Sunday, Nov 24th, 2013

Whoa!  It's been almost SIX MONTHS since I last posted?!?!?
  
Whoa.  How did that happen?  Where did the time go?

Actually, I've been very busy.

I've been reading and reading and reading.
I've been growing and changing.
I've been listening and trying to learn to hear.
I've been learning and doing and breathing.

Lots has happened.

Boyfriend and I went to the beach in June.  
Actually, lots happened to/with/for me in June and July.

...where to begin?
Well, let's begin with the incident that happened in May, shall we?   =-)
...

I honestly don't remember what started me thinking or feeling that I can heal with Love through my hands...  (I've found out it's called "Energy Healing".)

But my daughters and I were at Miles & Snooze's house (2 "alternate-religions" friends), and their dog, Muggsy, was lying down in front of me, & he had these "spots" (like tumors) in different places on him.

So I decided, "Let's see what I can do."  
I started rubbing on him "with intention".  My hands started warming up, and pretty soon the warmth went up my arms, even.  The more I rubbed him with intention, the further up the warmth went.  Soon, I was hot up my arms to my armpits!  I was almost sweating!  (And if you know me, you know this is totally not like me!)  
Soon, Miles said, "Man, I can feel that from here."  I knew *deep down* what he was talking about, but I pretended I didn't, and I just kept doing what I was doing.  
Then after awhile, I stopped & Snooze said, "Domo origato!" and bowed to me...
Then she said, "I can use all the help I can get for him.  Thank you."

And I said, "What are you thanking me for?" and she said, "The Healing."
And I said, "But how did you know that's what I was doing?!"
And they both said, "'Cause I can feel it!"

Wow, right?
They could *feel* it!  From more than 3 feet away!
(I wasn't even positive that I was *doing* anything, and *they* could feel it!)

Miles said, for him, it feels like a dip in a warm floral tea.  (He's from Wales, so he relates to an afternoon tea.)
Snooze said, "You know how, when you're wading & you can feel the ripples come across the water?  It's like that.  And you know how you go through cool sections and warm sections?  It's like that."
Then she said, "You've *always* been able to do that.  I thought you knew!"
(She also later said that it's in my quilts and all of my handwork [beading, sewing, etc].)

That was quite an experience!

Suddenly, Miles offered me a book to borrow on Crystals & the Chakras.
And that begins *another* story!

...

If you'd have told me two years ago that I was going to be doing this "crazy, weird, Hippie woo-woo shit", I'd have laughed in your FACE!!!
But, boy, do I have lots to tell you.
I've been reading about Chakras, Meridians, Auras, Chinese Reflexology, Acupuncture, and all sorts of things related to the Energy Body.  

I've been doing Energy Work, and Energy Healings.

I feel all sorts of weird/neat things in my hands, and my feet, and various parts of my body.
And I still have so much to learn.

I'm listening and learning to hear.
I'm going "places" I never thought I would.
I'm doing stuff I didn't even believe in a couple of years ago!

And I'm bringing others along with me for this crazy ride.   =-)

And my Dad, very fittingly I think, is walking with me, and he's even studying a bit about Shamanism.  I think he's going to become a Shaman!

And I feel so Good and At-Home in my body and my Spirit.

I'm loving Life.
I'm loving *my* Life.   =-)
I'm at peace.

I am Happy.



I hope YOU are Happy in this moment.

Have a Beautiful Day!

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Wednesday?

I know it's not Wednesday, but...
I keep missing my intention of posting on Wednesdays!!!
I have a couple of minutes, so i thought i'd go ahead and post now.
I've sort of been taking photos for a while now, with the intention of posting about my days...
So now i "must" catch-up.
*warning:  Photo-filled post ahead...

April 15th thru 18th, i went to Nashville, Tennessee with Boyfriend.  He had to work, so i drove while he sent e-mails and made phone calls.
"And i helped!"  (Who remembers where that's from?!)
Anyway, here's a small part of a few of my days during our time in Nashville:

Boyfriend working

4-19-2013

 In my part of North Carolina, the beautiful Dogwood trees were in full bloom in April this year.  
GORGEOUS!
I sort of take them for granted, even while i'm admiring their beauty, because i've always lived where they live and bloom...
But Daddy's Lady-Friend came to make sure he was *truly* alright after his motorcycle wreck, and she couldn't believe how pretty they were.
And she didn't even really see them when they were at their fullest!
They came to my house one day to see if i still had any flowers left, 'cause she wanted to press one or two and take them home with her...
Sorry, but between the rain and the cold, they'd all fallen down.
Maybe next year!   =-)
(There are even PINK Dogwoods, but i don't have any in my yard.  You could Google it, though.)   =-)

Out my back door

4-19-2013

 The same tree, but from the front/side of my house:

Dogwood Tree

4-20-2013

And upon closer "inspection", you can see the pink Azalea that grows near the Dogwood.
I loved the combination of the two this year.   =-)

4-20-2013

  

Monday, the day before Daddy's motorcycle wreck, i did the ironing...

Which was weird because i *typically* iron on Tuesdays!

But, as luck/Fate would have it, i got that done early, which enabled me to be totally "with" Daddy on Tuesday...

4-22-2013

Wednesday mornings, i work the front desk at the Yoga Studio, so here's the "My Day" photo *before* i called the hospital to check on Daddy, who had to stay the night since he lost consciousness at the scene...

Gotta Yoga

Class in Session (behind those doors)

4-24-2013

But when i talked with him on the phone, he just didn't sound right and i got immediately concerned!
His speech was slurred, he was agitated, and he sort of fussed at me, so i had to "lay my eyes" on him as soon as i could!
So here's the "afternoon" photo of "My Day":

Daddy in the Hospital

4-24-2013

Daddy was fine... once the pain meds wore off.  He REALLY does NOT tolerate pain meds well!
He prefers to take Tylenol instead of anything stronger.
Everything else messes with his head, or makes him ill, or "blocks him up", or makes him feel weird all over, or makes him puke, or whatever.
But to reassure myself, i had to "put my eyes on him" first.
I wasn't sure if it was the pain med, or the concussion, so i had to go see him...  *Before* my "shift" was done.  Oh well.  Everybody understood.  I had to be where i *needed* to be.   =-)


Then, on Friday, Boyfriend needed to go to Greensboro for work, and we had already planned on going to his Mom's for the weekend, so we combined the two trips.
Here's a "My Day" photo of one spot where i parked for a bit, waiting on Boyfriend to finish up so we could head North:

Greensboro

4-26-2013

And then, there's this...
My Sweet "Assistant".
She's always ready to eat!  (Sound like anybody *you* know?!)   =-)
The plastic bin is where i store her big bag of store-bought dog food.
She loves that thing.   =-)
But it was empty on this day.
She wouldn't believe me, so i opened it up and laid it on its side so she could see for herself!

Ignoring me for a bit at first

5-4-2013

"Are you SURE it's empty?!?"

Me:  "Yes!  See for yourself."

"I still don't believe you!

You *GOTTA* have something *somewhere*!!"

(She HATES getting in "compromising situations",

so you KNOW she was *desperate* here!)

"That sucks!"

Well, that's it for now.
Hope you enjoyed the entertainment!
=-)


The weather is GORGEOUS here!
I hope you can find Beauty where you are.


.

Whoah!

Wow.  I really got "waylaid" for a while there.  
I wasn't neglecting you!  I just haven't had time to post these past few weeks.
Honest!

Okay, here's what happened.
On Tuesday, April 23rd, my Dad had a wreck on his motorcycle.
Before you panick, let me assure you that he's doing alright.

He was coming around a "blind curve" (a curve where you can't see very far ahead), and before he realized & had time to react properly, he saw a large almost-18-wheeler truck was stopped in his lane, waiting to make a left turn.
He panicked.
He squeezed on both brakes really hard.
Apparently you're not supposed to do that on a motorcycle.
Because that causes it to skid.
And since he was in a turn, the back tire starting coming around to the front, and the bike started "laying over", and he went down on his side (and the motorcycle did too), and he ended up rolling over and over in the road.
He lost conciousness in there somewhere, which *i* think probably saved him from getting hurt *much* worse than he actually did.  (You know how, when you're aware that you're falling, you tense up a lot, and try to "catch" yourself.  He didn't do that, and instead, rolled all loose-like.  Much easier on your body.)
Anyway, here's what much of my Tuesday evening and Wednesday looked like:

So now you know part of where i've been.   =-)
Daddy broke six bones in his face; his nose, 3 bones under his right eye on his cheek, a piece of his jaw bone, and a small bone under his right eye.
He also dislocated and broke his left thumb.
He also got a H-U-G-E bruise (hematoma) on his right hip.  (The blood from that is now starting to "gravitate" down his leg; it's past his knee now.)
He scraped up his right shoulder (on the top).
He also *possibly* broke his right big toe, and will most likely lose that nail.  (He asked the doc, "Why take an x-ray? What're you going to do if it *is* broken?" and the doc was like, "Well...  Okay.")
He also has a HUGE area on his right forearm where there's "no skin".  
I  say that, but you know you can't see the bone, right.
But the skin that *is* there is *not* "top layer" skin.  It's gonna take a *while* to heal and re-grow.
We're pretty sure that he also got a concussion.  The ER doc didn't say so, but we're assuming it.  I mean, hell, he broke 6 bones in his face, so you *know* he hit his head pretty hard!    =-)
He's been on a liquid diet, but he's slowly working up to "soft foods".  His jaw really hurts, both for chewing and for opening up very much.
It's difficult to live happily on a liquids/soft food diet.
Try it for 2 days and you'll see what i'm talking about.   =-)

Anyway, his spirits are high.
For the first week, he was saying that he "supposes" he "should" give up the bike.  He realizes his reaction-time and his eye-sight "isn't what it used to be."
But over the past few days, he's been feeling better and better, and is talking about *maybe* not giving it up.  
He REALLY loves riding a motorcycle.
Especially when it's beautiful weather!   =-)
But he *has* decided that the New England/Nova Scotia trip he's gonna make with his girlfriend in July is now gonna be in the car instead of on the bike! 
He just couldn't live with the guilt if *she* had been on the bike *with* him and he wrecked!

And i just can't argue with him!   =-)
It's what he LOVES to do.
And it's HIS life!
If it makes him happy, then who am *I* to tell him to quit?!
I'll go to his funeral know he was happy, and that he lived the way HE wanted.   =-)

So that's been my last (almost) two weeks!   =-)
Hospital for 2 days, and then doctor's visit after doctor's visit.
Took him to an oral maxillo-facial doctor.
Took him to an orthopedist.
Took him to his family doctor.
Missed a *few* Yoga classes.  But that's the "price" i pay for having an AWESOME Dad!   =-)
And then his Girlfriend came to town Wednesday, and i've been able to start catching up on housework and stuff.
So just today am i able to *finally* make a post here.   =-)
I'll try to get "back on schedule" now.   =-)

I hope you're having an AWESOME and Happy week!
'Til Wednesday!  (Unless *something else* waylays me!)

=-)


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February 16th

It snowed here on February 16th, 2013.  I went out and took pictures with my phone, and it took me until a couple of days ago to *finally* figure out *how* to get them onto my computer!!!
Lame, i know.
But whatever.  I finally figured it out!   =-)  (And all by myself, too!)  (Go me!)

So when i drove out of my garage this morning and had tiny pieces of SLEET(!) pelting my windshield, i: 
1) freaked out! and
2) remembered that i *still* haven't posted about the "late snow" we had.

I'm over here rolling my eyes, people!  

February 16th = late snow {as to} 
April 4th sleet = wtf?????!!!

I can't even begin to bring up words to tell you how surprised i was when those tiny pieces of ice were falling from the sky this morning!

So...
I'm just gonna post the pics of the "late snow" while i contemplate words like  "snow" and "ice" and "seasons"...

I love how it  "highlighted" the stones.

The poor daffodils were already blooming!

(That's why i thought it was a "late snow".)

It snowed pretty hard (for here) for a short while, 

but didn't really stick on the roads, thankfully.

I love how this tree was gently covered in snow. 

The poor daffodil! 

"Oh, the weight of it all!"

I wish i had a couple of pictures from today...

The Bradford Pear trees are blooming and getting dainty green leaves, and yet!  Yet, we had sleet this morning.

I *do* have a picture of my "Jane Magnolia", though.  

We call it a Tulip Tree here in North Carolina.

Whatever you call it, 

I Love It!!!

My "new" Tulip Tree,

and my new front porch too!

(Yes, i still need to make a post about my front yard,

but the guy isn't *technically* finished yet!)

Close-up of a flower on the

Jane Magnolia:

(It's really not the best picture...  Sorry.)

I should go take some pictures of it today, 'cause "she's" blooming even more now!  But i really really need to get some housework done.  

Besides, the sun is *not* out.  It's raining/sleeting *still*!  (Off and on.)

Maybe tomorrow...

And maybe i'll update you on "her" next week!   =-)

I hope you have an AWESOME week!!!

=-)

p.s.  My sister's coming to visit!!!

I can hardly wait!

I haven't seen her in a *while*,

and it's been *for*ever* since she's been to my house!

I'm gonna *try* to get her to a gentle Yoga class... or TWO!   =-)

She really needs it...

.

Happy Birthday to...

She's a Photographer

(I've used many of her photos on my blog, like this one, and this one, and this one, and...  Well, you get the idea!

She's working on making an Etsy site...

I'll post that when she gets it going.)

She's not afraid to be Silly

She's an excellent Travel Partner

She's Sweet, 

and Talented, 

and everybody LOVES her!

She's my oldest daughter, Bunny, and 

TODAY IS HER BIRTHDAY!!!

Happy Twenty-second Birthday 

Sweet Girl!!!

I hope you have a Great Day!

Back tomorrow with more Painting posts.

=-)

New Quilt!

It's taken me a looong time, but i've finally finished Kelsey's Baby's quilt!
Yay!!!

The thing that took me so long was the label.
I struggled with how to do the label, and then, after i decided i'd just hand-embroider it myself... Well...  Then i had to sit around and think about that for a looong time too.

Anyway, i FINALLY got it all finished week-before-last, and then i had to wait around for the Sun to come back out so i could finally take pictures of it!  =-)

Without further ado, here's Sophia's quilt:

While she was pregnant, i asked Kelsey what colors the Baby "felt like", and she said

"Pink and Green",

so that's what i did...

plus some.  =-)

 Kinda close-up

(Bunny was NOT here to help me, so i just did

the best i could.)  =-)

The back of Sophia's quilt

The hand-embroidered label

(i'm so proud of it, can you tell?)

Folded up, almost ready for me to mail it...

(Now where's that box)?

The trip to my sister's was very nice indeed.  =-)

We talked.  A lot!

We did a little Yoga.

She tried to get me to do some Yoga with her husband, but i honestly don't know where to begin with him just yet...  He has Rheumatoid Arthritis really really bad, and i look at his back and just get stymied.

He walks like he hurts ALL OVER, and really?

He DOES hurt all over...

So i don't know where to begin.

But this just tells me that i need to go ahead and take a Yoga Teacher Training class and specialize in seniors and people with arthritis, and i really need to

GET GOING ON THAT!

I know, i know.  I've gotta be careful what i ask for, but...

I'm sincere in this! 

I read a book called "The New Yoga for People Over 50" by Suza Francina, and she just has me fired up!  =-)

Now i'm working my way through another excellent book called "Yoga for Arthritis", and it's SO informative and good.  I'm gonna start doing some of those poses with props with my Dad today.

Actually, i REALLY need to get busy 'cause i gotta make a Bolster (or TWO) for him, and a couple of eye "pillows" - one for Daddy and one for Boyfriend.

Wow!  I'd best get BUSY!

=-)

Road Trip!

I'm going to my sister's today for the weekend!  (Well, 'til Monday.)
(She's probably shouting, "Finally!" right about now...)  =-)

She lives in Eastern NC with her husband and two dogs, out in the country.  I don't go to see her often enough, but i thought i'd go see before her busy-season at work begins.

It's difficult trying to "fit everybody in".
We try to get to my Mom's at least every 6 weeks.
We try to get to Boyfriend's Mom's every month.
I'm doing Yoga every day, and now i'm *also* teaching Yoga to my Dad FOUR days a week!  (Big Smile!)  He told me a few weeks ago that he needs to start stretching out or something, and asked me about whether he could do Yoga or not.  I sort of joked that, "I should come to your house and do it with you." and he JUMPED on that one!  He asked me about three times if i thought i'd be willing to do that some time...
Daddy is NOT the type of person to ask for help.  Like, EVER!  He told me a year or so ago that he'd rather live under an overpass somewhere than to inconvenience any of his (all grown) children! 
"WHAT?!?!"
I'm not kidding!

Anyway, since he asked, like at *least* three times, i figured i'd BEST get my butt up and go teach him some Yoga!
It's really challenging me! 
I took him to an "easy" class (called Ease and Flow), as my Yoga teacher recommended, and he couldn't even get into Child's Pose!
http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/475

It made me so thankful that i can move as well as i can.

I was also a little taken aback that my Daddy *couldn't* move that well.
It's something i never really noticed on our Saturday-morning-breakfast-routine.  It's not like i ever asked him to kneel down and put his forhead to the floor or anything.  =-)

Anyway, i've been giving him "lessons" for two weeks now, and i think we're BOTH loving it!  =-)

He's wishing he had started Yoga years ago, and i'm wishing there was somewhere around here that teaches "Yoga for Seniors Teacher Training".  About all they really teach here for Seniors is "Chair Yoga", and that's honestly what i'm NOT looking for.
I ordered this book from Amazon, and my honest wish is to go to California and learn from the author in person!  Her book is so informative and good!  When she looks at a Senior, she doesn't see someone who is "old".  She doesn't see someone who is relegated to a life of deterioration and eventual dependence on others.  She tries to eventually get each Senior to end up doing Headstands, if that is AT ALL possible!

Her book is SO INSPIRING!

I gave it to Daddy to read, for him to glean helpful tips and pointers from it.  Also, all the pictures of all those white-haired "little old ladies" doing handstands and headstands and bragging that their grandchildren have taken them to Kindergarten to use them as Show-&-Tell!  I just LOVE IT!  I hope it inspires him too.  =-)

I have a lot to learn in order to continue to help Daddy.
And i think it's inspired me to "branch out" into the Yoga-for-Seniors part of teaching Yoga. 

I want to help people to "grow young"!


Hope you have a WONDERFUL WEEKEND!!
I'll be back on Monday.

=-)

I Am So Sorry!

I can hardly believe it's been almost TWO MONTHS since i last posted!  {No wonder i've lost  followers...  Note to self:  Either do it or don't, but don't leave people hanging!}
I've been busy, just like everybody else.  Plus i was trying to spend less time on the 'puter because it's waaay too easy for me to waste time on the Interwebs.  {How 'bout you?}
But i've been to NYC, and i wanted to share it with you!
So without further babbling, here's my tale.  =-)

When my girls started high school, my older sister Suzanne told them that if they graduated with "good enough" grades, then  she'd take them anywhere in the continental United States that they wanted to go.  My oldest graduated in 2008, and she chose New York City.  I tagged along.  =-)  It was a very good trip.  We all had a wonderful time.  My sister has been to NYC at least 6 times, so she organized everything, and she feels pretty comfortable there.

My youngest, Kitty, graduated in 2010, but she wasn't really sure where she wanted to go, and then she felt like it wasn't "the right time" to go anywhere, so we put it off.  Then, this late Winter/early Spring, Kitty told Suzanne that she was ready, and that she also wanted to go to NYC.

Suzanne booked an apartment in Manhattan for us.  It was GREAT!  Much bigger than the apartment we had 3 years ago, and WAY bigger and less expensive than the hotel that my sister booked 4 years ago for our little sister.  =-)  (If you want info about it, just message me or comment & i'll tell you.)

Anyway, here's a pic of Kitty & me on the plane.  {She colored her hair about a month ago to this fiery red and i L-O-V-E it!!!}

Here's "the view" when coming into the front door of "our" apartment.  It's on 9th between 48th and 49th (Manhattan).

Suzanne slept here.

This is as soon as you "round the corner" after coming in the front door.   It's a living room/dining room/kitchen combination.

The bathroom (which is big for NYC, let me tell ya!)

You can't see it, but the sink is to the left in there.  =-)

The bedroom, with a single and a double.

Oh! AND a closet!  And i don't mean a teeny tiny closet, either.  =-)

Standing beside the table, here's the kitchen area.  I've never seen such a tiny little dishwasher!  =-)

After we got settled in, we went for a stroll.  We were just a few blocks from Times Square, so that's where we headed, after getting a bite for lunch at the deli on the corner, 7 Brothers Deli.  Sorry, but we never got a picture of it...

So here are some random shots of Times Square:

The people on the right are waiting in the TKTS line (for shows)

And here is a pic that Kitty took of the Naked Cowboy (who wasn't really naked, thank goodness! I didn't want to see as much of him as i saw, much less even more of him!  He kinda freaked me out, for some reason.  creee-py)

A subway stop

Me and "The Fiery Redhead" in Times Square  

Suzanne & Kittty, still in Times Square

Kitty at night (but NOT in the dark!) in Times Square

And that was about it for our first (partial) day in NYC.  We walked and  walked and walked.  Oh!  And then we stopped and saw a show.  We went to Phantom of the Opera.  Kitty and Suzanne really enjoyed it.  I liked the costumes and the sets.  =-)

I'll be back (hopefully tomorrow) with more from our trip.  We left on May 26th and returned on the 30th.  It was a GREAT vacation!

=-)

Random Post Here

Boyfriend's birthday is tomorrow!

We're going to the Brazilian Steakhouse.

Boyfriend is excited!

I called to make reservations for us ("us" meaning the 4 of us, plus Daddy, Z & her boyfriend if he can go, Bunny's boyfriend if he can go, W & C [our neighbors who went to England with us], and Eric), but with so many of us, they can't seat us 'til EIGHT-THIRTY!

Have i ever mentioned that i like to eat with the old people? 

By that i mean i like to eat supper at about 5 o'clock.  Six-thirty at the latest!

I guess i'll be eating a late lunch plus a snack tomorrow just so i'll still be "pleasant" by 8-frikkin-30.

And even with that, the cocktail before supper will go straight to my head.

What can i say... Cheap date! Yep, that's me.

=-)

But i know we'll have a great time!

It's where we went last year for Boyfriend's b'day, and it was SO delicious!

I *would* say "I'll take pictures", but i know me better than that.

Hmmm... maybe i can get Bunny to take pictures!  She *is* a photographer, after all.  =-)

Another reminder:

International Fake Journal Month starts April first!

Go check out the link and see what you think.  If you're the type of person who journals, or doodles daily, or keeps a diary, or sketches, or anything like that, then please go check it out!  I think you'll like it!

I'm gonna give it a go even though i don't really draw.  I write, though.  I write a LOT!  But i *used* to draw when i was young, so i'm gonna try to use this as a push to start drawing again.

I'm going to try my *damned-est* to keep it up for the *entire* month!

I'm hoping somebody will do it with me.

Here's hoping you have a wonderful day!!!

=-)