sleep.

see that little church bell there ... it rang every half hour all night long  :(

the hotel medusa

lindau. germany

Into the dark waters

 Rachel,

Sometimes going with the flow is not in our best interest, especially when it leads us into dark waters.  It might be the easiest, but going against current might just make you a better person.

I Love you,  Mom

tippee tippee top of the mountain.

Eagles Nest

Berchtesgaden, Germany

A boy with his toy

Oh how I wish it were that easy and that cheap when they get to be in their 50's.

a rainy day in hallstatt, austria.

                           

                                       

a few from munich.

nani, does this bring back memories?

I want to be like that

I want to be jump in the air, big grin on my face, happy.  I think of myself as more of an optimist with a positive outlook on life, but this kind of happy is a gift and I appreciate it when I get it.

Open to, kind of person

I like to think of myself as open to new things, always moving toward learning contemporary advancements and technology(I should hashtag that).  Don't get me wrong some things I will not compromise on, and believe that there is nothing anyone can say or do to change or modernize them.  However, when I have a one word message to relay to some one and I can type it and send it, only to get a response minutes if not seconds later, and if I can stand and watch my daughter give her daughter a bath while I wash the dishes, then I am all for learning all about current, state of the art tools.  Yes sometimes it hurts my head to learn new things and my frustration level can reach the sky, but I figure if  my dad can learn to email then I can learn to get a picture on Facebook, lol, now does that mean laugh out loud or lots of love because that could make a real difference in my message to someone.

I am in love with this planet, It brings me such pleasure to watch it.

For me, there are no words for some of the beauty I see on our earth.  I try to express my emotion while taking it all in but the words are just not there.  That's when I know it's time to keep quiet and just enjoy.

Food for thought on food.

I love wearing the wife, the mom, the nani and the friend hat, it is such a large part of my life and who I am.  One of my favorite ways of communicating my enjoyment is by cooking, especially the things that bring smiles to their faces.

It's funny how as things changed in my life so did my recipes.  I mean, I still  have my traditional few that no one seems to want to change, but for the most part, as my life changed so did my collection of recipes.

There is a lot of emotion connected to food if you stop to think about it, and that can be good or bad. It's funny how some food will bring back such vivid memories.  One of my greatest food memories would have to be peanut butter and gritty homemade jelly sandwiches and windmill cookies with a mushy apple for lunch at school. That was a lunch no one would trade for.  Ahh but then there were the days that I would open the bag to a store bought chemically processed Hostess Twinkie.  Now that is one good food memory.

Just some thoughts on food.

I care to not care.

I just don't care.  What does it matter anyway.  I don't have to look at myself except in the mirror, so if I keep clear of those I'm good.  It's really quite freeing you know, not to care.   I figure if things get that bad someone who cares will tell me.  Do you care that I don't care??

You don't love someone because their beautiful, but their beautiful because you love them.

Being a woman

I love being a woman.  The stuff on my side of the bathroom is so much more interesting than the stuff on Bills side, which just goes to prove that women are way cooler than men.

AHHHHH my happy place.

I love my home, it is a place where I can close out the world and all its drama and frustrations and just be.  My home is not bounded by walls and floors but exists where that feeling of peace, love and acceptance exist.  A place a group of people, who have one thing in common which is to be a family, live.  In our almost 34 years of marriage we have moved 8 times and I have learned many things along the way, but one truth that I am certain of is that you can take my house away from me, and all that it entails, but you can never ever take my home, because my family is much stronger that a house, we are a home.   Well I would love to say more but  I have to go now and play with my grandchildren in the home that Bill and I have built.

passions

Next in line of who I am would have to be hands down, without a doubt photography. Although it has been a relatively new discovery, I feel like this passion has been with me my whole life.  It's hard to explain but when I am behind a camera, my mind is in a creative world and its only inhabitants are me and my cannon.  I get excited and anxious when I know I am going shooting, a little like Christmas morning, not knowing what good shots are waiting for me to open.  The only other thing that would come close to being behind my camera is to have a best friend who feels the same way-Oh wait I do.  My photography world is perfect now, well maybe after I get that new 35mm I am drooling over.

My Homies

My friends are my sanity, and sometimes I am theirs.  I thank God for making us to be relational, it would be a pretty lonely existence without them.  My homies build me up when needed, and they give it to me straight when building me up is not an option .  We go to lunch in desperate times, we go to lunch sometimes just for the fun of it(ok who am I kidding, that would be most of the time).  Sometimes we talk for hours, and sometimes we text one single word, but however we choose to communicate I know they are there for me.  So when I'm old and grey, sitting on a park bench with my wrap around sun glasses, solving world problems and complaining about my aches and pains, just know that I am with my friend and I am happy(and probably on our way to lunch).

Family

Such an important part of who I was, who I am, and who I will become.

Being with my family is like putting on an old broken in pair of shoes after wearing your look good, toe pinching fashion shoes.  It's like putting on your jammies after a long hard day at whatever you do.  They're AAHHHH, and I cannot think of one member I could do without because I love them all the same.  Ok lets be a little realistic, those grand babies hold a special place in this old ladies beating heart and I don't think any one could disagree with that.  I couldn't ask for a better clan and I love the thought of growing old with each and every one of them.  My family = me.

From Queen, to my best bud.

You're the first one
When things turn out bad
You know I'll never be lonely
You're my only one
And I love the things
I really love the things that you do(and that includes boating)
You're my best friend


Thanks for this crazy life you have given me.

A note from Cindy

Just a short note.  My cohort had the nerve to go on vacation, for two weeks, to Europe(yeah what is that all about).  Anyway I am here, left alone, to carry on the arduous task of keeping up the blog(sigh).  So, for the next 1 week and 6 days I will be treating you to a look at who I am.  I don't blame you if you don't come back for 1 week and 6 days I probably wouldn't either but since I am doing this years blog with a specific project in mind, I thought it would be a good time to get this part of it out of the way.   So! I am compiling a picture list of what makes me, me.  The list is in order of priorities in my life starting with the greatest leading down to those of lesser signifigance, but still important.  So here I go, day one...

Who am I?

Plain and simply put, in my life my number one priority is my God.

If I had to choose?

I would pick the green over the brown any day.  The green is life, warmth, summer, flip flops, pastel colors, open windows, fresh fruits and veggies.  The brown is death, cold, winter, boots, dark colored turtle necks worn over cotton undershirts, windows shut, heat on, cold toilet seats.  Need I say more?  If I had to choose I would pick the green over the brown any day.

Come, sit, let's chat awhile.

  I will give you something that is worth a great deal to me, my time.    I can talk about my day, or I can listen about yours.  I can solve world problems with you, or just listen to your worries.  Or, if you prefer, we can just shoot the breeze.  So, come, sit, let's chat a while.

Separation

Isn't this the most peculiar thing, the rainbow is separating the light from the dark.  Wow to me it pretty much speaks for itself.  Even though the dark is enticing and has a beauty, I would much rather be in the light.

blue suede shoes.

here comes the sun.

park here.

worth the wait

You plant the seed, and you wait.  You water, and you wait.  You weed, and you wait.  You nurture, and you wait.  You feed, and you wait.  Until, one day you wake up and you see what all the waiting was for, and you say to yourself, "It was well worth the wait".

sunflower.

little sweetie pie.

high road, low road

How many times in life are we faced with this one.  One looks a lot easier than the other, its all down hill.  The other looks like a whole lot of work and sacrifice.  I can guarantee you, you will never regret taking the high road, even if it is more effort.

preschool.

toward the light

Isn't it funny how we all gravitate toward the light, we are more certain of things, more comfortable in the light.  We all need a lighthouse in our life, a place to navigate to when we go off course.  A place that will bring us back to certainty and comfort.

back to school.

pink whimsy.

Happy Labor Day

Thank you to all those who labor?  I guess that's what the official holiday celebrates.   However, to me, the true meaning of Labor day is a more woebegone.  It is the last official day to wear white shoes and pants, and time to put away that dirty white purse until next Memorial day(what am I back in the 50's).  This in itself is a laborious thought and action, because out come the ghastly winter clothes and in go the sweet pastels. (SIGH)

pete & repeat.

jason + sara.