Day 15: Something or someone you couldn’t live without, because you’ve tried living without it.
My guess would be the internets. Can’t say I’ve tried going without it, but when our servers are down at the office I have no clue how to get anything done. I literally sit at my desk and think wow, people used to type memos...print them...and then {hand} deliver to an actual inbox that sat on a person's desk. Whoa!
It’s how I communicate, get news, shop, bank…need I continue?
1.25.2011
1.24.2011
[14] the thing about heroes...
Day 14: A hero that has let you down.
I don’t have heroes. There are people that I admire, but I really don’t put anyone on a pedestal. I guess that probably came from growing up in church. In my mind pastors were on a pedestal, until I realized a few of them didn’t belong within 1,000-feet of that pedestal. Pastors are human...I am human. We all make mistakes.
Instead my admiration goes to the people that made a difference and paved the way for the future generations. It’s the Alice Paul’s and Billy Jean King’s of the world. Or those take something mundane and spin it into something that has never been seen like the Z-boys or Salvador Dali. Or those incredibly creative minds that envision the world in a completely odd and fascinating way like Roald Dahl or Tim Burton.
I don’t have heroes. There are people that I admire, but I really don’t put anyone on a pedestal. I guess that probably came from growing up in church. In my mind pastors were on a pedestal, until I realized a few of them didn’t belong within 1,000-feet of that pedestal. Pastors are human...I am human. We all make mistakes.
Instead my admiration goes to the people that made a difference and paved the way for the future generations. It’s the Alice Paul’s and Billy Jean King’s of the world. Or those take something mundane and spin it into something that has never been seen like the Z-boys or Salvador Dali. Or those incredibly creative minds that envision the world in a completely odd and fascinating way like Roald Dahl or Tim Burton.
1.14.2011
[13] the songs without the dance...
Day 13: A band or artist that has gotten you through some tough days.
I have very specific songs. A few years ago it was Frou Frou’s – Let Go. I would get in my car and just drive with that song playing on repeat. And most recently The Beatles – Let It Be. Sense a theme?
The only difference between the two is that Let It Be seems to find me. When I pray and seek direction, I'll hear it in the car on a random radio station I rarely listen -or- the soundtrack to a movie -or- most recently I flipped to the Kennedy Center Honors for Paul McCartney right as (shut-up) Mavis Staple started singing. Correction: I believe what she did is called 'sangin'.
A little Beatles trivia: This song came from a dream that Paul McCartney had around the time the Beatles were about to break up. In the dream, his mother {Mary} who died when he was a teenager came to him and said, "let it be."
With everything that went on around the holidays, I needed that reminder. I believe we all get to a place where we stress and mull and think and over think and rethink. Then we reach the edge of the cliff, and it's fall 834.7 feet or slow down and find another way across. And usually it's the long walk back down the mountain that we find the answers. Damn those mountains.
I have very specific songs. A few years ago it was Frou Frou’s – Let Go. I would get in my car and just drive with that song playing on repeat. And most recently The Beatles – Let It Be. Sense a theme?
The only difference between the two is that Let It Be seems to find me. When I pray and seek direction, I'll hear it in the car on a random radio station I rarely listen -or- the soundtrack to a movie -or- most recently I flipped to the Kennedy Center Honors for Paul McCartney right as (shut-up) Mavis Staple started singing. Correction: I believe what she did is called 'sangin'.
A little Beatles trivia: This song came from a dream that Paul McCartney had around the time the Beatles were about to break up. In the dream, his mother {Mary} who died when he was a teenager came to him and said, "let it be."
With everything that went on around the holidays, I needed that reminder. I believe we all get to a place where we stress and mull and think and over think and rethink. Then we reach the edge of the cliff, and it's fall 834.7 feet or slow down and find another way across. And usually it's the long walk back down the mountain that we find the answers. Damn those mountains.
1.13.2011
The one where the week disappears...
Today was the first day I managed to get out of the house
...in F-O-U-R days!
It's still icy in some spots, but I managed.
F-O-U-R days ago this was a welcome sight...
By the next morning, the bowl was covered. Eight inches of snow bliss.
Until this started to happen...
Eight inches of uh-oh!
After day-1 the fun was gone. The snow had compacted into ice.
And my clumsy self was stuck inside for fear of obtaining a stair-shaped bruise.
And that is when the nature photography begun.
Red Stuff
Action Shots
And funny stuff...
And finally today there was a BLUE sky!
And sun!
We can finally get out of our neighborhood.
After nearly a week, life returns to normal tomorrow.
I may be a little bit sad.
12.29.2010
[11] & [12] complimentary twofer...
Day 11: Something people seem to compliment you on the most.
My eyes. Really I can’t say I’ve ever walked by a stranger and complimented their eyes, but that is what happens…so my eyes must be abnormal. Growing up I remember people debating my eye color. Blue. Gray. Green. Hazel. The answer is a little of all the above.
Day 12: Something you never get compliments on.
See day [1], le man feet.
My eyes. Really I can’t say I’ve ever walked by a stranger and complimented their eyes, but that is what happens…so my eyes must be abnormal. Growing up I remember people debating my eye color. Blue. Gray. Green. Hazel. The answer is a little of all the above.
Day 12: Something you never get compliments on.
See day [1], le man feet.
12.27.2010
[10] letting go and other things...
Day 10: Someone you need to let go, or wish you didn’t know.
Everyone that is a part of my life is there for a reason. Truly I cannot say I have ever wished I didn’t know a person. From my dearest of friends to Sue Silver, they each have their purpose.
Moving on, and completely off subject…
Am I the only one that had a rough Christmas? I don't think I can go public with the exact details, but let's just say a house cannot withstand a cracked foundation. You have two options: fix it or attempt to hide the flaws...but eventually the walls will start to crumble.
For the first time in a l-o-n-g time I was looking forward to Christmas, and then *!WHAM!* And whatever grip I had on "Christmas spirit" was lost in an instant. Last year I remember feeling so guilty for escaping Christmas and opting to travel, but it was the best Christmas the two of us ever had. Just us. And I'm going to stop feeling guilty about that.
Everyone that is a part of my life is there for a reason. Truly I cannot say I have ever wished I didn’t know a person. From my dearest of friends to Sue Silver, they each have their purpose.
Moving on, and completely off subject…
Am I the only one that had a rough Christmas? I don't think I can go public with the exact details, but let's just say a house cannot withstand a cracked foundation. You have two options: fix it or attempt to hide the flaws...but eventually the walls will start to crumble.
For the first time in a l-o-n-g time I was looking forward to Christmas, and then *!WHAM!* And whatever grip I had on "Christmas spirit" was lost in an instant. Last year I remember feeling so guilty for escaping Christmas and opting to travel, but it was the best Christmas the two of us ever had. Just us. And I'm going to stop feeling guilty about that.
12.19.2010
[9] to drift away...
Day 9: Someone you didn’t want to let go, but just drifted.
My childhood best friend, Natalie. The drifting was not natural, but sort of forced by my mother which is why I’ve always felt weird about how things ended.
Looking back it was a pretty superficial relationship, but isn’t that what being a kid is about. Natalie always talked about wanting to be popular kid. A concept that was lost on me…I just wanted to have fun. But whatever, she was my friend. She made me laugh. She had an Atari. She introduced me to NKOTB. She was athletic and coordinated...two talents which I did not nor ever will posses.
My mother blamed Natalie for my bad behavior. She couldn’t see the behavior was due to things going on inside the house and inside myself. Natalie was the one friend I had, and when her family moved to another neighborhood our fate was sealed after I was forbidden to use the phone.
It’s a relationship that would have naturally drifted, but instead of going from friend to friend I had a long period of no friendships. And for better or worse that had a huge impact of the person I was to become. My mother did what she thought was best, but for a long time I was a terribly sad and lonely little girl. And I guess this may seem strange, but when I think back to that little girl I just feel really sorry for her…even though I recognize it’s a part of what made me…I hate that she missed out on the joys of being a kid.
My childhood best friend, Natalie. The drifting was not natural, but sort of forced by my mother which is why I’ve always felt weird about how things ended.
Looking back it was a pretty superficial relationship, but isn’t that what being a kid is about. Natalie always talked about wanting to be popular kid. A concept that was lost on me…I just wanted to have fun. But whatever, she was my friend. She made me laugh. She had an Atari. She introduced me to NKOTB. She was athletic and coordinated...two talents which I did not nor ever will posses.
My mother blamed Natalie for my bad behavior. She couldn’t see the behavior was due to things going on inside the house and inside myself. Natalie was the one friend I had, and when her family moved to another neighborhood our fate was sealed after I was forbidden to use the phone.
It’s a relationship that would have naturally drifted, but instead of going from friend to friend I had a long period of no friendships. And for better or worse that had a huge impact of the person I was to become. My mother did what she thought was best, but for a long time I was a terribly sad and lonely little girl. And I guess this may seem strange, but when I think back to that little girl I just feel really sorry for her…even though I recognize it’s a part of what made me…I hate that she missed out on the joys of being a kid.
12.12.2010
[8] name the devil...
Day 8: Someone who made your life hell, or treated you like poop.
Jane Garitowitz.
Kidding. If you are Jane Garitowitz, sorry for using your name. But I fully believe we make our own lives hell. Sure there are some nasty people that say nasty things, but it’s how we chose to deal with the nasty.
Story time. I remember sitting in high school math class my freshman year and this girl, I’ll call her Sue Silver, started whispering my name and saying nasty things. Up until that day I had never met Sue Silver. I knew her name, but had never spoken to her or of her…ever. And suddenly she’s saying nasty things. So I speak up dumbfounded and ask who she is, trying to point out we don’t know each other.
I couldn’t have even told you who her friends were. (Let’s face it, my world revolved around church. I was not allowed to go to the houses of kids parents my mother didn’t know, so that limited my friends to church.) The nasty continues. Again, dumfounded I tell her I think she has the wrong Heather.
The nasty escalates, and at this point I’m at a complete loss-my patience is thin-and I’ve about had enough. I’m ready to get up and bust some chops…in the middle of math class, so instead I start slamming my fist of my desk. And that is when the teacher, after hearing the nasty continue for the last 30-minutes finally steps in and says enough…right as the bell rings.
We leave. There is no rumble in the hallway. The next day in class nothing. Not a damn thing. I can only assume that she figured out she had the wrong Heather, and she was just too embarrassed to admit her mistake. A couple years later I found myself in the same class as Sue Silver once again. About half way into the semester she asked if I was still mad at her. And still as dumbfounded as the first day she uttered my name I shook my head no and shrugged my shoulders.
To this day I have no clue what that was about. But that is my memory of Sue Silver. It was one day of hell. One day of being treated like poop. And I have never forgotten. Never stopped wondering why.
Sure, other "people" have made my life hell. That was until I realized it's my own actions and reactions that created that hell. It's my choice to take the road that leads to that hell or about-face. Sometimes the about-face is really easy. Sometimes I apparently need to revisit that hell to remind myself it's not a fun place.
There is a song by Company of Thieves called "Oscar Wilde" that sums it up well...'we are all our own devil, and we make this world our hell'.
Jane Garitowitz.
Kidding. If you are Jane Garitowitz, sorry for using your name. But I fully believe we make our own lives hell. Sure there are some nasty people that say nasty things, but it’s how we chose to deal with the nasty.
Story time. I remember sitting in high school math class my freshman year and this girl, I’ll call her Sue Silver, started whispering my name and saying nasty things. Up until that day I had never met Sue Silver. I knew her name, but had never spoken to her or of her…ever. And suddenly she’s saying nasty things. So I speak up dumbfounded and ask who she is, trying to point out we don’t know each other.
I couldn’t have even told you who her friends were. (Let’s face it, my world revolved around church. I was not allowed to go to the houses of kids parents my mother didn’t know, so that limited my friends to church.) The nasty continues. Again, dumfounded I tell her I think she has the wrong Heather.
The nasty escalates, and at this point I’m at a complete loss-my patience is thin-and I’ve about had enough. I’m ready to get up and bust some chops…in the middle of math class, so instead I start slamming my fist of my desk. And that is when the teacher, after hearing the nasty continue for the last 30-minutes finally steps in and says enough…right as the bell rings.
We leave. There is no rumble in the hallway. The next day in class nothing. Not a damn thing. I can only assume that she figured out she had the wrong Heather, and she was just too embarrassed to admit her mistake. A couple years later I found myself in the same class as Sue Silver once again. About half way into the semester she asked if I was still mad at her. And still as dumbfounded as the first day she uttered my name I shook my head no and shrugged my shoulders.
To this day I have no clue what that was about. But that is my memory of Sue Silver. It was one day of hell. One day of being treated like poop. And I have never forgotten. Never stopped wondering why.
Sure, other "people" have made my life hell. That was until I realized it's my own actions and reactions that created that hell. It's my choice to take the road that leads to that hell or about-face. Sometimes the about-face is really easy. Sometimes I apparently need to revisit that hell to remind myself it's not a fun place.
There is a song by Company of Thieves called "Oscar Wilde" that sums it up well...'we are all our own devil, and we make this world our hell'.
12.02.2010
[7] living for...
Day 7: Someone who has made your life worth living for.
Ew. So basically if said person did not exist, life would not be worth living. That’s just ridonkulous!
There was a point a few years ago when I just wanted to {warning computer-nerd speak} Ctrl-Alt-Delete my life. Just to go somewhere no one knew of me and start over. Not that I would have done that, but I certainly reached the point of understanding why some people take that path. But it was my husband that kept me grounded, and loved me through that difficult time.
That’s not to say I couldn’t live without him, but I’m not certain where I would be without his love.
Ew. So basically if said person did not exist, life would not be worth living. That’s just ridonkulous!
There was a point a few years ago when I just wanted to {warning computer-nerd speak} Ctrl-Alt-Delete my life. Just to go somewhere no one knew of me and start over. Not that I would have done that, but I certainly reached the point of understanding why some people take that path. But it was my husband that kept me grounded, and loved me through that difficult time.
That’s not to say I couldn’t live without him, but I’m not certain where I would be without his love.
12.01.2010
[6] refusing to tempt fate...
Day 6: Something you hope you never have to do.
Let’s not tempt fate.
Moving on…how about some photos from our last vacation instead!
Let’s not tempt fate.
Moving on…how about some photos from our last vacation instead!
The trip in which I saw my first cactus.
The trip in which we watched 500 hot air balloons take off within 120 minutes.
The trip in which took our breath away.
The trip in which we drove The Mother Road.
The trip in which we appreciated the old and run down.
The trip in which left us refreshed.
And fully ready to welcome our 7th anniversary.
Thank God for this trip.
And my wonderful husband & his mad driving skills.
These crazy road trips bring us so much joy.
It made us think...
maybe one day when things settle and we retire,
we'll be that crazy old couple
that travels the country in their RV.
God only knows...and he's not telling!
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