PENSIEVE

Red, White, Blue and YOU! What's on your Independence Day plate?

"All great change in America begins at the dinner table."
~ Ronald Reagan

How do you celebrate the Fourth of July?  What are your long-standing or newly-inaugurated traditions?  Favorite recipes, special events, or memories?  What's the most bizarre patriotic display you've ever seen? 

I'm genuinely curious; we've celebrated by watching fireworks on the beach for the past several years, but this year since high tide hits at the same time, we'll have to find another vantage spot.  And because we aren't home, we don't have a traditional meal. 

If you've posted pictures or written about your Independence Day, I'd love to hear about it!  Better yet, make it easy--just link your post!

  Kiawah Island, July 2008.  A bit of July Fourth whimsy--a happy-go-lucky balloon, waving a cheery "hello".



Harbor Town, Hilton Head Island, S.C.  May 2008.
One of the prettiest "flags" I've ever seen :).

Hitting the jackpot: when breaking your blogging break keeping a Travel Diary pays off

Have you ever thought of a GREAT title for a post, but then you sat down to write and it didn't seem like such a good idea?

When I mentally composed this post today yesterday, its working title was "I've got the 'Jelly Legs' and I need an icepack for my crotch".  It seemed positively brilliant at the time; then again, the "Gilligan's Island" theme song was blaring in my brain and crowding out all sense of reason and good taste, except instead of "...a threeee-hour tour, a threeee-hour tour" it was a "fiiiive-hour bike ride, a fiiiive-hour bike ride". 

Catchy, no?

Last year, when it rained our first few days here, I discovered all the island's wi-fi spots.  It's important to note, I had to PACK UP MY LAPTOP, GET IN THE CAR, AND DRIVE SOMEWHERE.  This year?  I had no intention of doing that, but when it was discovered we have access in our condo, to help me remember more than I would otherwise, I decided to bullet point a few highlights.

Shelly W., a blogger who recently discovered PENSIEVE and who shares my affection for all things Kiawah, commented about something I didn't know.  We decided to see if what she said was true, so we pedaled our way to the end of the earth Kiawah...and then kept going until I was certain the world IS flat and we were on our way to falling off into oblivion.  And I didn't care--my legs, well beyond sore, now had lost complete feeling.

I've always said Kiawah is a wonderful beach, but I wish it had more shells.  After 15 years of vacationing here, I discovered it's not that there are no shells...we just didn't know where to look--

Twenty-eight "dollars" and then some...!  My daughter's exact words:  "It WAS worth it!!" 

Thank you, Shelly!  I'll even forgive you the redneck-tank-top sun tan lines I'm now sportin' ;).

Seen, not heard

Well-titled (or captioned) photographs enrich the visual, or at least they add another dimension.  These titles came quickly for me, but I'm curious to hear your thoughts...!

Two-tired, to go much farther



Boogie, bored



Incoming flight

Wordless Wednesday
More wordless at 5 Minutes for Mom

I'm not really blogging, but...Travel Diary, Day 3

Monday

• Windiest week we've ever had at the beach; keeps us out longer 'cause it doesn't feel hot.
• Never has the difference between age "status" been more obvious to me--two teens (content to lounge) versus a tween (ready "to go-go-GO"!).
• First beached jellyfish sitings...YIKES!  Not that I'm in the water that much, but it makes me wary and freaked when I get in.
• Thought it was gonna be a gator-free day, but at the end of an evening bike ride, I was treated to a little one :).
• Then, when I parked my bike, Bambi and his mom leapt past me, apparently spooked by another family on bikes.  I'm convinced it's the same deer every day, I counted the fawn's spots ;).
• Nothin' like a funky burn pattern on your back to remind you a) sunscreen works; b) it can't if you forget to use it
• The Romans Bible study is going better than I expected; the kids are engaged and asking questions...lots of them.  Makes me realize, given opportunity and good teaching, they're interested. 
• Gotta have the humor, though--we found out (after reading through Chapter 2), the boys didn't realize they were circumsized!!!  They didn't quite know what they were missing!! lololol :)

Wooden...it be lovely

It hit me today a fair number of beach photographs I've taken fit Carmi's Thematic Photographic this week:  Wood.  Even though my precious is in the camera hospital, our point and shoot is rising to the occasion. 

A Long Way From Home



The end justifies the means





So close you can taste it





Where the wild things are




Creepy Trees

And because they fit the theme and I haven't had reason to post 'em before, two bonus shots--

They don't make 'em like they used to

Cross cross ties

Travel diary (a.k.a. I'm not really blogging, but....)

Saturday

• Car battery DEAD!  Resourceful hubby runs out to buy a new one, it puts us only an hour behind.  No tempers lost, a mini-miracle :).
• Huey's Restaurant is CLOSED!  Oh, the DISAPPOINTMENT!  No beignets?  Tears commence.
• Stumbled across The Majestic Diner, serving Atlantans for decades.  A kitschy little breakfast spot--a smokin' omelet and decent  crispy hashbrowns, but no beignets.  S i g h.
• 15-year-old daughter drives about three hours; no wonder I got lost reading Twilight...I NEEDED the distraction!
• Stopped at Freshfields' Newton Farms for a manic grocery experience.  BEST salsa on the planet--and you can tell by the price tag they're p r o u d of it.  And yet, we'll eat our weight in it this week.  That, and their chicken salad and shrimp salad.  This does NOT bode well for donning a bathing suit later on...!
• Driving to our condo, we passed a mother deer and her fawn!  (Kiawah is not commercialized, heavily forrested with natural vegetation.)  The little fella STILL had spots, not much bigger than a Jack Russell.  I stopped to look at it.  The car behind me honked.  I did not have nice words to say about the car behind me.
• First visit to the beach was after sunset.  Storms loomed in the distance, the wind whipped as furiously as the waves.  Lightening streaks and illumination behind clouds is just as spectacular as the fireworks show we'll see on the Fourth.
• Wi-fi courtesy of our neighbors :).

Can you tell?  I love the beach.  And, Kiawah in particular.

Headed to God's Country....

in search of

sand and shells...
sunsets and sunburned shoulders...
crashing waves and screeching gulls...
seafood and see!  food!!...
family and friends...
familiarity and tradition...
nothing and everything....

...and alligators. 

Always the allies :).

No guest posts, no pre-posts...
No contests or carnivals...

And I meant it about the 'gators--long time readers will remember my close encounter of the funnest kind:

It's one of "those" months weeks days....

So, tell me...how YOU doin'?  ;)

(OOooo...Blog Nosh is up and going, now in its third day :)!  My first pick is published...and I'm blushin' to admit I'm the only editor who re-published something of her own.  OOPSIE!  Actually, I thought we'd start this way and then move on to YOUR posts.  Please, keep sending those links to me and the other editors for your best archived posts--with so many channels, I'm sure you've got some things that need to be heard again :) ).

Three minutes

I'm sitting in the hub of our home, the kitchen, easily my favorite room in the house because it's a feast for the senses--colorful, cheery and full of life.  Scattered around my laptop is an array of papers and bills, strips of curled paper from envelopes torn, the pair of forgotten-on-my-head sunglasses I intended to leave in the car.  A quieted cell phone, a gift for a friend, and displaced chairs that should be pushed under the table sit to my left and the right.

The wall to my left is a three-paneled window, 54 squares framing our backyard.  There's a dance of yellow jackets just beyond the patio--I never noticed them dance before.  They're busy and quick and seem happy about their business--and I scribe a mental note to warn the rest of the family they're there.  I'd hate for them to discover them "by accident". 

I'm sure if I were outside, I'd hear their companion buzz; instead I hear the drone of the air conditioning unit; at the top of the stairs, I hear brothers at play.  No electronics, no fighting, just little boy conversation, unaware anyone is listening.  Their laughter dances in the air much like the yellow jackets outside.

Closer to me, I hear "The Bachelorette"; it's recorded.  My teen daughter just discovered it a few weeks ago and although she's amused and critical, she's compelled to watch the contrived love story unfold.  I suppose every girl wants to believe in fairy tales.

And, then this ordinary moment passes, like so many others before it, and I wonder will I remember "these" when they're over.

Sisterhood of the Traveling Lappies (conclusion)

Continued thoughts from SheSpeaks, a comprehensive speaking/writing/leadership conference designed to equip women to pursue their God-given calling.  Please click here to read part one.

[5]  Lysa TerKeurst.  She would never, ever, EVAH want to be put on a pedestal, but there's no way to speak about the conference without acknowledging her!  I remember Lysa's early days with P31 Homemaker, when she was publishing their newsletter from her garage!  In 15 years, this international ministry has reached millions through Lysa's books, a guest appearance on Oprah, and eight years of conferences...not to mention the hundreds (thousands?) of speaking engagements during that time, both for Lysa and other members of the P31 team.

Words flow from Lysa's lips with grace, humility, emotion and encouragement; she's a gifted speaker who never misses opportunity to magnify the name of Christ.  Above all, she was faithful to remind us that it's all about loving Him and loving others.

[4]  Awkward "Hey-I-know-THAT-blogger" moments melt into The Natural.   Because so many bloggers registered for SheSpeaks this year, they added a reception just for us.  Close your eyes and imagine walking into a full room full of people you "know" but don't know!  What is the "best" and most "proper" way to introduce yourself to someone to whom you've been reading and commenting to for months?  years, even??  Mix together a small room, sweet tea and sugary snacks?  Pretty soon you're meshing.

And, Lord help me, I started taking pictures of women's feet!  Does that sound bizarre and socially unacceptable "best" and "proper" to you???

[3]  Speaking of feet, let's go there again. Saturday night, we skipped dinner and the final session, not just to play hooky, but because several of my friends were "allergic" to seafood.  We ended up at the mall.  Dinner was less than delightful, but it wasn't about the food, it was about the friendship.  Two of my companions were Tina (Antique Mommy) and DeeDee (It Coulda Been Worse) and meeting them was a treat.  Though I've seen them around the b-sphere, apparently I was in the minority for not having already bloglined them...probably because I don't have enough blogs in my  reader.

After dinner, we wandered into a few stores.  Is this really a surprise?

Left to right:  DeeDee (It Coulda Been Worse), Missy (It’s Almost Naptime), Dawn (My Home Sweet Home), Tina (Antique Mommy) and moi; the price of those shoes totaled well over $1,000.  Insane, I tell ya.  More insane?  These:

They're a pair of Jimmy Choos and the "discount" price was almost $400; they didn't come close to being my favorite pair, either in style or comfort.  These were much closer: 

[2]  Hanging out. All the SheSpeaks sessions were helpful, inspiring and motivating, b u t, spending time with the Girlie~Qs outside of a formal setting?  Delicious!

I spent time with bloggers with whom I've never crossed paths--Missy (It's Almost Naptime), mom to FOUR, ages four and younger, and Annie (Taking a Step.  Towards My Dream)--both precious and OH-SO-YOUNG but with wisdom beyond their years; Dawn and I must have like minds, 'cause in addition to sharing a certain affection for Clooney, we signed up for identical sessions; Lisa B. and Valerie were a welcome friendly face when I needed that very thing; and hanging out with Shannon, Sophie and Melanie and talkin' "off the record" was not just fun, it was encouraging. 

   

And my #1 MOST FAVORITE HIGHLIGHT--

[1]  They weren't axe-wielding serial killers!

Sarah (Genesis Moments) and Jo-Lynne (Musings of a Housewife) crawled out on a very thin branch and invited me--A TOTAL STRANGER--to join them for the weekend.  They knew I regretted my initial decision to stay with friends almost an hour from the conference venue (with the price of gas and travel time, it didn't seem like the "good idea" it had three months ago).

Obviously, we thought we'd get along--Jo-Lynne was my competition for "Most Talkative" and actually came away the winner--but it was beyond "getting along"...friendship was born :).     Sarah and I simultaneously broke into "ta-da" moments every time someone brought out a camera...  Their company was delightful and any blogger would understand how n i c e it was to talk "all things blog" without eyes glazing over :).  And LAUGH!  OH, MY, we laughed and got along amazingly well--they travel "like me", casually.  Everything does NOT have to be perfect and I needed that. 

Oh, my word, my intention was NOT to write the LONGEST SHESPEAKS RECAP OF THEM ALL, but I might win that crown :/.  I guess this is one of the times I need to write for myself, so I can REMEMBER, ya know?

Plus, it's never too early to begin campaigning for NEXT YEAR'S "Most Talkative"  planning for NEXT YEAR'S SheSpeaks conference:  July 31-August 2, 2009 :)