I was at a pool party last week and this cutie pie stole the show.  She had all of us moms eating out of her hands. I got lots of pictures of her, but this was my favorite.  What an angel!

(See more SOOC Saturday at Slurping Life)

I grew up in a very dysfunctional, very mentally unhealthy family.  The saving grace of my childhood was being able to get away.  Summers were filled with camping trips to the mountains and beaches with my 2 uncles and their families.  One uncle, my Uncle Bob, pretty much filled in as my ’surrogate’ dad for both my brother and I, even when my dad was still around.  He was everything my dad was not.  I loved that man with all my heart and it was a horribly sad time for me when he passed away 3 years ago. 

My other uncle, Uncle “Red” (his nickname due to his carrot top hair) was also on those camping trips with all of us as well.  He loved to camp and loved having the whole family all together in one spot.   I had many sleepovers at his house growing up since my cousin was the only other girl in the family so I naturally hung out at her home more.  Where my Uncle Bob was funny, told great stories and laughed all of the time, my Uncle Red was a very serious man and bigger than life.  He was not an affectionate person by nature but it was obvioius that family was very important to him.  I was always in such awe of him.  At the time,  he was the only college educated person in our family with an extensive law enforcement career so he was the person that everyone looked up to. 

My uncle joined the Montebello Police Dept. in 1961 as a motorcyle officer.  He was 21 yrs. old.  Eleven years later in 1972 he was promoted to Chief of Police.  At 32 years old, he was the youngest police chief in the history of the state of California.  Because of him, I decided I wanted to become a police officer with his department, but because of a previous knee injury, I did not pass my phyiscal.  So instead, I became a dispatcher for the Sheriff Dept. which led to a 20 yr. career for me,  both with the Sheriff Dept. and then the Fire Dept. 

Over the years as I grew up and had my own family, I didn’t see my uncle very much or talk to him often.  There was the obligatory Christmas cards, etc., but that was about it.  Then, 2 yrs. ago, my mom became too ill to take care of my grandma and my grandma had to move to Palm Springs to live with him.  Because of that, we began to communicate more via email.  Mostly it was in regards to my grandma, but I would send him emails just to say hi, tell him a funny joke and of course, I would send him pictures I had taken.  One day I got an email from him where he told me he loved my photographs and he was very proud of me.  Wow.  That was huge for me!  I never thought I would have another ’surrogate’ dad, but I was wrong.  So I emailed him back and told him how much that had meant to me and asked him if he realized that this was the most we had communicated in 44 years?!  He sent this back:

It’s good to have you to talk to!  Why 44 years? – shit, I don’t know.  Out of sight, out of mind I guess.  We can work on changing that easy enough, though.  Love, Your Unc

Last week I was busy getting packed and then heading out to spend 4 days in the Palm Springs area where we had a fantastic time.  Quite literally we spent all day, everyday at the pool and the boys played the whole time with an inexpensive PNS (point n’ shoot) digital/video/underwater camera that I found on eBay last summer.  So in honor of SOOC Saturday/Sunday, I chose this picture from our trip.  I think it sums up our little vacation making it perfect for both SOOC Saturday as well as Best Shot Monday.  Have a great week everyone…

I had been outside taking photos of my hawk that has finally come back to me.  Okay, well maybe not back to me,  but last year we had a hawk couple that nested in the tree across the street and did all their perching at the very top of a telephone pole located next to my driveway.  I watched and observed and photographed these birds all summer long, even as their babies learned to fly from their tree to the top of the telephone pole and back again.  I did some research on them and found out they mate for life and it is quite common for them to come back to the same place every year.  I cannot tell you how excited I was to see a hawk sitting regally atop that telephone pole again.  I quickly ran into the house, grabbed my camera and back out again.  I took plenty of shots of my friend the hawk, but it was this one photo that caught my attention.  It’s blurry due to the breeze that gently moved the flower around while I tried to get a picture of the bee inside.  However, I just love the color and softness and light of this shot.  Later I’ll share the shots of my hawk, but today, I give you this. 

You can see more of SOOC Saturday at Slurping Life.

For all you SoCal/Greater L.A. area residents, I’ve been invited to share with you this opportunity to get a discount on tickets to see the Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus for only $44 for a 4 pack!  These tickets are regularly priced at $25 each so that’s a savings of $56!  The tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster.com using the coupon code *MOM*.  To get this discount you need to purchase 4 or more tickets.  The seats are in the lower level just off of the floor.   I’ve been invited to attend opening night so I’ll be sure to let you know all about it and of course, I’ll have my camera with me.  Who doesn’t love the circus?!  I hope you take advantage of this great offer and maybe I’ll see you there!

I don’t like it when people I care about are hurt by others.  I’m not talking physically(though that’s not good, either).  I’m talking about the kind of hurt that is brought on by the actions of others.  Today, my friend was wrongly treated by a person who had no idea what they were talking about.  To add insult to injury, insults were hurled at my friend in front of about 20 kids, one of them being her own.  My friend, being the bigger person, would not and did not argue with this person in front of those children, no matter what.  To make matters worse, the children were upset by what they had witnessed this person doing to my friend.  I’m sorry, but that’s just unacceptable.  Never, ever, involve children, especially when they’re not YOUR children.

Of course, when I heard about this, I wanted to hunt this person down and cause bodily injury.  Really, I did.  I had a few choice things I wanted to say to this person and had the whole speech planned out in my head.  Unfortunately, this person was gone before I could get the chance, but tomorrow morning, I will see this person and tomorrow, this person would be all mine.   The minute my husband got home from work, I gave him the blow-by-blow of what had occured today and how angry I was at this person for unfairly and wrongly hurting my friend.  After I finally stopped ranting long enough to take a breath, my husband just gave me that look.  You know, that look.  The one that says TONS without him uttering a single word. 

“I know you”, he said, shaking his head.

“This person needs to be dealt with!”, I argued.

“It’s not your fight.  You’ll only make it worse”, he said in that voice that sounds full of infinite wisdom but really isn’t.  Okay, well maybe a little.  But still…!

“Fine.  I’ll keep my mouth shut.  But so help me if this person says anything, I’m all over it!”, I touted, like I’m the biggest, baddest chick around.  And really? In my imaginary world that exists in my head? People, I am SO the biggest, baddest chick around.  Really.  Just ask the inhabitants of that world and they’ll tell you so.

I planned to sit down tonight and blog about this person and how horrible this person is and how no one messes with my friends because I’ll chick fight you to the death. 

Then I got sidetracked. I read a few blogs I subscribed to, one being This is Reverb.  This blog is written by Pastor Ryan.  Pastor Ryan is not your average pastor, people.  Seriously.  He’s young, hip and loves to cook, so much so that he got a trip out to Ree Drummond’s lodge!  You know who Ree Drummond is, right? The Pioneer Woman, the one who I’ve been stalking following for forever and trying to get my own invite out there?  Add to this his awesome photography skills and you have one interesting, cool blog to read and look at.  So I did and he just sucked the air right out of my ‘anger balloon’.  Just friggin’ great.  He talked about things he’s been observing/learning/reflecting on and made a list of some of them, and yes, I read the list.  Again, bad move.  Not only was my balloon empty, it had been torn to shreds.  Why, you ask? Because this is a few of the things that got me, right in the gut:

*Everyone you lock eyes with has something serious going on somewhere in their lives.

*Giving people the benefit of the doubt is difficult, but necessary.

*Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry

*Stop and pray for that person right now, don’t wait until later when you might do it.

Look, I know he’s right, but I don’t have to like it.  And I don’t have to like the person who caused so much crap today but I will pray for that person, except not right now.  Sorry Ryan.  I”ll do it after I’m done here, I promise.   And yes, love wins, everytime. 

My friend that was so hurt is doing just fine thanks to her awesome friends, one of them being me (Yes me because the people of my imaginary world in my head said so. So there.)  She will continue to be the bigger person and I guess, so will I. 

But damn, I really did want to chick fight!  Oh well…another time, I guess.

Last week, while over at the home of Sami,  a girl my son has known since preschool,  my son made me this bracelet.  We actually got the bead making kit for Sami’s birthday and he’s been wanting to make something from it since we got it for her.  My son loves to create things be it with paint, chalk, clay or anything he can use to create with.  He doesn’t think it’s fair that they don’t make ‘Boy’ bead making kits, so when Sami let him make one using her kit, he was more than ready. 

When I arrived at Sami’s house to pick my son up, he was so excited to give me this bracelet. “Put it on! Look! It says MOM!”.  I wasn’t about to tell him MOM was spelled wrong because quite frankly, I don’t care.  All that mattered was seeing how happy and proud he was of his creation and right now, I’m wearing it proudly.  Everytime I look at it, I can’t help but smile, and that’s a good thing. 

What’s your Best Shot Monday today?

My son (on the left) and the cute red-headed boy (on the right) are best friends and have been since their first day together in preschool.   They’re in the same 3rd grade class this year and every year the 3rd graders get to have a day at school where they’re allowed to bring their water guns and have a ‘water play day’.  I drive both of the boys to school in the morning and every morning for 2 weeks now all they’ve been talking about is ‘water play day’ and how they were going to go after eachother the whole time.  As you can see, they did just that. 

I’m doing ‘double duty’ with this shot for both SOOC Saturday and Shutter Sisters.  Won’t you join us?

I’ve written before about Katherine Center’s book, Everyone is Beautiful, and today I’m writing about it again as well as Katherine herself.  Her writing and her stories are beautiful, just like Katherine.  Not familiar with the book? Then you’d better get on it people.  You don’t know what your missing.  Last weekend, Katherine had this fabulous idea and decided to include Jenny and Karen, two woman that you need to know about because seriously, they rock, right along with Katherine.  The three of them got together and this video shows it all.  Consider this another ‘love bomb’ people.  Enjoy.

Love fuels us.  We give love, we crave love, we need love.  Love comes in all kinds of forms.  I like to call them ‘Love Bombs”.   To me, love doesn’t come just from friends and family.  It’s all around us, all the time and comes in all sizes and shapes.   It’s not just in the words, “I love you”.  If you have ever experienced heartbreak or the loss of a loved one, it’s a hurtful pain like no other, but it’s still a love bomb, nonetheless.  Poet Alfred Lord Tennyson said it best,

“‘Tis better to have love bombed and lost
Than never to have love bombed at all”.

 Okay, so maybe the word bomb wasn’t in there, but it works for me so I’m leavin’ it. So there.

Love bombs are everywhere.  When I hear the laughter of my neighbors 5 yr. old daughter as it floats from her home, across her yard over to mine? Yep, it’s a love bomb. When I see it on the face of my girlfriend’s dad every Tuesday as he waits at the school to pick up his grandson, a smile always on his face? Another love bomb.  And when I still feel it after 19 years of marriage when my husband looks at me from across the room? Oh yeah, that’s a HUGE love bomb people. 

Are you having one of those days, months, years where you think love bombs no longer exists?  Do you not feel it or see it or hear it?  If you’re familiar with this blog, then you know I follow Stephanie Nielsen’s blog, The NieNie Dialogues. Let me give you a love bomb today.  Let this woman move you today, right now, like she has moved me.  After everything she has been through, every pain she has experienced and every tear she has shed, her love bombs are endless. Quite honestly, she is a love bomb, all on her own. So go read this right now.  Seriously, go now and I’ll wait for you.

Did you feel a big ‘ol lump in your throat and find yourself making that choking, gagging sound you do when you try not to cry and you don’t know what’s happening to you? Well guess what?  You’ve been love bombed, baby!  Right there, smack-dab in that heart of yours  is where it landed.  Feels kinda’ good, doesn’t it?  Just consider it my love bomb to you, no thanks needed.  Want more?  Just let me know.  I have an endless supply to share with you.  I promise.