Wordless Wednesday- Coffee

Color Lust

Inspiration struck while reading a post from one of my favorite blogs N’East Style, written by an amazing woman Christine.  Today, Christine’s post introduced me to an amazing designer Angela Adams.  We have been thinking and looking for ways to make our space more- more organized, more livable, more fun, simply more.  After reading N’East Style I realized that what we need, really need, is more color!

For now I am am going to have to rely on Esty.com and my own limited artistic skill to add that much needed color in our lives; but someday- someday we are going to be able to invest in a lush, playful carpet by Angela Adams, that brings nature inside and quenches my lust for color.

Writing Exercise

Integrity, Motivation, Capacity, Understanding, Knowledge, Experience   

The ordering of these six words speak to what I value in friends and co-workers. If I were able to choose the people to surround myself and my family I would first want them to have integrity-honesty to me falls under the same term.  

Motivation is the cornerstone to accomplishment; It doesn't matter how much capacity, understanding, knowledge, or experience you have if you never do anything with it.  

Capacity or the basic ability to understand and grow is in some ways not something an individual can control but it is important to the degree that they are able to encompass integrity. Understanding I am defining as the ability to reason and take in information, which is crucial for gaining knowledge, so therefore must proceed it.  Knowledge is important but only insofar as how one use it. Having Knowledge in-an unto itself is not enough. Experience is only as go as how it informs ones actions and increases the knowledge that one possesses.

Heading East (Part 2)

The first leg of our flight was pretty short. We jumped off the plane and ran to our next flight. (Gotta love short layovers.) We didn’t have time to grab food but figured they would be selling lunch on the plane. The plane was pretty packed and a young man sat between my SIL and me. (Poor guy) Luckily, Todd ended up being super nice and humored us. 

Todd was on his way to NY to surprise his girlfriend for her birthday. How sweet is that? It was his first time on the east coast and was being picked up by his girlfriends mom. (Who hadn’t met yet...he is braver than me.) He and I exchanged iPhones to play some new games, and his iphone is in yesterday’s Wordless Wednesday photo. (Taken with my iPhone...lol)  Anyways Todd was a great sport and the flight was enjoyable....even if all they had for sale for lunch was lame snacks. LAME

We had a car waiting for us at the baggage area and we headed off to my grandmother’s house for the night. My grandma lives in NJ and the plan was to spend the night at her house, take the bus into the city, stay for two nights, and head back to my GG’s house for another night. Leaving early the next morning. Best Laid Plans....

Somewhere between the middle of the second flight and the ride to my GG’s I realized I was not up to going to the city. My stupid bladder was killing me and I was in complete turmoil about what to do. This trip had been planned for years and I was going to ruin it.   (Or my lame ass bladder was going to ruin it.)   
We arrived at my GG’s house just in time to have dinner. Woot Woot! Anyone who grows up in NY knows that food just tastes better on the east coast. Even NJ has amazing chinese and italian food.  My GG had already picked up some yummy chinese food and pizza. (‘cause she is the best.)  Dinner was wonderful even though my mind was going a mile a minute trying to figure out what to do about going to NYC. 

After dinner I spoke to my mom and my GG and told them I was feeling miserable. Holding back the tears welling up in my eyes, I explained that I really was just not up to running around in the crazy heat feeling miserable. My GG brightened and said,” you can stay here with me.” To see how happy it would make her for me to stay in NJ with her made everything better! 

Both my niece and my SIL were sad that I wasn’t going to join them in NYC, but could tell I needed the rest. In the morning they got up and headed to the bus while I got ready to spend the day with an amazing women, my grandmother. 

So maybe my trip wasn’t going to be ruined after all... (to be continued)

Wordless Wednesday iPhone Users Like Ginger Ale (Based on a random test of the people I sat next to on a plane...lol)

Heading back east for the first time in about 4 yrs (Part 1)

Heading back east for the first time in about 4 yrs was all I could think about for several weeks heading up to this last trip. Day dreaming about traipsing about New York City, seeing the sights with my mom, sister-in-law, and niece. Ah, yeah, that's right it would be a childless trip. (My only not work related childless trip since my son was born in 2001.) Best laid plans and all that... a day before we were to hop on a plane I woke up feeling miserable. Nice? Right? Just my luck.

If at all possible I avoid talking or discussing such things with people or posting about it on my blog...but really that is kinda silly. In 1998 or so I was diagnosed with Interstitial cystitis (which basically means my bladder hates me) after having various bouts of infections, being on antibiotics for yrs at a time, and trying different therapies I  still seem to get a bladder infection the drop of a hat. Most of the time I just ignore my bladder if possible and when it is not possible I know I have an infection. When I woke up on Tuesday of last week I just knew I needed medication. Luckily, I have pain meds. and my niece was over watching the kids when I was really going downhill. 

All I can do when I am in that much pain is take pain meds. and get in the bath with a book. So I called the dr.,pop-ed some pain meds. filled up a giant water bottle, postponed my lunch date, and went upstairs to take a long bath. For the awhile now I have been reading books on my iPhone with a Kindle App. 

iPhone + Water = NO FREAKIN' WAY right? 

Well, actually a plastic Ziploc bag over my phone made it possible for me to continue the book I was currently reading without destroying my phone. (Very MacGyver-esque I know.) Which was good because I was in no mood to try and find another book. 

After an hour or so picked up meds. and hoped for the best and went about the rest of my day determined not to allow my lame body to ruin my day or my trip. Had a late work lunch, ran home picked up the kids, ran back to my DH work dropped off the kids, and headed to a street festival to help run a booth for work. 

Around 9:30 met back up with my DH and cuties to head home and actually start packing....(way to leave things to the last minute).  In my sleepy stupor packed my bags, tried to clean up a bit so the house wasn't a complete disaster and finally headed to bed. 

We had a super early flight which was probably good. The kids were asleep when I left, which always makes it easier to leave. 

I will admit I was annoyingly chipper at 5am and I am sure all the people in the airport were cursing my as a goofed around with my SIL, mom, and niece. No one was in the middle seat on the first leg of our trip. SCORE! (You should have seen my happy dance....lol) Second leg and more continued tomorrow....