes in. I'm gonna exempt her from actually having to do anything with it, other than accept it. Christine is a weight loss blogger turned 'life liver extraordinaire'. It's good stuff over there- read her.
Now for the second aspect of the cheating I'm doing with this here award. I will be posting my 7 things you don't know about me tomorrow. Thanks for being patient.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Inspiration
Pause the music player, so you can listen to the song:
Was anyone else as amazed as I was at Edison Pena's impressive appearance in the New York City Marathon? Here's what he had to say about it:
“In this marathon I struggled,” he said. “I struggled with myself, I struggled with my own pain, but I made it to the finish line. I want to motivate other people to also find the courage and strength to transcend their own pain.”
'Pena’s personal victory came just weeks after he was still training in near-darkness, jogging 6 or 7 miles each day 2,300 feet underground in stifling heat and humidity. He and 32 other men survived 69 days in the caved-in mine before they were rescued last month.'
'He said running was his salvation — his way of proving how much he wanted to live.'
This guy and his absolutely fantastic performance really got me thinking. I am one who rarely engages in excuses. I feel like there really aren't any good ones. I've been known to say that excuses are just lies in disguise. The lies we tell ourselves are really the worst ones, aren't they? I've seen way too many people who are much worse off than me in some way or another- either physically, mentally or emotionally (many of you bloggers fall into one of these categories) and I just don't feel that I have the right to cop out most of the time. I admit that sometimes I come off as extremely demanding. I don't mean to be harsh. I just don't want to rob people of what they could be or could accomplish by being yet another easy way out. I hold myself to a high standard and I'm not any better than anyone else. So I try not to lower my standards for anyone, while still realizing that everyone is different and has something to add that may not be the way I would do things.
I so admire people who do things that they don't have to. The people who really make a difference in this world by going above and beyond what could possibly be expected of them. There are always things that I have meant to do, but never get around to. I think this guy and people like him are so important to those of us just getting through every day life without too many obstacles. They make us think about what we can do if we truly challenge ourselves, even just once in a while.
Was anyone else as amazed as I was at Edison Pena's impressive appearance in the New York City Marathon? Here's what he had to say about it:
“In this marathon I struggled,” he said. “I struggled with myself, I struggled with my own pain, but I made it to the finish line. I want to motivate other people to also find the courage and strength to transcend their own pain.”
'Pena’s personal victory came just weeks after he was still training in near-darkness, jogging 6 or 7 miles each day 2,300 feet underground in stifling heat and humidity. He and 32 other men survived 69 days in the caved-in mine before they were rescued last month.'
'He said running was his salvation — his way of proving how much he wanted to live.'
This guy and his absolutely fantastic performance really got me thinking. I am one who rarely engages in excuses. I feel like there really aren't any good ones. I've been known to say that excuses are just lies in disguise. The lies we tell ourselves are really the worst ones, aren't they? I've seen way too many people who are much worse off than me in some way or another- either physically, mentally or emotionally (many of you bloggers fall into one of these categories) and I just don't feel that I have the right to cop out most of the time. I admit that sometimes I come off as extremely demanding. I don't mean to be harsh. I just don't want to rob people of what they could be or could accomplish by being yet another easy way out. I hold myself to a high standard and I'm not any better than anyone else. So I try not to lower my standards for anyone, while still realizing that everyone is different and has something to add that may not be the way I would do things.
I so admire people who do things that they don't have to. The people who really make a difference in this world by going above and beyond what could possibly be expected of them. There are always things that I have meant to do, but never get around to. I think this guy and people like him are so important to those of us just getting through every day life without too many obstacles. They make us think about what we can do if we truly challenge ourselves, even just once in a while.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Anti-hoarding
Got a great new pastime. It's loads of fun and involves loads of unloading.
As my husband gets bites from recruiters and signs are coming my way that this move to Texas is really going to happen, I get busy anti-hoarding.
My husband's part in supporting this move is to find a job and pass a test while he's waiting to find said job. My deal is to get rid of stuff. (And eventually find a new place for us live in.)
I try to figure out what I could possibly live without. And then I whittle it down some more.
So far, I've got a primo pile of 'moving sale' stuff going in the guest room and I've had some tremendous trips to the dump. In one load I managed to rid myself of an old plastic swimming pool, a bent up bike, sun-rotted patio chairs, broken flower pots, a non-working vacuum cleaner, and a dead barbecue- and then threw in the neighbors ruined screen door just for kicks and giggles. What is it that causes us humans to keep stuff around way after it has reached it's end of usefulness?
I don't have a clue. What I do know is that right now it's fun to dig in and get rid of stuff. I like to get some good music going and go at it. I get down with some Eminem or Nickelback.
I actually look forward to coming home after work and working some more, at getting rid of junk. I've been inspired by what I've seen other bloggers accomplish in their clean out efforts.
I now happily admit that I never use the bread maker, or the rotisserie. Nor the cutesy dishes that I moved from the last house and still never used. I get satisfaction from giving things to neighbors that I know they'll enjoy. I have fun using up good stuff that I like, but don't want to haul.
I get a sense of accomplishment when I can get a room to echo.
Ah the simple pleasures of preparing for a long distance move...
As my husband gets bites from recruiters and signs are coming my way that this move to Texas is really going to happen, I get busy anti-hoarding.
My husband's part in supporting this move is to find a job and pass a test while he's waiting to find said job. My deal is to get rid of stuff. (And eventually find a new place for us live in.)
I try to figure out what I could possibly live without. And then I whittle it down some more.
So far, I've got a primo pile of 'moving sale' stuff going in the guest room and I've had some tremendous trips to the dump. In one load I managed to rid myself of an old plastic swimming pool, a bent up bike, sun-rotted patio chairs, broken flower pots, a non-working vacuum cleaner, and a dead barbecue- and then threw in the neighbors ruined screen door just for kicks and giggles. What is it that causes us humans to keep stuff around way after it has reached it's end of usefulness?
I don't have a clue. What I do know is that right now it's fun to dig in and get rid of stuff. I like to get some good music going and go at it. I get down with some Eminem or Nickelback.
I actually look forward to coming home after work and working some more, at getting rid of junk. I've been inspired by what I've seen other bloggers accomplish in their clean out efforts.
I now happily admit that I never use the bread maker, or the rotisserie. Nor the cutesy dishes that I moved from the last house and still never used. I get satisfaction from giving things to neighbors that I know they'll enjoy. I have fun using up good stuff that I like, but don't want to haul.
I get a sense of accomplishment when I can get a room to echo.
Ah the simple pleasures of preparing for a long distance move...
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