WAG MORE BARK LESS

WAG MORE

BARK LESS

Saw this bumper sticker last week and I reflected on it all the way to work, pondering its meaning. How does it speak to you, what does it whisper about you? To me it means to try and always see the positive side don’t take everything so glumly in life, look for the thrills-they’re out there somewhere.  Be a kinder, gentler, softer person. Love more, laugh much, and unearth ways to be carefree. Don’t gnaw people’s heads off, see their side of life, and wallow in their reasoning a bit and find understanding in your heart. Walk in the rain with your face turned upward towards the wet stuff catching gentle kisses from the sky, take more naps, sing, and watch silly movies. Try to show people you care, smile at strangers.

Now, if only I could follow my own advice I’d be in a happier place.

These are pictures I took of Chad and Kelley's horse 7 years ago.

Goodbye Summer 2013

This summer, my entire family traveled together to Durango, CO. Traveling together on the highway, stopping at rest stops along the way was the most fun way of making a long trip, shorter. We all stayed under one roof, which added even more fun. Sitting in front of the fire at night after putting the kids to bed, everyone in the kitchen at once cooking meals together, sitting outside on the second story deck, submerged in nature, walking down to the lake with fishing poles catching fish or sliding across in canoes, exploring nearby towns, and just hanging out together made for the most wonderful and exciting vacation. Below are shots of the tiny, quaint town of Silverton, home of the Silverton Durango Railroad. Such a neat place to go explore.

Simmering summer with its high heat and laid back ways invites you to slow down and savor all it has to offer. Backyard barbecues with family and friends you haven’t seen in forever, baseball fever, hot dogs and popcorn at the games, swimming, fireworks, ice cream and anything cold. The circus comes to town in the summer filled to capacity with excitement, acknowledging summer sizzle with clowns chasing it away with frolicking laughter and capers. Enchanting musicals bid for your attention, as well as plays and other entertainment arriving to perform under the summer stars bringing enigmatic feelings of days past. To me, this is the time to move with dawdling determination to not get in a hurry; the entire summer lays at your feet. So much to see, do and experience. Dip your senses into the sights, smells, sounds and feels of summer around you. But be quick, as it runs across the calendar like a gazelle on a mission. The splendor of dazzling days and sunny spirits is dimming before your eyes; the long days vanishing quick as a wink to be replaced with autumn’s promise of shorter days. Then all too soon, school is back in session, we teachers return back indoors to our classrooms to start the year new. How I miss those languid, summer days and how quickly they fade away, harrowing heat is but a distant delusion. Nine more months til the fun starts all over again.'

Spirits Free to Fly Away

Vacations are such happy times, getting away from tedious, hurried, fast paced lives to be replaced with renewed wonders. New sights, new experiences, a new world, opened up to our senses. Whether it’s the beaches or mountains that attract our spirits, it is there that captures our hearts, it is there that sets our souls and spirits free to fly away with reckless abandonment. Sleep in, be lazy, stay up late to watch the moon slide across the sky; slowly covering the distance in its own way. Vacations put the pieces back together that have fallen apart over the year from too much to do in too short a time, meetings at work turning into shouting matches, juggling of having to be so many places at once, rush hour traffic, gobbled up quick lunches-rush, rush, rush-that is our world. But vacations stop that craziness and lighten our load, put sunshine in our hearts with a promise how sweet this week is going to be, creating a rhythm of passion and excitement in every step of the way. Hold on to your precious vacation memories close to your hearts so they never evaporate.

In love with Apsens

Off roading

In the backseat shooting away at the beauty

At the top of the trail

Beautiful river

Enchanted town of Silverton

Family crossing, one changing her mind

Famous Durango train

Aspen so tall that they brush the sky

Gorgeous hanging baskets

Life Preservers

Imagine this, you are walking down the passageway of your life, when abruptly you crash into a brick wall, you look down and there is your life and soul smashed into a million pieces. Struggle as you might, you can’t get those pieces back together again, they are too miniscule, too numerous, too intricate to even undertake. So you sweep up the pieces, then go from location to location to try to find ways to make sense of nonsense, to find a life preserver but realize you no longer have that life to preserve. Every direction you turn, you don’t hit upon the answers that you need, and no one seems to comprehend how to get those pieces back together for you, or even have solutions of how to initiate undertaking your crumbled life. Just when you are about to throw up your hands and feel it is futile, you go around a corner and run into this incredible entity who just happens to have a miracle bottle of super glue. This person looks at you and says  "I was told you needed this", and begins to put all the pieces back slowly and painstakingly together once again.  Instantaneously your life is whole and complete once again. Yet somehow it is dissimilar. Same pieces but they were put back together in unlike places to make a completely altered life. You try it out, and discover to your amazement, you love it. Now your life is an utter delight, complete and whole once again. Yeah, life is like that sometimes.

Belated Christmas Outside Lights

Outside Lights

Close up

Candle and Bokeh

Close up

Tap Into Life

Rivers flow, clouds float, birds sail, trees bend, but what about us-what do we do? We are a part of nature, we sail thru our days, we flow thru adversity, and we even float around trials and tribulations shunning pain at all costs.

 But sometimes life snags us in its web, we are stuck, we cannot move, we cannot think, the spider web of life is coming closer.

But wait, we do have a brain; we have a soul-use it! We have freewill-exercise it. Tap into those resources that God gave you, brush them off and put them to good use. That is what they are there for.

Then we can break free of the hold and get back to the flowing, floating, bending, and sailing life once again.

Bear Lake Rocky Mountain State Park

Estes Park Cabin

Bear Lake

Trail around Bear Lake

Cabin at Estes Park

View from behind cabin

Falling Into Autumn

This weekend, fall came crashing through nature’s front door in its quest to be seen and felt. Friday night the trees were bent over double from the fierce winds, while leaves flew around like they were trying desperately to escape the tempest. In the aftermath, branches, fallen debris and assorted other fallen abrasions were littered on the carpeted grass. Temperatures were diminished much to the delight of hot Texas residents, and excitement escalated all thru this Longhorn area. Everyone was clambering to pull out sweaters and to do the happy dance of autumn. Goodbye hot summer, I won’t miss you at all.

Farmer's Market thru bridge

Sunlight and shadows

Serenity and quiet

Colorful playground

Bright green and blue

Quaint train station from yesteryear

The Search Is On

Sometimes in life we are just trucking along, minding our own business, when out of the blue we are sent a huge curve ball that knocks our socks off. We try to get back up and brush off the dust, only to discover our legs are so wobbly from the fall. As we try to get back to that place we originally were, that was so at ease and familiar, we discern to our chagrin, that secure location is no longer obtainable. So we go about struggling for a new safe spot but alas, we get misplaced along the way. We’re in the deep, daunting woods without a compass and it is getting dark. We hear frightening sounds, how did we get so lost?  But somewhere out there is a path that will lead to brightness and warmth, bliss and security, away from the cold prickles. It is there, close by, beckoning for us to pursue as it will guide us to a beautiful, captivating spot. Keep looking, it is there, keep searching, it is waiting.

Fort Worth Botanical Gardens

Photo Book

Click here to view this photo book larger

Photo books are the perfect gift for any occasion.

The Rhythm of Summer

I believe that the most mundane afternoon can be changed into an extraordinary one by something simple such as a bright blue sky, plus massive, billowy, cotton clouds on a scorching, summer day.  The formula would be as follows: 1 Slip & Slide, 1 water hose, + 2 excited little children=an explosion of energy and giggles. Tuning into the rhythm of water splatters and hilarity, it is easy to see how this afternoon can completely morph into something therefore, spectular.

Given an opportunity, any day will passionately be honored to take your breath away by its simple magnificence, if you just let it. Look close and you will discover its majesty, such as a spider’s web glistening in the rays of sun, or the minute caterpillar struggling to inch its way up the extensive vine. Another day unfolds ready to bestow enchanted takes of nature.