Friday 28 June 2013

Here's To The Ridiculous

  Ever wonder why no matter where you go in the world you always see abandoned shoes strewn lifeless at the side of the curb? 
  It has always fascinated me; like who's shoes are they?  Do they know one is missing?  Are they distraught because they can't find it?  Was the pair of them perhaps their favorites and now they are searching everywhere to no avail for the missing match?
  What about that tied together pair dancing on air, draped over a power line? Could they not bear to be separated? Who would throw their shoes up there?  How did their owner get home after, and do they always carry an extra pair with them just in case shenanigans of this nature ensue?
  Strange and bizarre.
  For a while I chose to believe that they were worn out shoes that had just somehow fallen from the garbage truck; simple, no harm done.  But now I've elaborated my thoughts on this, because seriously, you can't go anywhere without noticing the shoes once you really start paying attention.
  
  The What If's
  
~maybe the shoe got lost while it was seeking out that far away place where all the lost socks go?  I mean socks and shoes have to have some sort of connection, right?

~maybe shoes, like the creatures from Toy Story, have an ultimate purpose, like a quest to find their originator, only come to life when no one is watching, which would be tricky as we are always wearing shoes.

~maybe the "Lost World" has a quota to fill and shoes are small enough and easy enough, like socks and keys, to go unnoticed and are transported easily by the "Lost World" fairies.

~maybe shoes can teleport, and as we walk miles in them daily, want desperately to see a different part of the world.

~or speaking of teleporting, perhaps, it really is a thing and those special people teleport with such power that their shoes are ripped from their bodies and left behind or transported somewhere different all together.

~I like to keep my favorite shoes in the box in which they were purchased (they're safe there).  I would actually like to build a shelf strictly for those beauties, because I Love Shoes, but here is something, (and I find teleporting much more realisitic in comparison to this one!)  Maybe people simply don't care about their shoes.......GASP!

  I warned you this was all ridiculous, and truly it is, but it makes you stop and wonder a minute doesn't it?
  Maybe you dismiss the shoes without a second thought or glance.  
  Maybe you, like me, try to picture their owner.
  Maybe you create a magical parallel universe where bizarre stuff happens.
  Maybe 
  Maybe
  Maybe
  Maybe
  Sometimes maybe is better than the reality!

  I like the ridiculous. I think everyone needs a bit for themselves! 
  It's as simple as that!

Happy Friday, folks!  
Cheers to the weekend and the end of another fantastic school year!!


Tuesday 25 June 2013

Summer's the best, wouldn't you say?

  As an adult I was never a huge fan of summer, I would actually say I was indifferent, before I had kids. But there is something about the idea of rewinding the clock, and children tend to encourage it and not take ourselves so seriously, that has allowed me to look at summer completely differently.
  Summer is filled with so many of the best things:

~bike rides                                                  ~smores
~frozen fruit bars                                       ~pool parties
~sandals                                                      ~the beach
~swimsuits                                                  ~swimming
~sun tea                                                       ~flowers
~camping                                                     ~hiking
~BBQ on a hot summer evening              ~watermelon
~sunshine                                                    ~chasing lightning bugs or fireflies    

  I could go on and on and I'm certain I've skipped right over many of your favorite things.  But here is one of my all time favorite from girlhood till present day!
  Wimbledon.
  I love it.  Do you feel a long descriptive rant of my deep abiding love coming on?  Well, I'll spare you a lengthy dialogue today (no promise that it won't appear in the future), but make no mistake, I do love it....deeply!
 I'm not sure when my love for this grass court wonder embedded itself in my heart, but I anticipate its return each summer.
  
  What are some of your favorite summer wonders? 
  And what are you doing to maximize your summer fun in the next few weeks?

Friday 21 June 2013

C2C - Down The Road (official video starring Richie Jackson)

Favorite Things

  My boys and I fight about music all the time.  They believe they hold the "cool" card in our home and that obviously gives them first dibs on music selection, and therefore, complete audio control.  
  I will be honest with you, that is a hard one for this Mama to swallow.  Though "cool" has not EVER been anywhere near what I would consider myself to be, giving up audio freedom will never be something I do with any sort of ease.
  On most mornings my oldest Prince invades my wake-up space, bringing his sweet face and gnarly morning breath so close to my face, simply to ask me if he can turn his music on.
  Groan.  I'm not even out of bed and I have to deal with that sound and endless bass vibration?
  Yes, I do (because I want the cool mom prize).
  Well, I took over creative control the other day.  It wasn't a woke-up-on-the-wrong-side-of-the-bed morning, but I had little patience for their specific genre.  Instead I pulled up my favorite evening radio show and tuned in to the previous nights broadcast.
  Usually the boys clear out quickly, finding something else to fill their time with until the bus whisks them away, but they didn't get that far on this particular morning!
  Somewhere near the top of the program this sound drew him, and putting a wide yet smug smile on my face (because what I want to listen to is so very much 'cooler' than what he'd choose), my young Prince, on his own volition, turned the volume up!!!  Then he started dancing, and I love, love, love when that boy dances! 
  So since that moment this tune has been on repeat! Maybe it's the perfect Tuesday morning tune.  Maybe it's a roll-down-your-windows and blast-it-loud, while keeping your hands on the steering wheel, sorta groove.  Maybe it's a stop-what-you're-doing-and-move sound that you will fall in love with.  For today? it's the best kick-start-your-weekend-groove-station sound.....ok, I just proved to you all that I am so not 'cool', HA!
  I didn't get any eye rolls or exaggerated huffs of breath over this one, but I certainly won't hold my breath; I know, my "cool" factor has been on rapid decline according to my Princes, and though I am alright to be that 'un-cool' mom in their eyes, I can't deny I wish I knew how to mix music and run a deck or turntable....to be 'cool' for me.  If I could mix I would want to do it like these guys!
  STOP what you're doing and feel it, folks!  Let loose, run wild, appreciate their talent. 
  
  Embrace your cool, or not so cool.  But my goodness, in the very least, appreciate the art that these guys make!   
  Cheers to the weekend all you beauties!

Monday 17 June 2013

Coldplay - Yellow (Live Tokyo 2009) (High Quality video) (HQ)

Blast from the past or always, anytime, anywhere classic?
  
You can decide for yourself.

  For me, it's an always, anytime, everywhere musical selection and my second most favorite Coldplay tune.  So why not start a sunny Monday with this beaut! 
  Have a listen and enjoy the day!


  

Friday 14 June 2013

Favorite Things 

 Depending on where in the world you are these past few weeks I'm sure this may or may not be true or remind you of something beautiful.  Where I am the most amazing fragrances has been lingering heavily in the air.  As I ran around town the other morning (allowing myself, begrudgingly, that once a week delight before I hop back on my bike and give my aching knee a break), the most heady, inviting, and perfect fragrance painted the air whichever way I chose to run.  Rows lined each street, and the color-purple, oh my! my favorite, was inescapable!
  Lilacs.  They are one of my favorites.  Everything about them; their color, their shape, the way they liven up your everyday average shrub, and their scent; oh my! can you say heaven?  
  Yes, I love everything about them. Here's a quick story that I'm always reminded of when lilac season comes knocking on my doorstep.

  I'm a saver, I'll start by saying that. I always have been and I'm alright to acknowledge that I believe I always will be. 
  After high school graduation I took a year off of "recognized and qualified" education and worked three different jobs; one super cool and trendy, one that stretched me as a person and taught me I was not meant for life in the fast lane of food services, and another that simply helped me watch my cash stash grow. 
  After agonizing over whether I did in fact have an adventurous side, I turned down an opportunity to move across this grand country to explore the mountains with one of my favorite friends.  Instead I ended up staying at home, not sure what my future would hold and definitely not ready to head off to school, though I was registered for the following fall and more than eager to educate my mind in the Canadian Rockies (but that's another story).
  I had a very diverse group of friends at that stage of life, and though that hasn't changed, the adventure that awaited me with these beautiful women definitely did!
  I boarded un avion months later and headed to a world my 18 year old mind was not quite prepared to tackle.
  It was more than I could absorb, more than I could process, more of a character builder and a time that has defined my character probably more deeply than I will ever know in this life.  It was FANTASTIC!!  But setting my feet on the European continent, and starting in Amsterdam was so overwhelmingly off my regular pace and out of this girls small town realm to embrace.
  Thankfully time changes us, grows us, and opens our eyes in ways that allow us to embrace everything that is beyond what we understand.
  Okay, getting carried away here.....I'll reel it back.
  Weeks later I found myself seeking out a home that we had stayed in weeks before.  The city was inexpensive, and if you've traveled through Europe with only the pack on your back and the shoes on your feet, you can understand that inexpensive is not easy to find.
  Well my travel buddy and I agreed we needed a break from the race from country to country, and what we needed above and beyond that was a home to stay in and food to stuff in our thinning frames; we needed the familiar and the comforting.
  We hopped off a train and sought the familiar pale face surrounded by long, dark, almost black hair.  We had stayed with her a month earlier, and though for the life of me I can't remember her name or see her face, I remember her and her family's hospitality with the utmost delight and admiration.
  We stayed in a main floor room during our second visit.  The room was light and airy; all white including the iron bed frame and accessories, and I want to remember the windows being large.  It was late spring and everything was lushly green and the air was warm; everything about that second visit was just the right medicine.
  We returned from a day of leisurely exploring, though my gal-pal would probably have a different tale to tell! and there on the pretty little iron table was a vase full of lilacs.  The daughter of our host had placed them there and the pleased glimmer in her eye spoke to her delight by my reaction.  The room was heavy with their scent and outside of the window and fencing off the yard from the street was the shrub that gave them life.  
  Ahhh, can you smell them.  So intoxicatingly inviting and bursting with the fragrance of promise.
  I know, I know....there I go again with the romanticizing.  And of a small, pale purple flower that lives for only a brief few weeks of the year.
   YEP!  I will romanticize that flower every time.  I will seek out that scent at the fragrance counter.  I will always buy the candle that reminds me of that time.  And the Lilac will always be one of my favorites and an easy, quick way to winning my heart!
  Did I mention they need to be purple to satisfy me?

  Ahh, memories, no one can take them.
  That perfect, beautiful, leafy flower has almost expired for the season.  They are drooping heavy on their branch and turning a sour shade of brown though they still leave their mark in the scented air.
  I get it, I know their season of life is coming to an end, that they are in the twilight of their short season to bloom.
  It's alright.  Because they will return, and I will remember again.  And every time I catch a scent in the air that hints at those most pretty blooms, I'm 18 again, sticking my nose deep into that vase of petals.
  They are one of my utmost favorite things.

  I don't take the most pretty pictures.  In fact, I suck at pictures completely; we can't have it all, right?  It's more the idea than the visual, my mind only needs the hint and I'm transported!

  

  There they are....so pretty, so fragile, soft and perfect!  Take a break from the race your life is to be thankful and remember the simple things you love!
  Happy Friday!

Monday 10 June 2013

en-GB

  Better late in the day than never, right?  Well I hope this sits as well with you as it does with me.  It makes me feel floaty and happy, like everything will be alright.  It has enough beat to feel that pick-me-up sort of happiness, and it's still smooth enough to be relaxed.
  Go ahead, have a listen!
  Happy Monday to all you beauties out there in the world!
  

Friday 7 June 2013

Here's What I Know

 I was given the best surprise recently.  My husband announced out of the blue that he had planned a weekend getaway for us to celebrate our anniversary.  I was stunned.  We have been swamped with work, kids, and life recently.  So busy that carving out time for each other has been mostly work related outings.  
  Anyway, he planned the whole weekend and told me about it not even a week before we were to depart.  He flew his mom across the country to take care of the crazies, took four days off work, and gave me complete control over where we would go and what we would do while he handled all the logistics!  Every girl's dream, right?
  Seriously, I was stunned, he has never done anything like this.  Where I was hoping to maybe head out for dinner and if we could keep our eyes open a movie, I got four days, and the best bit.....I didn't have to sort out childcare (I hate sorting childcare, it stresses me out and always makes me feel guilty).
  I felt well loved before we loaded our bags in the truck and I had days ahead that would recharge my tank and give me moments to remember for years!
  Where we went didn't much matter, though I did have grand ideas of palm trees and golden sand, but that wasn't in the cards and what I got ended up being so much better than simply sleeping under the sun.
  We drove (one of my favorite things); trapped in a vehicle for just over 6 hours.  What else provides better quality time?  We sang together....well I sang and rolled my eyes when he refused to join in.  We laughed, stopped at a few places, traded off as driver, and poked fun at each other.
  We filled our time to the top and more than once realized that we hadn't stopped to eat.  I had grand ideas of eating at all the coolest places; where food is an art as opposed to fuel.  I planned to wear my favorite dresses, throw my hair up, paint my face with makeup and slip on my sky high heels.  Yes, I planned on bringing my A-game!  Haha!
  We didn't get to any of those restaurants, we didn't even look for them to be honest.  We did all the other things we love, and you know what?  After 15 years of marriage....YIKES, seriously, 15! we even learned a handful of new things about each other.  Who knew!

Favorite Things Top Ten

1~ I love pretty things.  I'm not sure if it has been amplified because my life is so filled with
      boys, but I LOVE pretty, girly, lacy, frilly, uber-feminine things!  And my sweetheart
      indulged my love of all things beautiful this weekend!

2~ I love the movies.  In contrast to what I have said about the romance bits, I love a movie
      with loads of action, cars, explosions and crazy drama.  The more unrealistic the better!

3~ Live music anyone?  I Love it, and like I said earlier this week, we saw the Lumineers.  
     They were fantastic.  The opening bands were also inspiring and will be on my playlist for 
     a while!  We would never have seen any of these artists back home.

4~ Walking, exploring, seeing new things, smelling new smells and holding hands.

5~ I'm usually a planner, but I'm learning to embrace and take it moment by moment and
     doing my best to not need a plan!  This weekend was just that.  We had ideas, but nothing 
     set in stone.  I loved it.  We threw on shoes, grabbed the room key and walked until we
     decided what to do.

6~ Old friends.  We spent a beautiful evening with a lady I love.  She was one of my 
     bridesmaids, but let's go back farther!  I remember her when we were younger than my 
     own children, and a girl I adore!  She shared her home and her family with us, feasted us   
     with a ridiculously delicious meal, and let me adore and lavish her son with cuddles and 
     kisses.

7~ Hot coffee.  There is nothing I love more on holidays than sitting and simply enjoying a
     cup of coffee in the morning in undisturbed peace.

8~ We took in a ball game.  Is there anything more beautiful in sport than a perfectly 
     executed play on a beautifully manicured diamond when the sun is high in the sky?  I 
    don't think so, and I think my sweetheart was sick of my sighs and whispers of admiration 
    over just that.  Bonus...the game ended with a walk-off win for the home team!

9~ A special mention has to go out to my mother-in-law for making the journey to cuddle, 
     spoil, and tend to my crazy princes.  What would I do without the help of family?  Thanks
     also to my beautiful sister-in-law who my guys adore.  Seriously adore.  Who is more fun 
     and indulgent than an auntie?

10~ I would be remiss to not gush about my guy.  He made me feel special, loved, and so 
       very important this week.  I am loved and I've felt it in his actions, words, and deeds 
       recently.  I know I've said it before, but I truly am a very very lucky lady!


Here's What I Know
  15 years is a long time in theory, but it has gone in the blink of an eye.  I know that is cliche and people say stuff like that all the time, but what can I say, it's true.  It hasn't always been a bed of roses, and often in truth, it has felt like a thorny path.  But that's what     commitment is about.  It's through the good times and the bad, the difficult, the beautiful, the stunning, the agonizing and the small quiet moments that we cherish.
  So after all those bumps and bruises meshed with soothing words that were intended to heal the hurt, I can say with a full heart and an earnest spirit that I look forward to the years to come.  Bumps and bruises included.
  All the good things in life require work, and in the end if you work hard enough you just might discover it was well worth the effort!
  
  

Monday 3 June 2013

The Lumineers - Flowers In Your Hair (Live on KEXP)

Hello there and a fabulous good morning to you beauties out there!

  Well I have so much to share I don't quite know where to begin!  
I had the best weekend ever...seriously, EVER!  
Here's a piece to the puzzle that I will unravel for you later this week as I process all the extremely cool and fun adventures I filled the last 4 days with.
  I'll start with this incredible group of entertainers.  The Lumineers were an absolute pleasure-filled treat to watch perform.
  Here is a small sample of what they do; and I assure you they do what they do very well!
Take a listen, then head over to your music page and support these guys.  The listening pleasure you will get out of this album is well worth the small price of the album!

Enjoy!