Retro Metro Cruise

Fun stuff!

Classic cars, cruising through the streets of town.

Showing their stuff in store parking lots.

(Isn't this gorgeous?! )

Oldies blasting, kids dancing.

Free food, and a fake Elvis.

Thanks to the generosity of one local business, we enjoyed free burgers,
hot dogs, chips, and root beer floats for supper!

A contest for the most authentic 50s style girls.

And Family.

(They are all watching the little ones.)

What a fun night!

working at sunshine

today did not start out very fun.

so i am working at it.

working at bringing some sparkle to the day, which would otherwise be hard and dry.

like a stale biscuit.

without jam.

step one -
starbucks. something very large, decadent and sweet, with a coupon to make it free. free always makes it even better. settled on a venti, haf caf, soy, java chip mocha frappuccino with a shot of peppermint, afagato. with whipped cream and syrup. i think i pretty much maxed out my freebie coupon with that concoction. it was the perfect thing for this particular morning.

step two -
focus on Truth, like, "there is therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus..." And "I will never leave you or forsake you." To know that I am loved unconditionally sure drives away discouragement of any kind!! Truth wins, every time, hands down! No matter the circumstances, I can wallow in His love! It's secure and it's always available.

step three -
spend some quality phone time with offspring far away. I love my kids so much! I miss this one and his family so much it hurts! But a chat on the phone makes them feel closer.

step four -
crank up the oldies and dance in the kitchen. made the daughter smile (because she's too polite to full out laugh). tunes from the 60s can really cheer up a day, plus dancing gets the blood flowing and is pure good fun!


so... it's coming along. this day is getting better. we'll see how it ends up. big storms are coming through. maybe they'll cleanse the air.

I hope your day is a good one! if not, tell me what you plan to do about it, please. I can always use more ideas.

this moment

cicadas and the sound of a mourning dove...

iced tea and a book out on the porch...

this is what summer afternoons are made of.

(joys and thank yous #502 and #503)


(I'm going. Right now. I can't bear to miss this moment.)

What a great day!

The sky closed the day in a bright orangepink with royal blue around the edges. Fitting beauty for such a day as this.

It was a day filled with unusual joys. I savoured a slow, four hour breakfast out with a friend this morning, where we discussed ideas and ideologies and ate healthy, delicious food. It is a rare thing to enjoy an intellectual conversation with someone. It's rare for anyone to have four hours to spend on a meal and conversation. It was a real treat to mind, body and soul. Jen and I have radically different views on a lot of things, yet we can always discuss ideas without the conversation getting tense or heated. What a rare blessing! I'm glad to have friends like that. I disagree with her, but I respect her.

In the afternoon, another friend and I went and got pedicures. Tremendously fun! This is a friend with whom I can be totally honest and know she will hear me without judgement. She has a great sense of humor and we can laugh about things that would not be funny in other conversations. I think she is un-offendable. She knows sides of me noone else does -- things I myself did not even know were there before I spent time with her. She is another rare blessing in my life, a friend I trust with my truest, most real self. I know I grow as a person when I am hanging out with her.

Tonight, I went to a movie with my two kids. The ones who still live at home. We had a great time, and even got those fat juicy movie hot dogs for supper! We laughed together at the movie and enjoyed the time together. We have been extra busy the last couple weeks, each doing good, fun things, but not together. It was good to spend some fun time together tonight.

So the whole day has been one pleasure after another, with people who add significantly to my life. I am blessed.

And then a beautiful sunset.

Pretty nice!

I have a lot to be thankful for tonight.

This is perfect, for my birthday month!

(ps - I also got to dance with an adorable two year old today. Princess in pink, simply the sweetest thing! We danced in her living room, she with twirls and fluff, me just doing what I do. Such great fun!! I will add that delightful moment to my list of birthday celebrations so far this month!)

Busy days, Full Week

Sometimes the day gets turned up on its head.
You kind of wish you could have stayed in bed.
But you know you've got to do it,
And somehow you do get through it
Though by the end of day you feel half dead.
(klm)

This week has been very busy, and I haven't gotten to see my kids as much as I would have liked. They were busy. I was busy. We weren't home much. And the days got turned upside down one after another. Every day turned out to be good - as it was supposed to be... but I am ready for a day of normal.

Today is not, however, going to be that day! I will be out of town half the day - the middle half. It will be a good day. It is a good class and I want to be there. It will be good for me. But I do miss my kids and I hope I get to slow down and hang out with them later today. Life is good. We all need down time. But however this day turns out, I expect to live it fully and enjoy the moments. I just really want some of those moments to be with the kids I didn't get to see much this week. We'll see! :-)

One good day

I am incredibly blessed to be surrounded by good people who bless my days with care and their very presence.

Today a friend gave me henna art, and some jasmine tea to take home. Another friend gave me a new flower to put in my hair -- huge and white with a jewel in the middle of it. I wore it the rest of the day, and got a compliment on it. A third friend and I went out for some delicious ice cream cones at a place I'd never been before (on this 90 degree day) and had a great time catching up! We walked on a street where I usually only drive, and I saw so many fascinating details of construction in the buildings that I would normally never see from a car.

So much goodness in one day!

Then tonight we had chicken on the grill with fresh, sweet corn on the cob and strawberry shortcake, thanks to an earlier visit to the Farmer's market. And now, after dark, I get to hear the sounds of fireworks heralding the beginning of this holiday weekend. Fun stuff!

Really fun stuff... pretty much all day long!

Around my place

Lilacs, mayapples, and apple blossoms, oh, my! All the world is green again - so many different shades of green. The air is moist and alive again. Birdsong and sweet scents waft on the breezes. This is the best time of the year.