let your soul soar...

It's Friday! If you're reading this, you woke up to live another day. If you never went to sleep? You're still breathing! If not, please get assistance now, I'll still be here after the paramedics (hope they're cute - but also competent) get you breathing again.


This?

Is for someone who I believe know is a kindred spirit. ;) You know who you are... *fingers crossed*

"And it's our God-forsaken right to be loved, loved, loved, loved, loved..."

When it works, finally... it's awesome!

This?

Is a big old hug for my new blogging buddy Goodfather (our beloved GF - but not in a girlie way *giggle*).

Earlier this week he gave me an award, which comes attached to a meme of his own construction... The "This Blog Measures Up Award"! cause he and Captain Dumbass sort of felt like there were all too many "girlie" awards out there.

This?



Rocks!

And frankly, so does he. Yup, he IS awesomesauce...

So here's the rules:

1. Say one nice thing to a man in your life.

I'm going to say my nice thing to GF, see the song up there? Life is wonderful... know why? Cause you're in it. It's that simple. You have shown class and dignity through some rough shit, man. And for that? I'm going to manly fist bump you. (See? totally not girlie!)

2. List at least six ways that you measure success in your life (or for your blog).

This quote says it all for me:

"If I have been of service, if I have glimpsed more of the nature and essence of ultimate good, if I am inspired to reach wider horizons of thought and action, if I am at peace with myself, it has been a successful day."
- Alex Noble

I try to do something for someone else every day. Like help a small child fix the zipper on their winter jacket for instance...

I stop and look at the world, looking for something beautiful and I take a snapshot of it with my mental camera... just being thankful that I got to see it.

I try and find the good in every one I meet... not always easy, but even if's it's "they can tie their own shoes" , it counts.

I make it a point of learning something new everyday... like what a Tune Wedgie is.

Every day that I get to see my daughter, she gets a hug and an I love you. So she knows she is loved and appreciated. As a parent, the most important thing I can give my child is the knowledge that she matters, and not just because she is pretty.

When I do all this? I am at peace with myself.

3. Assign this award to six other blogs and leave them a comment telling the blogger that you’ve assigned them this award.

This is simple... if you're on my blogroll, or I follow you and you want to do this? Go ahead!

4. Link back to the blog that you received this award from.

I did it higher up in the post... but I'll do it again. HERE

“"I don't see much sense in that," said Rabbit.
"No," said Pooh humbly, "there isn't. But there was going to be when I began it. It's just that something happened to it along the way."”

- Winnie The Pooh

like the first day of school

I remember going to the store to get school supplies with my mother. Bringing home the new notebooks with blank pages, a brand new eraser, glue, new pencils...


Then there was the trip to get school clothes. We would spend a couple of weeks in Hampton Beach, NH during every summer vacation from the time I was a baby. My parents were brave. They packed up the car when I was about 10 months old for the first one of those vacations - have you travelled with a child that small? It's a wonder they had room for their own clothes! I'll share more memories of summers at the beach in future posts...


At some point during our vacation in Hampton Beach we would head to the nearest mall and I'd try on what felt like every piece of clothing in my size (and sometimes one size up) - editors note: this was before I developed a passion for shopping...

The high point for me? We'd stop at this "cigar store" that sold, among other things: comic books... and I'd get a Wonder Woman comic book. She was my hero and I too wanted to be an Amazon, dammit! A woman who'd wear boots and lasso you if you were being bad... and, wait... nevermind, I've kinda done that once! *giggle*



This new blog kind of feels like the first days of school.

Old friends are still there... your closest friend is at the bus stop with you. And some of your old friends you see on the schoolbus on that first trip back.

And you wonder:

Did anyone move over the summer?

Will there be any new kids?


But the one question I always looked forward to finding out the answer to was:


What will I learn this time around?

Yeah... this is just like the first days of school.

"There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. That will be the beginning."
-- Louis L'Amour