End of NaBloMoPo!

It’s end of June … where did the time go?!  To me, end of June means .. half way past 2010 (wow!), we’ve passed the longest day of the year .. (sad!) .. we’re coming into July>>real summer!!

It also happens to be the last National Blog Month Posting for June! woo hoo! I’m taking a break .. okay, after Thursday 13 .. because I have to do T13.. my favorite meme. It was fun to post .. but at the same time, tiring. So.. it’s going to be the Fourth of July this weekend .. I’ll take the opportunity to take a break .. I’m not sure yet what I’ll be doing .. and since I am without kids, and no commitments .. and therefore,  ALSO not going to be committed to my blog!! hahaha!! (hey .. i may like this non-committed lifestyle!!)

Happy July!!!

More Alphabet ..

F G

 H I J K

Go Holland!

How about Oranje? For those who aren’t following .. the Dutch Soccer Team .. Arjen Robben .. mmm yummy! But then again .. soccer players are just plain yummy .. .. okay, okay .. not as yummy as my Peyton .. for now I will have to watch Arjen, and then soon enough ….. yumminess! Well, I really went off topic .. Holland made it into the quarter finals .. their next game is Friday .. thank goodness we are closed that day .. the game schedule is totally not conducive to the American public .. .what were they thinking?? So, I have had to sneak on line and watch little blurbs move around like the game pong!

Here is some yumminess!!

Hey .. No judging allowed ..  this is my fantasy!

***teenager update: Day 4 Teenager girl wants to come home!  She misses her boyfriend, and just feels like the three weeks remaining  will be an eternity .. oh girlie girl …Let’s talk! ***

I hate not being able to fix this for her … another new lesson in life!

Fabulous Kayak weekend!

So this will  be a double post .. which means it counts as two posts since I am falling behind … only because I had such a great weekend!! First a little ridiculous news …. just slap the “L” on my forehead … I was going to run a race .. but oh, you can’t run a race on Sunday when it was scheduled on Saturday! Shall we review the ‘how to read a calendar’ class again ….. …..!

Okay .. on to new and much better things! Saturday night I had the pleasure of experiencing something new: a full moon paddle on the Penobscot! It was so cool! … and added benefit … there was an eagle perched on a tree. The pictures aren’t that great because I didn’t want to bring the Rebel .. so it was a point and shoot and my I phone .. and it was getting dark out. This was such a cool experience .. I’m definitely doing it again in July .. thank goodness the full moon comes out every month!

Of course no real good pictures of the full moon…!

So today I went and kayaked on my most favorite river ..in Belfast. You launch in the harbor and then paddle up and it becomes a river. I have no idea when it turns from ocean water to river … one of those mysteries I will just enjoy paddling in … but the weather was perfect .. and it felt so great to be back on this body of water.  On the way back the wind had picked up and it was tough going back towards the harbor .. that’s when the eagle was spotted. I’m surprised the picture came out as well as it did considering every time I stopped paddling, I would float backwards and sway side to side, away from him.

What a great weekend!! If the weather stays this great … my kayak and I are going to best friends! Between this weekend and last weekend I saw so many places where you could paddle to, climb out and just spread a blanket, bring a lunch, a good book and relax for the day …….

ahhhhh … i love being back in Maine!

The Alphabet Game -

One of our assignments in our photo class was to find the alphabet in natural state … So to finish off the month of June … I’m going to cheat .. just in case I don’t have anything exciting to blog about!

A

B

C

D

E

I wanted to be on blog strike today … it was the first night that I was home before 7 .. I walked the dog .. made dinner, poured the wine … and ahhh ……… enjoy your Friday night!

Thursday 13 .. the month of June

A photo of:  A peony

Current Scent:  I’m so boring .. no scents

What I am reading:  I can’t wait … I have two books waiting for me!  A Slice of Life sent me a new book!

Newest music added to my playlist:  Last week I added Tim McGraw with Faith Hill .. Like We Never Loved At All

Movie I saw: The last movie I saw was with Nelson .. The Killers .. it was very cute and funny.

Something yummy:  it’s all yummy!

The last place I ate at: I think would have been for lunch at the 99

Something that made me cry:  Putting my kids on that plane!

Something that made me laugh:  how about smile? I smiled at the box that was sitting at my door step!

Something that I look forward to in July:  more Summer!!

Something I want to remember from this month: Road races, lots of  kayaking .. just knowing we are in summer ..

Something that I am thankful for:  my running legs! (and of course always the usual!

A photo I took this month: 

My favorite moments! <I’m so boring!>

Happy Almost Weekend!

Long day!

What a day! It started with a fabulous run … fabulous because after Sunday’s snail pace event, today’s run was smooth, the pace was comfortable and .. the company was good.
Anyways, after my run .. we drove over to the orthodontist because that kind man double booked teenager girl so she could have her braces off before going to Texas …. what a great guy … to show our appreciation we baked him a tiramisu cheese cake! New recipe … OMG … it was delicious. The man had three slices by the time we left!! He is training for a triathlon … so I guess he can eat the whole thing …
Then we had to race to get on the road for the airplane ride. Four hours to the airport … they got on the plane  and off into the New Hampshire sunset … (okay, okay .. no sunset .. just sky) Four hours back to Maine ….enough of the complaining … I do it because I can! (the complaining)
I went straight from the airport to my photo class. They were naming the  photos for the upcoming gallery show … please give me some ideas!

This is the plan that took my babies away!

The girl with her new teeth!

Manic Monday

I haven't played this meme in a long time ... click here to play along!

As an adult, what is your favorite thing about summer?
Well, after getting over the fact that we don't get summers off??
Bring on the sunshine and the heat! I used to love camping with our pop up camper, because this chick doesn't do tenting on the ground! Of course I MAY enjoy a little bit of kayaking .. to me summer is about fun in the sun!

What was your favorite thing about summer when you were a kid? As a small child, summer was bitter sweet ... we loved where we went to school .. but summer meant that everyone left because we didn't live in the traditional ways .. so for every summer we would go to Holland for 6-8 weeks ... although it was great to see my grandparents ... our house was in this little town that we nicknamed Ghost town because it literally had nothing. As an adult looking back .... OMG .. the house was on a frikkin' LAKE!!!!!! ON A LAKE ......did we take advantage .....??? NOOOO!! We had a tiny little sailboat, which I did learn how to sail in ...we also had a little speed boat that my (cutie pie) neighbor (who was 20 when I was 12 and I had a crazy crush on him) would take me for a ride in ...
We would ride our bikes every where ... we would love it when our parents left because we would blast our music ..another plus: going to Holland also meant great food!  yummmmm!



In 2010, it will be the summer of _new adventures ______.

Tomorrow my teenagers are leaving for four weeks ... I'm a little apprehensive .. the longest I have been apart from them is when I left for Amsterdam for 10 days, and I left them at home with their dad. Now they are embarking on a whole new journey ... their dad has a new wife, with three of her own .. they are living in a different house, in a different town from what the teenagers are used to... away from friends they had met while in Texas. I hope they will  be okay. Neither of them are enthusiastic about going ... my heart is sad to see them go because they are not jumping up and down with excitement .... it's going to be weird to be home with only the cats and dog.

Weekend Recap

Today was race day … and the weather was scheduled to give us thunder showers … well, Mother nature couldn’t have surprised us more! We ended up with humid, 80’s, bright sunny weather. Now, please, don’t misunderstand me .. normally I would love the heat .. especially during kayak season .. but for an 8.5 mile road race … it would benefit all of us if it was 50’s and cloudy. Let’s just say I finished the race! There will be no bragging rights!  I was contemplating a 10 miler next week … I’m seriously reconsidering!

On to more cheery news .. did I mention that my awesome photo teacher gave me a lens to play with? .. I am falling in love again .. it’s the coolest thing and I certainly haven’t experimented with it to it’s fullest capabilities … (life seems to keep getting in the way!) With this new lens, and a friend’s flower garden .. it’s been fun shooting.

So really, this weekend was great .. I was able to enjoy my three favorite activities .. kayaking, running and photo taking ..  now if only I could make money while enjoying them!!

Kayaking day!

What a great day today!!

This morning each teenager had a place to go to at 6 AM this morning …. LMAO .. they weren’t too thrilled to be up that early considering they are on vacation!!! I promptly fell back asleep after they had walked out the door, and at 9 decided it was time to start the day. It was soooooo gorgeous out … and since I wasn’t in Vermont enjoying hot air balloons … the next best thing would be kayaking!!! (…and extra bonus …. not guilt feelings of desertion!)

It was so nice to be out. I went to two different ponds ..

Both photos taken with my Iphone .. love that piece of communication tool! What a great day!!

Tomorrow: race day!

Friday Fill In …

It’s Friday again! To play along, click here …..

1. __Grab my glass of wine, some cheese and crackers.. it’s____ 6:58, Dr Phil will be on in two minutes!
2. It was the reason, of course, __i stuffed my face with chocolate ..(oh wait, do i need a reason?)___.
3. __feeling guilty __ is something I no longer feel the need to do.
4. I have another errand to run, then _I’ll  go home and chill__.
5. __Your happiness___...just go find it
6. What were once vices __still are .. hahahaha___.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _a glass of wine and making dinner for the kids____, tomorrow my plans include _kayaking …. both kids are not going to be home all day_ and Sunday, I want to _run a race, get the kids ready for their big trip.. and relax____!

Happy weekend!

Thursday 13 ..

 

This idea was shamelessly stolen from Kristen .. thank you Kristen for the idea!

So Thursday 13 … here are 13 Random car stuff!

1. I took my driver’s test at 18, in a 5 speed .. and passed!
2. My first car was a Hyundai Excel, 1986 .. first generation!
3. I leased it for $176.05 per month!!!
4. Before ‘my car’, I drove a red Mercedes 190E … loved it! (I was borrowing it, and skimmed a UPS truck and NEVER fessed up!)
5. In high school I was in love with and wanted a Datsun 280zx..
6. Now I can’t wait to own a 350z or 370z by Nissan when I’m without kids
7. when I was married we leased a Nissan pathfinder … I loved it.. It too was a dream car of mine.
8. Now I drive a Chevy Avalanche … and love it too, but can do without the gas intake.
9. A deer ran into me while I was in the avalanche
10. After the Hyundai, I bought a 1990 Nissan Stanza .. that poor car had it’s share of accidents
11. In Feb 1993 I crashed it into a guard rail during a snow storm. In April 2000, during a snowstorm, my (ex)husband decided to run it into a plow truck and totaled it.
12. I’ve also owned a Mercury Sable and Ford Windstar van
13. The longest road trip I have done is 2100 miles (one way) in my Avalanche, five times! Texas to Maine, Maine to Texas, Texas to Maine, Maine to Texas and then Texas to Maine <final!>

350Z

Happy Thursday!!

My dad

Today, 7  years a go, my dad passed away. It was my first real experience of death and dying. He died from cancer, it was a long battle .. his last 2 months were the most difficult. I miss my dad a lot! I miss his voice, and I miss his calming soul. He always had words of wisdom. He was very smart .. and very charming. He enjoyed life .. and made sure to live life to the fullest .. sometimes not always making the best choices!

This sounds so crazy … when we celebrated his life, I learnt so much more about him. I was able to hear stories from his brothers . As we each said our share, it was interesting to notice that the theme of each story demonstrated how he lived his life to the fullest.. and always made sure to do what he wanted to do… and that when it came time .. he was happy.

I remember one conversation, when I was crying he told me not to be sad because he had lived a good life, that he had watched his daughters grow up,  and that we  were all happy, which made him content … it’s strange how life brings us back to basics ..

Life is  too short .. live life, laugh often and love passionately!

What the heck?

I’m so bummed .. I was supposed to go to Vermont for the weekend … I was looking forward to just going up by myself, and spending some quiet time, taking pictures of the hot air balloons ..

So instead.. I’m running a road race … where is the logic in this?

The four

Did i ‘epically fail”? I didn’t post yesterday … does that mean an extra post tonight?? It’s already 11:11pm .. and I’m trying to grab on to a thought for posting!

Tonight was photo class night .. we have to pick four pictures we want to present into the gallery show … ya … a gallery show! Yip-yip! I’m not really convinced I want to put my pictures in .. it’s one of those ‘my pictures are not good enough’ thoughts …  we had to present 13-16 pictures, and as a class we voted on four … the four were picked ..  

 

They still need to be cropped … I am a firm believer of not touching the actual picture, by removing things and editing.

Any thoughts?

Sunday Stealing Meme ..

I stumbled on this meme … thought it would be fun for a change on Sundays.. in honor of NaBloMoPo! Check out their site here … and play along!

My roommate and I once:  okay, okay … not once …would go to Ground Round on Thursday nights and order wings and beer

Never in my life have I:   Kissed a girl! (the song..)

High school was:  Great! Especially my junior year..

When I’m nervous:  I nibble continuously

My hair:  Is getting more gray by the month ..d*mn teenagers!!!

When I was 5:  We were living in Iran

When I turn my head left:  I can’t see the Celtics play

I should be: going to sleep … I’m exhausted .. and 4:15am comes early!

By this time next year:   I’ll be looking at my son, finishing his junior year ...  I hope my heart will be in a better place.

My favorite  aunt is:  aunt?? My kids have aunts!!

I have a hard time understanding:  why I don’t get the summer off … the teenagers do …

You know I like you if:   IF??  what a bad sentence .. I choose not to participate!!  haha

My ideal breakfast is:  Coffee … sweet sticky buns, brunch pizza …. oh the list can go on. I love breakfast! (mmm sausage drizzled with maple syrup…. ohh, Belgian waffle with fresh strawberries and cream ….) .. (taco..chorizo and egg)

If you visit my home town:  Well… I’m a nomad! We moved every 3-4 years .. so I don’t have a home town .. I consider where I live now as home ..

If you spend the night at my house:  You will listen to Tyson talking up a storm at 4 am ..

The animal I would like to see flying besides birds:  Pigs

I shouldn’t have been:  so easy

Last night I:  listened to my daughter’s phone conversation … she was talking very loud .. i wasn’t sneaky about it.

A better name for me would be: Sap … it’s written on my forehead!

I’ve been told I look like:  My dad … but someone pointed out from a picture I had of my mom, that I look like her ..

If I could have any car, it would be:  Nissan 350 Z (Although I just noticed the 370 Z ….. sweet!!)

 So .. who is watching the World Cup?? Who allows a game at 7:30AM .. Monday morning Holland plays .. and I won’t be able to watch it … grr!

Girl Saturday

Teenager: Mom, I’m getting dressed so that we can go buy poster board for my room. (she wants to cover her wall with poster board so she can ‘personalize’ her room)

Mom: Uhh..now? I’m doing the bills …

Teenager: Just get dressed mom, so we can go! (She’s not pushy or anything ….maybe a tad bit demanding …)

Mom: *sigh*.. okay next to AC Moore is Old Navy, I need to buy your brother some shorts and a pair of jeans (note: ‘buy your brother …)

We picked up my adopted daughter, her bff, and off we went.  We first went to the arts and craft store and spent way too much time there .. by the time we hit Old Navy, we were all hungry and cranky. I soon realized that we weren’t in Old Navy for teenager’s brother .. but for her! Oh no, no-no! My poor son has one pair of shorts, three pair of jeans and he has to hold on to them while he walks because they are falling off of him …. she, on the other hand, belongs to the ‘friend exchange club’ … leaving the house with one outfit, and coming home wearing something different. “where did you get those jeans?” “oh, from Annie … we exchanged..”

So…. >screeeeech<.. put on those shopping brakes … we need to leave the store because it’s only going to get bad from here ….

T:  MOM.. I’m hungry! Let’s go out and eat …. (again, that tad bit demanding tone)

M:  Let’s go to the mall, we can grab so egg rolls and go to JCP …

T:  NO, let’s go to Miguel’s … fried ice cream, MOM!  I’m so in the mood for Beef Fajitas .. 

Too tired to argue .. to Miguel’s we go …. unlimited chips and salsa… then the real meal .. dessert?? Fried ice cream and flan .. ..  bff chimes up and says

“oh, this is so much better than egg roles in the mall ..”

T: okay, I don’t care if we don’t go to the mall anymore, I’m too full to try on clothes … let’s just go home ..

Wait, who was it that needed clothes ?!?

Friday Fill In ..

 
 
1. __That moment of accomplishment__ feels great.
2. The solution is _to stay steady and on course__.
3. __At 9pm I start to_ fall asleep.
4. How about ___grabbing another glass of wine?__.
5. __  kayaking __ is something I highly recommend! 
6. Imagine _! _(is that like ‘Who knew’?)__.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _Wine and home made pizza__, tomorrow my plans include _run? clothes for the teenagers, movie night with Nelson__ and Sunday, I want to __kayak, organize for Monday, and relax_!
This NaBloMoPo is killing me!! Everyday a post.. it’s been 10 days .. 20 more to go .. have I bored you all yet??
Happy Weekend!!
To play along, click here!

list 2

So … since it’s Thursday and it’s list time … here is part two from yesterday!! What a cheat I am! Click here to play T13!

14. Other than family, who is the person that you love most? How could you “love the most”  ...  
15. What is the last thing you cooked? Cooked? Hmm .. does pizza count? If not, Chicken Enchiladas with Salsa Verde.                       16. Name something you wouldn't want to buy used? Shoes …    17. Which shoe do you put on first? I think my left shoe .. but am not sure .. I’ll pay attention tomorrow… 
18. What is the last thing you remember losing? My mind… with a couple of other things ..
19. What is the ugliest piece of furniture in your house? Well, considering I don’t have very much furniture to speak of .. I don’t have anything  furniture ugly … I do have a bowl that I bought that was ugly ..                                                                                                 20. Last thing you bought and ended up returning? Blinds for the windows … duh… when the window measures 58” wide, and you buy (2) 30” wide blinds …. think they’ll fit?? 
21. What perfume/cologne do you wear? If none, why? I really don’t wear anything .. although sometimes I sprits on Honeysuckle from Bath and Body works .. I used to love Ysatis from Givenchy .. but something happened along the way and now I have very little tolerance for heavy scents … I think its the aging thing …                                                                                                     22. Your favorite board game? Boy, it’s been a long time .. we used to play Sequence …. does Yahtzee count?? .. I prefer card games ..                                                                                                                 23. What was the last board game you played? Probably Stratego …. it’s been a while.                                                                                          24. Where did your vehicle come from? Texas …. I drive a Texas truck …. i love my truck!                                                                               25. If a movie was made about your life what would the theme song be? I am Woman
26. You're sad, who can cheer you up easily? Cheer me up easily? … oh, that’s tough .. my teenager can sometimes!! .. wine and chocolate and a run cheers me up (not in that order!) … hahahaha!

a list! Day 9 of NaBloMoPo

I was blank tonight … so I shamelessly stole this blog, and am planning on posting it in two different posts .. the questions are too long! haha! You can visit **April** to see her answers.

1. It's 2AM and you are not home. You are more than likely: Driving with Cyn to find another sunrise on Maine’s coastline!

2. What's the last thing you spent more than $100 on? If we’re not counting groceries … oh my goodness .. I really can’t think.. hahaha, I remember now… back in March.. my first actual splurge on me. I traded in my diamond rings, and upgraded to diamond earrings. It was a great recommendation, because I wanted to have something for my teenagers, and my rings had negative energy .. but the new earrings are for them.. it’s an “even” gift when the time comes.

3. What do your bank checks look like? Checks? Just kidding .. I have the basic cheapy kind … I’m a debit card user.

4. Where did the shirt you are currently wearing come from? It’s old and from Old Navy

5. Name something that will be on your Christmas wish list: For sure a camera lens.. but then again..I don’t enjoy Christmas.. so can it just be on a wish list?

6. What color is your toothbrush? White and blue

7. Name something you collect and tell us about it. I’m not a collector .. I inherited my dad’s  polar bears which  I started for him .. but not a great love for knick knacky stuff .. too much clutter! ..

8. Last restaurant you ate at. Who were you with? 99 Restaurant .. they have fabulous onion soup. … I was with a friend

9. Who was the last person you bought a birthday card for? I honestly don’t remember… I think it would have been Julie since her birthday is the day after mine, and I always know she’s going to have a funny card for me.. it’s a competition thing!

10. What is your worst bad habit? oh… I don’t have any …. hahahahahah lmao! I think you should ask others and take a poll! I have to always eat something every two hours ….

11. Name a magazine you subscribe to? I’m so excited .. I just renewed my Runner’s World!!

12. Your favorite pizza toppings? sliced tomatoes, feta, spinach on top of olive oil with crushed garlic….

13. Whose number were you looking up the last time you used a phone book? Pizza shops .. ordering lunch for work meeting!

We’ve finished half the week … next week the teenagers go away for four weeks …>>>>>