pensieve.me

Day 2, Travel diary aka "I'm not really blogging, but..."

Sunday

• Buttered ourselves in sunscreen.
• Short bike ride to the beach.
• Set up chairs, ocean-side.
• Read.
• Walked along the shore. 
• Discovered a new sea creature (after all these years?  Something NEW to me??)
• Read some more.
• Packed up, back to the condo for a LATE lunch.
• STORMY weather (glad we brought our stuff back...had it been up to me, we would've left it and it would've been soaked).
• Bike ride after the rain.  First to the ocean, then inland to the Kiawah River. 
• Boys disgusted their sister because they mistook the Kiawah River for a public toilet.
• Saw several deer families, including velvet-antlered bucks.
• FIRST ALLIGATOR SIGHTING!  WAHOO!  About four-feet long! 
• Met "Thomas", a teenager who had just caught a big ol' honkin' spot-tailed bass.  He had to fight the alligator to get it up on the dock.  Thomas won.  B I G.  The gator sulked off, defeated and humiliated.
• Coming home, saw Bambi and his mother again.  Fawns with white spots are the CUTEST!  Will actually take a camera with me on future bike rides; that will assure NO wildlife ventures out, the same way forgetting an umbrella brings the rain ;).
• Yummy dinner featuring local produce--when I declared I could eat my weight in [Silver Queen] corn, my oldest son challenged me.  Do I really wanna prove him wrong during the week I'm wearing a bathing suit?
• We're doin' something we've never done before--a study in Romans with the kids.  Already, questions are arising and we barely coasted through chapter 1.  Should be interesting....

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 :) ).

Salt & pepper, literally, poetically ~ Friday's 40 PC, #9

Even though I choose each week's photos for Friday's 40-or less Photo Challenge, I have no idea what my response will be until I start writing a few days later. 

Today's?  NOT the direction I thought this would go!  I was waxing nostalgic about diners and family dinners and "variety is the spice of life" and good and evil and salt of the earth stuff--not a touch of the insane with a poem trumpeting the virtue of salt and pepper! 

Oh, well, que será será...I've certainly written crazier.

This week, instead of using Mr. Linky, just leave a comment on this post and I'll compile a list below.  If you're new to Friday's 40, click the badge for details and this link for samples of previous challenges; then, please feel free to respond with a post of your own!

Popcorn's attire
Pretzel's glory
Potato chip's best friend.
Chili's fire
Salsa's story
Spicy to the end
I'd be a liar-- Honky dory--
Failing to defend
This pair, admire
Season, more-y
Out? Now I'm chagrined!

Let's see what others had to say (be sure to check out comments, too):

Jan, The Prytz Family
Peculiar, How Do We Get There From Here
Karisma, Karisma & Kids
Storyteller, Sacred Ruminations
Amber, Imperishable Beauty

A bite of this, a bite of that

Did you feel that sonic boom in the blogosphere today and wonder what in THE world was going on?  It was a full-fledged launch of seismic proportion-- 

Blog Nosh magazine is the brainchild of Megan Jordan, author of The Velveteen Mind.  The concept is novel, and for bloggers, a dream:  it's not about you writing new material for publication; instead, it's designed to breathe new life into your favorite--your best--archived posts. 

You know that post you poured heart and soul into?  The one that no one seemed to see?  Now's your chance to extend it to a broader audience.

Blog Nosh magazine features over a dozen categories for publication, and my role is one of three "Religion and Philosophy" Channel Editors.  I would LOVE for you to email links to your favorite posts that fall under that category, and if it seems like a good fit for Blog Nosh, I'll let you know and schedule it for publication.  For your trouble you get this nifty button for your sidebar AND, hopefully, some new readers. 

(Please read this to access the Publication and Guidelines FAQs page.)

Rather than me tell you more about it, why don't you click over and peek around.  Megan has hired a diverse group of editors to seek out OLD/NEW material, and I encourage you to email the Channel Editors if you're interested in submitting something of your own!

 

Ebony & Ivory, Black & White, Night & Day

This week's Friday's 40-or-less Photo Challenge is simple but with the potential for great fun. 

Salt and pepper shakers. 

Taken for granted and nothing trendy or glamorous about 'em, salt and pepper make THE difference in everything they season.  While I've never known either to be the "secret ingredient" in a recipe, leave one or both out, and even if you can't put your finger on it, you KNOW something's missing. 

A weekly photo prompt, Friday's 40 participants compose a 40-or-less-word response and then link it on Friday (please click the button for additional details). 

Hope you make plans to join this week; next week we'll be taking the day off in commemoration of Independence Day.

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.

Super, Hot and Twisted

Snackbar at our local skating rink, April 2008.  Just looking at all these colorfully yummalicious signs has me craving super pretzels, super nachos and super Icees--but not the super bruises I'd get--to ego and rear-end--if I strapped on a pair of roller blades.

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 :)