More Discoveries

I recently had the opportunity to see some of what might say, my own backyard, and had my eyes opened. I know Kansas has a lot of hidden beauty but I'm constantly reminded of that each time I set out to take pics. This recent run was in the Geary County area.
My adventures in the Flint Hills

I recently had the wonderful opportunity to visit the Boca Raton area in Florida. I took a photo trek to a wetlands area. Wow! That's all I can say!
Florida

Time escapes

Wow to say I have not been an attentive blogger would be an understatement. Although, I think really I'm only blogging for myself anyway. I'm sitting in the customer lounge of a car dealership while by brother who is a tech at said dealership is changing my oil. I always feel odd bringing my Ford to a Chevy dealer for service, but the bro is a Ford Master Tech so what do ya do? This is also of course another fantastic opportunity to people watch. One of my favorite pasttimes.
And it just happens that the bro brings me his laptop to play on while I wait. What more could one ask for?
I didn't make a new years resolution because I need to make life changes not just an empty promise at the beginning of the year. I've been seriously focused on working out and making it part of my routine. Also, participating in things in which I am interested. I learned how to weld. I don't think I will make that a career but now I know how!
Shortly before Christmas my step-dad bought me a pistol. I have run about 600 rounds through it so far and if I do say so myself am not a bad shot. I will be taking the conceal Carry class this Saturday. Looking forward to it. Learning new things keeps your mind going. Especially if you have a creative one.
Goals:
Learn more
Weigh less
Have a few ideas about business possibilities too!

Here's to a kick start!

Smartphone and Dating Platforms

In a wildly random moment today it crossed my mind how certain platform smartphones might possibly be connected with dating styles. Random I know, but hang with me.


An iPhone is more like an on-line dating service. If you're looking for something with very specific ideas in mind and don't think you'd want to entertain thoughts of anything outside that "must have" list then perhaps you are an iPhone/on-line dating sort of person. You can only get the info that is very highly screened and rated personally for you and your requests or what you think should be your requests through a very specific channel. There is always you may end up dating someone too much like yourself and who knows how that might work out. But no need to worry, in six months your choice will have cooler looking clothes and new abilities.
On the other hand, an Android is more like the blind date sort of thing. Let someone fix you up with a person they think would be a good match for you. Afterall, who knows you better?! Of course this comes with a certain level of mystery. As with the Android you hear about cool apps from your better known geek sources and quicklydownload it. Quickly you realize you have become an Angry Birds Addict and are on the waiting list for the "not-so-celebrity" rehab. On the other hand your blind date could end up being the awkward person from high school who went on to study in an Ivy league school and dabbled in the swimsuit modeling biz for a while and is looking to settle down and just make their soulmate happy now. Again in six months (or less) this too could have cooler looking clothes and new abilities.



I'm not saying this applies to everyone but there are some similarities don't you think?

Although, the option to upgrade for the one could be costly.

Seeing it through

Have you ever been in a situation you feel a great need to escape from, but are torn because you have pieces of it that you'd like to see through. But the situation surrounding that makes it nearly impossible to function? I know, I'm taking in circles. But that's where I feel like I am in this situation. Chasing my tail. Once in a while I bite myself in the ass!
I'm not a quitter, I like to carry it through, but the because you recognize something to be insurmountable doesn't mean you're a quitter, just observant! Right?

What now?

As I listen half-heartedly to the State of the Union address I have to say I'm listening with an anxious heart. My faith in a certain field of work has been tested in recent days and my thoughts of that arena have only been confirmed.

Some Days

Some days rev your engines, other days siphon your tank. Since I don't like to run idle I guess I either go all out or park it in the driveway. A little idle running is good for anyone but it makes me uncomfortable.

Expectations

Almost everything--all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure--these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.


Steve Jobs (1955 - )

Define Vacation

This question came up today and I'm curious what the answer to you might be?
What is a vacation to you?
Is it just getting away from your home turf? Or is it something exotic and resort like? For so many in my family a vacation was a weekend away from home turf. Often when accompanying another family member on a trip for work. But once in a while my Aunt and Uncle would take me along on their family vacation (by my definition) and those are certainly memorable to me. I think maybe a vacation could be qualified by the memory you make?
We've gone places for competitive purposes such as dance or football and those are some great memories in mine and my kids minds. So in a way that was a vacation because it was not our normal routine. They call it spring vacation or break, holiday vacation or break from school. Summer vacation...
So what does vacation mean to you?

The Fray

As I watch my newly turned teenage daughter ride that roller coaster called adolescence I can vaguely remember being in that stage. It's an evil time of life. Everything anyone says or does to, at or near you has an impact. Depending on the situation too, you are really only capable of being over the top excited or so down that you can barely bring yourself to hold your head up. It's a good thing hoodies are in fashion right now or my daughter wouldn't have anything to hold her bottom lip up when she's in "blue" phase.
Your emotions are right at the edge of that ratty sleeved shirt (which you begged your parents to by that way but when they said "no" you called grandma). As if someone were to pull one string on that tattered edge you would just fall apart. Or if you're in "spastic sunshine" mode, it would send you off into a trail of giggledom that would cause otherwise normal folks to stare and shake their heads.
I feel sympathy, empathy, apathy or any other athy's that apply here for her. But I also know that those feelings become somewhat jaded as an adult and your super passion for life in general can get weighed down by the boring adult stuff. So while I know sometimes she feels pain in her heart and her mind, it's good to feel it all. With grand euphoria comes those lowly dips as well. But you would not know what it means to feel good if you never hurt, need if you never lost or to respect if you were never acknowledged.
I know your heart may ache at times but when you find the key that truly belongs the dips are only wrinkles.

Never Understimate the Power of...

The impact of doing something small and the right time over something large at another
or something for someone that may not be convenient for you but make a big difference to another.

Observation-technology & communication

Recently my family took a long weekend and took in a few baseball games and other activities. Oddly one of the most humorous things I noticed was the change in what the kids priorities were.
I remember taking extended vacations with my aunt and uncle and two cousins. We couldn't wait to get to the hotel and it seemed to take even longer because my aunt and uncle loved the scenic route to everything! But once we arrived we took enough time to squeeze our suitcases in the door, rip open our bags and grab our swim suits. Had to hit the pool! Had to be ready for the pool before my aunt and uncle got too settled into something else.
Flash forward, we've been at a ballgame and it's late into the evening and we've squeezed in the door of our hotel room. The kids have mentioned swimming but not 30 seconds after we're in the door, all four of us are walking around with a cell phone in one hand and the charger in the other as if our lives depended on finding a power source. As we all vie for a plug-in and you know how there's never enough in a hotel room...
I had to chuckle to myself.
We took a little weekend trip to have some family time and communicate at a different level but it was almost as if we didn't charge that cell phone we wouldn't be able to speak.
I know cell phones are a communication vehicle but I also wonder if they aren't the roadblock to communication too. We text instead of converse therefore losing some of the emotion involved. It's hard to get a read on someones "lol" if you can't hear it in their voice.
I often wonder what sort of communicators we will be in the future? We don't let the media deliver a broad brush of subjects, we like to narrow our "search" for items of interest. Will that make us too narrow minded and too narrow knowledgeable? Will we only learn more about the things that intrigue us but then maybe we would be missing something else that would interest us because we never knew about it or further investigated?
Will manners become a thing of the past because the world we know comes from a screen instead of human interaction?

Moving On

This last weekend marked the first time we have ever moved as a family unit. We bought a house that suits our needs much more. With all the things you have to do to a house in order to put it on the market, it realy felt like we had already moved out. But to a 10x15 storage unit.
That house was good to us. We brought both our kids home from the hospital to it. Many, many birthday parties, family gatherings and Christmas celebrations. We have a few random items we still need to move out and then we close on it the 29th. It will be bittersweet but we love the new house and can already feel it love us back.

Serenity in the Flint Hills

I discovered a lovely little nugget in the Flint Hills of Kansas this week... Cottonwood Falls.
It's a serene setting, perfect for quiet reflection and full of treasures waiting to be framed in your lens and captured for future stories.

The Courthouse is perched high upon the hill as if to be the sentenal standing watch down the main street. The Chase County Courthouse is the oldest operating courthouse in Kansas. To the credit of that county and community they show their great pride in the building as you will clearly see upon entering. Aligning the great historic presence with the needs of a modern day functioning courthouse would certainly be a trick, but one they have meshed well.

The beautiful staircase you see in the entrance climbs with an irregular curve and I would imagine a carpenters nightmare. The modern day elevator is nicely accessible but not obvious.

The jail area is uncomfortable as it should be and almost gives you the chills with the thoughts of criminals past. Their hashmarks scratched into the cell gates, bars and walls start the imagination. 

As you meander down the street still paved of brick you can stop in at Jim Bell and Son to don your cowboy gear before walking to the now footbridge, at the end of the street to see the beautiful falls lined with fallen timbers that seem to have been preserved to enhance your viewing pleasure.

As you turn back south you can enjoy a fantastic meal and retire to your room in the Grand Central Hotel. The authenticity of the decor (but not over the top) and the treat for your tastebuds the cuisine provides will round out  your experience.

The Tallgrass Prairie Preserve is nearby and could requires a days worth of attention with your camera.

The signs are everywhere!

I just drove by one of our community ball diamonds where they're dragging the dirt infield. Another great sign that spring is almost really here. Like the crocus bulbs sending up their green foliage through the brown leaves of fall past, the baseballs flying in and out of kids well worn leather, best gloves, it's a sign of the rebirth of all things living. People come out of their houses and their cocoons of winter outer wear and the smiles are more abundant. Right now mother nature teases with an off and on day of sunshine but we know what's under that gray wrapping paper. Green grass, brightly colored flowers and sparkles in the eyes of those cabin fevered humans. Bring it on!

Seeing the light!

For the past 3 months we've been making the efforts sometimes tiring and frustrating effort to get our house ready to go up for sale. As we've been making those little completions we just never got to, or polishe dup something we just never bothered, my husband and I both made the comment that it's funny how we never felt compelled enough to do this while actually living here but now we do for someone else?
As much as that may be true I think it also speaks to the fact that we couldn't see the forrest for the trees because so much stuff had piled up! We were like rolling stones with a ridiculous magnetic force to attract all things needed or not. Now we aren't crazy collectors or hoarders of any kind but things just add up!
Once we decluttered and scaled down it was almost as if you could see the whole family stand a little taller. I've actually walked into our backroom without that dreaded reminder of so many things left undone. I'm ready for us to get our first home together sold and move on to new memories and dreams. I hope that we have infused alot of good energy into this house and it will reflect to the right buyer and we will be on our merry way! The next house...we will finsih projects and keep up. It just snowballs if you don't and then even being there is painful. No reason to save the special dishes for a special day. You're special and everyday you have on this planet is a special opportunity!

You don't know what you don't know

Over the past few weeks I've experienced a wide variety of examples...
When you go to a "show" whether it be a show full of exhibitors for women, gardening or fishing do you not go one, for the free stuff and two, to learn more or discover something new? So when you meander past booth after booth, you are immediately stopped by free stuff right? And then next by noticing something that surprises or intrigues you if not something that is already familiar to you. So if you are the exhibitor and your product is still in the widely unknown column, handing an interested party something on your product should probably be accompanied by the "oh and we have this too" information as well? If they don't know what you have, who you are or even have maybe a stereotypical take on your product, don't you want to give them all that you have to show them who you really are? Just because they're at a fishing show doesn't mean they don't also like to go to concerts, eat or other activities. But if they don't know you have those opportunities they can't ask you for more information.
Rules for "shows"
Don't be stingy with your stuff, free or otherwise, do be enthusiastic, don't be timid, do make eye contact and greet as many as are willing to allow, do share your excitement.
Think about what you would expect from anyone in the customer service. Would you bank with a banker who didn't look you in the eye? Would you tip a waitress who chose to read a newspaper instead of refilling your water? It surprises me how some exhibitors judge their success on a show by how many walked by their booth and not on how many they may have actually reached by making new connections and sharing your enthusiasm for your product. Throwing a big picture up in the background and setting up a table does not entitle you to my attention.

Please let the sun shine soon

I truly think the lack of sunlight our area has experienced is starting to take it's toll on the minds of everyone around me and me! It's almost as if the life has been sucked right out of us. It's toughter to get out of bed and then it's tougher to keep going through the day and when you get home you really just want to collapse. I'm not sure how folks in areas like Alaska survive with limited sunlight inthe winter. While I can appreciate having 4 seasons here, I would really like to move on to the next!

It's Official

Ladies and gentleman, sedate yourselves. You are officially at the beginning of that journey called teenager-dom. Gawd save ya! Our daughter has always been that little blond haired princess that makes it really easy to be a proud parent. Honor roll from the time she could get grades, helpful, looks people in the eye and carries on conversations with adults fromthe moment she could form words. Tonight we did the parent teacher conference thing. I will admit I tend to go to hers with a bit of expectation, "she's a good student, great leader, yada yada" but this time there was a "but" and it came at us like a sucker punch. Granted, it really wasn't something of great consequence, but the princess dropped her tiara.
After I could gather my thoughts tonight I started thinking about my time that was her time now. I remembered. Boys were quite the subject. Girls were flexing their flirty muscle with the boys with one eye and tearing each other up with the other one. Even the negative attention from the boys...shoving, play punches etc would get your blood movin. I had a thing in middle school for a guy a grade ahead of me. He was nothing but trouble and I knew that. Part of the reason I found him so hot! We all have to have our bad boys and the princess has found hers. So I explained to her that I get it. I do. But what I didn't get back then was that all those things you're willing to put up with for attention aren't worth your time. What you can do for yourself and your future is live in those little moments but don't ever jeopardize your future and your integrity for a boy. She set the bar high for herself by showing me she was an A student and a leader. I explained that I jsut want her to live up to her potential that she's already displayed. I think she gets it. I don't know how longit will stick but I think she gets it. I hope she gets it before I finally got it!

Groundhog Schmoundhog

Okay, so maybe that's not a word but I would have to say the overall mood about this season of winter is less than stellar right now. It seems the extra cold, grey skies are not helping even the perkiest of personalities right now. I'm tempted to find one of those sunshine lamps... Bring on the sun and the warm air.
I've often thought I would like to eventually live in Colorado. My husband was giving me a hard time about that fact as I was complaining about the possibility of more snow. But in Colorado there are fun things to do with the snow! Here, it's just mostly a pain in the butt!