My kind of day

Every once in a while you just need a day that is all about taking care of yourself. Giving yourself what you need to continue on… And unplanned Saturday became that kind of day for me. I went for my normal Saturday morning walk (I like to take my letters to the post on foot it just feels so low-tech and good for the world) and then on the way home my dad asked me to stop at the store and pick up a few things, I never mind that because I do carry the mail with a morsebag so I have the space. WELL apparently I was wanting some shop therapy because long story short I walked out carrying my bag and 4 plastic (EWWW) bags and headed home. No big deal, right? Yeah I live a little over 3 miles from the store and the bags weighed 34 pounds (yes I weighed them when I got home – I was wondering why my shoulders were so sore) but I made it and I felt great afterwards. And really it was a great walk I was listening to an audio book and just walking along.

Well after that I went to the barn and played with the horses (yes you read that right my friend got a horse and so I got to play with Alvin too – and I am slightly in love with him) including a small ride on the big man. Comette isn’t happy at all that I moved her stall hmmmm come to think of it neither is her old neighbor Sammy BUT I get a beautiful new tack room out of the deal (and she is only 2 stalls away from Sam so they can still see one another) so we will give it a couple week trial, cross your fingers for me here, please! Then I groomed Alvin and bathed him in fly spray and put all of his “clothes” on (he really doesn’t like flies) and popped on for a few minutes, I was surprised to see a horse that large has the same size head as Comette so I fitted him out with a newish bridle and worked on some bending exercises so hopefully fix his top-line. And then I took a few minutes to just sit and the house and reconnect with Joe and Donna – I certainly haven’t been to the barn enough lately so I have been missing out on their lives.

Can you believe that after all this I still had time to go to Boston and get on the Swan Boats?




This is something that I have been wanting to do for a while and Jim and I never have time or motivation to drive in just for a 15 minute boat tour… SO I made it more than that, I dropped my car in the garage (hey this was a stress-free day no parallel parking for me), headed over and got on the boats, they were just as much fun as I remember them and I saw some great sights. The amount of tranquility you can get sitting in a pedal powered boat watching the world (and actually two weddings) go by was amazing to me. It was over all too quickly, I contemplated a second ride but held off knowing that I would do it again sooner this time, Jim really needed to see this.


I spent the next hour and a half walking around the area surrounding the common and got a cute new Vera Bradley wallet and a VB belt as well with money my dad had given me to splurge on something for myself – Thanks Dad! And I got to see DeLuca’s Market and even did a little shopping there. It was such a “Tuscan Sun” kind of feeling.


On my way back to my car (pretty early because I had another place I wanted to hit in my day about me) I saw the famed “Make way for ducklings” and got my picture taken on them – I was such a Boston tourist ;-)

Lastly it was time to head to the Square One Mall where they were having “Movies under the stars” Sponsored by WKLB and the Square 1 Mall and if you got there early enough there was a sort of pre-show type thing.

I got there just in time to see a last few songs from Digger Dog (which was my goal – I like their music) and I got to be on Radio Disney – they were having a challenge with television theme show songs and can you believe it?

I got one! It was Charles in Charge and I used to love that show – so not only did I get to talk on the radio I got to pick a prize – I chose a holographic Hannah Montana poster for one of my nieces (ohhhh how they will fight over this). It was fun! Then I was done with walking around but there was still over an hour before the movie started so I walked down the street a bit and found a place that gave massages and they had availability for a walk in 30 minute chair massage – I was SO in on that! So I got a great massage and walked back to the car and parked where I could see the movie and just rested and waited for it to come on. Here I ought to tell you that it was a cute movie (The Bee Movie) and that I loved it but I can tell you that the first 30 minutes were really cute and the rest was not seen by me since I was nappying away the day. At the end of the movie (HA) I headed home and slept well…


Ahhhh what a great day, I hope your weekends were just as serene!

Sometimes…

Sometimes life, the universe, karma or whatever you want to call it gives you a leg up. Last night I got a boost in the saddle of life, yesterday was a miserable day for me which started with a dream that wasn’t real, got worse with a Drs appointment that left me in tears, then a phone call from a friend changing plans made it a little worse (but not too much I was already pretty low) and a work that is way too busy for brain cells to be stopping left and right. So when someone asked if I was going to storytelling I said I would think about it, I *knew* I wasn’t going… I was too tired and frankly too sad.

Then Lani called and even the sound of her voice can make me smile, and she let me know that she was the feature and well the deal was sealed – I WAS GOING. Jim took the night off and met me there, we sat outside and Jim enjoyed a chicken ceaser salad sandwich and we talked while sitting on the grounds of Harvard Divinity.

Storytelling was good and I enjoyed talking with people and just embraced a wonderful night… And then it was Lani’s turn and as always Lani was magic, she took me to England, and Scotland, and Ireland and she brought me home – safely home. One of my FAVORITE parts about Lani’s telling is that I know going in she will bring me to magical places and take me home and I will be a little __________ (better, happier, more peaceful?) for having gone on the journey with her.

After that my secret crush (is it really a secret when the WHOLE storytelling world and the person themselves knows that I adore him?) invited Jim and I out for dinner. Jim was full but thought that my craptastic day might improve by sitting at a table with my version of two of the most handsome men in the world (No Marianne not Duff – though THAT would be sweet, get it sweet?) so he agreed and off we went. I got a great drink, though honestly 3 sips in I didn’t remember what it was… Beckett was on the TV behind SC and I was a happy girl. I mentioned to SC that Beckett was on my 5 list (and stopped just shy of telling him he was too THANK GOD) and we talked about crushes and life and growing up and the world. And although I left there a little tipsy (okay a lot tipsy) and pretty tired (it was after midnight) I also left there sitting a little higher in the saddle and had (have?) forgotten the crap that made yesterday a waste of a day…

Kind of like Lani’s stories, I arrived safely home a little better for the journey.

Aaackkkk I think I am thinking this through too much

I just didn’t know what to post so I haven’t posted anything. Not too much is new…

I have actually finished ALL the gifts that I am making for Christmas 08 (yup you read that right)… Can’t post any pictures since if you read this chances are you are getting one of them ;-)

I am starting to feel better again and am loving the promise that warm weather will soon be here (it will be here soon, right?) I am looking forward to warm nights on the back porch sipping a nice cold glass of _______________ (fill in your favorite). Jim promises me that this year he will ACTUALLY grill – HA every year I tell him that that’s a guys job (yeah I know I am taking woman’s lib down a few notches here – I do it when I say that taking my car to the shop or to get gas isn’t my job either) and every year he offers to buy dinner every single time I mention we should have grill for dinner.

Yeah see I really have nothing here so you can get a list of my summer goals. By September I would like to be able to:
-Run 5 miles (all at once)
-Bike 20
-Have a clean house that I love to have people over to
-Have the hot tub installed
-Had successes in my garden (I stick with it is a garden even if it is in pots not in the ground)
-Have Christmas shopping complete and wrapped
-Have gone on a couple of vacations (even if they are just long weekends)
-Have redone the living room
-Have a new kitchen table (or table top whichever the case may be)
-Have taken a few classes (already have one planned with Sharon and would like to take another on writing so maybe this blog won’t be painfully sucky to read anymore)
-Have gotten to a few Tuesday nights at Blue’s
-Been to a couple Red Sox games


What are your summer goals?

The things you don’t talk about

+++sorry if this is depressing, it certainly isn't meant to be it really is just a rambling curious brain+++

And with whom?
Do you have things that you just don’t talk about with certain people? Like I know most people don’t talk about sex with their mom’s, and the opening of jobs with their bosses, and tampons with men… You know it is that social or comfort barrier thing, but are there other things you don’t talk about? Or other things you just don’t talk about with some people?

I have noticed this in myself lately and I am not sure if it’s a good thing or a bad or just a thing, you know? Part of it is I am certain that I am on a different plane than some of my friends right now and who knows if we can relate with one another and then if you can’t there is that whole awkward silence and (for me at least) you realize you once again are just odd person out. I know that this is really just a rambling post about nothingness but I was just thinking about it.

But it seems to me that I have segregated myself into the person I am (I know that doesn’t make sense but follow me for a minute here) everyone that I know (are there others I don’t know about probably and I wish they would comment so I could make new friends) of who reads this is someone I know (and probably love) but with some of you I talk about crafts, and with a few I talk about my mom, and there is one person I feel like I can talk to about my house, some that I talk about marriage to and some that I chatter endlessly about jewelry to, and none that really want to hear about my horses (those people don’t read my blog), many I complain about my job to and I am sure many other facets of my life that I have separated like oil and water and I wonder why that is? Does everyone do that?

I am not complaining in the least – I am overall very happy with my life and my friendships but it occurs to me that when I die and my friends get together for a funeral (although I think I have decided to forgo) they would be like ahhh yes remember how Joy thought so much about her house before putting in the pellet stove (or appliances or whatever) and others would look at that person like really? And then they may talk about the sadness my mom getting sicker was causing me and there are some who would say “really she dealt with it so easily” and more and more I am sure – odd huh?

I am thinking if I went over to XYZ’s friends house (let’s say a friend with whom I talk about crafts – since this started as a craft blog) and said yeah so THIS is going on in my life they would probably sit and listen and be the wonderful friends that you all are but I guess that it would never occur to me.

Do you do this?
Am I alone in it?
Is there a reason we (yes I am assuming we all do this) do this?
Is it a form of self preservation?

Heck I have friends who I never told mom was sick because then I had someone to call just to chat and not think about it? You know How’s the family? Same old same old, did you see the sales that Macy’s is having on shoes? So weird…

Anyway hugs to all of you and thanks for being a facet!

Random photo post

So here is a little of what is going on in my life ;-)
They say a picture is worth a thousand words - so here's a few grand worth of pics.

Cuddling with Tiki - this is one of my favorite things to do. How could I not with a face like that?

I am SO proud of these little presents - I always try to send my technicians a little Christmas present and I loved the look of the tower gifts this year but they were all so expensive so I made my own. I filled the bottoms with smarties and the top boxes with "candy cane" Hershey's kisses - the total cost was 2.75 each so much better than the $20 each for pre-mades.

And who says I can't cook?

Well certainly not Needles - who ate this and it was the first thing that she would eat in almost a week - she is certainly not out of the woods but will be here long enough for me to wrap my head around the fact that she needs to go!

And lastly a happy thought - this is my favorite Christmas tradition - checking out this house because every year it is such a cute little town they create!

It is officially the Christmas season


HOHOHO everyone :-)