Happy 1st Birthday Clay!

NOW &
THEN

Summer has arrived!

Today summer has arrived. It has come in Hot and Hazy! We have disappointedly waited for rain this week and found none, or worse just a few sprinkles. It is just enough to make it steamy and ultra humid. This is Florida. I am spending a few days in Tallahassee and we are landlocked. The heat seems to climb quickly here, no sea breeze for relief. I think that is why I love the coast, it gives the illusion of a cooler day.

The summer solstice is the longest day of the year, respectively, in that the length of time elapsed between sunrise and sunset on this day is a maximum for the year. Of course, daylight saving time means that the first Sunday in April has 23 hours and the last Sunday in October has 25 hours, but these human meddlings with the calendar and do not correspond to the actual number of daylight hours.

After the summer solstice the Sun follows a lower and lower path through the sky each day until it reaches the point where it is in the sky for exactly 12 hours again. This is the Fall Equinox. Just like the Spring Equinox, the Sun will rise exactly east and set exactly west on this day and everyone in the world will experience a 12 hour day.

Happy Summer!

Count Down to July 7th

As we get everything in order for the Wedding, I am excited about the ceremony. We are trying to keep things as simple as possible. We want a time of celebration with our families. I know that everyone is looking forward to the wedding. We now have less than three weeks and I think I can speak for both Philip and myself when I say we are excited and anxious to have this wonderful day arrive!!!

A Good Man and Marriage

I realized tonight that the world we live in is a vast and amazing place and I am but a moment in time. Many who know me, know that I am a believer. I have put my faith in Jesus Christ and trust that He will guide my paths. He is my Creator, redeemer and friend. I am blessed to have a wonderful family whom I love and friends I cherish with all my heart. Many know that I have spent years praying for a Good Man, and waiting. I thought I would never find that, but in God's infinite wisdom He blessed me with a wonderful man, Philip.

He is smart, funny and kind; steady in a crisis and strong in his beliefs. He is not pretentious or self righteous. He is a good man. I love him and he loves me. We are to be married. We did not quickly come to this conclusion, understanding that marriage is difficult and sometimes trying. We took our time getting to know each other, talking, making sure. Marriage is also rewarding and fulfilling. We both know the trials of being single parents. The difficulty of going it alone.

One of my dearest friends asks if I have searched God's will in this decision and I can wholeheartedly say YES! I have.

Summer Days

HOT! HOT! HOT! These are words that mean something when you live in Florida in June. I am sitting at my kitchen window looking out at a yard in desperate need of mowing. I have a very good reason for not Mowing; the mower died and I am waiting for repairs to be done. Anyway even if I had access to the mower I am not sure I would be out in the 93 degree weather at nearly 7 p.m. mowing my yard! It is blazing HOT still.

This is accentuated by my sweet yellow lab Clay. I had to run to the store for a short time and I sent him out to the back yard. I would leave him in but he is not a trustworthy dog; he eats things. Upon my return I went to the back door and called for him to come in. He is always happy to see me and ran in. He proceeded to the cool tile of the kitchen floor and sprawled out on the tile to cool down. He truly looks as if he is trying to get every surface of his body spread out on the tile. I know animals can adapt to the heat, but He is spoiled by the air conditioning.

I had hoped that the heat would spawn one of those afternoon thundershowers. I checked the local weather and no such luck. It seems as though we will continue in the manner we started today HOT! HOT! HOT!

Romantic at heart

Well we have finally done it. Philip and I will be married in the not too distant future. We have tentatively set the date for July 7, 2007. We want our families to come and unfortunately it seems that may not be possible. Philip asked what I wanted in the wedding ceremony and I had some idea but it made me really think about what I want. First I want it to be simple, but elegant. Casual not snooty, although I will wear a "wedding dress". I want to carry flowers and some music playing softly...music is Philip's expertise. I want to have unique vows and I wanted us to exchange rings as a symbol of our unending love for one another. Philip loves me...but does NOT wear jewelry; any jewelry and he really would not want to wear a ring. I understand and even though it is important to me, I will not insist he wear one. However the exchange of rings is something I hope will be in the ceremony. I want our families there and some sort of reception afterward with a tarimasu cake and a champagne toast. Afterward Philip and I will depart on our honeymoon.
I guess I am more of a traditionalist than I thought and although I would marry Philip anywhere, anytime if I had my wishes; this would be my fairytale.

Evidence of Love

Living life can be a joy,
a happy time for sure.
Yet in the midst of daily life
we stuggle to insure
that those we love know how we feel
each and every day.
Not wondering and wishing
for love to come their way.
In words and deeds we give our love,
a touch; a smile; a kiss.
We hold a hand, caress a cheek,
a gentle warm embrace.
These are the things that make our lives
a joyous happy place.