Returns

Sitting in the airport in Santiago, Chile, with a VERY long layover, waiting for our flight back to the United States. It seemed to me a good time to reflect on this latest trip...

We touched base with many of our loved ones. Hugged some former students. Spoke words of encouragement when we could. Spent time with Dear Friends. Traveled to beautiful spots where we've never been. Dreamed of things to do and ways to do them. Saw some of the most beautiful things, and some disturbing things. We find that each trip here has a different flavor. Maybe purpose. Perhaps design. There's something special to us about this part of the world. It's a connection.

But as I type, my thoughts aren't so much of what just happened, of what we just experienced, but more of what is about to happen...

I'll see my Grands. I'll hug my Little Boys. I'll visit my GrandGirl (who is already many ounces heavier than when we left!). And visit my New Sweet Nephew. I'll snuggle my puppies. I'll decorate for Christmas. I'll watch my Auburn Tigers on a big screen tv!

And I'm sure I'll begin dreaming of the next visit to the vineyards of Chile and the next time I hear worship songs sung in Argentine Spanish...

It's a good time to be us.

News and Such!

Time passes. Things happen. Blogs go untouched. Or sumpin like that...

What HAS happened is that Baby Black Dog (my Etsy shop) has had its first stranger-sale! Someone who isn't on my list of Facebook friends and who is someone I don't personally know, has made a purchase from my shop! Whether it was through an Etsy ad, or a pin on Pinterest or a friend of a friend is unknown at this time, but it's a good thing and I'm pretty excited...

It was a bit of encouragement at just the right time and I wanted to share it with you. Cause I know you love me. And I know that lots of you "get" me. And I'm so thankful for that.

So, if you'll excuse me, I've got some creating to do.

Cause...

I'm out there and LOVIN' every minute of it!

Babyblackdog.etsy.com

Ideas and The Sharing of Said-Ideas...

For my Momma's birthday and Christmas gifts, I usually get her a collection of birthday cards for her to use for family members and friends throughout the year, as I am an excellent shopper. I even pick one out for her to give to me and it usually reads "you're the most wonderful", or sumpin like that...

I tell you this cause I think it'd be a good gift idea for you to give your Momma, as well, and also to illustrate this point:

My creativity works best by demand.

The latest couple of cards in my online shop, Baby Black Dog, have been the result of a need and a determination to not buy store-bought cards. My "Boy, Oh Boy" card

was created for 2 special someone's Little Boy showers.  It's kinda my favorites... But my newest creation, "A Thrilling Birthday",

was created for my Momma's stash, and therefore created for a much-loved member of my family. I think they both fit-the-bill (and I'm very picky!) and I love the way they look in my shop. Babyblackdog.etsy.com

...And, in case I haven't mentioned it lately, you should go take a look...

Waiting and Such and While-I'm-At-It...

So, we're in a sort of wait-mode...

Ready to go to South America but for a few things to fall in place. Hoping to see our friends and family soon. Hoping to celebrate with them. Ready to share with them. Prepared to tell them what God has been doing in our hearts since we last saw them.

But while we're here, we'll relish in our situation. Prepared to go. Prepared to stay. There's work to be done. There's showers to prepare for and GrandBoys to visit and gifts to plan and new business to obtain and pups to tend to and His will to be done.

And there's my little shop to create for and talk about, so that's what I think I'll do here. Maybe I'll talk about Baby Black Dog (Babyblackdog.etsy.com) and maybe you'll listen...

I actually opened the online shop several years ago with a couple of my mini-journals. They sat there for a few months and I sat with my fingers crossed...and when nothing sold, I chickened out and didn't renew any of my items. Since then I've learned a teeny bit about the Etsy site and marketing and creating and photographing and you name it. I've always enjoyed the creative process but now I'm beginning to kinda like the promoting and marketing part. But mostly, I'm really liking the project as a whole. I like what I'm selling. And I like that other people like it, too.

I'm currently working on a Christmas-in-a-Box and some greeting card designs. I just added a "Boy, oh, boy! It's a boy!" celebration card and it's one of my favorite things ever...you should go look at it! I think I'm about to add some of my lovingly-collected, mismatched, vintage china place settings, too. And get the shop name out there a little bit. And blog about it more often. Or sumpin like that...

Waiting? I'm good with that. But doing? I'd much rather...

Part Two...

So, we're planning this trip.

...And by planning I mean desiring. And hoping. And wanting.

We've gone to a few areas in South America a few times. Really, between the two of us, close to twenty times. We got invitations, and they seemed right, so, we went. Until this past February...

February was an on-purpose, what-is-it-about-us-and-this-part-of-the-world sort of trip. And the kind of thing that Larry and Kim Marshall just don't do! It was out of our usual. It was bold. It was daring. Oh. And it was a really good trip...

We don't really have specialties. There are some things we're both really, really good at doing. Larry is a really great teacher. I'm really creative. But, there's a lot that we can do well. In past trips, Larry painted a classroom and led Children's Ministry workshops and taught Staff Leader meetings. I've planned parties and made friends and taught some, too. We aren't really "no, we don't do that" kind of people...

But lately, God is telling us something different. He's led us to be a bit more selective about our activities. He's asked us to step out of our comfort-zones a bit with relationships. We feel it's time to reconnect, to re-energize and even to rest differently...

Our trip in February was just that. We reconnected. We stayed in the nicest hotels and in the homes of old friends. We drove. We shared. We prayed. 

And it felt right.

In a couple of weeks, our desire is to take the next step (cause really, isn't that what we should all be doing?), and we're planning Part Two of this New Phase of Marshall Life.

We'll be exploring a couple of areas, scouting out things for Part Three, and beyond.

One of the out-of-our-comfort-zone things is paying for it all. No letters to family and friends. No pleas for donations. No requests for pulpit-time. No credit card. Just a desire and a trust and a willingness to go. 

We want more accountability. We want to be sent out. We want people here involved with what we're doing, have done, and will be doing. We want to live life together... To hurt when we miss people we love. To be happy to tell you what we think when you ask. To cry with people. To laugh with people. To rejoice when people rejoice. To give. To share. More than we ever have before.

It's a good time to be a Marshall. And probably a good time to be whatever you are. Let's share that together. Let's get this thing called life going. 

And we can, you know...

PS, contact me if you want more information on our trip. I mean, trips. I mean, our lives. I mean, if you need us...

...Just a Girl...

I'm just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her...

It's the age old story. Boy meets girl, girl turns out to be a famous American actress, they break up, they fall in love, they live happy ever after. Or sumpin like that...

We're all making our way through this life. Doing the best we can with all we've got. Hoping that people love us along the way...

My blog has been sitting a bit dormant as I navigate (yet more!) uncharted waters. As I nurse hurts and contemplate next steps. As I say goodbye and I say hello. As things change at record speed. As things crawl to a seemingly stop. As the sun rises and the sun sets. And with every new day, with every wanted and unwanted change, one choice remains with me and with you:

Will we quit?

I hope that your answer, like mine, when it all boils down to that simple, yet complex bottom line, is this...

Absolutely not.

I'm older than some, but younger than others. I know a few things, but not very much. I've done a lot of dumb things, but I've done some good as well. Some days suck, but more are filled with magic. I've known discontentment and discouragement, but I've also known grace and fulfillment. And basically, I've learned that the best thing I can do is to keep going...

Press on. Look back as little as possible. Try new things. Don't be afraid to hurt some. Don't be afraid to be uncomfortable. In fact, don't let "being anything" stop you. Ever. 

Some of the people I admire most are people who seem unscathed when I know their knees are buckling... My husband with prolific faith, who never allows himself to "sweat". My grown sons who undertake challenges with abandon, amaze me everyday with what they continue to accomplish, create and conquer. My missionary friends who obey God no matter the cost, yet always make the time to make sure I'm encouraged and on track (often no easy task!). My young friends who are moving across the country to pursue their next steps who smile and politely say "oh, yes!" when people (sometimes carelessly) ask if they're excited, when they probably want to yell "you mean to leave everyone we love and everything we've ever known behind?!", or sumpin like that. And on and on...

Everyone struggles. Everyone hurts. At times. It's part of life. But let those struggles stop us? Let those hurts keep us from experiencing more joy? 

Nope. 

So. Today I blog very personally. Today I sit on my perch and share. Today I decide to not quit. Again. And tomorrow I'll decide the same.

And along the way, maybe some people will love me...

Gift Wraps and Gifts

I think there's not much like a nicely-wrapped gift.

It's sort of my thing. 

I think the outside of a present is almost as important as what's inside. Certainly the presentation can make the recipient feel like you went to a bit of trouble...but, really, I'm almost incapable of wrapping a present without making a scene.

I thought I'd use today's post to give away a few of my "secrets", which, by the way, there's a couple of instant-gift-wraps available for purchasing in my shop, babyblackdog.Etsy.com just in case you're needing more than just "secrets"...

This was a gift for my Baby Boy. It's just fun paper, pretty ribbon and I hot-glued some plastic Cowboys and Indians to the top of the box. Just for fun.

This was a wedding gift for a sweet friend. I used brown kraft paper, satin ribbon, a Scrabble tile in their last name's initial, some bits and pieces of flowers and half of a Martha Stewart cardboard bird box. And lots of hot glue.

This isn't actually gift wrap but more of a gift-thought. I made this for a dear friend. Stamped each letter of her name on a muslin bag and put an item "beginning" with that letter in each bag. D was a tiny deck of cards. N was a teeny jotter notebook that I made. You get the idea. I glued each bag on a piece of cardstock and stacked them in a sturdy bow. Then I tied a pretty ribbon around the box, of course. It's one of my favorite accomplishments.

This was a happy birthday medallion that I made of paper, ribbon, oh, and a ballerina. This could be attached to the top of a gift, or, as was the case with this, pinned to the birthday girl's collar.

I have a well-stocked stash of letters, ballerinas, and etc., to use for gift-wrapping, so inspiration is never too far from me. Plus, I keep as many as I can in pretty, glass jars so I can see them, and, cause they look purty...

Those little things that catch your eye, or make you smile, or that you've just got a lot of, can be stored like this, too. And just add to the top of a pretty ribbon with some hot glue.

It's an easy way to be creative. Creative with a purpose. One of my favorite ways...

Oh yeah, have I mentioned that I have an etsy shop?! Babyblackdog.etsy.com

Just in case.

The Clearing

We have a huge front yard. It's nestled in the woods and we (in the past) refer to it as a "natural" area, meaning, basically that we don't bother with it. But really, we didn't even look at it and we certainly didn't spend time enjoying it.

Until recently.

We've (my Main Man and Me) been spending a lot of time in some of the lovelier areas of the South. Places where oak leaf hydrangeas (my favorite) are shrubs and things are neat and peaceful-feeling. We were inspired. So we decided to reclaim our front yard from the forest. We lawn-mowed and clipped and dug and hatchet-ed. We sweated and pulled thorns from our fingers and legs. We fought critters and creepy crawlers. Then we stepped back and liked what we saw.

However, a couple of weeks or so later, we began to notice weeds growing in the areas where we had so carefully cleaned! New weeds!

They stood there daringly, taunting us with their swift rise to the surface. They waved at us in the breezes. They had some nerve! Didn't they realize how hard we worked? I mean, you know, that one, brief period in our lives? Those FEW days that we toiled and cleaned and felt so proud? Then we remembered, oh yeah, there's this little thing called maintenance.

Shudder. I don't like that word. I'm no good at it. I want progress by leaps. And I wanna see it. Quickly.

But this morning, I took my trusty lawn mower and went over the fresh and unwanted weeds. I turned a few fallen twigs into mulch. I sweated. Again. I'm dirty. Again. But I did it.

Then I stepped back and looked at the yard and felt the same "aahh" as the first time we cleaned.

Our lives are like bush-hogging my front yard. Letting things go untended feels like the easy thing to do. We say, "I'm just me. This is my natural". And, when we do attempt a bit of tidying, things seem to get messy again so quickly. And we get discouraged. So we too often stop and just let things be. We don't spend too much time looking at that area of our lives and we sure aren't enjoying them.

But, just like us and our yard, when you decide that you've had enough of the "forest". When you decide that you want to be able to step back, look at an area of you or your life and say "aahh, I like it!", grab your lawn mower (you know I don't mean actual lawn mower, right? You get what I'm poetically saying here, right?) and get to it. Grab the shovel and dig those stubborn scrub oaks out from the roots. Put on your toughest gardening gloves and don't be afraid to prick your finger on a thorn. Then, step back and look at what you've done. Go drink a glass of iced tea (you're still with me and this analogy, right?) and enjoy the new view. But...

Don't stop there for good. Watch for the weeds that will spring up in that nice clean spot. Watch for that spider who likes that pretty flower you've planted. And when you see them begin to encroach on what you've cleared, go pull up that weed. Go knock down that spider web. One intruder at a time. And be prepared to do that until your yard is full of only the mature trees and shrubs that you want to be there. Only those of your choosing. 

Larry and I will have a lovely yard, probably soon. And you'll have a lovely life, probably soon. 

Go grab your shovel and be careful not to step in the dog poop.

Cause, if I can do this, you can, too...

A Tale of Baby Black Dog

My Etsy shop is new and I've yet to discover the intricacies of the selling site. But I've ALSO yet to discover everything Baby Black Dog is capable of...

Since we've got a few minutes to chat, I thought I'd tell the story of a certain custom order...

Once upon a time, Baby Black Dog was approached by a damsel in distress, as she had been looking and looking for a special gift to welcome someone to her workplace, I mean Kingdom, and nothing had captured the fair damsel's eye, as she had very fine taste... One day, she thought "Eureka!" and contacted Baby Black Dog, as the damsel was very bright and knew that Baby Black Dog was the best gift-maker in all the land. She said, "Brilliant Baby Black Dog, can you create one of your lovely journals and make a notebook to coordinate? This would help my friend stay organized and stylish all at the same time." So Baby Black Dog lovingly fashioned an office set

and the fair damsel and her friend rejoiced together over the joy they felt at their gift. Word spread throughout the Kingdom of the fine and creative work that Baby Black Dog could produce and orders came from around the globe for more of her wares, so much so, that Baby Black Dog had to hire additional staff to assist her, thereby helping not only Baby Black Dog and her family, but also the Kingdom around her with many dollars spent as well as providing the people of the Kingdom with gifts, supplies and inspiration for themselves and their friends. And they all lived happily and beautifully together... 

Or sumpin like that.

Life with Baby Black Dog can be like a dream AND I can create custom orders... 

Babyblackdog. Etsy.com

Let's Do This...

Basically, it all boils down to this one thing: It's what we DO with what we HAVE that makes the difference...

It's the 4 D's...

Diligence, Determination, Drive, Discipline

These are the keys to success in just about anything (I'm quoting my brilliant husband here)...

It's why world-class athletes are world-class. It's how we know the name of a particular designer and why we buy his or her wares (cough, cough, Kate Spade purses, cough). It's why some businesses suceed and some fail.

Do we want it bad enough? Are we willing to look or sound foolish for it? Will we believe in ourselves long enough to give it a chance?

Enough with status quo. Enough with ruts and burn-out. Let's dig in and discover what it is that we bring to the table. Then, let's dish it up like no one else can... 

Let's be set apart. Let's not shy away from the opportunity to be different. Or, to MAKE a difference!

And let's have the patience to be in it for as long as it takes. Sometimes, it's just a matter of giving up too soon.

And with that, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to work on my etsy shop...

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; (Ecclesiastes 9:10 NKJV)

Baby Showers and Extra Words...

I'm just slowing down from a busy event season. Many parties and projects, gifts and occasions later, and still, all I can think of is events...

My Etsy shop babyblackdog.etsy.com is open and my friends and family have been so kind and encouraging. My creative juices are flowing for items to create and list. But...

I have so many words to spill! Thus, the events-thinking...

Today, I think I'll use up some of my extra words by talking about one of my past-event-successes...

I love baby showers. Nay, I love showers. And parties. I love the thinking and gathering and tweaking. I love discovering new ways with new products and old ways to use old products. Or sumpin like that. One of my favorite baby showers (p.s. I realize I use the word "favorite" quite a lot.) was a Pink, Gold (glittery gold, of course!) and Black & White Striped Baby Shower...

It was lovely. It was fun. And, because it was for a sweet mommy and baby, it was easy...

We used Cotton Candy Pink for starters, as that is my favorite shade of pink... We used it everywhere, as that is how it should be used... Our giant balloons were pink. The utensils were pink. It was the basis for our punch-we put a pinch in a clear baby bottle (I dipped the bottom in gold glitter. It was glamourous...), and poured regular lemonade over it and the whole drink turned pink. It was beautiful...

And we drank the lemonade through black & white striped paper straws. It was fun...

The stripes were plenteous. Cupcakes (Pink frosted, of course!) were served in striped baking cups. I put a grosgrain striped ribbon around the middle of each water bottle and finished it off with a pink monogram that had been stamped in gold glitter. The chocolate strawberries were dipped in gold sanding sugar. The napkins were striped.

The food fare consisted of tiny appetizers...finger sandwiches shaped like glamourous blooms, caprese tomatoes and shot-glass-sized cups of gazpacho. It was very adult yet very precious. Hmm. So precious, in fact, that I'm kinda feeling the need for another baby shower project. No, wait, I think that was indigestion.

But look, wasn't it beautiful?!

There. I feel better being a few words lighter. Thanks for being all ears...

Shops and New Tricks

So. Here I go. The best and the worst. The easiest and the hardest. What I love and what I no like...

I'm preparing to open my Etsy shop. My creating, for now, is put aside. I'm in business-mode. Photographing my items, writing descriptions, determining prices and shipping costs, working on advertising, gathering shipping materials, self-promoting. I'm feeling very uncomfortable in this capacity. Creativity is my comfort-zone. It comes naturally. But my brain literally goes foggy when I think in terms of numbers, budgets and costs...

I've known for a long time that I needed to get my "things" out there. So I've slipped on my green eye-shade and dusted off my adding machine (goodness, that's probably a really old reference!). I'm purchasing a postal scale and using a photography white-box. My house is overrun with supplies and journals and greeting cards and ribbons and mailing envelopes and boxes. I'm the creative team, marketing, shipping and customer service departments all in one. My toes are curled up at the strong feeling of discomfort (like when I watch Michael Scott on The Office!) and I get a bit nauseous with each new step, but going ahead I am...

Everyone is comfortable with doing what comes easy.  No one really likes to be pushed. And new tricks aren't always easy for old dogs. But, if we never try something different, or never push through "uncomfortable", we'll never know what lies on the other side of same-old same-old, and we might miss a great adventure. I'm learning to like adventures and new tricks.

Ill keep you posted...

Milestones

I've been thinking about milestones.

"An action or event marking a significant change or stage in development."

Sometimes happy. Sometimes not. But always significant.

I seem to be experiencing a lot of milestones the last several years. Upon first glance, they seem to be concerning my children... My sons' senior years of high school. Their subsequent heading off to college. My youngest son's graduating from college and moving 4 hours away. Their marriages. The births of my oldest son's sons. Mind-boggling.

But there's the more personal side of being an empty-nester. There's the fact that all I ever wanted to be was a mom, and, now what? There's the time I told my husband, "I can't believe all I have left is you". Not my proudest moment, but... There's the people who say "I can't wait till I have free time like you have!" and I want to scream at them "Free time is the last thing I ever wanted!", or sumpin like that... But then, there's this wonderful relationship I have with my husband, and how he's my very best friend. There's this time for creative ventures that I never experienced before. And there's this pull toward traveling that I NEVER had before-I was always afraid to travel. Worried about what I was leaving behind and scared of what I find when I got there...But now, there's the fact that the last time I left Santiago, Chile, I sat in the hotel lobby and cried like a baby because...

 There's a willingness to keep going, to change, to connect, to do, to go... even though I remember when my baby boy first left for college, I stayed in the bed for 3 days. I pitied myself because no one needed me. Again, not my proudest moment...

The milestones seem to be coming at record pace now. Some seem really hard! At any given moment in our lives, we could stop. We could say "I don't wanna go further. I'm good right here.", and those around us would completely understand. They'd probably do the same, if they were in our shoes, whatever those shoes may be. The thing is...the world would keep changing. The people we cared about would grow up. They'd move out of our house and grow families of their own. And we'd be sitting there, unchanged. Except for the fact that everything we loved was different. It sounds miserable.

Yet people do that all the time.

Larry and I have decided to go with change. On a daily basis. On an hourly basis when necessary. Because we've learned that we don't have to do it alone. The Creator of the Universe, the One who made us, is right there with us. Urging us on. Stopping to rest with us when we need to catch our breath. Ready to make the necessary repairs to "stuff" when we realize we've messed it up. Ready to help us with the next step, cause that's what life is all about...the next step.

And we can do that. One step at a time.

He knows us best. Even better than we know ourselves. He knew I'd feel lost with an empty house. He knew we'd have a hard time the first time we had to change our oldest GrandBoy's diaper. (It'd been so long since we'd changed a diaper of someone we loved so much. It took both college-educated GrandParents working together, sweating and stressed, but we did it! We may have put it on backwards at first, but we fixed it...) He knew we'd miss our friends as they moved (and continue to move!) away to begin different phases in their lives. We have this same story over and over for thousands of things that have happened in our lives. God knew and He got us through them. Successfully. He knew what was on the other side of that "challenge" and He knew how we'd flourish once there. Maybe I cried a bit, but then I'm pretty sure I laughed.

I call these milestones my "victories". They may not have all been pretty. They may not have all looked like I thought they should look. But standing on this-side of them, I think they look pretty wonderful.

There are many more milestones coming. I can see the tops of their heads. I can hear the footsteps. Sometimes I wanna say "whoa!" and stop. But I won't. I may go at a snail's pace every so often, but I'll still go.

And I'll get there. One step at a time.

And so will you.

I am a quick waker-uper. My dogs demand it. I'm out of bed and out the door within a few minutes. My creativity and my disposition seem to be at their bests in the morning.

Even though I move quickly at that time of the day, I also am a bit of a lingerer.

I peruse Facebook and Twitter. I Instagram and peek into the lives of those in my feeds, most of whom I have at least some sort of personal relationship. I'm often thankful I didn't get involved in social media until well into my late 40s. My teenage and young adult life and subsequent thoughts paraded about for all to see could've been just too much for me to have recovered from once I regained my senses, as I was a bit of an odd young person-but, that's another story for another time, as really embarrassing stories often seem to be... Even as the wise and mature woman that sits and types these words (ha!), I have really blown it publicly on many occasions. And yet, the sun rose in the morning, the birds sang their same cheery songs, and the earth didn't open up and swallow me whole...

I think I've always been a bit afraid of that. The whole "earth opening up and swallowing me whole" thing. It kept me paralyzed in my boots for way more than I'd care to admit. The very thought of doing something stupid and having everyone see?! The fact that EVERYONE was watching (as if they would have been)?! The idea that I'd do something terrible and people wouldn't like me anymore, because, after all, EVERYONE likes me?! ...That's a whole lot of pressure for someone to put on someone, but more than just the pressure, that's a whole lot of thinking about Me, Myself and I, and that's where the problem often lies...

Once, while in the throws of the public panic that comes with considering one's self too much (and by "one's self" I mean MYself...), my very wise husband said, "You don't REALLY think EVERYONE likes you, do you?", to which I replied "Yes, I do!". Then I laughed at both the honesty and the ridiculousness of my reply. It was a life-changing moment. To be driven to be liked? To be afraid of not being liked? I hadn't realized how much that thought/fear/hope had kept me from being effective and stopped me from doing what I was placed upon the Earth to do...

We hear that all the time. You are unique. You are one-of-a-kind. But it's true.

Psalm 139:14, I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.

We sang songs as children, "Hide it under a bushel? No! I'm gonna let it shine", and yet that's the very thing we spent the next few years doing, hiding ourselves...

As I was going through my Facebook news feed this morning, I was moved by the posts of my friends, loved ones and heroes. The joys, the pains, the hurts, the triumphs, the random thoughts and scenes that we all memorialize by posting to our Facebook pages are windows into our lives. They may be fleeting glimpses or they may be feelings that we shake our heads over later, wondering why we said something so silly. But by the same token, it's an honor that we would let others in to that part of us. Wrong, silly, insignificant or trivial moments make up the same people who are also wise and clever world-changers.

I won't forget that.

So, I'm thankful for photos of dogs sleeping or the breakfast you had this morning or the beautiful sunset that I would've missed if you hadn't posted that pic. I'm glad you think I'd be interested in your favorite team's victory. I'm grateful that we know each other so well that you're not afraid to admit that you made a mistake and that by admitting that, you could save me from making it too. I'm thankful that we are connected and that we can be the voice in each other's head.

Maybe, armed with this revelation, I wish my 13 year-old self would've had a Facebook page. Probably I would've posted my name as Kim "Perry" Grimes and the dramas of my pretend love life would have been splattered about with the names of certain celebrities like Larry Csonka, Tommy Smothers and Donny Osmond, and the photos would have been of my guinea pig and gerbil, Berlioz and Jeremy. Would that have been so bad? So terrible? Yikes, on second thought, thank you, Mark Zuckerberg for holding off for a few years...

I have a great dislike for the word Busy. Not for the word itself, but rather, how the word is often used. ...It's longed for. It's worn like a badge. It makes a home unpleasant. It makes children have to entertain themselves. And it doesn't make time for rest.

Aging gives you a certain perspective. It's one of the perks of getting older, I believe. If you ask me, I'll probably have some answers for you. In fact, I'm sure I would... I've tried to listen to the input from people who have been around for awhile. It's like a cheat-sheet. And I want others to "cheat" from what I've done. Learn from what I've done wrong. Learn from what I've done right... But the perspective that comes with age can also be one of the downfalls. I'm frustrated when I'm not asked. Or when what I say goes unheeded by those I care about. Goodness. It seems lately I spend a lot of time being frustrated, but that's a different story for a different time...

When I was younger, I loved being Busy. I felt that it gave me a sense of purpose. Like, somehow, if I wasn't Busy, I wasn't valuable... But looking back, I see some of the things I missed, things I rushed through or glanced over. I don't wanna be like that ever again... Right now, I relish in walking my dogs. I like seeing things through the eyes of my iPhone camera. Instagram was made for my dog walks. Stopping to smell the wisteria in bloom fills my senses and spurs my creativity. I like spending evenings with my husband, watching Seinfeld reruns on TBS. Yesterday, I taught my oldest GrandBoy about looking for pictures in the clouds. For about 60 seconds. He's three. I like reading good children's literature. I like laughing with some of my favorite comedians on Pandora.

There are pulls on my time, sometimes more than I'm comfortable with. I get overwhelmed at them every so often. And I don't like that feeling. It reminds me of my earlier days and ways. I'll snap at my husband, or cry because of so-much-to-do. That sort of situation is a weakness of mine. At the very least, Too Busy is not my Happy Place.

So, as much as is within my power, I think I'll choose to take it as slow as I can. To take things one at a time. And when I do have lots to do, I'll just take busy without the capital B...

I'm back. I'm opinionated. And I'm having a TIME figuring out the posting process! These are busy days. Days full of change. Some good, some not that great. Some happy, some not that great. At any rate, I welcome change. My mother-in-law always said, concerning birthdays, to "consider the alternative"... Change is that way. The alternative is to stay the same. While everyone else changes, grows and moves on. So, I embrace change. I look forward to the perspective I'll have on the other side. And that perspective is what I plan to blog about. Cause, if I can do it...