Hope and dreams...

Yesterday's post got me thinking about bucket lists and the hopes and dreams I've had over time.

Some are reasonable; some probably not so much.

A couple simply aren't happening.

Even so, they have been and are mine to reflect on and strive for.

So here goes, in no particular order (other than the first four)...

My Bucket List now and from days gone past...

**Completed items in bold.

Marry my soul mate & the love of my life.
Travel to Italy.
Live at the beach.
Tour the US east coast by car.
Visit New York City.
Own & operate a Bed & Breakfast.
Ride in a hot air balloon.
Take my parents on a trip they'll love.
Be the best Mimi there can be.
Live in a great apartment.
Travel to all 50 United States.
Visit the wine country.
Become a gourmet cook.
Snorkel.
Own our dream home.
See the Vatican.
See a game at Fenway Park.
Remodel and design our house to fit us just right.
See a broadway show.
Expose the young people in my life to as much travel, culture and diversity as I can.
Be a prayer warrior.
Own a convertible.
Visit San Francisco.
Obtain and maintain a healthy weight.
Have a tree house.
Ride through Central Park in a horse drawn carriage.
Visit Savannah.
Become a philanthropist.
Go sailing.
Swim in a natural body of water complete with water fall.
Create a blog.
Visit New Orleans.
Walk barefoot on the beach.
Be a mentor.
Have a lake house.
Travel to Greece.
Own a boat.
Plant a tree to celebrate the birth of a child.
Attend the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Create holiday traditions.
See the Golden Gate Bridge.
Travel to France.
Hang out with my Mom in Playa.
Travel to Easter Island.
Travel to Mexico.
Become proficient at yoga.
See the Eagles in concert.
Have a house with a fountain in the back yard.
Attend worship services on a regular basis.
See Barbra Striesand in concert.
Have a Maltese.
Buy myself a Rolex before I'm 40. (I failed at this one!)
Visit the carribean islands (St Croix, St Thomas & St Maarten).
Visit Seattle.
Start the business of my dreams and it be successful.
See George Strait in concert.
Become proficient at floral design.
Be debt free.
See KISS in concert.
Learn to speak a 2nd language.
Visit Vancouver.
See the French Riviera.
Visit Maine.
Fly first class on an international flight.
See Springsteen in concert.
Become proficient at furniture refinishing.
See the Amalfi Coast.
Visit Boston.
Visit the Florida Keys.
Spend time in the mountains.
Be a volunteer.
Swim with the dolphins.
Knit a scarf.
Have a successful career.
See a game at Yankee Stadium.

And there it is - as of today.

It and I have changed over the years.

One thing seems constant though; my middle name has always been go-go-go!

There's a great big world out there and I want to see and experience as much of it as I can during my God-given time on this earth.

Do you have a list?

If not, I suggest you make one.

Remembering the things I've checked off and contemplating those that may someday be brings a smile to my heart and reminds me; it's a beautiful life.

E 'una bella vita...

Before I ever heard the term bucket list I had one; I just didn't know there was a name for it.

My list has evolved over the years but one thing has never changed; it has always involved travel.

I've been blessed to see some amazing places over the past few years and have checked several destinations off the list.

My dream of seeing NYC has come true not only once but three times. 

I've seen the California wine country and some breath-taking Mexican beaches.

I've traveled the streets of San Francisco and done the Duval crawl in Key West, Florida.

I've marveled over snow-capped mountains in the US Pacific Northwest and the Canadian city of Vancouver BC.

I've seen twenty-two of the fifty United States.  My bucket list includes seeing them all.  I'm almost half way there.

At the top of my travel list has always been Italy, and in a dream come true, The Señor and I will be touring the Italian countryside in just a few short weeks.

I don't believe I've never been as excited about anything!

I've been trying to master a few phrases in Italiano, studying maps and brushing up on a little history.

We look forward to touring Italy's nooks and crannies while partaking of each regions food and wine.

We will tour museums, the Vatican and take a gondola ride.

We'll toss pennies in fountains, eat gelato and spend time hanging around piazzas simply watching the world go by.  After all, Questo è il modo di vivere italiano and E 'una bella vita!

Until next time, arrivederci!

Colors...

Oh my, look at these beautiful colors.

The Señor and I visited a nearby Mexican grocery store over the weekend. I absolutely love their produce section. Although I didn't purchase anything exotic I thought the colors of what I did buy were gorgeous when I piled them all together in my fruit bowl.

All that citrus and spice...makes your mouth pucker doesn't it!

I hope you are enjoying the colors of the season as much as I am.

Celebrate the coming of Spring!

These Three Guys...

These three guys...are amongst my heroes. 

The wagon...

I fell off the wagon over the holidays but I'm crawling back on.

Right before Thanksgiving I was down 12.9 pounds.

Unfortunately between the holidays and stressful days I have put some of that back on (dang my love of cornbread dressing, hoe cakes and brownies!).

So, here we go again; I'm dragging myself up and back on that wagon.

Next stop:  the gym.

For all time...

January 15, 2012 - Today I lost one of the most influential people in my life.  My heart has been bound to hers since the day I was born and will remain so for all time.  Godspeed Grommie.  What I'd give to share just one more eskimo kiss with you.

Repost from January 2011.

A Letter To My Grandmother On The Occasion Of Her 90th Birthday...

Happy, happy birthday to my Grandmoma, my Granny Hot-Rod, my Grommie and my friend. Throughout my life you have been a constant source of support and an inspiration. I was your first Grandchild - and a girl for you to love after raising those boys.  

Our hearts were immediately bound together.

My life has been filled with fabulous Grandmoma times; trips to Seven Seas, Lion Country Safari and Six Flags. 

Waking up all snug and happy at your house on summer mornings to a special breakfast of fried eggs, sausage patties and your fabulous homemade chocolate milk. 

And oh how I loved sharing “eskimo kisses” with you.  They were the best.

Those lazy summer days we spent in Granbury with Ma Maw and Pa Paw playing on the lake swimming and fishing. Being a kid with you was fun!

Then I became a teen-ager and even though I was a silly young-girl you always listened to me and treated me as if whatever drama was going on in my life at the time were important.

I am so thankful for the time time we spent together after Jim’s accident. As difficult as that time was it gave us the opportunity to share our hearts with one another in a way we never had before. I can remember sitting in the living room sharing stories of joy and heartbreak and getting to know you through the eyes of a adult rather those of a child. That experience brought us even closer and bound our hearts even tighter.

And, of course, let’s not forget a few years later when you took not only me but my shaggy dog in to your home. You not only fed and cared for both of us but loved us when we were very often difficult to love. During that time I experienced a broken heart and you supported me, shared my tears and helped me heal.

The years since then have passed so quickly. As a family we have celebrated new lives and been forced to say goodbye as other lives have ended. We have experienced incredible joy and unthinkable sorrow along the way and through it all our hearts remain firmly bound to one another. For this I say thank you. Thank you for loving me and for allowing me to share this special bond with you. The influence your love has had on my life lives firmly inside my heart - as does my love for you.

Birds sing. Bees sting. I have MS.

I have MS.  It's a fact of life.  Birds sing.  Bees sting.  I have MS.

There are several types of MS.  Fortunately mine is a type that is normally pretty quiet.

I treat my illness with what is called a "disease modifying drug".  

The drug requires I take injections three times a week.  

The injections themselves are not painful.  

The medication entering my body hurts like the dickens.  

It's a short-lived pain so I count myself lucky.  

I must admit though that during the short-lived times I have been known to curse like a sailor.

There's really nothing nice that can be said about MS.  

It is a brutal disease that lurks in the crevices of the body just waiting to show its ugly head.

It affects each of its victims differently.  

Some are luckier than others.

I myself am one of the lucky ones.

I am aware of this.

However, when it does show itself the results can be devastating.

Or somewhat of an inconvenience.

Or somewhere in between.  

You just never know.

My disease is currently active but by looking at me you wouldn't know.

Recent MRI's show no new lesions.

But inside; inside my body is telling the tale. 

Because of existing damage; or possibly a new lesion too small to be seen by MRI, the disease is currently having its way with me.

It causes me to be weak and sometimes feel like I'm walking in quick sand.

It causes me to stumble and sometimes fall.

It causes me to ache deep inside.

To be unsteady, dizzy and sometimes a little confused.

It causes me to lose control.

I must admit that's the hard part.  Let's be honest.  We all want control.  Especially of our own body.

I remind myself every day; sometimes more often than once, how lucky I am.

After all, I have a disease that can be somewhat controlled by medication.

I am mobile and can walk.

I have my eye site.

My pain is manageable.

I could not ask for a more caring or understanding husband.

The list goes on and on.

It's a fact.  I am blessed beyond measure.

Unfortunately there are those brief moments when all that flies out the window and I want and need to wallow in my frustration.

Times like now when I take a few minutes and allow my fingers to fly; fast and furious, spilling my heart to myself and to the semi-anonymity of the blog world.

Sure, a few people I know will read this.  Hopefully they will allow me my few minutes of self pity and love me anyway.

What is more important is that maybe someone else who is experiencing their own difficult time will stumble upon my little pity party and realize they are not alone.

Truth is - we all have difficult times.  We all have our own burdens to bare.

They may not be brought on by illness.  They could brought on by the loss of a job, a troubled marriage or even a disappointment.

Difficult times are a part of life and sometimes the best thing we can do for ourselves is to take a few minutes and wallow in them.

But only a few minutes.  That's right; allow yourself a short pity party then get up, dust yourself off and get on with it.

Identify something that gives your spirit a pick-me-up and do it.

Take a walk, pray, cook, lose yourself in music or like me spill your heart on paper.

In the time it has taken me to write these words my burden feels a little lighter.

There are no new revelations here but having an outlet to express myself brightens my heart, clears my mind and brings all my blessings to the light.