I'M READY FOR MY RAINBOW

Like I said, I'm ready for my rainbow. August has been filled with one complication after another and I'm welcoming September and praying it's a great month. I'm tired of having my stomach in a knot each day along with not sleeping and grinding my teeth.

Here are some photos to brighten your day. I know that looking at pictures of James always brightens my day! 

Upside down and all around. He loves looking at you upside down. He certainly has a good time! 

Peek a boo!

 Somebody got his hair trimmed yesterday!

 Can you see his third bottom tooth coming in?

Also a big Happy Birthday to our son in law Dylan. He turns 38 today. We love you.

NOAH'S ARK

Noah's Ark : Everything I need to know, I learned from Noah's Ark. 

ONE: Don't miss the boat. 

TWO: Remember that we are all in the same boat! 

THREE: Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark . 

FOUR: Stay fit. When you're 60 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big. 

FIVE: Don't listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done. 

SIX: Build your future on high ground. 

SEVEN: For safety's sake, travel in pairs. 

EIGHT: Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs. 

NINE: When you're stressed, float awhile. 

TEN: Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.  

ELEVEN: No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a rainbow waiting.

Most people walk in and out of your life, but FRIENDS leave footprints in your heart.

WHILE IT IS FRESH IN MY MEMORY.....

I'm Home....

So how did I get here? Let me tell you that it was not an easy trip. I will never ever repeat what I lived through yesterday!

Normal flight with United is Ontario, CA to Houston, TX to Tampa, FL. Sometimes you go through Denver as your connecting flight. I've been doing this for many years now. So going home I was scheduled to fly through Houston. That's the flight Mark had home on Sunday night but as of Monday they cancelled that evening flight from Houston to Ontario. 

I knew this before I even left California when they sent an email rescheduling my flights. I had three flights to get home. Leave Tampa land in Houston, connection to Denver and then connection to Ontario. I don't mind the three flights but unfortunately there was only a 1 hour layover at each connection. 

I had plenty of time in Tampa because I always arrive about 2 hours before flight time. Flight left on time which was great. I have a very sweet story to share about this flight, melted my heart and brought tears to my eyes. This is what I posted on Facebook yesterday......

"What a great experience on my first flight. Brought me to tears! The young man in the roll in front of me was challenged. He looked to be about 15 years old.

We took off and he yelled Mom, Mom there's a rainbow! It was a gorgeous one and it touched me deeply. I would have never experienced it without him. 

Now in our family we always associate the presence of my mom with rainbows so she was there with me. " 

💛💜💚💙

Arrived in Houston and within 10 minutes they will start boarding for the Denver flight. I was lucky enough to flag down a cart driver who took me. They were already boarding the last group. I got right on because thankfully with Mark's frequent flying they gave me boarding group #1 which I really enjoy.  I had time to pee on the plane before they took off. 

That was a fun flight because I had a 17 year old girl next to me who wanted to talk about her trip to Guatemala. She even gave me a postcard. She shared photos from her phone and we talked the entire flight. She even shared her health issues of being over weight and doing weight watchers. Also she suffers from manic depression so we talked about that too. 

I treated her to one of those box meals and enjoyed her company. However we were delayed a little bit in leaving Houston because her group of 10 people were having issues getting through Customs. So then I had the concern of making my next flight in Denver. 

Well landing in Denver was definitely a challenge for me. First of all I had to go potty. I knew I was heading to the restroom first and if I don't make it to my connection so be it! I arrived at gate 29 and had to get to gate 81. Now Denver has those great moving sidewalks but for me I have to use them as a resting spot. Most people walk them very fast giving them a better head start to their next gate while I stay in place on them. 

The further I want the more concerned I was about getting there in time. I was looking to flag down a cart driver but each cart I saw was up against the wall being charged with no one around them. I reached the end of the line where I had to turn right to go to the next batch of gates. I was getting close and I noticed an attendant with a wheel chair heading towards me. 

I asked him I had much further to go. He said not too far. He had just dropped a woman off at the gate but he said he thinks they were announcing my name and waiting for me! He said you want a ride and I said "yes!" So he took me to my gate and I was the last one to board the plane. Do you know how embarrassing that is? Besides the fact that I was beet red, sweat running down my fact and basically having an asthma attack!!!! 

You know when we were leaving the plane from Houston their were a few other people who were also going to the Ontario flight and one man behind me said "make sure they hold the plane for us!" So of course when I finally arrived he was glad that I made it. Now I didn't hold the plane up, there was still time before they had to offically close the doors but never the less I felt so foolish. 

The nice younger man next to me said "are you okay, should I get you some water?" but I told him I was fun, just needed to catch my breath........

Today I am not moving off of the sofa in my office. I will be getting all caught up on Big Brother since I didn't get a chance to see any of it while in Florida.

FRIDAY PHOTOS

I thought I would share some photos that I took in October and November. Hope you enjoy them! 

This was Halloween Eve...

 Full moon October 8th

 We had a lovely rainbow on November 1st.....

 Turned out to be a double rainbow.....

It looked like you could have reached out and touched it! 

Well this is sad Skye. Her very, very favorite ball broke in half. There is a bit of a story to this ball. The ball belonged to a dog who lived next door to us. When the new neighbors moved in they assumed it belonged to us and tossed it into our yard. Skye claimed it as her own and it has been with her ever since for the last 4 years.

So we have offered other tennis balls over the years and she turns her nose up at them. She is still turning her nose up at the balls we have offered since hers broke. A few weeks have passed and she seems a little happier now but we felt so bad for her. Apparently she only wants used balls that don't belong to her.

So we came up with a plan. We have family members who have dogs and they will be joining us at Mark's Moms house for Thanksgiving so they are both bringing a ball that their dogs have played with in hopes that we can find a new favorite for our little girl. 

Our plans for our Sunday Thanksgiving and Birthday celebration has been changed to tomorrow (Saturday) so I will be missing in action today and tomorrow. I have to move in double time today since I am losing a day of preparations. So I am off to clean house, bake some pumpkin pie, set the table and give Miss Skye B a bath!

Then I have to make my list of everything I will be making tomorrow with the times they need to be prepared or put into the over so that everything is coordinated to be ready at the same time. That is always a challenge......

HAVE A FABULOUS WEEKEND! 

SOMETHING ON SATURDAY

I have nothing new to post about but I do have some pictures to share!

Our wall of canvas has four new pictures added to it. 

(They range in size from 8x10, 11x14, 16x20 & 18x24.)

 I spent several hours this week cleaning. I know I have 

shown Mark's office before but since I just dusted it I 

thought I would share it again! 

 One night a week ago the sky looked like it was on fire.

We have been having major storm clouds and 

humidity like Florida!

Had a rainbow one day, I always love them.....

The Bougainvillea above our front door. 

If you follow me on Facebook you may have seen 

a few of these. 

We are having a family dinner tonight with steak, 

mashed potatoes, grilled onion, colored peppers 

& mushrooms, and some fresh raspberries.

I will also be making some brownie bites with 

PB M&M's inside and a Pumpkin Fluff 

dessert with fresh whipped cream. 

Of course I'll only be having the steak, 

grilled veggies and fruit! 

Hope your having a nice weekend :)

SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW

Her name is Dorothy and she is my Mother. Thirty years ago today my Mother passed away. If I remember correctly my Dad and Aunt Laurie were both at the hospital with her but she actually passed away at home. They never called us to come to the hospital. They went to my brothers house to tell him and then they came over to my house. Then my father asked me to drive with him to my sisters house which was further away. I had this vision of walking into her house, crying while we hugged. That never happened, it was kinda strange. Nothing against my sister but she wasn't a hugger. It wasn't until my mothers funeral when my best friend (Diane) walked in and hugged me. (I really needed that) My mother died from a massive heart attack. We played "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" at her memorial service.

I remember the evening she passed, getting home and checking in on my sleeping little ones who were 3 and 10 months old. Then I sat down in our family room and cried. I remember the light on the table next to me started to blink. It happened over and over again. I took that as a sign from my mother. I said "Hi Mom" and still do when lights flicker. Nothing was ever wrong with that bulb. I have had this sign from my mother several times over the years. Also at my parents home the clock above the kitchen sink had stopped running which we believe was the time she passed away. It was a plug in clock and no other power ever went out. After her funeral, going back to their home and sitting in the kitchen the clock started running again. We took it as a sign from her, see was okay.

I don't have a lot of memories of my mother. I don't like even saying these words but it is true. I am not sure if I was just born this way or learned to hide memories growing up. I know that my mother was a wonderful woman with a heart of gold. She never stopped helping people in need. She also had some hidden mental illness that was never shared with me as a child. People didn't share things like they do today. When you are younger and you are visiting your mother in the hospital, a place where she was locked in a ward, it would have been nice to have an explanation. I think I may have been in my own little world by then. She even tried to kill herself once and I know my sister found her. No one really talks about it. My family can be quiet about things. Me, I am not so quiet!

Little did I know that nine months after my mother's passing my husband would leave me and I became a single mother. We moved about a year later to a smaller place and I had to start working full time while my children went to day care. Those were hard years. I have never been one to look back and say I had a hard childhood. I remember good times and my needs were always meet as far as I know. I do know that my father worked nights and no one ever seemed to worry about me and my homework. I actually don't remember doing much homework. I look back and wonder how I actually made it through school. I wish I had more memories from my childhood.

Now there are plenty of things I remember about her when I was older and she was suffering in her mind. She also drank a lot. Those were sad times. I have always thought how nice it would have been for my mom to be here today with all the advancements in medications. I think she would have been happy. Back in the day they only gave out Valium and that only numbed her. I do know that when she passed I felt that she was finally happy. What can be better than being in Heaven with God? AMEN!

I miss you Mom and I love you with all my heart.

JUST A FEW PICTURES TO SHARE

Me after dinner yesterday!

I was playing with my new camera and the big lens. I just love the moon.

This was Charlie's birthday celebration.

(he is my grand dog)

We had a rainbow on Sunday morning. Actually it's a double if you look really close.

Party on Saturday for Mark. See my tree was put up!

A man my husband works with bought a new camera. He also bought himself a backpack carrier so he gave me the bag that had come with it. So now I have a bag for my camera. Hooray!

The four of us are in L.A. today having a Thanksgiving dinner with our son, his girlfriend and her family. I made green bean casserole and we brought the rolls.

New post at Debby's Tree today.

RAINBOWS, MOUNTAINS AND SKYE ~ OH MY!

Just look what the storms can bring. The rainbow is from Thursday, the clouds were from the last storms on Friday and the snow capped mountains were our Saturday morning delight! (and basic slow cooker chili was our dinner)

Skye was still enjoying her time in the rain. As you can see when she wasn't outside she was asleep in our (unmade) bed.

And the heaviness of the rain just brought the bougainvillea's down :(
Praying for those who were not so fortunate with these storms.

Follow the yellow brick road.....

So I was thinking today who would want to follow my blog. Who wants to read about the daily life of a puppy? How can I reach people and really let them know who I am. I haven't given out any personal information so not to embarrass my family so that leaves allot of nothing to talk about. I want to touch the hearts of people, I want to help them through their pain. That's what is in my heart. I always wanted to be a volunteer for someone like the Red Cross. I wanted to go to the disaster areas and counsel people. On a small level I know that I am good at it. People would call me just to talk about their daily issues. They would say "you always make me feel better." Of course that doesn't go for my family, only my Dad. He loves my daily shot in the arm. When I started this blog (all of a week ago) I had called it "For Your Tears." Then I thought it sounded way too sad so I changed it. I will talk about how "For Your Tears" became a part of me in another post.

So I was going through some pictures today I came across this one of a rainbow. I just love rainbows. I guess that would have to do with the Wizard of Oz, my mom's name being Dorothy and we played "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" at her funeral 27 years ago. Rainbows always give me hope, they are like a breath of fresh air, new beginnings. Kind of like one door closes and a new one opens. That is how I feel about rainbows. Just wanted to share that with you.