Morning Glory

Poor Andrea…she’s resorted to hanging dark clothes from her blinds.  Summer sunlight is disruptive to sleeping until noon.

Birthday Girl

Okay, 42, let’s do this thing.

Picking Report

I was off work today, so Andrea and I went berry picking.  Around these parts, it’s too late for summer blueberry picking, and early for fall blueberry or blackberry.  Just so you know.  Cause we didn’t.

Should all be dark blue, but my God they sure are pretty as they ripen!

Let’s go find the blackberry patches! (Bucket, empty):

Thick humidity makes that walk seem really long…

Okay, these were supposed to be black:

We ate a bunch anyway.  SOW-ER! But, GOR-GEOUS!

(Buckets, empty).

This farm appears to have a gallows for hanging?:

There goes the Blueberry Train:

(Is the kid in black hat watching an in-flight movie?)

It’s not even blueberry stick-candy season:

Mr. Muffin was sorry we only ended up with five berries in our bucket.

Aww, it’s okay.  We just bought some from the gift shop, came home and had THIS:

Then went swimming.  Fantastic summer day.

19

Good God, the candle’s getting stumpy and the banner, raggedy.

I was thinking today about all the places I’ve hung that banner.  It was at Andrea’s first birthday in the house we lived when she was born.  Her dad still lives in that very house, however, Andrea and I have moved a few times.

There was the 1 bedroom apartment on the ground floor next to the laundry room.  The washers would periodically overflow and we’d wake up and stretch only to set our feet down on a squishy carpet.  Man I don’t miss that.

Then we moved to a 2 bedroom upstairs apartment.  It even had 2 baths.  When someone was murdered the next building over and my dad saw it on the news, he insisted on helping us move somewhere else.

So we got a townhouse.  I loved that place with its 3 levels – main, upstairs bedrooms, and basement.  It was decorated colorfully and cute and it was huge.  Andrea made great friends there and cried and cried when we had to move.

We moved after R and I got married because we wanted to buy a house, preferably somewhere Andrea could actually go to public school, because her pricey private school had been really the only option while at the townhouse.

She loved public school, so we stayed in the same school district when we moved to a new house we had built and lived there til she graduated.

And then, again, it was just Andrea and I as we moved into a little 2 bedroom apartment.  And that is where I find myself today.  I like it but it’s just too expensive for me to stay.

My hero dad is helping us get into a different place yet again, so we will be moving late this summer.  That will be the 8th place Andrea has lived.  The 8th place her birthday banner will hang and (if we stay until she’s 21) the last place her birthday candle will burn.

Ew I don’t like the sound of that last part.  I really don’t.  I’ll just have to find a 22+ birthday candle…. if I have to make one myself.

Sunshine

Just testing out my new template to see if I can fit BIGGER pictures.

Can you tell what the girl’s favorite color is?

Psst

While A’s at a friend’s house tonight, thought I’d tell you SOMEBODY turns NINETEEN tomorrow…

And we’re moving again, too.  Whee!

12 Encouraging Things

Whenever I see the following things I cannot help but think of God.  And feel happy.

1. Trees – home to birds, animals, treehouses and fairies.
2. Roads – take me on adventures, exploring, wind in my hair.
3. Open Windows – bring in fresh air, birds’ and windchimes’ music, dancing curtains.
4. Books – symbolize reading, writing, and dreaming.
5. Black Olives – remind me of my family and heritage.
6. Hearts – represent my romantic nature, God, and Real Love.
7. Colors – jewels, wineries, stainglass, wildflowers, lipsticks, nailpolish – beautiful colors are kisses from God.
8. Baby Animals – remind me of Andrea and symbolize hope, possibilities, and cuteness.
9. Maps – help me see and study where I am and where I could go.
10. Myself and others laughing – brings me into the moment, (honor all feelings even the good ones!)
11. Sunny blue skies with threatening clouds – Majestic and beautiful, telling me storms will be coming but they always pass.
12. Lamplight from a cute house – symbolizes warmth and coziness.  Somebody is waiting up.

Eat Like a Bird

These guys were fighting over their food so loudly this morning, they actually woke me up.