paying tribute

today is memorial day. i'd like to pay tribute to both those who have served our country and those who are serving today.

most specifically...

this is my dad. he served our country in the army during the korean war and did it proudly. he had a new wife and a baby on the way, too. i can only imagine how difficult that had to have been for him... and for her. but like so many back in "the day" that's the way it was. serving your country was just something you did without making a lot of fuss about it. dad did it quietly, respectfully and never expected anything in return. i admire him so much for that and my heart is full of pride, today and always. thanks, dad!

this is my nephew, daniel. he is in the army serving our country. he was most recently deployed in afghanistan. daniel, too, had a new wife and baby. tough times, but service was in his blood and they knew the importance his skills would contribute to his unit. the place daniel ended up was brutal in its conditions and very dangerous, with lives lost on a continual basis. war today is high tech, ugly and indiscriminate. one day in kabul it targeted daniel, and although it slowed him down bringing him back to the states, it did not stop him. he will continue to serve our country because that's what he does... what he's meant to do. he's proud! he's army! i'm so very proud of you, daniel, for all you've done in your young life. thanks!

i'm grateful for daniel and for all the other men and women in uniform who are selflessly serving our country. those who have given their lives already and those who are standing right now for us, today, so that we can have freedom.

happy day.....

got milk?

cat's are the just the funniest creatures on the planet. i'm just sayin'.

i have shared pictures of my kittie, gracie, on this blog so you know that she is precious to me. she also brings me many hours of laughter by her many antics. sometimes i just don't know what possesses her.

for instance, the other day i was drinking a glass of milk with my breakfast. anytime i drink milk it is like grace has this sixth sense. she just knows and comes trotting out from wherever she is to stand by me. i mean does the scent of milk go wafting through the house? and then she'll stand there... waiting until i am done. looking up at me... ever so patiently to put down the glass for her. do your kitties do this? sometimes she will even meow at me as if to say, "well, come on... are you finished yet?"



then when i put the glass down for her, she'll knock it over, reach a paw in and begin to lick out the remaining milk. it is simply too funny. the first time gracie did this, she was a kitten. i thought it was the cutest thing but that gracie would eventually outgrow it. fortunately that hasn't happened.

happy day.....

the human spirit

as we approach this memorial day, take a moment to reflect on the ability of the human spirit to overcome... to achieve... to move on from what most would think are insurmountable odds.

war is ugly. war seems very unnecessary. for those who serve our country, war is a job they do with pride. they give it their all and usually ask for nothing in return. the war in iraq pulls on the emotions of all of us taking us in many directions with the havoc it has created. for the young man in this photo, it changed his life forever.

he became the first quad amputee. in an odd twist, the same bomb that blew off his limbs also saved his life. it was so hot, it instantly cauterized his wounds. now recovering at walter reed, he's learning to use prosthetics while planning out the rest of his new life. he also met a new love in kate. and he's approaching all of it with a smile on his face and an unshakable attitude of gratefulness to be alive. truly remarkable.

meet brendan; be inspired... be thankful we have these kinds of individuals protecting our country.

happy day.....

sensory box

we've all heard of the 5 senses: sight, smell, hear, touch, taste. we're bombarded by them all the time... everyday. our world is saturated by them. how do we react? how do we allow those senses to interact with us on a day-to-day basis? do we respond immediately? with actions, emotions, behaviors? or are we silent and introspective?

technology has come a long way over the years allowing us to experience a myriad of journeys with advancements in creative thinking. it has broadened our horizon's as we reach for new and better worlds to live and work in. this is a direct impact on our senses... each and every day; sometimes leaving us with little options of how to respond other than in amazement.

watch this and be taken away to another world... a sensory box. be sure to turn up your speakers to experience the full effect.

ENVISION : Step into the sensory box from SUPERBIEN on Vimeo.

happy day.....

flower power

so hard not to enjoy spring time, and flowers... the colors; playing with shading, fading and blurring.

happy day.....

black & white

so i've found a couple of apps to take photos in black & white and have been playing around with them as opportunities present themselves.

one is vintage black & white. it's quite awesome and i used it to capture this shot of gracie the other day. don't you think it turned out pretty crisp and shows off her markings quite well?

sometimes i like black and white better than color. it's simple. your eye can be drawn in to just one focused object. plain and pure.

the other app is oldcamera. i haven't experimented with this one yet but it, too, is point and click with easy developing and saving. i'm hoping it will have a clear look as well but older.

what would be nice with both of these is if they had borders around them like the old polaroids used to have to really show true vintage style. that would really be cool wouldn't it? or some way to show age or fraying around the corners and/or edges? there may be a way to do that with options that i haven't found yet since i haven't checked the apps out fully so don't mark my word that isn't a possibility.

for now, i'm having a fun time knowing i have the ability when i'm out and about to take color or black & white photos, or both. all in one gadget, with the push of a button.

happy day.....

breakfast yum

we've all been told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

i must admit i'm a hit or miss person when it comes down to it. whether it's running late, not being able to decide what i want, timing, blah, blah.... thinking about it being an important meal never enters into my decision to indulge in it or not. sometimes i find myself just moving on to lunch and calling it a day.

but then, some of my friends started having conversations about this new product on the market called "almond milk." say what? i love almonds. hmmmm.... do you think this could be good? maybe it would help me be more disciplined with eating breakfast.

so i went to the store to check it out. i found it came with vanilla flavoring in addition to plain. uh-oh.... mix almonds and vanilla?

well, i'm trying it for sure now and what better to put it with than cereal? a new kind no less with chocolate. shredded chocolate mini wheat's. yum!

happy day.....

music mixer

music can make everything better. whatever kind of day you've had, it can turn your world upside down... or right side up... music can speak to your soul... down deep... it can cause you to laugh... or cry... snap your fingers... tap your toes... get up and dance... sing along even if you don't know the words. music is amazing.

i like all kinds of music and have gotten a bit more versatile as i've aged. being able to combine an unusual instrument with unusual music is intriguing to me and that's what caught my interest with this little video. you have a violin.... you have some hip hop.... you might not think that would work but.... i love it. how do you weigh in?

happy day.....

water walking

do you ever want something? want something bad? and you'll do whatever is necessary to get it? you'll try over and over again to obtain it? never giving up?

you know it's just around the bend. you're chasing after it.... it's slightly out of reach.... oh so close.... it's not been done before. no one's in your way. you want to be the first. that's what makes it so special. so awesome.

you knew at some point that someone would try this. although viewed as a miracle performed by jesus, humans wouldn't be able to leave it alone. walking on water is amazing. can you imagine having been one of the disciples and seeing jesus do it?

well with modern technology available to us, the guys in this clip are putting their abilities to the test to make walking on water a reality in the world today. so far, they're having a bit of success with some special shoes and speed. pretty interesting. see what you think.

happy day.....

mom's day

today is mother's day.

mom's are fabulous.

they bring you into the world. have a love for you like they never imagined.

love that is never ending... overwhelming... overflowing.

they worry over you like no other. at times they probably wish they could take you out of the world again, too. but that's just because they love you so much.

no one knows a mother's love.

this is my mom. i love her very much. it's a love like no other, too.

i cannot imagine having another mother in all the world and am very blessed to be able to call her mine. praise god & thank you mom!

happy day.....

spring green

the fun thing about spring is new growth.

seeing buds. sprouts. the sudden spurt of growth on the plant.

the brightness of green.

sharp, crisp, shiny.

it makes me feel successful. accomplished. proud.

i find myself talking to the new growth like it's my baby...oohing and aahing over it so it will continue to bring forth its wonder and beauty into my world.

happy day.....

no comment needed

word power

words are powerful. the spoken word is especially capable of having an impact. they can build you up. they can break you down. we are all vulnerable to the words that are spoken to us. from the moment we take our first breath. written words speak to us as well and are just as valuable. they can touch our hearts in unmeasurable ways.

don't you find it important to get encouragement and hope from each other? to be positive, to say good things, reflecting our inner beauty and strength? empower our lives instead of tearing them apart with senselessness. embrace goodness so we can be role models for those who are coming after us?

i believe this can be accomplished in both the spoken and written word.

this is a short movie i think you can't miss seeing. it's a love story at heart but also speaks to word power... it's called "validation" and the importance of it in ones life. it's the story of a man trying to make one sad girl happy. well worth the 16 minutes it will take you to watch it.

happy day.....

unemployment

do you know someone who is unemployed? are you unemployed? there are a lot of feelings associated with unemployment. our nation has been hit hard by it and each states rate is higher than ever. pick up a newspaper and it's in the headlines. turn on the television or the radio and it's a topic talked about.

no longer are just the little dogs being hit. the big dogs are getting slammed as well. layoffs are affecting those who have been on the job for months along with many years. unemployment is not discriminating. once unemployed, finding employment again is getting harder and harder.

ryan star is a singer who had some friends who became unemployed. he put a music video to a song called 'breathe' and solicited them in addition to other real people also unemployed to appear in the video. the hope is that this will lead to job opportunities for these folks.

there's even a website devoted to the cause: breathe4jobs if you go there, you can see who the people are and if they've found jobs yet. very cool...

oh yeah... here's the song...

happy day.....

flowering cactus

for years my mother had a christmas cactus that belonged to my grandmother - her mother. it was a beautiful red...glorious when in bloom every christmas. and she had the amazing ability to make those blooms last for months on end.

i always imagined growing up, having my own cactus and enjoying the flowers for a long time, too.

but... i grew up.... got my own plants.... they bloomed once.... the flowers lasted about a week and then.... yup, you guessed it. the end! no more blooms.

no matter what i did, i couldn't make them last longer or the following years have them bloom again. i was so disappointed. this resulted in many phone calls to my mom to find out what her secret was.... the magic touch she used.... the formula, so i could enjoy my childhood desire. alas, she didn't know. maybe it just had something to do with grandma's plant.

but then this year, something truly amazing happened. i noticed that one of my christmas cactus plants had buds on it. and not just one or two buds like in past years. plentiful buds. then i saw that another one had buds, too. and a third. whoo-hoo! i was in christmas cactus heaven. they all bloomed and the blooms lasted into january.

then.... the really miraculous occurred. when i thought the blooms were done, they kept on.... and on.... and on.... to this very day.

that bloom pictured was just taken today! isn't that something? it's may 1! i'm enjoying my childhood desire.

happy day.....