Chicken and Dumplings

This is my reward.

It has been a house-filled weekend. While the rest of the world is playing on the lake, going to baseball games, barbeque-ing...I was painting, drilling, cleaning...

In the last few weeks, and I'm sure in the weeks to come, I've been surprising myself working around the house. What's not surprising,however, is my continuous love for food, and the lengths I'll go to to get good food. Tonight, I worked hard, slaving over the hot stove after a nasty run, with the (finally!) cool breeze coming in the window, and the results were magical. Completely worth it. I may actually be a Southern girl at heart after all...

I'm back!!

So I have a lot of changes that should be happening in the next days...weeks...months, and I've decided to come back to blogging to document these changes. My way of adapting to these changes starts with controlling what I can, and just taking in the rest. What I can control- my body...sometimes. Now we all know I won't do this with a diet. I love food, and have recently confessed to a dear friend a slight obsession with it. No, first, I signed up for the Warrior Dash. If you don't know what this is, look it up, sounds like a jolly good time. Second, I've started to run to train for it = hilarious! Next, I made the great trek back to Bikram Yoga...for the first time since I was dating that one guy, and took him with me that one time. Thankfully, the hot room welcomed me back with open arms.

There are many, many reasons I love Bikram. Y'all might think I'm nuts, and I very well may be, but that 105 degree room brings me bliss. The discipline of moving my muscles just so, in a rhythm with so many other hot bodies is magical. The focus is on the small steps, like building a base with heels and toes always touching. The sweat that drips and cools those same muscles is so sweet. And the breath that fuels my body, slows my pounding heart, and reminds me that all I have to do when I'm stressed, when I'm at the end of my rope, is just inhale and exhale.

The air I'm breathing at any given moment may be filled with the stink of disappointment, it may be filled with the grief of a family, or may be energized with the hope of new beginnings, but really, all I have to do is just breathe. I'm going to continue to remind myself, and my (hopefully) changing body of that each and every day to come...

Seven Wonders

I always like to oblige my friends the things they ask...so this is for you Stac...seven nutsy things about me that you probably already knew. Though it's pretty difficult to chose just seven...

1. I think the absolutely most useless invention is the back jean pocket that is sewn shut! I mean, if you're going to put the extra bulk of an actual pocket in the pants, why in the world would you sew it shut?!

2.I absolutely hate even numbers. I chose to do things in threes if at all possible. This means that I want three or five kids, have odd numbers of pictures hanging next to each other, drink 1 or 3 beers, never just two...ok, you get the point...weird!

3. When eating potato chips, I get really excited when I reach into the bag and pull out a chip that is curled up! I feel a little like I've won the lottery.

4. I celebrate Christmas from November 1st to about January 15. This means decorations, movies, music...the whole bit. The plus side is that I also try to have the generous Christmas spirit through this whole time as well.

5. When I'm writing with an ink pen, I have to at least be writing on two sheets of paper. I hate just writing on a hard surface with one sheet of paper, although, if I'm writing with a pencil, it must only be one.

6. I eat PB & J's in bed. Never any other food, just the sandwich. The crumbs just aren't bad, and it's so comforting.

7. I'm obsessed with three veggies right now...broccoli, peas, and artichokes. Love them, eat at least one at every meal, or make a meal out of all three. Can't get enough.

So...there you go, I'm so glad there were seven things and not eight...perhaps I'm not entirely weird and there's someone else out there like me...nah...nevermind.

Come on over to my place...

It is now that the threat of leaving my wonderful place is on the table that I finally take some pictures of my favorite features.

I will point out that my Christmas decorations are already started and that my refridgerator is Fisher & Paykel. That's all I got.

The Dynamic Duo

They've turned out to be an inseperable pair...two of a kind...pains in my neck! He's taught her how to jump on absolutely everything, to drink out of the toilets and the sink, which toys are worth playing for, and how to cuddle. She's taught him how to be a mama...

Excerpt

I don't have any great words to write tonight...I just want to share a few from a favorite author in a favorite book. Kudos to you if you can guess who and which book, or foreword to be exact, from where it comes.


...Rarely do we realize that we are in the midst of the extraordinary. Miracles occur all around us, signs from God show us the way, angels plead to be heard, but we pay little attention to them because we have been taught that we must follow certain formulas and rules if we want to find God. We do not recognize that God is wherever we allow Him/Her to enter. Traditional religious practices are important: they allow us to share with others the communal experience of adoration and prayer. But we must never forget that spiritual experience is above all a practical experience of love. And with love, there are no rules. Some may try to control their emotions and develop strategies for their behaviours; others may turn to reading books of advice from "experts" on relationships--but this is all folly. The heart decides and what it decides is all that really matters.

...The more we love, the closer we come to spiritual experience. Those who are truly enlightened, those whose souls are illuminated by love, have been able to overcome all of the inhibitions and preconceptions of their era. They have been able to sing, to laugh, and to pray out loud; they have danced and shared what Saint Paul called "the madness of saintliness". They have been joyful--because those who love conquer the world and have no fear of loss. True love is an act of total surrender.

Amazing words.

It's August.

So as many of you know, the month of August leaves me out of sorts and alot of the time just plain crazy. My body has just realized the month has come, so bear with me. This is the time when I cry when I think about my family and how much they mean to me, when I laugh at myself constantly, and when I stare at the clouds and stars and wish I knew what they knew. This is the time that I examine myself and generally find myself lacking, and wish I knew how to fix it. When I wish I could just sit and cry on the phone with my Daddy. I know I could never do this...he's my hero, and who wants their hero to see them hurt?

I recently re-connected with an uncle on facebook. He is my Mom's brother, and swears that my Mom and Dad were his favorite in the family. He says I look like her, that I have her twinkle. It's the time of year when I really want to know those things, when knowing my aunts and uncles better seems that much more important.

Well...anyway, it's August. Bear with me.

Remy "the cat monster" Jones

I know...I'm such a single girl...writing about crazy float trips, journeys, her cat...no judgement, please. He's crazy, I have to get it out.

I thought that adopting a new cat would be the missing ingredient in my stellar new apartment, but I'm really questioning myself now...was life really so bad with my quiet nights and clean floors?

So...the cat I chose. He came from the Humane Society, and has a sketchy past. Most info I could gain from them says he's a stray who's been a shelter cat for a while...hmm...a while? I envision him on the street with his own little street cat gang...he's definitely capable. And he's two...should be slightly matured but still playful, but definitely not a kitten. Thought I was doing a noble deed in taking an adult that not everyone might want...noble indeed.

Let me let you into my life a bit with this new creature...

1. He's halfway laying on the computer as I type this. He does this because he can't stand to be more than 3 feet away from me at any given time.

2. I just took a bath. He supervised from the ledge of the bathtub, knocking my razor into the water with a huge splash at every chance. He's fallen in, twice, but does it stop him, no. He also enjoys showers. Not normal!

3. I wake up often at 3 am to a bed full of toys...no, not those kinds of toys...cat toys. Because 3 am is the best time for cat owner/cat interaction. I have learned through this that fuzzy sheepskin mini balls are the best toy ever. They roll so he can chase them without me...with his nails on hardwood floors...another great sound at 3 am. I never win.

4. Walls are apparently for climbing. Never knew that.

5. Kitchen counters are fair game...I've learned to disinfect very well.

I guess through all this, I have learned that much like dogs, cats can pick up on your neurosis. I thought I was immune, but I think karma is really trying to teach me something. If Leo-man couldn't teach me patience...this monster of a cat is going to beat it into me.

He does give great hugs though, and even when he tries to smother me in the middle of the night, he's usually happy with being roughly repositioned.

Is this some sort of sick preparation for living with a real man?