Come back Kelly!!! :)

"I can't wait to tell you guys about the whole trip! the only thing standing in my way is about 16 more days and an ELEVEN HOUR FLIGHT home. (ps...no one told me it would take longer to get back....yipes!) " Kelly 6-14-06

Kelly has been studying abroad in Italy since May and I am missing her. The group of 35 students, along with their professors from Emory, have been moving from city to city every few days with the Italian studies program. In general, they will have participated in 270 tours to towns/sites when it's all said and done. According to the school, this is "an academic ‘outward bound’ program engaging faculty and student participants in a discovery of Italy and of one’s self. " I will have to say that from her calls and emails, she definitely is discovering herself along the way.

I can't wait to see her! I look forward to the many pictures and the stories that she will have of her journey when she comes home the first of July.

I can't wait to see you Kelly!! :)

State Finals

 

We had a great time at the state tournament a week ago.   I have been waiting to post the team picture on here but  haven't received that yet.    Our team did really well and won 4 out of 5 matches.  We ended up tied for 1st in our group.  Our team had one set more than the other  1st place team and we couldn't move on to the next phase.  I assume we will try to be there again next year. 

Overall, the weekend was a lot of fun.  We had nice dinners in the evening and good conversation along the way.  It was an experience that we all will remember.  :)

Tennis anyone?

Winning at tennis was excellent, but character off the court is more important. J. L. Atlanta Journal Constitution May 9, 2006

Today our USTA team is heading to Macon GA for the weekend to the state tournament. Should prove exciting, fun and maybe play some good tennis along the way! We have been waiting since last August when we won our division to head to this tournament to show our stuff. Hopefully we will come back with having a good time being there as a team and watching those who excel give us inspiration.

CRBI Canoe-a-thon, Race and Environmental Fair

This past Saturday was the 6th annual Coosa River Basin Initiative's Canoe-a-thon, Race and Environmental Fair in Rome, Georgia. The Canoe-a-thon and the race were 13 miles on the Oostanaula River. It was nice to see over 120 people participate in this event to raise money for the River. Dan had a great time participating in the adult kayak group and took 3rd in that event! He was only a minute behind the first and second place winners who were in their late 20's. I would say for a 12 year old, he did excellent. Dave and I took first in the mixed tandem canoe category while our friends in this picture both took first in the men's single canoe and women's single kayak.

The day was beautiful, sunny and full of nice people to talk with after the race. Along with that, it was nice to know that money was being raised to keep the river maintained.

Let the river flow. :)

Tommorrow

"When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everybody will respect you."
-Lao-Tzu

I think we all need to be ourselves in this life we have. Valuable time can be wasted when we compete with others in things that shouldn't matter as much. I tend to follow my own way in areas that are important to me. Sometimes this raises eyebrows, sometimes not. We all have the ability to choose, but at times stand still in which direction to take.

When I falter, I raise.

When I doubt, I regroup.

If I compare, I lose sight.

Tomorrow, I will start over.

Bird of Confidence

Use what talents you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best.

Henry Van Dyke

This picture was taken as I was lying on the beach waiting to put my kayak in the Gulf for some paddling. I was looking at the blue sky and absorbing the sunshine as this bird caught my attention . With it's great wing span and searching eyes, it flew above me in a graceful flight. It was not as colorful as the many birds I saw while in Florida, but it shown brightly with it's confidence in flight. I layed there in wonder while thinking, dreaming and flying. :)

Georgia Aquarium

These sharks look far from real to me in this picture, but they are in fact very real. To me, they look like those toy rubber sharks that they sell in the store!  lol

 

We visited the Georgia Aquarium which is now the largest aquarium in the world.  It was beautiful with the fresh and marine water that filled the displays.  Even though the salt water fish showed their bright colors vividly, I seemed to love the fresh water rooms.  They had a flat glass ceiling showing the fish, and my instant  thought was that this would be great in a bedroom.  To just lay there and look up and see the fish swimming around would definitely be pretty calming to me.  I actually had a dream last week where two of the walls in my bedroom were aquariums!  Dreams do come true, don't they?  :)

Map of myself

This is pretty much what journals are all about, at least to me. I knew as I wrote them that even though they provided an excellent place for brain (and heart, and psyche) dump, they were mainly a map of me.
-- Colleen Wainwright, communicatrix, 03-23-2006

This journal has definitely been a map of myself the past few years. At times I have written in the heat of the moment and during the pulsing of my heart being challenged. I have posted the proud moments that have surfaced in my children's life, while I stood on the side just absorbing their excitement. I was at first tentative as I switched from handwritten journals to open journal writing on the computer. But creativity that had been overflowing, surfaced as ideas flooded in. How nice it has been to look back and see that path over the years as I read older entries. It seems as though when there were too many eyes watching I tended to step back. Personality trait? Yes, I would say so. But, with my heart and soul submerged in the written word, I've come to realize how lucky I am for that release and for that map that continues to make me smile.

dan gogh?

This is one of many pictures that Dan has made at school. Most of the large ones are hung in my laundry room for a wall of artwork. I liked this one as I thought the colors were good and that he used different shading to show the depth.

All of a sudden I'm hungry for a piece of cake. :)

Strength

Would you sell the shirt off your back just to get what you need?
Before we go any further, would you do it if I ask?

Would you rob my heart to soften yours? Lighten my load while securing yours??

Watching it scatter in the daze of love
Hanging on tight
Gaining my strength
Smiling in the process

Dan's New Kayak

I am just as excited as Dan in him getting his new kayak. He made this purchase last month in January after saving money for a couple of years. We paddled out on the lake last week when the weather was nice and the sun shinning. I also signed up for another week long trip with him this summer. We will do both the rivers and lakes this year and hopefully make a trip to the ocean for some sea kayaking. It's great to see him enjoying one of my passions in life. :)

Books

Although the controversy has died down about this author, I thought I would write about these books.

I had read both back in the fall before all the hoopla started. I was enthralled with Million Little Pieces and couldn't put it down. I found it to be an encouraging book with great meaning. As I was reading it, I did think that he was so far gone in the drug and alcohol world that he couldn't have remembered everything exactly. That was OK for me, because the meaning that I got out of the book was more important. It was different than any book I had read before, and I liked that also. My Friend Leonard was also a good follow up.

We will be reading Million Little Pieces at my suggestion, for our book club in the next coming months. I can't wait to hear the controversy and should prove to be good discussions. :)

SUPER BOWL XL

http://www.post-gazette.com/

It's so great to be Super Bowl Champions again!!  Way to go Steelers!!!!

 

Suduko

This is the new challenging game that I've been doing as of late.  I was introduced to this game last month and it continues to interest me every chance I get to play it.  Challenges themind I would say.  :)

Each row, column and “area” (3*3) should contain the numbers 1 to 9 however: 
Number can appear only once on each row 
Number can appear only once on each column
Number can appear only once on each area (3*3 slots)
The bottom line : the number should appear only once on row, column or area.

Statue at Carnegie Museum

The art of the embrace. I'm not sure which I like better, the statue itself or the embrace. Are they clinging together for pure love? Surrendering? Heartbreak? Or longing to just feel another's touch? The intenseness of this embrace shows.
In my life, I tend to hug those around me. Where it once seemed foreign to me while I was young to embrace friends, it now comes naturally. Sometimes you feel their love coming thru, other times just the motion is there. Yet, it doesn't take away the need that I have to express.
I like to think this statue signifies heartfelt love in the time of need, as feelings left unheard can never penetrate the desire we have to love.

Quieting the senses

What is considered priority?
My life has mounds of priorities that sometimes can be overwhelming, though every one has importance in some way. Yes, few are of the most importance, but that does not diminish the others in their own way. The feeling of being pulled in a thousand directions can sometimes fog my path. It is at those moments that I stand back, find the quiet, and listen to my heart. This brings me to my center and throws the energy back in my being.
I had to do this the other day as my world closed in around me. I sought out the place where the peacefulness surrounds me and the quiet fills my senses.
I returned refreshed, smiling, and ready to conquer anything in my path. :)

Carnegie Museum of Art

The Carnegie Museum of Art was on the top of our list to visit while in Pittsburgh. Living there, I would always take the family to see the latest exhibits. Most of the time, I felt I was dragging them there to see something that interested me and not them. While there last week, I ventured off to look at paintings that caught my eye. After what seemed like hours, I went looking for Kelly. I found her sitting and intrigued by this piece of art. I smiled and took her picture. Apparently all those trips to the museum planted an interest of art in her. It was a good site. :)

University of Pittsburgh

While back home in Pittsburgh, we took the kids on a tour of Oakland where the University of Pittsburgh is located. It is also Dave's alma mater. This picture is the Cathedral of Learning. It is the tallest school building in the western hemisphere with 42 floors. This is one of the main attractions of the campus and one that we enjoyed showing to them. They've seen it before, but never on a walking tour. Actually a freezing walking tour in the dead of winter. Why not? lol

Merry Christmas

Today was a relaxing day spent at home with my family. After going to midnight mass last night and getting into bed around 3:30 , we had a lazy morning and awoke a little before 11:00. I enjoyed the excitement of everyone opening their Christmas presents. Seems that they were especially good this year. :)
Tomorrow we head out on a road trip to Pennsylvania. We will visit our family in Pittsburgh and stay the week with them. I am looking forward to time with my relatives.
I wish everyone peace and love this coming year. May you see the brightness in your everyday surroundings and the love and compassion in people that walk along your path. Merry Christmas :)