“Somebody should tell us, right at the start of our lives, that we are dying.

Then we might live life to the limit, every minute of every day.

Do it! I say. Whatever you want to do, do it now.

There are only so many tomorrows.”

~Michael Landon

While I've been taking the last month off from blogging (evidently, it didn't seeeeem like that long to me) I have been:
~spending quality time with family and friends
~including short walk/hikes in the woods
~celebrating 16 years with my amazing husband
~watching lots of British T.V. on Netflix (love you Netflix)
~hanging with the girls at a girls night...good times
~teaching myself to crochet (so far so good)
~working
~reading
~just being
....Life is good.

“The greatest and most important problems in life are all in a certain sense insoluble. They can never be solved, but only outgrown. ” - Carl Gustav Jung

Things have gone a bit topsy-turvy here. Well, not here exactly but around me. Some extended family issues, some friend issues that need time and attention.

It's always eye opening to work through the hard stuff and sometimes I think it is even more of a learning experience to work through the hard stuff that isn't one's own. When it's not my own I can step back and evaluate with fresh eyes. Even when my heart is breaking. Even when I am crying. I can put the emotions aside for a moment or two and really evaluate.

A few things I've learned in the past few weeks:
- help when I can. listen when I can. be open.
- don't judge
- it isn't about me. I'm a tool to be used for the project, not the project itself.
- when praying for change be specific.
- sometimes the best way to help is to step back
- love

So, I am going to continue to help and learn. To heal and grow. To love.

In other news:
- I have my word picked out for the year. There is lots in my journal about it and it's proven to be powerful to me so far.
- I'm reading a great book by one of my favorite authors.
- I'm feeling a creative burst coming on. I wonder where that will lead me.

Happy day my friends. Happy day!

Loving right now:

1. OhLife. Every evening this site sends me an email that says, "How did your day go?" Then I respond with a sentence or two, a list, or a paragraph that says something about my day. I always want to write a daily journal, just a line or two about my days, however while I do write a lot it isn't daily happenings more introspection, etc...So, this site is perfect. Loving it so far.
2. the Project 365 app for my iPhone. I've started 365 projects in the past only to quit at some point. I'm thinking if it's on my phone maybe I'll actually do it everyday. We'll see. I love the calendar view of photos. My plan is to not have a plan - no theme, no stretching my skills - just me taking a photo a day that reflects something in my life.
3.  Angry Birds. I'm addicted that's all I have to say about that.
   

Happy Day Happy Day!

“For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life. ” —Alfred D. Souza

Yesterday's WOMP challenge was to list 50 things you love. While I've done this in the past I decided to tackle it again. One change I decided upon is not to keep track of my list. I didn't feel right putting a number on my loves...well it makes sense in my mind.

While I'm not going to share my complete list I will share some of it here with you...

• my guys, my family (of course)
• getting lost in a good book
• napping
• color - bright, subtle, pastel, primary...color makes the world go round
• kitty cuddles
• discovering and uncovering family history
• new school supplies
• cupcakes
• water - the expanse of the ocean, rushing rivers, crawling creeks, water falls
• writing it down
• driving my brother's Jeep with the top down singing in the wind
• having fun with my camera
• quotes that speak to me
• cheese
• old family photos
• old friends I trust and am oh-so comfortable with and nurturing our continuing friendships
• new friends - discovering commonness and differences
• hot coffee
• cold lemonade and sweet tea
• martini nights
• laughing
• learning
• exploring
• rain storms
• being snowed in
• trees - looking up through the branches to the sky above - never the same view twice
• scarves, mittens and sweaters
• inspiration - words, images...

That's it for now...a few things I love.

Happy Day my friends!

Barefoot Day wrap-up

“When obstacles arise, you change your direction to reach your goal, you do not change your decision to get there.” —Zig Ziglar

As I mentioned earlier I participated with Miss Kelly from Sole Obsession in One Day Without Shoes (I am almost positive that we were the only people plus a nice pedicurist at Mane Styles who were doing this!). What an experience it was.

So what did I learn? How did it go?

*Shoe are good. I like shoes. A lot.
*Wet pavement is very cold and slimy and just plain icky!
*Floors in public places are questionable.

(with Kelly at Starbucks where they totally didn't even notice, or didn't care - one or the other, that we were shoeless)

*My feet got very cold. Even in my house.
*I love my slippers.
*Wrapping ones feet in a blanket is NOT the same thing as wearing socks or slippers!

(going into the grocery store. these feet were cold. it was wet. YUCK!)

*Having the put my feet outside was the hugest first step. One I dreaded.
*Driving a clutch requires shoes. REQUIRES!
*I do NOT have tough feet!
*Walking a mile(ish) barefoot is painful (pavement is hard - how is that for an observation?) and one has to be very careful to watch for broken glass, dog poop (ick people clean it up! I did not step in this but dang I would have been MAD), rocks...

One of the best things I did today was go on my walk. I was going to put on shoes because, well, duh I was going on a WALK, but my family said something about "talking the talk and walking the walk" so I headed out sans shoes. First of all, it made me slow down, way down, and I got to actually SEE a more than if I'd walked by fast. Second, people actually stopped and asked me why I didn't have shoes on. I got to talk to 5 different people (3 different stops) about what I was doing and why. It was good. I'm glad all of those people at first looked at me like I was crazy (I might be) and that they chose to ask me why the heck I'd leave my shoes at home. It's what I was after.

(finally some sun for my feet. It was still cold though!)

*Shoes are essential. We need them. Everyone needs them. So if you have old shoes donate them. You won't be sorry.

And a big thanks to Kelly for bringing this to my attention. While the long walk was a bit painful and I spent the day with cold toes I am glad I did (and I'd do it again!).

Now it's time to get ready for the day and I shall be wearing shoes and LOVING it!

Happy shoes people!

“We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.” —Fredrick Koeing

Welcome April. Buds on the lilac tree. Sun streaming through the bushes. Blue sky and puffy white clouds. The promise of rain soon. Chilly mornings...Spring is definitely here.

I love April. Yes, it is my birth month, however I also look at it as the beginning. The beginning of Spring. The beginning of "new" weather.

I wish I was into Spring cleaning the way other people are. I read about people organizing drawers and purging closets. I however, decide to deep clean. Every year. So far this year I have cleaned out the washing machine (it looks almost new!), cleaned the dishwasher, pulled out the stove and cleaned under/behind it....I may still have piles but you can eat off my floors!

Here we go.

Welcome April!

“It always seems impossible until its done.”—Nelson Mandel

I'm having a TGIF type of Friday. Just happy to see the week come to a close.

Sick car. Sick computer. Sick kid. Bookend (long) meetings.

Meetings over. Healthy kid. New computer on the way (waiting right now for delivery). Fixed car.

All is well. Life is good.

*Prayers for a family who has a baby who is having seizures (in hospital as far as I know now and no known cause of seizures - scary) and has a toddler who broke her elbow last night would be much appreciated.