Mission Possible

I was recently challenged to explore my blog's mission and to share it as a journey.  Inspired by the idea of knowing exactly why I am writing I have written the following...

The mission of this blog is to share my journey with others should they choose to join me on this crazy quest.   I am honest. I am me and that is all I can ask of myself.   I want this blog to be a witness to life - not just mine but every reader that comments on a post that inspired them in some way big or small.  It is my opinion that we are naive to think that we are alone in this world.  We are all apart of each other's history and story and I want this blog to reflect that.  Often times I find myself laughing at life.  Sometimes that is all one can do - just laugh.  I want this blog to show the humor and irony of life and maybe, just maybe, find some truth in the doubts and fears that we all share. Too often is life a competition when really it should be a constant relay race and we are all on the same team.  It is my goal through this blog to pass the baton and encourage others to think in ways perhaps they haven't before.   I write for myself as much as I write for those who read the words I write.  I want this blog to be a place of communication between me and the world.  I want comments and feedback and ideas to be shared and spread.  The end result of all writing is simply to be read.  At my core I am writing simply to write.  Simply to put all the thought in my head on to paper and to free my mind from the insomnia of thoughts.  I want to share my life with the world and I want the world to share it's life with me.   Life is beautiful even if at times painful - lets write about it.  From yummy recipes to crazy cats to other's thoughts I find inspiring - you'll find it all here.  My mission, should I chose to accept it (and I do) is to live and share that living with the world (or at least those of you reading). 

100 Things Part 2

11. Bubble baths

12. Fall

13. Pictures of family and loved ones

14. Pasta and Bread

15. My cat Bruce

16. Moonlight swims

17. Photography

18. Jewelery (usually vintage)

19.Starbucks Caramel Frappachino's 

20. Pedicures

100 Things Part 1.

#1. Spring flowers

#2.  Curling up reading in a massive arm chair.

#3.  Sunshine

#4. A good chat with friends

loved this picture from Sophia's Journal

#5.  Scarves

#6.  the feeling after a really good workout

#7.  watching  movies and snuggling with Michael

#8. A glass of wine after a long day.  

#9.Traveling 

#10. Waking up early on Christmas morning to stare at the Christmas Tree.

All pictures found on www.pinterest.com or from my own albums unless otherwise noted.  

Vintage Hyacinth AB Pears and Rose Rhinestone by TheVintageJewel

Vintage Hyacinth AB Pears and Rose Rhinestone by TheVintageJewel

I was meandering through Etsy.com this morning before work and I found these awesome jewels. I can't wait to see what I can do with them!!!

Aren't they gorgeous!! I want to turn them in to earrings!! What do you think?

Bruce Wayne the Bat Cat

          There are two men in my life.  My amazing wonderful incredibly handsome fiancé Michael, and a midnight black cat named Bruce.  Bruce (like Michael) has my heart. My whole heart.  He has scratched and clawed his way in to the very deepest recesses and there he shall remain.  How he came to join our family is a great story, and like any great story it is a love story. A love between cat and human.  But I digress - you probably want to hear the story...
        Let's rewind the clock back about a year and half.  The year is 2009. It is a crisp fall day in Texas. Blue skies and a slight chill in the air.  A man and a woman (we'll call them Laurel and Michael) are driving around town, blissfully unaware that their lives are about to be forever altered.  Across town in an obscure tiny little pet shop, a kitten, black as night with satellite ears and a purr as loud as a lion, waits. Praying and hoping for some poor unsuspecting human to come and take him away.



(Back to the poor, unsuspecting humans)... Let's listen in as this fateful tale unfolds...

 "Let's get a cat," the naive humans say to each other! "OK," they both unwittingly agree.  In that moment with those few simple words the wheels of fate were set in motion...

(Back at the pet shop) The coal colored kitten sleeps peacefully, tangled amongst his fellow roommate. He dreams of warm fires and hands to pet him.
Enter the humans...

"Aww, they are all so cute! Lets take them all!!" Laurel pleads.



"No Laurel, No..." replies Michael.
"Oh, fine."
The kitten stirs, wondering if his ears have deceived him. Could it be true? Could the humans really have come at last?  He rouses. Stretching in all his silky black finery, he purrs like he has never purred before.
"Oh he looks cool!" says Michael,
spotting the not so subtle display.
"Oh he IS cute!" agrees Laurel.
      Another human, one the kitten has seen before arrives to present the kitten to the humans. She places the kitten in the waiting arms of the girl with an all too knowing smile.  The helpful human has seen this before and knows exactly how the story ends.  Laurel turns to face the black ball of fur now resting in her arms, and in a single instant she was smitten with this big eared, shiny furred ball of fluff.   Instant bonds wrapped themselves around her tender heart with chains as thick as steel.  The kitten looked at her with equal love.  Unwillingly Laurel relinquished the kitten to Michael and once again the bonds of love were forged thick as steel. Love filled Michael's manly heart,  and the kitten felt just the same once again.  This kitten had the humans smitten, but they had no idea that what they held in their hands was a force greater than nature.   They had no idea that when they brought the large eared black ball of fear home that their lives would be changed completely...

"What should we name him?" Michael asked.
"Hmmm, I don't know." replied Laurel just as stumped.
"How about Bruce?"
"What?"
"You know, Bruce! Like Bruce Wayne. Doesn't he look just like Batman?!"
"He does!!!!" Laurel attempts between fits of giggles.
"Sooo Bruce?"
"Bruce Wayne the Bat Cat!"
Michael now doubled over laughing. "Yes. Bruce Wayne the Bat Cat!"
The newly dubbed Bruce sat purring in his new human's lap basking in the glow of his accomplishment. He had found exactly what he was looking for.
      Now here we are a year and a half later.  Cat and human both have adjusted to their new lives and Bruce has trained his humans on the rules of his kingdom.  These rules are simple really, but vital to any human's health and well being.   I will list them here for all those wishing to visit Bruce's domain.

Rule #1.  My food  bowl is to be filled at all times. Failure to comply will result in dire consequences (See obnoxious meowing and clawing of flesh)
Rule #2.  You are to recognize my cuteness at all times.  Do not make me beg because I will (most often by rolling over and exposing my underbelly!)
Rules #3. If I should want to cuddle then you will be prepared at all times to do so.  It is appropriate and normal for me to lay in my favorite spot across you chest and neck (Or across your back should you be laying on your stomach).
Rules #4. If I am  awake so should you be. Should you need an alarm clock I am happy to oblige.
Rules #5. Health and Fitness are important. I run my laps around the house daily. Be advised; any interruption will result in bloodshed. (See claw in calf).
Rule #6. (This is the most important rule of all.) All empty boxes are free reign.  You forfeit any and all rights to any open empty box left out in the open.
         Remember these few simple rules and you will find Bruce a most hospitable host. Laurel and Michael, following these few simple rules survive relatively unharmed (although tough love is occasionally needed to remind them).  Now cat and human live in symbiotic harmony. Michael and Laurel have a cuddly companion that they love, and Bruce has people to love and to feed him.  Its a love that can't be beat!

Laissez les bon temps roules

"Laissez les bon temps roules" is a classic French saying that means "let the good times roll." I know many who embrace this saying wholeheartedly and I decided that I too would like to, "let the good times roll."   This idea is embraced no better than in New Orleans where my favorite pastry was made famous in America.   Beignets!!!!  

                  "The word beignet (pronounced ben-YAY) comes from the early Celtic word bigne meaning "to raise." It is also French for "fritter." Beignets, a New Orleans specialty, are fried, raised pieces of yeast dough, usually about 2 inches in diameter or 2 inches square. After being fried, they are sprinkled with sugar or coated with various icings."(wikipedia).  The world renowned Cafe du Monde in the French Quater of New Orleans made these delicious fried fritters famous here in America and I have yet to taste better beignets anywhere (Of course I have yet to visit France so the verdict is as of yet undecided).  Nonetheless I tried my hand at making beignets and I have to say - not to shabby! Here is the end result (I neglected to take 
pictures during the process).  They really aren't hard to make! I found my recipe in a magazine but I want to try Paula Dean's Beignet Recipe next.

I think Jimmy Buffet said it best...

"Coffee is strong at the Cafe du Monde. 

Donuts are too hot to touch. 
Just like a fool, when those sweet goodies cool, 
I eat 'til I eat way too much"

EAT PRAY LOVE

This is an old post that I felt I should share again as I am personally still battling with this...
  A couple of summers ago  I read the book "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert. I was leery of reading the book having heard various things about it from various people from Oprah to random people in Barnes and Noble. Nevertheless I picked it up on a whim and proceeded to set it aside for more astute reads (Twilight to be exact...don't judge lol) However when Twilight had been read and then read again I was in need of something to new read. Thus I began my journey through Elizabeth's Journey of Self Discovery. Not expecting much I was happily surprised when I was hooked from the very first page. Her style of writing is much like my own and as such I was easily entertained and quickly drawn in to her world of distress and perseverance. I ate up the words on the pages like a caterpillar chews through leaves knowing that he wont be able to eat once he is in the cocoon. I found new wisdom on every page, and even though I have never been divorced or suffered the emotional duress that comes from such an emotional upheaval I felt as though she were speaking to me and to MY place in life. Being a part of Project Transformation that summer I was indeed transformed in many ways I was particularly smacked over the head by this line from the book...

"Life, if you keep chasing it so hard, will drive you to death. Time - when pursued like a bandit - will behave like one; always remaining one county or one room ahead of you, changing its name and hair color to elude you, slipping out the back door of the motel just as you're banging through the lobby with your newest search warrant, leaving only a burning cigarette in the ashtray to taunt you At some point you have to stop because IT WON'T You have to admit that you can't catch it. That you are not supposed to catch it. At some point...you gotta let go and sit still and allow contentment to come to YOU."
***At this point I am breathless and speechless (an uncommon occurrence for all who know me) and I am literally sitting straight up and half in tears. I continue reading only to nearly fall off the bed in realization that this is God speaking DIRECTLY to ME!!!! It could not have been any more clear if God himself had appeared and said - Laurel, read this - you need to hear this!!
But I Digress...let us continue...

"Letting go of course is a scary enterprise for those of us who believe that the world revolves only because it has a handle on the top of it which we personally turn, and that if we were to drop this handle for even a moment, well - that would be the end of the universe. BUT TRY DROPPING IT... Sit quietly for now and cease your relentless participation. Watch what happens The Birds do not crash dead out of the sky in mid-flight, after all. The tress do not wither and die, the rivers do not run red with blood. Life continues to go on...Why are you so sure that your micromanagement of every moment in this whole world is essential? Why don't you let it be? I hear this argument and it appeals to me (*and to me too!) I believe in it intellectually. I really do (*and I do too - REALLY!) But then I wonder - With all my restless yearning, with all my hyped-up fervor and this stupidly hungry nature of mine (*it's like she is in my head!) - What should I do with my energy instead?" (*A very good question!)

"That answers arrives too..." ("*here is the kicker!)
"LOOK FOR GOD!...LOOK FOR GOD LIKE A MAN WITH HIS HEAD ON FIRE LOOKS FOR WATER" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HOLY COW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It hits me like a mac truck!!I have never been so struck by anything in my life! This sums up my entire 23 years of existence. I have spent my entire life trying to micromanage any and everything around me - but WHY?! Why am I so sure that the universe would fall apart were I not turning the handle to spin it? Like Elizabeth my question was "ok, then, what should I do instead?!" The answer was so beautifully simple in it's perfection and so obvious to my oblivious mind... LOOK FOR GOD! No, don't just look for God, but look for God like a man with his head on fire look for water - desperately, passionately, unrelenting with an insatiable thirst for the only one who has EVER had control of this topsy turvy universe which, in fact, I do not control ( go figure). Now I know I am not the only one to suffer this ego trip (obviously, since I did not write the book) and as such I hope that someone may read this and be as inspired by Ms. Gilbert's words as I was. I have not stopped trying to control things completely, nor do I feel I have discovered the passion she speaks of in searching for God. HOWEVER, I have been challenged - and I love a challenge! It is a daily struggle and a constant battle - but one step at a time, one day at a time, maybe, just maybe I will stop seeing the world as something I control and let go and let God!!

Royally Wed

Naturally with my own wedding fast on approach, I was mesmerized by the idea of a Royal Wedding.  The marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton to be precise.  For weeks I have been pondering; What would she wear? Who would attend? Would they let them eat cake?  So many questions...Hoping to get some ideas and inspiration for my own day I eagerly awaited the big day for this couple.  It seemed all anyone could talk about was Kate and Will's impending nuptials and I was no exception.    When I discovered that the live airing of this royal affair would occur at 4am Central US time I was less then thrilled.  I even considered forgoing the viewing and watching reruns later but no...I knew I had to watch it live.  After talking with a good friend of mine, Anna (who is also engaged)  we made plans to gather and watch this historical moment in time together (two brides to be).  At 2 am I arrived at her door, sleepy eyed and dressed in my finest pajamas (sweats and a t-shirt).  Excitement filled the air (and the airwaves) as we anxiously awaited the unveiling of the dress.  As we watched the church fill with guests Anna and I compared notes with our own weddings and both decided that it must be nice to be royal : ).  We were positively giddy with excitement and after a jolt of energy from some coffee and cherry turnovers, we resumed our watch posts.  Finally the moment arrived and the bride stepped out of her car looking all the role of a royal bride.  What must she be feeling? What must she be thinking? Was she terrified? Excited? How will I feel on MY big day? The energy was palatable even across those thousands of miles.  What an honor to be able to bear witness to this auspicious moment in history! Anna and I oohed and ahhed throughout the ceremony and added our own commentary.  It was so much fun and now I can say that I watched (live) as Prince William and Kate Middleton tied the royal knot!   

Pretty in Purple

          Michael and I have often debated about the merits of him bringing home flowers. You see,  I love the way they smell and make a house feel inviting and he hates the way they die.  As such, despite much coxing and hinting, I have rarely received flowers.  That's not to say he doesn't spoil me in other ways, because he does, but he is just not big on paying money for something that will surely die under my less then green thumb (and who could blame him?)  Never the less I came home the other day to a B E A UTIFUL Orchid sitting on my kitchen table.  A beautiful graceful thing with petals of bright purple that would rival a royal robe.  Bowing down as if in reverence it's elegant pose only added to it's beauty.  Having had a crazy day, it was the perfect end to my day and it's pretty purple presence now graces my home and acts a reminder to stop and smell the orchids.