Daily Photo post #35

Well Jazzy came home today (yes she has a name now) and I spent most of my day driving to pick her up (WHY WAS THERE TRAFFIC ON 95 SOUTH TODAY???) Marissa is so excited to have a new puppy

Daily Photo post #34

Sundays are for friends... Something about seeing a friend on a Sunday is just the perfect beginning to a week.
Thanks to Louisa for a lovely visit and tea at the amazing Teele Square Cafe
Lemon Ginger Chamomile - YUM!

Daily Photo post #33

This photo is for Marianne I was at Target and saw Stash teas which have great reviews and saw this flavor... If they had any in stock I would have been shipping it to you

Daily Photo post #32

Well I have OFFICIALLY surpassed my goal of a month of daily photos - but I want to keep doing it. Taking a phone pic every day forces me to find the interesting or the pretty in every day and on "bad" days it forces me out of the house... I am quite enjoying it, are you?

Today Jim and I went on a "hike" or more really walk through Great Brook Farm State Forest - it was great. We had Dobby with us and we just enjoyed our day. Here is the beginning of our journey:

Daily Photo post #31

The pear trees at the barn have been showering down their goods for weeks. I have kept saying I was going to make a pear jam for everyone to enjoy - well today when I went to the barn there was a bucket of pears waiting for me so apparently tonight (or probably tomorrow) is the night...

Pear Jam here I come...

Here is the recipe in case you want to try

Easy pear jam recipe ingredients:

1 kg pears
1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
1 tablespoon ginger, grated
300 grams sugar
1 box pectin powder
Pear preserves recipe instruction:

Wash and clean pears. Cut pears in pieces, add 3 tablespoons of sugar in it and cook it in low heat.

Wash lemon, shred lemon peel and cut lemon in slices.

When boiling pears soften, add lemon slices and lemon zest in it and cook it 5 minutes more.

Press fruits with a potato masher or process it in blender.

Pour rest of the sugar, cinnamon, ginger and powdered pectin in it. Cook it to boil again (stir it all the time) for 5 minutes more.

Pour hot pear jam in the clean warm jam jars, seal them and process for 10 minutes in boiling water bath.

Daily Photo post #30

I think one of my favorite parts of fall is tea - sitting down with a yummy cup of tea and relaxing is just the best way to end the day - - - Well apparently Tazo agrees with me:
Enter calm


Let me know if you really want to try it I will send you a bag

Daily Photo post #29

So today I got to see the lovely Elsa
and spend some time with her - she always makes me feel better about life and the future - the world is truly a better place because she is in it (pretty sure I have written that before on here)
While I was there she finished up her blog post of the day and even in angst she smiles - I love it (and her)

The reason I went to see Elsa is I have really reached a true cross roads and I knew I needed help - someone I trusted and who would be honest and yet kind... And I want to tell you all that Elsa is hosting a contest for someone to get a free project management session with her (One I was coveting but apparently just decided to go down and take without winning...) You can enter to win it here

Daily Photo post #28

Okay so I *try* not to post too many pictures of Dob Dob here... I don't want this to become the all Dobby network, this is after all my blog and there is more to me than my puppy... HOWEVER, yesterday was a rough day for me - my father moved out abruptly and I was saddened by this and by my sisters' behavior but I will survive and a lot of that has to do with this one - - - My puppy who makes me smile more times in a single day than my father has in my entire life (Ohhh did I just send a job? Sorry, ummmm actually I am not)

This is Dobby's first sweater (though not his first outfit)

Daily Photo post #27

I am having a bit of a day as they say so I have nothing other than the pic and honestly even that kind of sucks...

Daily Photo post #26

Dear Mother Nature -
I did NOT complain too much when we had a cold and rainy summer, or when it ended after 5 days of warmth BUT really if you were going to take all the time and effort to create such a masterpiece as this plant could you at least have let up on the rain enough so that it wasn't pelted to the ground? Just a thought for future reference.

Daily Photo post #25

As I said the other day I tend to think of what I am going to photograph a day or two in advance. It's just because I look forward to it :-)
SO I *knew* I was going to take a picture of a flag today (much like this one)

But then a trip into the town hall made me feel like maybe THIS is the picture I am supposed to post today - these are hand drawn faces of Massachusetts natives who died 8 years ago today as a part of the terrorist attacks - they were lawyers, architects, doctors and FDNY they died over other peoples beliefs - I hope and pray with all of my being that we are never this ignorant again. That we don't hate a belief system (or freedom) so much that we kill thousands of innocents again.

Daily Photo post #24

Abundance - This is CERTAINLY not my garden! I got one measly little tomato from my 6 plants this year but my neighbor (let's call her Jane since that is her name and I know her) has quite an abundance of tomatoes this year. What makes some peoples plants grow and others not - I mean it certainly isn't soil (we have the same soil) or watering (we both didn't water at all) or sun (we both had full sun) what could the difference be?

Daily Photo post #23

I am not one of THOSE people - you know the neighbor who drops off an apple pie when there is a new person in the neighborhood. Well in fact I don't know the names of most of the people on this very short road... A funny little story (well not haha funny) THIS house has just looked empty to me for the past few days and I feared that the owner had died... He was an old man I have known all my life and I *ALWAYS* thought his name was Mr. Aruda and I thought this because I was allowed to bike down to Mr. Aruda's house and his house was where I had to turn around. My Mom and his wife were friends... She died YEARS ago (like 15 or 20 years ago), she was old then, he was old then! Well fast forward to today when I found out two things 1. his name was Mr. Jordan - Mr. Aruda lived in the red house across the street. and 2. He passed away - he was a lovely old man who always had bowls of water for the dogs when we were out walking the dogs so that they weren't thirsty. He always had a kind word for everyone and was just an overall nice guy. I hope Mr. Jordan is happily reunited with his wonderful wife.

Dobby and I missed him on our walk today - though I did in his honor take time to say hi to Mr. Marden, Mrs. Crane, and Mrs. Lyon (who has lived here longer than I have and asked if I was "new" to the neighborhood)

Daily Photo post #22

Garth Brooks has a song that says "if tomorrow never comes..." and that song is what made this post happen today - this plant has been GORGEOUS for weeks and I kept saying "it will be tomorrow's post" well if tomorrow doesn't come for these plants I wanted you to get a peek...
Happy Autumn!

Daily Photo post #21

A boy and his ball...
I have no idea where the boy who went with this ball was or even who he was - Jim and I were driving home from the Bedford Farmer's Market (where Jim and Doria told as a part of Three Apples Storytelling) when we saw this on the road. I thought it was such a classic end of summer photo that I couldn't WAIT to share it with you. Enjoy - and I really hope that the little boy (or girl) had a great last "official" day of summer!

Daily Photo post #20

On my way to the gym this morning I was thinking about what picture I was going to post (I keep a few ideas in my head for the next day's photo in case something photo and blog worthy doesn't happen I have a stand by) and in front of me walks probably 30 - 35 wild turkeys... Okay they win, they might be ugly but it isn't all that common that they saunter down main street... This is the best of the pictures I took - I hope they are finding a hiding place before Thanksgiving! Way to think ahead Mr. Turkey man!

Can I also add I have NEVER been SO HAPPY to be in a car - those suckers are HUGE and scary looking!

Daily Photo post #19

Well since EVERYBODY is canning these days I just had to throw my hat in the ring - I asked my friend erin and she sent me to a website (pickyourown.com) and originally I was going to pick the peaches but I decided to start with something a little easier for a first item - so I made some triple berry syrup... I used Splenda as my sweetener and according to Jim YUM YUM YUM!

Daily Photo post #18

Today was one of those "Kodak Moment" days - I got to go peach picking with my two favorite guys! Jim, Dobby and I went to Boston Hill Farms in North Andover and picked some peaches (15 pounds to be exact - which is a peck) it was GREAT - Dobby got to see animals in the petting zoo and Jim learned to love peaches and I got to enjoy a warm day in the sun with my favorite guys!

Daily Photo post #17

Pom-A-Nauze
(Schnauzeranian)

Schnauzer / Pomeranian Hybrid

The Pom-A-Nauze is not a purebred dog. It is a cross between the Schnauzer and the Pomeranian. The best way to determine the temperament of a mixed breed is to look up all breeds in the cross and know you can get any combination of any of the characteristics found in either breed. Not all of these designer hybrid dogs being bred are 50% purebred to 50% purebred. It is very common for breeders to breed multi-generation crosses.

Recognized Names:
American Canine Hybrid Club = Pom-A-Nauze
Designer Dogs Kennel Club = Pom-A-Nauze

Whatever you want to call it I got to be with Marissa when she picked out her new puppy - nameless wonder that she is right now... She is 4 weeks old an awfully cute!

Daily Photo post #16

As I sit down at my computer tea in hand, sweater on, there is no greater reminder to me that fall is on its way. Gone are the warm days of summer - oh hell who am I kidding we didn't have many of those this year at all. But for me one of the easiest ways to tell well autumn is here and winter is only a stone's throw away is my father. Out goes the straw cowboy hat of his summer wardrobe and in runs the heavy grey Stetson of cooler days - and THIS is what greeted me this morning... Welcome autumn! I look forward to your beautiful displays.

Daily Photo post #15

A weed by any other name?

What really is the definition of a weed? Well anyway the neighborhood kid who mows my lawn thinks I am a freak because I always say "don't mow here you might mow down my weeds" but I love these yellow flowers so who cares if I am supposed to douse them in round-up... I will cherish them instead... And yes a weed by any other name WOULD smell as sweet!

Daily Photo post #14

This sign gave me a great laugh - I love when you see signs that say "Here in 1900... Jingle Bells was written etc etc" well this one just literally made me laugh out loud as I walked by. Hope you get a giggle too.

Daily Photo post #13

One of my favorite classes of the fair is club team competition. Here is thedescription of the class:
CLUB TEAM COMPETITION - Horses and Ponies, Clubs can have 1 team each! (Horse = 2 horses & 1 pony or 3 horses);
(Pony = 2 ponies & 1 horse or 3 ponies). To be comprised of three exhibitors from the same club.
Will be judged on 80% performance, 20% uniformity of appointments. And every year a few teams go all out on uniformity this year I really liked the fairies....

Daily Photo post #12

2 flat tires in 2 days meant a tow to the car shop :-(.
1 was a replace and one was a repair
$200 later Misty is all good!

Daily Photo post #11

I could NOT pick just one photo so I am calling this "scenes from a county fair"

This first one is two of my favorite people in this world - my husband and the woman who introduced us - the wonderful Ann Lang.

This next one is the tractor that does the hay rides all weekend long - never mind that I have never actually been on one of those hay rides - I still like the tractor.

This one shows my obsession with antique cars lately and I have been just DYING to take this picture - I dreamt it a few days ago and since then haven't had my phone with me anytime I saw a good car for the pic.

And lastly this one I call the calm before the storm - ring one all set up and ready for the show to begin.

I will have more of these on Sunday but sadly the show has been cancelled for tomorrow due to the forecast - it damn well better pour if one of my 3 favorite days of the year is cancelled.

Daily Photo post #10

You know it is bad when you are outside admiring the patch job the town did on your road - you know it's even worse when you are not alone out there admiring. My street (or we street as we call it in my house) had potholes that were literally deeper than 6 inches... And cars were getting damaged, but because we aren't a town road the town is not obligated to fix them but because we pay town taxes we aren't ALLOWED to fix them (or something like that - liability or something) anyway so we have been going for years with hundreds of DEEP potholes on my half mile road and then yesterday I heard a noise that sounded like a big truck turning in my driveway and so I looked out and it was better than a big truck turning in my drive it was a TOWN TRUCK parking in my driveway while they made repairs to the street! I wanted to go hug them... >---I (that is a martini glass) to my new found friends the town truck guys who have made there way up the Joy chain to the level of the trash boys (which is about as good as it gets in my world)

Daily Photo post #9

This face is my FAVORITE copilot - he helps me get everywhere. Okay maybe the GPS gets us places but he makes the drive far more fun!

Daily photo post #8

Today on the treadmill it occured to me how much treadmills (and all gym equipment) have changed in the last few years before it was speed and incline now there is a TV in there! Sorry for the blurry pic I was walking!

Daily Photo post #7

Every morning I run downstairs open the back door and then let Dobby out of his crate so he can RACE for the door to go to the bathroom - this morning Chin-E thought it would be great to go take a little nappy in Dobby's crate while he was out and was shocked when I caught her in the act.

Daily Photo post #6

Sunday mornings at Starbucks. On Sundays Jim and I try to get to Starbucks - this morning we were polar opposites! He was in shorts and tee shirts and I was in jeans and long sleeves. He got iced mocha coffee and I got hot passionfruit tea but as different as we are we enjoyed our time together to sit relax and to connect!

Daily Photo post #5

Dobby's favorite part of ANY week is Puppy socialization at Petco and this week was no different. He found a cutie little lab puppy to play with. THIS is the most clear of all the pictures I took - - they were a whirlwind of speed :-)

He came home and passed out - puppy happiness!

And for those of you who like kitchen-y items here is a give away
http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/faq/veganism/ccv-in-a-box/test/door-1/up-a-tree/henry/spiralizer-giveaway/#comment-17416

Daily Photo post #4

Lines lines lines! This was the 3rd of 6 lines for "Deal or no deal" auditions at Foxwoods... It is kind of cheating though because I took this picture yesterday! Jim waited in those lines for 6 hours yesterday to find out that he didn't fit the themes they were auditioning for (they do NOT pre-tell you the themes)
College Student (I am SO happy those days are over)
Pageant contestant (nope not him)
Pregnant (NOPE)
and lastly
NY Yankees fan (And thankyouverymuch my husband is not a Yankees fan - his heart lay in Boston)

BUT they did say they were going to keep his info on file if they ever did a "unique jobs" theme search (storyteller)

Daily Photo post # 3

Growth in all things :-)

I have a CUTE little hydroponic grower (I also have the aerogarden) and I just the other day planted it with lavender and we already have growth! This is the first time I have planted "mini" not next to the aerogarden so it could use those grow lights but I wanted flowers on the windowsill and it worked! I am SOOOOOO excited, not sure what I am supposed to do with the lavender once it grows but I can figure that out later!

Daily Photo post # 2

Whirrrrrllllll
zzzzzzzzzzzz
BUZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Root canal!

I hate the dentist - I think everyone hates the dentist but I *REALLY* hate the dentist...

Daily phone photo Day 1

So my cousin (in-law) Norman started a photo a day with his iPhone (don't get me started) on his birthday and I love the idea and kept waiting for a "date" to start it but I realize that we aren't guaranteed tomorrow and there is no reason not to start now...

So here is the first of (hopefully) daily photos.
Norman has committed to a year I am doing it a month at a time :-)

Dobby gets tired after a good play - this one was caused by tug o' war.

Ohhhh the things he learns

I understand now why parents of new babies don't have time to visit or chat on the phone (not that I ever didn't understand before but it really has been brought home to me this week)

Dobby has been home I think 11 or 12 days and it is amazing the things he has learned and also how much I have fallen in love with him....

So far he has learned:
How to walk on a leash without pulling or being dragged (He still has to learn heel and all that but puppy classes start soon)
He is MOSTLY housebroken
How to play fetch

So far he has done:
A fashion show
Gone to puppy socialization classes
Gone on a hike through Great Brook Farms State Forest
Seen a horse (didn't phase him in the least)
Gone on numerous car rides (he likes the car)
Walked up and down the road approx 10 buzillion times
Eaten my favorite sandals (PS I am on the lookout for a pair of tall sandals now)
Planned his great escape (or tried to dig under the fence - which amazes me since he has been alone in the dog run for MAYBE 10 minutes total)
Made friends with Chin-E
Learned to avoid Punkin
been boarded overnight
And mostly stolen the hearts of everyone he meets

A sweet little story about him is this:
We were taking him in to be boarded (we had plans we couldn't change and I just don't trust my father not to lose my dog) and while I was giving the vet tech all his information his leash went slack and so I looked over to see an elderly gentleman holding my dog. I got concerned but Jim gave me the back off face so I did but I thought it was a little weird. Finally I handed Dobby over to the tech and was talking to her a moment (my sister works at this vet clinic) and the man said I am here to pick up Mollie to another tech and off they went with a sad face I thought it was weird until they came back with a nice gift bag and I realized that he was picking up his beloved dog's ashes. Moreover he told me that his baby had been a standard poodle too and she had given him the best 15 years of his life and thanked me for letting him get one more poodle hug - he was pretty sure the timing of us all showing up together was Mollie's final gift to him. One more time Dob had made someone's day such a good puppy

Manna? Presents? Whatever I have lilacs...

Last night I needed a walk and Jim needed some medicine... Great combo as far as I was concerned so I went down to the Walgreens pretty late, or at least late for me walking alone. I left around 9:00 and got home around 10:00. And I was just thinking and listening to my iPod and being pretty zen about life. And feeling SO MUCH BETTER by the time I was back on "we street" that I was happy and as I turned the 2nd to last corner (those who have been on my road know what I mean) I saw something bright white ahead and was shocked since there are no lights on this stretch of the road and there was really no moon last night. So I walked towards it and oddly in the middle of the night in the middle of July in the middle of the road was two perfect lilac stems. I picked them up thinking they were silks (they were THAT perfect) but found their fragrance to prove me wrong. I have no idea where they came from or how they got their but I am so happy they did, as I woke up to their beauty this morning and it is already a better day!

Ahhhh the weather

Here in Boston it has been raining for a while - people say 50 days or whatever and it has most people down in the dumps so I thought I would think about the good aspects of the cold rain that we are living with in June...

I still get to go to sleep with my favorite winter blanket - I love cuddling under a warm fluffy blanket at night - it just isn't the same under a sheet and cover in the summer.

The sound of the rain drops on my skylight as I wake up in the morning.

The rain is culling out all of the weakest tomato plants in my garden and leaving me bushes that are sure to do magic things!

And while we are talking about growing things it is making my lawn green green green and a little long but that is even cool because there is this animal - I think it's a groundhog or a gopher or something else I am probably not supposed to want in my back yard that comes to visit every day and he just eats some grass and slowly ambles off and I just love looking out the window trying to find him...


It let Chin-E and I have a nice walk ALL BY OURSELVES on Sunday morning - nobody else wanted to deal with the rain and she and I decided we wouldn't melt with a little rain - though I will admit her leash kind of did and she was dyed a lovely hot pink for the rest of the day.

And lastly -

It will make us appreciate the warm sunny weather all the more.

Do you have any reasons to be grateful for the rain... A prize randomly chosen on Friday to everyone who replies with a good rain reason.

There was a farmer who had a dog...

Okay well I am not a farmer and his name isn't Bingo (B.I.N.G.O.) but I am really excited to say that I am a poodle Mama...

Introducing... Dobby! His pedigreed name will be House Elf (Yes, Jim named him, yes I like it)
He was born May 25th (Memorial Day) I am in love with him, I can NOT wait to see his little eyes. I saw him today but he is still closed eyed! I love love love him...

I have waited a long time for my poodle - no I have waited a long time for my standard poodle. And I had always imagined that it would be a white bitch but tis little chocolate boy has stolen my heart - I was holding a black bitch and Jim was falling for this brown boy and quickly I fell for him too. He is looking forward to being a baby (and shamefully I must admit that I *HAVE* bought him clothes) and I am looking forward to babying him... I am hoping to have a meet and greet the end of July. But alas you all don't want to hear my rambling here are the pictures of the man of the hour!


"I was born yesterday"


My 1 week birthday


So shy...


I have a pretty shoulder


Shhh I am sleeping

Who are you owned by?

(LHI chicas let me know what you think)
((This post may not be your cup of tea but it is just where I am at and I was wondering))

The other day I was talking to a friend after another friend of the family passed away and she told me that "the dead don't own us" and it brought to the front of my mind something that has been lingering in the back of my mind for a while.

The thought had originally run through my head when I took a niece to some restaurant with a drive through (can't remember which one though - this was probably in October... I don't see the nieces much anymore these days) and it said "this location is owner operated" and I thought it sounded like "inspected by # 13" (or whatever) BUT it brought to my thoughts who am I owned and operated by? I think at different points in your life you are "owned" by something and right now I am clearly owned and operated by ed... He gets to decide how my days go at this point in my life. I am certain that it is only temporary and I certainly have a great team of people working with me to make sure it is but for now I am owned by him. I recently wrote an entry in my journal about how much ed is a person, he has opinions and demands. He can decide how I am going to live a day without my okay, and honestly if I were reading this I would disagree with me (and say something to the effect of "you are your own person and you make up your own mind on how to deal with your day") but it is odd and true.

But who owns you? Who decides what your days are going to be like? And if you are your own owner how do you manage that and have you ever been owned by a person place or thing (or circumstance)

The way I see it

At my latest addiction (Starbuck's) yesterday I got a cup of Orange Passionfruit tea with splenda and the comment on the cup was:

There is a subtle difference between a mission and a promise. A
mission is something you strive to accomplish - a promise is something
you are compelled to keep. One is individual, the other is shared.
When a mission and a promise are one and the same... that's when
mountains are moved and races are won.

-- Hala Moddelmo
President and CEO
Susan G Komen for the cure

Isn't this a great comment? I love it!

Have a great weekend all!

I don't have a title

The other day I realized it had been a long time since I had blogged and lots has happened in that time. I however have gotten in the habit of journaling so blogging has fallen by the wayside a bit... But I will try to update more often.
I got up this morning and looked at the calendar and realized that this day too is a one year anniversary, a year ago today was Easter and it was also the day that Needles died it was part of the trifecta that made 2008 the year to hate. In that time Comette has become an "only horse" and she loves it... Though I still am not sure she is the horse for me... ESPECIALLY after the fall a couple weeks back, it has been a long time since I fell off a horse and even longer since I was thrown. I don't think I have been so angry at a horse (or myself) in SO long or for that matter forever! But we will survive her and I and hopefully when the warm weather arrives (WHEN IS IT GOING TO ARRIVE?) we will work on manners AGAIN! But anyway this is just a rambling Joy is insane kinda post apparently.
But today I got to day and was backed into, yup by a guy who PANICKED and came running over looking at both cars and asked me if I was okay! I was like dude you were backing how bad can it be...

Well tomorrow I have a new appointment to get rechecked for osteoporosis, lets hope the results come in better this time than the last one... Or I get to take meds for that too (insert rolling eyes here)

Hope you are well

1 year

So much happens in a year. I remember when I was married a year I was
like "WOW I did X,Y, and Z in the last year - and I have been married
for 52 weeks" and it was a weird thing.

Well today is a different type of anniversary, a year ago today Mom
finished growing her wings and went to live somewhere else. Not ONE
DAY has gone by where I haven't thought of her. I still wait for her
to come home and always think OMG I want to show Mom this when I get
home... And then the kick comes, the one where I remember that there
is no more showing Mom. BUT shortly after that there is the thought
that I can show her everything anytime I want to. I would have loved
to have seen her see Obama get elected, she wanted to live to see
someone other than a WASP in the White House...

I am certain she would have had words of wisdom about the economy (I
am sure part of it would have been "Joy turn down the heat and wear a
coat would you?")

She would have LOVED to know that Ashley is expecting a new baby and
much like me she would have hoped it came on its due date (my
anniversary)

She would be so excited about Cheryl's new siding (yes things like
that were always exciting to her - but the woman could find the good and excitement
in EVERYTHING, and life was just exciting for her) and somehow I think
that the guys would have been in the house 1,000,000 times - she would
have found a reason (Really it would have just been that she was
worried about them getting cold out in the winter air).

She certainly would have loved the new floors, and would have mourned
the loss of Needles with me... She had loved her as long as I had. She
would have been amazed with how BIG Tyler James has become. And amazed
that Alicia is ten and Stef will be soon too...

I feel like so much happened in 2008 that she didn't get to see but at
the same time as much as I miss her I am so glad that she has pain no
more... Those wings took weeks to grow and hurt her while they were
"budding"

Momma most beautiful I miss you a lot - I learned this year that YOU
were my smile and my confidence, but slowly I will find it again... As
you said many times through out the years, "My mother didn't raise
trash" and neither did mine. I too have wings... They are yours... But
(and totally cliche here) you are the wind beneath mine... I love
you!!!

Dates that change our lives...

Are there dates in your life that have changed it forever?
The day you got married perhaps?
The day you found out you were pregnant?
The day you lost someone you cared about?
The day you graduated High School or college?

Well 10 years ago today my life was changed and I didn't even know it for a week! 10 years ago today my niece and dearest friend Christy had a beautiful baby girl and 7 days later she told me about her. I was devastated that at 18 my niece was now a mom... I was certain her life was ruined forever. I prayed for Alicia to disappear, to be eaten by the universe, to just go away. Christy was so proud of her little bundle and wanted to share her with me, she said "Aunty, it's important - get to know her" I took her to the movies at 13 days old. I took her to see "10 things I hate about you" because there were so many more than 10 things I hated about this, this thing that had invaded MY life... Well if you have seen the movie you know that it ends happily and so has my relationship with Alicia... A bassinet changed how I looked at her and we have been close ever since.
She has changed me, and I have helped to mold her... I want to be able to take some credit for the amazing human she is turning into... I want to feel I had a hand in it.
We have certainly had our ups and down Miss Bella and I.

~I taught her to read - her first word was life... I told her I was amazed by her that life was hard.
~She taught me to make balloon animals!
~She gave me her foot!
~I held her as they put in an IV for an emergency surgery (the docs gave ME drugs to survive this - Christy was as cool as a cucumber)
~We cried together when her father and Great grandmother died
~We were at the carnival when her Grandpa Florida died
~Did I tell you she gave me her foot?
~She threw flowers at my feet at my wedding
~We spent MANY hours throwing golf balls in the river at Richardson's (we were "playing mini golf" really we just paid and walked around throwing the balls in the river and retrieving them)
~Yup she gave me her foot!
~She saw Mimi
~She has given me more hugs than probably anyone else alive
~She has enriched my life and taught me to love in more ways than I ever knew possible.
~And yes she gave me her foot...

Today she is 10 - and 10 years ago today I was given a present, a very real present... The future, and it's one I can believe in!

Happy birthday JaBell I love you so very much and if it takes the rest of my life I will make it so you know because I don't want to have to tell you I love you more than you will ever know!