Day 28: Something That Stresses Me Out

Day 28: Something That Stresses Me OutStress stresses me out.Eating too much Halloween candy because of stress stresses me out ;-)Financial instability is probably number one.Concern for my children, especially if one of them is ill or if a situation arises affecting them.The aftermath of losing my mother has added new stresses to my life.Running and exercising more have helped tremendously with stress.Reading the Word more faithfully and praying have helped the most.

A Photo of My Family & Pets

Day 26 of the 30 Day Blog Challenge (over at Katie's Journey) 

is to share photo(s) of your family:

Day 27: Pets

We don't currently have any pets.  The only family pet we've had was a goldfish that blessed our home with its presence for a few months.  I KNEW that I'd end up taking care of the fish and was the only one that cried when it died.  With a trembling voice, I broke the news to the children and watched their faces closely, ready to comfort.  Instead, they took the news in stride.  A few minutes later, I heard LAUGHTER coming from the bathroom as Dad showed them how to send the fish off to its watery grave.  LAUGHTER, I tell you.  Who knows if and when we'll have another pet...maybe when Mama's recovered from the last one, SNIFF.   

Ipod Song Shuffle

Day 25: Song Shuffle On My Ipod

Music is so critical to my life.

Music to celebrate,

to worship,

to mourn,

to rage against the world,

and to heal.

Music to help keep my pace

and my humor.

My Ipod is filled with

Christian worship,

80s assortment,

Disco,

Salsa and Merengue

and other music to dance to.

The random 10:

1.  Groove Is In The Heart by Dee-Lite

2.  Supertones Strike Back by the O.C. Supertones

3.  Whip It by Devo

4.  Behind The Wheel by Depeche Mode

5.  Venus by Bananarama

6.  Socially Acceptable by DC Talk

7.  Pump It by Black-Eyed Peas

8.  Upside Down by Diana Ross

9.  Held by Natalie Grant

10. I Look Up To The Hills by Natalie Wilson and S.O.P.

My Favorite City & Vacation, Something I've Learned

Day 22: Favorite City

My first answer is Paris,
though I've not visited there except in my dreams.
Yet that city stirs my soul, provokes my imagination,
and inspires my art.
Amsterdam is breathtaking,
complex, and overwhelming to the senses.
The regal history of Washington DC,
the museums and culture,
the many visits with friends and happy memories
make this my overall favorite.

Day 23: Favorite Vacation

The two times I went to Disney World were the best vacations of my life.
The first time, I visited with my mother, sister and nephew.
The second, I took with my little ones.
Such a magical, fantastical place!

Day 24: Something I've Learned
The most important thing I've learned,
over and over and over,
and have been recently reminded of in such a loving manner
is that God is always accessible.
He's here.
He really cares.
He responds to my heart cry.
There's security in Him.

A Picture of Myself...Feather Eyelashes, Oh My!

Day 21: A Picture of Myself
Well, you can't get any more current than a picture from this evening.And since today happens to be Halloween...

To coincide with the Finale of the 8th Season,I decided to be a "Project Runway Design"based on an outfit by my absolute favorite designer on the show, Mondo.You can read more about how my outfit came together here.BTW, the purple hair accessory and the peacock feather pin are Miki Originals!

Something I Miss and My Nicknames

I was away Thursday through Saturday, celebrating on top of a mountain with a dear friend from the East.  

Day 19: Something (or Someone) I Miss

I miss my Mom.  
This weekend up in the mountains, 
I found myself grieving her unexpectedly.
It hit me really hard.
I've found that when the world is still, late at night,
my true thoughts and emotions often rise to the surface
to be addressed.
The neat thing about moments that have passed
are the memories that can be played over and over again.
Sometimes it becomes necessary to fast forward to skip certain scenes,
but there's always the option to pause as well.
To linger with a beautiful memory. 

Day 20: My Nicknames

I actually dislike nicknames
since most often they become unflattering and limiting LABELS
that stick to one's psyche 
long after everyone else has forgotten the name.
Often the one being given the nickname has NO CHOICE
and is stuck with this term whether they like it or not.


I once challenged a 6 ft. tall, very large man 
to step outside in front of our church to settle things
when he wouldn't stop calling my son
"Pretty Boy"
week after week in the church nursery.
I'd asked him to stop multiple times,
and he wouldn't honor my requests demands 
to stop calling my son such a frivolous name.
Enough.
And I would've thrown a punch at that point
to show how very, very serious I was 
that no one was going to call my son any kind of name
other than the one that we strongly felt God had given us to name our boy.


The only nickname that I was given that I've enjoyed
was one given to me by a kindred spirit.
Inspired by a sad song on a Debby Boone album from the late 70s,
Micol's Theme (who remembers this song???),
my friend called me "Micola."
You can hear the song on Youtube.
As a matter of fact,
I'm listening to it right now.
I was still in elementary school when this album came out,
but I used to listen and sing along at the top of my lungs.
There was another song on the same album that you may know,
just a little tune called "You Light Up My Life."
I love that song too.

Day 18: Something I Regret

Day 18: Something I Regret
Though there are many specific incidences in my life that I profoundly regret, the main theme they share is that I wasn't true to myself.I didn't listen to my heart.Choosing against myself has caused me the most regret.