1. Getting back into the swing of things after a LONG week back home

2. My parents…for putting up with us for a whole week

3. Having the opportunity to meet Belle…definitely a highlight of the week

4. The Cleveland Museum of Natural History

5. Pool parties

6. Old friends

7. Getting pampered

8. Validation

9. Memories

10. A week of feeling EXTRA free…

11. Even though I didn’t want the week to end, it is nice to be in my own house.

12. My beautiful dog…She’s five years old today!

1. Quiet days
2. Long walks
3. Down time
4. A host of new thoughts and ideas
5. The gift of a new project
6. Health
7. Journaling
8. Creative teams
9. Receiving
10. My husband

1. Wondering

2. Frustration

3. Self-blame

4. Not knowing

5. Awakening!

6. Relief of awareness

7. Heart sadness

8. “if only” we had known

9. New communication

10. New happy, healthy beginnings

11. Honoring confidences

12. God’s love

13. Let go, let God

14. Then…Now

15. “Loneliness is the poverty of self; solitude is the richness of self.” -May Sarton, Belgian-born American poet

1.  A surprise party to honor my dear friend, Carol #1

2.  I am Carol #2 because when we met over 25 years ago, she declared she was #1!

3.  She turned 60 and retired almost all at the same time.

4.  I am so happy for her to have an easier life — she delivered for FedEx, which was a good, but tough job.

5.  Even though she thought she was only going to a family birthday party, she showed up with two huge boxes worth of home cooked food!

6.  Later was our son Kevin’s and daughter-in-law Dyan’s huge blowout luau, with lots and lots of Hawaiian shirted people and lots and lots of food!

7.  1/3 of a glass of that yummy pink lemonade punch, and I knew I better not be drinking it any more!  I am silly enough!

8.  There were lots of kids having a blast in the hot tub, on the swing set, playing all kinds of games.

9.  Fun conversations here and there.

10.  Tom and I took our grandsons Nate and Andrew, and their friend Vince, home with us.  The three boys were running around catching lightning bugs in the front yard — what fun to participate in their enthusiasm.  I appreciated that they were careful not to hurt any of them!  Hooray!

1.Internet is back up

2.Life is back to looking up

3.Communication- even when the labor pains were terrible

4.The way saying something aloud can transform what it is

5.A day at the zoo

6.Packing a picnic

7.Hilarious police questioning: “Have you seen any naked ladies jumping into the pond?”

8.Re-framing destruction

9.Power of thought

10.When someone you love comes home after being gone awhile

1. Farmer’s markets

2. Homemade bread

3.Homemade jam

4. A pot of homemade spaghetti sauce with homemade meatballs

5. Feeding chickens before laughing club

6. Clouds but no rain

7. Ice cream social at our Church in Stow Tuesday night

8. Three new flavors of Ben and Jerry’s@

9.Late Night Snack@ Ice cream with chocolate covered potato chips!

10. Six books at a time at the library because it is Summer Reading Club

1. Art fairs
2. Incredibly talented people
3. Handmade goods
4. Buying local
5. New sights, smells, sounds
6. The artist my husband called “Modern Monet”
7. Wearable art
8. The way art brings us together
9. Incredible creativity
10. Smiles

1. God

2. Helen sent sunshine my way with her list (three days of rain)

3. Helping Carol L. buy a computer

4. Weeding the garden, been a while, saw some “volunteer” zinnias, plenty room for more, dirt feeling like memory

5. Fun at the falling down house

6. The men who moved furniture downstairs for us on a moment’s notice, they were great

7. Beet flavored chips, who ever heard of such a thing (thanks, Cassie)

8. Cheryl having the right size beam of wood to help Pierre and Tony

9. Mary making a deal with Pierre and Tony for use of her driveway during construction

10. The day lilies from Bill and Michel on both sides of the driveway are blooming.

Happily grateful for

the delicious tastes of summertime
grapes
peaches
cantaloupe
watermelon (with seeds)
basil olive oil
strawberries
zucchini
blueberries

“Who satisfies your mouth with good things.” Psalms 103:5

1.Another day to screw up

2.Another try

3.Really hearing someone

4.Confessing even when it’s really really hard

5.A chance to share my life with someone amazing

6.Trying my best

7.Praying

8.Loosening fears

9.Realizing something big

10.Trust