Visitors From Cayman Island

Frank's Kids

Kristen and Frank, jr. came all the way from Cayman Island to spend time at Christmas with their families. They helped me to appreciate the beauty of winter, as they saw it anew, and the gift of family. Thank you Frank, Teresa, Ryan, Christian, Frank, jr and Kristen for sharing your family with me.

Elaine's Book Club

I just finished the book "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert. I found myself glued to it. The author embarks on a journey of soul-searching, spiritual learning, and growth through Italy, India and Indonesia. I had a similar journey, only I never went anywhere geographically. But for many of us, we have had quite the journey regardless. Here is an excerpt from the book.

"I think about the woman I have become lately, about the life that I am now living, and about how much I always wanted to be this person and live this life, liberated from the farce of pretending to be anyone other than myself. I think of everything I endured before getting here and wonder if it was me who pulled the other, younger, more confused and more struggling me forward all these hard years. ...who was saying the whole time; "Yes--grow! Change! Evolve!... I need you to grow into me."

check it out

The Chairs Were All Lined Up With Care

In hope that the children would soon be there......

Christmas Elves

Christmas Traditions: When I was growing up my parents hid these elves in the christmas tree. It is a Danish christmas tradition. I have put them in my tree for my children to find, and now my grandchildren find them. For me, they are a reminder of my parents and memories of Christmas.

Because this blog is about the many gifts I have received from the universe, I think of my parents and the gift of love I was given by them. And I remember they are always with me.

Two of My Favorite Elves

I got to spend some time with two of my favorite little people, David and Lily, and their parents. (my son and daughter in law). It is good to see Christmas through the eyes of children.

"the moment after Christmas, every child thinks of his birthday"

Holiday Celebrations

Christmas is a season of getting together with friends and celebrating. For me this is my true christmas gift.

Giving Thanks

"Life is a great big canvas, you should throw as much paint on it as you can" Danny Kaye

This year I am thankful for all the "artists" in my "family". We sure know how to throw paint!

Thanksgiving

What am I thankful for? All these friends and many more.

Volunteering

State Theatre After volunteering at the Film Festival I thought it would be fun to volunteer for the State Theatre. This old theatre has been restored, with donations from many people and the labor of many volunteers, myself included. This week I got a chance to do my first shift as usher. (much nicer than laborer). What a great experience! I get to meet civic minded people who also happen to love movies. And though the pay is poor ($0), I got to see a great movie, eat popcorn, and meet new friends. I am so lucky to live in a place with a vibrant downtown area, and so lucky to live so close to the downtown area that I get to enjoy it. Great Job!!!

Scenes of Cosa Rica

Photos help us remember the scenes, the sounds, the smells of a journey and the many people we meet on the way. We now have new American and Costa Rican friends. This was a trip worth taking, and was quite the adventure. We did ziplines in the rainforest, ATV in the mountains, shopping at the beach market, and enjoyed our new friends. We learned where to go and where not to go and how to travel and not to travel. But we would both go back. I came across this quote which sums our trip up.

"Most travel is best of all in the anticipation and the remembering; the reality has more to do with losing your luggage." Regina Nadelson

Monkeying Around In Costa Rica

Titi Monkey We were visited everyday at our hotel by these titi monkeys, howler monkeys, sloths and coati mundi. As abundent there as squirrels are here. But sadly we didn't see them in the rainforest.

Zipping Along

In the Rainforest of Costa Rica. This was the absolute ultimate best part of the trip. We did nine zip lines and two repels in the rainforest. It made the whole trip worth it. Watch for more pictures of the trip to Manuel Antonio.

Sunday Afternoon Drive

One of my favorite things to do in the fall is go on a color tour. So Frank and I, and our good friends Claudia and Chris all went for a drive. But as you can see, the color had not peaked yet. But the day was glorious anyway, we hiked, tasted wine, had a great dinner at a small up north eatery, and shared it with friends. What could be better?

Girl Child

My granddaughter has decided that this is the last year she is going to play football. She started the season on a new team. The first day the boys teased her about her ability to play. I asked her how she responded to this and her answer was, "It's ok grandma, they don't know me yet!" Her team finished undefeated. I like to think that her blocking abilities helped her team along and that her efforts were recognized by her all male team mates.

At the end of the season, she tells me she is sad because she is not going to play next year, she is going to try out for cheerleading instead. So here I am, wondering....how does she arrive at this decision? Are the boys really getting too strong physically for her to compete with (not that I can see, yet), or is it that as she approaches womanhood she is starting to identify with that sterotype? Whatever the reason, I hope that she understands something that I didn't for a long time. That is: she gets to choose! She shouldn't let the boys decide, she shouldn't let society decide, she shouldn't let me decide. She has the power to choose for herself. You go girl!

Back in Business?

This post could be about my recent frustrations with technology: this blog, my digital camera, my Palm. All of which have not been behaving. I have traveled millions of miles in cyberspace searching for answers and I am still not sure how I got to my blog. By miracle I was able to log in. But doesn't this sound like life? I have traveled millions of miles in my brain, my heart, and my soul, and sometimes I am still not sure how I got to here. But it is a miracle.

So from now on I may need to login a different way, my camera needs rechargable batteries and can't sit in the charger too long, and my Palm will just have to be the less functional to me, I will have to rely on myself more.

Do you think the universe is sending me a message?

Autumn

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. " Albert Camus

Scavenger Road Rally

Thanks Jill..... for organizing such a fun day. Here is my "team" Russ, Alice, and Frank at some of the places we stopped for points. Who are those crazy doctors in front of the biggest pie plate? And yes, we were the only one who got to sit in a helicoptor and earned 50 points, thanks to my friend John! No, we didn't win, but we all were winners that day with all the fun we had.

A Moment to Reflect

"Look at what you desire to bring into your life, feel grateful for everthing you enounter. Express gratitude by riding the flow of your exsistence and allowing it to be your ally. You an steer while still enjoying this glorious ride, but if you elect to fight it, you'll utimately be pulled under by it's current. This is true of every aspect of your life: The more you push against it, the more resistance you create." Wayne Dyer

Girl's Night Out

Anticipation....... a bunch of us got together to paint martini glasses in anticipation of the 2nd annual Martini party. What fun!! And what a talented group we are.

Birthday!!

Felice Cumpleanos, mi novio! We spent two days celebrating Frank's birthday with his family and our friends. And I celebrate what he brings to my life. This quote by Woody Harrelson accurately describes Frank's spirit.

" A grownup is a child with layers on."

Girl's Night Out

Porch Pizza Party


One of the best things the universe has delivered to me is this chance to develop friendships with wonderful women. I really cherish my new friends and celebrating life on girl's night out. Thanks Carolynn, Sue, Annie, Terri,Paula, Linda, Claudia, and Debbie for a fun night.

"Friendhips multiply joys and divide griefs" H.G. Bohn

Trail Riding

Biking in Early Fall Frank and I spent the afternoon enjoying a fantastic early fall day, we did some mountain biking, and walked along the river. We saw alot of salmon and alot of fishermen trying to catch them, but no such luck. Click on the arrow on the video to see Frank in one of his less "daredevil" moves.

Family, Friends, Fun

Visitors: My brother Curt, and his wife and our friend Paul came up for a visit and to do the Leelanau Harvest Tour.

On the right you can see Gussie and me "cutting it up" to Nickelback. I think the song was I want to be a "Rockstar".

We finished off the night with all of us, including "mi novio" Frank, going to the North Peak for dinner.

What Fun!!

Summer Turns To Fall

Last weekend turned out to be a true gift. The weather was perfect for me and several of my "best friends" to go up north for a weekend of kayaking. The cabins were great and the river was a little challenging. Only a few spills, and lots of daredevil stunts. The local smalltown northern Michigan bar was a find. No one was dancing until we showed up! We are all dancing fools. But technology failed me, so I have no pictures to show.

Monday we were reminded that fall is fast approaching. The weather has been dark and rainy. So a good time to clean out closets, organize, catch up on re-runs, and of course work on my websites and blog.

Remember: "Be yourself. No one can ever tell you you are doing it wrong." James Herlihy

Biking with the "sistas" from work.

Friends:

"Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down." Oprah Winfrey

End of Summer Beach Party

A few of my favorite pictures...... Otter Creek 2nd Annual Party

The gang: enjoying the windy, warm weather Claudia and her new "boyfriend" Rex
Just being goofy with Teresa
Christian enjoying the beach
One of the many reasons I live here.