Miss Stephanie and Myles's Grand Adventure: Take 3...

I wasn't able to take any time off in December for my next session of Grand Adventure time with Myles, so we went during his spring break. We were busy the whole day...here it is in pictures!

Myles is excited for an adventure! Little sister, Josie was sad she couldn't join us. I promised her we'd have Grand Adventures soon! I can't wait for that!

First, Myles asked to go to my "old work" to see the fish in the big fish tank. I assured him that the fish weren't there anymore, but he still wanted to go so we did that. No pictures because there was no excitement.

Next we headed to the Portland Aerial Tram. I figured after Myles's pleading to go on the ferris wheel during our last adventure that he might like this...

...after parking and on our walk...you can see the pole and one of the tram cars behind him.

 Waiting to get on!

Watching the world go by below us on the way up.

 Up at OHSU...that is a looongggg way down.

 Next up we went to my "new work" to see those fish. Thankfully, there was success on the fish tank in this location.

 Then we went to my desk area and Myles spotted my co-workers jelly bean vending machine and had some jelly beans.

Working the machine...one of my favorite quotes from the day (I should write all of them down as I've forgotten all but this one) was when he was trying to get all the jelly beans out after putting money in. I recommended that he take out a few at a time the reply out of his 4 year old mouth was, "but that would be too easy, Miss Stephanie." I cracked up and he was so confused about why I was laughing. Classic. Kids say the darndest things.

 Looking at the fish again...

 ...and Myles wanted to take pictures with my camera...

Then it was to lunch we went. Myles was excited about eating on a school bus. We went to the Grilled Cheese Grill.

 In the bus...

 Myles with camera in hand, again!

 Self-portrait!

 Feet!

 Both of us!

 The view from a 4 year old's eyes...

 Our sandwiches are ready!!

 He kept doing this thumbs up thing, but with his eyes closed...this is new for me to see. It was stinkin' cute.

 Outside of the bus.

 Our next stop was to a paint-your-own pottery place. Myles decided he wanted to paint a picture of an Easter Bunny on a tile for his Mom and Dad...so away we went...

 ...very intently drawing the bunny before painting...

 ...ready!!

 All aproned up and ready to paint!

 Focused...

 While Myles was painted his tile I was painted a cute little birdhouse! Our final (pre-firing) projects.

 While I was paying, Myles found the play area with a chalkboard and a cat. He loves cats and has a whole little litter of them at home. He made another cat friend today...

 Leaving! The staff person that was working was so kind and helpful to us.

 Myles's hands on the camera again! Next time I go I will have to paint a gnome.

 Our last stop was Burgerville for a milkshake. It is tradition. We have to have a Burgerville milkshake during each adventure....and with Burgerville, comes balloons!

At home we filled Mom in on the day, with the exception of the pottery painting as Myles wanted that to be a surprise when I brought the tile by. And when I was leaving I turned and saw this adorable face watching me go. I wonder what kind of Grand Adventures she and I will go on...

Here's to many more Grand Adventures with these delightful kiddos in my life!

To crave a place

I don't recall craving a place, besides home when I left-but that really was more people that I craved than the place. But, Hawaii....that's another story. I crave Hawaii like I never thought I would "crave" a place. I dream about it. I look at pictures from our trip. I look at pictures on Facebook of Hawaii related things that I  have "Liked" and when I see something on one of the news channel FB pages I look up the un-pronouncable-to-me street names and discover if I was in that location or not. I look up airfares for PDX to KOA-at this point I'm not even craving another island. I am craving Kona. I am craving Country Club Villas #320. I am craving the lanai that we spent so much time on. I'm craving air conditioning in the car in December. I'm craving the ease and go-with-the-flow demeanor of the island and the people. I can't put my thumb on the reason for this craving. Is it the glorious, weather in the midst of the coldness of home at the time we were there? Is it the beautiful scenery? The delicious food? The sheer escape from reality? I imagine it is a combination of many things, but that doesn't make the craving and not being able to satisfy the craving any easier. At the same time I wonder: if I were to return would I be disappointed or would the experience live up to my memory expectation? Was my trip one that is remembered more fondly that the actual experience? I don't know. All I know is this is where my heart is right now...

    

Until then...Aloha~~

Today I am...

~ listening {to birds singing the day to bed, Of Monsters and Men, fun., The Lumineers, Adele}
~ watching {my weight- yep, there you go! :) the sun shine; Alias in my spare time}
~ dreaming {about travels-always; and about the day I can own a house}
~ writing {rarely blogs these days; lists of things I need to do; but mainly just assessments and care plans at work}
~ reading {I really should pick up a book-I haven't in a while. The last thing I read, and adored, was Life of Pi- absolutely amazing and the movie didn't quite do it justice but was beautifully done in the cinematography world}
~ hoping {for inspiration on many levels in life; for an early spring}
~ crafting {crocheting scarves and whatever other started but unfinished project I might have}
~ remembering {and craving Hawaii; people that have recently died in my world or are flirty with the edge of life}
~ contemplating {what fun adventure Holly and I can go on for her upcoming birthday; what this summer will be like; where I'll be in a year}
~ anticipating {changes; improved health; warmer weather and summer hikes and concerts in the park}
~ admiring {my hero friends and family that are fighting cancer; all the recently and soon-to-be-born babies that are entering this world-last count I knew of almost 40 babies to be birthed between Dec1/12 and Dec1/13}
~ marveling {at the utter joy the smile of a child can bring; the intricacy of the human body and how things so small can cause so much discomfort; my complete unmotivation for some things}
~ thankful {for four legged companions who are no longer sick even to the tune of $200-she's worth it; the sunshine; friends}

Time...

Take Time

Take time to think-
It is the source of all power.
Take time to read-
It is the fountain of wisdom.

Take time to play-
It is the source of perpetual youth.
Take time to be quiet-
It is the opportunity to seek God.

Take time to be aware-
It is the opportunity to help others.
Take time to love and be loved-
It is God's greatest gift.

Take time to laugh-
It is the music of the soul.
Take time to be friendly-
It is the road to happiness.

Take time to dream-
It is what the future is made of.
Take time to pray-
It is the greatest power on earth.

Take time to give-

It is too short a day to be selfish.

Take time to work-

It is the price of success.

"Drumming seems to ease barriers. Whatever the differences are, they seem to melt away." ~Neil Stone

A couple of weeks ago I needed to have some work done on my car. I have Sears do most of the work I need to have done, thus I roam the mall often while my oil is being changed, etc. On this Saturday they were doing something more extensive so I was sitting in the food court, mind you the food court where the shooter opened fire just a matter of a month or so before this day. All of a sudden there was a loud banging noise. People instantly scattered and headed over to the balcony overlook where you could look down onto the first floor of the mall. I hesitated, but once the initial shock passed, I joined the crowds. What was happening was a drum circle flash mob. I watched, enamored, the entire time. I love drums. I think flash mobs like this are cool and I've always wanted to see one. It was moving and enjoyable. Here are some pictures and a video at the end to take a peek at. Enjoy!

So God Made a Farmer

I absolutely LOVED this Super Bowl commercial. And, I love Paul Harvey.

Words:

And on the 8th day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, “I need a caretaker.” So God made a farmer.

God said, “I need somebody willing to get up before dawn, milk cows, work all day in the fields, milk cows again, eat supper and then go to town and stay past midnight at a meeting of the school board.” So God made a farmer.

“I need somebody with arms strong enough to rustle a calf and yet gentle enough to deliver his own grandchild. Somebody to call hogs, tame cantankerous machinery, come home hungry, have to wait lunch until his wife’s done feeding visiting ladies and tell the ladies to be sure and come back real soon — and mean it.” So God made a farmer.

God said, “I need somebody willing to sit up all night with a newborn colt. And watch it die. Then dry his eyes and say, ‘Maybe next year.’ I need somebody who can shape an ax handle from a persimmon sprout, shoe a horse with a hunk of car tire, who can make harness out of haywire, feed sacks and shoe scraps. And who, planting time and harvest season, will finish his forty-hour week by Tuesday noon, then, pain’n from ‘tractor back,’ put in another seventy-two hours.” So God made a farmer.

God had to have somebody willing to ride the ruts at double speed to get the hay in ahead of the rain clouds and yet stop in mid-field and race to help when he sees the first smoke from a neighbor’s place. So God made a farmer.

God said, “I need somebody strong enough to clear trees and heave bails, yet gentle enough to tame lambs and wean pigs and tend the pink-combed pullets, who will stop his mower for an hour to splint the broken leg of a meadow lark. It had to be somebody who’d plow deep and straight and not cut corners. Somebody to seed, weed, feed, breed and rake and disc and plow and plant and tie the fleece and strain the milk and replenish the self-feeder and finish a hard week’s work with a five-mile drive to church.

“Somebody who’d bale a family together with the soft strong bonds of sharing, who would laugh and then sigh, and then reply, with smiling eyes, when his son says he wants to spend his life ‘doing what dad does.’” So God made a farmer.

I love this!

'Polish photographer Marcin Ryczek snapped this once-in-a-lifetime photograph of a man feeding swans and ducks from a snowy river bank in Krakow. The trifecta juxtaposition between black/white, water/snow, and person/animals is simply astounding.'

That's my nose...

I caught this picture at just the right moment...I love that her tongue is on her nose!

This little girl really is smaller. Way back in July the vet told me she needed to lose weight. We went back for a continuing stuffy nose issue and she'd lost 2 pounds. Dr was very proud of her...Don't tell the four legged black beauty, but I thought she'd maybe gained weight....shhhh. :)