Last night we went to Cape Coral's holiday boat show. My favorite lighted boats were a boat made up to look like a Santa's hat, a pontoon boat made up to look like Santa's sleigh and finally, a kayak that had a wire lighted Christmas tree in the middle of it. Afterwards, we watched the movie playing, "How the Grinch stole Christmas". Holiday traditions are so much fun. Below is a short video clip from the boat show (sorry so shaky):
For Project: Glimpse Task #10 Outside my window:
I took this photo of the beautiful stain glass at my church. The sun was setting behind this image, and you may slightly be able to see an image of a Florida palm tree outside (if viewed in the large size).
This was from "The Resurrection" scene. It is the guard who was protecting Jesus' tomb. Various stories are told, some that the guard was sleeping, some he was dead with fear, but regardless, I feel it captures our feelings of uncertainty when life throws us unanticipated overwhelming challenges.
I snapped this quick photo as the skywriter wrote his story. Unfortunately, it didn't take long for the wind to change the word "Trust" to something that was illegible. Coincidentally, the American flag ended up being in my photo too.
The question of trust has come up a lot in these past 6 years since 9/11. So much has changed because of a lack of it: airport security, increased stereotypes, etc. It is amazing how one thing that is truly intangible can have such a magnificent effect on so much.
Every day when walking the dogs, I always admire this beautiful tree. Yet, I often feel rather sad for her; few will ever notice her true beauty because she is hidden behind two recycle bins and a garbage bin. Do you ever feel like this - beautiful on the inside but surrounded by an environment or aura that simply makes you feel like trash?
This time of year often brings about memories and times with family. Although sometimes it is impossible to be with them, they are always close in our hearts.
Ever since I can remember, my dad always has had a cup of joe in his hand. Although my habit isn't that bad, I do enjoy coffee everyday. I believe the habit started when I was 15 working those 5 am shifts at a local donut shop. I now drink decaf otherwise I would never be able to sleep. To me, coffee is best on a cold, snowy day yet since I live in South Florida and do not see any of those days (that is, unless I choose to), I will enjoy a cup regardless!
This past weekend, my husband and I watched NCSU win the Old Spice Tournament in Orlando. With the games played at Disney's Wide World of Sports, some of our off time was spent in the Disney parks. Of course, the majority of time was spent walking our dogs; one who had a bad case of the runs. We acted as a team to make sure that we both enjoyed the time - him, the games and me, Magic Kingdom & Epcot. Teamwork isn't just for the courts, it makes our daily lives more enjoyable.
This past weekend was Aviation Day at an airfield a mile from our home. It is fun seeing all the planes on display. I love the sound of smaller planes flying over above. It brings back memories of attending school at F.I.T. and even attempting a profession as a prop head myself. Unfortunately, to this day, I still get motion sickness pretty bad. Maybe some day....
I like the fable of the Tortoise and the Hare because it teaches many lessons. Often the lesson about not bragging is most noted. But I personally like this hidden message best: even though things may seem impossible to the human eye, factors around us can happen that can make the infeasible feasible.
My husband and I live in a true-fixer upper. In our remodeling process, we have often found it is easier to learn what NOT to do rather than what to do. Fortunately, our home is very forgiving. For example,
If we were to focus on those small imperfections, we would never get a chance to enjoy the completed project. Similarly in our own lives, we should concentrate on our whole package rather than our few limitations.
This past week I went to Melbourne, FL. One night I stayed at a hotel right on the beach and as expected tacky floral prints and colors were used in the decor. Several times I had problems finding the room key which almost became invisible when I made the mistake of throwing it onto the bed.
A couple of weeks ago, in between all my travels out of town, a tornado hit a few miles from where I live. It was really weird seeing the twister reaching down from the sky and later learning how much destruction it had done in just a few minutes of time. In the blink of an eye, our paths can quickly change just as this twister did.
This past month has been full of travels, of which one I had never visited before. Normally I am not into the hoity toity but since it was a convention that my husband had to go to, I figured one of us would have fun. With day spas and restaurants on every corner, Boca Raton offered very little for those who did not want to foolishly throw away money. Although I did get to see a Lamborghini which is not something one sees everyday!
The beach offered a poor man's spa; beautifully fine cocoa sand which my feet snuggled into with every step. 
Also, one night we stumbled upon an cozy Irish pub in Mizner park, The Dubliner. Most of the patrons were too busy boozing it up to truly enjoy the songs of Joe Dougherty. But Joe looked like he enjoyed what he was doing so much that he didn't seem to care. He strummed his guitar singing a song favorite of mine, "Brown Eyed Girl".
Marshmallows – Hot cocoa just isn’t the same without marshmallows. Not sure why since all they seem to do is add more sugar to an already sweet drink. Maybe it is the gooey factor or possibly the elusion of warmth from watching them melt as you sip on the hot steamy drink. If nothing else, it is
a reminder to be a kid at heart and to enjoy the simple things that life brings us.
(Click Photo to Enlarge)
This week the farmer's market that is a bike ride away from my home closes until November. At this time of year the majority of the produce has to come from to far away which results in a shorter shelf life; November is when local produce begins to harvest again.
I love supporting them, not only because of the garden fresh tasting fruits/veggies and great prices, but also because they are one of the few people in this area that hasn't sold out to big money. Right next to this tiny little market and land filled with goats sits a Publix grocery store, restaurants, condos and apartments. It is really nice to see a piece of what old Florida used to be like. Unfortunately, if you blink you will miss it.
When I first moved to Fort Myers, I had heard about a place by the airport that had delicious chocolate. Later I learned that this pastry chef, Norman Love, collaborated with Godiva to make a special "G" collection. Yet, when I hear the name I always think of tunes from "G Love and the Special Sauce". Possibly, for a full-sensory experience one could combine Love chocolate & music together.
This past weekend I excitingly received my Masters degree. After lots of hard but satisfying work, it was nice to be honored. From the speeches at the graduation, one stood out among the rest, a scientific researcher receiving an Honorary Doctorate for his work in intermolecular forces. In short, Dr. Israelachvili started his speech by telling the audience that "we are lost" but that is ok. It is ok to not know what our futures hold. Rather it is more important to do whatever we are doing in the moment to our greatest ability; the future will come soon enough. It seemed to me that Dr. Israelachvili must have found some of life's basic lessons even in the complex research he is studying.
With a simple shake, a snowglobe has the magical ability of surfacing wonderful thoughts and emotions within us. Regardless of where we are right now, a snowglobe can transport us to a different place and time. For me, a time of innocence; the smell of cookies baking in the oven, snowflakes falling outside, and Christmas music playing in the background. After a simple shake and a turn of the music knob, my portal destination is a wonderful melancholy feeling and a grimace.
Those times in our lives when we are on the verge of transitioning into something new can be exciting but also very scary. Once we have accomplished the change, it is easy to look back with a different view point. Yet, at the time of our budding, we often feel unsure of ourselves. Fortunately, in our time of uncertainty, we can look all around us to see that change is part of God's plan and through change we can turn into something even more beautiful.
As children we have used mnemonic acronyms to learn things like the Great Lakes (HOMES – Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior) or algebra (FOIL – First Outer Inner Last). Yet this educational technique can be beneficial for adults as well. If ever faced with a conversation leading you to question your self worth, simply think of a Q-tip. A Q-tip can act as a mnemonic reminder to not overanalyze the situation by swabbing the words: “Quit Taking It Personal" softly in your ears.
Although going to the gym can help keep you in shape, there is nothing more refreshing and rewarding than breaking a sweat from doing yard work. Not only does your heart rate quickly increase from the laborious work but it also soars with satisfaction when the work is complete.
Some things never go out of style, even as you get older. Icees on a hot day is one of them!
I will admit; one of my New Years resolutions has been left to collect dust. I had hoped to be strumming at least "Mary had a little lamb" by now. Yet, unfortunately my guitar's biggest gig thus far has been modeling for this photo.
How come we can be so quick to forgive ourselves for our own broken promises but find it difficult to do the same for others? The next time I hold a grievance against another, I hope to hear my guitar playing in the background as a lyrical reminder to play a tune worth playing.
Today has been one of the those days that has not felt too balanced. Fortunately when feeling low, my little yin and yang always help me regain my inner smile.
I am always in amazement at how perfect God's creations are; even the imperfections add beauty. Do you ever feel that way about yourself? Too often we seem to look at our idiosynchroncies as a bad thing, rather than being proud of how they make us unique.
The insignificant every day things that don't seem to matter at the time, really do add up. Hopefully you see every "penny" for something positive so when it is time to cash in, you will have something of value.
I made the mistake of licking my fingers when I was squeezing the Key Limes for a homemade Key Lime pie. My face quickly distorted from the extreme tartness. Although this juice is what makes the pie taste so good, by itself it is down right unbearable. This reminded me of a simple life lesson: Before thinking we can do it all on our own, we sometimes need other’s help to bring out the best in ourselves.
The wonderful Key Lime Pie recipe that I used can be found at: http://colleencuisine.blogspot.com/2006/07/key-lime-meringue-pie.html
Sometimes it is all too easy to discard something that may seem old and useless for something new and fresh. But before doing so, be sure to think of what wonderful qualities it may bring to the table; Banana bread recipes all call for ripe bananas!
On this 4th of July, thank you to all those who have stood up for and fight for our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Sometimes we scream out, "Stay away" without even saying a word. Unfortunately these are usually the times when we need a friend or loved one the most. Hopefully, those that care about us see beyond our thorns and send a ray of sunshine our way regardless of our thorny nature.
Since I travel and move around a lot (purely out of my own choice), I often find myself laying my head down in many un-homey places. It never takes me long to rearrange the new place to make it feel more comfortable. This is what I was reminded of when I snapped this photo. The owner of this boat seems to grasp that it is not the size of the boat or how much money you have but rather, how you make others feel when they are on it.
God's beautiful creations are all around us; yet we often miss them because we don't take the time to enjoy the seconds that make up our minutes and hours. Next time, try not to miss their soft whispers; you will be amazed at what new found joys you will experience.
If you are ever stuck in a rut, try changing your latitude. By looking at things from a different perspective, a refreshing new look at something old may actually help solve your problem(s).
Children make life look so uncomplicated. They use what is given to them to build new wonderful creations. They not only live in the moment of what they are doing, but they also do not fear what others think. At what age do we lose this? Maybe we all need a gentle reminder to pick up a pail and shovel and start building some future sand castles regardless of the final outcome.
