Really really!

SHREK: Listen, little donkey. Take a look at me. What am I?

DONKEY: Er... really tall?

SHREK: No! I'm an ogre. You know, 'Grab your torch and pitchforks!' Doesn't that bother you?

DONKEY: Nope

SHREK: Really?

DONKEY: Really really. 

That's kind of how the decision to move to Hawaii happened.  The BF (I'll come up with something better maybe later) and I were texting about his living situation at his new duty station and somehow living together came up.  Since it was via text message and moving across the OCEAN is kind of a big deal, I sought some clarification later on the phone.

"You really want me to live with you?"

"You really want to live with me?"

"Well, yeah."

"Well, okay."

"Really?"

"Really really."

And that was about the end of the discussion...at least as I remember it. You'd think that a lot has changed, but it doesn't seem like it. I still get everyone up in the morning.  I make everyone's lunches. I get the kids off to school. I get to work. After work, there is homework, gym, dinner, tv, etc. Pretty sure the biggest changes have been for the BF...the loss of his quiet solitude now interrupted by the chaos of a teen, drama-tween, and child. Plus, he has to SHARE the X-box. (Oh the horrors!)

One thing I've started doing again on a regular basis, is cooking.  There is one major factor behind this: it is outrageously expensive to live here.

The perk however is that I've been reminded that I like cooking.  And not just a bunch of boxed, pre-made stuff that gets thrown together and called a meal.  No, I've been making meals that would make my mama proud. I made a cake from scratch! Before this, I have never made anything but boxed cake mix.  I also made waffles and pancakes without Krusteaz.  I even tried my hand at pizza dough and pizza sauce...with yeast and everything. Today I made mini-pineapple upside down cakes. It will be perfect with a cup of Kona coffee later. Nom nom.

 

Memories vs Mementos

When you think about the special times in your life how do you recall them? Is it a special memento you've obtained, photographs, or is it just your memories of the event?

You hear people say, "well, you've always got your memories." However, that's not always the case. My grandmother, for example, developed dementia before she passed away. The dementia stole her memories and in doing so, stole part of her. So much of who she was was the stories she shared. She was very smart and  read all the time. She loved to share the things she'd learned. It was heartbreaking to watch her try to recall events and facts.

On the other hand, things are also lost, stolen or destroyed. When there are fires or natural disasters, assuming there is no loss of life, the thing that people are saddest about isn't the loss of their home, as homes can be rebuilt, but the loss of their pictures and other special mementos.

I know for me I'm not big on having a bunch of cluttery mementos, but there are times, when I'd like to have something reminding me of those I love to hold close to my heart and pictures of their smiling faces to enjoy.

Pick-Me-Up!

I've been reading a lot of other blogs lately and I keep running across a constant theme. So many people are down just like me. Down on themselves, unmotivated, and/or depressed.

Is this just a random walk? Am I seeing a pattern that doesn't really exist? Or is there so many tragic and depressing things going on in the world and our own lives right now that we are truly depressed?

A reoccurring statement is pondering why they're feeling this way; that they, like me, actually have lots of really good things going on in their lives right now.

I think we all deserve a pick-me-up!

Okay, maybe flowers aren't your thing...how about a coffee date with a friend? A movie? Take your family to the park? Maybe a family game night? Snuggle on the couch with someone you love?

I believe I need a fresh perspective, and I'm definitely on the look out.

Happy Friday ya'll.