Life Signatures

This shriveled bud is where beauty lives. Yet it is ignored until it blooms. Perhaps we need to look closer. And have more anticipation. And give it more credit for what it is, not for what it will become. And have joy in the waiting, in the process.

I’m not sure why I have been such a girl lately. Today the storm is over, now it’s time to have fun.

I hope to have time to get my camera out and shoot some photos so you can see the fun in progress. There is no doubt that God is good.

The girl and her Poppop, circa 1999

My step-father, or Poppop, is the father that I always wished I had. My parents married when I was sixteen years old. I remember my step-brother Jim asking me on that day, “How do you feel about this?”

I said, “I’m so happy about it.”

And I still am. For in her final round of love, my mother has picked a great man. Happy Father’s Day Poppop.

The husband’s father died when the husband was two years old. His mom re-married and her second husband died a few years later. From then on, Virginia, my mother-in-law, raised the son who will in turn be a great father. And she did it without a husband for many years.

Virginia came to visit when we lived in Phoenix many years ago. She met Frank on the plane. He was on his way to see his son in Tucson. They struck up a conversation, struck up a friendship and now have been together over twelve years.

In her final round of love, my mother-in-law has picked a great man. Happy Father’s Day Frank.

And now, my husband, my love, my life, father to my children. The man with whom I wish I could have more kids…another story for another time.

In my one and only round of love, I am blessed to have picked a great man. Happy Father’s Day honey.

The husband spent his formative teenage years in Florida.

So the tug of the water is strong. Last year on Father’s Day, we surprised him with a little boat to fish in. And to cruise in. And to just do nothing in.

There is nothing more relaxing to him than to be out on the water. It’s like a vacation for him when he gets home from a trip.

Our little spot on the Chesapeake is really pretty. We’ll probably be hanging out here quite a bit this summer.

The husband and I ate at the Cracker Barrel last week and wouldn’t you know it? Our waitress had a tattoo. It seems that it’s  a trend with us.

Once again I was fascinated and I asked for a photo.

This is an ingenious place for a tattoo. If you don’t want it seen you can just put your hair down. Wow.

I had a tattoo once…a long time ago.

Circa 1991 ~ Bitburgh Germany. This is one of exactly five photos of me in BDUs. I look at this and I think, wow, I’m tough.

And wow, I’m short too.

Thanks to Gayle at Planet M Files and Monday Memories for making me do things I wouldn’t normally do.

A couple of days ago, I received this cute email from Neighbor Theresa.

As many of you know, I am unfortunately leaving my husband behind to go to celebrate my brother’s wedding in Vegas this weekend. I am needed to escort my parents who are still in shock. Chris’  39th Birthday is on the 13th of June. Please help him have a happy Birthday by calling him on the phone at xxx-xxx-xxxx and/or cell xxx-xxx-xxxx  and tell him happy birthday and that his wife loves him very much. I would greatly appreciate this.      

Love to all,
Theresa

It was so sweet. So today I’m wishing Neighbor Chris a happy birthday.

I’m sure your wife is thinking of you today! You’re just a baby, 39?

The only photos I had to Neighbor Chris is one where he is dead or with a dress form. Sorry about that. I would invite him over for dinner but he’s allergic to the dog and the cat. I’ll have the girl bring him brownies tonight:)

You have not lived until you hear a rousing rendition of Ozzy Osbourne’s Crazy Train played by the middle school jazz ensemble. I was tapping my feet.

The poms were awesome at the assembly.

And so were the cheerleaders. Though I think they were the same girls.

Anyway, so long to another school year. It’s bittersweet. One should never wish for the passing of time especially when one has kids. But I have to admit, I’m glad that this is the last day of school. I’m looking forward to a more relaxed schedule. As all moms know, when your kids have homework, so do you, so I’m looking forward to some down time.

And no more teachers dirty looks.

Julia asks what makes us happy today on her blog, Hooked on Houses. This makes me happy!

When we moved here almost six years ago, we didn’t know anything about the area. We didn’t think we would be here this long so beyond looking at the quality of the schools and proximity to the husband’s job, we didn’t do much research.

We thought we would be here for the standard three year tour and leave again. We now have officially lived here longer than we have lived anywhere in our 17 year marriage.

We didn’t know that the Patuxent and the Chesapeake were boating playgrounds.

That the beautiful Patuxent is a haven for protected wildlife.

That these beautiful majestic birds would be the object of my obsession very time I get in the water.

It’s another reason why the suburban life is a wonderful one. I think I’m starting to like it here.

Posted on Outdoor Wendesday and happy Love Thursday everyone.

I’m outside photographing flora, when the boy drives the lawnmower by.

I yell, “Belly button!” over the sound of the lawnmower.

He adjusts…

That’s better. Hey, even Brad Pitt had a mom who told him to pull his shirt down.

Today you will have to excuse me but I’m going to reminisce about Hawaii. This was brought on by Gayle at Planet M Files with her Monday Memories post and the iheartfaces.com post which asks us to post our vacation photos.

The coast of Molokai.

I feel like our time in Hawaii was a three-and-a-half-year vacation so I am going to walk down memory lane.

The girl’s 1st grade class…

When my kids wore flip flops and aloha shirts every day…

The boy’s spring aloha show…

When they swam with dolphins…

The Kahala Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Oahu.

And we all had matching aloha wear…

Christmas 2002.

My kids know words like keiki, mahalo, humuhumunukunukuapuaa, and used them all the time.

The Polynesian Cultural Center, North Shore, Oahu.

Where volcanoes spew red hot lava still…

Big Island lava fields.

Where my heart is…

Tenth anniversary  at The Lodge at Koele on the island of Lanai.

I never left Hawaii for three and a half years except to come back to the mainland one time, to go to my Grammie’s funeral, the same Grammie whose wardrobe I tried to sell at my yard sale. I figured that if anyone wanted to come see us, they would come to Hawaii where they had a place to stay, a car to drive and built-in tour guides. And we had many visitors, including my parents who came about six times while we were there…People would claim to have gotten island fever, but not me, never.

So now I live in Maryland and I have to say that the transition was really hard for me at first. I didn’t work, I didn’t like my house (it was temporary remember) and the husband was making noise about retiring here…huh? We bought this house and I thought I would be here our compulsory three years and we would move on. But here we are six years later…

Our house…Honolulu…look closely and you can see the lights on.

I do like it here, I love my church and my neighbors, I have a brand new remodeled kitchen and the kids are well adjusted and love their school and friends. I’m also relatively close geographically to my parents and to my sister who is ailing from ALS, for the first time since I moved away after college.

Still…something in me wants another adventure. I miss it, I’m so full of emotion right now. I may be on a plane by the time you read this…