Ah, just got back from a date w/the sexy man. A good time was had by all. We actually took a little drive out to Burnsville to have dinner w/a friend of his. We had yummy food at a place called the Mediterranean Cruise Cafe. I was bummed we didn't get to see any belly dancing though. We'll have to get out there again early enough to see that. Speaking of belly dancing...did I ever tell you about the time my mom was taking lessons? No? Well....she did. OK, that's about the extent of that story. Mebbe not so exciting after all but it certainly was quite exotic to me as a kid!
After dinner, some close, special time for the two of us. I love that the longer we're together, the more we love each other. That being with each other still brings surprises and tenderness and excitement and all of that wrapped up in the familiar and safety of being with someone you can be yourself with. I'm a lucky woman! (Uh, remind me to remind myself of this the next time we can't get together due to his "scheduling conflicts"!)
And speaking of my mom, she definitely has done some interesting things with her life, led quite the exciting life..there was belly dancing, ballroom dancing, singing, writing, drawing, poetry...you name it. She's a vibrant, talented, larger-than-life woman. Her disability hinders those things in her a bit but she still gives a good effort.
And even though she/they don't celebrate Mother's Day/Father's Day ...this year I'm gonna get cards for them again...just a little something to express my love. She's not been a perfect mother but she tried and has apologized for mistakes. What more can you ask for ...you can't go back and change the past so why not make the best of the present?
I had a longer phone conversation w/her the other day and she told me that she has rheumatoid hypertension. That freaked me out a bit and I really hope she does what she's supposed to do to be taking care of herself.
They are getting help with some home health care and that's easing the burden on Pop a bit. Good. I'm the selfish daughter (my words, my thoughts) who doesn't visit them or help them out. I just distanced myself from them for so much of my adult life that it's hard to think about us being any other way with each other. But they're getting older. We're all getting older and I think I've said before that you can only bury your head in the sand for so long ..right?
☯☯☯☯☯☯☯☯☯☯
So I've mentioned that this year is the big 4-0 right? (yeah, yeah, yeah, you know you know!) Well the other day I decided to really do something brave for myself.
I contacted my artist friend Jen and asked how she felt about doing a miniature portrait of a body, a person...me. I told her that while I've become comfortable in my own skin (while yet needing to continue to focus on making healthier choices) I've yet to see it look beautiful to ME. So I thought maybe if an objective artist can capture the beauty of my shape..well, why bloody not?
It's now turned into my next travel adventure... to hop a flight out to Portland in a couple of weeks and come back the next day. She can take the pictures she needs/wants for this and I get the adventure of flying off to a new city I've been wanting to visit. I was able to even use my frequent flier miles to get a free hotel room!
I'm totally psyched for this.
Well, it's now the end of my weekend and I should crash soon. Tomorrow is "Monday" and then after work I'll do some bonding/hanging w/Ryan.
So, ttfn.
Musings from a big and beautiful sometimes "drama queen" on her current state of existence
What's It All About?
"The unexamined life is not worth living." Socrates
While you’re here, in this time and in this space, you are beautiful and you are perfect.
You are right where you need to be to get to where you want to go, so start asking yourself where you want to go.
Noire
She'll be 2 years in 2 months! Time flies!
Things I'm grateful for everyday....
- My family
- My friends, old and new.
- A roof over my head.
- My computer & internet access
- Being employed (even if I don't always like things about my job)
- The public library and the joy of borrowing books with/on/for my Kindle
- That I can walk on two legs, use 2 arms/hands, have ten fingers/toes, can see and hear, etc. (uh, no offense to anyone who is physically challenged)
- Other people's creativity and efforts
- The love of a good man (he IS good)
- My friends, old and new.
- A roof over my head.
- My computer & internet access
- Being employed (even if I don't always like things about my job)
- The public library and the joy of borrowing books with/on/for my Kindle
- That I can walk on two legs, use 2 arms/hands, have ten fingers/toes, can see and hear, etc. (uh, no offense to anyone who is physically challenged)
- Other people's creativity and efforts
- The love of a good man (he IS good)
Current Favorite Quotes
“Be content with what you have, rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” - Lao Tzu
"The privilege of a lifetime is to be who you are." ~ Joseph Campbell
"Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some." ~ Charles Dickens
"We either make ourselves miserable or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same." -Carlos Castañeda
"..there’s something lovely about knowing that when it’s right, you really know it’s right because you’ve already been through all the wrong." ~ Sade
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." ~ Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss)
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." —Mark Twain
(This bit not so much as a quote but somethings I wrote down that I want to keep and this looks like a good place to do it)
7-25-07
1. Almost everything comes from almost nothing.
2. The best way to predict your future is to create it.
3. Leap and the net will appear.
"The privilege of a lifetime is to be who you are." ~ Joseph Campbell
"Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some." ~ Charles Dickens
"We either make ourselves miserable or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same." -Carlos Castañeda
"..there’s something lovely about knowing that when it’s right, you really know it’s right because you’ve already been through all the wrong." ~ Sade
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." ~ Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss)
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." —Mark Twain
(This bit not so much as a quote but somethings I wrote down that I want to keep and this looks like a good place to do it)
7-25-07
1. Almost everything comes from almost nothing.
2. The best way to predict your future is to create it.
3. Leap and the net will appear.
Facts of Life (per Sonya Friedman)
- 1. No one can bring your life to you
- 2. No matter what you do, someone important isn't going to like it
- 3. Though painful, rejection won't kill you - it may even lead to growth
- 4. Every choice means giving up something different
- 5. Some people aren't capable of giving you what you're trying to get from them
- 6. The way you treat yourself sets the standard for others
- 7. There are no quick fixes that can permanently change your life
- 8. Life is on a rheostat, not an on/off switch
- 9. Some problems cannot be solved - but you can make peace with them