Travel Theme: Four (Where’s My Backpack?)
One of the best things about going to the County Fair in the summer is all the fun foods to eat. This is my husband, niece, nephew, and myself trying the footlong corndog. We also shared the brick of curly fries, a fried Twinkie, and a strawberry shortcake funnel cake. Needless to say we all needed a little Pepto that night.
Letters E or F (Cee’s Photography)
OAWPC: Artificial (Wild Daffodil)
A few years ago my husband and I went to Universal Studios in Orlando to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We are big Harry Potter fans. We listened to the books together as we took road trips around California and Oregon, so as soon as the Wizarding World opened up, we dreamt of going and finally made it across the country. Hogwarts was amazing, but we didn’t forget about the rest of the park.
Another love of mine is scary movies. My Dad was a huge fan and made going to see scary movies fun rather than scary. Not to say that I didn’t get scared, I surely did, but I learned to laugh at myself whenever I got taken in and to find the funny parts to keep the balance. This crazy head is from the movie “The Thing” a movie that can still scare me to this day. The silence in this movie is so well played and the mystery was definitely suspenseful. I didn’t figure it out and I loved that. The first time I saw “The Thing”, I was 9 and when that crazy head came out I was terrified, but intrigued. The special effects were amazing for the time this movie was made. It was cool to see this weird artificial head at the park and to see the old pictures of Kurt Russell and the rest of the cast as they made the movie. The only thing I wished was that my Dad had been there to see it too. I don’t know how many afternoons we wasted playing Kismet and watching this movie together. We also loved to watch, “Alien” and “Jaws”. The scary movies of today aren’t nearly as scary as those movies of old. Now it just seems that they go for the gruesome instead of the scary. I like a movie with suspense, a few good scares, lots of laughs, and a good ending.
Thanksgiving is coming up so I thought I would post something I am grateful for each day this month. Last week was a crazy week, so I didn’t get to start on the first therefore I have a little catching up to do. Here goes… (prompts are from textmyjournal.com)
Day 1: What smell are you grateful for today?
I am forever indebted to the smell of peppermint. I used to get migraines daily in my mid-20’s to early 30’s. I saw a specialist that helped me figure out triggers from food to stress to smells. He also had me see a biofeedback therapist to help me learn to relax my muscles and my mind. We found a medication that worked, but also things to do when I felt a migraine coming on. One of those things was smelling or eating strong peppermints. Just doing that one little thing has helped me so many times. So I am truly thankful for the smell of peppermint. It has become a smell that can instantly bring a smile to my face and a feeling of ease.
Day 2: What technology are you grateful for?
There are so many to choose from nowadays, but I think the thing that is a lifesaver for me right now is my phone. As I have mentioned before, I am constantly tired and that tiredness often leads to forgetfulness. I have recently started programming reminders with alarms so that I don’t forget the important things like paying bills, moving the car every 3rd Monday so I don’t get a ticket, doctor appts, etc. I get so frustrated when I forget things. It has truly been a blessing to be able to use the Reminders App even though sometimes the alarms are a little irksome because there are days I feel like the alarms are sounding off way to much, but ultimately they are worth it for the stress relief they provide in not forgetting.
Day 3: What color are you grateful for?
This was a hard one because I love colors each for so many different reasons, but as I cycled through those reasons the one color that came up the most was Yellow. Yellow makes me think of the sunflowers my Grandma and I saw all summer long driving all over Oklahoma and Kansas. I remember watching that little Yellow Pacman as my Dad raced him around on the screen gobbling up pellets and ghosts beating level after level. As a kid, I always drew sunshines everywhere, but I remember the really big one I once drew because I drew it on the wall. My sister and I drew all over the wall one day when no one was paying attention to us. We covered an entire wall with a doodles and scribbles. Our brothers were supposed to be watching us and ended up having to wash and eventually repaint the wall for their negligence. Sunshines also make me think of the last present I made for my Granny before she passed away last year. I painted her a sunshine and sang “You are my sunshine” in the recording button attached to the back. When we were homeless, we lived in a little Yellow hatchback. I’ll never forget that car. I saw one the other day and couldn’t believe there were any still in existence. Lastly, one of my favorite desserts is lemon meringue pie. Mmmmm…
Day 4: What food are you most grateful for?
I love food. One look at me and you’ll know that. I have more than my share of weight around the middle. I love trying new foods not only in new restaurants, bakeries, etc, but also in my own kitchen. Cooking and baking is a stress reliever except when I don’t feel good or am too tired. The one food that has always been there for me is saimin. I know. It’s not the best thing to eat, but when I was a starving college student it was there. And now when I am just completely exhausted, I know I always have enough energy to throw some water in a pot and make some saimin. I sometimes even feel up to adding scrambled egg, mushrooms, green onions, and spam or rotisserie chicken. Those little packages of noodles have kept me going for many years now.
Day 5: What sound are you grateful for today?
I am grateful for the sound of my husband singing. He has such a beautiful singing voice. Hearing him sing whether it be in the car singing along to the radio or at karaoke where he is a rock star, always brings a smile to my face and sometimes even tears to my eyes. His voice is beautiful. He’s not the only one in the family either. His sister has a beautiful voice too. She sings in Gladys Knights choir, Saints Unified Voices. We went to see them perform once when they traveled to California. It was an amazing evening.
Day 6: What in nature are you grateful for?
I wrote about this one in yesterday’s post Sunday Trees – 260. I am grateful for trees. Click on the link to see why 🙂
Day 7: What memory are you grateful for?
Ugh, talk about a difficult question. There are so many memories floating around in my brain, but since I am currently writing, the one that stands out the most is the first story I wrote with my Dad. It was about animals. He helped me keep the story going by throwing ideas at me and I would expand on them until I would get stuck. He was the first one to encourage me to write. I’ll be forever grateful.
And now I am caught up and will continue with the challenge daily. This was a lot harder than I thought it would be, but also a good reminder about everything I have and/or have experienced to get me where I am today. I can’t wait to see what else these questions bring to mind.
Round (The Girl that Dreams Awake)
I took this picture at the garden in the Bellagio, Las Vegas. Whenever I go to Vegas, I always go to see the new theme in the garden. It’s so colorful, bright and beautiful. I love seeing all the different designs and use of plants and flowers. I am terrible at keeping plants, especially those that flower, alive. Imagine my surprise when I went to the naming ceremony for my tribe and I was blessed with a name that means “she who plants flowers.” I have come to think of the name in a different way. I plant flowers on paper through my drawings, in scrapbooks through my photos, on cloth through embroidery, etc. I love flowers from the tiny little bitty ones to the big amazing beautiful ones. I love their symmetry, their colors, their smell, the softness of their petals, their ability to make me smile even on the darkest of days. Seeing a huge room full of them like this…just amazing. If you’ve never been there, put it on your list of things to see. It is so worth it.
Week 8 – Pink (The Girl That Dreams Awake)
I am not a girl who likes pink very much so as I searched my pictures for something pink and figured I would find a pink flower or something, but then I came across the day I stood in line for the Hello Kitty Cafe Truck. There is nothing more Pink than Hello Kitty. My sister’s birthday was coming up and I thought I would get her something from the truck. When we were kids, we loved going to the Hello Kitty store. My Mom would get us a mystery bag of our choice. We loved it. My favorite character was My Melody. I still go to the Sanrio store every now and then just to look around and smell all the sweet smells. So when I read the truck was coming to my city on it’s tour across the US in honor of Hello Kitty’s 40th birthday, I knew something from the truck would make a great gift. Plus I just really wanted to see it. My husband and I set off early to Santana Row, but found a large line already wrapping around one corner 
when we arrived. My husband stood in line while I went to go scout out the truck and see what it had to offer. As I walked over there, I observed all the people in line. There were so many cute little kids and adults alike wearing Hello Kitty shirts, dresses, bows, earrings, and hats. The truck was closed like you see in the featured image when I reached the front of the line, but there was a little menu stand telling you what was going to be offered and how much. I took a few pictures and headed back to my husband. We ended up waiting in line almost 2 hours. While waiting, we made a few friends and got a Hello Kitty sticker from a Hello Kitty team member who was going down the line talking to people. I also took pictures of 
flowers and trees a long the way. I wasn’t sure what to get, but after the long wait and seeing what everything looked like as people walked away with their goods, I finally decided we would get the Hello Kitty Donuts for my husband and I, the petit 4 cakes for my sister, and a 
bow water bottle for our little niece. It was a long crazy morning and I was surprised my husband stood there with me the whole time, but the experience was fun. I was glad that I saw that it was coming to our city because I had planned to go to one of the fairs the truck was traveling to, but I had read that people had to wait almost double the amount of time at those. Two hours was long enough. I didn’t think Hello Kitty was that popular anymore, but I guess I was wrong and it made me happy that there were other little kids out there that would have the same happy memories with Hello Kitty in them like my sister and I did.
Cee’s Which Way Photo Challenge (Cee’s Photography)
I took this picture at Universal Studios in Orlando. My husband and I went there a few years ago so that we could finally see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We’re big Harry Potter fans. We have listened to all the books together on road trips we have taken, seen all the movies, and even attended the midnight release parties for the 5-7. I loved getting lost in the magic of it all.
Being a preschool teacher, I had to take tons of pictures of the Dr. Seuss area to show my kids as his books are always a favorite. It is a trip I’ll never forget. We had so much fun acting like little kids riding the rides, laughing and just being silly.
Cee’s Which Way Photo Challenge (Cee’s Photography)
This is the entrance to the tunnel at Devil’s Slide on the Pacifica side. My husband and I hadn’t driven through here since the road closed and they built the tunnel through the 
mountain. We were spending the weekend in Half Moon Bay for my 40th birthday a couple of years ago and went in search of a place to walk after breakfast. I found the nearby Devil’s Slide Trail on my phone and we drove over to check it out. The trail here is paved, very clean, and offers some spectacular views of the ocean (with possible whale sightings) and birds (many migrate to the area). There
are quite a few information signs along the way naming the local birds and plants as well as explaining the history of the area. The trail is where Highway 1 used to go before the new tunnels through the mountain were built. We were there so early in the morning that we had the trail mostly to ourselves. We walked, enjoying the crisp sea breeze, and listening to the ocean. I stopped and sat at one of the benches about halfway up while my husband continued to walk. I thought about turning 40. When I had turned 30, I had been fragile and depressed for months before and after my birthday and I thought it would be like that turning 40, but it wasn’t. I was actually happy to turn 40. I think it had to do with feeling a little more comfortable with who I am. Right there on the bench, I made the decision to better take care of me and to start actually doing the things I dream of doing. I am finally writing everyday and I have started exercising and eating better. I also found a job that makes me happier and gives me more time to work on the things that are important to me. Now I need to work on actually taking vacations and traveling more. I guess my first step should be getting a new passport. I am putting it on my to-do list now. I am also thinking that I need to go back to that bench and think more things through. Who knows what else I could work out while sitting there. Maybe it could be my thinking spot. Have a great weekend everyone!
Sunday Trees 251 (On Butterfly Wings with Buttercup Tea – Becca Givens)
This week I present you with trees at sunset. I had spent Friday afternoon getting a first look at this year’s Halloween costumes with my little charges. I am a Nanny to 7 and 10 girls and they were undecided about what they want to be this year, so I thought we could go and get some ideas. After searching through every aisle of the Spirit Halloween Store trying on masks, glasses, hats, and whatnot, we finally came to the decision that the 10 year old wants to be the Queen of Hearts and the 7 year old wants to be a Fairy though we didn’t like what they had available there. I guess I need to find another Halloween store to take them to. I was exhausted after a big workout in the morning and then running around with them all afternoon. As I walked to my car, all I could think about was getting home and doing the few chores I had left before going to bed, but then I saw the sunlight coming through the trees and had to stop. It was so beautiful. I love being able to capture pictures like these when all thoughts leave my mind and I am in the moment just appreciating the beauty around me.
Onto My Next 40 Years 