OCTOPUS SCHMOCTOPUS

I have always been a praying woman.
















And I pray in specifics, which might annoy God, but maybe not since I have come across a few versus that tell you to do exactly that.

So…one time…I was in relationship confusion and wanted my answer from above.

It was a very long time ago, but my prayer went a little something like this….

Dear God…I’m not sure what to do or where you want me to go with this relationship, so please point out the person you want me to marry by having him say the word "octopus"….it’s a weird word and if he says it then I will know he’s our man.

Good grief…so…of course, I was hoping the man I was in a relationship with would be the one to say something along the lines of…. "If I were an octopus I still wouldn’t have enough arms to hug you…."

But instead..I was in a serious business meeting in Austin serving on a government committee and during the meeting a very handsome and smart man was giving a presentation on a cost benefit study his company was involved in. He used words like quasi and extrapolate and just in general…impressed me.

We had met before and while I considered him attractive, I was in love with someone else, so when he came up to me during the break and slipped in the fact that he had been busier than a 9 armed octopus, well…let’s just say it kind of flipped me out.

This is NOT the person who was supposed to say octopus to me and so now I am very confused and worried.

"God, this is unexpected…what shall I do now?"

What I did? I married my husband.

And we have had our ups and downs and he knows he was supposed to be the Octopus Man but wasn’t.

After 12 years of marriage and said ups and downs I have come to a peace that it’s ok that I didn’t marry THE Octopus Man…and possibly what I was supposed to do was be patient, obedient, and listen to God’s plan for my life. Period.

It all seems very amusing now--I don’t put God to silly tests like that anymore and …my husband has said Octopus to me so many times it’s just not even funny. And he buys me silly and sweet octopus presents and there has even been discussion of octopus tattoos at some point.
But the real moral to this story is that somewhere along the way…the octopus has become a sentimental reminder of seeking my path and finding it in a way that I had not expected…and so in fact I really really did marry my Octopus Man.

Yep…God knew what He was doing.

SO WHAT? SO PLENTY!

I love a happy ending. Happy endings are well…happy…and they make you feel that way. I have realized in my life though that there’s no such thing as a "happy ending" and thank God! Life is just full of "happy moments" and they could be endings or beginnings or even middles. Depends on which part of the movie you happen to be watching. And thank goodness it doesn’t have to be the end, so that when you come to a gruesome middle, face a high mountain that seems impossible to climb, or a low valley that blankets your soul…just around the corner…you can trust there will be a happy beginning, middle, or end…and then you begin again.
　
Paul Varjak: I love you. Holly Golightly: So what. Paul Varjak: So what? So plenty! I love you, you belong to me! Holly Golightly: [tearfully] No. People don't belong to people. Paul Varjak: Of course they do! Holly Golightly: I'll never let ANYBODY put me in a cage. Paul Varjak: I don't want to put you in a cage, I want to love you!

'NOTHER KATE SPADE PLEASE

At a recent poolside birthday party (for me) a nice chilled bottle of Kim Crawford was served.

A very funny person (not I) who never intends to be funny (but is) asked the girl out of the pool if she would please while she was out...refresh her

drink...and pour her another glass of....

Kate Spade.

Well...I can see how she got mixed up...they are

both F.I.N.E.

STACKIN' ROCKS

If you can spend a morning rearranging your pond rocks you

have a good job or

are married to someone with a good job

A MERRY HEART

Every once in a while and more if you're lucky, you will get to go to that place that soothes your very soul.

For each soul this is a different place.

For me...it's the long drive through the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, singing out loud to John Cougar Mellencamp and 3 Dog Night, a drive up motel with just a hint of Old Route 66, cold martini (double dirty) at Doc Martins, walking the old artsy streets and soaking in some earthy and heavenly and vibrant spirituality.

Thanks Daddy B for taking me to renew my heart of hearts.

MERCY

"I suppose that since most of our hurts come through relationships, so will our healing. And I know that grace rarely makes sense for those looking in from the outside."

The Shack

TURQUOISE MANIA

We just popped in the gallery to see how much the metal poppy yard art was displayed just outside.

A quiet man with a gray ponytail and mismatched clothes and a BIG turquoise necklace approached me.

Even his approach was measured and eccentric.

He admired my turquoise cuff and then proceeded to show me his pinkie rings (2), his chunk necklace (hard to miss), and then showed me the contents of left pocket, (large turquoise rock from Utah), content of right pocket, (7 turquoise rocks from Tibet).

Can we say (not out loud) you have a turquoise fetish?

I asked him if he was the artist and he proceeded to tell me he was an author.

About to publish his 7th book.

So…I cut him some slack.

But I won’t be purchasing his books on amazon.com.

I think his subject matter is aliens in pursuit of turquoise.

EEEWWWW!

How would you like it if your last name was Earp?

I would either get married real quick or keep my own name.

Unless of course..I was married to Wyatt.

I FEEL YOUNG

I feel young.

It’s weird. You’d think someone who just had a 53rd Birthday would feel old.

Nope. And I finally figured it out.

It’s because I’m at the bottom of an age bracket of people who I admire and respect for the qualities they have come to possess.

I don’t want to be young, impetuous, flippant, selfish or foolish.
I want to be wise, thoughtful, successful, and comfortable with who I am. So the people that I find myself attracted to are way older than me and I can’t wait to grow into who they are.

So…celebrate…youth comes in all ages.

PREDICTABLE BEHAVIOR

Recent heavy rains require TxDOT to close the roads because the bridge is underwater. Do not pass this barrier..the bridge is underwater. The ROAD IS CLOSED.

Well...this certainly does NOT pertain to me or the other 50 people who have driven right past the barrier. After all...I am ME!

52 DAYS OF NICE

Happy Birthday to me! This time last year, in honor of my 52nd birthday, I made a pact with myself that I would do one nice thing every single week of the year and document it.
I have discovered two things with this little experiment.

1. I am nice
2. I was already nice

But one thing was different..it made me conscious of who I chose to be nice to. A card for no reason, a meal to a neighbor, the gift of a book, a purchase that reminded me of someone with a note to say so…and I also chose to be nice to people I love the most. Afterall..why shouldn’t we be nice to those we love the most first of all? I think they count for sure.

Now, I’m not saying I’m nice all the time…I have my moments of being really not nice…but it wasn’t a struggle to find 52 things to do and you know what? I think most people are nice…very nice.

So…in honor of my 53rd birthday, I will continue this goal and double up some week when I’m feeling extra nice.

Be nice….and pass it on!

I AM SEDUCED

I am seduced by many things.

For my own self discovery and growth I will name them.

I am seduced by:

• Ferns
• Aromotherapy products
• Shabby Chic
• Chimney smoke in Taos
• Herbs
• Floral Chintz
• Chandeliers
• Turquoise and silver
• Tiny perfume bottles
• The Cello

Do I need help? Intervention? No. I have 13 chairs in my house, not all floral chintz and I have gotten over that seduction with little or no help and mostly all by myself. This is precisely the reason you don't see chairs on the list.

It helps to write it down...almost kind of like a birthday hint list.

DANG I'M OLDER THAN DIRT

I am 19354 days old today.
That's 2764 weeks and 6 days.
Which is 52 years and 361 days, including 13 leap years*.
(= 52 years, 51 weeks and 4 days.)
Therefore, I am approximately 53 years old.

I was born on a Saturday. Saturday's child works hard for a living. My last birthday was on a Monday so my next one will be on a Tuesday.

This Tuesday.

In case you wanted to send me a card or gift.

That would be nice and might make me forget that I am older than the dang dirt in my yard.

I HOPE

your face doesn't freeze like that. It will be a long retirement for your husband.

I HAVE HAD A CHANGE OF MIND

When I first started golfing, I told my hubby that if I ever got so serious that I would actually wear a pair of shoes with cleats, then that would be the time for me to quit.

Ummm....NOT!

Red shoes...I love you ever so!