Renascence Festival Joist

We Love Max

PATHS

People are in our lives for specific reasons. We learn things from them, we are the learning instrument to others. Some people touch our lives for short moments, some are here for years and years. I believe that some people are here to bridge the link to another path. Some people are here to show us the way, some are to let us see what we do not want. But all are here for a reason and each one leaves us with something. I think that if we are wise, we will take the best parts of what we have learned and keep building the person we want to be.

Life shouldn't be a plan that takes us from birth to death. But rather an action plan that takes us on amazing adventures:
There is a good man who lives on the same piece of land he was born on. I love that!  He is authentic, pure, simplistic. He makes me want a clean uncomplicated, unadulterated life. I have learned so much from him. Things long forgotten, things hoped for but not seen. His path has been steady. I think that he has been sitting at the crossroads for a very long time. If he stays there, life will continue to look picture perfect. But if you look beyond the picture, the one that we all put out there for others to see, there is nothing to look forward to, no more progression, no moving forward, no adventure....no life. He craves more, but is afraid to take the step toward the new path. Even though he knows it would bring the happy and fulfillment he craves. As the years go by, that picture still looks great, but the effervescence of life may be slipping away. Oh how I want wonderful adventures for him!

We all have events in our lives that we would never, in our right mind have chosen for ourselves. Things that don't go with where we want to be. Hiccups along our path. Detour signs: 
A friend of mine who is at a fork in his path said "For the first time, in well over 30 years I am truly on my own and it is an odd feeling." Prior to the last 30 years, he was a bad ass ruffian. To know him now you would never see it, he chose to walk another path. The adventures along his path have been varied, and have made him a good man. But now that his path is unfamiliar to him, he is feeling lost. He is currently at the bottom, there is only one direction to go; up. He is wanting this new start, this new path. Sometimes our new path starts with us being in the dark. I hope the bad ass ruffian is a thing of the past. I hope that his adventures to come are spectacular. 

Sometimes someone will come into your life and help you learn something about yourself or who you want to be. Then they are gone. Only to come back into your life sometime later to help learn something totally different:
I know woman that represented to me, self confidence, being yourself while living up to the standards set for you. She made me want to recapture who I was once upon a time; the me I had let go when I adapted to what I thought I should be. Our paths went separate ways. Life changed.... for her, for me, for many of us. We all cope and struggle in our own ways. Conquering some pitfalls, pulling ourselves out of others. Taking new paths. This friend is back in my life. Still being herself and moving forward. She is picture perfect to look at. I think this time around, as she and I travel down our paths that are touching, she is the one learning. She shows bad ass strength in every thing she puts out there for others to see. But if you are close enough to see behind the bling and glitter, you will see that she is scared and vulnerable. That she is unsure of herself and she is seeking reassurance. I was at her place last night for Girl's Night In. There were alot of women there. We all knew her, but we new few, if any of the others there. We all had a blast. She introduced some of us as we were chatting. Someone asked who she had know the longest. She looked around the room and said "Angie". She then told how we met and where we were in our lives at that time, and how our lives had brought us to a tandem point yet again. Later as the evening progressed and I was ready to call it a night, we had a minute to talk. Her walls were down, her barriers were relaxed. She asked "How are you so okay?" I said it's about learning to be comfortable and happy with who you are,  needing to like who you are and loving your self. She said she doesn't know how. We will be doing lunch next weekend! She has so many Adventures ahead!

Having to trust in who we are, learn to not only like ourselves but love who we are, valuing our self, caring for our self as we move forward, is sometimes the hardest things of all.

Karma or Just Tough Luck

You have got to listen to this! It made me laugh out loud!!!!!

http://youtu.be/1yD8PzFFNFU

Sympathy and Love

Friday was the funeral for Don's dad.

Today was David's wife's funeral. 

Both of these men are very dear friends of mine. 

My heart breaks for them.

My sympathy and love to them both.

NO REGRET

Winning An Argument

*Calm and cool is the rule
*Never lose control of your emotions
*Have all the facts and state your case clearly
*Confuse (if not kill) your opponent with kindness
*Don't make or take it personally
*Take the high road whenever possible
*Encourage compromise
*Empathize with your enemy
*Flatter your enemy 

I am taking notes.....Let's just not argue!

Wonderland

Choosing Happiness

"If you had a rough childhood, you have extra challenges in front of you, but it's up to you to overcome those challenges. We all have our own individual relationship to happiness, and shaping that relationship is within our control. Being happy doesn't happen overnight; it takes time, patience, and ---most of all---forgiveness."
SD ~ BA

TOP 10 RULES

TOP 10 RULES
TO LIVING THE
BADASS LIFESTYLE

1. Be True To Yourself
2. Be Honest With Yourself And Others
3. Be Brave
4. Be Adventurous
5. Be Kind
6. Be Bold
7. Be Well-Informed And Well-Educated
8. Be Self-Motivated
9. Be Just A Little Bit "OFF"
10. Be Confident

Quote of The Day

"The meaning of life is not to simply exist, to survive, but to move ahead, to go up, to achieve, to conquer."
Arnold Schwarzenegger

Easter Brunch Menu

Aunt Marleen's Potatoe Salad

Sliced Ham

Deviled Eggs

Bakery Croissants

Fruit Tray

Bacon, Sausage &Cheese Platter

Mark's Pink Salad

Mini Cheese Cakes

Lemon Cup Cakes

SIBLINGS

I love my children. I also love how they love each other!
Yesterday Mark and Jessetter were texting all afternoon.
When I told Cookie and Mark that Jessette and Cole would be over
for Easter Brunch they almost simultaneously said "I love them".
When the kids leave the house, they always let the other one know,
they always say I love you!
When each of my babies were born I gave that new baby
to the one just older than them.
I told that big sibling that this was their baby,
they need to take care of that new one,
to love them, protect them and be their friend.
Jessette has always looked after Mark,
she took her role very serious when he was little. She gave him his first car!!!
She keeps up on both him and Cookie even though she no longer lives at home.
Mark was indeed sad that Cookie was not a boy,
he had hoped to name her Franklin after his favorite show.
(He already had two sisters after all)
But I have never seen a better sibling bond than the one these two last children have.
Cookie idolizes her big brother. And he makes sure that he not only takes care of her,
but sets a great example for her also. Thier bond is great!
Even though my oldest darling is far away, 
her siblings are still so protective and in love with her.
I think we all hope that she will get to a point that she wants
to join back in to this sibling fun fest!
I LOVE MY KIDS!

They Have A CLUE

SPRING BREAK
Cookie and some friends hung out
durring spring break,
I was delighted that the game closet
 was the source of  hours of fun.
Not one cell phone in hand!!!
WooHoo!!!

Quote of The Day

"Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough."
Oprah Winfrey

Funny Story

I take highway 101 home from work. And the other day as I was on my way, I turned the bend there at Union Hills. Now on this particular day, my cell phone was not working right and I was hoping to get a call from my guy, so I had the windows up and the sterio off. (Yes usually I am the Tahoe with the the screaming music and the wind blown hair!) As soon as I turned the bend it sounded like my windshield  (yes the brand new windshield that I just got replaced last week) was being hit by machine gun fire. Thud thud thud thud thud. It lasted only seconds, but the carnage was gross.
I had driven through a swarm of bees! I was saved bodily damage! But my vehicle sure got peppered!

Parallel Paths

Tammy called me.....
we are on the phone right now in fact.
We can open everything up and let it all spill out.
We share everything, we are twin sisters from different states.
She is the very best person I have ever known.
I am a better person just by having her in my world.
We are on a parallel path in our lives right now.
I am so very glad to have such a wonderful friend to journey with.
I love her!

FLOWERS

VULNERABLE:

1. capable of being physically or emotionally wounded
2. open to attack or damage

exposed     sensitive    susceptible    unprotected    
unsecured    undefended    unguarded    

Quote of The Day

"In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure."  Bill Cosby