ROUGHING IT

Aaron and I spent last weekend camping on Lake Whitney with family. We could not have asked for a more beautiful weekend to be outdoors.

This is how I prepare for a camping trip. Please do note my fancy chef hat, courtesy of Aaron.


This is how Aaron prepares for a camping trip. Also, please do note how Sadie prepares for a camping trip.


As you can see, we take great care of the very important camping preparations. As long as you have cookies and fishing gear, who needs a tent, sleeping bag, folding chairs, or deodorant? Not us! Oh, I'm kidding. We took folding chairs.

This was my first time camping in a camper. It was fun, and the best part was the symphony that happened when most everyone in the camper was sleeping. It was magical.

Some highlights from our weekend: Daryl drank a cup of straight Aunt Jemima syrup on a dare - except he would have done it anyway. Janet bargained with the kids to not talk about poop for at least 20 minutes… no such luck. Trisha wore her high-school letter jacket for the first time ever. Ronnie cooked the meat and was the hero. I got to shake the Bisquick Shake & Pour pancake batter. Aaron caught and cleaned a catfish. Jarod taught us all how to play the deceivingly complex game of Bag-O. S'mores!


We also held a funny face contest. Who was the winner? You be the judge.


A few more pics.

RELATIVELY FRENCH

In honor of all the family time we've been having lately, I thought I
might visit my dear friend Pancake's cousin, Le Crêpe.

We had a nice lunch together. She was warm and a little cheesy, as
usual. She was vegged out today, which made for a nice, relaxing time.

Oh, and I love her fancy accent. Bon Appetit!

ATB ROCKS IT OUT WITH HIS EYES

Aaron has an eye for seeing things from a unique perspective. Actually, he has two eyes. And he uses them both to observe and absorb the world around him.

He purposefully takes the time to look at things differently, more intimately so he can enjoy the detail, the unexpected and the wonder of his surroundings. He often spies creatures, anomalies and hidden treasures one might otherwise miss.

Because he looks at things this way, with his two eyes, I think he has captured some neat photographs over time.

This is a big difference in pictures taken by Aaron and me. You will rarely see a picture taken by me that doesn't have people in it. But Aaron, he is so good at slowing down to see, he can capture really interesting moments that don't include people.

I love his perspective. Here are a few from a recent visit to the botanical garden.













These next two are a couple of my other favorites.


And this is what happens when I sneak in to one of his photos.

To see more from Aaron's Perspective Click Here.

HAPPY THOUGHTS - OF FALL THINGS

Birthday cakes. Family. Sunset over the lake. Fishing. Boat rides. Reading on an airplane. New cities. History. Family. Exploring. Milk face. Tupperware. Baking. Family. Pumpkins. Cool nights. Colored tights. Crafting. Scary movies. Tire swings. Tractor rides. K-9 cousins. Dinner with family. Playing outside. Neighbors. Cinnamon rolls. Monster Munch. Breakfast with Aaron. Picnics. Jumping. Snuggly blankets. Family. Reading out loud. Butterflies migrating. Muffins. Superman pajamas. Unexpected generosity. Family. Fish pond. Playing dress-up. Tickles. Mad Men. The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. Finding lost items. Halloween M&Ms. Seeing my Family smile. Sharing. Helping. Coffee. Finding inspiration. Family.

Click Here to see some Happy pics.

TERRORIFIC

Aaron and I decided to have a scary movie night each week this month to celebrate Halloween.

My idea of scary movie night: rent a scary movie (Jaws is scary, right?), turn off all the lights and snuggle on the couch and toss Monster Munch in the air at all the scary parts.

Tonight, we decided to spice it up and go to a movie at the theater. So we went to see Paranormal Activity. Ummmmm, it was so scary I seriously thought I was going to throw up at one point.

The funny thing is, we thought we were going to see The Fourth Kind. We saw the preview for it a few months ago, and both agreed we wanted to see it when it came out. You know how it goes, you lean over in between previews when the theater is really quiet for two seconds and fake whisper that looks good. And the other person fake whispers back yeah.

Obviously, we had the movie names mixed up. So we went into Paranormal Activity expecting something different... not knowing anything of the horror on which we were about to embark.

The scary movie experience can be like the difference between having blood drawn and being cut, for me. I can handle it if I can prepare and LOOK AWAY. But throw me into something I'm not expecting, and I. AM. TERRIFIED.

I buried my face in Aaron's arm a lot (LOOK AWAY), mostly through long agonizing moments of "something's about to happen." I will say this. I did not see the last 60 seconds of the movie. And when the screen finally went blank, I had to ask Aaron Is it over? Is it really over? Is it going to come back on? THAT'S HOW SCARY IT WAS. Up to the very. last. second.

Aaron did not think it was scary at all. I take that back. He said there was one freaky second. Pppffftttt.

As we were leaving I was even more scared because I was already getting anxious thinking about the ways Aaron would try to scare me in the next few minutes days. I'm trying to act like I am so over that movie, so he will stop thinking it would be funny to spook me.

Do you think he'll notice if I sleep with the lamp on?

SPOOKCAKES

I made these cupcakes last night to celebrate a few October birthdays at work.

And in case you're wondering, Aaron is my taste tester, so he does benefit from my baking of late.

This picture is from the Real Simple website, but I assure you, mine looked just as perty. I even got a little crazy and swapped out the candy corn for Halloween colored M&Ms on some of them, because, ya know, HALLOWEEN COLORED M&Ms! Which, by the way, are electric orange, green and purple. They will electrify you!

It went like this: As I was topping the c-cakes, I turned my head slightly to the left and saw the bowl of Halloween M&Ms that I keep on the counter, and my eyes got wide and before I even knew what was happening my hand had reached over, plucked three little guys from the bowl and tucked them neatly into the frosting on top of a cupcake. It's like my hand had a mind of it's own. SpOooOo0Ky.

Strange thing, though. The candy corn and M&Ms bled their colored candy coatings into the icing overnight. I put them in the refrigerator, but when I took them out this morning there were orange, green and purple streaks all over the tops. (and no, the cupcakes were not hot or even warm when I placed the candies on top)

My bet is some serious sugar-on-sugar action, errr, I mean a chemical reaction of C(6)H(12)O(6). Or a goblin. SpOooOo0Ky.

What a weird word, spooky. spookyspookyspookyspooky. Like elbow. elbowelbowelbowelbow

I may have just eaten 2 pumpkin cupcakes in a row... which may explain this entry.

BREAKFAST DATE

Aaron woke me up early this morning to ask if he could take me to breakfast.
What a way to start a Monday!

A COLD AND BROKEN HALLELUJAH

Be forewarned, this may seem a long and disjointed entry. I haven't written in a while. Sometimes there are so many things going around and around in my head, it's hard to get them out in a coherent way. Courage.

Life is like a trampoline. You gotta jump on it. - Angela

I've been listening to the album titled East, from a collection of four -- North, South, East and West -- that my dear friend, her wise soul and beautiful heart, created for me two (or three depending on how you count it) summers ago, for our drive that ended in me leaving her 1,500 miles out of arm's reach. My, how time fills up. I'm sitting here, looking at all the prints of clouds she's given me. Clouds...a frequent subject of her photography, ever-changing, becoming something different, moving. Transfigure.

East may be the most melancholy of the four albums, which may explain my mood. North is good for long driving through wide spaces, listening loud and singing louder. South is comforting, sounds like home. West is invigorating, progress. East is good for reflection. Being.

I'm sure I didn't think this up, but I can't remember where I read or heard it: the idea of being broken and healing. I must be broken to ever know the full grace of healing. I must first be shattered to be put back together. Like a seed in the circle of life, wholeness only comes once I've been planted, cracked open, take root, watered, blossom, grow fruit, ripen for the harvest. We must break the bread to share and be nourished by it. Our hearts break open only because we know the fullness of love. Cultivate.

I have become like broken pottery. - Psalm 31:12

I am ready for this time in my life to be over. It was suggested recently that I try to live in it, not through it. After noodling that, I'm not sure there is a difference. It's like telling a fish to live in the water, not swim through it. I get the point: live in the now. But, living in the now also means living through whatever Now happens to be. Emerge.

Diamonds, roses, I need Moses to cross this sea of loneliness, part this Red River of pain. I don't necessarily buy any key to the future or happiness. But I need a little place in the sun sometimes or I think I will die. - Moses, Patty Griffin

Fall is upon us. Cooler weather. Longer nights. Harvest.

I could go crazy on a night like tonight. Summer's beginning to give up her fight. When every thought's a possibility. Voices are heard but nothing is seen. - Mystery, Indigo Girls

I was cleaning out my closet last night, and remembered this quote, although I can't remember who said it. "In some seasons of life, I forget who I am and throw away all the wrong things." I hope I'm not throwing away any of the wrong things. Prune.

...a time to keep and a time to throw away... Ecclesiastes 3:6

There are things in my tiny world, like every person's world, that suffocate my heart. They are not my circumstances. They are not circumstances that I loath, nor circumstances without Hope. But the things I wish others simply did not have to bear. Because I know how it feels. The weight of Love. The heft of Hope. The hardness of Pride. The burden of Faith. The cold of loneliness. The warmth from the light of Truth. Share.

Strange how hard it rains now. Rows and rows of big dark clouds. But I'm holding on underneath this shroud. - Rain, Patty Griffin

Life is not all dark clouds and brokenness. My world abounds with blessings and thanksgivings, miracles and provisions, light and joy. Healing. Wholeness. Bits and pieces coming together one by one. My prayers of late are whispers of hallelujah. Diligence.

I'm dying to put a little bit of sunshine in your life.
Soleil all over you, warm sun pours over me. - The Shining, Badly Drawn Boy