Holidays are good!

Good Evening, or whatever is the best greeting to you, in your part of the world!

We arrrived back fresh from Pasley earlier in the afternoon; and will be returning tomorrow for the next couple of weeks.

A good time was had by all; ourselves and our out of town friend. We all felt we had been away for months! LOL! Until we hit the bit traffic in the city today. Back to tid reality and fumes.

Things worked out better for us, re: coming back today; inasmuch as returning later this week prior to the busy start of a long weekend. We have done our banking / bills, laundrey, watering of plants etc. Tomorrow, we will repack and shop for our 2 week R & R. As I mentioned in a recent post, we will be having a full house up there; lots of happy moments to look forward to.

Also, I am a bittid more comfortable in using our digital camera; however, the credit goes to our out of town friend who shared a wealth of tidbit info with me, on how to download the photos to the computer! Hence, these 3 are authentic! The top photo is of our Blueheeler, in the water 'herding' some Canada Geese, who just before sunset, pick our beach for resting, nesting, and nourishment. Blue is becoming quite the 'water dog!' He will be swimming before too long! The second photo is a picture showing the magnificent sunset to the right of our bay; and the other photo is from our deck, overlooking our bay. Perhaps you can see the large old stump on the beach!

Our dear Blue is exhausted; he had a few doggie friends that came by; and they chased each other round and round! Plus running after and retrieving sticks! We saw soaring eagles, swooping right down to the water for their salmon; deer munching contentedly, mink, seals; all very lovely and peaceful.

We even had a bittid of a rescue operation last night. A kayacker was tipped over in his kyack in our bay; and because of the strong undercurrents / tides etc, he had to swim in the cold water, with the kyack. Fortunately, there were 4 others with him. They landed on our beach; and 2 of the 4 kyacks were left behind for them to come back and land portage them to their location. They are one of the families on the island; however, it was a tidbit of a fright, when it first happened. Plus, it was sunset and the ocean was 'freshening up', higher waves, sea breeze etc.

Tidbit - When you have a chance to enjoy a 'holiday', forget everything else and just 'chill out'. We ended up having the best sleeps; inhaling all that wonderful ocean air!

Bittid - Appreciate learning new things. ie picture taking and downloading them; or whatever you joyfully experience!

Here is wishing you a nice couple of weeks.

God Bless.

Have a nice weekend!

Good Afternoon or whatever is the best greeting to you, in your part of the world.

My aplogies for yesterday - ie no blog...We had an unexpected houseguest arrive; so have been tied up a bit with him, our business etc. I still am not feeling up to par with my eyes; however, things are on the tid mend.

Am leaving within the hour for Pasely; our houseguest is coming with us; and we will be back this Monday, stay here overnight, pick up supplies; and return to Pasley the following day for 2 weeks. Looking so forward to spending some wonderful R & R time there! My children, their children, and friends will be staying with us; so it will be a full and fun household! And of course, our Blue will be with us; enjoying the freedom. Love the above photo taken of him!

Here is wishing you a good weekend!

Tidbit - Wear protective sun gear; particularly from the ocean's etc. reflection.

Bittid - Enjoy!

God Bless.

Back from the Doctor

Hi, am back for a moment.

Went to the doctor; I do not go out of my way to see him unless totally necessary; but I feel relieved for having done so.

Long story made short; I have an infection on my outside eyeballs (not within the eyes - which is good!). Hence, the 'poofy puffy eye ball look'! LOL! He feels it is a reaction to a 'cosmetic' cream. Now that I think about it, I did put a different sunscreen / protective cream on, and that may have been it. The doctor suggested no eye wear for the time being; until things clear up. Well, fortunately, I do not wear eye cream or whatever; the odd bit of a black mascara lash; but nothing else around the eyes. So, that makes a tid of sense. I normally would have not used that spare cupboard cream; but I had run out of my usual; which is on order and should be arriving momentarily. I told the Doctor, that I looked as if I was the 'perfect candidate' for eye lift cosmetic surgery!' LOL! He laughed and agreed! LOL! However, I will never ever have that done; good on others; and if they have no reoccuring problems, great. A few of our friends, have had a little tweak here and there - eyes mainly; and unfortuantely, you can tell. The eyes are 'wandering', look different; out of balanced proportion. So, I am going to not touch a thing; and just appreciate aging gracefully. However, it does help to be 'young at heart', being 'calm and happy' within, and enjoying a positive outlook on life. Stuff that is 'negative' or drains you, just focus on the positives instead. I guess that was a tid of a tidbit.

Also, my Doctor just remarried; he is in his late 60's! I wished him all the best and much happiness to them both, from Alan and I; and he BEAMED literally! When he smiles, he has such a happy kind smile! He knows about 'grapevines'; however, I said, 'forget about any negative stuff, just enjoy your lives together; and again, way to go!' He heartily agreed; perhaps his day was made a bittid better with my tidbit comments! He is not my favourite type of guy; but he was completely taken aback by my genuine congratulations. And as I said to Alan, I may have 'misjudged him' (we have had our fair share of 'battles' over the years) a tid. And perhaps, he has been 'transformed' or 'softened' by finding a bit of happiness again. We are happy for him! Be happy for others' good fortune and happiness. I guess that is another bit of bittid.

One tidbit thing I did forget to include in the previous post, was that I asked for someone closer to my age. For 14 years, I had dated someone 5 years younger (people occasionally upon introduction, would ask him if he was my Dad; I always thought that was quite hilarious!) Apart from 'playing the field' (which I was weary of), I also briefly dated someone 10 years older. Well, this time, I asked for closer in age and presto! As I mentioned earlier, I asked Him for the 'specifics' and He gave me the 'specifics!' I still ended up marrying a younger man! LOL! Six months younger. However, my Dad was 11 months younger than my Mum and they looked great together.

Well, we have a few projects / appointments to tidy up, before we leave on Friday afternoon; and this tid 'eye thing' has slowed me down a wee bit; thus not a lot of stuff being accomplished today. So inasmuch as tomorrow is the day that everything will be happening, methinks I am going to go and 'chill out' in preparation.

And once again, it is our Blue's 4th Birthday. I love the above photo image of him; and that is how he still looks today! HAPPY AND CONTENT! We are so Blessed to have him in our lives. Happy Birthday Blue! Also, we will be singing to him 'Happy Birthday' when we serve his special dinner tonight! LOL!

God Bless.

Our Answer to Prayer

Good Afternoon, or whatever the best greeting is to you, in your part of the world.

Today is Blue's birthday; instead of 3 years, he is a 4 year young 'puppy'. Plus, my daughter's husband proposed to her on this date, a year after they met. It was pretty much like Alan and I - quite quickly. Plus my twin niece and nephew are 11 years today. Kind of a neat day!

Have picked up a bit of an allergy, methinks; as both eyes are very swollen; to the point when I was out last night, I wore sunglasses. I only wear sunglasses when necessary; however, the glasses were most beneficial! LOL! Just made a Doctor's appt for 2:00 pm today; you do not fool around with your eyes.

Today, am going to write a bittidz on 'Our Answer to Prayer'. You can refer to various tidbitz posts for background if you wish; ie 'Let it Go' Dec 3/07; June 10/08; and June 11/08. Perhaps, this will be of encouragement to you, or some others that you know.

To recap a bit, the 14 yr relationship tragically ended in the fall of 2000, plus I had pneumonia; and in a tid, I have experienced better times. However, made it through; and the previously mentioned posts, can give you more 'Cole's Notes'.

Now Our Answer to Prayer. It was on a Sunday night in June/02 (approx June 5th); and it was later in the evening from my bed, when 'all of a sudden'; I spoke out loud, as, in the form of a Prayer? No one was more surprised than me! I was lying there; and I was stating strongly, "You know, I am 52 years young; and I would like to get married again! I know there is someone out there for me. Lord, I am going to ask you for Your help; and also for my earth Dad's input". (I never really followed my Dad's advice; (some expressions, yes) so this was, indeed, most unusual? Hmmmmmm.) I had made a few other 'requests' along with a few single females from time to time; 'visualizing' whatever; but this was DIFFERENT.

I started by saying, "THIS IS WHAT I DON'T WANT!" ie no 'fence sitters', no wimps, not a 'yes' man (my Dad was never a 'yes' man; he was a leader; and he was most efficient in whatever he did). I went on to say that "I want someone to genuinely love me; and to love me more than I love them". (Do not mistake me there; I would love genuinely back too; but I wanted the 'old fashioned way'; whereby the man does the chasing, the pursuing, the courtship, the whole 9 yards). I also stated, "I do not want to be the one, that always GIVES; I want to RECEIVE". Then I went right into the description that would apply to my tastes. ie "Dark hair, blue eyes, handsome, intelligent, a good sense of humour, an athelete, 6 ft or more...how about 6'1"?". "For all I know, he could be from the Highlands of Scotland, he could be like a 'Braveheart'. (To me, that says much). I did not ask for wealth or for a non smoker; not this time; I asked for QUALITY / Character. I was in earnest. And, I asked my Dad for his help too; because I wanted his positive assurance / reinforcement. I also asked to have the type of wonderful relationship both my parents had enjoyed with one another; my Dad adored my Mum; and she him. He always treated her like a 'Queen'.

As mentioned earlier, we have the makings of an outstanding screen movie; and it involves the history, the families, espionage, adventure, AND the parallel love stories. This post is very brief as it is meant to be as an encouragement to those who want an 'Answer To Prayer'.

When I met Alan for that bittid of a moment, little did I know the rest would be history. Going back to my Prayer, I ended it by saying,"Well, Lord, if you have someone out there, great; I believe there is someone out there, that will love me for me, unconditionally; however, if that is not in Your Plan, fine. But I am READY. I surrender it all to You; and Thank you". The tidbit being; that I was 'Ready' and I surrrendered it all to Him. As a tid aside, I was not wishing to get married for the sake of being 'Mrs. Married'; it had to be with the 'right' person; period; otherwise forget it!

I met Alan on the Tuesday (June 7th approx). After a few weeks of us going out, Alan shared some 'stuff' with me. ie his Prayer. He was (is) a Christian; and so he Prayed many a time to Him. This particular time, he threw in at the end of his Prayer, that "By the way, send me my woman". Also, Alan said, "I want someone to RECEIVE, because I can GIVE much". Guess when Alan said his Prayer? The SAME Sunday night! I believe there are NO bit coincidences. Please forgive the brevity (we do have a lot of meat) but suffice to say, that we both had our PRAYERS ANSWERED. Alan proposed to me on August 10th, and we married on Dec 10th; the same day as my parents' wedding; so it is all that much more special and meaningful to us.

At the time (June/02) both of us were faced with financial challenges (Alan from 911, a few things went sideways for him; and me, as a single Mum). And my Dad always told me, "NEVER JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVERS". I am so thankful that I followed by Dad's wisdom there. That is so richly true. Alan had long hair; (now he has cut it; his choice), and that was not necessarily the type of guy I would seek out. However, I was not seeking him out; it just 'HAPPENED'; on the 'Way to the Forum' - change it....'On the Way to the Baseball Field'. At the time, it was most interesting the 'concerns' that 'so called friends' had of our blooming relationship. There were some, who were disingenuous towards us; and we / they know who they are. I find now, that those that point fingers, or have their 'concerns' (because of a)b)c)reasons) are projecting their own inadequacies, insecurities, fears, hurts, jealousies, etc. And, as I mentioned in a recent post or two, 'Same S - - T different day'; is still very applicable today. There are some who had their queries, however, have come to appreciatively know Alan and I; and are genuinely happy for our happiness. This is really the way it should be!

If someone meets the 'right' person, be happy for them; end of story. When my parents met, fell in love, married (yes, there was a war on), they also had 'fingers pointed at them'; and my Mum shared with us, that 'these certain people' would tell her that 'it would never last'. Well, she and Dad proved them wrong. They had one of the greatest love adventures of the century! Little did my Mum know that when Dad asked her to dance at one evening military function, that she would be waltzing the rest of her life with my Dad; and they, never looked back. She did add, 'he looked so very handsome and dashing in his uniform!' When I asked my Mum, 'who were 'those' negative people who criticized you and Dad?' Her reply was much like ours....'Same S - - T different day'; which rather amused us. In short, 'those certain people' continued to live out sour and empty lives; primarily as single people. Mum and Dad just ignored them and their untruths, moved on; and enjoyed genuine friendships; which is what life is all about. When my Mum first met Alan (I was totally surprised!), when she outrightly said, "You have nice feet, and you smell nice". She adored Alan; and he her; and my Mum often said that Alan was just like my Dad; and that Dad and he would have been great friends. And, we know that would have been so.

So for those of you, who want to try Praying to Him, have a genuine and open heart. He is there to help you; all you need to do, is just invite Him in; and He will provide the rest; as in An Answer to Your Prayer.

And Charles Price is right on with what he was sharing about Marriage this past Sunday. His message in turn, encouraged me to write the TRUTH and to be of an uplift to others.

Alan and I have found that we have accomplished a lot together; and we are a wonderful team, with many a dream to embrace. We have much to be thankful for, Our Individual Prayers, were ANSWERED; right to the T. I was most 'specific'; and He simply supplied the 'specifics'. We are grateful for our Blessings of each and every day.

Tidbit - 'Dream Big, and Come Boldly Before Him'.

Bittid - Praise Him In ALL Things.

God Bless.

Cooler Tuesday

Good Afternoon or whatever is the best greeting to you, in your part of the world!

The past morning has been cooler and overcast; however we are finding this change of weather most refreshing to us and to our tidbit garden / patio! It is supposed to be sunny and warm later this afternoon; which will be great again! I seem to have 'picked up' a tid of an allergy. My eyes are extremely 'puffy' and I resemble a bit of a 'poof doll' at the moment. LOL!

It was a very quiet bittid morning; you would think it is summer, with people being away on their vacations! We are leaving for Pasley this Friday afternonn. We most likely will be returning for a day sojurn next week, to attend to our banking needs, as well as to replenish our supplies, before returning to our Bohemian island retreat. We will be doing the bulk of our shopping tomorrow; and the fresh produce, poultry / meats, we will pick up on route to the ferry. Keeping things simple is best.

Tidbit - Be thankful for your Blessings; and Praise Him In All Things; each and every day.

Bittid - Live one day at a time; makes life a lot simpler and more enjoyable.

Love the above photo; taken 2 yrs ago, of our wonderful 'puppy', Blue. You may have seen an earlier blog / post picture of him, playfully being alert in the Pasley grass. Our Blue will be 4 years young tomorrow; or 28 years in dogtime; and he looks 'just the same'!

God Bless.

Monday morning insights

Good Morning, or whatever is the best greeting to you, in your part of the world.

This am, is an absolutely gorgeous summmer picture. And eventhough, we love Pasley (and can hardly wait to return this Friday), it is nice to be home too! Am sure you can appreciate being 'home'.

Am certainly not telling anyone what to do (ie marriage); but what Charles Price shared with us yesterday, are wonderful insights; which encouraged my tid thoughts re: Alan and I; and our beginnings. I have written a post (June 10/08) on how we met; and will write / blog about 'Our Answer to Prayer' in the next little bittid. Would like to say, that should anyone 'luck out' to meeting the 'right' person, do not be fearful to take a chance. Go for it! Sadly, so many do not recognize and / or take the opportunity; and it is gone, in an instant. Alan and I had approx a thirty to sixty seconds window to meet; and we are very thankful to have embraced that special moment; and we have never looked back.

When I mentioned yesterday, about those that had (and some still do) 'sour grapes' etc; it really is about their own discontent / dissatisfaction with their past situations and present lives. You may have heard the expression that 'misery loves company'; well they have not changed; and as I said, 'same S - - T, different day' is an appropriate description. Have tried to genuinely 'uplift' them, but it is 'not their time' perhaps. Timing and understanding is all so key.

And, when I write a tidbit post on 'Our Answer to Prayer', I was READY to throw it all away; and to continue to enjoy my life as a 'single' person (and there is nothing wrong with that either). And then, just like that, He Stepped in and Answered My Prayer AND Alan's. I will share that incredible story before too long with you, because it is the Truth.

Tidbit - Be with positive people; so that your energy is always productive and kind. If you feel you are being taken advantage of, 'used', manipulated, whatever comes to your mind, just move away from that 'negative stuff'; and concentrate on the positives. We all have the ability to make choices.

Bittid - He is the most positive. Seek Him out; amazing what happens!

Love the above bittidz photo image; so bright and cheerful. Am enjoying my cup of coffee that Alan brought to me this am. Have to go for now; as we have a full day. May write some tidbitz later; hope your day is a great one!

God Bless.

Good Health for Body, Mind, and Soul!

Good Evening, or whatever is the best greeting to you, in your part of the world!

We are home again! We went to Pasley on Sunday (as per the last post of July 12th) and we returned home early Friday evening and my apologies for not writing a post til now.

We had a great 5 days up there; the weather was outstanding! No complaints. In fact, I have lost about 7 to 10 pounds; due to less glasses of wine, not too many second helpings, and a good 30 min walk per day. Feels very healthy! Pasley (or whatever comes to your heart) gives you that peace of mind and solace; as you can step back and reflect and appreciate the sense of well being(from Him!). You can recharge your batteries, and be thankful for your Blessings / surroundings around you, as well as the wonderful quality of life. Keeping it tid simple is best!

The tidbit reason I have 'cut back' on food and 'libation', is that I want to gracefully and unabashadly fit into my bittid bathing suit (bikini) within the next two weeks, when our family and friends are up at Pasley. I always wear my bikini; but I know that 'less would be best' at the current moment. LOL! And, inasmuch, as I am the youngest 'grandma' on the island, I definitely want to look the part! And, we have made plans to return to our beloved Zihua later this year!

A couple of months ago (May 9th post) I had torn all the ligaments of my left ankle / foot (the second time; but on the other side this time) and thus have been 'careful'. It is mending; and for the most recent time at Pasley, our Blueheeler, Blue, and myself enjoyed a wonderful quiet walk each morning on the trail road, throughout the trees, that overlook the bays, etc. Then, I would return to a cup of coffee that my dear Alan had already brewed for me; and I would savour both the coffee and our beach / bay from our deck.

Eagles, mink, seals, Canada geese, ducklings, all sorts of boatlife & wildlife - fantastic! And our Blue loves playing with / chasing the deer; he even runs and 'hops' like them! LOL!! A writer's / artist's haven / paradise, we think on this private endearing island! Our thought is, that we will be writing our script for our movie from there. We can hardly wait to return; although it is refreshing to be home for a bit. We have been recovering / 'chilling out' from chilling out.

Yesterday found us doing bittidical 'stuff' that had to be attended to; and we happened to run into one of our neighbours in the shopping mall. Long tidbitz story made bittidz short, they invited us over for drinks later in the afternoon. We stayed almost 4 hours!!! Where or where, did the time go! Alan enjoyed one beer; and I was able to make my good sized glass of white wine last; eventhough we were offered generous refills. You certainly receive the full bouquet of wine, when it is in a large glass. Each and every unit in this complex where we live, is unique and different. Quite interesting to see the personal touches that are put into one's home. Their house is lovely; huge patio; makes ours look like a minow; however, 'home is where the heart is', so they say.

Am 'sticking to my guns'; I know what it will take for me to shed (now quite literally) the few extra 'mooching' pounds, that have 'crept up'; and as I say, having a foot injury is not the best. However, I am rebuilding the strength in my tidbitical toes and foot; and will wear an elastomag / magnetic wrap on my ankle, when I 'power walk' the trails at Pasley.

Today, has been a 'vegging out day'; very relaxing. If you are interested in the Vision Channel with the Schullers, Hour of Power, Joyce Meyer, Enjoying Everyday Life; and Charles Price, Living Truth; please feel to check them out - either on line or the T.V. (Nov 11/07 was the start of my posts about their uplifting messages). I lay in our bed this morning, appreciated coffee brought to me by Alan, and watched the Vision Channel. The programs were /are enlightening; however, Charles offered some very interesting pieces of info re: Marriage. Very true; I agree with him totally! His sermon was provocative and thoughtful to me; as seen in my further tidbit / bittid - bittid / tidbit comments.

A tidbit / bittid, if you and your spouse / partner / significant other have queries etc, you may find it worthwhile to hear what he has to share. Understanding is huge! Interestingly, this is how Alan and I choose to conduct our lives with one another; and the happiness radiates right through us both. It SHOWS. People (some we do not even know!) come up to us and ask us 'why are we so happy?'. Well, 'when we got married, we wanted to spend time with each other; otherwise, why get married?' And, it is our second marriage; so you kind of look at things a bittid differently. That is what happened to us; as in OUR ANSWER TO PRAYER. (I know I have yet to blog further on that chance meeting).

A bittid / tidbit, if you are fortunate enough to 'click with the right someone', go for it! If you have a genuine chance of 'happiness', ignore the petty jealousies, bitterness, malice even, 'sour grapes', negative 'stuff' of 'so called friends' who imply they 'have your best interests at heart'. Unfortunately, in some cases, the envy and discontent with their own lives, is still prevalently lurking today. "Same S - - T, different day", so the saying goes; but that is their choice. So be it. If you know what is sincerely right, rise up gallantly to the happy occasion, take the gaunlet, and run fearlessly, and joyfully embrace the opportunity, knocking at your door. We still enjoy smelling the roses! Also, Charles was quite specific today.

Tidbit - Praise Him in All Things daily.

Bittid - He IS your strongest Advocate / Confidant; know that; and when you have accepted Him genuinely into your heart, He 'lives within you' forever. Everything becomes a lot simpler.

Hope you are enjoying a nice R & R Sunday. The above photo image is of a Queen Elizabeth Rose;(sse previous posts if you would like) we have 2 of the plants in our tidbit garden / patio; and we are taking immense delight in all the beautiful pink bittid blooms!

God Bless.