The rules:
1. Go to your journal's archives.
2. Find the 23rd post.
3. Find the 5th sentence in that post.
Down about 15 steps and you're at the beach
4. Post that sentence with these instuctions.
5. Tag five more people.
http://journals.aol.com/gullspirit/PerishTheThought/
http://journals.aol.com/louie0768/Befuddled/
http://journals.aol.com/scotthlori/DiscoveringMe/
http://journals.aol.com/moltenhalo/TheCorner/
Rita visited WNY. She blew in late last evening and decided she would stay a bit. First, I want to say, I in know way think her visit here could compare to the Gulf Coast. The devastation she left down south is a gazillion times worse than here. She was basically an inconvenience to us, and decided to just hang out for a bit.
She quietly snuck into our area in the middle of the night. No thunder, no lightening and not enough wind to wake me out of my slumber. When my alarm went off this morning I thought I had messed up the timing because it was still very dark. It usually is pretty dark, but this morning there was no glimmer of light. I rubbed my eyes, rolled over and lifted the blinds to see I had a little pond forming on my front yard. I got up and started to move. Standing at the counter making coffee I could see the darkness in the sky and see the steady stream of rain coming down. It wasn't a hard soaking rain, I could see it but not really hear it. I flipped on the news to see what they had to say and of course they were reporting flooding in low lying areas. Apparently some areas had as much as 3 inches of rain.
I went through my morning routine and grabbed my camera on the way out. I thought I could get pictures of my nice little pond, but it was pretty much gone. The rain had stopped but the sky was still dark, lots of black and grays moving rather quickly. When I jumped on the highway to head downtown it looked as though the skyline had disappeared into the 'black hole.' Mind you our skyline isnot anything spectacular like NYC, Dallas, Chicago, but we have one. Just not this morning!
Off and on all day the rain came. Sometimes so hard you could hear it pounding on the roof of our building. Other times you wouldn't know it was raining unless you looked out the window. Even then, you'd have to really look as the windows were covered with drops all day.
As I drove home the skyline was back, as I drove down Main St. to get back on the highway I pulled over to get a shot of the sky. It was just starting to rain once more so I took the picture out my front window. Didn't come out to bad except for the few drops that landed after I turned off my wipers. The rain came pretty heavy on my drive home but the closer I got to my house it had pretty much lightened up to nothing. I thought to myself- I have my camera, I'll stop and take pictures of the same places I went on Saturday. Well, the intention was good, but when I got there it was a mess and I was still dressed from work. What was I thinking?? I grabbed one shot of the creek, but I had to zoom in a bit more as I wasn't getting as close as I had before. No way, no how! Remember, my aura? Anyway, I put the pictures side by side and pointed out a rock so you could see how much higher the water was. You will also notice the cliff type bank is about gone.
Before I could do anymore the sky opened up and I decided I was done. I got back to my car just as the torrential rains started again. My wipers going so fast I thought they'd fly off. Been there done that and in no mood to experience that again. I will say, I don't think I ever used that speed on my wipers before. If I had to drive any further with them going that fast I could have gone into seizures. Before I got home it stopped again and I decided to try and get some sky shots.
You may lose some of the effects since I made them smaller and combined them on one jpg. LOL still playing with the program I have and decided to try and merge them together.
The rain is done and they say all in all some places got 5 inches. Like I said Katrina and Rita left a whole lot more damage in the Gulf Coast, but I thought I'd share.
A J-Land friend of mine is having a tough time with the affects of the hurricanes, and I had to make these for him. I know when he visits he will know it is him. I've pretty much loaded his mailbox lately so I thought I'd post them here. Hang in there! We are sending good wishes and prayers!
Got up this morning and while drinking my coffee I went to the computer to boot up. I think something inside me must have went off, like an alarm clock, because instead I detoured and sat down in the recliner. I rubbed my eyes and turned on the TV to see what damage Rita did. I was thrilled to find out it was minor in comparison to Katrina. As I woke up and started my normal Saturday chores I decided I needed fresh air and fresh scenery. I'd been in this house or at work for days. Yes, I know it's been my fault because I wanted to play with the programs, and I do enjoy it. Today was going to be different though. I could feel it, my heart needed it.
The sky was a bright tranquil blue, barely a cloud in the sky. The trees stood straight with their branches out stretched to catch the warm sunny rays. There was a crisp chill to the air and my body and soul new fall had arrived. I could feel the cool breeze sneaking in the opened window and found it odd that nothing outside really seemed to move in the breeze. After I cleaned up the kitchen and myself, I threw on my jeans, a T-shirt, and my light weight fleece. I put on my sneakers and decided I would take a little hike around the creek not far my house. I would be 'a tree' today and soak up the sunny rays with the cool air swirling around me. I grabbed my camera and out the door I went.
There wasn't a soul in 'my spot.' The grass, small flowers, and weeds were neatly entwined in a soft carpet all the way to the creek. Even with the rain we had over the last couple of days it wasn't too wet. The banks of the creek were a bit murky with mud and decided with the karma I've had over the past couple of weeks I was going to stay far away. I knew if I had stepped any where near it, even as gentle as possible, I would slip and slide ending up on my butt, with my camera flying into the water. Just how my luck as been. I stoodat the elevated edge and closed my eyes. The sweet sound of nothing surrounded me. As I relaxed, I could hear the subtle sound of the water moving over the rocks and pebbles. The leaves rustling in the breeze. It was such a relaxing sound. The smell of fall filled the air. The leaves that had fallen were either getting crisp from the sun and you could almost smell them baking, or had that musty smell because those particular leaves decided to go for a swim as their last hurrah.
I took a few shots before finding a fallen tree to sit on. As I sat, I watched in awe as nature took it's course. The flow of the creek so slow in spots you could hardly tell it was real but more like a picture. Other times it danced with the small rocks, splashing white foam of excitement. The sound it caused was the music it danced to. Every once in a while a leaf would try to cut in, only to be pushed aside. Sporadically, along the banks I could see moss attached to the rocks. Bright green, Kelly green, and some so green it looked black, it was so fine it looked as though someone had a put lace on top of the rocks as though to dress a table for tea. Before I left, I ventured up a small hill and down to the bridge where I could get unobstructed shots of the small falls.
On the way home I stopped at Tim Hortons, got a nice cup of coffee to sip on as I transferred my pictures. Of course, I decided to use the new program to put together a collage. You lose some of the crispness in the pictures even with animating as little as I did, but with the twinkle and the blur I think it adds a soft aura, just as my day had been.
Trying this again. Last night I tried 3 times to do an entry, and it is very apparent that it did not take. It was raining at my house, off and on, but nothing drastic. Other parts of town, well they were not as lucky and it stormed a bit. A few branches down, power outages, cable outages, and obviously it affected my cable connection. Timing is everything in life!
I can't even remember what I was writing. Nothing of grave importance, but it was frustrating just the same. I usually do my typing in mail and then copy and paste it into the entry. Using mail I have the spell check option, but if I lose my connection and that mail has not been saved, POOF! I've tried using word, but it doesn't paste right and then I spend so much time fixing the format.
This has been a busy week. Yeap, busy playing in the new programs. Maybe some of you noticed the graphics changing a bit, and several now have a tag- D's Designs, those would be mine. Either pictures I took, or graphics that I found that I edited and created different perspectives. I've decided that I really have a passion for it, and I've become a sponge. I want to learn as much as I possibly can, and do as many as time will allow. I just have to learn to be patient and careful. I can have an addictive personality and something like this could cause me to lose sleep, something I don't react well to.
I want to send prayers and good thoughts to those folks down south. I can't believe another huge hurricane is on the verge of making landfall.
After work tonight I will give you one guess where I spent my time. The dealership for cripes sake! Again, my dummy lights came on. This time my check engine. This makes it 4 times in less than two months. This morning my car gave me a bit of trouble starting and it is less than 3 years old! Needless to say I would be TOS'd if I wrote what went through my mind. I was nice to guy and he did get me in right away. I know he felt bad as it was the same guy from last time. He had to hear it then and didn't think it would help any if I went at it again. It ended up being some sensor and they replaced it which seemed to take care of the issue, for now! It better be forever!!! He left the work order open in case there is more and I will be calling him Saturday to let him know how things are. Keep your fingers crossed! I need some good karma.
Folks, its been late every night this week and I think I need to be in bed before midnight! So I'm off ............
The game did not hold my interest for all that long. Yes, I'm a football fan, but more a hockey fan. And, yes the Sabres won last night in their first preseason game 3-2 in overtime. Vanek scored two goals, including the game winner. All preseason games are going to have a shoot out at the end regardless of the outcome of the game and he also scored there. Have to say his playing in Rochester last year during the lock out may have gave him a huge advantage in developing. The Bills were pitiful. If they got more than one-first down I'd be surprised! They lost 19-3. Ouch! JP hopefully learned a few things today and will come out stronger next Sunday.
By half time I had decided to start packing up some summer things. They are calling for nice temperatures next week, but nothing in the high 80s like we've become accustomed to. As I was picking up some summer toys in the backyard I realized the trees are starting to change. Mixed in with the green of woods behind my house I could see dull yellows, burnt orange, and faded reds. Someone down the street was cutting their grass and the scent drifted my way. It was a nice fall day, but my thoughts went forward and I heard myself groan. It won't be long before we have our family leaf raking party at my parents. They have a huge yard and I swear every leaf that falls notices the nice green grass and flies directly there hoping to have their winter slumber sleep in the softness. We usually have about 3 good weekends spent raking and dragging to the street for the town to pick up. With any luck at all they will all be down and gone before the first snow fall! OMG! Did I just go there? Slap me!!
All in all it was a good day, except for the Bills. I got things done around here, got some of my summer clothes packed away, got my entry in, the Patriots lost, and as it stands now the Sabres are winning their second preseason game. Life is good :)
I just want to say a big THANK YOU to all of the folks who have helped me out while learning these programs, I do appreciate it! It's wonderful to have so many wonderful folks out there who will take time out of their day to answer questions and help others learn something new. There are too many to list, but I thank everyone!
Here is another I put together tonight. I used several different graphics to create this and I think I'm pretty pleased :)
Yes, it is an addiction!!
Hmmm... Maybe I need to frame it- can you tell I'm tired? LOL
Good morning! It is still morning isn't it? My son got home from work at about 11pm last evening and was dragging his tail. He was off to bed but asked if I could make sure he was up early, he was helping out at work and needed to be there at 8ish. So of course, being the nightmare I am ::giggle:: I set my alarm to make sure he was up. At 6:45 the alarm went off and I got up, he didn't. I decided to play on the computer a bit and try again in a few minutes. Well, that was it, game over, I, AM! I opened a few programs and started working. After I got the first one done, I looked on my computer and started grabbing pictures with water and feverishly practiced. I have always wanted to get pictures to do this. I've seen them for years and always thought it would be extremely hard, time consuming, and very confusing. To my delight, it wasn't.
Here are the three I did this morning. The ship was the first one and is a graphic I grabbed off the net along with the directions. The sunset is a picture of mine I took a few years back, and lastly Niagara Falls. The falls I added some effects and removed the buildings across the river.
Oh, yes I did finally get my son to wake up and he did leave on time! LOL
TGIF! What a week! Seems the last few weeks have been absolutely nuts! I can't imagine where all the time goes. It seems I do, and do, and do, yet I never get caught up. I've wanted to play with PSP and the animation program I have, but time has been so limited or my eyes have been so bugged out I haven't felt like it.
I had a half day off today and was looking forward to it all week. Thought I could get some running and errands done. NOT! I left work and ran through a torrential downpour to get to my car. The water in the parking lot was up over the tops of my shoes, fun wow! Friday is casual day and I had these cute little macrame type shoes on, and believe me I could have twisted a good glass of water out of them by the time I got to my car. Can anyone say wet T-shirt contest? Cripes! I had an umbrella and you'd never know it. I was wet right down to my under garments, and yes I was wearing under garments! I really had to grocery shop, as there was no milk, no bread, and we were on our last roll of TP, not something you can put off! Driving home was a treat, yeah right! Traffic at noon was not bad, but it was crawling along. Small streams were running down the roads and my wipers could not keep up. It looked as though someone was on the roof of my car dumping buckets steadily down my windshield. I got close and figured if I went home I'd never go out again, so I stopped at the store to get the necessities. What the hell, I was already wet and though some think I am a witch (or would that be with a 'B'?) I wasn't going to melt. I ended up going down each aisle and picking more then the bare essentials and by the time I cashed out the rain had subsided. We had a couple inches of rain on the lower portions of road and later on the news I heard some areas had a couple feet, but nothing compared to what happened in New Orleans, so don't think for a minute I am comparing. It was just a pain in the butt. I decided to just come home and do the rest of my errands tomorrow.
Well, I got some directions on how to use the software.. thank you lady you are the greatest!! I played a bit. I am still more or less practicing but I will tell you this, it is addictive and I know without a doubt I will be on a run in no time! It's so much fun and the creations can be beautiful. One of these days you will see a beautiful one of mine. LOL
I have been excited all week as hockey has started. Training camp opened and preseason for us starts tomorrow. What a great time of year! I can get back into hockey fever and watch the Bills play on Sunday. No wonder I love fall!
Who is Mad Max you ask? Well, he is player on the Sabres. Maxim Afinogenov, born in 1979 in Moscow, Russia. He was drafted by the Sabres in 1997. He's a right winger and shoots left. For the past couple of years he has been one of my favorites, you can often hear me say, 'My Maxie!' He has the ability to pull everyone to the edge of their seat as he speeds down the ice towards the opponents goal. His jersey flapping in the wind behind him and most players chasing him down. He creates scoring chances and scores a few himself :) He's still very young in hockey years and has time to grow into a great player, which I have faith he will. I'd love to see this year be his break out year!
He's been with Buffalo for 5 years. He has played a total of 332 games. In the 2003-2003 season he suffered from a concussion and only played 35 of the 82 scheduled games. He has 73 goals and a total of 151 points while in Buffalo. As a fan, one can only hope that the new rules (or the existing rules being called) this year will help increase those numbers and allow him to skate with the beauty, grace, and speed we've all seen.
I promise I won't bore you with stats and commentary on all players, but I had to write about my Maxie since I did the tag with his picture :) I personally can't wait for the game tomorrow, and apparently many folks in the area feel the same way. The game is almost a sell out, and that is for preseason. Should be exciting for the players to see a full house and I am looking forward to them not disappointing.
Let's GO Buffalo!
I come from a large family, 7 children. Five girls and 2 boys, I fall near the younger half and of course never let them forget it! My sister just celebrated her 18th anniversary of turning 29. I love that she is only 29 as that makes me 27, eternally! Happy Birthday Karen!
I went to a Catholic grammar school for all 8 years. We wore the dreaded uniforms. The girls wore brown plaid jumpers until we got to seventh grade, then we could wear the same lovely brown plaid in a skirt. A white Peter pan colored shirt, brown socks or pantyhose in the later years. Boys wore white shirts that sported that lovely brown plaid tie and brown slacks. We were a beautiful bunch. I wasn't allowed to wear makeup until at least seventh grade and even then it was sparingly. If I went out with boys, it was with a group. A household rule! Coming from this large family it was not even an option to go to a Catholic High School - not that I would want to. In that day and age they were segregated boys & girls. Eeeeeeewww! LOL So it was off to the public high school for me :)
High School was a blast! I went to school with a lot of the same kids I went to grammar school with and more that grew up in the area, we were a lively bunch. I wasn't a straight A student by any stretch of the imagination but I held my own. I ran track and was a cheerleader, but I also had a lot of friends that were, lets say from the other side of the tracks. The 'clicks' back then were not like they are today, we mixed and mingled and crossed the lines regularly-the jocks, the heads, the nerds. Ok, so maybe not over the nerd line often..........
Once in High School it wasn't always cool to'date' as a group. Boys & girls went to the movies, for a bite to eat, or just hung out, sometimes as a group sometimes as a couple. Anytime I had a date I was not allowed to run out the door and meet the special boy at the end of the driveway, at the corner, or where ever it was we were going. He had to come to the door and meet the parents. You know, the dreaded 1000 questions by Dad! Once I got older and we drove, forget the idea of pulling in the driveway and beeping or standing near the front of the car with the cool look. He had to be a gentlemen and come to the door. I think the drill got a bit tougher at that time, but it was common practice by most families so the guys were use to it.
Fast forward to the year 2000. Cars revving in the driveway with horns honking as girls go flying out the door without even a good bye. Boys sleeping over at the girlfriends house and vice versa. I'm not talking on the couch, but in rooms behind closed doors. Hello!?! You're in High School!!! I am not condemning anyone, but when did this become ok? When did parents start allowing teenagers of the opposite sex, with raging hormones spend the night together? I am far from naive or a prude, or so I thought, but I don't get this! I can't even imagine asking my parents for this type of permission or even just doing it. :::sigh::: how things have changed!
You are a mysterious little brass key. Everyone knows you open something, but no one is quite sure what. Don't worry, though; as long as people keep trying, they'll eventually figure out what you have to offer.
What sort of key are you and what do you unlock?
Found this..... at http://journals.aol.com/gdireneoe/thedailies
When I saw the topic for this months essay, I thought to myself this is easy, real easy. I didn't even have to think about which animal I'd pick. The hard part was relaying my thoughts of why.
Put aside all the fear you have of these animals and consider what I have to say. I believe it will be perfectly clear to you too. If I could be any animal on Earth I would definitely be a Wolf.
The beauty and grace of these animals is equaled by few. Their fur can be a mixture of so many colors of the spectrum. Grays and blacks seem to be my favorite. The softness as the fur extending from the tip of their nose, over the head between the ears and down the back is almost entrancing. Your heart wants to reach out and touch, your head knows better. The chiseled characteristics of the face and deepness of the eyes. Ever notice the icy color of the eyes? That is the window of all creatures soul. Not to say the soul is like ice, but it is like a mirror letting you see in them, see yourself, or see a bit of yourself in them, which ever happens to be appropriate at the moment.
Wolves are cunning, intelligent, courageous and have exceptional physical toughness-born fighters. These are qualities which have enabled them to survive. Wolves flee from the presence of man, not from fear but from a desire to live quietly in the wild undisturbed by human activities. They are so guarded in their behavior that their presence of a particular locality may pass completely unnoticed. Sociable animals living with families or collecting into small groups or packs consisting of a few couples and their offspring. A well organized hierarchy exists within each pack, with each animal playing a clearly defined role. The pack is also a hunting unit, where teamwork and concerted strategy are vital.
Being a single Mom for so many years I have found many wolf characteristics in myself. If we look within ourselves we all can find these characteristics. We carry ourselves according to our personalities whether it be bold, proud, or meek. Body types differ from one to another, but we all carry beauty. Look into your partners eyes, a friends eyes, a child's eyes. You can see their soul, see yours, or see you in them. When things get tough we pull strength from deep within, we lean on our 'pack' for additional power to make it through. We don't fear human activity but on many occasions we flee it as we would rather live our life in a somewhat simple manner without intrusion of outside forces. We are sociable, but we do live in what can be called an organized hierarchy. Social status, standing is in everything we do even if we do not like or agree it with it.
Even with finding some of these traits in myself, it is often stifled because that is what society dictates. So many thoughts are kept inside because it may not be politically correct, strength is not always looked upon as a good trait. I don't always howl at the right time. I remember hearing/reading something like, within every woman there lives a powerful force, filled with good instincts, passionate creativity, and ageless knowing and wisdom. She is an endangered species. Being a wolf, I could reconnect with this inner self.
Well, the pictures of the campers didn't come out as I had hoped, lost all perspective of what was going on. But I did get this picture from the road. Anyone familiar with the stadium will know the touch ups I did, but I couldn't resist I am still trying to learn the program and I need to practice!! LOL
I won't brag on the game today, because 5 field goals is not going to win many games, but it was nice to see a win and some great ball! A few upsets today which were interesting to say the least. My niece picked on her card based on the cities she liked. Everyone in the pool laughed at her and go figure she is so far ahead with her number of wins no one can catch her this week. I say, bring it on!
I ended up going to my sisters for a wonderful turkey dinner and the game, YUM! And interesting enough sister and bro in law were at a wedding on Friday. The grooms bestman was none other then Brian Daboll. For those of don't know who that is, he is the wide receiver coach for the New England Patriots. Needless to say brother in law is in heaven as he has pictures of himself wearing not 1, but 3 Super Bowl rings! Pictures to follow for sure.
Ok, I've been tagged by Psychfun , it's my pleasure :) I've seen this around and around so it might be tough to come up with 7 new folks, but I'll do my best.
Seven Things I Plan To Do Before I Die: Or hope to :)
1. Take an Alaskan cruise
2. See my son fall in love
3. See my son marry
4. Be a grandma - did I say that?
5. Get to Nova Scotia
6. Help as many people as I can
7. Volunteer for some great cause
Seven Things I Can Do:
1. Cook a mean dinner
2. Help family with their computer issues
3. Laugh at myself
4. Admit my mistakes
5. Love unconditionally
6. Attract the wierdest souls in the world
7. A great listener
Seven Things I Cannot Do:
1. I am definitely a 'clutz' when it comes to my car
2. I'm horrible at any craft type things
3. Forget math without assistance
4. Change past mistakes
5. Take away the hurt of others no matter how hard I try
6. Can't give blood ever, and I hate that I can't
7. Give my son/family all that they need/want
Seven Things That Attract Me To The Opposite Sex:
1. Eyes, they are the window to the soul
2. A good sense of humor
3. Being a gentleman
4. I'd be lying if I did not include some type of physical attraction/good looks
5. Accepting me for me
6. Enjoying family and friends
7. Honesty
Seven Things I Say Most Often:
1. Hey Babe
2. Absolutely
3. Bite Me
4. Love you
5. I don't wike cwams (at least this summer)
6. How can I help?
7. Hellooooo?!
Seven Celebrity Crushes:
1. Mel Gibson
2. Kevin Costner
3. Nicolas Cage
4.
5.
6.
7.
I know there has to be more, but I'm drawing a blank
Seven people I want to do this:
1. Liz
2. Gullspirit
3. Upseted
4. Louie0768
5. Mvelasquezp
7.
I give..........
I'm sitting here drinking my coffee and trying to wake up. The house is quiet with only a low hum of the news on TV in the background. I can hear the birds chirping, almost as though they are having a conversation. Maybe it's Momma bird waking her babies for breakfast. It really does fit if you listen close. Momma chirping a bit loudly, 'get up it's time to eat and start our day.' Baby, in a more muffled agitated chirp, 'I don't want to get up let me sleep 30 more minutes.' A flock of geese or ducks flew over head and their squawking ended as quickly as it started. It's a little chilly, a perfect September morning. The sun has peaked over the houses across the street and is throwing beams out in a beautiful pattern across the grass, drying the dew that has formed there. The click of my keyboard seems to be extremely loud and rings in my head, but I think it's only because it so quiet, wonderfully quiet. The smell and taste of my coffee is slowly working its magic.
For having a Holiday last week, it seemed as though I worked more hours and more days! Why is it that always seems to be the case? Why is it when you're tired and want to just relax it seems you have the most to do? I really didn't work any more hours than I normally do, but each night after work something was going on. After hours meeting, grocery shopping, a wake, and then on Friday night I was absolutely worn out. I'm sure some of the mood is a direct result of the constant sounds of devastation down south, but we are all drawn to the stories in some way, shape, or form. It takes a toll on ones mental state without a doubt. Saturday morning I was able to get a bit of the domestic chores done, cleaning and laundry. The sun was hot and the breeze was cool. I couldn't resist hanging some of my clothes outside for drying. I love that smell on clothes. I can't describe it, but putting a sweatshirt or T-shirt on after it hung on line always feels good. That is,when you pull them off the line before your neighbors start a little fire in their backyard. Nothing worse then going to grab and them and you smell smoke, mixed wood types lingering in the air and on what you thought were clean clothes, only to have to wash them again so you don't smell as though you sat out at a campfire for hours before going to your next appointment or event. Argh! Like I felt like doing another load after I thought I was done!
I did make it out to the stadium last night, but the pictures didn't happen like I thought. They wanted me to pay to get into the lot, 'security reasons' they said. Sorry folks, but I wasn't going to pay $15 to snap a few shots. I might have thought differently had there been lots of folks tailgating and having the time of their life, but it was still a bit early and I think the locals went and set up camp with intentions of coming back after dark to start the celebrating. Rows and rows of RVs, and very few people. Breakfast there this morning will no doubt be a site, a site for sore eyes to those who have been waiting for football season to start. A little later today I will pull what pictures I got off the camera and post if they are worthy of it :) Dinner was a blast, and we all ate like pigs. Italian seems to fill you up rather quickly but we found room to put that one last bite before we got our doggy bags.
Well, my cup is about empty and I definitely need a 'fix.' No idea what my day holds for me. Usually we end up at someone's house to watch and cheer the team on, maybe today I will sit on my own couch cheering in a low key mode and just catch up on being lazy!! LOL Time will tell.
Well, the 'real' season started last evening at the 'Pats' are off to a 1-0 start. Being an AFC girl, and not from the New England area, I wasn't all that thrilled with that. Sure, they are a good team, but I hate to see them win :) Our season starts at home on Sunday against Houston. Not a bad opponent for JP's first 'real' start. I hope he gets rid of the jitters quickly! I am planning to drive by Rich Stadium tomorrow evening and get some pictures of the early tailgaters. I am anticipating the crowd to be excited and full of energy. I won't be at the game, but rest assured I will be in front of my TV all afternoon watching as many games as I can get away with. Yeap, I'm a jock at heart! LOL
Friends will be coming in town for the game and we will be doing dinner on Saturday night. A little 'pre game' partying to say the least. I probably won't be keeping scores or track of the games on here as much as I will with hockey but know I am paying attention. So do comment, who is your favorite team? What are your predictions at this point?
The seasons of my life...
Springing into my life.. ever so soft and sweetly
Never asking why or how... you have become a friend
Rare in heart and soul...
you washed away sadness with the rain...
the sparkle of the sun fills my eyes to make them dance
The moon.. glows.. and casts an aura around me.. that makes me know you are present
Looking to the sky, I see what you see and know... in my heart you are with me Beating with my heart like a song
Leaves changing...
adding beauty.. growing in heart soul
learning to care.. no matter how far or near
As the snow falls..
hibernating.. but never leaving..
never failing to be there when you are needed
Making life warmer than I've ever known
Spring again...
and you are still there.. here... with me
No strings.. no expectations.. just to share and share alike
Gently caressing my heart with words of wisdom
So rare is such a friendship..
so lucky I am to have found you..... or you finding me
You make the seasons of my life
something special...
something unique..
and my definition of a best friend..
YOU!
d
P.S. I've been collecting graphics lately, and I'm not sure where I got this one. If it's yours, let me know and I will gladly give credit :)
The weekend was absolutely beautiful. The sky was blue with little puffy clouds, the temps in the high 70s low 80s. Perfect weather for the last weekend of summer.
My friends made it in fine on Sunday. We spent hours chatting at the kitchen table. We enjoyed a great dinner and then moved into the living room were we chatted and laughed until well after 1. We decided we better hit the hay or we'd never be able to get up and get our early start as planned.
We were able to get up early had a nice big breakfast to fuel ourselves for the long day ahead. We drove up to the Fatima Shrine and spent a bit walking around the grounds before heading to Niagara Falls for the concert. The grounds were beautiful! We found this hanging basket that looked like a huge strawberry hanging from a tree. I will admit the hot summer took it's toll on the grass and some of the flower gardens, but it was still gorgeous!
On the way back we stopped off at a look off point at the Whirlpool Gorge. This is on the lower level of the river a bit from the bottom of the falls. If you look close at the picture you can actually see the whirlpool. I've been on tours and much closer - when you're near you can actually see the 'bubble's' of disaster rise in the swift moving current. We decided we didn't want to get that close today!
By the time we got back to Niagara Falls we really didn't have time before the concert to actually 'visit' the Falls. We weren't too disappointed as we have all seen it 100s of times. Besides we could see the crowd building for the main event. It was a free concert outside the Casino. There were chairs and bleachers set up for the many visitors. The sun was hot and there was a slight breeze so we decided to stay on the upper level and sit in the bleachers. We wanted that breeze! We made a great choice as the folks in our section were wonderful. We danced, sang, and had a great time enjoying the sounds of the Beach Boys.
I'm in a little better mood today, I apologize to those I may have offended with my words of disgust. It was a rough week, and I think maybe I just watched too much coverage of Katrina and it got the better of me. My words of disgust did, however, come from my heart. I am glad to see that help did arrive and folks are being moved out of those horrendous conditions. Rebuilding of their life will be hell, and my thoughts and prayers go out to them.
I feel guilty about my weekend plans with all that has happened. I have friends coming in tomorrow for dinner and a 'sleep over' then we head out to Niagara Falls and the Beach Boys concert. This has been planned for almost two months and we are all looking forward to it. It's supposed to be a nice sunny Sept day. Not too hot, perfect for an outdoor concert. Of course I will have camera in tow and will get some pictures of the sights.
This is a short entry-I'm in a better mood, but still not in much of a mood to write. Making my 'tour' of my daily journals tells me everyone is pretty quiet these days. I do hope everyone is doing well.
First I want to be perfectly clear that I feel for our southern neighbors. I cry as I see the devastation, my heart just aches for them, and I've donated to help, if I could do more I would.
What I am totally disgusted with is our government! Why is it when any other country needs our help they are there immediately with tents, food, supplies, medicine, yet in our own country our own tax payers we let them wait days for help. New Orleans is in chaos, folks can't get out. Sure they were told before hand to leave, but where was the help to get them out then??? The poor were left behind to fend for themselves. Now everyone is so surprised that folks are looting to get food, diapers, water, life's essentials and fighting to get out. I am not condoning the stealing of non essentials, or the abuse, but 'cmon folks were is the help? These people are trying to survive. All control has been lost and it might just be too late to gain it back. I know it's a huge area, I know there is so much going on, and there was very little bit of help in the beginning, but why? Why four days after the storm is our National Guard not there? Why? I am totally disgusted, and ashamed. Not only are we seeing the best in people, we are seeing the worst. I personally am seeing the total disarray of this country and am scared what our enemies are thinking, and we have plenty of enemies.
We can point our fingers at other countries for not helping, but lets look around folks. Where is the help from within? I apologize if I've offended anyone, but like I said I am disgusted!
