A Post for Summer

Let's get one thing straight...I never liked summer much as an adult. Living in Texas, summer was HOT, stupid hot in fact. There's just something wrong about putting towels on steering wheels so they don't melt. Something wrong with having to survive in air conditioning for months. Nope. Didn't like summer in Texas at all. It just never seemed to end.

Then I moved to Seattle and guess what? Not much summer there at all. It rarely got hot enough even for shorts. That seemed like a good thing until I actually wanted a little sun and warmth. It is just not fun celebrating the 4th of July in a coat and under an umbrella. Being perpetually soggy and chilly is not good for the soul.

And now I'm almost 40 and have finally "landed" as one friend put it. I love summer. Yep, I said it. I love it.

Something really wonderful about sitting on the deck in the backyard and having a nice glass of wine. Hanging out with friends grilling and chilling on a summer's evening. And especially feeling the sun on my face and kicking back in the lounge chair. Oh yeah....

Sure it gets hot in Denver. BUT we have a swamp cooler and don't have to leave it running for months at a time. It even gets a little cool in the summer. Nothing like cool Colorado rain on a hot summer evening. Summer is time for camping and gardening. It's time for relaxing and lazing around the patio. Oh yeah...

Prayer of the Bodhisattva

ALONE

Alone in the presence of others,I walk through the waking dream of life.
Others see me.
At the first sight of recognition,they turn away, for they have forgotten.
Together, through the waking dream of Life, we journey.
May the clarity of my vision guide your life in grace, for I am part of you.
May my action remind you of your God within, my action is your action.
May my breath become the breath that fills your body of life.
May my soul become the food with which to nourish and quicken you.
May the words from my mouth find a place of truth within your heart.
Let my tears become water to your lips. Allow my love to heal your body of the pain of life.
In your most healed state, may you remember your most precious gift: your divine nature.
Through our time together, may you know yourself.
In that knowing, may you find your true home, your God within.

~The Buddha, Prayer of the Bodhisattva~

Monkey Chatter

When life gets a bit "crazy" it's easy to get bogged down in the mire. If you're a bit of a fretter & worrier (like me) the mind monkey chatter can get pretty loud. I tend to fret about things and create all kinds of "something" out of "nothing" or dwell a bit too long on things.

I can honestly say that my life is pretty hectic right now. Big changes on the home front compounded by big changes at work and with me personally...it's a lot to handle and I realized that I haven't been handling any of it very well. Some of my mental chatter has spilled out and I am rambling at the mouth and creating a lot of self-imagined mania. It's exhausting my spirit so I need to shut the hell up for awhile and get a grip; find my center and shove some bananas in the mental monkey pie holes.

The reality is that there is just too much beauty in my life and good things happening to get crazed and bogged down in the details. I have a loving and wonderful husband, great friends & family, a great job, and a super sweet dog who loves me unconditionally and doesn't chew up my shoes. My life is good. Oh, and I live in one of the most beautiful states---seeing mountains daily really does the soul good! My bigger picture has a lot to offer and I keep missing that point when I'm stressing about the temporary chaos.

The Universe never gives you more than you can handle and I need to keep reminding myself of that. So I'm putting myself in time out and laying low, keeping quiet and taking things day-by-day.

to quote an old friend "shhhhhh....there, there...never you mind."

good advice.

Mental Holiday

Our House

No, it's not an update about my adventures in oil painting...that probably won't happen for a couple months. Check back in June for that I think. There are bigger developments afoot.

This post is about our house. After almost 6 years we're finally selling our little bungalow. We've been putting most of our energies into getting the house in order, finishing old projects, cleaning, etc.

My husband purchased our home before we were even together---it was suppose to be his first home/bachelor pad and that quickly turned into our home together. And although it's a bit sad to be leaving we're taking all the good memories and good times with us. After all home is not the about walls, floors and ceilings---it's about the life we have created together.

It's a little stressful right now but we're both ready for the change. It's time to move into something a little more "roomy". We like to entertain-my hubs is an AMAZING cook and we'd like to have people over for more than just BBQ's in the backyard. A bigger kitchen and living area and "studio/office area" would be greatness. A nice yard for the pup, a nice neighborhood. So we're kinda looking right now but so far nothing has grabbed our attention.

I really would like to move closer to the foothills--like the Morrison/Red Rocks area but I also don't want to be too far from our friends. At this point it's hard enough for us all to get together so why throw another wrench into things.

Anyway, big changes are happening and hopefully the next house update will be about how we sold our place for a lot more that we hoped for!

Third Times a Charm

My 3rd and final attempt to get myself back in shape came in the form of results from a health assessment I took back in January. The results were not pretty and all I can say is I'm not overly surprised. 2008 was the year of sloth & gluttony. Aside from a few very active weeks last summer---my butt was planted and did not move. And I think I ate every BAD, processed thing I could put in my pie hole. So no, my health results were not overly surprising.

And I think it's rather timely that I got the results back when I did. I've been considering doing a cleanse to lose a few lbs. Well...that actually the worst reason to do a cleanse. So I sat down with a couple pictures of myself---one of me when I was at my "prime health" and now. I thought back to why I was so healthy and what was I doing. For one I was active-working FT and going to college FT didn't leave a lot of couch time and I didn't sit very much. I was always on the go.

Now I sit most everyday.

Mostly though it was the diet---no red meat, no soda and little to no fast food. I had a mostly vegetarian diet. Now...oh boy, I'm eating like a fat pig and eating EVERYTHING.

SO---instead of obsessing about calories I'm going to do what I know works for me. All I need to do is cut out a few things and GET MOVING. I think that is the plan and one I can finally embrace.

Oil Vey!

Over the weekend I took my first steps into the world of oil painting.
And I liked it. But I don't like the "dry time".
I've always been an acrylic artist so I'm used to instant gratification. Not so much with oil paints. In fact, what I painted on Sunday is still not dry enough to apply the next coat. So I wait.

In the meantime, I've got a couple sketches to lay out for my next project. My wonderfully supportive husband bought me several square canvases about 3 years (yes, 3) ago. They have been living in a box and collecting dust ever since. I've been bouncing around a few ideas and think I've got just the thing for a nice piece. So I need to dig out the box of canvases and start sketching.

I must admit oil paints, various mediums and techniques are a "bit" different than acrylic paints so I'm kinda reading up and feeling my way through as I go along. I'm considering picking up a book this weekend for reference.

Once I can get a couple paintings completed I'll post them but until now...we just need to sit and watch the paint dry.