The Vacation From My Vacation Day

[flickr id=”6960802096″ thumbnail=”small_320″ overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”left”]Erik and I have returned from our mini-vacation in St. Louis.

As you can see one of our favorite stops was the Anheuser-Busch Tour. Erik enjoyed it immensely – and even I did (and I don’t like beer as a general rule).

So much happened on our trip and I learned so much at Bloggy Boot Camp – and we met so many wonderful people…

My head is still spinning. My 45X45 list is calling out to be updated.  My photo editor is overflowing with pictures to be edited (85% of which were on the BeerMaster Tour).

We have declared today our vacation from our vacation day.

Tomorrow I’ll be responding to a ‘tag-you’re-it’ post from a friend to give me an extra day for thought-processing and photo-editing, and then I hope to be back to posting as usual.

So I’ll keep it short and say – awesome weekend. Awesome people. Awesome learning. Awesome town (we really did thoroughly enjoy STL and its people).

Now we go back to bed.

~zzz

Scattered Thoughts

[flickr id=”6179693357″ thumbnail=”small” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”left”] *This morning I met with some wonderful ladies for a mini-conference w/ a talk given by the ever-internet-savvy Heather. It was a good time, I learned a lot, and it woke up something that I’d been thinking about for over a year now.  I have two blogs – and for a scatterbrain like myself it wasn’t working. I feel pressured to come up with twice the posts and then I don’t post at all.  So I’ve made the decision to somehow combine my writing blog (Sadie’s Storylines) into this one.  It’s not a clean mesh by any means – which is what has kept me from doing it for so long – but it’s a necessary one.  After all, my photography is here – why can’t my writing?

*I have been super-stressed in recent weeks.  Many crazy things have happened health-wise and personal-wise that I’ve been feeling awful overwhelmed.  Worst part is a current health-crisis with the hubby (although he’ll not be thrilled that I call it a ‘crisis’).  It’s serious and scary and worst part is we still don’t know what’s going on.  He’s having a procedure in a couple of days and we’re hoping that brings us answers and resolution in the coming months.

*In the next couple of days we’ll be a house full of eye-correction. There will be a forthcoming blog post w/ the cuteness of my girls in their new glasses.

*The teen has been on the roller coaster ride of teen hormones and girls.  This is also inspiring another blog post to be forthcoming.

*Expect some dust as I attend to the first item mentioned on this list – combining my blog.  This will require some redesign and some conflicting posts.  i’ve already transferred over all of my posts from the writing blog – now I just need to organize and clean this place up a bit (this will likely involve a new look of sorts – but nothing drastically different as i just ordered business cards)

*Just 2.5 weeks until I go to Bloggy Boot Camp.  Checking 2 things off my 45X45 (Blog conference & vacay w/ the hubby) in one fell swoop. After failing to get excited about it in the recent chaos, I’m starting to get giggly and eager.

*While there i’m totally going to have a nerd-gasm and go to the Star Trek Exhibit w/ my hubs (thanks Groupon for alerting me to its presence in St. Louis).  It’s geek-heaven.

*Gorgeous weather is leading toward lots of line-drying of clothes. Oh how I love this time of year 🙂

*I recently totally reorganized the hubbies DVD’s. Picture proof coming soon – HUGE and refreshing change.

*I got a new (to us) car. I have to say that despite its age – it is hands down the nicest car we have ever owned (and we have owned a LOT of cars in our 10 year marriage). It makes me very happy. More on that coming soon too 🙂

That’s it for now. Just got the call from Wal-Mart – glasses have come in!

Of Superstitions and Sherlock Holmes

[flickr id=”5255380571″ thumbnail=”small” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”left”]The New Years superstition says that whatever you do on the first day of the year you do all year.

For the first day of my year I was on a (no cost) date with my husband.  We used an old Eversave purchase to go to the movies and a gift card to go to my husband’s favorite restaurant (Outback). We did lay down some cash for a tip, but after smuggling in snacks & water for the movie our day was pretty cheap.

If that’s how I’m going to spend my year I say…Bring It 2012!!!

*~*~*

We saw the new Sherlock Holmes movie.  It was pretty good. Not so sure it was as good as the first but it’s been a long time since I saw the first one.  There were several open ends leaving room for another movie and unanswered questions.  For a more in depth review it would be better to ask Archie for a full review…he does a pretty mean movie review when you ask him too.

*~*~*

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season filled with joy and family!  Here’s to a great, prosperous and happy New Year!!

In a Flash…

Since I failed to take out my camera this week, I won’t be doing a Weekly Winners or Scavenger Hunt Sunday post this week. Instead I went into the October Prompts from the NaBloPoMo site to find a prompt to inspire me today. I found this one:

If your life flashed before your eyes, what are 5 moments you know would be included?

My immediate response was the births of my three kids and my wedding, taking me up to four moments in the matter of a heartbeat. What else would there be?  What one moment stuck out to me in the realm of the birth of my children and the marriage to my wonderhubs?

Would it be the last dance I shared with my Grampa? The one at my brother’s wedding?  Would it be the last heart to heart talk I had with my grandma on her front porch the year before she passed away?  What about our family trips to Disney World?  Our weekends at the campground?  The summer that it rained every day the entire summer? Of course I could remember the days spent at the hunting lodge with my dad, uncle and cousins.

Or would it be a place that we all gathered? Where so many of my family could be found?

A 4th of July celebration at our cottage in Ontario. Where all of the family (both sides) had gathered to join the bonfire. Watch the fireworks.

I think that is the last memory that would flash for me.

Every one of the moments would be deep, profound and special. Surrounded by family. Love. Excitement and wonder.

 

The Blessing

[flickr id=”6293299563″ thumbnail=”medium” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”center”]
In the morning when you rise
I bless the sun, I bless the skies
I bless your lips, I bless your eyes
My blessing goes with you
[flickr id=”5959711952″ thumbnail=”medium” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”center”]
In the nighttime when you sleep
Oh I bless you while a watch I keep
As you lie in slumber deep
My blessing goes with you
[flickr id=”6247844013″ thumbnail=”medium” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”center”]
This is my prayer for you
There for you, ever true
Each, every day for you
In everything you do
[flickr id=”5888383181″ thumbnail=”medium” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”center”]
And when you come to me
And hold me close to you
I bless you
And you bless me, too
[flickr id=”6217579492″ thumbnail=”medium” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”center”]
When your weary heart is tired
If the world would leave you uninspired
When nothing more of love’s desired
My blessing goes with you
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When the storms of life are strong
When you’re wounded, when you don’t belong
When you no longer hear my song
My blessing goes with you
[flickr id=”6134809815″ thumbnail=”medium” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”center”]
This is my prayer for you
There for you, ever true
Each, every day for you
In everything you do
[flickr id=”5984317283″ thumbnail=”medium” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”center”]
And when you come to me
And hold me close to you
I bless you
And you bless me, too
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I bless you
And you bless me, too

~Celtic Woman – The Blessing

The Upside Down of the Right Side Up

I’m sure you all remember Archie. My husband of 9 years now.

He’s been a little absentee in mentions lately here on the blog (our anniversary notwithstanding, of course).  Not for lack of events revolving around him – just the opposite, actually.  He’s going through a few changes of his own. In deeply personal and dark struggles of his own.

For those that didn’t know, Archie struggles with severe depression.  For most of his life he’s been on medication for depression or bipolar disorder.

Every medication has side effects.  Many medications are addictive. Some medications make the anger part of depression go into extremes. Some just make you more depressed then when you began.  Others still give you horrible hallucinations until you’re sure you’re going to go insane.  Many medications eventually lose their effectiveness. Especially for someone that has always been on meds.

Recently Archie went in to see about finding a more effective medication.  In a now familiar pattern he was weaned off one, and started on another.  The new medication is one that’s very new on the depression scene.  The side effects listed were a bit scary, but from everything we read it seemed a 50/50 shot that he’d get them.

Unfortunately, he did.

All of them.

The worst was the nightmares. Nightmares so extreme he didn’t sleep for 3 days.

One night he woke from a nightmare only to continue in it with waking nightmares – hallucinations so severe I was terrified for him.

That medication was immediately weaned off and we’re onto another one.

The constant change is painful to him.

Physically painful. Stressful on his body.

On his mind.

On his soul.

Struggling to get through until we know if the meds will even help.  To be “normal” so that the kids don’t see the severity of his pain…and sometimes failing.  If he has a bad day, the guilt layers on top of what he goes through.

He’s hurting.

I know he is, and I know there is nothing I can do for him.  Except continue to love him, and be there when he needs me. And wait by his side for the upside down to become right side up again.