ramblings

the days are getting shorter
and the temps are getting colder
which can only mean one thing...

we're about to head back to texas!

we have one last group of visitors this weekend/week
for marathon-ing (not me but i plan to be a good cheerer-oner with a nice hot cocoa in my hands)
and leaf peeping

it will be sad to leave maine, but overdue
i miss my texas friends and can't wait to see them again
and get back to things i just haven't found in maine
like a good eyebrow lady and massage envy
and cheap pedicures
which is sad that they aren't in maine since i'm more likely to get them done in the summer
except for all that tubing which destroyed any chance of a pedicure lasting

speaking of lasting...
i wish the morning fog over the lake lasted longer into the day
i just can't get up that early
at least my honey can and takes some pics for me
isn't this an awesome picture?!?!

we turned off our tv in maine earlier this summer cuz we never watch it
but i've been in tampa again for work again
did you know ann curry took over on the today show?
and there are crazy coupon people that buy thousand bucks of groceries for 10 bucks?
and there's been enough episodes of storage wars to warrant a marathon?
and intervention has been on long enough to do follow-ups years later?
they still relapse - maybe proof you can't force someone to clean up their act - they need to decide for themselves?

speaking of cleaning up your act...
why can't people get jobs, earn their own money and buy things the decent way?
why do they need to steal other people's credit cards to buy stuff?

and speaking of buying stuff...
the question was asked how i broke two pairs of shoes in one trip
actually they were both broke before i arrived in tampa last week i just didn't realize it
one pair was cute multi-colored, short heels that i would always get so many compliments on
well the thick strap that held your foot in had come loose from the sole on a previous trip
and yet i took them back home
not this time, they're in a landfill in tampa by now
the other pair had lost the tip of the heel at some point where i had to keep walking on it
so there was no replacing the heel since the screw was worn all the way down

if you travel a lot the club lounges are awesome
especially with a 3 hour layover
free booze and snacks - how can you go wrong?!?!
maybe as for the ramblings...

so with that i will bid you all a good night!

insta-friday (on saturday)

work trip to tampa - no upgrade, but at least an exit row

crazy tunnel when making my connection - only a few more weeks and then it's back to non-stop trips

"are you ready for some football - it's a monday night party"

50th bday party/bbq for a work peep

boys in charge of cutting the cake

new shoes out of necessity - those of you that know me are thinking "yea, right" but it's true.  both pair of shoes i took on my work trip were broken and didn't come home with me.

changing tides

Things in life change regularly:

• jobs come and go
• the tide comes in and out
• responsibilities increase
• facebook adds features to "make your life better"
• relationships come and go
• technology moves faster than we can keep up with
• the trees purge their leaves for the winter

some changes are cyclical and, therefore predictable
some you can feel approaching but try to pretend isn't
some pop up unexpectedly

trying to fight it doesn't work
complaining about it doesn't get you anywhere and doesn't change it back
the only thing you can do is learn from it and adapt

as the ocean pounding away at the rock transforms them to make the water flow more freely
changes in our lives shape us to allow God to flow more freely

beautiful things come from adversity - just look around you
are you enjoying the ride and allowing God's love to consume you?
i'm definitely trying to but fall short time and time again
but that doesn't stop me from continuing to try

remember, life's too short to fret the changes
besides, there will just be more tomorrow...

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All pictures were taken near the Fundy Trail in New Brunswick, Canada.  This area has the most dramatic tide differentials in all the world!  The first four pictures were taken in the same exact spot near high tide and low tide on the same day.  BREATHTAKING! 

birthday month celebration la fin

The birthday month celebration has come and gone.  It was a great time of focusing on myself and taking the time to do things I wanted.  If you've never tried this, I recommend it - but I tell you first hand, it's hard!

So maybe taking an entire month isn't feasible for everyone - so try a week, or even a weekend.  We're not talking a lot of time here.  Some things only took an hour, max.  Come on - give it a try - you know you want to!

So here's the low-down on the last days of the birthday month celebration.

day 22: movie night with the honey
day 23: improv
day 24: picking more apples, making applesauce, dinner with friends
day 25: painting on the dock to the sounds of nature
day 26: phone time with friends
day 27: reading magazines on the dock
day 28: ancestry researching
day 29: more ancestry researching
day 30: Pampered Chef party!

********************************
For those of you wondering, the hubs is getting better at the birthday thing!

First year we were married - not so much as a card.

This year (a mere two years later), I received a rose bush on my actual birthday that we'll plant in our new flowerbeds (pics coming soon), breakfast in bed (yum....munchkins!), an actual cooked breakfast that he made himself, going on various of the adventures with me, helping make a particular day turn out even when I screwed it up, taking a road trip (even if I did have to plan it myself).  I'm sure there's more...

sharing my birthday month

i'm not completely self-absorbed
well maybe I am
but for someone very special I can make an exception and share my birthday month

just last summer out on the boat

and i do
and this year that someone very special is turning

"95"

i can't believe it either!

you can't live that long without learning something, right?

in her much younger days - LOVE, LOVE this pic

so i asked her what the secret was to living so long

"just be happy and go out all the time"

1982 - and yes she probably ate the entire thing...and then some!

i guess i'm on track to living quite a while longer then!

Happy Birthday to Sean's Grammie!

new brunswick, canada

I've already shown you all the fun Duke had on our trip to Saint John, now it's time to see it from my perspective.  It really was a nice area for an extended weekend trip.  There is so much beauty up in this area of the country.

The city of Saint John was full of beautiful blooming buds and blossoms.  Even the median was abounding with marigolds.  I wish I had gotten a picture of it, as it really was spectacular.

The rock beaches, although difficult to walk on, were not difficult on the eye.  All the beautiful colors of polished stones from the pounding of the ocean leading to an endless ocean and never-ending sky.

"where's duke"

Finding a little piece of inventiveness in the woods offered some fun for Duke and me, and I suppose for Sean too watching us trip and huff-n-puff trying our hand at it.  Rumor has it this rope ladder was a prototype for offering access to hikers on steep hills that was later used throughout the area.

My favorite part of the trip (aside from enjoying our 2nd anniversary bottle of wine and reading all the lovely comments from our friends and family while playing Smess - I must own this game!) was enjoying a peaceful picnic and playing in the ice cold river with my two favorite men!

originally thought he was laughing but I think he's screaming because it's SO cold

But what Maine road trip would be complete without a little randomness on the side of the road?

We drove home Monday, Labor Day, down a nearly deserted road that is so dark at night Sean insisted we plan our trip around being on this road in the daylight.  With a grumble in our tummies we looked and looked and looked and looked for a place to eat.  When we finally found an "open" flag blowing in the breeze, we found ourselves driving too fast to pull in so we had to drive and drive and drive and drive before we could finally turn around.  The sign on the door indicated they were closing early for the holiday - in 10 minutes.  Feeling guilty for doing it, I walked inside and asked in my most polite, southern, voice if they would take two more.  After asking Grandma the chef she agreed we could eat.  It turned out to be the cutest, back in time feeling restaurant - and actually had some really good food!

"will you quit taking pictures..."

I'm saving the most amazing thing we saw for last, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow for that...

I know - such a tease!

random time

this little guy comes and poops rests on our float every fall on his way south

this little pampered chef beauty has been awesome

to help me turn all this into a tasty treat

for those of you wondering what fab prizes we won...

got to try my hand at some serious machinery - notice the big grin on my face

look at all this fabulous goodness just waiting for the pickin'

that's it for now...
next up, more pics from "canadada" trip