Some Changes

With Spring so close to being here, I have been thinking about changes.  We have a lot of changes going on around us and with us.  As I said with our Sunday drives, we see signs of new life everywhere.  We are also noting changes in our family. 

My first and favorite change to share is that the princess is now standing up and well on her way to walking and making her Mom's life more interesting.

Here she is with my baby sister, Traci, looking adorable and bearing the same mildly amused at the world expression that her Mom did at that same age.  Since I know her Mom better than I know the princess at this point, I'm hoping this does not mean, "just wait until later", like it would have with her Mom.  If her Mom was bearing this expression it usually meant she was plotting her next covert mission that she then accomplished while I tried to do insane things like pee or take a 30 second shower without her. 

Of course I am just kidding because unlike her Mom at eight months old, the princess has not yet figured out how to push the kitchen chair over to the kitchen counter where she could then somehow scale her way to the top of the fridge where the childproof capped medicine lay waiting for her to conquer! So far, Pookie seems content to pull herself up to just stand at the furniture and sing songs at the top of her lungs so I think her Mom will not be getting those paybacks we were sure would come her way after all.

 BTW, all of my sisters except one are my baby sisters and both of my brothers are my baby brothers.  I figure I can get away with this until they are fifty or so.  This particular baby sister is only two years younger than me and if she looks younger than me, that is because she is.  Just don't tell me that about my older than me by two years sister looks younger than me and it will be fine.

On to the next change.  We have been planning to go back to the Outer Banks this summer and enjoy the same fun we had there last year.  I can't even express how much I loved, loved, loved being there.  It was my favorite summer that I think I've ever had in my life.  Just magical really and exactly what I needed at the time.

Due to some of Austin's life plans and my ongoing health issues, we have decided it would be wisest for us to stay right here for now.  I have cried over this life change.  I am at peace that we are doing the right thing, but I still am sad about the thought of missing our time at the beach with people we have come to love.

As a part of that decision, we also decided to get this so we can more fully enjoy being here by doing lots of local Staycation things:

 This is an older version of a car that Nathan had when we lived in our last house.  He really enjoyed that car and he is really enjoying this car.  This is also one of the reasons behind the Sunday drives that we are now taking.  I didn't think I'd be excited about the fact it is a convertible, but I have now realized that I can do this:

 Yes, I did this with the truck all the time.  But with no top restricting me, I can take drive by shooting pictures even easier than before!  So Nathan drives with the top down feeling the wind rush by and loves it and I can snap pictures the entire time and I love it.  Life is good.  Even when it isn't exactly what we'd pick.  Changes.  Just a part of what keeps our life moving along.

We Have a House

 Yesterday I had a conversation with someone and in the midst of the conversation the other person said some things that left me in a state of being completely stunned.  They shared their view on some aspects of our life and what they believed to be true.  Now, this is just a part of life.  People spout their views and assumptions all the time.  Some more than others.

This was a person who has been around us enough, though, that I didn't realize until that conversation they did have many assumptions about us and our life that were just not true.  At all.  I started to share the truth as I see it, but then a voice inside of me said: Do.Not.Even.Try so I hit the backspace button and deleted it and just let them know I heard what they shared.

They then went on to share something they did, that I think they were sharing was the same as how we have lived for four years now, and given it was not even in the same ballpark, my brain really went on full tilt.  I'll be honest, I'm still reeling from that conversation trying to truly wrap my brain around some parts of it. 

As I was pondering it today, Dr. Phil's "you either get it or you don't and you're not getting it" popped into my head.  Sometimes we just don't get it in life.  All of us.  But then I pondered my experiences where I have wanted to get it and am starting to get it and just need a bit more information to understand it.   So while Dr. Phil might have some wisdom on that topic, I don't think it represents the whole truth.  Sometimes we are simply on our way to getting it and in between those two places.

I remembered how much research I did before we decided to be full timers.  I remember how it took us about two years from the time we first considered it, until we really did it.  And I needed, desperately needed in fact, to hear how it really worked.  I wanted to get it.  I just needed others to be willing to share the nitty gritty of it all.  I needed to know this was not only possible, but what would our lives look life if we did do it.  

I had this fear that doing this might be this unstable, bizzaro world experience...one that would have me deeply regretting it.  I wondered just how much doing "this" would change everything.  We are on year four with this now and so today I understand a few things that I didn't know then.

To me, how we live our life is very simple and easy. 

We have a house.  This is what it looks like:

  To us, it is just like our last house that looked like this:

It is a place where we eat, sleep and hang out some.  No, the houses are not exactly the same.  They both served the same purposes in our lives though.  One has wheels that allows it to go with us as we move from place to place.  The other doesn't.  We sold the one because it didn't have wheels.  We bought the other because it did.  That's it. 

Other aspects of our lives are pretty much the same.  We needed love, peace, joy, community and family before.  We need those things now.  We needed food, shelter and some material goods before and we do now.  We needed income of some sort to provide those things then, and we do now.

We had a job that provided income when we lived in our last house.  And even though we had an unexpected job and income loss last year, except for three weeks in between "jobs", we have had a job that we worked to provide income since we moved into our current house.

We aren't rich.  We aren't retired.  And as much as we joked last year about maybe having to get a J.O.B., that was about us being spoiled and both being able to be home all day long with our kids while making money and today one of us leaves the house for some hours of our day to make money.  Someday both of us might have to leave our house for a few hours each day to make money.  While that is not our preference, we are mature enough to roll with that if it does happen.  That might happen no matter what kind of house we choose to live in.

We would and do pick jobs that we think would work well for us.  We think that is only fair to ourselves and our employers.  We have both been in positions of management so we get how truly awful it is for a place to have employees that aren't happy there.  So we have pretty much always done that.  Again, no difference there in our view. 

For those that are considering this lifestyle and do wonder, how does it work when you are a bit younger than the normal full timer: if you have a job that you can do from home, you most likely have a job that you can do from a home with wheels-even if you do move around with that house.  Yes, you might have to figure out what is necessary to do so, but isn't that true of any job?  Jobs with insurance are available to both.  Jobs that don't have insurance are available to both.  

If we want to settle down meaning stay in one place, we will and more importantly, we can.  We are doing that now in fact.

If we want to move around, we can.  

We don't think that limits our options because we have done the math and when you have a house that will allow for both, we think that means that increases your options.  In this economy, we think it is a smart choice to increase your options as much as possible.  If we were in a different field of work, this might not apply.  We trust most adults to be able to tell the difference between the two.  We believe we know the difference between the two.  If we didn't, we would not have been able to live for four years on the road.    

Even when I thought I'd try this for a year, we did not do this to get a vacation.  We did not want or need to escape our "life", even if for a season, so there was no need for a vacation.  We had a goal long before doing this to not live a life that we needed a vacation from.  We reached that goal long before we ever did this.

We did this to take our life that we already enjoyed and moved it to this space to continue to enjoy it.  We hoped we would more fully enjoy it.  I have shared time and time again, we just took our life we already had on the road.  And for the most part, it really is that simple.

We did want less of some things (stress, material goods and working hard to maintain those material goods) and wanted more of other things (time with our kids and each other) and we wanted to see our country up close and personal and learn tons while doing so. 

In many ways, even though we took our life on the road, we do live a very different life today.  But it still isn't so much that we strive to not live our old life.   

It's that we fully immerse ourselves in our new one.  And in doing so, we have in fact experienced a whole new way of living, being and interacting with each other and the world than we did before.  Wouldn't it be wise to do that no matter what your circumstances though? 

For us, we took the route that worked for us because of who we are.  We have seen others leap and do this in ways that would have struck terror in my heart.  We have seen others do it in ways that we deeply admire and still it would strike terror in my heart to do the same.

We do what works for us today.  We see others doing the same.  My guess is both of us are pretty much the same people we were before and both of us have grown and changed  in some ways since.  Again, I think that is true of people that live in houses too.  It really is that simple.

Friends and Their Place in Our Life

This is a picture of our friends that visited us, on top of Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.  I have to give a sincere thanks to them for their visit with us.  We had such a wonderful, wonderful time with them.  We truly just soaked up every minute we were them.  It was interesting, it was easy to just spend time chatting about our lives with them and they were such grateful company when we extended even the slightest things their way.  They honestly were just a joy to be around and we felt lucky to have them as guests.  When they thanked us as they left, we said it was our privilege and we meant it.

Now that we have had the craziness of the hurricane, we see all the more how important our time with them was.  They brought such joy and peace to us, and that carried us through our evacuation and the days to follow.

It has me pondering the role that friends hold in my life.  The older I get, the more I realize that I get by not with just "a little help from my friends", but rather I get by with a lot of help from my friends.  This past winter, I really realized that.  While going through what we did, it gave me the gift of analyzing exactly what friendship is to me.  It gave me the chance to evaluate what I want from my closest friends and why it was necessary to ask for that from someone that is a close friend of mine. 

Barb has played a significant role in all of this for me.  While I was sorting through one friendship in particular this past winter and sharing it all with Nathan, he wasn't quite understanding clearly what I was explaining to him.  During this same time we met up with Barb and John for a few hours in Florida and as we left he said, I can see now why you are so frustrated with that friendship.  Barb and your friends like her have spoiled you.  They are such good friends to you, why would you want to settle for something that is so much less than what they are willing to give you?

And he was exactly right.  I have friends like Barb that have set a higher standard in my life than I would have asked for myself, and they have shown me that I don't have to settle for friends that are only there when things are happy and fun if I don't want to.  I am so grateful for that.  It doesn't mean I don't still love the other friends in my life, just that I don't want to put as much time and energy there at this point in my life.

He said he was in awe at how well Barb knows who I am and how supportive she is of me being..well, me.  I agree.  I hope I give the same to her in return. Because at the end of the day, isn't that all you can really hope for in a friend-that they work at knowing the real you and appreciating the real you?  Not to say my friends like Barb don't speak up when truth needs to be spoken to me.  They do.  Boy, do they sometimes!  And they still love me and stick by me even then.  Because I trust how much they do know me, I trust their input.

They also let me share honestly with what I see in their life without taking offense, even if they disagree.  If something is a big deal to one of us, we don't downplay that or try to talk them out of seeing it that way.  We let it be what it is to them.  If someone is sad or depressed, we honor that as much as much as if they were happy and full of joy.  We work at adjusting our behaviors where who we are is spilling over onto each other in ways that hurt or cause stress for the other, while still remaining true to who we are.  And this particular group of women that I am talking about has managed to do this for about a decade now.  I hope we are still there for each other for many more decades. 

I value friendship far more than I ever did when I was younger.  I wonder if that won't continue to be more and more true the older I get.  I hope so, because when a friendship is a good one, it is a rare and precious thing.

Thank you, my friend, and all of you women in this particular circle of my friends.  You all rock!

These Are Our People

In editing more pictures of Willie Nelson tonight, I realized something.  When you attend an event like this, you are truly sharing the experience with a bunch of strangers for the most part.  Yet, by the end of your time together you have a special bond just from sharing that experience together.  It's a neat way to share something with other people who are like you in some way.  After all, you wouldn't be there if you didn't share a common interest.

We are music people.  I came from a music loving family and married a music loving guy.  Each and every one of our children loves music.  It's just one of our things.  I couldn't imagine not loving music.  I couldn't imagine a world without music.  It's almost as essential to me as air to have music in my world.  Ok, that might be an exaggeration but I do know I get cranky when I don't get enough music in my daily life.

(Hey Hey Good Looking...Whatcha Got Cooking.....)

Not all of our friends love music.  Some of them don't even begin to understand our love for music.  It's not something we share with just anyone and everyone.  And we're ok with that.  But there is something nice about arriving at a concert and knowing: these are our people.  We just feel at home with these people.

(Mama Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys)

We are people who are moved by music.  We know some music just demands that you react to it in physical ways.  Music is a part of our love language for example.

(You Were Always On My Mind)

 

Music moves us to dance.  Like a crazy fool even.  Because you just have to.   It's just not optional!

(If You've Got the Money Honey...I've Got the Time...)

Music brings us joy like nothing else on this earth can.  And this applies to the young and the old.

(I'll Fly Away)

It moves us to do other things too!

(Why Don't We Get Drunk and....Wait...Wrong Concert!)

 I'm assuming most of the people at the concert are pretty similar to us in this way, or they wouldn't be here.  So that would explain why we are all consumed with what is going on while we are here.

Or most of us are consumed with what is going on while we are here.

Some of us think it's so great, it needs to be recorded and shared with others that were not so fortunate!

You gotta love technology!

So grateful to be able to soak up the music goodness with other music loving nuts.  For the rest of you, we'll just have to wait until you join the club!  We'll make room for you when you do get here!

(Cute, cute, and more cute!)

Living the life in Florida!

Project 365~Jan 21

Go this way...no this way...Sandhill Cranes again.  Do you think this is a married couple?  I know that I often feel this way as half of a married couple.  More often than I'd like to admit, we are each trying to go our own way and do our own thing.

I work with a woman that has been married 53 years and has told me more than once that they both give and take.  They both try to help the other get what they need.

It has had impact on me that she has reminded me of this simple marital truth.  Even with all we've faced lately, we've tried to keep that truth in mind.  We've tried not to turn on each other in the midst of our pain and anger.  And we've done pretty darn well at it, if I can be so bold as to brag on us.  I'm glad because otherwise I'd be feeling like a total schmuck now that things are looking up.  Instead I'm able to high five Nathan and feel at peace with how I navigated that storm with him.

But we both know that doesn't mean tomorrow we might be at odds over the smallest, dumbest thing again.  I might be going this way and he might be wanting to go that way (and not simply following me!).  We'll figure it out though.  We'll keep at it until we do.  Because we want to make it to 53 years and counting too.

Waiting to Exhale

After holding our breath for what felt like far too long, we were able to exhale yesterday.  Nathan went on a job interview for a job he really, really wanted and they hired him.  I didn't realize how much I was even holding it in until he called me to tell me the news.  You know how it is when you are going through something rough and you are just putting one foot in front of the other to get through it...and then there is a point where the fullness of it hits you.  That was us yesterday.

So while I'm thrilled, I'm also feeling flooded with other emotions at the same time.

It's not just the "we are worried about finances" that had us feeling so emotional.  We've had a year, or maybe more like the last six months, where we felt some of those closest to us in life promised things and then didn't deliver.  Things that ended up costing us in some pretty significant ways.  Ways that the other people just didn't seem to grasp no matter how much we shared our view of the matter with them.  Ways that the people still don't grasp.

We've been slow to react to that reality, mostly because we wanted to believe the promises.  It's amazing what you'll believe simply because you wish it were so.  I read somewhere during that time that it is painful to face your character flaws when you see them and it is also painful to face the character flaws in those closest to us.  So it was some of that.  And it doesn't matter who it was or what it was because it could be anyone and anything that happened because stuff like this does happen.  It's just life stuff...stuff that happens when you are human and have relationships with people.  But still painful.  Really, really painful.

On the other hand, during that same time period we had people extend themselves in ways that I'm still humbled (and to be honest-uncomfortable) with.  There has been a level of graciousness and just pure love that we weren't looking for from the people and yet it is exactly what we needed to still believe in the overall goodness of mankind.  Some of the people are our pickleball friends and some are the people we've just met that work here.  People that weren't just concerned about how we'd make it, but did something about it until we did find our way again.  I didn't want to stay put at this park but it ended up being exactly where we were supposed to be for now.  So it's been ok...actually it's been amazing.....just weird.

I'd love to just be sunny about it because it is REALLY great news.  I'm grateful in ways that I can't even express in words.  Yet, I feel the knot in my shoulders from the stress tonight so it wouldn't be completely honest to just say YAY and not be real about the parts that are hard. 

It's life...we'll find more solid footing again and we know that it will be ok in the end.  In the meantime, I'm doing some deep breathing to release the tension and trying to wrap my brain around the reality that we had exactly what we've been waiting for arrive yesterday.  Wrapped up in the most beautiful bow and delivered just in time.

Living the life!

Fall Produce

We've been in fresh produce heaven since we arrived in Holley.  I can walk across the street to the above produce stand and that's just one of many in this area.  I'm taking advantage of the bounty and trying to do some batch cooking to make some home cooked goodness that we can eat now and freeze some for later.

Normally I take time each morning to have some quiet time.  I do many different things during this time.  It doesn't matter so much what I do, just that I have some quiet time that is good for me and gets me to be a bit more centered before I face the day.  The part that is consistent is that I take this time to stop and be mindful of things I am grateful for so I call it my Gratitude Walk, even if I'm not walking while doing it. 

With all the prepping I've been doing for the cooking, I've used this as my quiet time.  Interestingly enough, it has also been easy for me to do some pondering of things I'm grateful for too while handling all the fresh fruits and veggies.  While cooking is not one of my favorite things to do, I do find that I like it so much more when I am using whole foods.  It is something that I am in awe of each time I do handle them.  I can't help but be aware of the fact that the earth gives us these precious gifts and that whole process is just spectacular in its own way.  I think of all of the parts that go into the process in order for food to grow from seed to maturity.  Food that nourishes us with its life giving properties and tastes so wonderful to boot.  Yesterday I was chopping tomatoes and realized it just feels as if each time I do come in contact with this kind of food in this way, I am literally pulling up a chair to God's table to eat.

 So what goodies have I managed to cook up this week?  Two batches of bolognese sauce, (Mira gave me her recipe for the Bolognese Sauce which is similar to Pastor Ryan's), two batches of marinara sauce, two batches of chunky vegetable spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, a huge batch of chili, fried apples like Cracker Barrel makes, apple dumplings, apple crisp, apple butter, applesauce and coleslaw.  Nathan has made his oh so good salsa and still wants to make another huge batch.  I still have butternut squash and pumpkins to use.  I'm guessing we'll get some extras to take with us before we leave.  I'm going to miss it when we do leave, but we'll soon be back in Florida where we can get year round fresh produce again. 

Now if I could just find a way to get someone else to clean up the mess after I cook, I might not mind this cooking stuff at all!

Living the life in New York!

Why Bangs Are Not the Answer and Other Rambling Thoughts!

A word to the wise:  Just because you are PMS'ing and your hair is not cooperating...grabbing the scissors to take care of the problem might not be a great idea.  If you are wondering if there is a story behind this, yes, there is.  The other day my niece wanted me to wear a ponytail in my hair like hers.  Once I put my hair up, I decided too much of my face was showing in relationship to my hair...so I grabbed the scissors and gave myself bangs.  Which might not have been a terrible thing...except for the past couple of months I've been growing my bangs out and they were finally at the point I wanted them to be.  To add to the insanity of my actions, my second thought after "oh crud..what did I just do?" was...I guess I'll just have to wear my hair in a ponytail more often.  Mind you, I hate my hair in a ponytail.  I've decided that PMS is a monthly opportunity for women to stay humble. 

Why am I sharing all of this?  Because I'm stuck in the library trying to download movies to keep the boy entertained on our next drive.  Well, that is one reason.  The other is that I want my kids to know that no matter how old I get, sometimes I still chose a long term solution to a short term problem.  And if you are wondering why I want my kids to know that...there is a story behind that too.

Recently one of my kids was sharing a phone conversation with me and I was sympathizing because it sounded like something I'd hate.  They told me no...it was good for them.  HUH???? was my reaction and they went on to explain that they realized from the conversation that some things are universal problems no matter how old you are...and that was comforting to them.  They no longer felt so alone that they were there themselves.  So kids, if you do dumb things even when 42...remember that Mom once cut her bangs to make nice with a 5 year old...and know that you are not alone!  Know that sometimes we do really dumb things that have long term consequences and that while it was may be dumb, it is also just being human.  Oh, and remember that no matter what the problem-bangs are not the answer!

The other reason I wanted to share this is because this week I was given an unexpected gift.  One of my children sent me a letter thanking me for some of my life/parenting choices and the positive impact it had on them.  I was so stunned that I didn't even know what to make of it.  I couldn't tell if it was sarcasm or was genuine at first because this is a kid who I get the impression doesn't think I get many things right in life.  I realized then that sometimes all my rambling is perhaps not just rambling, but they might actually be grabbing a thing or two along the way.  Now, I've learned to say less...much less...with my kids.  I've worked hard on trying to just be with them, rather than direct them and preach at them every minute of the day.  I've learned to trust in my living what I believe to be the best parenting tool of all.  There are still times though that I ramble here or there or in person, because there are still words I want to say.  It's nice to know they are hearing some of them.

So thank you to the kid who shared how they felt less alone and reminding me that being honest about all of life has value and thank you, thank you, thank you to the kid who shared their heart and made mine swell with joy this week.  And thank you to the five year old who I love enough to be suckered into wearing a ponytail (I'll take credit for the dumb actions that followed) because I was reminded that sometimes love means doing things you wouldn't do otherwise.

Life is good...and my hair is not.  That seems about right in the great balance of things so I'm at peace with it.  For today at least.

Eye to Eye With Nature

As I was editing more pictures of us feeding the elk, I noticed how often we were making eye contact with the animals.  I thought to myself that this is probably part of why it touched us so much to interact with them.  There is just something so profound about looking animals in the eye and having them return the favor.

Springfield VT to Jefferson OH

Today we drove about 540 miles to our new destination.  It took us about 11 hours to get there.  We drove through New York, and the scenery was gorgeous.  I still was not a fan of being in the truck that long.

Normally I try to catch up on my scrapbooking while we drive, but today I was trying to read instead.  That only lasted so long before I was ready for something else though.

Luckily, I have the boys to entertain me.  They shared interesting fun facts with me.  Like Memaw has mint Tums in the glove compartment of her car.  So anytime Austin has a tummy ache, headache or heartache she can fix what ails him.  Given Memaw's vast personal pharmacy, it does not surprise me that she has Tums in her car.  But mint?   I had no idea they made mint tums.  Good to know!

Austin just returned from a visit with Daryl and Diana, so he filled us in on all the comings and goings with the family.  They had a family get together while he was there, so he had lots to share.  He told us about a house that Daryl and Diana want to buy, so we looked online at pictures of that.

Aric shared his talent in taking my brother Steven's songs and remaking them Weird Al style.  Or maybe that should be Weird Aric style.  For example, one of the lines in a song as originally written is: You've got me locked inside your prison, and I hate everything you do.  Aric's version was something like: You've got me locked inside your freezer, and I am slowly turning blue.  (Forgive me guys if I have either one of those lines incorrect.  I'm going by memory and I'm kind of oldish now so my memory comes and goes)  Aric fully entertained us for some time with his brilliance in this area.  Ah, my kids are nothing if they are not creative. 

The very best of all for this particular trip was a conversation about Austin's now bald head and the moles the shaving of hair revealed.  Austin asks how bad it looks that the bulging one shows.  Aric:  It doesn't look bad from far way.  But up close it's scary.  It looks like it's giving me the stink eye.

 It just doesn't get any better than that kind of live improv that they have going on.  Not to mention, that there is a certain interaction with brothers that is fascinating to me.  That would be one great example of how guys relate that is totally different than girls.  It is hysterical to me to listen to, and as a girl I know I'd be horrified if my sister said that to me.  We are more likely to say, the mole...nah, it hardly shows at all.  Let me get some concealer out of my purse and see if I can make it go completely away though.

I love having boys for so many reasons but one of my favorite reasons is that on days like this, they make my life so much better. 

Living the life while driving through pretty New York!

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

My friend Patti asked me this past week if I ever fall in love with some of the cute small towns and want to stay there.  We get asked things along those lines quite a bit.  The short answer is yes I do fall in love and no I don't want to stay there.  Because I want to move on and see the other cute small towns too.

There's more to it than just that though.  I had been chewing on this very topic for a blog post when she wrote to me.  Because I'd been pondering how surprised I am that I still get emotional when we leave a place.  I get attached and do fall in love and am always sad to be saying goodbye.  Part of it is just my personality, meaning I hate saying goodbye.

The other part is that there is just something so uniquely endearing about each and every place we visit.  Each place has a way of worming itself into our hearts.  We find some good there.  We find something we admire there.  We find something that is beautiful there.  We find people that inspire us there.

 That might sound really cheesy to those that haven't experienced this way of living and seeing the world.  It might sound like someone who says they still love every girl/boyfriend they ever had.  Really though, it is quite a bit like all of the relationships one has.  There is always some downside or something that is snark worthy, and trust me we do our share of those observations when visiting.  We are human after all.  Like past loves though, there is always something that touched your heart and becomes a part of you when you live in a place.  Even if you do only live there for a week or two.

So yup, I sure do fall in love and as impossible as it might sound-not sometimes.  Every time.  It's a pretty amazing thing to me even two years later.  I hope I never become jaded in this area, because it's a pretty cool part of this journey.

Living the life in our beautiful country!

Williamsburg From My Window

I was sharing with my friend Laurie that I have only used my camera one day this month.  I knew she would get the symbolism there.  I've not went more than three days without having my camera out since we hit the road.

To put it bluntly, I've been in a serious funk.  No one thing led to this funk.  Rather it was a combination of things: regretting our decision to stay here so many weeks instead of traveling, facing some realities about some of the relationships in my life,  facing some stuff about myself and my role in those relationships, grieving the imagined loss of some things if we stay put in one place and dealing with bored men.  Oh, and the dog smells really bad and needs a bath but she hates baths so we haven't tackled it yet.  Since I'm hyper-sensitive to icky smells, that alone would be enough to put me in a funk.

So I knew I had to make myself take my camera with us when we went out today.  I'm so glad I did.  It was exactly what the doctor ordered.

There is hardly a town that could soothe my soul more than this one.  It's just lovely in that All American sort of way.  There are the parts that are more widely known about Williamsburg parts.  Like this section that is blocked off so no cars can drive there.  It makes it so nice to walk around.

There are also the not so widely known things, that are still really neat to look at.

As much as I enjoy seeing where people play, this time I focused on where people live.  Because as much as I have no desire to live in a house myself , I am still touched by the human element of people and their houses.  I find myself thinking, this is where someone lives.  This is where they share their lives together.  This is where a family is being made.  This is where people let down their masks and honest and raw exchanges take place.  It's where love and hate and all of the other range of emotions are displayed.  It's where wounds are made and wounds are healed.  It's pretty powerful stuff if you think about it.

It did me good to ponder such things today.  I feel lighter for it.  I'll share more tomorrow.

Living the life in Virginia!