Fun diversion from the "norm"

 Today I've been in the total "web designer" mode, as that is one of my titles within my brother's company.  I've spent most of my day playing around with images making his web page a lot more user friendly and appealing than it was.

  I thought I'd do something to some images and post them on here, since I can't do them on his site (he'd get mad, and have some pretty confused customers I think). 

  So here's some image madness:

Things I Love/ Favorite Things continued!

                                                                                                                                                                       I know my husband is not a "thing".  But this is my absolute favorite picture of him!!  I just love it!
  This picture was taken last summer in New York City.
  I can't explain exactly why this is my favorite picture of my "hubby"(he rolls his eyes when I say it's my favorite and he reminds me that I'm "weird")
  I think maybe I love it because it's a completely candid, unexpected shot, no posing or fake smile etc...The background is cool because it's New York City and he's just totally being himself.  Well, and the fact that after 
8 1/2 years of marriage, we;re more in love with each other than we were on our wedding day.
  Yeah, that's the reason!
 

Strange things are happening!

  Strange things are happening around our house lately!  My grandma passed away this past January 23rd in California.  I was extremely close to my grandma, I called her and my grandpa at least once a week without fail, and saw them at least once a week before I moved to the Midwest.  I spent most of the last 2 weeks of her life by her bedside, I returned home 4 days before she died (she did not want a funeral), the last day I saw her was the last day she was awake, and she knew who I was (she suffered from Dementia), I feel like in way she was waiting for me.  The last thing I said to her was "I love you Grandma" and gave her a big hug and kiss on her cheek.  I looked at my Grandma's face, and she had tears rolling down her cheeks.  My Grandma looked at me and said "I love you too".  "I love you too" were the last words I heard from my Grandma!  I couldn't have asked for more!
  The strange things that are happening, started after her death.  It was very early in the morning one day when I heard her voice.  I woke up so startled that I woke my husband!  I could swear I heard my Grandma say my name into my ear so clearly, like she was standing right next to me!  It was a weird feeling that both startled and soothed me at the same time. 
  A few days later, I was looking through a desk drawer and found a photo of my Grandma and me and realized it was the last photo we ever took together!  Later that same day I found some Christmas cards that my husband had just "stuffed somewhere" instead of throwing them away last Christmas, and one of them was signed by my Grandma and Grandpa (that's definitely a keeper!)
  Another thing is that it seems everytime I turn around I see things dated with her birthday like, documents, used checks, old receipts etc...These all feel strange o me.
  The strangest thing is, my Grandma's favorite flower was "Forget me nots".  We've lived in our house for almost 7 years and have never had flowers in our backyard, just grass and a tall bush.  This past weekend I was in the backyard, and saw something that made my jaw drop and brought tears to my eyes!  We have a whole bunch of "Forget me nots" growing all along the bottom of the back wall of our house!!
  I told you strange things are happening! 

  What do you think?




Forget Me Not
Forget me not, for I am there
In the beat of your heart,
On the wing of your prayer.

Forgive me my parting and leaving you thus,
A joyous reunion is waiting for us!

Continue to strive toward your goal and be brave.
Know that my love didn't stop at the grave.

My spirit is with you through good times and bad.
I share all the joys and the sorrows you've had.

Feel my presence within your next breath
And realize there's no distance in death.

Ask for my help and I'll answer your call.
Reach for my hand when you stumble and fall.

Run the last mile with a smile on your face.
My arms will be waiting when you finish the race.

Always remember, my love is right there
In the beat of your heart,
On the wing of your prayer.


~© Linda Shelburn Reagan~

Where I'm going/ Where I've been

Where am I going? I don't know. My husband and I are in the process of figuring out where we want to go on our next vacation. We always want to go somewhere new and explore what that destination has to offer. Anytime we talk about new places to go, I think about where I've been. I find myself looking through my photo albums, taking mini vacations down memory lane. I posted some of my favorite pictures here.

Photographs & Memories

You know how some things such as certain smells, a song, an item maybe can trigger memories in your mind? Well, today I had that same experience only with a soundtrack to go along with it. While hunting down a spider on my dining room wall (found by a howling pug no less) , a picture of my great grandmother caught my eye. The picture of my great grandmother was taken on her 100th birthday! A flood of memories of her came to my mind at that moment. Yes, I was lucky enough to know my great grandmother who died at 101 years old in June 1992. While I was taking a mental stroll down "memory lane", Jim Croce's song "Photographs & Memories" started playing in my head.
I will always treasure and remember the memories that my great grandmother (her name was Janet) and I created together, nothing can replace them. She lived most of her life in Massachusetts on a tree lined street, in a very big three story house with a wraparound porch, and a giant dutch elm tree right in middle of her front yard! I was fortunate enough to have visited her a couple of times even though I lived in California. During my childhood, I would write to her at least once a month and she always wrote back and sent a little trinket along with her letter, and my mom and I would call her often. Each time she visited us, she had what I called her "magic tea cup" that she knew I loved, and she got a kick out of how my face lit up everytime she lifted the cup and it "magically" played wonderful music! I will never forget riding in the well known "swan boats" in the park in Boston with her at my side holding my hand. My great grandmother just loved sitting with me and just holding my hand, she'd rub my hands and comment on how soft they always felt (I always thought hers were soft too).
Towards the end of her life, my great grandmother moved from her house in Massachusetts and moved in with my grandparents in California. It was sad to see her lose her independence, but the bright side was that I then got to spend a lot more time with her, and I took advantage of every opportunity. I spent most of my free days taking her on outings that were just the two of us, whether it was an afternoon lunch, or making fun of ugly outfits in department stores. I just loved to bring her flowers every once in while just seeing the big smile on her face was well worthwhile! She'd always tell me not to bring her flowers because they die too soon, but judging by the big smile that crept across her face every time she received them, I could tell she loved it when I did.
My great grandmother was the most wonderful person in world to me, and the world became a sadder place the day she left it. She will always hold a very special place in my heart and mind.