Flashback Friday: Japan 2004...
My girlfriend, Lynne, and I led a group of middle schoolers on a ten day adventure to Japan. It was an exchange with Temecula's Sister City Daisen-Nakayama. What an adventure indeed.
A Tale of Two Braces...
I have written about my previous brace situation before. At age 14, I was fitted with a full Milwaukee Back Brace for a serious case of Scoliosis.
My newest acquisition would allow me the same youthful freedoms if we didn't live in fear of the what ifs and the could bes. We are just not prepared to risk "it all" by fully returning to the busy life we led just four months ago.
I'm a firm believer in the adage, What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. I believed it all those decades ago and I have to believe it now!
December in Stamps...
Have you ever loved a place you had yet to visit? The Spellman Museum of Stamps & Postal History is that place for me.
Each month this amazing museum, located on the campus of Regis College in Weston, MA, shares a calendar composed of "a day in history". The historic events of the month are revealed in a postage stamp depicting the occasion. Check out December 5th- truly a day worth celebrating.
For an amateur philatelist like me, Spellman is the place to be... one day!
"Other-Wordly"...
Found upon my front porch was this amazing book from my friend, Keri. The inscription reads, "Dear Denise, A little something I hope you find entertaining, especially with your love for words and culture."
Gezellig (adjective, Dutch) cozy, nice, inviting, pleasant, comfortable; connoting time spent with loved ones or togetherness after a long separation.
No matter where we are, we will always miss where we cannot be. I don't know if there is a word that sums up that longing yet the words in Other-wordly come pretty close.
Christmas Creativity...
My sister-in-law is an incredibly talented crafter. We spent the afternoon at their home, celebrating a belated Thanksgiving and delighting in the cheerfulness of her Christmas tree creations. I just had to share.
“The Christmas tree is a symbol of love, not money.
There's a kind of glory to them when they're all lit up
that exceeds anything all the money in the world could buy.”
-Andy Rooney
Scenes of a Simple Thanksgiving...
We are spending a few days with Steve's mom. We began our holiday delighting in a morning storm, followed by a glorious rainbow.
"Rainbows reminds us that even after the darkest clouds
and the fiercest winds there is still beauty."
-Katrina Mayer
“Being thankful is not always experienced as a natural state of existence,
we must work at it, akin to a type of strength training for the heart.”
– Larissa Gomez
My Broken Neck Follow Up #4...
After a highly anticipated, hopeful three months, I have the results of my CT scan from yesterday after today's appointment with my Orthopedist. Yes, I am still in my brace and will be for the next eight weeks. Not exactly the answer I was hoping for but there it is!
I just wanted to share and to tell you how grateful I am for your support and concern. Happiest of Thanksgivings to you and yours!
My Alphabet Day...
So how about this day of acronyms? I had a CT and an EEG at UCSD. Wild.
"There is no medicine like hope,
no incentive so great,
and no tonic so powerful
as expectation of something tomorrow."
-Orison Swett Marden
Leslie Comes to Play...
For over 38 years, Leslie and I have been wonderful friends and always there for one another.
I'm pretty certain she let me win, too.
There is great comfort in being in the company of old friends. It is something that I am truly grateful for. I am an incredibly lucky girl... and I know it.
Ellen Has a Hurt Neck Too...
Recently, I learned that one of my favorite people, Ellen DeGeneres, has a neck injury, as well. I have been to several tapings of her show, and once we even danced together (for a brief, magical moment).
My theory about why her neck hurts? I think she knows I have a neck fracture and is having sympathy pains. That's my theory and I'm sticking with it. I 💙 Ellen.
Cyndi & Steve Head To Mexico...
Today we had the opportunity to visit with our friends as they migrate South for the winter. I think I might have even caught the scent of pines when we hugged goodbye.
"El regalo más grande de la vida es la amistad, y yo lo he recibido."
The greatest gift of life is friendship, and I have received it.
Gratitude: Better Late Than Never
As I've mentioned previously, I'm spending my confinement at home reminiscing with my family's old photos. I wanted to share a letter I wrote to my oldest brother's ex-wife, the mother of his two children. I woke up the other day, compelled to snail mail her. I thought it was worth sharing as a reminder that it is never too late to thank someone.
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| My Mom & Wendy (her first grandchild) c. 1975 |
Dear Marcia,
Recently we were able to dig out some old treasured photos. Numerous, amazing photos of your babies were included. I gathered many of them and sent them on to Brett and Wendy.
As a grandma who doesn't get to see her grands nearly enough, I can only imagine what joy those images gave my parents [who lived 3,000 miles away]. You were a thoughtful daughter-in-law, as evidenced by all you sent (complete with dates and names clearly written on the back of each image).
I just wanted you to know how much I appreciated all you shared. I never realized how powerful it was then but I certainly do now.
With gratitude,
Denise
“What I like about photographs
is that they capture a moment that’s gone forever,
impossible to reproduce.”
– Karl Lagerfeld
Gloria Steinem Wishes Me Well...
Okay, this has to be one of the most awesome images to wake up to- Gloria Steinem telling me to "Keep Healing!" WOW.
This event was her discussing, in conversation, her newest book The Truth Will Set You Free, But First It Will Piss You Off!, a collection of Gloria’s lifetime of quotes—powerful and wise, funny and outrageous—beautifully illustrated, and with a new introduction and essays by the feminist writer and activist herself.
This was to be an unforgettable afternoon, which I had to cancel, sadly. Our cousin-in-law, Stacey, is Warwick's Children's Book Buyer. I reached out to her when Steve firmly stated that I could not attend this event.
It turns out that there was a waiting list of 400 people for this sold out happening. I was excited to learn that two someones who really wanted to be there were going to get their chance.
Never in a million years would I dream that this amazing woman would learn of my current setback and react in such a heartwarming way. WOW. Thank you to Stacey for making a magic moment happen for me. I am truly grateful.
"I'm a realist, but I'm also a dreamer.
And I'm not just a dreamer,
I'm a hopeaholic."
-Gloria Steinem
The Great Christmas Card Exchange...
When I received news of this holiday card exchange, I knew I had to sign up! "It's that time of the year again and we all love sending out Christmas cards for the season. So, we have decided it would be fun to have a Christmas greeting card exchange within our snail mail community. All you need to do is send out a Christmas greeting card to someone and in return be a recipient of a beautiful card yourself."
"I love the rebelliousness of snail mail,
and I love anything that can arrive with a postage stamp.
There's something about that person's breath and hands on the letter."
~Diane Lane
Envelope Making...
Some days one needs to be crafty. Today, I received my new, awesome Envelope Punch Board by We R Memory Keepers.
I am a huge fan of mail art and this new tool is going to be amazing and so fun. I discovered it on the blog hometalk and I'm so excited I did. Oh man, the envelopes I'm going to make. Woohoo!
My Nephelococcygia Day...
One of my favorite pastimes is nephelococcygia: the act of seeking and finding shapes in clouds.
"If you use your imagination,
you can see lots of things in the cloud formations."
-Charles M. Schulz
"When we feel stuck, look at the sky.
The clouds remind us that everything changes."
"Clouds come floating into my life,
no longer to carry rain or usher storm,
but to add color to my sunset sky."
-Rabindranath Tagore
Where Was Your First Flight?
When I was 7, my big brother Chuck was newly married and an officer in the Navy. When my parents learned that he would be stationed at Naval Station Rota Spain, they booked a family Christmas trip to go see him.
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| My First Passport Photo |
For many years after this trip, the European adventure defined me, even being so young. "I have been to Europe!" I would proclaim. And many of the memories are still vivid.
Looking back, I'm extremely surprised at the planning that went into this trip. We had never flown anywhere as a family. We landed in Amsterdam where we toured Anne Frank's house. We then trained to Frankfurt, Germany to hang out with a friend of my brother's who was in the Army there. On the train to Paris, our parents lost us as we ran about and my mom thought that we were certainly still on the dining car that had been disconnected (we weren't). While in the City of Light, we ogled the Eiffel Tower and I had flu symptoms in front of a sidewalk café. Oh the things children remember.
The true highlight was to live in Spain, if only for a week or so, with my big brother. He was military, through and through. "I don't care what time you get up or how long it takes for you to get ready. We leave at 0:800". Oh man, I have never forgotten that. We toured castles and walled cities. We had a true adventure, one that 50 years later I still have fond, albeit faded, memories of.
Where was your first flight?
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