gone riding

this weekend we are going to a harley rally in red river. we leave on saturday and will come back on monday. i am a bit nervous about riding for that long on the bike...about 3.5 hours. but we will stop along the way and take some stretch breaks. other than the need for packing extremely light (quite a predicament for me!) i am really excited about the trip as it will provide some time with my honey and our wonderful friends. the interaction with nature is awesome as you fly down the road...embracing the elements as the big mama sees fit. ahhhhhhhh!!!!!

...and yes mom, we will be careful.

last night....

...we partied! i don't know how many of you were into this season of american idol, but we watched religously. last night, for the finale, we went to a party to celebrate the david vs. david battle. although i really liked both of the finalists, and since my girl carly was no longer in the competition, i chose to root for "the cook". everyone at the party had a shirt proclaiming their choice for the title. a great time was had by all - enjoying pizza, beer, salsa, good entertainment, and great company. even the two- year-old got into the action by wearing a shirt that said "i shake my pamper for american idol". hoooray for cook! rock on.

wellness wednesday

sometimes there are moments when the pure realization of something greater than yourself ACTUALLY happens upon you. of course, i know that there always exists magic greater than myself, but i definitely (and embarrassingly) do not always pay attention to them. however, this river is one that i cross over almost every day. anytime that i need to go into town, to the post office, to work, to get gas...i have the awesome opportunity to travel over this river, and every time my glance lingers just a bit longer on either side of the bridge to catch the beauty. it is a marvel every single day. sometimes there are deer crossing or drinking here, sometimes there are other animals, but always it is running - powerful, yet gentle - steady and true to its course, but always just a bit different in its movement or the way it grooves along side the earth. what a message for me to listen to.

sunday afternoon sing-along

we finally have some sunshine around here! one of my very favorite things to do is to sit in the sunshine and feel the warmth of the sun on my skin...not a hot, sticky, phoenix in the summer type of sun, but just a beautiful spring day, flowers blooming, sweet breeze kind of warmth. i think it does a world of good - like a mary poppins "spoonful of sugar" - for my mood and well being. my dad has always teased me about being too cat-like for my own good. if there is a spot of sunshine somewhere, i will find it and lay in it. it just feels soooo good! for a few moments, i am going to sit out here and enjoy this moment...silenty humming this song. would anyone care to sing along?

i just read this post on my mom's blog and it left me feeling like i just had a good dose of "oh for crying out loud, stop pouting!" medicine. we recently found out that the offer on our house has fallen through. this is the second time that it has happened...once in january and just last night. both times we found a house that seemed to really suit us. the first time, i was okay with letting the house go, but the one we found this time really called my name. i made the BIG "no-no" of mentally moving in and settling down inour new home...with OUR stuff. I found myself mentally going through all of my boxes and rediscovering all of my treasures to hang on the wall, or put out for me to love all over again. i know that this happened for some reason and that a great house will be out there for us to find again (although it was MUCH harder this time around), but i just can't seem to get past the frustration of losing that house...and finally being able to settle into this life that kyle and i are trying to build together. i woke up this morning still thinking about all of the cute nooks and crannies that the house had to offer...i even already had the address memorized!

HOWEVER, after some gentle reminders from that post, i am finding it a little bit easier to let it go and "flush," and to come back to the fact that "the most important thing in your home are the people." kyle and i have each other, a roof over our heads, jobs, family,...what do i have to mope about??? thanks mom.

a poem in my heart

so, to celebrate poetry month, i am participating in a challenge from my mom. i have ALWAYS loved poetry - and while i was teaching, it was one of my favorite lessons. we did not always write poems that rhymed or had some sort of rule to them. we wrote funny ones, true ones, and self-involved ones. we would recite our poetry to each other at our "poetry picnic" with our poetry folders bound together containing precious pieces of ourselves. all of my students did not share the same love that i have for poetry, but some of them actually brought tears to my eyes with the beauty they created with their words. i don't think that it should be limited to one day, or one week, or one month, but i sure am glad that we are taking the time to acknowledge the songs that sing out to us in one way or another.



with that said, here is my contribution. it is a poem that has always talked to my heart...encouraging me to accept and love myself for the being that i am. i hope you enjoy it as much as i do.

PHENOMENAL WOMAN~ BY MAYA ANGELOU

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,They think I'm telling lies.
I say,It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.I
say,It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

late...as usual

i know this is late, but it seems fitting to celebrate you everyday. you are bold, beautiful, blessed. you are courageous, larger than life, fragile as a dragonfly wing. you are amazing, intelligent, head strong, stubborn, and gorgeous. you are a wonderful mother, writer, artist, creator. you are perfect, imperfect, consumed, and living in the moment. you are a woman, a sister, a friend, a mommy, a daughter, a partner. you are lovely. i hope you take each day this year to celebrate something wonderful about yourself...to remind yourself that every step that you take on this earth can be something positive and beautiful. i love you so much, my sweet sister.