day is done.

She said she usually cried at least once each day not because she was sad, but because the world was so beautiful & life was so short. ~ story people


This is the amazing gift we were given as we left momma's house Christmas evening.

Christmas Eve Horoscope

Although your actions may be well intended today, you still would be wise to ask yourself what's in it for you before you do something nice for someone else. All the good things you can do for others will be empty gestures unless they come from your heart. And each charitable behavior could deplete you a little more, unless you are also nurturing yourself.

What Have You Done?

Things I have done are in bold. I saw this on many blogs in the past few months and decided it would be fun to play along. I think I need to get out more, experience the world..oh if money were not an object! (btw, my Kari turned 8 on Sunday, Dec. 21st. I didnt blog it but I wanted to make note of it here.)


1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland /world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice --(Oh how I want to do this!)
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise - up a river!
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelos David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt - or at least my first block.
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job - I think the polite term is made redundant
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

be touched...

Go grab a coffee and a soft blanket. And come back quickly.

Wait.

You might want to get a box of tissues while you're up.

Go on...I'll wait.

You're back?

Good.

Let your heart be touched ...

Words need not be spoken... just go to this site.

You're soul will be full of so much.

And that's ok.

Let it be.

Just be.

In the moment.

Now...

Keep living an inspired life.

on my mind...

Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind.
"Pooh!" he whispered.
"Yes, Piglet?"
"Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's paw.
"I just wanted to be sure of you."
- A.A.Milne

teen angel

Yes. She is now my teen angel. Today, she turned 13. There is so much I want to say but somehow, tonight, I am having a hard time finding the right words. Words to do her justice. She is truly one of the most well rounded, intelligent, sweet, and kind young ladies I have ever known.

And how lucky am I that she is MY daughter?

Very lucky. Seriously.

Wise beyond her years, she continues to amaze me every day with just how fabulous she is, inside and out. I wear my "proud momma" badge with great honor. Everyone that has ever met Emily has commented on how special she is and how lucky we are as parents to be gifted with this girl. She touches lives and that is just one great quality of my first born.

She loves to read and cannot ever be found without a book in her presence. It is the first thing, next to jewelry, that she wants to spend money on and the first thing she puts on a wish list. I am so grateful that she has inherited my love of books.

Art is her passion. And wow, what an artist she is. I will always encourage her to express herself through art... to be creative every day. To inspire and be inspired. She still says that she wants to be an art teacher when she grows up and now has added to that the desire to be a photographer too. She is very good with a camera in her hands and I have no doubts that she will be very successful in anything she attempts to do with her life.

She sees the best in people. She strives for peace. She longs for understanding. She seeks acceptance. She is blooming in new found confidence. She loves music. She loves her friends. She has been on the distinguished honor roll since first grade. She is a class representative. She makes me proud. So very proud. She is a joy. A true joy and brings so much warmth to our family.

And I know, without a shadow of doubt, that she will bring so much positive energy to the world around her as she grows into an amazing woman. She will change lives. She is going places. She will do big things. She will.

I will always be her biggest fan in life. I adore her and there will never be appropriate words to express just how much I love her. My teen angel. My beautiful young lady. My gorgeous daughter. I'm so blessed.

(please excuse the quality of the photo...it was taken with a cell phone at starbucks..her treat while shopping with momma..making memories)