touring

the beginning of July marks the start of one of my favorite things. le Tour de France. 24 days taking on every definition of beauty. a marvel in sports. a test of endurance. a statement of teamwork.

there is another Tour beginning today. Bike Twain. a friend's son is taking on the task of riding 2000 miles in 30 days along the Mississippi River Trail. his tag line describes the oddessy as 'a man, a bike, and a mighty big river.' the realization of a dream. a life experience. joyful courage revealed.

yet another Tour continues with rach.mad.love. this adventurous blogger and her husband are traveling cross country over the course of eight months. riding from Washington, DC to Portland, OR to Flagstaff, AZ. they report their progress. tests. tears. triumphs. at MadWard Adventures.

bon voyage. good luck. best wishes. safe travels. God bless.

'let your mind start a journey thru a strange new world. leave all thoughts of the world you knew before. let your soul take you where you long to be ... close your eyes let your spirit start to soar, and you'll live as you've never lived before.'

so easy to be green

I am smitten with wonderful blogs. I revel the creativity of folks. and admitedly ever so envious of the talent. depth. devotion. determination. of the online world.

recently I came across a very talented artist and graphic designer at [i]lovelife. she writes a beautiful post. and is an extremely gifted creative spirit.

one of her newest creations offers a quote that stirred my heart. touched my soul. made me smile.











'the role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say.'

point of view

I am home from a lovely, albeit unexpected, week in LA. darling daughter M is expecting our first grandchild in September and has been ordered on partial bedrest for two weeks due to early contractions. not to worry, all is well with mom and baby-to-be. but it gave me a good excuse to rush out and hover for a few days. and, boy howdy, did I enjoy my duty.

darling daughter absolutely glows with pregnancy. and grows. I could swear her bump grew daily over the course of this week - right before my adoring eyes. and believe me when I say she is even more beautiful (although I wonder how that is possible) than before.

we spent the week talking. crying. listening. watching reality tv and chic-flick movies. learning. planning (a baby shower for late July when we'll go back for a visit). arranging. shopping (on line). registering. realizing. dreaming. scheming. laughing.

to see our child have a child. surrounded. filled. showered by love. my cup runneth over. I am blessed. loved. humbled. and, oh so, so, so happy.

'making the decision to have a child is momentous. it is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.'

I heart Kelly Rae

there are some people in this world that I just adore. and today the recipient of my affection is Kelly Rae Roberts. she inspires. motivates. speaks. listens. loves. cherishes. above all is true to herself.

today her blog shares a few notes from a talk given by a gal she's 'crushing on', Danielle LaPorte. the blog white hot truth is quite a bit of fun. honest. raw. and ever so enjoyable.

I wanted to pass along my top five favorites of Danielle's insight.

1. we have to understand why we love what we love in order to keep going in the direction of what lights us up.
2. you have to know the rules in order to break the rules. and sometimes that means unlearning.
3. instead of writing a to-do list, make a list of how you want to feel. every single day ask this question: 'what do you have to do every single day to generate those feelings on your list?'
4. radiate your aliveness.
5. create a 'stop-doing' list. are there things in your life that you want to stop doing?

what does it all boil down to? 'that we should simply be who we are'. easy. complex. wonderful. achievable. and, with a little effort, utterly possible.

'she could hardly believe all that was waiting when she finally opened her heart.'

modernist

my remodeling project is well underway. and these are the days that try men's souls. (insert dramatic musical interlude here) i.e. lighting selections. I have easily chosen floor materials. very traditional to go with my century-old house. the bathroom fixtures were a bit more of a challenge. balancing cost and style and cost (did I already say that?). completed without too much agnst. but as I look and look and search and search for light fixtures I am confronted with a multitude of choices - each more enticing than before. and what surprises me is my tendency toward the more contemporary.

I would say I have very eclectic tastes. I like antiques. on the primitive side. shabby chic. vintage. funky. some traditional. and a little bit of bling now and then. everything in my house has a story and I love reliving the history of our family adventures in all these material things. I am finding as I grow up (not old) that blending the modern clean lines with the old worn well-loved items is, well, charming. so when I look for a light fixture to go in the bathroom along with the original 100-year-old apron-skirted tub I get a little rush by those clean lines and polished chrome sparkle.

Friday I am going to visit with a local showroom to look through catalogs. because, it seems, I simply must confuse myself more options. but the joy is in the searching. and I am quite the eager Dora. ever onward.

'I like to create the music I hear in my interiors.'

happy birthday

saw on my google home page that today would have been Richard Scarry's 92nd birthday. seeing his images bring back such fond memories of storytimes with my kiddos (the pleas and happy snuggly indulgence of 'just one more chapter')! his kind words. wholesome messages. positive attitude. got the meaning across. be nice.

Lowly Worm. Pig Will and Pig Won't. Huckle the Cat. Mommys and Daddys. Little Sisters and Brothers. Miss Honey the teacher. all the loveable residents of BusyTown. everyday people. places. things. chores. occupations. crisis. comforts. turned outlook and attitude more fun than lecture or lesson. gently taught with love and care. engage tolerance. keep thoughtfulness. practice kindness.

so thank you Mr. Scarry. for the reflection. the method. the lighter side of madness. pure enjoyment. must reading. and remembering.

'the worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it.'

mid-year resolution

in another of my blog wanderings I came across this compilation of words. arranged beautifully from a global request for one-word goals for the new year. as we hit the midpoint of 2011, I read the statement and find it a worthy. valiant. heartfelt declaration. it reflects my mantra to choose. and reinforces my desire to be a better me.

‘they want to accomplish balance and take action for peace with determination to stay alive and cherish grandchildren and family while they listen, love, and care so that they will participate and organize implementing better patience to create and reinvent awareness while present with gratitude while they rock and retire.’

'fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.'