the beginning of the end

if truth. be told. I'm trying to decide if I should keep up. my little. on line. diary.

it has been. fun. revealing. heartfelt. endearing. thrilling. adventurous. tearful. joyous.

to look.

back.

I am. oh. so. ready.

to look.

forward.

I love January.

a new year. fresh. open. possible. unknown. welcome.

these. past. eight years. have been. a beautiful roller coaster ride.

so. I may post. now and then. to let you know how things are. going. because I love living at magnolia's end.

'why so optimistic about 2017? what do you think it will bring?'
'I think it will bring flowers.'
'yes? how come?'
'because I am planting flowers.'

now we go

the year is winding down. time is speeding by. planning continues. progress made. and. Christmas shopping. oh. what. fun.

we've made progress. most. of. the birthday trip. booked. Belfast. northern Ireland. thinly planned via GoT. so much to see. then. onto Cambridge. a part of the UK we wanted to explore further.

I do mean. fun. when. Christmas. shopping. just have trouble in knowing when to stop for the boys. so many choices.

a wonderful next few weeks. but it will start in earnest tomorrow. when my friend and I go off on a little belated birthday adventure. the weather promises to be frightful. but we don't care. life is meant for good friends. and lovely adventures.

'all you need is a great friend and a tank of gas.'

planning

for my birthday. a trip across the pond. in high style. northern Ireland. north of London. been searching. and scheming. booking. and mapping. April cannot. arrive. fast enough.

for the holidays. our trip. to Ohio. postponed. sigh. our trip. to California. extended. yeah. retirement has it's perks. (too bad. everyone. else. works.)

for me. an early resolution. shape up. walking. a spin class. attitude. outlook.

time is hurrying by. too fast. the new year. approaching. oh. what. fun.

'there are two ways to be happy: change the situation, or change your mindset towards it.'

november 9

'it's either fear or love, baby. I choose love.'

six things last week

one. Halloween. chili. champagne. friends. chocolate.

two. the Cubs. world series champions.

three. Friday afternoon with a friend. ultimate garage sale. Shady Grove. happy hours.

four. my first 5K. I walked. I finished. I won a door prize.

five. a cheers full afternoon. football. brewery fun.

six. rainy. Sunday. a book in hand. Omar on my lap.

'today. I will choose joy.'

five things this week

one. I started a new book. appropriately enough for the season. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. young adult fiction. a worthy genre.

two. I planted my concrete mushrooms. several. of which. happily made by me. with my girl tribe. I. love. concrete.

three. I savored watching the hubs. watch his team in the World Series. he's like a kid. over the moon. excited.

four. I went out. with the tribe. delightful. chatty. relaxing. happy hours. and made plans to do it again. and again.

five. I had my eyes opened. I was stuck between. hoping. and letting go. today. I lost that last bit of hope.

'so this is my life. and I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be.'

60 years 6 days

the very first thing. I have to say. is that it doesn't. seem. possible. being sixty.

sixty is.

old.

but. I don't feel old.

I feel pretty. darn. young.

life is. pretty darn great.

strange. how time flies. but stays. the same.
here. in my heart.
here. in my head.
here.

'what day is it,?' asked Pooh.
'it's today.' squeaked Piglet.
'my favorite day.' said Pooh.