Tuesday's Tune: I Will Wait

I love this song when it came out, and still do.  The other day, it came on the radio and put me in a reverie.  Memories and a deeper introspection of my own life came to surface.  I thought about what it meant to wait, why we wait (why we don't want to wait), reasons for waiting, and the results that come from waiting or not waiting.

I may have mentioned this before, but at a point in my life, I had the option of living my life out as a single woman (always a "wild one") waiting for the right love to come OR to live the life I had and to not wait for what may be.  I chose the latter and do not regret the decision I've made.  As I said before, life is meant to be lived.

Now, I do recognize that I've made decisions that have affected others.  I have made them wait.  For their patience, I thank them.  I hope they know that I didn't mean to make them wait.  I hope they forgive me and know that I love them very much.

What about you?  What or who did you wait for?  Did you make someone wait?

Upgrades

I hate upgrading a lot of my things, probably with the exception of my camera.  (I cried when I had to buy my new hybrid car in 2012.)  I'm generally happy with what I have, even if it no longer works.  Today, I got my new phone and knew it was time to face the truth: there's no going back.  I already knew that upgrading my phone was inevitable.  (I feel so sad.)  I've had my old smart phone since Thanksgiving 2009 and I think it could last me a couple of more years. It does 90% of what I want it to do (talk, text, and some web surfing), and it fits into my palm.  It's outdated, I know it is.  But, again, I'm not that reliant on my phone and it does the basic things I want it to do.

So why update?  I had to start thinking about interfacing and how I needed to make my life a lot more seamless.  For example, since my phone was so old, I couldn't connect to my work calendar; thus, I had to keep three calendars, or worse, just try and remember that I didn't have anything important scheduled.  It was also harder for me to do a more effective web search for certain things (e.g. pulling up maps, opening up certain websites for work purposes).  I guess I could try and look on the bright side and think of all the things I could do with this new phone (e.g. join Instagram, take better pictures, easier to surf the web), but I'm still so sad.

Okay, I'll try to be not so sad.  It just takes some getting use to.  I hope you're doing a lot better than me.

Mending

Patching a worn red square with blue fabric.

I've mentioned this blanket before.  Even though it isn't my mee maw that made it, I very much cherish it because there's something appealing about it.  I really don't know when it was made (maybe in the late 1990s and early 2000's), but I do know that I took an interest in it around 2009 or 2010 and decided that it was going to be mine and to take good care of it.  It was still in good condition, but I also saw that some of the fabrics were older and worn, so I rarely used it and tried not to wash it often.

The white and striped green fabric above are fraying and need to be patched up.

Some months ago, I noticed that three of the squares were torn and needed to be repaired.  So, today, I stopped being lazy and took some time to patch up the blanket.  Rather than rip out each torn square, I just mended it by appliqueing another piece of fabric on top of each torn square.  Once I was done, it isn't noticeable that the blanket was mended.  I'm happy that I could save this blanket and keep it for posterity.

Do you have any handmade items that you cherish?

O' Christmas Tree

My Mr. Man has a thing about Christmas trees.  He's a stickler about having a real Christmas tree in the house and not a fake one.  Furthermore, it has to be one where he or someone has to cut down and not one that's already pre-cut.  So, each year he takes a bunch a of his nieces and nephews to a tree farm to choose a tree, cut it down, and drag it home.

This year was my first year going with him and the kids.  There was some wind, but it was a mild winter day.  There was still some snow, which allowed us to use a sled to not only pull the kids, but also the chopped down tree.  At its worst, it was very slushy and I wished I had brought my snow shoes.

It didn't take too long for the kids to find a suitable tree.  Once it was found, we got the kids to start sawing away.  Of course, they were only able to saw half way through the trunk and Mr. Man had to finish the rest up.  Then off to pay for the tree, while stopping for some free hot cider.  Before we knew it, we were home bound.

I guess the experience wasn't so bad this year.  Maybe a lot had to do with the mild weather.  Regardless, I already know that this will continue to be an annual tradition.

What tradition do you have each year with your family during the holidays?

Remembering This Sunrise

[Puerto Rico, taken July 24, 2015.]

Lazy Saturday Morning

Gatherings with family and friends, and several trips to the store for Black Friday deals have left me tired and exhausted.  As much as I love the company of others and being able to get some decent deals on various goods, I'm ready for quiet time.

So, this morning, I slept in and lounged.  I usually don't sleep in, but I love to lounge, especially when I have a warm body next to me.  The bright sunlight shining through the curtain woke me up and was quite beautiful (even the deep blue sky could be seen through the gauzy curtain).  I know I have a lot to do today, but I love being in bed and just reading, watching movies on my tablet, or daydreaming.  It looks to be a beautiful day and I hope I accomplish much, but even if I don't I'm not going to feel bad about taking time for myself.

How is your Thanksgiving holiday so far?  

Tuesday's Tune: A New Day Has Come

This song came out years ago, sung by Celine Dion.  When you watch the video, it's a visually interesting portrayal of the song's lyrics (that a new day has come) and it does so through romantic relationships, of adults breaking up and coming together and of new beginnings.  Don't be deceived by the video.

Apparently, this song is really about Celine Dion's experience in having her first child, a boy.  If you listen/read the lyrics, the song alludes to her troubles conceiving her child, having faith that he will come, and believing a new day has come for her when she finally looks into his eyes.  For those who are parents and parents-to-be, looking into your child's eyes for the first time must be one of the greatest moments in parenthood.

Well, let me know what you think of this song?  Or, was it amazing to look into child's eyes the first time around?

Where's Winter?

We've had rain, frost, some flurries that melted quickly, and temperatures in the 20's F (dipping into the high teens), but no real snow.  At least not in my neck of the woods.  I heard that southern and eastern Minnesota may have gotten hit hard with snow, but it's been all quiet on the weather front.  This has been one of the longest mildest fall that we've had for some time.  Usually by now, if we're not already covered with snow, at least it would be freezing cold.  It's also expected to get into the 40's F this coming week, so I guess it's good football playing weather and travelling weather for Thanksgiving.

I'm a bit afraid that this weather is spoiling a lot of Minnesotans, me included.  I'm also very afraid that when the big storm hits, it will hit hard and won't stop until early spring.  I'm really hoping Spring 2016 will come early.  I'd like the roads to be clear and not slippery.  With my upcoming travel plans for Spring 2016, I really do wish for an early spring.  Lets see what will transpire.

How are you doing and how's the winter so far, in your hood?

Friday's Quote: Audrey Hepburn

(I don't know who created this image, but that person did a great job.)

Dearest friends, how are you?  Are you enjoying your life?  Are you happy?  As Ms. Hepburn stated, enjoying your life to be happy is all that matters.

I've been doing fine.  Like everyone else, I have my moments of sadness and bouts of disappointments.  Yet, I've notice that I've changed in how I react to mishaps or negative things.  I actually am finding it easier to not let negativity bother me.  Maybe I've been too busy worrying about other things going on in my life right now.  Maybe it's getting a little bit wiser as I age.  Whatever the reason, it contributes to me enjoying my life and being happier.  I think back to the last several years of my life and how much turmoil my life was in at that time.  I'm still reflective of that time in my life and the lessons I've had to learn, but I'm so glad for new beginnings.  So, I am enjoying my life and I'm happy.  I'm hopeful and have faith that life will continue to be happier.

Let me know how you're doing.  

Monster Dash 2016

The front of my pony hat.

This past weekend, like previous years, my co-workers and I participated in the Monster Dash (which occurred on Halloween).  This year, our costume plans went awry and we scrambled at the very last minute to come up with something that resembled a theme.

The back of my pony hat.

We had already planned to only walk the 5k, which meant that we should've spent more time on our costumes.  Originally were trying to construct dinosaur costumes out of cardboard (a Jurassic World theme), but our busy schedules got in the way.  So, at the very last minute, we changed our plans and decided to be My Little Ponies.  It was an easy costume to create with a hat (I actually crocheted our pony hats), color coordinated clothes, and curly tails.

My co-worker on the left, dressed as a purple pony.

On the day of the race, I was a blue pony and my co-worker was a purple pony.  There was a constant drizzle, it was cool (but not super cold), and the sky was overcast the entire time, but we had a lot of fun.  We're both looking forward to next year's Monster Dash and, hopefully, better costumes.

How was your Halloween?  Did you get dressed up at all?