A Different way to do it!

This week I am combining two memes ... I don't know if there are official rules or not ... but here it goes!
Photohunter is brought to you by TNChick .. basically a theme is given for Saturday, post a picture about the theme ... simple! I haven't participated in a loooong time, but I thought this (past) week's theme was easy .."four" ..
The other meme is Zena Musings Sacred Life Sunday .. modified version of what makes my innerself celebrate ...

So when I hear the word four, I can't help but think of my sisters ... I don't know if it is because I always heard "four girls" ... "four daughters" ....

My sisters make my innerself celebrate! They are magnificent women ... what makes it difficult is that we literally live world's apart .. one sister in Massachusetts, one in Amsterdam and one in Manila ..... *sigh*

I have a different relationship with each one, as each one is so different from the other, yet when you put us all together we blend like oreos and ice cream! (You have no idea how long it took me to think of that!)

We were able to get together last year in Amsterdam. It was probably one of the best trips I have ever had ... it was something we needed to do .. and hope to do every year.

Sacred Life Sunday #3

It's Sunday again .. and thanks to Carla's Sacred Life Sunday
and her blog about what connects her to her Spirit .. in my modification, I will post weekly for the next 30 weeks (well.. this is my third post .. so 27 more weeks), pictures what makes my inner self celebrate.

I enjoy picture taking .. I was given my first camera on my 10th birthday. It was an Olympus, with the one man, two man and three man setting. The flashcube slid on top .. have I dated the camera?

This camera is my last 35mm. We bought it when I was pregnant with Noah .. It took wonderful pictures, but the summer when we moved to Texas, it finally just gave up. I currently use a Sony .. which I like a lot .. but am sooooo ready for my Canon Rebel!

My Rebel

So here are a few of my favorites .. actually, this blog came about because of favorite pictures and inner self happiness .. so grab a cup of coffee and go back to the beginning when Tommie first showed me how to get started!

Even though the clarity isn't here, these five buses represent soldiers arriving back from Iraq. Every time I was on post, and saw them, I would just start wailing like a baby. For a great story see Tommie's Tuesday Update and check out her blog dated 12/19/07.

Flowers are fun .. they are unique and have their own beauty ..

Amsterdam ..sooo much character

I love, love, love fall in Maine!

Sacred Life Sunday

Thanks to Zena Musings' Sacred Life Sunday and her postings about what connects her to Spirit... today I have chosen to write about my running, and how it makes my innerself celebrate.
I have been running (maybe it was jogging at first!) off and on since 1985 .. It was first introduced to me in 1983, (when we were living in Hong Kong) by who else .. a runner. He called himself The Lean Mean Running Machine .. I was a spectator (and cheerleader!) then, watching track runs, and road races. It took about a year and a half for me to decide to try it myself. At the time I had a walkman, and a mixed song cassette tape of Huey Lewis and the News and The Cars .. off I went trotting down Peak Road, dodging double decker buses on narrow roads. I kept a running journal and tracked my time and mileage. Fast track (no pun) to 1991 when I decided to run races .. my old boss used to laugh and say that I only ran the races for the t-shirts .. it was that year that I did the most road races; my most accomplished was a half marathon. (I was probably also at my most thinnest ...*sigh*)
Then life took over, and babies were born... and running went on the back burner for a while. After Alet was born, I realized I needed my outlet back .. and to the gym I went .. faithfully started back on a regime .. then injury set in .. and it threw my running off for several years. I joined the gym, lifted weights .. did Kick boxing, stair master ..could do everything else but run!
Finally three years ago, I decided that it was time to try again .. with constant coaching .. the bug bit me hard, except this time my runs have become so much more to me than ever before.
I have run through moves, through deployment, through heartache, through happy times and sad times ... it is my stress reliever, my permission to drink extra wine and eat more chocolate .. running doesn't require much coordination ..(forget Step Class or Spin classes .. elliptical machines?!?) and best of all ... I can listen to my music as loud as I want, and just run ... and run, and run .. I can run at 5:00 am or 8:00 pm ..the pavement is my friend! My running shoes always travel with me .. I have had the opportunity to run in many different places; different countries..I can proclaim that I have run in 90+ degrees and the lowest of 12 degrees! .. Running makes me feel strong ..it is my peace and tranquility ..I love to run!

Sacred Life Sunday

So .. here is a new blog (for me) that I stumbled upon when I went to check out Pamela's blog after she checked out my blog .. She mentioned Carla Blaze's Zena Moon's website, and how Carla went on a 30 day personal journey "she called My Sacred Life

wherein she posted daily a photo from her daily life capturing something that connected her to Spirit, like her prayer beads, candles, family, her garden, etc. "

Interesting is what I thought .. part of what I love about taking pictures is the ability to capture a moment that strikes a chord inside... almost bringing to life what stirs from within. (Pretty deep, and that is without wine!)

So... not that I will attempt a 30 day journey, but perhaps a weekly journal with a picture of an item or a scene that makes my inner self celebrate. The first picture that came to my mind was this one:

This is my kayak .. it is probably one of my most prized possession (along with the paddle and life jacket of course!). On our ride from Texas to Maine, my kayak was nestled nicely in it's cradle. In New York we encountered snow .. and I remember looking up through the sunroof at my kayak and feeling a pang of guilt that this poor kayak had to endure the cool weather!This is Julie who introduced me to kayaking almost 10 years ago. There are too many stories to tell of our adventures .. after many paddling adventures, she decided to upgrade, and I decided to buy my own .. so together we bought our kayaks 7 years ago.

My kayak represents peace and serenity. When I push off, and feel the kayak slide into the water, there is an instant calmness. There is nothing like a quiet journey on the lake. I can't wait for spring and summer ..