FulOfLyfe

remembered

speaking of goodbyes...my heart is heavy when i think of the loss of this one too. it's been a year. what do we take forward? what do we hold on to of that beautiful heart?
frankly, as much as possible.

"You know, as we come to the end of this phase of our life, we find ourselves trying to remember the good times and trying to forget the bad times, and we find ourselves thinking about the future. We start to worry, thinking, ‘What am I gonna do? Where am I gonna be in ten years?’ But I say to you, ‘Hey, look at me!’ Please, don’t worry so much. Because in the end, none of us have very long on this Earth. Life is fleeting. And if you’re ever distressed, cast your eyes to the summer sky when the stars are strung across the velvety night. And when a shooting star streaks through the blackness, turning night into day… make a wish and think of me. Make your life spectacular. I know I did.” — as Jack Powell
“To live would be an awfully big adventure.” — as Peter
“Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.” — as John Keating
“What some folks call impossible, is just stuff they haven’t seen before.” — as Chris Nielsen

Tribute to Robin Williams

no goodbyes

after nearly 2 decades, i formally stepped down from committee work with my local homeschool group. i can't imagine our lives without this group, so it was with a heavy heart that i must let it go. but i refuse to call it a goodbye, so the ladies called it "see you soon" instead. i'll still be connected in other ways.
i've never had my name on a restaurant menu before this night. what a lovely evening.

one for the queen

friend m needed a new car to replace her totalled miata of 10 years. we narrowed it down to 2 different brands, two different dealerships. the dealership with the best service, best price, best features, and best car won. service and integrity are *not* universal. she deserves every ounce of fun. woo hoo :)

hello again old friend

spent some time with this old friend.

she helped in just the right way.

west coast sunset

sun sets over the pacific. waiting for boys while they attend a concert. truly, nature provided a spectacular waiting room.

20

the night before her birthday, she came home to sparkly things.

she likes sparkly things. :)

in the morning, it started to look more like this

after picking up the lunch supplies and cake, i started to unload the dishwasher. that's when this happened after i dropped a plate on my foot and it shattered. husband says the quote of the day was,

"is that my bone?"

it was not my bone but my tendons that i saw through a very clean cut. this led to a trip to the ER since the minor injury clinic will only see you if you have an appointment. i guess you're supposed to know when you're going to have an injury?

just two stitches. and quite a bit of laughing. what else can one do? the doc and nurse were both very pleasant.

then we hit the reset button on missie lou's birthday.

you only turn 20 once!

lion king :)

forgot to take pictures with boyfriend. he gifted her with a gopro. woot woot!

love my girl to the moon and back. so does her daddy.

new fellowship

bocce, dinner, good times.

a fully enjoyable evening was spent with boyfriend's parents & brother. they are awesome, fun, and generous. missy lou goes to hawa** with them in just a few short weeks. so lucky!

great night. great family.

thin blue line

and on a subsequent friday, we said goodbye to another great american, sgt. sc***.
the service lasted 3 hours - the longest single service i've ever attended. his daughters were steadfast and brave, speaking to thousands of listeners with strength and poise. co-workers, our representative sw*lw*ll, parishioners, singers, his chief, video. this man of god was well represented and revered.

the news covered it well, from the procession to the arena, to his hometown. the motorcade lasted 4 minutes in passing. the number of people standing at the side of the roads and on freeway overpasses, holding signs, waving flags, moves me.

the highlight truly, was our last two minutes on property, when a sp*cial olymp*cs athlete spotted husband in the crowd and made a bee-line to him, crying, and hugging him while he crouched to reach her diminutive size.

there is still beauty, truth and peace in the world. i know this to be true.

del

we said goodbye to a great american on friday. he was honored at the national cemetery, which is not considered merely a cemetery there, but a shrine to those who have given all through service and dedication to cause. sarah proved to be a warrior for her dad, a fierce advocate who, as her dad taught her, to fight the good fight and never give up the faith. he would have been pleased with it all. we will remember del's fire and also his hugs. he will be missed.

17

...and...they're off for a day of rafting / tubing at a local lake. i love 17 year olds. :)

yoyo

he struggles with his back legs. it is an unknown how much longer we have with him. but his mind is still sharp as a tack. he is a tremendous amount of work. he does not willingly leave my side.
and i am smitten.

packaged

pretty package. uncomplicated. lovely. thoughtful. and good.
like the person to whom it was intended.

coastal treasure

friend D is an amazingly gracious soul, who loves to find reason to celebrate. for my college graduation, she suggested we go away, under the condition that i choose the location. so after some thought, i chose the pelican *nn, just up the road from muir beach.

in about an hour's time we stepped back 400 years.

truly, i geeked out on the authentic 16th century british styling. rough hewn exposed beams. worn wooden plank floors. plaster. forged iron. candles. mortise and tenon, trestle tables, tester beds, fabric, leaded and mullion screenless windows, stone tiles,

brick floors, imported rugs, latch doors, private staircases, no plumb walls.

i loved it, and i feel so lucky to have been so gifted.

private entrance away from the public house:

simple accommodations

diminutive doorways for the elizabethan patron :)

private space for overnight guests only. the "snuggery".

pub

(not pictured: small carved bar back from 1670)

dining room bench seats - the design that inspired my own kitchen pew bench. all of the wood, iron, furniture, horse tack, etc., was brought back from lakers.