Fluffy

 

Look whose getting big fast.  Fluffy  is about 8 weeks old now and just the cutest little thing.  She runs around the house and tends to get into trouble here and there.  One day I found her in the fireplace covered in soot from the ashes.  She ended up being a bit gray for a few days!  Now she's back to her fluffy white and looking for something else to explore.  This picture of her sitting funny was a site to see.  Rabbit don't usually sit like this and I just had to capture a picture.  It's a little blurry though because I was laughing so much at the site of her that I couldn't keep the camera still! 

Puzzled thoughts

 

The doubts I have
 come crawling in when I'm alone
and my heart seems heavy ...
if I had an angel whisper in my ear and tell me things will be all right then maybe I'd believe...
but baby I need your love
to keep me strong
and to feel how it would be
with my heart given to you.
I just can't help myself...  

Home from trip

Back home and back to reality.  This trip was nice but didn't know how things would be when we got home after leaving the two older kids at home.  Glad to report that they AND the house survived.  But, our welcome home was one wrecked vehicle in the driveway (no injuries thank goodness), one broken door knob that fell to the ground as we tried to enter the house (which had us ringing our own doorbell to get in and left me wondering how many kids actually walked through that door the passed week), a (broken) window screen laying on the ground in the back of the house because our daughter apparently got locked out and decided to take things in her own hands, and reports from the security company that our alarm went off 3 times. (??!!)  Other than that, seemed liked they were healthy and glad to see us (they ran out of food)!

 There's just no place like home.....  :)

Day 6 continued - Nascar 3D IMAX, Chattanooga

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To win without risk is to triumph without glory.

Pierre Corneille (1606 - 1684), 'The Cid,' 1636

Felt like we were in the driver's seat for this Nascar 3D film.    It started with the history of race car driving which led to what Nascar is today.  It was amazing to see the aerial view of the track and all the fans as it was larger than I thought it would be.   This film was interesting, exciting and full of speed.  I would recommend it to anyone that ever wanted to sit behind a wheel of a car and feel what it would be like to go 180 miles an hour!

 

Day 6 of trip - Tennessee Aquarium, Chattanooga

Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy. Anne Frank (1929 - 1945), Diary of a Young Girl, 1952

 

We enjoyed visiting the Tennessee Aquarium and all it's beauty.  The freshwater and  saltwater fish plus all the other displays were so pretty to look at.  My favorite were the water and land turtles in huge natural habitats that really made them interesting to watch.    I spent most my time there and they had to pull me away to visit the next floor!  I saw the workers in the tanks feeding the fish and wanted to be in there with them.  I think it's time to plan another snorkeling trip to get the more close-up view that I like!  

 

Day 5 of Trip - New River Gorge, West Virginia

 

This is a favorite area of mine and we decided to stop on our way back to do a little white water rafting.  Unfortunately the weather had been bad and the river was brown.  This was not good to take the kids on.  We ended up hiking instead.  This bridge is the longest steel-arched bridge in the world and is pretty cool to ride over and look down.  Way down!  It's 876 feet above the New River and is the second highest in the country.  The Royal Gorge Bridge in Colorado is the highest.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I spent a lot of time looking out at the mountains which reminded me of our view we had living in Virginia.  I miss that view.....  Anyway, the place was beautiful and a highlight for me of the trip.

Day 4 continued - Primanti Bros. Restaurant

 

  Couldn't let this trip go without a stop to the Primanti Bros. Restaurant.  It has been a Pittsburgh tradition for close to 70 years and is well known to anyone that lives there.  It's located in the strip district where the trucks go to unload the fruits and veggies for the city's restaurants and stores.  These sandwiches are stuffed not only with meat, cheese, lettuce, and tomato, but also has the cole slaw and french fries right on it between the Italian bread.  It's the best late night place to eat in Pittsburgh.  And yes, it's way to big to bite into it, but somehow everyone manages to squish it together and eat every piece!

Day 4 of trip - Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium

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NONAME
Komodo Dragon  

My intention today was to post a cool picture of a familiar animal from the zoo.  Some of my favorites were the giraffe and the zebras, but I kept going back to this picture of the Komodo Dragon.  I have never seen anything this different at the zoo.  This is the world's largest lizard and is found on the Indonesian Islands of Kmodo, Rinca, Flores, and Padar. His mother was a gift to President Reagan from the President of Indonesia in 1988.  It's a skilled hunter and scavenger and can eat up to 80 percent of its own body weight in one sitting!  He also locates prey up to 5 miles away with his sense of smell.   He's as huge as an alligator but had a head and tongue like a snake.  He looked very mean and kept showing his tongue like he was ready to attack.  I was glad to be behind the glass that protected us!

Day 3 of trip - Rangos Omnimax Theater

 

 

 

We saw Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in the IMAX theater at the Carnegie Science Center.  It  has a four story high screen with digital surround sound.  This is only one of seven institutional museums to premier the IMAX version and we were lucky enough to be in town to view it.  It was  another great Harry Potter story with lots of imagination to keep one totaly interested.  Recommend this movie?  Of Course!!  

Day two of trip - Pittsburgh

We are all here for a spell; get all the good laughs you can.
            -- Will Rogers

 

I met up with my best friend from years ago at the graduation party that we attended.  She moved across the street from me at age five and in turn we were best friends all through the school years.  I only see her now once a year when we go back to Pittsburgh, but it's as though time hadn't slipped by and we just continue in our conversations.  We  talked and laughed so hard till I had tears in my eyes.  How nice it was to reminisce and talk of days when having fun was the only thing on our agenda.  Those were the days!  lol

 

Day one of trip - Canonsburg, PA

 

 

This is my favorite chocolate factory and ice cream parlor and is located south of Pittsburgh, PA.  This was our first stop of our trip after driving 11 hours to get back home.   We emerged from the van to 55 degree weather after leaving a humid 90 degrees in Atlanta.  Needless to say, we were in sleeveless shirts and shorts while other people in the store had winter coats on! 
Everything is homemade here and is well known in Pittsburgh.  The chocolate castle is amazing to see in person as it is huge in size.  It's no wonder that one of my favorite movies as a child was "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory"!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pittsburgh

 

 

Our first road trip of the summer  is tomorrow. We are going back to our hometown of Pittsburgh to visit family and friends.   Hopefully fun will be had by all and we'll be back to Atlanta in no time.  See you soon!  :)  

 

East of Eden

I am deeply engrossed in this John Steinback's novel.  The way he writes of the different characters has been most interesting to me.  From those thriving of love to ones enduring loneliness, the characters seem to burst out of the novel in their own way.  The excerpt below is one that I thought interesting. It describes one character born with monstrous tendencies, or lack of. 
How great is the mind to characterize
someone with words.  
"And just as there are physical monsters, can there not be mental or psychic monsters born?  Monsters are variations from the accepted normal to a greater or less degree. Sometimes when we are little we imagine how it would be to have wings, but there is not reason to suppose it is the same feelings bird have.  No, to a monster the norm must seem monstrous, since everyone is normal to himself.  To the inner monster it must be even more obscure, since he has no visible thing to compare with others.  To a man born without conscience, a soul-stricken man must seem ridiculous.  To a criminal, honesty is foolish.  You must not forget that a monster is only a variation, and that to a monster the norm is monstrous. "

Dreamcatcher

Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.

Edgar Allan Poe (1809 - 1849), "Eleonora"

 

My nights have always been filled with dreams, sometimes good and sometimes not so good.  This dreamcatcher hangs from my lamp on my nightstand and is said to catch all those unwanted dreams.  Sometimes I wonder why I am filled with so many every night.  Is the subconscious what we really want in life?  At times it can be most relaxing and other times they haunt me and I tend to stay awake for fear of going back to that dream.  Could this just be my imagination that goes wild during the day and at night comes out in dreams?  Is everyone filled with dreams also but never remembers that they have them and so they say they don't dream?  Am I just a daydreamer that carries on into the night???   

 

You're alive. Do something. The directive in life, the moral imperative was so un-
complicated. It could be expressed in single words, not complete sentences.
It sounded like this: Look. Listen. Choose. Act.
            -- Barbara Hall, A Summons to New Orleans, 2000

I have always had the urge to go and do things.  I cannot fathom the thought of sitting and doing nothing for long periods of time.  Whether it's physically doing or mentally, I keep going.  I have long ago abandoned the TV except for renting movies.  Started out because I couldn't handle the channel flicking, but later because I figured I wasn't missing much.  Filling that time was easy.  There is so much out there to do and see and only one life to do it in.  Maybe that explains the short entries in my journal.  lol 

 

New bunny

 

This is my new bunny named Fluffy.  She's a cute little thing with brown spots on her nose and ears.  This is a dwarf rabbit and is quite young.  She is very cuddly to hold and so small that she fits in the palm of my hand.  Some people have dogs or cats, but I have always had rabbits. There's just something about those sweet little things that I love. 
Hopefully this bunny will be hopping around for quite some time.  :)

Happiness

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.
The Dalai Lama  

Compassion has been with me longer than I can remember. This is one trait that comes so easily for me.  It's like automatic, without thinking.  I look at myself after a situation and see how easily I react to peoples needs.  How I want them to feel good, to be OK and to see the beauty in life through kindness.  Was this bestowed upon me for happiness?  Is being happy in life generally feeling good about doing for others? 
I think happiness is in our grasps and closer than we think.