summer: joy

I don't know of anything that looks like a happy summer afternoon than this photo of our dear friend Otto and Noni!
Do you remember what it felt like to feel that free?
To fly on a swing?
To have no worries?
No responsibilities?
The sun felt so good on our shoulders and the breeze felt so tickly in our cheeks and someone else was making dinner adn watching the clock and worrying about bath time and bed time and homework and the price of gas and... Do you remember those days?

Well, I challenge you to find time in your day today to feel those things again.
To feel life so deeply that you forget to worry about the things of this world and you drench yourself in the beauty and freedom of life!

Celebrate you.

Swing as high as you can.
Laugh as loudly as you dare!
Say "yes" every time you really want to say "no."

I dare you!

mad, mad, mad

So, I had a lovely post to share with you all this morning, but I am just to damned pissed off to share something lovely and sentimental!

I woke up as the sun rose this morning. I put on my flip flops and headed downstairs to let the dog out. I noticed our gate was wide open - we have a dog. A big dog. We are religious about keeping our gate closed, and there it was in the twinkling morning light - wide open! I took a quick look around.

SOMEONE STOLE OUR STROLLER!

OK, It's just a stroller. I know that. It could have been worse. They could have taken all three bikes, the Razor scooter, the funky skateboard... They could have broken into our home and taken things, or worse...

Actually, this feels pretty rotten. I folded the stroller - the lovely stroller that had been shared with me by my sister-in-law and my brother - and I set it against the side of the house. Behind the front shrub. Where it can't be seen from the street.

I AM REALLY PISSED OFF!

I walk everyday with Yaya in that stroller. We go to the grocery store and run all sorts of errands and walk Noni to school and walk and walk and walk. And now I feel crippled. And pissed off. Did I mention that?

And the really sucky thing? We can't afford to replace this lovely $300 dollar stroller until JULY!

SHIT! POOP! DAMN!

I hope that whoever took our lovely stroller gets a lot of use out of it. And if they try to sell it, I hope that they don't make anything for it!

STUPID DUMBHEAD STROLLER THIEF!

catching up...

Since I've last posted, a lot has happened.
My oldest child has turned 9! We've celebrated. A lot. In fact, we'll be celebrating through the end of the month. Now, tell me, who wouldn't want a whole month of birthday celebrations?!

This is our beloved Auntie Tata with Via and Yaya. Auntie Tata is Via's godmother. Perhaps the best adult in her whole life. Auntie Tata loves and cherishes Via in a way that only a godmother can, showering her with all sorts of crazy attention!

We went to share a pizza at Galactic Pizza in Uptown. It was a wonderful day. We sat outside in the sunshine and were treated to a "show" by Tata, Noni and Yaya. The sun certainly cooperated by acting the part of the spot light! Everyone shared a laugh together - it was fun.

Oma and Papa were there, too.

Noni wore her hat and an outfit that truly suits her personality. I think that she would be right at home in the 70's LA hippy culture - surfin' and groovin' and lovin' everyone...
We had a fabulous time!
I will write more about our month when I return. Hopefully, tomorrow.

heart of the beast

I told my family, as they frantically raced like squirrels searching for an available viewing spot amidst the sea of tatooed and pierced and sweaty men, braless and pierced and sweaty women, and sticky-fingered long-haired children, that the day was not about the "getting there." It was about the "being there."

It is not about the getting there.

It is about the being there.

And being there was glorious!

I am trying to embrace my life for what it is, not for what I want it to be! I'm trying to "be there" for every moment of my life.

On this particular day, "there" was the Mayday Parade hosted by The Heart of the Beast Puppet Theater

I want to live in a world that everyone sees the value of life and peace and joy and humanity, and sings it's praises in such a glorious way as the HOTB!