Sweet Potators

In the last hour two good friends have posted statuses about their pets on Facebook.... The first made my heart ache.  A friend is putting her dog of 13 years to sleep this afternoon.  She and her family have loved this dog like another member of the family. The other post warmed my heart.  It said: "I wish I could put my bird on a leash and fly him next to me as I ride my bike.  I love him. :)" Pets leave a mark on our hearts like no other.... It's been almost 10 months and I still check for Maddy when I come in the door, wake up in the morning, go to bed, when I come in the kitchen and see her spot on the back door rug. In the next life I know it'll be a fight between Ally and I on who gets to keep Maddy... guess we'll have to be big girls and share.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHkvan-NFnM Have TOTALLY been in love with this song for a while now... Could prolly listen to it for a thousand years, too, without ever tiring of it.

One day I'll get around to why I have this connection to St. Francis... Trust me though, it's pretty awesome. It's February 19, 2014 and I'm finally getting back to this... My maternal grandfather, who I was closest to and felt a bond with more than any other family member (or anyone for that matter) was named Francis... Francis Reid Barton. I love(d) him more than words can express.  I felt completely and unconditionally loved by him. When he died I felt such heartache and loss. He passed away from cancer when I was 20. As I sit and type this I can barely get through because my eyes are overflowing with tears. I still miss him soo much. But I believe wholeheartedly I'll see him again. During every difficult struggle or happiest moment in my life I've felt him with me.  I'm never ever looking for it.... I'll just all of a sudden realize he's there... like if I looked over my shoulder there he'd be. ...

The thing I like about all three photos is what I'd call 'determination'... The large hyacinth I planted several of when we first moved in, and pulled up a few years later.  Now, ten years has gone by and one lone stalk is back.  There's nothing like looking out your front window on a bright spring day and seeing color where you didn't expect it.   The second, the daffodil, I planted dozens of 4 years ago... this is the first and only time one has ever blossomed.  Patience is a virtue (not really in my case... I just never got out in the fall to dig them all up and plant a whole new batch, LOL!).  The third, I planted gobs and gobs of in a bed ten feet away... don't know how they made their way to where they are now... maybe a bird or a squirrel. In any case... all three totally make me smile. 

Wow... April's really started off with a bang.  :-| Sarcasm. That's all there is.

Got my lovely spring sinus infection a bit early this year... so I didn't really get around to photos of 'fun' and 'jump'.  I mean, how do you take a picture of 'fun' when you're just laying there surrounded by mentholatum-soaked tissues and the entire contents of your purse.  AND 'jump'?  Sorry, I wasn't gonna jump with my head ready to explode. So, here we are on day 3... 'in my car'.  Hmm.  That'd mean I'd have to get out of my jammies and actually go OUT.  Guess I could always go to Sonic for a slushie. We'll see. Lori... would you like a diet coke?  ;-)

*Start tomorrow!* I know I said a month ago that I was taking a different direction... and I did and have and am. But I still want to do something fun where I record some of the more randomness of my life with photos... and so I WILL!

Parable of the Dirty Laundry A young couple moves into a new neighborhood. The next morning while they are eating breakfast, the young woman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside. "That laundry is not very clean; she doesn't know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she  needs better laundry soap." Her husband looks on, remaining silent. Every time her neighbor hangs her wash to dry, the young woman makes the same comments. A month later, the woman is surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and says to her husband: "Look, she's finally learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this?" The husband replies, "I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows." And so it is with life... What we see when watching others depends on the clarity of the window through which we look.

So happy to finally have done this!  It's not exactly how I'd design it to look, but there aren't a lot of choices. It is fun to read some of the silly things I've said.  At least now there's a record that I did indeed keep a blog... as lame as it is sometimes... LOL!  ;-)

... I knew that saying things positive or negative said much about me... it just made made me think differently and feel better about the world.  When I make less-than-flattering comments about others, I know I'm not feeling so great about myself... and I seem to have gotten into a bad habit of thinking as long as it's true, why not say it... that's okay, right?  Wrong. I also came across the quote below recently... So no more negativity.... there's enough in the world and I need much less of it in my life.  I want to be realistic, but I don't need to "chat it up" so to speak about others... or myself.   And remember this:

Every fiber of my being fights this thought... But I'm never gonna get anywhere if I don't accept it.

So today I pulled something I thought I'd NEVER do. I've put so much pressure on myself lately... the kind I used to before I found out I had lupus... I've wanted to prove to myself that I could still hack this kind of stuff... get a TON done in a handful of days. I can... BUT with the help of (the clincher!) two, yep TWO, Full Throttles... and in a matter of hours.  *sigh* Granted, since DST I haven't gotten more than 4-5 hours sleep a night... so normally I think I could've accomplished all I have without that extra crap (yes, it's crap!) in my system. I blasted a few of my old Evanescence CD's and buzzed (literally) all over the place. Brought back some fond memories of the year (think it was 2007) when I dragged my family off to see Amy Lee at Boise Centre on the Grove and the kids from school my girls ran into who'd say "we can't believe you got your parents to come to this concert?", to which S and A would reply "uhh, i...

Been thinking mucho the last several days about where I want my life to be. Is it crazy that I'm 47 years old and don't know? When I was 23 I knew more about what I wanted for my life (overall) than I do now. There are a few things I'm pretty sure about, but I also know I'm never going to get there if I'm always thinking so far ahead.  No more tomorrow, next week, next month, next year.  Uh uh. I really feel like everything is going to take care of itself if I live in the moment right now, and ONLY for that moment.  I'm also going to let myself be surprised... not always have everything so carefully calculated. And since I want the unknown, I'm not doing the 30-day photo challenge... So here's where I'm going... and I do know it's a good thing... though honestly, I really don't know where it's going to take me... but I feel like it will be, what it is to be... "Let it be, let it be, let it be-ee, let it be."

Am mega busy the next few weeks, but still wanted to start my 30-day photo challenge... so began with something easy peasy... my favorite book's cover.  I first read 'To Kill a Mockingbird' in the 7th grade... I was 13.  It's been my all-time favorite book, hands-down, for 44 years.  I searched for the paperback book cover of the first time I read it... can't find... and instead chose the first edition cover.  I do have a bag with the photo above printed on it.

Already printed off... taped into my planner and hanging on the fridge...  =)

Here's the list of what to upload during the 30 days:  A picture of yourself with 10 facts A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest A picture of the cast from your favorite show A picture of your favorite night A picture of your favorite memory A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day A picture of your most treasured item A picture that makes you laugh A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most A picture of the person you do the most ****** up things with A picture of something you hate A picture of something you love A picture of your favorite band or artist A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without A picture of something you want to do before you die A picture of someone who inspires you A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently A picture of your biggest insecurity A picture and a letter A picture of somewhere you'd love to tra...