Welcome!

A place for family and friends to see what I'm up to. Visitors welcome here.

Hail Guest, we ask not what thou art.
If Friend, we greet thee, hand and heart.
If Stranger, such no longer be.
If Foe, our love will conquer thee.
-Old Welsh Door Verse

Saturday, December 29, 2012

2013

Smile with me.

I will dance my heart
and sing the song of my soul.

Wish me well
and take my hand
or smile and please step aside.

I would have you with me
and we will sing your song
and dance your soul
when it is your turn

And not hold each other back
from our dreams
but hold each other up to the Sun
And to Sister Moon

For we will need their energy
to fly with each other

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Holiday Love...

...at Disneyland.


So looking forward to coming back for a long visit and catch up.

Just won't be today.

Did want to capture my happiness and satisfaction after my day with a dear friend at Disneyland yesterday.  She is moving to the east coast to nanny for a year.  While I am thrilled for her - weekends off and just a train ride from New York City (love) - I'm going to miss her terribly.  Thankful, as always, that technology has reached the levels it has.

Yesterday I re-learned one of the most important lessons of my life.

Love has no boundaries; it expands to include however many things you want to extend it to.

There's no list, no tally sheet where you have to take one thing off to add another.  Nope, the paper just keeps growing.

Forgiveness helps it to grow.  The wheelchair driver who clipped my heels from behind (been there, done that so I know it's not a good feeling to do that to someone), the woman who inadvertantly elbowed me in the crowd, the other woman who clobbered me - "Oh my gosh I just hit some poor woman" - to you all, as yesterday.  No worries.  Having a great day.  Smiles.  Jokes. Let's keep spreading the joy of this day we share.

Heading out to help my mom with Christmas preparations.

Wishing everyone who drops by here a warm, loving holiday season.  See you here when life slows down a little.


Friday, December 21, 2012

Sara Bareilles - Let The Rain Lyrics


Let the Rain...

Sara Barielles

I wish I were pretty
I wish I were brave
If I owned this city
Then I'd make it behave

And if I were fearless
Then I'd speak my truth
And the world would hear this
That's what I wish I'd do, yeah

If my hands could hold them you'd see
I'd take all these secrets in me
And I'd move and mold them to be
Something I'd set free

I want to darken in the skies
Open the floodgates up
I want to change my mind
I want to be enough
I want the water in my eyes
I want to cry until the end of time

I want to let the rain come down
Make a brand new ground
Let the rain come down
Let the rain come down
Make a brand new ground
Let the rain come down tonight

I hold on to worry so tight
It's safe in here right next to my heart
Who now shouts at the top of her voice
Let me go, let me out, this is not my choice

And I always felt it before

That the world was filled with much more
Than the drowning soul I've learned to be
I just need the rain to remind me

I want to darken in the skies
Open the floodgates up
I want to change my mind
I want to be enough
I want the water in my eyes
I want to cry until the end of time

I want to let the rain come down
Make a brand new ground
Let the rain come down
Let the rain come down
Make a brand new ground
Let the rain come down

I want to let the rain come down
Make a brand new ground
Let the rain come down
Let the rain come down
Make a brand new ground
Let the rain come down

I want to let the rain come down
Make a brand new ground
Let the rain come down
Let the rain come down
Make a brand new ground
Let the rain come down tonight

I love it when artists create something just for me. Don't know how they afford it, making things for one fan at a time but, hey, I'm not complaining.



Tuesday, December 04, 2012

Busy busy...

...getting caught up.

I think I've conquered my jet lag and am sleeping well.

I no longer own a car.  I walk to work most days and negotiate a ride when I need to venture further.  So far, it's working.

Weight Watchers has closed my meeting.  I had almost decided to cancel my membership (since I haven't lost any weight to speak of in a year), but on the very morning I was coming to my final decision, I ran into a friend from the meetings on my walk to work.  I had no idea she lived less than two blocks from me.  Running into her like that convinced me to stick with the program.  They have a new plan (again) this year so maybe it will be what I need to kick off these last thirty pounds.

Thirty pounds.  My magic number.  It was seeing a friend who had lost 30 pounds in the year since I had last seen him that inspired me to think of my loss not as 110 pounds total, but as 30 pounds a year until it was all off.  That was three years ago, and now I'm down to the final 30.

I can do this.

Never heard back from Google/Blogger about my photo issues (shocker) so have been experimenting with resizing my Japan pics for the blog.  Haven't quite perfected my process, but here are the ones I was willing to sacrifice if it didn't work out.

I was fascinated by the variety of foods in the Japanese stores, especially in this larger supermarket.  I mean, when they say fresh fish, they mean FRESH fish





 
And the produce!  I'm not a veggie girl, but I wanted to start filling my suitcases with this stuff.  All I ever see here in my town is broccoli, cauliflower and the occasional green beans and zucchini.
 



 
The tofu aisle.
 
 
 
Getting geared up for the holiday season.  I admit I do not have my usual Christmas spirit, but I'm trying to be optimistic that it will get sparked. 
 
Somewhere.
 
Planning a trip or two to my Happy Place withing the next couple of weeks.  The parade snowflakes have new - um - snowflakes.  That would cheer anyone up, right?
 
February 20, 2018
 
I wanted to check back to this year so I could link this to a friend and show her my pictures of my day in Harajuku.  I KNOW I had pictures of that day but they are GONE.  So, here I am, six years later, going to try to post some of them.  Wish me luck.
 
Yoyogi Park.  It was a national holiday and I was warned the park would be mobbed, but it was drizzling and so it was nearly deserted.  Yoyogi Park in a misty rain is a magical place.
 
















I was to meet my son at the rooftop garden, Tokyu Plaza.  I was too early, however, so...

 

 ... I walked down a bit to Omotesando Hills and spied this photo backdrop in front of the mall.  I thought it a cool thing, but as usual, I'm slow on the uptake.



... and didn't put it together until I recognized these hands...


... and these dancers ...

...and these old friends.  Turns out, the entire street celebrates Walt Disney's birthday.


As I realized when I got to the rooftop garden, where I sat and enjoyed Bosa Nova versions of Disney tunes while I waited for my son.  As a Disney geek I found the garden decorations delightful.