thoughts from the deep recesses

 Today, as I'm sure you're aware, is President's Day. Which means the whole family is home. Which means I'm compelled to take advantage of our lazy-don't-have-to-be-anywhere-morning... and make a yummy breakfast. I had blackberries in the fridge... I've been buying them from Costco lots lately to eat in the morning with my Greek yogurt... but this batch was starting to get a little soft, so I decided to try them out in one of my favorite recipes: scones. I've used this scone recipe for years. It's my go-to guest breakfast... I've thrown everything in them: chocolate chips, walnuts, dried cranberries, even cinnamon chips... and I vary the toppings, from simple glazes to sprinklings of coarse sugar, white chocolate drizzles to homemade apple butter. But I've never made them with blackberries. So today I did. And I topped them with a simple Lemon Vanilla glaze. Making blackberry scones is a messy proposition, I learned. Kneading dough full...

In November, my friend Julie had a heart attack. Julie is 37. The day it happened, Asia texted me at work to tell me she was in the hospital... text by text (as he was receiving them from her husband) he would tell me what was happening... "Julie is on her way to the hospital in an ambulance... heart palpitations", "In the ER... looks like it's for sure cardiac", "Massive heart attack - in surgery now..." It was a series of information so upsetting, each one more unbelievable than the next. On my way home from work, still unsure of her status, I sobbed out prayers for Julie. For her family. For the doctors. Julie is my friend . We went into help mode immediately - figuring out what we could do for them... and ended up keeping their two boys at the house for a couple of days... and then the next week preparing and sharing Thanksgiving dinner with them and their extended family... 19 people in all. I realized through that time - that I cheris...

I'm designing cards for a fundraising card class/kit sale... so I spent yesterday working with this lovely Crate Paper line... I'm going to make as many cards as I can from the supplies I have kitted... yesterday I only had time for these six cards, but I've got LOTS of supplies leftover so I'm hoping I can come up with at least 15 cards for each kit. Then I'll create instructions for all the cards and have a class here for local people... and sell kits to anyone from far away who wants them. I only have enough supplies for ten kits total... Hopefully I can sell them all. This is one of two card classes I'm planning - the next one will be cards from three different Scenic Route lines. I'll be sure to post when I have all the cards finished and give information about signing up for a class/kit!

Tuesday Tens just aren't happening lately. I've added a second Tuesday meeting and Kyler is back to leaving by 6:30 for morning runs... somehow those two things eat up my typical blogging times and I can't ever seem to get a Tuesday post in. So I think Monday will be the day from now on for my random, numbered posts... I just signed up for my first 5K race. I'm excited to be participating in the Eastern Washington Race for the Cure on April 17th. I've been training and have run several 5K training runs already... with my best time so far being 34:02. I'm loving running with my Nike Plus shoes and ipod... it tracks all my distances and times and personal bests. So fun! Work has been insane... Weight Watchers has been overwhelmed with the response to our new Points Plus program. My meetings are bigger than ever. I love being able to introduce so many people to this healthy way of life. It's such a privilege to walk alongside people as they make the necessar...

Eve of 42 There is a clothesline of grace I see And hanging on it are names. Precious souls who have given me love. Kindred spirits who have believed.  There are stories hanging there. Wispy, time worn and comfortable strips of cloth woven into a lifetime. Worn thin in places. And bright, shiny new in others Further down the line are memories. Sunsets over water. Make believe and dragonflies. Dreams of a life yet to be that became so much more. I could never have fashioned this... in all my wisdom I would have left off many of the most beautiful things... The moments where each breath was an act of mercy the goodbyes the forever broken heart or the struggle to find light in darkness... the pain of loving deeply and losing much and yet, looking at it, there is perfect symmetry. An artistry that goes far beyond my best attempts to be. I would not change a thing. I walk the distance and I see that Time has been my friend. I recognize myself in the pieces hanging there. I find ...

I am an introvert. Which, in and of itself, is an interesting fact. Because as I described in my first Girlfriend post, as a child, I was OUT there. My self-confidence displayed itself in boisterous behavior. I liked being with people. Now, as an adult, I'm quite shy. Large group settings exhaust me. Home is my very favorite place to be, especially if I'm there alone and it's quiet. Silence is my favorite sound. Even more than music (which I also love.) So, as you can imagine, those are some issues that make friendship challenging for me. I've found myself, over the years, trying to reach out to other women. Making lunch dates. And then, as soon as the date is set, dreading the actual date. The struggle between having time alone and giving it up to spend time with another person is a very real struggle for me. I have to consciously push through that, understanding the value of relationship to force myself to leave myself to be with another . I've spent ...