Spoiled rotten (but not smelly)

I am spoiled.
I FULLY AGREE.

And we're it a perfect world (or up to me), every single person reading this blog would ALSO be, or has been soiled as well (numerous times)!  In my opinion (the only one that counts for the moment), there should be a different word for the good kind of "spoiled".  It's a spoiled with love sorta of thing like we do with our grandkids....not the have a tantrum til you get that candy bar kind!  But I digress (as usual)

The above thought came to mind as I soak in my bubbly tub, knowing that the dinner fixens are well into production by a non-complaining, eager-to-please hubby who has left me to my peaceful hideaway, save for a couple of IMessages!  IF HE THOUGHT he could sing, he would probably be doing that as he aims for the dinner hour I estimated need of.  

PC has robbed me of the spontaneity of  just grabbing a snack when the mood suits us.  It has taken away my occasional glass of wine (mostly).  It has removed my true joy of flavor moods and replaced them with an appreciation of one small bite of this, or just a tiny helping of that.  The diabetes caused by the PC requires planning, strategy, and consideration (bummer). 

SO- while the captain still spoils himself with that extra handful of dark chocolate M&M's.....he knows that he can't spoil me in the same way.  His acts and deeds on a DAILY basis are a constant reminder of how much he cares about me.  He doesn't even see it as spoiling.  It's simply his way of taking care of me.

YES, I'm spoiled ..,. but I am soooooo much more than that.
I am loved!!!!

MONSTERS IN THE NIGHT

OOOOPS...we did it AGAIN!

IN A FEW WEEKS - this lovely Sherri Reeve watercolor artwork will be hanging over our bed!

The next step for us is to check our local framing shop for costs ... as we already know what frame style we want & the size necessary.  Sherri's gallery will frame it at wholesale cost, but the shipping from HI to CA is not cheap!  Once we check our local professional- we will contact Sherri to either send us the artwork alone- or frame it first!!!
This piece has special meaning to us because we originally wanted one very similar about 6 years ago, but opted to hang a surfboard in the spot instead.  Each year we've returned...the Captain has approached it, or one similar, and "reminded me" that we almost bought it.  This time around, not only do we have a new place to consider it for ... BUT,  we travelled here to actually see the whales this year, so it has special significance for us!  A sign perhaps?  (only if we're looking for an excuse)      
      We strolled into Sherri's gallery late this morning and were greeted with hugs and smiles...as we always are.  She is a lovely lady and her attitude toward life (and love) is true to ourselves!!  We've known her for so long.. she's practically family, and we adore her in that same way.  I always look forward to going home- but with this as my next project... it's even more exciting!  THANK YOU for your help today Sherri, and thank YOU Captain .. for indulging me on this unexpected purchase.

tropical tap dance

I love the rain ... there is no disputing that.
I EVEN LOVE it when I am sitting on the beach here on Maui!
As the bathers skuttle from the water (?) and begin deserting the sand, I just scoot a little closer to my umbrella, once I judge the angle of the showers.  I know that it can last a few seconds, a few minute, a few hours ... IT, just as I, is on Maui time ... so it will get around to stopping when it gets around to stopping.
In this case ... I am happily (and quietly) lounging alone... reading my book, having completed a FACTIME interaction with the grandkids just moments ago.  These two little monkeys (as I often call them) are full of energy, full of kisses, and full of things to tell gramma.  MOSTLY, I listen and watch...occasionally asking a question or answering one.  The Captain left in an ocean kayak well over an hour ago and is due back ... when he gets back, as HE TOO is on Maui time!  The smile on his face as he drug the yellow, canoe shaped, floatie out to the water was totally worth however damp I get sitting here, for however long I do so.
The sand showers lasted the full 45 minutes I waited for the Capt to finish "his" 3 hour tour and are still powdering us now.  We have traded the sand in for carpet and are lounging on the lanai in the warm, humid air- as dinner warms in the oven.  It is lovely to end the day this way... and I am forced to state the obvious ...  that it's been another rotten day in paradise!!

Halmark thoughts of love

 I read the words aloud from card #1 and had a shower of tears to deal with.  Once recovered, with the help of a long hug and a few kisses sprinkles across my freckled nose- the first words from the Captain were "this card stole the thoughts right out of my head"!  And indeed it did....as they were things he says to me on a regular basis.  He does not save them for candle-lit dinners or special holidays!

They are words and thoughts that come from his heart.  Oh sure, there are times when he expresses them a bit less poetically- but their meaning are NO LESS powerful or appreciated in any way.  He is a prince among husbands, as MANY would fully agree and have no challenge.  I am truly blessed that he loves me 100% of the time for 99.9% of everything I bring to our union.  He will profess that it includes that last .1%, but I know better- particularly now... as I can be more impatient with life than ever before.  I am unrelentful in my quest for simplicity of conversation at times.  I can be moody.  But in the end ... most importantly- he knows I adore him in every way possible and I could NEVER expect more of him than he puts forth.  HE IS my daily reminder that GOOD things happen to good people too!!
ODDLY, he is the more romantic 1/2 of our duo ... much to my appreciation (& sometime HIS frustration)- and I could never lack affection or proof of his devotion, even in my darkest of times.  The fact that he has found ways (and cards) to speak his heartfelt emotions is daily proof how how lucky I have been in love!  For me, for US- Valentines Days is celebrated every day together!!

but the ocean is forgiving ....

Inner peace... and...

SERENITY
is a VERY IMPORTANT entity in my life these days.  The environment that I now lounge in, is what gives me exactly that.  As close to a full body experience as I can imagine (given that it's not likely that I will ever be laying here AND getting a massage, AND listening to soft music, AND sipping something cool and sweet, AND chatting with my inner circle of friends...WHILE in this environment.  People do that sort of thing...at a price, I just havent).
But the serenity part?  I got that covered.  I can tune out the occasional bitchy couple, whining child, persistant fly, leaf blower, telephone conversation... I can, I will, I am.  The sound of the waves pulls me in, the warmth of the sun keeps me there.... in that little space between reality and serenity.  The beauty of it being that I can stay for nearly as long as I like.  Right now... I like, I like a LOT!!

Just as I left it (it my heart)

Pictures to follow In a day or two...
But suffice to say, our lovely Maui is as we left it 18mos ago.  We have found it a little greener this time of year, and a little more crowded as well, as the winter travelers escape storms of snow and ice!   As we left SFO...  the heavily overcast end, puddly views from our A1&2 seats reminded us of why that is.  Being just outside my 48 hour chemo window, I was feeling the fatigue, but with comedy seating- was able to nap off and on.  Of course as soon as we began to ascend, a surge of energy took over and from then til after a couple sips of my first Mai tai.  As is my typical nature, I was fully unpacked within an hour of arrival in our temporary unit (4 days) and ready for my Hawaii time clock to take over.
Before sunrise this morning I was aching to hear the chirping quail (some would call them screeching).  I tiptoed out onto the lanai to see the moon in full bloom, took in the fragrance of a nearby plumeria, and returned to the arms of the captain...where we laid in the darkness and semi planned our day.  Paradise has already set in for us... FRANKLY we bring most of it from home and just fill in a few gaps here!  The captain is enroute to providing our fresh, morning fruit plate, and I'm pretty sure it will be accompanied by 1/2 of a gooey, disgusting (?), sticky bun (and a vanilla Mac nut coffee)
ALOHA for the moment.

PARADISE revisited (48 hour countdown)

I can, at this very minute, make a few predictions that I would bet my life on ....

In a countdown that started as we finalized our travel plans a mere 2 months ago ... I was ALREADY thinking about some of the things I love most about Hawaii.  I can already envision the lush green of the hillsides, the rich turquoise of ocean that surrounds the islands, and feel the moisture on my skin from the humidity.  It doesn't take an imagination- it only takes experience... the experience of having been there enough times to know what to expect ... and still appreciating it.  still ... or perhaps even more so now.

I KNOW we will have a rain shower or two (or more).  I know they will cause people to scuttle from the water (?) but MOSTLY, I know it will bring us rainbows for wishing on.

I KNOW there will be tropical flowers on the dining room table... or around my neck.

I KNOW there will be smiles ... daily.  And laughter from the belly... REAL laughter, the healing kind.

I KNOW there will be MUCH lounging, sunning, resting, reading, napping, and all around "vegging out" ... losing track of the day or the time within it ... losing touch with the reality of medical bills and appointments to be kept- at least  for a little while.

I KNOW there will be sunset after sunset- some lovely, others spectacular in it's colors or design.

I KNOW these things because it's what Hawaii is all about for us.  Appreciating it's rhythm, it's colors, fragrances, and natural beauty ... from the ALOHA of it's people to everything that surrounds us no matter where we are or what time it is.

I KNOW.

another day (& memory) closer to our next journey

I remember this day .... in December 2008

The Captain and I went to the Oahu airport to pick up our friends LuLu & Bruce , who would be sharing a beach house with us for a few days during the Sweet Adelines International competition.  Later that day, Helena joined us as well.  It is one of the most WONDERFUL memories I have, made special by the company we kept in a place once can't help but thrive in.
The house, in itself, was amazing for it's view... the ocean, the waves, the constant turtle sightings- separated from us by ONLY by a patch of green grass and a lava rock sea wall.  
The competition is what brought us there ... the environment, the companions ... is what kept us there- at the house- watching the competition via internet connection, rather than live (we had the tickets already).  TO go to the convention center would have been to share our experience with others.  our time, our friendship, our own music .... we didn't want to share with anyone- we wanted it all to ourselves!  We still have all those things- USUALLY relived and built upon over a few days time each new years holiday.  With luck, and extra planning- we manage a weekend here & there too.  
NOTHING will quite compare to this trip together... but everytime I'm with these gals, we laugh (and cry) & reminisce like only days or weeks have passed, rather than months.

THESE pictures speak a thousand words to my heart... I can feel the joy, hear the music in the backround, and even smell the mist of the ocean waves breaking 50' away.  I will be seeing both LuLu & Helena the day before we fly out to Maui.  It will be like old times.. a little silly, a little wistful.  And those 2 or so hours- will allow me to feel like I'm taking a little piece of them with us.  I like that idea, I like that they adore Hawaii, and I love these gals!!  We call orselves the tripods.

(almost) Maui Ponderings of the Princess

 

JUST THE BEGINNING OF LOTS OF POSTS I WILL BE MAKING FROM "PARADISE" for the next few days.
ahhhhhhhhhhhhh .... sunshine, warm water, & sand between my toes!

BBS harmony ... Mars VS Venus ....

    The craft may have started with male voices ... but it's likely a female was standing behind each of them ... pushing & encouraging them to et up sing.  While women seem to fall for a guy who sings to them ... I don't know of any instances where the reverse took place.  Or at least none that were interesting enough to write a movie script for!

    I am am a big fan of a handful of men's BBS quartets and I always look forward to seeing & hearing the Dapper Dans when we are in the Disneyland park.  They are not the cream of the crop- but they are certainly a respectful & talented representation of this cappella music style.  In this case ... I was also drawn to their costuming... ever so typical for the musicality of their trade.  A few years back, I was part of a quartet that used the stripes & 4 complimenting colors for some of it's outfitting as well.  When I saw the guys this week... it brought back some very fond memories of that combo of women!

     FROM the magical world of Mickey & Minnie- the Captain and I moved onward to a coaching weekend for the chorus I'm a member of.  The Central Coast Celebration Chorus (CCCC) ... sporting it's signature hot pink, we were in the company of the husband & wife BAKER winning team (& they BOTH have plenty of gold medal-blue ribbons to prove it!)  Through 10+ hours of aching feet, throbbing lower backs, & full bladders ... the chorus moved ever closer to medals themselves in the upcoming March regional competition.  These two take no prisoners, and as the session progressed, their tongues sharpened and their expectations of what the chorus is capable of continues to rise accordingly.
     HOW MUCH we will retain as we come together again for our regular Tuesday night rehearsal- remains to be seen ... but personally, I have ALREADY sent out a reminder of what WE should expect from ourselves!!  NO steps backward, only forward... however small ... ONLY forward from here on out.  We need to pull up our big girl panties and march toward competition with a vengeance and a commitment to be present, to be ready, to be at the top of our game.  It's truly a team event- there is no one person that can win the blue for us ... but there are 27 individuals that can lose it .... if they don't prepare.   I'm counting on each and every one of them, & I want them to know they can count on me!!
    GO FOR THE GOLD ladies .... to aim for anything less than that is letting yourself down!!

return to the (ALMOST) happiest place on earth

THIS WAS our 4th trip back to Disneyland, in less than 6 months.  It wasn't that long ago when the Capt and I wondered what brought our nephew Jason (with Shar & Delaney) back here numerous times a year with the seemingly same excitement everytime.  I STILL DON'T KNOW that answer ... but I understand it, if that makes any sense at all!  It's the same for us.  WELL, on a slightly lesser scale perhaps, but the same yet.  Sometimes we are more looky-loos than riders.  Sometimes we are active participants in line standing.  Sometimes we are squealing with joy.  (well I am,  the Capt is a smiler)  We vowed to get our monies worth with season passes and by visit 2.5 we had done just that ... now we are ahead of the game and ALREADY looking at March or April dates for the next outing.... hopefully with at least the grandkids if not a few more family members!
For WHATEVER reason, we often affix an"excuse" for planning our trips here.  POSSIBLY because we need more reasons than just being here to get us past the thought of LA traffic!!  That being the case, we planned this one with my birthday in mind (even though in reality, it was attached to a Long Beach bound obligation).  Having the "Happy Birthday" princess DeDe pin as a routine part of my park wardrobe- allowed us a couple of extra perks (aka pounds), and we got LOTSA extra smiles and greetings throughout the day.

     WE HAVE DECIDED that Disneyland, although always a happy place for us, is frankly NOT our happiest place on earth.  It's probably a VERY close 3rd or even 4th to those places nearest & dearest to us "Those" being our own home, ANYWHERE family is, & our precious Hawaii.  But being 4th ... or even if it were 6th or 7th ... does not diminish the child-like joy it brings into us with each visit there.  It is not our home away from home, as it might be for the Buchanana's .... but it is growing fast in our choices of nearby (ish) destinations).

    I find that with each return ... I see things with a different eye or NEW eye.  And OFTEN,  I see things I never noticed before.  I love that part of it!  It makes me smile, it makes me cry.  It makes me feel a little bit younger.  AND, oddly, I have fallen in love over again with my Captain with almost every visit.  something he says or does ... I can't even elaborate, it just is something that blessedly happens.  (I love that too).  This man-o-mine has tricks up his sleeve HE hasn't even fully discovered yet.  SOME of our daily decisions and choices are new territory for us both, and he fully commits to making each and every possible moment count these days.  I would think it to be exhausting ... he takes the task on with ferver and delight (lucky me).  WHILE SO MUCH IN OUR LIFE is heavy of heart, being in Mickey-ville lightens the mental load for at least a few hours (and often days).  As for the expense of it all ... friend Kathy G would proclaim ... "the balloon vendor has to buy shoes for her little girl too!!"  The simple pleasure I achieve from snapping pictures of a critter or a floral patch is worth reliving through my stories, my scrapbook, or even my thoughts as I drift off to sleep at night.  It's the kind of things MY dreams are made of.
    MUCH like our trips to Hawaii- there are places within the park that we revisit ... even only weeks later, because of their element of wonder for us.  Some of this comes from conversations shared regarding trips with the grandkids. They are brought up numerous times throughout our wanderings.  The Captain, once a reluctant grandparent by his own confession- is now fully immersed, at times even more so than I.  He is totally in love with them and already saddened at times in expectation that s-o-m-e-d-a-y they won't want to hang out with us!  (I don't even want to think about that!!!!)  Lastly... for the moment at least- I want to praise ole Walt for his vision ... yea, sure, I wish I was a family member first and foremost- to have had an automatic outlet from my creativity, and free admission for my entire life.  BUT MOSTLY because I can only imagine how much joy & laughter his parks have brought into the lives of so many.  I, honestly, could have lived my whole life without going to one of them ...  if the Wonderful World of Disney was still being broadcast- but to have witnessed first hand their affect on children of EVERY age... I have to say that (finances not withstanding) having Micky, or Goofy or Princess Jasmine's arm through yours to snap a photo together ... really does transport one into a fairytale world.
   I hope we have several more excursions ahead of us... both on our own and thru the eyes of our grandchildren.  For now- I have enough sweet memories from this trip alone to last for quite a while. Thank you my Captain, for making a typical Wednesday ... NOT TYPICAL in any shape or form.  ILY