A Sunrise and a Cross

This morning, my husband and I awoke very early to attend the sunrise service at Crescent Beach.  It was beautiful.  The sun rose over the horizon, pelicans glided by, people were worshipping in flip flops and blankets.  Dogs were there, too.  It was amazing seeing all those people in one place sharing the same truth.  I felt very connected to them, to the beach and, most importantly, to God. 

Happy Easter

Funny Story Monday: Misunderstandings

Here's a quick but funny story.  My sister is 3 1/2 years younger than I am.  One time, when she was about 8 years old, we were at the beach with the entire family.  She was getting sunburned so my mom made her put on one of my grandpa's t-shirts. 

Once she pulled the t-shirt over her head and read the wording on the front of it, she started crying.  When asked why she was crying she responded, "I don't want people to think I'm retarded".

The shirt read "Kiss me.  I'm retired."

A Golden Girls Moment

I love Fridays.  Absolutely love them.  When I was in college, Fridays meant that we went out and celebrated the beginning of the weekend.  Now, I just want to sit on the sofa in my hoodie, drink a Shock Top (my favorite beer) with a wedge of orange and watch a few episodes of the Golden Girls.

I have a pretty unique talent.  I can take almost any conversation or thought or experience and relate it to a Golden Girls moment.  I've seen every single episode multiple times.  I'll hear something or reflect on something that happened to me during the day and tell my husband about a time when Dorothy, Blanch, Rose or Sophia did something or said something funny.  He laughs.  I'm not sure if it is because he actually thinks I'm humorous or just a little bit crazy.

One of my favorite moments is when Dorothy and Rose are having a pretty serious conversation about how animals are dying as forests are being destroyed.  Dorothy shakes her head and says "It's a shame."  Rose replies, "You know what's a real shame?  When you sit down and your thighs squish out to twice their size.  Now that's a shame".  I agree, Rose.  I agree.

Happy Friday!

My Top 10 Favorite Movies

I love movies. They make me happy and help me escape when I need it the most. Here are my top 10 (for now):

10.The Celestine Prophecy (w/ Matthew Settle & Sarah Wayne Callies)
9.  The Burbs (w/ Tom Hanks & Carrie Fisher)
8.  Elizabethtown (w/ Orlando Bloom & Kirsten Dunst)
7.  Jake's Corner (w/ Richard Tyson & Colton Rodgers)
6.  Say Anything (w/ John Cusack & Ione Skye)
5.  Tremors (w/ Kevin Bacon & Fred Ward)
4.  It's a Wonderful Life (w/ Donna Reed & James Stewart)
3.  Gone Fishin' (w/ Danny Glover & Joe Pesci)
2.  Manhattan Murder Mystery (w/ Woody Allen & Diane Keaton)
1.  Rear Window (w/ Grace Kelly & James Stewart)

I love all kinds of movies.  I love Hitchcock and Woody Allen.  I recently watched Donnie Darko for the second time and it just blows my mind as does David Lynch's Mullholland Drive.  Cafe with Jennifer Love is a beautiful movie.  I love anything with John Cusack and Molly Ringwald.  I've seen all of the Mummy, Indiana Jones & National Treasure movies - I love adventure films.  One of the newest movies out that I feel is amazing is Lawless with Tom Hardy.  I love his character, Forest. 

A Tequila Day

I don't know what kind of day you've had but my day was definitely a tequila day.  What's a tequila day you might ask?  It's a day that pretty much requires a shot of tequila in the evening.  I had mine with high-pulp orange juice (vitamin C) and it was wonderful.  I love simple indulgences.

You know you've had a tequila day when:

• You walk into a room for something and forget what it was.
• You're driving home from a meeting and realize you took a wrong turn after 15 minutes of going in the opposite direction.
• You ask your supervisor for direction regarding an adolescent who made a shank with the intention of stabbing a peer at school.
• You spend almost your entire day working on reports that determine if you'll receive funding next year.
• You go for a walk on the beach with your husband and realize you are still wearing heels.
• You remember that you haven't looked at your "to do" list in over a week.
• You can see that the kitchen needs cleaned but know, deep down inside, that it will not happen.

Have you ever had a tequila day?

Funny Story Monday: Talking with a Child

I'd like to share one of my favorite memories of a conversation I had with a child.  I was talking to a 3rd grade boy about how he was getting along with his older sister who was pregnant and living with him.  This was our conversation:

Me:  So, how are things going with your sister living with you?

Boy:  Not good.

Me:  No?  How come?

Boy:  (with a very intense look) Because she's a bitch.

Me:  Ah, you're not supposed to say that.

Boy:  Well, it's true.

Me:  (trying not to laugh) Oh, boy.

Boy:  Please don't ever get pregnant.

Me:  Why?

Boy:  Because your husband will end up hating you.

Did I mention that we were sitting in a school library while we were having this conversation?   This kid is amazing.  If he was older, we'd be really good friends.  He made me laugh and see the world from a different perspective.  He is honest and real and a person I truly admire.

My Path in the A to Z Challenge

I've joined the 2013 A to Z Challenge and this will be my second year (click on the link for more information).  When I finished last year, I told myself that I would not be doing it again.  It was hard and I was exhausted by the end.  It took me more than a month to recuperate and start writing again.

But, here I am starting this year's challenge.  My purpose for participating this year is to motivate myself to more actively pursue my art.  I had never considered myself a writer or photographer - they were simply hobbies.  My professional career is intense and stressful and it can easily consume me if I allow it.  It's difficult for me to make time to write and work on my photography.  I have really been trying, though.  I'm taking both my writing and photography to a new level, I'm working on a variety of projects and I am totally excited about this opportunity.  The A to Z Challenge is perfect for helping me stay focused as I move forward as a writer and photographer.

This year, I went about the Challenge in a completely different way.  I am beginning by taking and editing photographs.  When I create a final version, I change the format so that the photograph will actually upload to Blogger and then insert it into a blank post.  Then, I just start writing while using the photograph as my inspiration.  I take the theme that emerged, title my post and then schedule it to publish on the appropriate day. 

When I create my photographs and begin writing, I have no idea what letter of the alphabet I am writing for.  It's just sort of happening for many of the posts.  I only have a few completed and I'm sure they may not all be this easy but so far, it has been a wonderful way to work fluidly and be in the moment.  This is really working for me and I'm finding that I'm enjoying creating my posts a lot more than I did last year.  I've discovered this to be one of the nice things about participating in the Challenge again - I'm learning about myself throughout the process.

Funny Story Monday: Strong Women

My grandma was such an amazing woman.  Her name was Dessie and I miss her so much.  She was quiet, funny, loving, kind and she made the most awesome cookies in the world.  In a nutshell:  she was the best grandma ever.

Dessie always cooked for others, waited on others, served others.  She never let a dish go unwashed or a family member go without dessert.  She fed us and fed us and fed us.

One family dinner, after everyone finished eating, I began clearing the table while my mom and grandma were in the kitchen doing the dishes.  Dessert was ready but everyone was full and moving on to different activities.  My grandpa was still at the table and, in his not-so-subtle way, said, "Geez, I sure would like a piece of pie."  My grandma turned from the kitchen, walked over to him and replied, "Well, get up and get it yourself". 

Everyone busted out laughing.  Dessie just responded in her sweet way, "Well."  I kept thinking that at some point in a woman's life, she just doesn't feel like serving pie any more. 

Forgotten Simple Experiences

Today was a day of relaxation and chilling out.  I had totally forgotten how awesome the following experiences are:

1. Taking an afternoon nap.  I slept for about two hours under the covers, in my clothes with the cold wind blowing through my bedroom window.  It was a wonderful nap full of vivid dreams and gratefulness for actually being able to fall asleep during the day.
2. Eating breakfast without caring about the nutritional content.  My husband and I went out to a local cafe for breakfast and I ordered a side of sausage gravy for my biscuit.  It was awesome.  Really, really awesome.
3. Losing myself in a movie I really love.  I bought Breaking Dawn Part 2 today and watched the movie as well as the documentary about the making of the movie.  I might have to watch them again tomorrow.  I lose myself in these stories.  Three hours feels like 15 minutes.  I love losing track of time when savoring something very enjoyable.
4. Eating a no pressure dinner.  I made baked sweet potatoes, steamed green beans, salad and fish for dinner.  I just let everything sit on the counter and we ate when we were hungry.  Not at the same time, just on our own while my husband and I did our own thing.

Next on the list is putting the computers away, turning off the Internet, watching a ghost movie and indulging in a Carmelo bar and a glass of Cabernet.  Don't you love rediscovering simple experiences?