Winter...

Yuck. I need spring. I need the renewal- in so many things. The tree in my neighbor's yard after the ice storm. Loved being forced to stay inside and relax. Not easy for me, but I was too afraid to get out on the road with my new Soul. Rocking the Soul, lol. It has a totally useless feature that I love- the speakers light up to the music. Useless, and probably cost more than I want to know, but hey- it's all good. Love my new car. One little highlight in this dreary gray winter.
Til next time- whenever that is...

Seek Justice, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly With My God

This was my motto for yesterday. It might just well be my motto for today also. My place of employment has been challenging lately- well, for quite a while now- to say the least. The negativity in that place is overwhelming. It sucks the life out of you/me. I have a hard time dealing with it. I'm trying not to get sucked into it. I just don't understand how people can be so negative. It's just not worth it. White Castle's (Premium Cincy food, lol)  used to put a saying on their packages, something about how many muscles it takes to frown verses smile. I don't remember the number, but it was a whole lot more to frown than smile. I would imagine that the same principle applies to negativity- that it's easier on a person to be positive than negative.

So, I'm just trying to get thru it. I'm praying the job market loosens up and something breaks. Until then...

The only way we'll ever stand
Is on our knees with lifted hands
Make us courageous
Lord, make us courageous

Seek justice
Love mercy
Walk humbly with your God

In the war of the mind
I will make my stand
In the battle of the heart
And the battle of the hand

More Lights-a happy thing!

Until next time...

2012

It seems so strange to be writing 2012. Guess I never thought I'd see this...for a long time I had some strange idea I would die in 30's. Not sure why. Probably some strange half wish of mine. I've spent lots of time in my life contemplating or at least giving some thought to suicide. I'm kinda glad I never made it that far along that path...at least today anyway. Perhaps that thought will come my way again, who knows. Sometimes life just gets to be too painful. But today's good- and tomorrow holds promise. And God loves me even when I don't love myself. And I'm a coward- I really don't like pain, so I guess I would never really hurt myself. Besides, my kids still need me even though they are grown, and Autumn deserves a chance to know and love her grandma as much as her grandma loves her.

Yeap, I said grandma- another thing I never really thought would be or wanted to be a grandma. Boy, was I wrong. That little girl has me wrapped around both her little fingers. And I'm ok with that. It amazes me- the depth of love I feel for her. She's just perfect. Steph and Mike have really been blessed- she's such a good baby. Only cries when she's hungry or wet, and has slept through the night since she was a month old. They better stop while they are ahead, lol. The next one will be a terror. Here is she- my girly. That's the look she tends to give me any time I break out my camera. Which, I will admit is alot- like every time I see her. I can't help it- they grow up so fast, and I feel like I've forgotten so much of my own kids lives, I don't want to forget a minute of hers. Besides, she's so darn pretty.

My Girly

Speaking of photos- I signed up for a advanced class thru MSJ. One good thing about graduating from there- you can audit classes for 50.00- UC wants full the amount to audit. So, I'm looking forward to that. So, hopefully I will learn lots of new techniques to use in shooting her, and other things. I really want to get a new lens- first a AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm, then perhaps something a little more specialized. Not sure what that looks like right now but I can dream...

So, the grandbaby, photo classes and hopefully lots of photo taking, and other things to look forward to, I plan on trying to reconnect with this, to journal, share and post photos. Hopefully it will work.

I tried taking some photos of Christmas lights- I didn't realize how hard it was to do. A learning experience for sure...
Until next time...Happy 2012.

Ranting about Micromanagement and other things

From the Cincinnati Zoo- I understand how he feels.

Ever wonder what motivates some people? I do. I guess I really wonder why some people- not mentioning any names here or places that would be identifiable-have the insane urge to control EVERYTHING. Yeap, caps. I do mean EVERYTHING.

Case in point... I left something- a note to myself- on my desk Friday (at that place I work which shall remain nameless)- just a reminder of how I needed to do something for future reference. Nothing big- just one of those little notes one writes oneself as a reminder. You know, in shorthand that you understand. It's like when I go to the grocery. A typical list might look like
1. h2o
2. pt- (paper towels)
3.tp- (toilet paper)
and so on. You get the idea.
Ok, so my grip, rant, issue...
I came in Monday to find my note- which had things crossed out and rewritten in other shorthand- not my shorthand, mind you- but someone else's shorthand.  Really??? Really!!! They had nothing better to do than edit my notes- my personal notes that were STRICTLY A REMINDER TO MYSELF???!!!

It totally blew me away. I was amazed at the extreme level of micro management that occurs on all too often a basis. I was more than a little upset- can you tell? But I'm good now. I think. Well at least until the next issue comes up.

Next rant- I saw on the library's website that they are pushing Chaney's bio- who really wants to read that???  Just wondering. To me that would be worse than reading Bush's. Well, George W's anyway. George H's might not be too bad- as long as I don't have to agree with his politics.

And finally- I saw an article today that discussed Dumbledore being gay. Really? I've read all the books at least twice and have not picked up on that. Why does he have to be anything other than a wise wizard?

til next time...Oh, I guess I really have dropped the ball on this website's intent. Oh well...that's a whole other post...

Living the Dream

Just haven't figured out whose yet- lol. It's been a busy summer. Vacation, travel,  lots of house projects and my first full grandchild on the way. It's a girl!!! Woo hoo.

Um, I'm not old enough to be a full grandma. Oh well, I guess that's life. When I picture a grandma I remember Grandma Flynn, and how she was a little round thing that baked cookies, didn't work and well, I'm not sure what she did with her time when I wasn't around. She was a cute little thing- round as a watermelon, and gray as a rock. Always had an apron on, and fresh baked cookies in the cookie jar. Well, that's not me. Breaking a paradigm here. I was up on a 6 foot ladder finishing drywall not more than a half hour ago. And I was jamming to AC/DC. Somehow that image just doesn't fit with my picture of a grandma. Oh well, I guess Autumn will learn to love me as I am, and not as I "should" be. Instead of cookies it will be frappacinos from Starbucks. Instead of playing the piano we'll be painting anything and everything. Instead of only seeing her at holidays we'll be hanging all the time. Instead of Glenn Miller- who I love btw, it will be anything from AC/DC to Casting Crowns or the Boston Pops, and everything in between, well except rap- haven't ever developed a fondness for that.

I went to Florida last month with my "better" half- that really depends on what day of the week it is, lol. Florida in June is nice, right? Not- it rained every day- and not just a little bit. We're talking all day rain- for 5 of the 8 days we were there. Not good. I got up every day at 5 just to try and get some good snaps of the sunrise. Didn't manage to do that. But here are a couple that I took. More later. I've only got 2500 photos to go thru...

Sunrise-probably the best I saw

Ohio River

Recent photos from the flooding. I usually park on the landing right near this sign.

And this is the walkway along the top of Serpentine wall. Pretty wild.

The (Coming) End of the Road

Things I will miss about the church in Dayton:

1. Time with RW
2. Working with RW
3. the people
4. The garden
5. Baking
6. Potlucks

Things I won't miss:
1. The drive
2. The politics
3. Doing the bulletin EVERY WEEK
4. Negative comments and criticism about the above item- hey- I do it for free, week in and week out. Somebody else can step up and take the crap
5. The music- old dead people tunes DO NOT appeal to me
6. Being labeled the secretary- nothing wrong with being a secretary, but if that's what I am, well, where's the paycheck?
7. Labels- I get to be a CHRISTIAN again- no labels!!!!
8. Feeling like it's a job and not church