Travel keepsakes

I love to travel. I wish that I could do it a lot more than we do. Although I am fortunate that we have had many wonderful trips. I always like to bring back a keepsake from each of our trips. It brings a smile to my face when I walk through the house and see the little reminders of some of the great places we've been.

This is my reminder of our trip to Playa del Carmen. It still has the price tag of 85.00 pesos on the bottom. Wonder what I really paid for it?



My husband picked this up and wanted it on the same trip. I really didn't like it all that much when we first got it, but after it hanging in my home for awhile -- I found beauty in the intricate details of the bone carving. It proudly hangs in my living room now and reminds me of that cruise vacation.



These remind me of our trip to San Francisco. We bought them in Chinatown. Found them on a clearance table and we paid $2.97 for them. They really are beautiful and quite heavy -- we keep hoping that they are really good luck Chinese charms!



And these little items were found in an antique mall in Austin on our last trip there. We spent a couple of hours going through this huge warehouse filled with thousands of wonderful relics. Not sure why these caught my eye -- but I had to have them. I get to enjoy them everyday on the window sill above my kitchen sink.



I also love to collect a city souvenir plate and souvenir spoon for each place we visit. All of these travel keepsakes keep the memories alive of all the fun and excitement Paul and I have shared on our special trips.

I can't wait to see where our next adventure will be!

Rain and changes

Welcome rain! Isn't it wonderful how clean and fresh the world appears after a rain storm? My grass LOVES the rain -- remember back in March how brown it looked?



Wish I had the time to plant the flowers I always have had before. They would really love this rain too.

Dark, rainy, thunderstorm kind of day here in Houston. One of those kind of days to curl up with a good book and immerse yourself in the story. One of those guilty pleasures that are really hard to come by these days -- but I still have much to be grateful for.

Gonna be a rainy cloudy day in Houston today.
That means a busy night at both of the stores.
I should be really motivated since I'm locked inside all day...... but I'm really wishing I was on vacation somewhere else.

Like here:



or maybe even here.



Thank goodness we can use our minds to escape.

Ok....I'm refreshed now and ready to get back to work.

This is what I get.....

....for being a good wife



and I get this.......



and this.......



and I saved the best for last......I get this:



Thanks for the flowers honey!

Happy Birthday Dad!

I have recently begun to realize how quickly the years slip by and that we spend too much time looking ahead and that we don't slow down enough to reflect on what got us here. Too often we take the past for granted and don't take the time to say thank you to the people that helped shape who you are. Dad, I can't thank you enough for what you have taught me.

You convinced me (against my will) that kids need rules. Our household was stricter than some but we benefited from the structure.

You let me know (on several occasions) that my curfews were not flexible. To this day I call if I am going to be late, but more importantly, I try not to be late and get where I am supposed to on time.

You taught us not to be wasteful, to be honest, truthful, and to have a good work ethic. I am happy to report that I have lived up to those expectations.

And although we had a lot of rules that I highly objected to, I am most appreciative for the love and reasoning behind all of those rules. When I look at my siblings I see a family whose members are responsible, hardworking, and successful. Not many families can claim this -- but we were fortunate to have a leader who instilled these values into us.

Although I can't be with you on this particular birthday -- please remember that my heart, my spirit and my love are with you today. Thank you for being a great father to us all (even those adopted) and have a very happy birthday!

Impatience

We all have something to work on.
This is mine.
Patience is my worst quality.

I could never do projects, because I didn't want to go through all the steps necessary to get to the end.
I just wanted to get to the finished project.
I was too impatient.

I am impatient with people who go too slow and get in my way when I'm in a hurry.

I'm impatient with people who might need an extra moment to think about something when I already know what the answer is.

I even get impatient with people who are demonstrating impatience, especially when I have already made the decision to be patient at that particular moment.

So today.....I'm practicing patience.
It's going to be a LONG day!

I'm going crazy

I'm overwhelmed. Not just a little bit......but a HUGE amount. I am behind in everything in my life that needs to be taken care of. Each day begins by organizing the piles and working on the things that are SCREAMING for attention that day and have to be done. The housework is behind, the business work is behind, and personal issues that I need to tend to are behind. I get up early each day and go to bed late each night and yet there is no relief in sight.

A vacation is needed -- but no time for that right now, because I'M BEHIND! I need to hire a secretary, a housekeeper, and a personal assistant -- applications now being accepted.

Okay -- time to face the piles another day.