July 2020 – Swimming With The Rain

28 Hotel Rooms

July 26, 2020

One thing I love about Hulu is it’s movie suggestions. I swear, it knows me. Thanks to technology, it probably does. Anyways, listed under ‘Movies for you’, I kept seeing the title to this movie. It sounds familiar and I think that somewhere, I must have seen that someone posted about it or maybe I read something, because I knew the premise was a couple meets in different hotels rooms. But, being that I wasn’t wanting to watch porn, I would skip past it. Yet, Hulu knows me so surely it wouldn’t be suggesting porn, right?

Each time I go to Hulu, I see the movie listed and since I have exhausted the majority of movies, I looked up the premise on Wikipedia… “A novelist and a corporate accountant conduct an affair over a period of several years, meeting only when they are each traveling for work in a city far from their homes. The film takes a minimalist approach: it consists entirely of scenes between the two of them in hotel rooms.” So, could still be porn… Let’s find the trailer…

That’s it, I’m watching! They had me when he was painting her toes and when she was emotional saying that she feels ugly… I’m a sap when movies feel genuinely real.

I immediately recognized Danny Castellano, I mean Chris Messina, from The Mindy Project. He played Mindy Kaling’s love interest and I LOVED him! I hadn’t heard of Marin Ireland, but based upon her Wikipedia page, she has done quite a bit, which is probably why she looks familiar. Plus, she is from Central California and I’m a sucker for anyone from there (Camarillo to be exact).

28 Hotel Rooms is a movie I could probably analyze with such a wide array of elements. My ideal situation would be the conversation that would happen after another person watches, because I think it is one of those movies that opinions can vary, even your own, based upon how you feel at the time or what your mindset is. But, on to my own personal review…

The camera gives off the feeling that it is another character that they are not aware of. The chemistry between these two characters is undeniable and their conversations feel real, as if they are unscripted. He caresses her back while they lay in bed talking, sensing the intimacy as he taps her lower back in response to a question, as if to say, “Alright”.

As in all new loves, he plays the 21 questions with her asking about siblings, parents, republican or democrat, chocolate or vanilla ice cream… But, you start to notice, she does not reciprocate. Yet, she is the one that when a future is discussed, you can sense that she is toying with that idea in her head, only to snap back to reality and change the topic. She does this enough times that you realize that she does struggle with what she is doing, whether it is by quietly crying in the bathroom while he is sleeping, or seeing how hot she can get the bath water, as if in punishment.

These two separate their worlds and only briefly allow their real one in, as they catch up on months apart. They give off brief descriptions, like a highlight reel. But yet, you are able to perceive that these two have long conversations about life and discuss things that maybe they do not with their respective partners. With each other, they are free to be whom they want ~ fun, exciting, erotic… It is presented as being tipsy and dancing naked on a balcony, sneaking up to the rooftop of a hotel to watch fireworks, running the hallways laughing… Something that their real lives would not allow as they pay their mortgage, move from the city, try to get ahead in their careers…

As romantic and whimsical as they make it seem, they also fight. They fight with the intensity that you may not allow yourself to with your real life partner for fear of the judgement or possible alienation. These two know that at any moment, they can get up and walk away, without any damage to a marriage.

Yet, they are drawn to each other, unable to stay away. Why is that? Is it true love or could it just be that the brief interludes give them a sense of excitement to an otherwise boring life?

28 Hotel Rooms is a movie that is worth watching again and again. You will create your own back stories for them, as you are only able to see brief snippets of their encounters. In your mind, you will sense the passage of time and gain an understanding of their intimacy with each other. When the end credits begin, you will want more of their story.

Food

Shrimp, Sausage, Potato & Kale Soup Recipe

July 25, 2020

I’ve been on a soup kick lately because it is such a great way to add veggies in to my food. Not that I don’t normally eat veggies, but I just don’t get creative with how they are prepared so I tend to get bored.

Yesterday and today, I searched Pinterest looking for some kind of Shrimp soup recipe but I just wasn’t feeling it. Plus, as I have said before, I do not like buying ingredients that I will probably only use once. So, knowing that I had to stock up on certain food anyways, I decided to come up with my own little concoction, while still being healthy.

The great thing about this is that you can make it Keto by leaving out the potatoes and adding additional meat. OR, you can add more seafood to make it more of a seafood chowder. OR, you could leave out the sausage and seafood, add more veggies, and have it that way. The great thing is, this is a pretty versatile base.

Since I prefer when trying new things to have step by step instructions, that’s what you will find here. But, if you prefer to just skip to the ingredients and do it your way, just scroll on down to the bottom.

Green pepper, red pepper, onion, celery, and garlic. Here’s the thing, while I love the flavoring of the green & red peppers, and onion, I HATE biting in to them. Something about the texture… I don’t know. So, I diced them up even finer than this. You do it how you like.

I’ve said before and I’ll say it again, “I love Pampered Chef!” Their manual food processor makes it super easy to get the veggies just the right size. You can use a regular food processor, also, but I don’t have easy to get to outlets so this one comes in super handy. No, I am not being paid for that statement nor do I receive any kickbacks from it.

***Use a nice sized pot with your temperature at Medium Low. After each step, cover. It will help to keep the temp in and slowly meld all of the flavors together.

While your veggies are slowly sauteing, dice your potatoes in to bite size pieces. Remember, they will get mushy when cooked so you don’t want them TOO small.

Break up your Italian Sausage and throw it in. I used Butterball Sweet Italian Turkey sausage to keep it healthy. Now comes the part with kale… Some people like it, some people don’t. I really don’t notice the taste of it when mixed with other things. So, if you don’t want kale, use spinach. The point is to make the most out of getting as many veggies in as possible.

Kale has a tendency to shrink when cooked. So, the recipe calls for two cups, that means FIRMLY PACKED. Get as much kale as you can in to that measuring cup. Now, put all of that kale back on to your chopping board and chop away! Mix it in to what you already have and this is what it should look like, everything sauteing and steaming nicely.

My kitchen was smelling quite nice by this point! One of the benefits to making this soup is that it is easy enough to make, but you feel like you are actually doing something and creating your own personal dish. I had a podcast going and was just chopping away, feeling awfully relaxed.

Let’s talk seasoning. This is when you make it your own and add whatever you have in your house. I added in a teaspoon each of these, plus sea salt and black pepper. Oh! And four rosemary leaves.

Now, the liquid… I used the low sodium chicken broth and vanilla flavored almond milk. Why use low sodium broth when you are adding in sea salt? Great question! Because I can add salt, but I can’t take it away. Make sense? Regarding milk, if you want to use normal milk, go for it! I can’t use regular milk (lactose intolerant issues, good times!) and I really like the flavor that the vanilla almond milk adds to things.

My personal opinion, let this simmer for awhile. Remember, you want to make sure that your potatoes and sausage are cooked through. Plus, the seasonings need time to meld together. (I sound like an expert here, huh? haha)

Shrimp. I could eat it every day. LOVE IT! Now, I bought two bags of the frozen large shrimp (raw, tail off, deveined), and let them thaw. Not to when warm, just that they weren’t frozen like a rock. Then I rinsed them. Why? Because I didn’t want to add too much of the seafood “juice” to the flavor and take away from the other spices. I then cut them up in to bite size pieces. Yes,I could have bought small or medium shrimp and may not have had to do that, but they were out at the store.

Pour the shrimp in, stir, cover, and go do something else. Let it slowly simmer for however long you want to, just make sure the shrimp is cooked when you pour yourself a bowl. Shrimp is cooked when it pinkens.

Based on the ingredients I used and the calorie counter, all of this comes in at 2,541 calories. Since you’re not eating all of this in one seating (but it is good enough that you will want to), and it measures approximately 10 cups, it is only 254 calories. But, if you’re like me, you poured 2 cups and called it a good meal!

This soup is hearty enough for a cold winter day, but doesn’t feel so heavy as to make you feel blah on a hot day, thanks to the shrimp.

For a list of ingredients and quick instructions, HERE.

Enjoy!

Entertainment

Shrimp, Sausage, Potato & Kale Soup ingredients

July 25, 2020

1 Red Pepper
1 Green Pepper
1 Medium White Onion
4 Small Garlic Cloves
Package (5 Links) Butterball Sweet Italian Sausage
3 Medium White Potatoes
2 Celery Stalks
2 Cups PACKED Kale
2 Cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
2 Cups Almond Breeze Low Sugar Vanilla Milk
1 teaspoon Basil
1 teaspoon Rosemary
1 teaspoon Thyme
1 teaspoon Black Pepper
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
1 teaspoon Tajin (Chili Pepper Blend)
2 12oz bags Frozen Large Shrimp

Finely chop peppers, onion, garlic, celery and saute. Break apart sausage and mix in while on low to medium heat, covered. Add diced potatoes, cover. Add liquids (broth & milk), cover. Add in chopped kale, cover. Add in seasonings. Simmer. Add in thawed shrimp.

Entertainment

Blueberry Cream Cheese Won Ton

July 25, 2020

Oh my goodness, I think I just created the greatest thing ever!

I am not big on using 15 million ingredients when it comes to making things. Or at least ingredients that I will not have on hand or be willing to use again. While at the grocery store this morning, I saw this HUGE basket of fresh blueberries for under five dollars and was super excited because I’ll just eat those by the handful. Moving on to the section with the pre-made guacamole, I saw won ton wrappers, which I have never used. But, ideas started to pop in to my head and at only 50 calories for three of them, I could make something bite sized, right? Wait! I have blueberries in my cart and some whipped strawberry cream cheese at home… This could be interesting.

You do not have to even be good at cooking to figure this out, trust me. And with these photos, it makes it even easier! First, turn the oven to 350. By the time it is done preheating, you’ll be ready to put these amazing things in.

Mix 4 tablespoons of whipped cream cheese with 2 ounces of blueberries. I used strawberry cream cheese because that is what I had.

Put a “dollop” of mixture in to the center of the won ton and bring the corners up, however you want to.

There is just enough mixture for 6 of these heavenly tasting things.

The hard part… Wait 14 minutes. I timed it and just before the 14 minute mark is when they started bubbling up, getting ready to spill over.

You will then have the easiest masterpiece you have ever created! I was on the phone with a friend when I took my first bite and I believe the words I used were, “Oh, my dear God, these are amazing!”

The best thing is, 253 calories for all six, because, yes, I ate all of them!

Enjoy!

Entertainment

the Biggest little Farm

July 18, 2020

It’s official. I am ready for the farm life!

Most people do not realize that the Central Coast of California, is one of the largest agriculture producers. Surrounded by agriculture, dairy farms, FFA, livestock, rodeo, trucks, vineyards, this is not the California that is portrayed through the eyes of Hollywood. The Rodeo Drive of Central California is lined with Barrel Racers, Bronc Riders, and local farmers, not Lamborghini’s, high-end call girls, and the Kardashian’s.

I remember seeing the trailer for this movie and thinking that it looked fascinating. Not just because the cinematography looked so brilliant and clear, but because it was based on a farm from my home state of California, and I am all about seeing my home on the big screen. Maybe it wasn’t shown on the all of the big screens around the country… But, that’s okay because I found it on my small screen of 42 inches.

John Chester ~
This all started with a promise that we would leave the big city and build a life in perfect harmony with nature.

I know, based on the description, it sounds like one of those movies that will bore you with all of their conservation talk with messages of “going green”, “live off the earth”, “save our planet”, and other new age lingo. To me, this was not the case at all! In fact, if this movie had been around when my children were younger, it would have played continuously, I am sure!

While the film is touted as a ‘documentary’, it feels anything but. It feels like you are watching a very personal movie starring John and Molly Chester, along with their dog Todd, and beloved pig Emma. You meet caretakers Rafael and Flavo, along with the Chester’s mentor, Alan York.

What you see are two people that want to live a simpler life on a bio-diverse farm. Although the movie is uplifting, it also proves that the reality of farming is not always pretty. Yet, the movie gives you hope, and teaches you lessons along the way about the circle of life. For instance, at one point, John was having increased frustration with setbacks at the farm. He noticed that Todd (his dog) would often sit and watch how everything was going on. This observation encouraged John to do the same thing, and he realized how the animals and agriculture worked together as one, and made some adjustments. Watching this movie is proof that things don’t change overnight, and you need to persevere, try a different technique, and just keep going!

Filmed with state of the art cameras, you will see the farm grow from eight years of dry hard dirt, to an abundance of diverse plants, farm animals, and fruit trees. Kids will love watching the closeups of snakes slithering, gophers popping out of holes, bees buzzing, lambs hopping through the fields, piglets playing in the mud, and everything else nature has to offer. Okay, yes… I loved these things, too. But, the breathtaking views… Stunning!

Having now watched this movie, it reinforced my craving of simplicity, green pastures and tractors in the field. But, I also realize that had I not experienced a way of life away from it, I may not have realized how precious it is.

Apricot Lane Farms located in Moorpark, California. They offer tours and even have merchandise of Emma! Follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

“no copyright infringement is intended”

Food

11 Different Types Of Pasta

July 15, 2020

Lately, I have been on a whole wheat pasta kick. Surprisingly, it is much better than you would think! I have found that the trick is that just before it’s completely done, drain the majority of the water (I just use the lid to drain instead of breaking out the strainer) and mix it in with the sauce. By letting it finish cooking this way, the noodles soak up the flavor of the sauce, and I can’t even tell if I am missing out on anything!

For some reason this morning, pasta crossed my mind and I thought, “Why are there so many types of pasta and are they used for different things?” So, off to Google Land I went. But, here’s the thing… The first two things that came up, were almost EXACTLY the same exact wording. Now, I know from writing blogs for work that there is a percentage you can get away with, but I prefer to write my own words. So, because I am nosy and want to know WHY, I kept researching for even more in depth information.

Would you put spaghetti noodles in Mac & Cheese? No way! But, WHY??? Because, we want the shell that holds all that ooey gooey goodness, so it makes perfectly good sense that different types of pasta, due to the thickness, texture, and shape, will be beneficial to different types of sauces. But, how was this all discovered of what noodle goes best with what sauce? One theory explains it as this ~ Italians appreciate and love artistry in all aspects of their lives. Doesn’t that make you have this wistful feeling? Then there is this theory that will make you think of your own Grandma and her cooking or quilting ~ Old Italian women didn’t spend time making every family member a new quilt, they perfected their slow cooked meals and passed that down.

Are you ready for your pasta lesson? FYI – from the website (SwimmingWithTheRain.com), you can print this out for reference.

Angel Hair (Capelli d’angelo) has the clue in its common name… It is more delicate and cannot hold the chunky sauces. Great for soups, oil based sauces, or my personal favorite – Shrimp Scampi!

Cavatappi has tight spirals that pull in flavor, which is why it is generally referred to as “Corkscrew”. Suggested to use in thicker sauces, with chunks of meat and vegetables, which can get “caught” in the spirals. A great idea for pasta salads, too!

Elbow Macaroni isn’t just for your kid’s art projects! This pasta is used with sauce, baked dishes, soups, macaroni salad… Probably one of the most versatile and popular.

Farafelle or better known as Bowtie Pasta, is one of my favorites. Why? It looks fun! It is a thicker noodle that can hold its own with a variety of sauces, but is perfect to mix with vegetables of the same size. The next time you are making a creamy type of sauce, use this and see if you can notice how the sauce sneaks in to the center.

Fettuccine ~ Long cut and flat, generally used with heavy cream sauce. For instance, Fettuccine Alfredo with it’s heavy cream, thick chicken cuts and vegetables.

How do you say “little tongues” in Italian? Linguine! It’s not as wide as fettuccine or as round as spaghetti or as thick as fettuccini, so it is perfect for the lighter sauces such as pesto, or white wine and Shrimp (my favorite).

Orzo seems to be gaining popularity these days. Larger than rice, it would be lost in a normal sauce, so it is best used in soup when needing to add in some “bulk”, or by itself with some butter and parmesan cheese.

I have to admit that the first time I had Penne Pasta in my mid-20’s, I felt like I was in the “high class” life. I had never heard of such a thing and fell in love with the way the Alfredo flowed inside the pasta and stuck to the ridges. This is why the edges are cut diagonal (main difference between Ziti and Penne). Try not to use as chunky of a sauce so that the mixture can move through the tubes.

Rigatoni is similar to Penne but is slightly larger, and instead of an angled opening, it is simply round. With the space being even more hollow, you can use the chunkier version of sauces.

Conchiglie or let’s just call it what it is ~ Shells! These can be used for Mac & Cheese, soups, cold pasta salads or one of my favorites if you buy the large variety ~ Stuffed Shells.

Spaghetti… Does it really need an explanation? Typically served with tomato sauce, but it is really the most versatile of all pastas. Thick enough it doesn’t get overpowered by a traditional meat sauce, but thin enough to mix with some olive oil, Parmesan, and red pepper flakes. So, go ahead and swirl that fork around and around!

Now that your taste buds are heightened, remember that the concept is to have the perfect balance of pasta and sauce. While some pasta lends an aesthetic look to the meal, they each serve a purpose to compliment the sauce and the type of meal you are preparing. Just remember, thinner sauces go with thinner noodles, and heartier noodles go with chunkier sauces.

Or better yet, you do you! Just enjoy your meal and be proud of the creation you have made!

God

God, Balance, and a Heart Chakra

July 14, 2020

One of the things that I exceed at is floating in a pool, and not just on a float (which if you have a graceful way to get on, please share). I’m talking about the kind where you lay flat on your back, arms at your sides, toes in the air… Quietly clearing my mind, focusing on my breathing, buoyancy supporting my body. After a bit, I no longer have to concentrate and I begin to stare up at the sky, letting the conversation around me continue as muffled sounds. As crazy as it sounds, I have a hard time balancing on my two feet but ask me to tread water, I can do that! Until this past summer…

I started to realize that something was off a few weeks ago, when I was unable to stay balanced while floating. My left shoulder kept pulling me down, which is strange because in the normal world, it felt perfectly fine. I tried to concentrate harder, I tried to not concentrate, I tried to pull down with my right side, I tried to pull up with my left. Nothing was working. I knew that I was fighting with some inner emotional turmoil but I did not put two and two together that this could affect me in such a way.

In frustration, I googled… I couldn’t find too much but what I did find led me to something about the Heart Chakra. The what?!? Nope. I am not going to buy in to that whole peace, love, and happiness craze… It’s just not how I was raised, and I think it goes against God. (Stay with me on this, please.) So, I push all of this new age information aside and head up to Indiana to see friends that have known me for over 20 years, because with them, I feel myself.

That first evening, with lightning bugs floating nearby and Jason Aldean coming out of the speakers, we swam around in the pool just laughing and feeling free. Out of habit, I immediately went in to floating position so I could stare up at the summer sky… Left shoulder pulled down. It’s never been A LOT, just enough for me to know that something isn’t right. A couple of hours and Rumplemintz shots later, a song comes on that reminds us of a dear friend that passed away several years back. We toast to him and smile…

But then something happens to me. I start to sob. And I can’t stop! For over 30 minutes, it’s like someone turned a faucet on in my eyes and they were just continuing to leak, THEY WOULD NOT STOP! I wiped away tears, I went underneath the water, I looked up at the starry sky… Nothing but tears.

The next morning, we all kind of laughed about my never ending crying, and chalked it up to the Rumplemintz mixed with the need to release pent up emotion. Yet, something had shifted in me… Exasperation had left my body. The angst I had been carrying of not being good enough, the fear of being the real me, the sadness of not being completely loved, the constant stress of the unknown with my job, the burden of trying to be everything to everyone… It was gone.

I was finally filled with an overwhelming peace and knew I was fully loved, right where I was at. Without being able to explain what I was feeling, I wanted to soak in the day and experience this feeling that felt so incredibly profound that words were not enough.

Without realizing it in the pool, I went in to my full body float and that is I had another discovery… I was laying completely still… Both shoulder blades where they needed to be, neither fighting for a different angle… Staring up at the Indiana sun, with a genuine smile.

A few days later, I sent my friend Marie a text to let her know I was heading back home. Her reply, “Are you sad? Refreshed? Rejuvenated?” I contemplated the best word to explain what I was going through… “Balanced. Does that make sense?” While that word made sense to me in a way, I still felt like I was meant to learn something from this. But, what? Not wanting to get in to this peace, love, happiness mumbo jumbo, I kept it in the back of my mind, yet it was pushing forward.

Thank goodness for my weekend pool days with Diana… She is my worldly traveler with an open mind, thinking before she speaks, but knowing she can be honest with me. Diana exudes a sense of wisdom and it is because of that, I have always had a natural calm around her. Explaining my release to her and brief findings of a heart chakra, but not sure what to make of it, I am 90% sure that she had a firm grasp on what I would find, but was confident that I would have to accept it myself… “You’re good at research. Look it up.”

What an intriguing lesson I found myself in the middle of… The heart chakra, when open to receive, is just between the shoulder blades, and your body takes in the energy of love, joy, abundance, forgiveness, trust, relationships… But, when this is closed off, a person will begin to feel apathetic, unforgiving, distrustful, and detached. The tension in the shoulder blades represents an inability to let go or forgive… Not just to others, but to ourselves. Finally, I found something that explained me almost word for word!

Here is where some would say that it gets tricky… How could I believe in something like this but also believe in God?

A gift had been handed to me as all of the pieces to this puzzle finally came together. These past several months and the struggle for connecting my thoughts all started to make sense… I have been working on putting my life back in to balance. I had not felt worthy of love, even from friends, and detached myself from anyone that I didn’t know if I could trust. By nature, I am a very distrustful person, always waiting for the ball to drop. Self-sabotage most would call it.

What I have realized the last several years, not everything is black and white. Just like when we are raising our children, they are not the same and generally need to be handled differently. Therefore, I believe that God allows us to learn in so many different ways, and that is what makes us unique. If you don’t think so, think about how one person feels God’s presence and has an ongoing conversation with Him while walking through a forest, but another feels it sitting silently in prayer. I have prayed to God to show me how to change my life and He chose to show me in a way that would bring me balance. By allowing God to explain to me that I need to allow love and trust in, I am still aware that HE is the one to nudge me and guide me to my purpose.

If your life is out of balance, I urge you to listen to your body. Is something feeling off? If so, pray, meditate, do whatever you do to help bring clarity to your life. Open yourself up to love and know that you are worthy of it. I promise, when you feel the answer, you will feel tension leave your body and it is quite profound.

All me

Bucket List Ideas

July 11, 2020

I’m not sure if the term ‘Bucket List’ was used prior to the release of the movie “Bucket List” starring Jack Nicolson and Morgan Freeman, written and produced by Rob Reiner, but it is something that everyone now seems to have. In fact, I have kept a running list on my phone since 2012.

Why on my phone? Because each time I have an idea, I can immediately add to it and the list keeps growing. I have only been able to scratch two things off of there and that has been within the past year (lightning bugs and covered bridges).

So, what’s the difference between a bucket list and goals? To me, a bucket list is something you do that encourages you to experience life and fill your soul with memories, while a goal is something you work toward and even build on.

For instance, with the lightning bugs, growing up out west, we didn’t have these things. Although I had read about these little flying glow sticks in books, heard lyrics about summer evenings being lit up with them in songs, and saw them set the backdrop in movies, they always held a romantic mystery to me. While visiting Ann in Indiana last year, there they were! She caught one for me and put it on my arm and I smiled like a child that had just walked in to Disney Land. I experienced this moment and it was amazing. I was experiencing life!

But, a goal… Now that is something you work towards and even build on. Let’s look at this website I am working on. For most of my life, if you would have asked me, “What is your dream job?”, I would have said, “A photographic journalist”. I had been writing for years, sometimes reading things to people, sometimes keeping my words tucked away. This websites name, I had planned out during the summer of 2018, even checking to make sure it wasn’t in use. But, it took time for me to have the courage to do it and even once I did it, it took strength for me to announce it to the world.

I don’t have the specifics written down of how I want to achieve each Bucket List item… It is generally just a few words about each thing because to me, getting in to too much detail, takes away from the spontaneity of how things are meant to happen. Take the Covered Bridges as an example… I didn’t know how I was going to make it happen, I just knew that I wanted it to. I ended up seeing one from the back of a Harley and another from the passenger side of a Corvette. Now, doesn’t that beat a tour bus? Which, I would done except for some good friends that made it happen.

And now, my Bucket List as of mid-2020…

Visit Atlantic Ocean. I have seen the Atlantic twice – once from a parking lot in Miami and the other from a road in Daytona Beach. I want to actually put my toes in it and feel the sand. Growing up on the Pacific and living on the Gulf Coast, I think it is only suiting to feel another body of water that boarders our amazing country.

Road Trip without a destination. Not the whole Thelma and Louise thing, fyi.

Ireland, Italy, Greece, Holland… Basically all of Europe.

Skydiving.

Gulf of Alaska.

Sex in a hurricane. (Ignore that one, Dad)

Walk Paris streets at night.

Drive a race car.

Grape stomping.

Visit with monks / nuns. I have this desire to be filled with their peace.

~~Covered Bridge.~~

Mardi Gras. I’ve been to New Orleans and I’ve done Bourbon Street. But, I want to experience an actual Mardi Gras with the parades and floats!

Grand Canyon.

Stay at a Dude Ranch.

African Safari.

Broadway show. I’ve seen plays and productions, but I want to be in actual New York City and watch a true Broadway show.

Opera.

Outer Banks.

~~Lightning Bugs.~~

Northern Lights.

See the Pope. I’m not even Catholic and I think it would be amazing to see this world leader.

Zambia 338ft Waterfall.

Ice fishing.

Wild Horses.

Blue Water Paradise in Arizona.

Concert at Redrock.

Stay in a seaside village as a tourist. I already live in one and I am curious as to what it is like to not be a local.

So, what is in your Bucket List? Where do you keep it? If you have not started one yet, start today. It is ok to let your heart dream and wonder, that is what keeps your soul alive and thriving. Make sure to add in simple things like lightning bugs but also far reaching like an African Safari. Doing this ensures that you take pleasure in life’s little gifts but keeps you seeking more. As you add these moments to your life, get lost in your surroundings and soak it up. Because a photo will not truly capture it, but your senses will.

All me

Reflecting on 2018…

July 11, 2020

As I was going through the notes section on my phone, I came across this and thought it was filled with so many reminders about life and things I still aspire to. Maybe it will inspire you, too.

2018 is coming to a close. I have chosen to be thankful that I am still alive after a severe asthma attack and I’m not taking this life for granted. I have chosen to walk away from people in my life because they weren’t good for me. I have chosen to strengthen my relationships with those that are. Life is about the choices that we make.

Anyways, what have I learned this year?

Love. The love of my boys I truly enjoy because they make me smile and fill me with so much happiness. They are my family and I am so proud watching them in this life and have renewed my strength to just enjoy them.

Friendship. Those that you can be yourself with, those are the ones that need to be kept around.

Trust. This was the big one for me because I had to trust that others would be there when I reached out.

Of course I have had my feelings hurt this year, but I have realized that their attitude is not my problem to deal with, it is theirs. Then again, it was my feelings that were hurt so I have had to take a step back and let myself realize why I let them hurt my feelings, and that is a lot of reflecting.

Why am I saying all of this… Because I made the choice to put a positive perspective on this past year. So get out there and feel love, nurture your friendships, and open yourself to trust.

Turn the music up and dance around your house. Soak up the moment you are in. Be willing to feel love and enjoyment. Learn to be at peace with yourself. Quit surrounding yourself with people that thrive off drama. Reach out to people just to say hi.

And most of all, love yourself.

Books

The Dream Daughter, by Diane Chamberlain

July 10, 2020

On Mother’s Day this year, I “forced” my boys to wander the bookstore with me. I say forced because it is not their favorite thing to do because they know it’s going to take awhile. One of them always ends up looking at the stack of books I am holding and says, “Do you really need all of those books or do you just want them?”, to which my reply is always, “Both!” But, they are used to it growing up with a mom that loves to read.

So, there I was with my stack of books trying to figure out which one to read while on vacation. I posted the photo on Instagram and basically explained my dilemma. Yes, I tagged each author’s name, assuming that I would hear from the followers of each person. It is a rather nice selection and I am a fan of each author, which makes it even harder to decide which one I should start with.

Imagine my surprise when I did receive a reply. But, not from a follower, but from one of the actual author’s! Yes, you read that. The actual author of ‘The Dream Daughter’, Diane Chamberlain. Wow! To say that I was thrilled and shocked at the same time may not be a big enough description.

Having no clue what this book was about, I packed it for my vacation. Here’s the thing, I have read enough books and by particular authors that I don’t necessarily even read the description any longer. Sure, I open it just prior to reading to get a feel for it, but I know who I like and what I like.

When Carly Sears, a young woman widowed by the Vietnam war, receives the news that her unborn baby girl has a heart defect, she is devastated. It is 1970, and she is told that nothing can be done to help her child. But her brother-in-law, a physicist with a mysterious past, tells her that perhaps there is a way to save her baby. What he suggests is something that will shatter every preconceived notion that Carly has. Something that will require a kind of strength and courage she never knew existed. Something that will mean an unimaginable leap of faith on Carly’s part.“
via Amazon

I have not read this good of a book in a very long time. Had I been left alone, I would have had it knocked out in a day. But, when you are visiting friends, the whole point is to spend time with them, soooo…. I found time to read while sitting next to the pool or on the outskirts of a group of people. Make sure that your household chores are done because you won’t want to get anything done and your kids might starve. Without giving the plot away, I have to admit that I was addicted to this book and ready to see just what would happen next. It makes you think about life and what you would do in that situation ~ Do you do as you are expected or do you take that chance?

Thank you to Diane Chamberlain for suggesting I read her book first. The Dream Daughter was excellent and I simply fell in love with these characters!

My favorite articles