Race for the Cure 2009

Usually I support the Race for the Cure by just writing a check to my daughter to support her while she runs. This year having no job and more time than money, I decided to join her and participate. Never being one to half do anything I made a pink ribbon sweatshirt for myself and a coat for Bianca. Baxter(my grandpuppy) wore his pink polo and my daughter wore her Saving Second Base team shirt. If you've never participated in this great event, you should. It was very moving to see all these people out raising money to find a cure for this hideous disease. The atmosphere was so positive and the weather was truly a gift from God. It made you think with all this positive energy that we were actually making a difference. I know it inspired me to give even more.Even the starting/finish line was pink.

The Saving Second Base Team

And people say I go overboard.

There were two precious yorkies in this stroller. I had to give this lady my card. Anybody that loves their babies this much needs custom clothes for them.

Me and my girls.

One of my favorite teams, Thanks for the Mammaries.


There was all variety of attire. I never did quite figure this one out.

It was very moving to see 4200 people strong supporting this cause. Next I want to volunteer Habitat for Humanity. Stay tuned!

Zen Moments

Everyone needs a zen moment now and then and fortunately I've had lots of opportunities in the last few years for those moments. This picture was taken on a lovely spring morning at Dupont State Forest in North Carolina. We had spent the night in a quaint bed and breakfast very near the park and hiked to this waterfall immediately after breakfast. I've been an early riser most of my life and it definitely has its advantages. There was no one else in the park except for the wildlife. While David was off taking hundreds of pictures, I just sat and enjoyed the mist of the waterfall hitting my face. Ahhhhhhhh!
Eventually I did get up and explore the rest of the waterfall. We climbed to the very top of this triple fall waterfall that day. Great day!

There are all types of Zen and this is Miss Bianca's type. She lives to go camping and hiking. This picture is of the bridge leading from the campground at Hungry Mother Park in Virginia over to the lake. We wore out the path around the lake on this trip.

This picture is of a perfect day on Roan Mountain. Part of Roan Mountain is in Tennessee and part of it is in North Carolina. The spot we're sitting on in the picture is in North Carolina. It was the first time Bianca had gone hiking and she took to it like a pro. I was trying to teach her how to enjoy the moment, but as you can tell from the picture she was more interested in hiking more than enjoying the view. I hope these pictures have given you a moment of zen in your busy day and inspired you to take a moment to enjoy today.

My blog sort of wrote itself today, thanks to an email from my ex husband. Ten years later, it still feels strange to write ex in front of husband. I never thought I'd ever be a person who would get a divorce. Life takes some strange bends sometimes and you just have to lean into them to make it to the other side. He'll appreciate the motorcycle analogy, I hope. He sent me a copy of this newspaper article that I think bears sharing. My only footnote is that I hope he's forgiven me with all the other people on his list. I hope this makes your day lighter and your life better.

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written.
My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:
1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month..
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first pay cheque.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion, Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

Crabtree Falls

I've always thought waterfalls were a magical place. I know, I know it's just gravity pulling water over some rocks. At least that's what the practical side of my brain says, but the other side of my brain knows they are so much more. I know waterfalls helped me heal what was broken inside me while I was reeling from a divorce. And they absolutely helped me find the man I was supposed to be on this planet with. So, I keep being drawn to these magical places all over the planet. Whether it's Maui, Yellowstone or just someplace close to home in Appalachia, I'm drawn as if the water was magnetically charged. If I were to analyze the draw to these spiritual places, I'd have to say that they are simply a place of peace for me. A place to slow down and take stock of what's important in life, and what's not. A place to do nothing but enjoy watching the butterflies play in the mist, dancing in and out of the rainbows. A place to know that sometimes that's all you need in life for the moment, and the right person beside you.

Just a Swangin'

The paint had barely dried on the deck and swing and the new cushion made before Miss Bianca jumped up to try it out for size and comfort. She already thinks that the wicker chaise is hers and goes out every morning to take her place on her thrown to rein over her domain. She has a dog door that lets her come and go from my sewing room onto the covered deck to enjoy being outside whenever she feels like it. In my next life, I want to come back as my dog...lol.

Proud Mother

I know it's well after Mother's Day, but a friends blog gave me inspiration for a long overdue blog. I know it's hard to tell in the picture above, but the very attractive lady in the picture above is my amazing daughter. I have to pinch myself daily to believe that my sweet little curly haired girl grew up to save lives on this helicopter and in the ICU of our local hospital. Now, this isn't amazing because I don't believe in my daughters heroism or intelligence, it's amazing because she had the biggest wuss in the world for a mother. She was a head strong tomboy, born with no fear, who loved to climb trees and ride motorbikes on our large property. These hobbies brought her to the screen door dripping in blood many times. It didn't take her long to figure out that she should call for help from her dad, not her mom, because mom had no stomach for blood. Her own, or anybody elses. Then or now.

Favorite (and only) daughter is fourth from the left in this picture, looking very proud, as she should be. She says this is her proudest accomplishment, landing the job on this helicopter. I prefer to think it's her bachelor degree that she moved five hours away from everything and everyone she loved, except for me, to work for. Moving back in with Mom after being out in the world on her own to be able to afford to go back to school. Now, I'm not going to pretend this was easy for either one of us, but in a strange way it made us closer and respect each other even more for the women we had worked so hard to become. As she prepares to pursue her Masters Degree this fall, she gives this mother even more reason to be proud. I know, all mothers say they just want their offspring to grow up to be happy and productive human beings, but it doesn't hurt if the offspring grows up to make the world a better place in the process!

Time for the Important Things

One thing being happily unemployed has done for me is give me plenty of time to do all the things I never had time to do while being employed outside the home. Mostly it's given me plenty of time to make lists of the things that I want to do with that time. On the top of the list was to master making a good loaf of sourdough bread. Since the last few loaves of sourdough bread we purchased were around five dollars, I had plenty of incentive for this project. Little did I know I would be dedicating a full week of my life to this first loaf of bread. Consulting my favorite bread book I learned that the first step in this process was to make a starter. Since there are dozens of types of starters, this step was daunting. I finally settled on trying two types of starters, one with honey and one with yogurt. I also decided I wanted to make a whole wheat sourdough bread to make this bread as healthy as I could. The yogurt starter was created with no drama, the honey starter was a different story. The directions said to use a two quart jar as a container for the starter. Obviously, the bread book needs some editing because the starter erupted like a volcano and ran all over, creating a huge mess. With the mess cleaned up, all that was left to do was give the starter time to do its job. I stirred the starter once a day and finally on the seventh day I was excited to actually get started making the bread. Much to my chagrine, after consulting my bread book for the next step, I learned there was yet another step to take before I could actually make bread. The next step is to make a sponge out of the starter and give the sponge twenty four hours to work its magic. Finally, yesterday I got to make the first two loaves of bread. The culmination of all this work was not the most beautiful loaf of bread ever made, but it certainly tasted wonderful buttered with the satisfaction that it was made with a week of my work and time. Just like any work in progress, with time and experience I have a feeling I may be on the road to something great.