End of the Year 2009

Today was the first time I marked the end of the year with a funeral. We said our goodbyes to my Uncle Doug. He was 70 and had been suffering from Parkinsons. My cousin (his son) delivered a wonderful and light hearted ulogy. He recalled some of the funny and poigniat moments with his dad and the family. As a baseball coach and other wise. While the end is always a reminder of how much the loved one will be missed it's always a reminder of how much they meant to those of us still left behind.
After the holidays have passed and the "giving" spirit is reset with a new year. We need to remember how important it is that our loved ones know how much we love them. Our friends know how much we value them and how much our cause, what ever it may be is worthwhile to us. Live a good life, Laugh a good laugh and be the best you that you can.
I believe in the next year I hope there to be less of me in weight and more of me in heart.

Christmas is Coming!

Christmas is coming, ready or not. Ready? Define READY. I remember my grandma making it look so easy. Effortless finder of a genuine gift, chef of a grand meal and decorator extrordinaire. Never broke a sweat (or at least never showed it) and kept on going. I sort of miss those days of arriving to a warm wonderfully scented house, not really being aware of what efforts went into this magical evening but soaking up every minute of great memories. I still look forward to the big day but not without "feeling" it until then.
I guess it's just a challenge and getting to it and through it is the reward.
Maybe if my lack of sleep would resolve itself I might be able to absorb more of the positive...

Snow!

The forecast keeps changing but the good news is the number keeps going up so bring onthe snow! I love this time of year. I could stand to hibernate for the whole winter but it's tough to Christmas shop :-) Snow days are good days!

This TIme of Year

I have a LOVE HATE relationship with this time of year. Love the decor, the festivities, the gatherings and sights and sounds. At the same time the unreasonable expectations you place on yourself pysically, emotionally and financially are a bit of a large trade off. My daughter was born in December :-) My grandmother died in December :(
But then again you have to experience the bad to know how good the good is! In any case I guess I just look forward to the season but colapse with exhaustion once it's over!

Cowgirl Getaway!

Okay, I found this today and now I'm in the midst of rounding up friends to go with me! This looks like so much fun! Although we may have to turn off the cells, leave the laptops at home and find something to actually talk about. This Cowgirl Weekend would be a blast. I have a little less than a year to prepare but I think I will make this one happen! The only problem is... I may decide to stay :-)

First Snow

Okay, I don't know if I would consider it a real snow but white and slushy stuff did fall from the sky today. It didn't stick around too long but it was enough to kinda remind you winter is still going to show up despite the oddly warm temps we've had. I'm kind of looking forward to it. I'm guessing we're in for a snowy one, if this spring and summer were any indication in precipitation.

Another discovery

Wow what a week this has been so far! I drove 3/4 across Kansas to Oakley. In the dark and rain. Got up the next morning well before the sun to get to my destination for photos at sunrise. Unfortunately the danged clouds had other plans. We had a peek of sun and then in a matter of a few minutes the entire sky was blanketed.
But not before we grabbed some images of another one of those little surprises in the middle of very little in the South West corner of Kansas. You drive down a two lane highway to a sign and turn off onto a dirt road that still looks like it leads to nowhere. Continue driving until you find a T in the road and a little sign that points to the right for Monument Rock. Still...are you sure? Just a bit further on a gravel road you turn the curve and whhhoooa. These gigantic rock formations, almost Kansas' version of Stonehenge like figures. You get out of the car and the quiet is overwhelming a little. But then, the awe inspiring scenery is causing you to run around like a school kid and wonder how they heck this happened here? What caused it? How cool is this?! Cool enough that the iPhone worked out there so I could share before I even pulled the pics off my Canon.
I'm amazed that a person can live in the same state her entire life and and not know how MUCH it has to offer. Once again, the grass is always greener right? Uh no. The grass is greenest right at your feet. You just have to open your eyes and step outside your own yard! :-)

The wonder of it all

Today I drove across most of Kansas and on a fantastic day of weather no less. I wanted to stop at almost every mile marker and photograph the scenery. They may not have gone over too well with others on I-70 :-)

I didn't really get the beauty of Kansas when I was a child, but I sure do now! There's an unexplainable peace that falls over me when I drive through the Flint Hills! I could get lost out there and I don't think I would mind.

I recently had the opportunity to visit Lake Tahoe. What a beautiful place to visit. It was gorgeous but I still longed for home. Of course had my family been with me I may have enjoyed it more. Whenever I visit cool new and interesting places and my family isn't with me, I don't seem to enjoy it as much. I think the sharing of that cool experience with others is half the fun!