THE HOLY MOUNTAIN

Somebody I love is having another birthday and I am in the process of making him a new crown!

If I lived anywhere in the world and could choose anywhere in the world to go for a long weekend celebration...in other words if I lived in Paris, I would want to spend my time in New Mexico

S.E.R.I.O.U.S.L.Y.

This weekend we have chosen a little hide-a-way that is tucked into the trees in Taos

It is called the El Monte Sagrado which means

THE HOLY MOUNTAIN

cocktails with friends we will meet up with

spa....say yes please!

soulful spaces

indoor outdoor places

and a picnic somewhere between Taos and Chimayo

to rub our hands in the holy dirt and take in the view of those aspen leaves changing

on

THE HIGH ROAD TO CHIMAYO

to celebrate the life of this little boy who I adore!

CLOUD OF WITNESSES

sometimes...

I take the Word of God literally

I love the suggestion when it says in Psalms 139

that when God knit you in total seclusion...in those very private moments..it was just you and Him

and you had a few days or weeks before anyone even had an inkling that you existed...

and it was during this time

He was counting the numbers of hair on your head and writing down the days of your life in His book and was taking note of all the things you were going to think do and say

before you thought did and said them

WOW

WOW!WOW!

and what about in Hebrews 12 where it says you are cheered on by a huge cloud of witnesses

I like to imagine all those loved ones in heaven who already saw you before we did

having a chat...knowing the exact moment of your birth is about to be here

and they are chuckling, looking down below and maybe even saying

PUSH MOM PUSH

but that book also illustrates that in that cloud are men of faith

Abraham, Jacob, Moses

and Everett and Joe Gruver and Beatrice and Grace and Charles

and just outside your door is another cloud

love love love

waiting waiting waiting

push mom push

and then that miracle happens

the miracle of life that really happened 9 months ago

when it was just you and God making plans

to change the world by giving you your very own sphere of influence and the gifts

with which to influence that sphere with

a miracle that happens every day all day all over the world in every kingdom of

plant bird animal and man

a miracle that will change the world

**it might seem like this post is about a new baby...and in many ways it is

but

really

it

is

about

YOU

GAME CHANGERS

Do you remember that Sunday School teacher, at the very beginning of class on Sunday morning,

who would seat you in a circle in the small wooden chairs, and ask the question...

"does anyone have a joy they would like to share this morning?"

Wow...I had no idea...

she was such a sage

and then to remember the answers....the voices of little children...I can still hear them like they were yesterday....

1.  my mom is making fried chicken for lunch...it smelled so good

2.  I got new socks with lace on the edge

3.  my grandmother came to spend the night with me

wow....I had no idea...

those sweet innocent incredibly powerful little words were

changers of the game

be a game changer

SANTORINI BLUE

When I was a little girl and would travel to Amarillo to visit my grandparents

we would pass by all the Route 66 Motels.

Amarillo is just about halfway..in fact Adrian, Texas is the very exact halfway mark between Chicago and LA on this famous and historic route

I was so inspired by each and every hotel, and still am...they are so quaint and one of a kind and capture a very romantic moment in time

Little did I know how much those little hotels impressed upon my design taste, especially the swimming pools.  The pools were all small, with fancy umbrellas and crisp blue water

LOVE

I am living my 8 year old dream of having a pool in my backyard and this summer's project has been an outdoor kitchen area

The first thing I did, as I almost always do...is let color inspire me

I loved Santorini...that blue is the prettiest color I have ever seen!

pinterest

I love the pots, the water, the stone, the vibe

the next thing I love are the fancy umbrellas

I purchased this paper parasol at Pier 1 and it is long gone in the Texas Panhandle breezes

I will always be on a search for another

last summer we added a pergola to the pool house and a privacy fence between our neighbor and us

we also purchased a large fountain

everyone matches!!

Miss Betty

Mr. PV and Cute Carpenter Man are working around this 100 year old elm tree

did I really go for orange umbrellas this year?  Sometimes I like when we have hail storms that tear up umbrella fabric

moving this brick patio was a very big and very hot project...we moved it under the covered kitchen area and replaced it here with gravel

concrete counter tops and this will be an Argentine grill

because my man likes to cook outside!  He likes to catch fire to meat!

I wanted to cover the face of the cinderblock with tile

similar to this...but this is not in this summer's budget

so I began looking on Pinterest for ideas to paint/stamp/stencil and found lots of very cool ideas

we seriously had a cold front on this day that dropped our temperatures to the low 80s

perfect for Pandora, paint, and some rum drink that starts with a P...oh yes...

Pineapple Rum...with an umbrella!

after I completed the "tile" and after I ordered stencils from 3 different ebay stores and after I took the question to Instagram...I think I might like the "tile" just the plain way that it is

and guess what...I spent about $8 on the whole project

next summer....

pinterest

pinterest

all those plans for next summer, next Christmas, next birthday, next year, next time

well....that's what makes time go by so darn fast

look back on the past with fondness, look forward to tomorrow

but cherish the time you are living in right now

and as for me....I just might go grab a room at the

WHAT ABOUT MARCELLA?

You don't want me to get into a political rant!  It's not nice.

My dad always taught me it was rude to discuss politics and religion and under no circumstances are you to ever

E.V.E.R.

ask who a person who they are voting for.

Especially this year...in this dynamic, boisterous, bombastic, heated 47%/47%/ election climate

do I understand what he meant.

that being said

I am a die hard

red through and through

most years I just check the Republican box

and for the record

I HEART TRUMP

he wasn't really my first choice since I was so excited to think of the possibility of another

Texas President

Perry or Cruz either way! 

but I am also a hippie so what I really want

is to  just live and let live and live in peace

which brings me to

Marcella

Marcella from Mexico

with his own bare hands

he turned this

into this

He is young, handsome, honest, sweet, kind, dear and so talented you just cannot believe it

he calls a sprinkler...sprinkles...he is also a farmer

in our town, there are 4 contractors and everyone of them are good and busy

so there is room for man like Marcella to be here.  He is not taking anyone's work.  He is employing others and teaching them skills.  He is raising his family.  He is spending my daughter's money on our local economy.

He adores his wife.  His children are in school.  He just wants to live here and he is scared. 

I want him to live here too. 

I want...for him...a way

surely

we can find a way

for him to own his

American Dream

JT GROUPIES

Living on Tulsa Time

at the BOK Center

we didn't have days and days to spend on this mini vacay

so we made the best of  our short stay for sure!

here we are, JT Groupies and Back Up Singers

celebrating at The Daily Grill at the Tulsa Hyatt

right before he goes on stage and just a mere block away

his music was amazing of course

and his band was exceptional

I must admit, though I do love Oklahoma, that I was state jealous when he talked about Oklahoma with such fondness rather than my Texas...I'm guessing he did that in Lubbock a few weeks before because his first song was a Buddy Holly song...sweet!

back at home our Betty took first place in the Butterfly

this is her 2nd year to swim and the Fly is the most difficult of all

and little Henry?  well thanks to little Henry

Grace was able to grab this shot because

JT's son is also Henry

way to go Grace!!!

And one of us in the group is a different kind of

groupie...he likes The Pioneer Woman and we couldn't drive through Oklahoma without seeing her new building in Pawhuska and the entrance to her ranch!

~PURA VIDA~

HERE I BE

When he came to Dallas in 1995

me and my bo peep were there

She was 16.....

what 16 year old back then even knew who James Taylor was?

**FAINT**

When he came to Lubbock in May 2016....it was in the middle of the week and

even though our baby bo peep lives there and it would have been a good chance to visit

week days and work days are just too hard to drive 6 hours there and back for a concert

BUT.....when he added TULSA to is list for June 24

on a FRIDAY

BOK Center in Tulsa

well.....here we be...do you see those 4 seats right in the middle?

me...her...and our men

**FAINT**

yes....there we be...me and my James Taylor loving gal...35 now...

and we still love us some James Taylor!  Tomorrow and Forever!

Which is your favorite James Taylor song?