natural highs

laughing so hard your face hurts.
a hot shower.
no lines at the supermarket.
getting "real" mail.
taking a drive on a pretty road.
hearing your favorite song on the radio.
lying in bed listening to the rain outside.
hot towels fresh out of the dryer.
a long distance phone call.
a bubble bath.
giggling.
a good conversation.
the beach.
laughing at yourself.
running through sprinklers.
laughing at an inside joke.
friends.
accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about you.
waking up and realizing you still have a few hours left to sleep.
making new friends or spending time with old ones.
playing with a new puppy.
road trips with friends.
swinging on swings.
wrapping presents under the Christmas tree.
song lyrics printed inside your new CD so you can sing along without feeling stupid.
going to a really good concert.
watching the sunrise.
hearing someone you love say "i love you" for the first time.
getting out of bed every morning and thanking God for another.

be blessed.

dog cat, cat dog

anyone want a cat who thinks she's a dog? anyone? she's not mine, but i'll most happy to give her away. she belongs to my sister who, enveloped in the "new kitten" love, brought her home after seeing her play with her other siblings in a box.

we're cat people. why? cats for the most part aren't needy creatures. they don't need the same amount of hands-on loving like dogs do. they usually aren't starved for attention or chase you and chew up your shoes and overturn trash, right? wrong.

not this kitty. ladies and gentlemen i give you my sister's ultra needy, attention starved, shoe AND feet chewing, chase you around the house kitten. what the heck? this furry chick literally will greet you at the door and follow you around in EVERY room. and don't you DARE close the door in her face. she then will proceed "cry" at the door and scratch and "knock" until either a: she pries it open or b: you open the door.

my bedroom door doesn't latch all the way and she discovered this nifty fact and now barges in my room whenever she feels like it. even when it's 5am in the morning. she doesn't care. i'll wake up with a cat toupee purring at me. i'll toss her out the room and back she comes. i even blocked the door one time with some really heavy shoes. and she rammed into the door until she got it open. then it was back to my tabby fur top. did i mention that she occasionally wags her tail?

i'm trying to figure out what in the world did this mama cat eat when she was pregnant with psycho kitty and the rest of the litter. did she have a history of mental history in her feline lineage? did the previous owners drop the cat on her head? i mean, there's GOT to be some sort of explanation for this feline's ultra dog like tendencies.

right now she's sitting at my feet and purring away and occasionally nipping at my toes. there have been some instances when i would literally run from her and she'd chase me like it's a game. ah! sister and brother-in-law just walked through the door. and now she's going down stairs to chew on them for a little while. meanwhile, i'm going to try a stack of books against the door tonight. hope krazy kitty hasn't been eating a secret stash of steroid-drenched cat-nip. wish me luck!

be blessed.

beautiful

recently, the head cheese went to a conference in luscious hawaii (the big island) and then stayed an extra few days to visit some of the other islands–kauai and maui, i think. before he left he complained of the long flight (12 hours) it takes to get there. i thought to myself that surely he'll be more enthused and forget the long trip once his feet hits the sand and his eyes catch view of the sunsets and blue waters.

so, time goes by and i'm stuck at a desk and computer. and imagine h.c. being kissed by the sun, drinking mai-tais (sp?), surfing and snorkeling and just having an awesome time. a week and a half later, h.c. returns. i ask him how beautiful, lush, breath-taking hawaii was. his response "totally not worth the trip." WHAT? the flight was too long, the beaches weren't that great, the food was too expensive, the jet lag was awful and he got sunburned while snorkeling. i can hardly believe my ears.

i mean this is HAWAII! one of the most amazing places God has ever placed on earth and he says that kauai was for the dogs. i'm saddened from the dismissal of this awesome creation. i mean, look at the picture! look at that sunset! does that look like a place that's for the dogs? no way! hawaii is still one of the places i dream of and plan to visit.

as i stared at h.c., wondering what was wrong with him, i began to think. how many wonders of God have i ignored? how much emphasis have i placed on the negative and totally ignored the blessing behind the journey? i think it's like the mother who's given birth to a child. she remembers the pain but it all melts away the minute the child is placed in her arms. it was worth all the labor to hold that tiny miracle in her arms.

what have i taken for granted? what have i ignored? lots. lately i've been so focused one not-so-great aspect of my life, i've become blind to the blessings and wonders that have been given to me at this moment. great health, a nice job, awesome friends and family, etc. that's just the basics. there are so many other great and small things i've chosen not to enjoy and take advantage of because of ONE aspect in my life is not the way i want it to be.

i can't do that anymore. i can't turn my back on what's in front me for the sake of a perceived negative. so, i now choose to revel in the wonders that are in my life right now. i'll count my blessings and stop complaining about what i don't have. God's provided everything i need and more. He still does. i'll take the journey as it comes. and when i'm blessed beyond measure, i'll be like the mother who labored to bring forth her baby. i'll say it was worth every minute.

be grateful. be blessed.

i am not my hair

I am not my hair
I am not this skin
I am not your expectations no no
I am not my hair
I am not this skin
I am a soul that lives within
- India.Arie

after much thought and fighting with my hair to do right. i've decided to take a little turn and try something different. hey. it's only hair right. she'll grow back.



be versatile. be yourself. be blessed.