Joy Pockets # 1

Visiting my future bungalow today

My two cool cats

Unleashed corn stalks growing wild

The perfect cup of coffee

Thunderstorm lullabies

Cookie monster attacks

Neighborhood Fest

Fur

Pumped Up Kicks

Pending visitors

What have you discovered in your Joy Pockets?

Metamorphosis

There is much change in my life right now. So much energy flowing all around, mostly positive. I don't know if I have just been stale for so long, or have been ignoring the Universe, knocking at my door, or taking me by the shoulders and trying to shake the life, my life, into me. I have a new vibrancy for existing. I am excited when I wake up. I no longer wake up with a sense of dread. The boy comes home for lunch, asks me how my day is going. Granted, it has only been about 2 hours since I have woken up, but I am already pleased and grateful for the day that I have had.

For the past month or so, right around when we started the long and aggravating journey of a home purchase, we had a most peculiar visitor. A grey tree frog presented itself to us. I get home late from work, usually at 11:30 at night, give or take. The Boy leaved the exterior light on, so that I don't trample on any scurrying toads that jump and hop in my path. Also, so that I can get to the front door without mishap. But I noticed one night, a small frog clinging to the side of my house, under the guiding light. I immediately ran into the house, like a 13 year old who just bought Justin Bieber tickets, and told The Boy to come see my discovery. The little tree frog, waiting amongst the many bugs the light attracts for its next meal.

It has been there every night since then. I refuse to touch it or try to capture it, in fear that it will not come back. That I will frighten it, disrespect it. I make sure the light is on until I go to bed, almost having a sense of security that it's out there, protecting me.

It gets better. I now have 2 grey tree frogs! I feel that my respect and patience for my little friend paid off. It trusted me enough to bring a friend that now sticks to my house at night. This happened for a week ago, and has happened till hopefully tonight, and the remainder of the nights that I am here.

I did some quick research on tree frog symbolism, and it excites me to no end.

A quick list of the frogs spiritual properties are

• Luck
• Purity
• Rebirth
• Renewal
• Fertility
• Healing
• Metamorphosis
• Transitions
• Dreaming
• Opportunity
• Intermediary

Luck, rebirth, renewal, metamorphosis, transition, and opportunity, all speak out to me. These are the adjectives that describe me, my life, my energy, my being. These words describe me. Me now. My aura has changed. My outlook on life has changed. My quarters are about to change. I am rejuvenated. I am experiencing a great spurt of growth. I feel like there is so many wondrous things in store for me. My heart is pounding right now, that's how excited I am.

Every time I pass these little tree frogs, making camp right by my front door, I feel so blessed, and protected. So loved, that the Universe has sent me these 2 guardians. The Universe is looking out for me.

How is the Universe looking out for you? Do you have sacred animal spirits watching over you?

Am I a Warrior?

My life is part of a whirlwind of change and new experiences.

As of Tuesday, I am joining the ranks of Home Owners.

I am participating in my first e-course, SouLodge, starting in August.

And I just signed up for my first physical challenge (ok second, my first was in high school triathlon, of which I did terrible). I'm attempting the Warrior Dash. It's described on the website as "3.01 hellish miles". Yikes. The course includes Mud, Fire, Barbed Wire, Water, Walls, Cargo Netting, and much, so much more. But at the end of it all, you get a free beer, and a turkey leg, while wearing the signature Warrior Dash Viking Helmet.

I'm well aware, that there will be runners, and their will be walkers. I'll be joining the walking league, maybe the jogging league, we'll see. I've talked to a few other folks competing in the race. All are doing it for fun. It's a reason for people of all ages to get a little (really a lot) dirty and to have fun.

It's like when you were in elementary school, in gym class, doing an obstacle course. Kids were so excited to get their turn at running through the course. Waiting for the P.E. teacher to blow her whistle, kids sprinted through the course, jumping over jump ropes, crawling under hurdles, climbing the coveted cargo net. Man, those were the days. And if the gym period ended before it was your turn, you were upset.

Warrior Dash, just a big kids obstacle course.

What new experiences are you diving into?

Recently, the management here at my apartment community, thought it was time to spruce up our backyards. This meant, that for a whole week, I had strange men, clamoring away at my fence. And it is due to these strange men, and all the work they were doing (in 100+ weather mind you), that my own personal 10 x 10 space now looks like a pig's pen. If only I were to have pigs...

...But before the carpenters laid their heavy boots in my "yard", I hurried and plucked most of the spearmint that I had the pleasure of meeting. Yep. Just random spearmint plants frolicking in my back space.

So now I am left with a bushel of spearmint sprigs, and am wondering what to do with all of it. I have managed to make a few Spearmint Wands. It is my hope that the wands do not mold, but rather further dry, all the while, making my small rooms smell fresh.

All you need to make your own Spearmint Wands are:

Ribbon

Spearmint (feel free to use any other herb that smells delicious)

Cut all the sprigs the same length

Tie one end of the bunch with your favorite color of ribbon

Lace the ribbon up.

I tried a few different ways. I wound a whole wand. I laced the ribbon up the sprigs. I weaved the ribbon in and out of the sprigs. So feel free to do as you please. Use one color ribbon, or use 3! It's really up to your imagination!

Susannah over at Susannah Conway.com came up with a brilliant idea. For the entire month of August, it's all about the photos. Post one photo a day. Post many photos a day. Add captions to your photos. Write entire stories about your photos. Just post photos, no need for words. Post everyday. Post every other day.

This project, or collaboration has no rules, no boundaries. The possibilities are infinite.

Wanna be a part of all the fun? Explore her website or go HERE, and sign up. To further the fun, join the Flickr group, The August Break, 2011, and directly share your shutter sensations.

Hope to see you there.

Hey, Do you want this?

It's funny how much you don't realize what you have, or the gifts the Universe grants you. It's so easy for me to get caught up on the unfortunate forces in my life, the little nuisances of the everyday mundane. To sit in stale anger or bitterness, which brings nothing constructive, is a stall.

But there is so much that I'm granted, given everyday. It's there, if I just look for it. I'm trying to be proactive in my approach to my emotions. I'm trying to focus on what I have, what the Universe wraps in little petite paper with a gift tag that reads 'From: The Universe To: Sarah' with a secret message for me 'Things really aren't as bad as they seem, look what I am giving you.'
Things don't even have to be bad. It could be a completely usual day. I often am stuck in the same routine day after day, with little room for variance. At times, I'm so bound to the usual, that I miss what the Universe is giving me, or trying to tell me. "Hey! Look out the window!" or "Listen up!"

By become more...mindfulness, I have been able to see what is around me. Bad dinner menu at the cafeteria, don't complain, because the Universe left me cookies to munch on in the break room. Need new work uniforms? Don't buy, someone at work is giving hers away for free. Stranded in the ordinary? Look out the window, there's a beautiful arching rainbow.

The Universe has constant reminders, that it hasn't forgotten us. That I, we, everyone is here for a reason, a purpose. I just have to open up my whole self to see the big package.

I can't wait to see what the Universe has in store for me today. What did the Universe bestow upon you today?

Absence makes the Heart GROW Fonder

For the first time, which took almost a year, my family drove from Pennsylvania to visit me.

Sorry to blurry, it was the only photo I had of my entire visiting family

That included my Mother, Father, and 83 year old Grandmother. Unfortunately, it excluded my Brother. He was not able to call off work in time. He was missed greatly.

I wanted to show my family a mixture of where I live and what I like to do. I took them to me and the Boys haunts.


I greatly appreciated the Boys patience with both myself and my family. They can be daunting at times.

My family only spent about 3 days with me. 3 precious days I had to fill with memories and moments, all of which I will cherish forever.

My family both brought and received gifts. Some where gifts of my past, of which I missed greatly. Some where gifts from my Brother, that although it didn't replace the fact that he wasn't with us, I was grateful for them. And some gifts handmade, with love and thoughtfulness.

My family took with them many memories, full stomachs, and rocks. Yes rocks. Gotta love geode hunting.

They left Monday at noon. I missed them terribly as soon as their truck was out of sight. I redded up the house, caught up on my reading, found this AWESOME GIVE AWAY over at Denise's Boho Girl.

Then I had a good cry. A cry of both love and sadness.

Moments of Measurement

I seem to measure my life in moments, rather than time. I do not disregard time, but try to make as many memorable moments in what time I have. Ever since I can remember, I have been this way.

Moments are ever so precious to me.

This has posed many problems however, mostly with myself. For if I miss a moment, that I felt should have happened, and I should have been a part of it, I feel mad, angry, upset, guilty, remorseful, ashamed and embarrassed.

I can clearly remember being small child on summer vacation from elementary school. I had slept in, as was the job description for summer vaca. I woke up, the sun was well on its way climbing up the summer sky. I crawled slowly out of bed to look out my window. There I see down the way is my mom and dad, walking from the garden. From? The gears in my head started to turn. That means they had already visited the garden, without ME! Why hadn't my parents waited until I awoke? The moment for early morning garden visiting had vanished, and I was NOT apart of it. That moment. That possible moment of little me, walking between my parents, or perhaps I was running ahead of them with excitement, or the possibility of me exploring my surrounding under my parents gaze. Whatever the moment. It was gone. Never to be had again. I was so upset that I hadn't been invited on this stroll, that I was upset, crying and (now this part is a bit hazy) sure to be a full on brat upon my parents return to the house.

The funny part is: My parents and I have taken HUNDREDS of walks together down the the garden. This was not a rare opportunity. And I'm certain, that wasn't the first walk I had missed.

My parents probably returned to the house, confused as to why their daughter is screaming at them, with a mixture of tears and snot flowing down her face. They didn't know why I was upset, or how I could be upset. And it wasn't their fault I was upset. It was mine. It was my own personal battle of moments, and I had lost one. One less moment to store in my 'moment collection'. One less jar of moments to put on the shelf.

Then...

...Last night, and the first few minutes of the early morning, I was mad. Angry. Upset. Then I felt guilty, remorseful, ashamed and embarrassed.

I came home with high spirits and expectations. I traded moments with my co workers, to spend moments with the boy and his brother and sister-in-law. Earlier I had brought a movie for the boy and I to watch, to share a moment together. It was a horror movie...Insidious. The boy loves horror, I do not, but I thought I would do something nice and watch what he wanted to watch. What a moment that would be. I come home, by then, everyone is sitting on the couch, casually conversing. I look to the TV to see the DVD on the title screen. In my head I think "It's a bit late to watch a movie, but great, we're all ready." In reality, they had already watched the movie and the DVD was just humming in the background of their conversation.

When I caught on, I really REALLY wanted to revert back to that childish little girl and just start crying and screaming. Instead I just sat on the couch in silence. The possible moment with the boy was gone. He had wasted it with others. That moment cannot be relived.

The boy knew I was upset. Our guests caught on, and awkwardly said their good byes. Silence seems to be the adult tantrum. The silent treatment.

The boy didn't think he was doing anything wrong. He didn't know I would be upset. He didn't know that in my head, I had planned for us to watch the movie for the first time together. It was my problem. My moment didn't happen.

I lay on the couch, the boy attended to his nightly routine. When finished, he came down the stairs, and sat by me. No words at first. The guilt set in. My foolishness was realized. We both apologized (more so me). We walked up to bed, I explained my feelings, and that was it.

Now the movie moment, still a somewhat sore subject, is a joke between us. I still secretly hold a grudge, knowing that I have another empty specimen for my 'moments collection', But I have to move on.

There are plenty more moments to be made.

The Universe and Me

What does the Universe have in store for me? This is the question that has been buzzing like an angry bumble bee through my head all morning. Why am I here? What do I have to offer? What am I to show for it? All these rock hard questions, and little answers.

Since I can't answer these questions for myself, I have decided to let the Universe answer them for me, or at least, guide me along. I'm surrendering myself to

Fate

Luck

Chance

Destiny

I'm giving myself up to the 3 Fates, the Moirae. May they weave me as they see fit.

What have the Moirae weaved for you?

Picture by Pixie Campbell

Excited. Excited. I am so EXCITED! For this brilliant opportunity. Pixie Campbell over at Pink Coyote is has created a 'Sanctuary for Wild Women', if you will. An online course that helps you dive for your inner pearl.

This is my first ever online course. Along with the striking excitement I feel every time I think about the course, I am a bit nervous. This is my first e course. Will I keep with it? Will I check in. Will I remember to read the prompts, take time for the assignments, keep up with the flickr account? Will I burn out?

I don't know why all this self doubt. And maybe, just maybe, this course will help me with that.

So I encourage all of you to go over to SouLodge and sign up.

My Weekend in Photos

Serenity at the end

Found this little guy, and noticed its friend watching from the back with our troupe of hikers

Piece of drift wood. Possibly a soon to be table?

Yes those are lawn mowers...trying to smack into each other

Demolition Derby was smokin'

Fair food topped with a much needed lemonade

Ohm

My stress level at work has reached a new anxiety high, and I am looking for healthy, positive ways of how to cope. Too many of my co workers slip out for 5 minutes to take a drag or two. Nothing against smoking, I just want to avoid a bad habit.


I recently have been reading and researching meditation, and how to. Coincidentally, over at Firefly Creative Writing, this months lesson centered around being mindful. To immerse yourself into the moment. Especially in writing, whether it be journal, blog, literature, what have you. You not only have to 'be in the moment' when you write, but you have to take your readers to that 'moment', so that they to can experience what you're trying to impart.

by 2days2blastoff

As I sat and attempted to meditate, here is what I saw, felt heard, in that moment.

Right now I am sitting on the old, used, yet marvelous couch. Tweed in color, and soft to the touch. The clock on the wall is ticking, being an ever constant reminder and concept of time. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. The light struggles to find its way through my printed window, and when it does, it gently lays on all that it can.

Then I continued on with my day.