Gone Camping :)

Have a great weekend!!!

Poetry Thursday- "Blue"

I have a beautiful home in the mountains that we need to work on until Dave retires next summer. Every wall and ceiling in this house is baby blue...yuck! Even some of the carpets! I love color but not baby blue in my mountain home.

I wrote this very quickly to get it in before a relaxing camping trip. A poem on blue was fun because it's a color I like but not on my walls:) I decided to put a spin on it as if the house was a person.

Taking the Blues Away

My dreams of you are full of color but
when I visit you only give me blues.
Why are you so blue? Was their nothing
else that could cover your shame?

I fell in love with you slowly over time
trying to ignore your blues at every turn.
I vowed to cover you in a rainbow of
color with a simple brush of my hand.

I can see you in my imagination feeling
like you now belong. Glowing as the
sun shines her light on you, changing
you from night to day with softness.

Alas, I still see blues at every turn but
hope is in the air. I'm seeing glimpses
of color beginning to appear, your blues
will soon be a distant memory.

One Word

I found this at Becca's and it's a writing exercise from first Draft. I'm in the mood :)


Yourself: Encourager
Your partner: Dependable
Your hair: Inconvenient
Your Mother: Strong
Your Father: Introvert
Your favorite Item: Computer
Your dream last night: Forgotten
Your favorite Drink: Coffee
Your Dream Home: Mountains
The Room You Are In: Manly
Your fear: Suffering
Where you Want to be in Ten Years?: Alive
Who you hung out with last night: Dave
What You're Not: Shy
Your Best Friend: Giver
One of Your Wish List Items: Running
Your Gender: WOMAN
The Last Thing You Did: Workout
What You Are Wearing: Shift
Your favorite weather: Temperate
Your favorite Book?: Autobiographies
Last thing you ate?: Protein
Your Life: Blessed
Your mood: excited
The last person you talked to on the phone: Daughter
Who are you thinking about right now?: Bloggers

Self Portrait Challenge- "With Someone"

September is "with someone" month - that means you must include someone else in your self portrait. Someone meaningful to your life or to the moment or to a specific event that you wish to document. Do you have a special relationship with someone?Is there someone in your life that makes you feel as if your life is the pinnacle of living?How do you feel when this person walks in to the room?

My Grandbaby

I was told I would never see my children graduate high school, much less get married and have children. I have been given the gift of time and every time I look into these eyes I remember the value of each moment in my life. When he visits I am in his face and constantly kissing, touching, talking and holding him. I need him to remember me, and as I write in my blog it is him I am writing for. My heart fills with such joy when I see him that I'm sure he feels my soul touching his. It's not about how often I see him or what I can't do with him, but I'm alive to love him. Our connection is fierce and will extend beyond time. I love you TK!

One Deep Breath- "Solitude Haiga"

"wabi-sabi" In general, the meaning implies beauty in imperfection, impermanance, and incompleteness. (see Wiki Wiki Web) It also infers a sense of solitude. See others here

Q & A for Labor Day

I wanted to take a minute of a relaxing weekend to answer questions I have been asked in recent emails.

1. Why do you blog? This question has come from many friends and family who do not blog. It's very odd that many friends and family read my blog but never comment or mention what I have written. I know it's not the content but more of a non -understanding of this wonderful world of blogs. I blog to express my feelings, creativity and struggles. I hope my grandchildren will learn someday who I really am since I'm moving away, by having my blog. I feel more productive being able to reach out, support, laugh, love, hug, create, inspire and cry with these amazing people. I receive love, support, encouragement and validation in return. It gives me another great motivation to continue my fight.

2. How is the ALS Advocacy Community going? I have made two life long friends that share this horrid illness. We can share the funny stuff, like how our husbands dress us and how we eat. Most importantly we hold each other up and share our discoveries. I even learned about a next step I can take, when ready, to keep me walking longer (a pump in my side putting a drug directly in my spine). I was also able to share drugs that can offer a better quality of life and my 16yrs to add to their hope :)

3. How can Dave retire at 50? When I was working I refused "disability Ins." because it was too much money. Clerical error (God) gave it to me anyway and I never noticed. I get 65% of my GOOD salary until the age of sixty five. Dave sold his house and paid off mine and we bought our dream retirement home. We can sell mine and pay down the new one when he turns 50, living on my disability and his retirement with medical. ALS and wanting to be together for as long as possible motivated the plan. Less income but more time :)

I have a very creative friend named Sheryl who has had me help her create her 1st blog...WooHoo! A convert :) I hope she loves it as much as I do! Check her out at
http://adayinthelifeofateabag.blogspot.com/ She is 40ish and has four kids, she is joining many of the clubs I belong to so you will see her as "Tea Time."

Meet Hubby's Daughters Family

I thought with the holiday weekend coming upon us I would introduce you to Dave's daughters family. This is Jolene, Scott, Ethan and little Dimitri in their latest family photo. They live in the state of Washington. Labor Day reminds me of back to school and since it's Ethan's 1st year of kindergarten and his mom and dad are starting back to college, I'd introduce you. Jolene will soon be 24 (I hope that's right) and while rearing two boys she is in her last year at Washington State University. Her husband Scott got his degree in the Navy, is now out of the Navy working at a large company and going for his master's degree. I don't know how they do it all. You can see why Dave is such a proud papa :) She is her father's daughter.
Jolene is a great cook and can stretch a buck farther than anyone I've ever known. It's a good thing when you love to shop, have two growing boys and a new house. Ethan is five now and has grown to love sports like his daddy and they all enjoy going to Mariner & Seahawk games. Little Dimitri is 17mos old (I think I'm at least close) and sweet tempered with a cute infectious laugh. He does suffer from asthma but such a trooper when getting breathing treatments. Great little family!