“Changing the world is good for those who want their names in books. But being happy, that is for those who write their names in the lives of others, and hold the hearts of others as the treasure most dear.” —Orson Scott Card

 my cousin/best friend/partner in crime. LOVE her.

“Friendship doubles our joy and divides our grief.”—Swedish Proverb

(some of) my book club ladies. I am so thankful for this group of "ladies" (I use the term "ladies" lightly here). 

I am eternally grateful we've found each other and continue to grow our friendship. love to my ladies. 

Having a sister is like having a best friend you can't get rid of. You know whatever you do, they'll still be there. - Amy Li

my baby sister. 'nuf said. love.

“Be true to your work, your word, and your friend.”-Abraham Lincoln

pete. PETE! first I was friends with Tracey (see above book club pic - red sweatshirt) then I met her wonderful husband. through chats (in real life and the fb world) we have connected. thankful for this new friend.

“Friendship is the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words.”—George Eliot

ah my raphie. we are destined to be best friends forever (if he likes it or not - hehe).

“Love is friendship that has caught fire. It is quiet understanding, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving. It is loyalty through good and bad times. It settles for less than perfection and makes allowances for human weaknesses.”

me and my best friend (way back in the way back). my life was complete the day Troy decided to be my best friend for life. Words cannot describe.

I am eternally grateful for my lovely friends. I know that I am richly blessed.

One of the things on my list (of 36 things to do before I'm 37) is to nourish my friendships. It's probably one of my favorite things on my list (obviously because I have great friends).

If you're my friend and you weren't pictured here you can either:

a) count yourself lucky this time because my photos are so unorganized now that I couldn't find you (Tami - I have a great photo of us at a gift shop sale...darned it where'd it go?)
or
b) know that your time is coming so watch out
AND
c) know that you were NOT forgotten and that I treasure you.

Happy Day my friends!

“The creative person is willing to live with ambiguity. He doesn't need problems solved immediately and can afford to wait for the right ideas.” —Abe Tannenbaum

I love this quote but sometimes I don't want to wait for the right ideas I want to take action and see if the ideas just escape.

I decided to join Leslie at {Words of Me Project} on her 31 days creative adventure. Like most people I slide my creativity to the back burner while taking care of life and then try to cram creativity into a space that may not serve it so well (such as an afternoon planned to scrapbook where my well is so dry that one page may not get completed).

I have several projects started and I have compiled them into a basket with their materials, I have my list at the forefront and I'm ready. Part of the challenge, for me, will be checking in here and creating some blog posts to help me jump start the blogging again.

Here we go!

birthday fun, cool cousins, and Easter shoes...OH MY!

“People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone.” —Audrey Hepburn

“You will discover that you have two hands. One is for helping yourself and the other is for helping others.” -Audrey Hepburn

April is off to a roaring start.

Birthday fun. I would expand on the fun but it is probably better that I don't. Haha.

Easter with family. The ten-year gap cousins. Love these boys. (By the way Nick totally kicked at the egg hunt!)

New shoes for some sisters. I call them our Easter shoes, but really they're not. My flip flops were from Troy for my birthday and De just buys shoes whenever she possibly can.

So, April is off to a good start. It is Spring break and I'm taking a few days to slow down before picking back up again.

In other (birthday) news: I follow a blog, hula seventy, have you heard of it? Do you read? I love it. Every year she makes a list of things to do before her next birthday. Last year I contemplated this, however never made a list. Right around the end of February I decided that I was going to do it. So, early March I started my list. It took me a few weeks. But now I have a list of 36 things to do before I turn 37. I haven't decided yet if I'll publish the whole list or not. I might. I might not. We'll see. I will, most likely, share as I complete or work on items. Some things are silly, some abstract, some concrete, however all are meaningful, to me.

So, hears to another year. I'm ready. So far 36 has been pretty nice to me.