Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real, The Gift of a Beach Vacation

I was given the gift of a couple days at the beach. It was a gift in many ways. First I got to spend time with my sister Maureen. The fact that she is well enough to enjoy her annual trip to Myrtle is really the best gift. I stayed with Tim and Patty and Maddie and Timmy. It was so gracious of them to make me welcome in their condo and transport me back and forth to the airport. To be able to spend so much time with the four of them was an unexpected gift. Tim is so much fun and made me laugh till I cried, Patty is so kind and generous and just being with the kids and getting to know them a little better was a treat!

 My flight to the beach was another gift, this time literally. I was to fly for free on standby but Colleen and Elle ending up buying my ticket so that I would not have to worry about when or possibly if I would get on a flight.  I had a stop in Newark and on the landing I had this view of the Statue of Liberty, a first for me and another gift.

Statue of Liberty

Within an hour of getting off the plane I was at the beach sipping a sweet tea and enjoying the beauty of God's creation and the wonderful company of Maureen and Larry, Ben, Larry's siblings Russ and Sharon and Tim, Patty, Timmy and Maddie. I was pleasantly surprised that the beach was not nearly as crowded as I remembered. Sitting in the sun, listening to the surf, watching the children play in the waves did my spirit a world of good! After the day at the beach we all went out to dinner at Sticky Fingers. I wish I had enough time to share all the fun stories of our time together but I'll just say it was lovely to be with a big group laughing over a delicious meal of barbecued ribs!

Each morning I went walking with Maureen, The first morning it was just she and I and we ended our walk on the beach. The second morning, Ben and Tim joined us and the third Tim and Sharon. Each morning we walked down towards the beach and walked through the campground and mobile home park which was shaded and had some nicely landscaped yards and decorated homes which was a treat to look at. One morning I walked down to the beach to see the sunrise before we walked. I was a bit tired, and I later joked that I didn't wake up until I got to the beach. It was a cloudy morning and I didn't expect much but it really was a beautiful sunrise. The week was such a nice mix of quiet time sitting on the beach, talking and sitting at water's edge with a group, walking the beach, dinner out, shopping at the outlet malls and a fun afternoon at Boardwalk at the Beach with the Theiss family.

Just me and the rising sun!

Under the Apache Pier

 This is the path to the beach from the condo. We have walked this path each time we have come to Myrtle. I believe this is the 3rd time, I am guessing 1995, 1997, and now 2016. In hindsight I would have done this trip every 4 years. Next year I am hoping my whole family and Granny and Papa will come along.

My flight home was to be Thursday afternoon but as I was packing up I checked my phone and there was a text saying my flight had been cancelled due to weather issues (I later learned they had some severe storms in Ohio). To make a long story short I had the gift of another day at the beach. Thank you God!

I forgot to mention that when I landed at Myrtle I got almost out of the airport and realized that I had taken off my sweater ( my favorite sweater) and wrapped it through he handles of my carry on bag and it was gone. We stopped in on Thursday to reschedule my flight for Friday and  I stoppped at the Information Desk and asked if it had been found but they said the only thing they found on Tuesday was a hoverboard (really?), Friday before I left I stopped and asked again. This time I asked them to check to see about Wens too. They said sorry there were a couple of things, water bottle, ladies jacket etc. but no sweater I asked the gentlemen if there was any chance the jacket might be a sweater. he said "well mam it says jacket" I asked if he would check as I really liked this sweater. When he returned to the phone a few minutes later he said "well mam this is not a jacket, it is a sweater, does the one you are looking for have blue, pink, and yellow flowers and green leaves on it?" I said "that's it!" and he replied " I'll bring it right down to you." My persistence paid off!

Just seconds after I took the Myrtle 2016 picture above, this happened. That's the thing about the beach and life for the matter. Try as you might you can't cling to the moment. The waves roll in, the vacation ends, the children grow up, but there are still memories to be made, good times to enjoy, Life to live! Every day is a gift! Thank you God!

Mercy, Journaling and the Start of Summer 2016

     It is a beautiful sunny Sunday. I am sitting in the front room enjoying the beauty out my window that is the start of summer.  Gary is in Michigan helping his dad clean up some fallen trees around the cabin and readying the cabin for another summer.  Thomas and I went to Mass at Resurrection this morning and Deacon Tom gave an inspiring homily about mercy. The banner for the Year of Mercy hangs in our sanctuary and Tom referred to it in his sermon. Actually this is the second time he has done this. The first time he asked us if we noticed that Jesus and the man he carried on his shoulders like the lost sheep shared an eye. I had not noticed that. Today he referred to the fact that the circle in the background goes from dark to light representing Jesus taking us from the darkness of sin into the light. The Year of Mercy has been a gift to the church at a time when it is so desperately needed. All I can think to say is we are a world in need of God. Thomas and I had a brief conversation in the car on the way home about the importance of searching for truth. When we search for truth we surely find God. That is my greatest hope for my children is they will find God and experience the joy and peace that come from knowing God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

    At the start of each summer I purchase a new composition notebook and start to jot notes about our plans, thoughts, and dreams for the coming season. I start off with a quote and then dedicate one page to each month and write the major events that traditionally take place.  Then I try to keep a weekly bullet journal of what we actually do though it seems I am hit or miss with this.

     I recently started journaling again and have a goal to jot a little something each day. I find I process things by talking them through or writing them down. Since it is not always possible or even in some cases wise to talk things through, I write.




   

Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real Beginning of May and Mother's Day

First week of May...out my window

A day in Marion!

Some prayer time at St Mary's Church

Cinco de mayo lunch at Mi Jalepeno

and of course dessert at Ger-Zee!





                                                             one of my little visitors

                                                                         full bloom!

                                                                   hello little critter!

Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real in April

April memories!

A bottle of bubbly to toast to new adventures!

Off to her new home in Houston, TX

                           Sibling shot at the St Louis fund raiser for Maureen and Larry

                                           and of course Mom and Richard were there too!

We saw this full bright rainbow as we left Marion after the funeral for our friend Lane's son Anthony. I pray that this rainbow is a sign for Lane that God is always there for us.

Fun with the Houston Girls!

Colleen and her fellow flight attendant and roomie Tania came to visit and retrieve the cats. 

I had a lovely day with the girls having lunch at La Chatelaine, ice cream at Graeters, stopping in a few shops in Worthington, visiting the antique shop that Colleen's friend Tommy works at and then lastly a stop at the pet store to pick up travel cages for Oliver and Rafiki. 

Love these girls and spending time with them.

{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real} Come Holy Spirit Edition

Gary was our friend, Darron's Confirmation sponsor

Receive the gift of the 

Holy Spirit

                                                           and share it with the world!

Flying the Friendly Skies

Smile!

This picture says it all...

she made it through 6 1/2 weeks of flight attendant training and was all smiles. 

Thomas and I were able to fly out and enjoy Houston for 2 days and witness Colleen's  graduation ceremony before flying back home with her. She was home for 6 days and then flew back out with 3 suitcases and 2 Rubbermaid totes of her stuff to her new apartment. Gary left the same morning as Colleen and drove her car packed with more of her prized possessions to Texas. To make things even more exciting, while he was on the road someone hacked into our cell phone account bought 2 iphones, disabled our phones, and changed the account information. I was grateful for our neighbors letting me use their phone so I could try to straighten things out with AT&T and keep our land line free so we could connect with Gary. It was a big hassle but it all worked out and everyone arrived where they needed to be safe and sound.

 Thank you God!

Ready to spread her wings!

Houston Museum of Fine Arts

The view as we waited to board the plane to Columbus

                                                                      Heading home