3Jay Style Exhibition

Saturday night Mr. Quick Lawrence and I attended the 3Jay Productions Style Exhibition at the Galeana car dealership. I was especially interested in seeing Ms. Maharet Bloom walk the runway as she is a regular model for me, and she did awesome. I had a great time, we had VIP seats and due to getting there early we were seated right at the end of the runway. I honestly think I had a better seat than the "official" photographers! Sometimes you get what you pay for huh? I took sooo many photos, I have been working all night on them and I'm only halfway through editing them! Yeesh! But I love them! This one I've posted is one of my favorites.

Want to see all the fashion photos? Check out my photography fan page on facebook. And if you're on facebook, feel free to add me and my page!

It was especially cool to see a couple of the designers, as I'd had a shoot with them that morning. Luck (Go Realla Street Couture) and Da'fron (Alexander Lawrence) were great guys with some really wonderful clothing, and I had a great time shooting them in their clothes as well as Quick.

I wish I'd been an official photographer and been able to go to all the pre-show events and such, but being an audience member wasn't so bad. I think I need to buy me a nice point and shoot though, because I think sometimes I get defined by the camera and flash I pull out when that's the only camera I have, so whether I'm shooting for official reasons, or just for fun, they see the camera and automatically name me a professional photographer. Which I am not, at this time, because a professional is someone that can support themselves by their job/hobby and I rarely make any money with my hobby -- hopefully that will change but for now, I do it for fun!! I'm still in school for my craft, which reminds me... I need to do my project and send it in!

Don't Blow It!

Good Planets are Hard to Find!

It is now officially "Earth Day" in South Carolina. Though as aptly put on the most famous quote about Earth Day - "Every Day is Earth Day". This photo was taken last Saturday down by the river, and I loved how the light was sparkling on the water so I tried my best to capture it. Not as good as being there in person but it's still rather beautiful I think.

"And this, our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything." ~William Shakespeare

Take time to walk outside today, and look at nature around you. Find a sermon in a rock, or a tongue in a nearby tree and listen to what it has to say to you. The earth is a wise mother with great wisdom to tell you if you will open your ears and eyes and heart.

"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves." ~John Muir

Modern technology
Owes ecology
An apology.
~Alan M. Eddison

Thrift Store Score!

I've been to several thrift stores in town recently (much to the chagrin of my husband) and have really scored!

His House near my house-- I got a wedding dress, a bag of hardback and softback books, an oriental purse and a handheld game - for $10.

Today I hit the other His House and got a Game Boy Color with 3 games, some really old hardback books I will use for crafts (except for one which is about world mythology), and some odds and ends like stickers and stuff, as well as a handful of jewelry bits and pieces - for $13.

Then we went to the Pets Incorporated thrift store and I found a big bag of vintage photographs that they were selling for $3 a piece, I bought the whole bag for $15. Very beautiful photos of women, men and a lot of children. 18 small photos, and 10 big ones!

I really love finding deals. His House always gives me the best deals. I have bought three wedding dresses so far and they always throw everything else I have in for the price of the dress!

Go Mediterranean!

Tonight Randy took me out for our anniversary (which was yesterday). We went to one of my very favorite restaurants downtown called Mediterranean Tea Room. We ordered baba ghanoush for an appetizer, served with warm grilled pita bread. For my main dish I had falafel with falaheen salad and hummus. Delicious! I think MTR is one of the best Mediterranean restaurants in town. I do love Elie's over in St. Andrews too though... I'd really have to eat them both together to say which one I like most!

Randy had a greek salad with chicken, and it did look yummy too.

The only thing that always bothers me is that the "parsley" or whatever they use, just doesn't taste like the parsley they used when I lived in Cyprus. I don't know exactly what the difference is, I mean it's been about 15 years since I've had it and was in Cyprus but even that long ago I still remember that I could never find the right parsley (maybe called Greek Parsley??) here in the restaurants. There was just a really special flavor, very fresh and green, that was in the salads we had over there. Also, I've found that here in America restaurants tend to put TONS of wheat bulgur on their tabbouleh salad and in Cyprus, the bulgur was not as much at all. It was really just sprinkled on at the end, but if you get the salad here it's like half the salad or more! Yuck! I try to stay away from eating much wheat and I definitely don't eat whole wheat (I was told that whole wheat can make fibromyalgia worse and I've experienced that it does first hand).

Here's a hummus recipe I found online that looks pretty basic:

HUMMUS

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:

* 1 16 oz can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans
* 1/4 cup liquid from can of chickpeas
* 3-5 tablespoons lemon juice (depending on taste)
* 1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
* 2 cloves garlic, crushed
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation:
Drain chickpeas and set aside liquid from can. Combine remaining ingredients in blender or food processor. Add 1/4 cup of liquid from chickpeas. Blend for 3-5 minutes on low until thoroughly mixed and smooth.

Place in serving bowl, and create a shallow well in the center of the hummus.

Add a small amount (1-2 tablespoons) of olive oil in the well. Garnish with parsley (optional).

Serve immediately with fresh, warm or toasted pita bread, or cover and refrigerate.
Variations
For a spicier hummus, add a sliced red chile or a dash of cayenne pepper.
Storing Hummus
Hummus can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and can be kept in the freezer for up to one month. Add a little olive oil if it appears to be too dry.

Wedding Anniversary: 14 Years

Today marks the 14th year of marriage for me and my husband Randy. We both are very happy and I daresay happier than we've ever been and I love him more today than I ever did.

We have had a really rough marriage and struggled for many years, in fact we were even legally separated for a time and were going to get a divorce. But I went through some counseling that taught me that I need to love myself and find my own self-worth and all kinds of other great stuff - and not to look to Randy for my importance, and Randy made some changes and we got back together even stronger than before.

Sometimes when we are aggravated with each other the boys ask are we going to get separated again, so we've decided that next year on our 15th anniversary we are going to renew our vows. This will be mainly to show our kids we are committed to each other so they aren't always wondering if we are splitting up again, as well as to show our friends and family and ourselves our commitment.

Artist on the Grind: Carolina Quick

Congratulations to Carolina Quick for winning "Artist on the Grind" from the Metro City Magazine's Awards. I attended and took lots of photos, this one on the red carpet!

How to Make Chai Tea

How to Make Chai Tea by misszillah.deviantart.com - found this and had to share it, I have a great love for chai tea and this is beautiful!

Me, A Terrorist?

I had to write up a funny story that happened to me for an email swap on swap-bot.com so I thought I'd share it here!

In October of 1994 I was nearing the end of my stay in Cyprus, which is a small Greek island in the Mediterranean. I'd been there several months, and wanted to go on one of the cruises to Israel and Egypt - since I figured I'd never get a chance like that again, and it was only around 90 cyprus pounds at the time which equalled about $180! A steal! Since I'd come to stay for so long in Cyprus, I had brought a foot locker with me, I didn't have a small suitcase at all. I had to borrow one from a new friend I'd made in Cyprus. First mistake - I didn't remove their luggage tags so it didn't have my name on it. Second mistake - no one wanted to go with me, so I went alone.

So, with my borrowed suitcase in hand, I was dropped off and left at the port to board the cruise ship. I headed towards the Israeli officials with my passport and ticket, and there's where the problems started. I happened to be the only American on the ship - everyone else was pretty much Greek or British (Or other European). I was traveling alone and then my suitcase didn't even belong to me. I was moved out of the line and taken back behind everything where they proceeded to question me. "Why are you here?" "Why did you come from America alone?" "What's in your suitcase?" "Why are you going to Israel?" etc etc etc over and over again with 3 or 4 different officials. I was told that I fit the look of a terrorist! They accused me of being a terrorist. Not fun.

They ran the metal detector over "my" suitcase and it kept going off - oh no. So, it was opened and searched thoroughly, finally they figured out that a golden page in a book I'd brought was setting the metal detector off (for those that know what it is - it was the gold page of my CEF bible!). They searched me, they ran the detector over me - I was in tears. I didn't know what was going to happen to me. I was still pretty young (21) and this (going to Cyprus) was my first trip overseas that I remembered. (I lived in Germany as a toddler). You hear horror stories of people tossed in prison for minor infractions....

But, eventually (after at least an hour or two) they finally let me board the ship. There was a cruise guy taking photographs as people arrived and he snapped my picture - imagine what I looked like after crying for over an hour, my clothes were falling out of my suitcase where they'd just closed it without putting everything in it (like a cartoon character) and I was unkempt from the searching. The next day I looked at the photo hanging in the main area of the ship and it was sooooo terrible, that I didn't buy it. But now I wish I had because it would have made a GREAT addition to the story!

By the way - to add insult to injury, I was placed with a roommate that spoke German, French, Spanish and I'm not sure what else - but NO English.
I was followed onto the bus by someone in Bethlehem asking to marry me, the bus driver had to threaten him to get him off.
Our bus in Egypt had a huge bullet hole in the front window. There are so many more stories I could tell about this trip...

But, overall I had a super time in Israel and Egypt and though the start was bad, it's something I'll definitely never forget.

Thoughts on a Rainy Day

"You're not making a meal, and I'm about to make dinner!" as I watch Hudson grab sandwich stuff out of the fridge, and I'm about to put on fries and make sloppy joes.

Ok I just put the fries in, and he grabbed a slice of ham to "tide him over".

The really nice breezes blow through my body and into my soul. ~Astrid Alauda

It's about to rain and the breeze is lovely. I'm so happy with our new windows, I am actually able to open them and let in the breeze! I always had horrible thoughts at night as I lay in bed trying to get to sleep, about the house being on fire and us trapped inside because the windows don't open. Scary.

Don't knock the weather; nine-tenths of the people couldn't start a conversation if it didn't change once in a while. ~Kin Hubbard

That quote cracks me up mainly because it's so true. I can't count the number of conversations I've had that started out talking about the weather in some way. Hot and humid summers, cold snaps, unnaturally warm for the winter, crazy snow - etc. I bet there are better ways of starting a conversation, let's think of better ways and comment them! I'll add them to the blog with your name.

"How's it going?" - Randy my hubby
"Hi, I'm Hudson and I don't want to talk about the weather today." - Hudson
"What's going on, dog?" - Josiah
"What was the highlight of your day?" - Something my host in Cyprus always asked.

A Fine Spring Day

Today was a fine spring day, and my kids are on spring break so I decided to take them and their friends to the park. That didn't work out so well, as Saluda Shoals water park isn't opened until the 24th (why? it's spring break!). So, we went down to the river by the zoo. It was PACKED, I couldn't believe how many people were down there hanging out and swimming. Hudson was fearless swimmming out in the river and getting on the rocks, scared me a couple times, but they had a great time. I did take a lot of photos but I haven't uploaded them yet. I'll add a photo tomorrow to this blog entry.

It's supposed to rain tomorrow, so maybe we'll head to get Josiah's new glasses. He broke his, boy am I tired of replacing glasses for him! I got plastic ones thinking he wouldn't break them as easy as wire rim, but it doesn't matter - he always finds a way to mess them up.

We had chicken fried rice tonight, and it was delicious but as I sit here I am hungry! I know we have some hummus and pita in the fridge but I want a bit more substantial food item. Maybe I'll make me a sandwich - or called a sammich by people in my family. Truly southern.

I miss hearing my grandmother talk to me about arning something (ironing) and how something smelled like cyarn (carrion) or how she was growing flyers (flowers). She died about 12 years ago, I can't believe it's been so long. I still miss her like she died yesterday. I was dreaming about her the other night, twice in fact. The first dream I was at her house on Doreen Avenue cleaning while she was at work (something I often did) and she came home and lay on the couch. She then said "I'm going to die, I bet you're going to take all my stuff" and I immediately said "Mawmaw, I love you and I would rather have you in my life than having anything you could own." She got up off the couch and went back to work. The second dream I can't remember as vividly but I was at her house again. I loved that house and it kinda broke my heart when she sold it. I grew up there, was brought home from the hospital there and it's where I pretty much considered "home" since my family moved around so much. I have pets buried in the back yard and everything. Just a little Florida block house with a couple bedrooms, and a rain tree that I planted as a child that grew so big I could climb up in the branches.

Where on Earth Have I Been?

These are my answers for a recent email swap I did on swap-bot called "Where on Earth Have You Been?", it asked for you to name 10 places you've been that you really enjoyed and to tell a little about each place. This photo is one I took in Egypt.

1. Cairo, Egypt
One of the most amazing places I've ever visited. We went to the pyramids on the Giza Plateau, and I went inside the middle pyramid all the way to the center. I also saw the Sphinx which is in the same area. We went to the Cairo Museum, and I was able to see things that had come from King Tutankhamen's tomb including all the gold things. We had to be searched and go through a separate metal detector to go into the "gold" room. I tried my hand at bargaining with the vendors that tried to sell me things, and because I'd taken dollars and not cypriot pounds, I got everything half of what the others got things for since I would dicker until it was one dollar instead of one pound (2 dollars equalled 1 pound at that time). Our bus had a big bullet hole in the front glass, and we had armed soldiers watching over us at all times.

2. Niagara Falls, New York
I went to visit a friend of mine in Buffalo, NY in springtime, and there was a terrible ice storm. I am from the south so I was a little scared, especially since I had to drive in the snow and ice. They decided to take me to Niagara Falls, and it was very beautiful though the viewing area and all around the falls were all frozen. I wish I'd owned a nice camera at the time but I didn't so I didn't get many good photos of it but it was a great experience.

3. Bethlehem & Jerusalem, Israel
I took a cruise while living in Cyprus, Greece to both Israel and Egypt (see #1), so our first destination was Israel. We went to Bethlehem first, and I went into the church where they say Jesus was born, I put my hand into the hole in the floor to touch the rock they say he was born on. It was interesting, and the church was gorgeous. We then went to the Mount of Olives and I took some photos of Jerusalem in the distance, then into Jerusalem where we followed the Via Delorosa (the way Jesus supposedly traveled on his way to the cross). There was a spot in the wall all worn down where they say he put his hand to rest, I put my hand there as well. We went into the church where they say he was crucified, it was very extravagant and beautiful. We then went to the Wailing Wall, and saw people praying there. There was a woman's section and a male section to pray and stuff prayers into the old wall.

4. Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden near Charlotte, North Carolina
Last spring, we had the chance to see this garden and I took so many photos, it was crazy! All the spring flowers were in bloom, and they have an orchid conservatory that I had a great time taking photographs inside of. It's well worth a trip if you are ever in the area. It's laid out in various little gardens, and you can just walk through all over the area moving from one type of garden to the next. I also liked the topiaries they had.

5. Biltmore House and Gardens in Asheville, North Carolina
I have been to Biltmore House and Gardens twice now. Once was on our honeymoon, and we went on a behind the scenes tour. It's a gorgeous home. We also went once at Christmas and went on a rooftop tour. We got to see the gargoyles up close and personal! They had it decorated for Christmas - amazing! The tree in one part of the house was so huge, that they had full size tricycles as decorations hanging on it! They also have a vineyard there and we participated in a wine tasting.

6. Rhine Valley, Germany
After about 3 weeks traveling around German with a band, my husband and I took a brief vacation to the Rhine valley before heading home to America. We found a little inn online, and made all transactions that way. It was a nice place and the owners were very helpful. It was quite a walk from the train station though, we sure did get our exercise. We spent our few days riding the train up and down the Rhine river looking at various things such as all the old Castles, especially Rheinfels Castle. You could explore it all you wanted, even could go into the dungeon if you had a flashlight. We bought a cuckoo clock while on the Rhine as well, doesn't everyone? Haha.

7. Paphos, Cyprus
While living in Limassol, Cyprus I took several trips to Paphos. There are so many places to visit there, old castles and archeological ruins and such. I went parasailing in the Paphos Harbor (the Mediterranean), that was a lot of fun. I went to see the pillar where they say St. Paul was tied to and whipped on his first missionary journey to Cyprus. There was a big fence around it, so I crawled under it and got my picture taken with it, and then crawled back out. Fun! We went to the Tombs of the Kings which was very much like tombs in Egypt but they'd been dug for the aristocracy in Cyprus.

8. St. Louis, Missouri
While attending some classes in the early 90's in Missouri I took time to go to the St. Louis Arch and we went up to the top where I took some photos. It was a little scary, the elevator was so small and it jerked back and forth as it made it's way to the top. I was not afraid of heights at the time, so I really enjoyed it. Then we ate at a mcdonald's that was in a riverboat near the Arch.

9. Charleston, South Carolina
One of my favorite places to go in my own state. It's very historical and I love going to take photos there. I hope to go again really soon. One visit we did all the touristy things. We took a horse carriage ride through the historical district, and we went on a tour of the old dungeon area where it's said to be haunted. It was spooky. On another trip we ate at a famous restaurant near the old slave market named Hyman's Seafood. Lots of celebrities have eaten there and where they ate is marked by a little marker. There is an awesome place to buy postcards in the old market, and they have a lot of old confederate photos and souvenirs. I hope to go on a ghost tour sometime there, but I'm sure it would be super spooky.

10. Brookgreen Gardens & Atalaya, Murrells Inlet, South Carolina
I love gardens, and this was one I've been to a couple of times, but we never have enough time for me to really spend all day here. It's been only a few hours at a time. I still love it. It's huge and situated near the ocean, as well as the salt marsh. It's near where rice used to be grown and you can go on a boat ride on the old rice fields. It's a sculpture garden, so it's chock full of magnificent sculpture of everything under the sun from mythical creatures to animals, people, etc. Across the street from Brookgreen is Huntington Beach State Park and that is where you find Atalaya, which is an old home built in the style of a moorish castle by the Huntington's who started Brookgreen, as Mrs. Huntington was an avid sculptor.

The Adventures of Bruno

Once upon a time there was a little white mouse named Bruno. He had a loving family, especially a boy named Josiah who loved Bruno with all his heart. He played with the little mouse all the time, bought it yummy treats and toys, and even gave him dust baths to keep him clean.

Late one night Bruno was sitting in his cage looking through the bars out into the world beyond. He said to himself, "I wish I could get out of this cage and explore the world, I'm so cooped up!" So he tried and tried to get out, biting the metal bars of his cage and looking for every little nook and cranny until he found a way to squeeze his little mousey body out. Sweet freedom! He ran around on top of the dining room table enjoying himself. He found a box of cheerios and decided to have a snack, he was hungry after his escape! He munched on a few more things before the lure of exploration caught him again.

Scurrying down the legs of the table to a chair, and then a big jump to the floor and he was off! All night and all the next morning he explored all the hidey holes in the house. He found the doggy door and decided a look outside would be grand. Out he went, but it was a big, scary world out there. He hid close to the house and looked out at the marvelous but frightening jungle in front of him? All of a sudden, there was a loud BARK and Buster ran by, scaring the poor mouse. He tried to climb through a hole under the house but his side got scraped and he began to bleed.

He hid in the little hole for hours it seemed, wishing he was back in his nice, safe house with lots of goodies to eat, a wheel to run in, and a warm little house to sleep in. This wasn't fun at all anymore! It was scary and he was hurt. Then, all of a sudden Bruno heard the voice of his boy Josiah playing in the yard. He blinked back tears of joy and made a run across the frightening jungle of the backyard towards the laughter of his boy. They were playing in the water hose so it was sooooo wet, but that didn't deter him at all! With a squeek, he ran across their feet and waited to be picked up and returned to the love and warmth and safety of his little home.

Worn out and worse for the wear, he was so happy when he got back in his cage he just curled up in the little house and took a long nap. The moral of the story is that the grass often looks greener on the other side of the cage, but once you're out of the cage you usually wish you were back home!

Easter 2010

Awake, thou wintry earth -
Fling off thy sadness!
Fair vernal flowers, laugh forth
Your ancient gladness!
~Thomas Blackburn, "An Easter Hymn"

Here's a photo I took of my boys on Easter 2010 outside of Di Prato's, where Tracie took us for Easter dinner. I had a cheese omelet with grits , turkey sausage and a biscuit and plenty of wonderful sweet tea. It's a delicatessen off Pickens Street and I highly recommend it. I had a bite of Hudson's rosemary ham sandwich - so good. And the coconut cake we had for dessert, yum!

Well the boys are on Spring Break this week, so this should be lots of fun. I'm going try and plan at least a couple things for them, hopefully that doesn't take a lot of money such as going to the park or something. They wanna go on the ghost tour but that's $10 a kid plus $15 for me so I think that's too rich for our bloods this week. I think I'll take them in the fall, perhaps near Halloween. Maybe the construction on the church will be done by then and we can actually go around in the graveyard at night on it. Scary!

I worked out in the garden today, planting my butterfly garden and some bulbs. I planted some rannunculus around the bird feeder, I haven't ever grown them but they look absolutely beautiful in the picture so I wanted to grow some. Their bulbs were so tiny and interesting looking.

By the way I decided to separate my craft blog from my personal blog - so if you follow this blog and would rather follow the craft blog (i.e. swap-bot people) feel free to do so. I put a link at the bottom of this blog to it, it's called The Artful Druid. There's one post there right now with an ATC I made in the zetti style.

"Spring makes its own statement, so loud and clear that the gardener seems to be only one of the instruments, not the composer." ~Geoffrey B. Charlesworth

Reoccuring Dreams

I've been having some dreams lately so when I saw an article about what dreams mean, I was really interested. Here's what I learned. These two dreams are dreams that I have often - at least once a week.

1. This dream I always have consists of somehow losing my teeth. I bite into something and my teeth begin to fall out. I try and put them back in but they won't stay. It is frightening and I wake up very disturbed for a long time.

I know that growing up I was very particular about my teeth, even carrying a toothbrush around with me in my purse. I like nice teeth, and I worry about mine not being white enough, nice enough, straight enough...etc..

What the dream means: "You're likely worried about losing something, such as a job, relationship or even a personality trait (e.g., you take pride in your confidence but let your new boyfriend walk all over you). "Something like teeth are physically connected to you, so whatever they embody is of vital importance to your identity," Kramer explains. If you dream someone close to you or someone famous dies -- say, Marilyn Monroe -- think about what she represents for you, suggests Patricia Garfield, Ph.D., author of "The Universal Dream Key" (HarperOne). If you've always admired Monroe for her beauty, you could be anxious about losing yours with age. If your fears are warranted, talk to friends about how they handled a breakup or other loss. Having confidence you can cope will help you sleep better no matter what happens."

(interpretation from SELF)

2. I'm at school and I've lost my class list. I wander around the school trying to find someone to give me a new list so I know what classes I have. I end up late to a class and I feel very unorganized. I'm not ready for anything going on in the class.

What the dream means: "Dreaming about something you've already accomplished (i.e., graduating from high school) can mean you're scared to make mistakes in an area where you usually succeed. "Perfectionist people tend to have these sorts of dreams," says Kramer. One explanation is that you may be tying your self-worth too tightly to how you perform at work. If you usually spend hours fretting over an upcoming event or presentation, give yourself a set time to prepare and then force yourself to put it out of your head. "The outcome doesn't change by agonizing over it," assures Nezu."

(Interpretation from SELF)

Anyone else have reoccuring dreams like I do? Do you know what they might mean? If you post them I'll do some research to see if I can find what they mean.

Beltane Postcard Craft

Tonight I took the time to be a bit crafty. I've got boxes of craft supplies but I don't always feel the muse in my head. But, I saw a swap on swap-bot.com concerning making a Beltane postcard, so I tried my hand at it. I'm a huge fan of Emily Dickinson so this quote from a poem just seemed perfect. I had some interesting stripy paper that I found for the fires of Bel, and I colored it a bit. I had some inspiration online with the letter arrangement, but I cut the letters out freehand from some red plaid paper. The green paper behind is some very interesting handmade paper that has little leaves and other organic bits all meshed into it.

I'm happy with it. I made a copy on my printer for me to keep, and I collage-pauged the original. I don't know if I'll mail it without an envelope yet, or not - gonna wait and see how sturdy it is once it dries. The swap says you can write a poem about Beltane to go along with it, but I haven't been inspired yet. I've got several Winter Solstice poems I've written but Beltane/May Day just hasn't given me inspiration. I just need a word, or a word picture or something.......hmmmm.

The Brevity of Life

"When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice." -Indian saying.

Life is but a whisper, a wind that blows by us and gives us a chill and then gone. We live our lives as though we will live forever, when we should be living our life as though we will die tonight. Our calendars are full of the tomorrows, but tomorrow is never promised to us. Only the now. I'm not saying that we shouldn't make future plans, but if you live in the future always scheduling something to be done, and never do it, you may find yourself in the position of not being able to accomplish anything.

I'm a big fan of goals - short term, long term and in between. I make goals for myself, things I want to accomplish in a month, a year, a lifetime... but sometimes I forget to make goals for the day. When I wake up, take a breath, I should give a thought about what I want to accomplish today. Perhaps I want to tell my family I love them, maybe I want to make someone smile, or maybe I want to organize something in the house; there are all kinds of daily goals one might have.

It's just that with the passing of my uncle the other day, yet again I am slammed against the reality that one day, I'm going to die. I would like to live until I'm a hundred, but I may only live another day. What will I leave behind, if I die tonight? Will I be remembered by my grand kids, or my great grand kids for anything? Will my stories be told age after age? I want to leave a legacy for those that come after me. I want people to tell stories about me at my memorial, to remember things about my life - is that wrong? I don't want to be forgotten and neglected.

I want my ashes to foster the growth of a great oak, where birds will nest and then fly from the branches, allowing my soul to finally fly. If I can't live until I'm a hundred, I want this oak to live for hundreds of years for me.

Life is brief. Enjoy the life you are given, there's plenty of time to be dead - so if you're life is dead, revive it!

"Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got a hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations." - George Bernard Shaw

10 Things for 2010

Ten Things I Will Do In 2010...

1- Spend more time with my mom and dad, because you never know how much time you have.
2- Get my kids out in nature at least once a month even if it's just a walk in the park.
3- Cut down my sugar drinks (esp sweet tea) to only one glass a day.
4- Get more active for my health and well being.
5- Save enough money for a second honeymoon in April 2011.
6- Learn more couponing skills to save us even more money.
7- Improve my photography skills through tutorials, seminars, classes, books, one-on-one.
8- Do more publishing - second book of poetry, and my mother's favorite - the professor (but I have to finish the rest of that book)
9- Volunteer more at the boys schools.
10- Teach my children in real, tangible ways to be appreciative of what they have. I.E. volunteering with the less fortunate or anything such as that.