A Trip to Florida

I hopped on a plane and was on my way home. Then we hopped in a car, my mama and me, and we drove to the coast of paradise.  

We looked down at the ocean from the front  yard of our little cottage 

and spent beautiful hours with our feet in the sand, reading and talking and thinking.

We enjoyed each other's company

and ate good food.

We painted pottery,

snacked on gelato, 

and visited my favorite bookstore.

It was a lovely little trip about relaxation, fun, and friendship, and I'm ready to go again.

Anybody else on board with postponing summer's end?  Let's make that happen. . .

Things I Love about Summer, Part 2

Homemade snow cones, 

pajama days,

Vacation Bible School,

cleaning out, 

and watermelon.

Oh, the sweet, glorious watermelon. . .

On Cooking

I find cooking therapeutic.  Really, I do.

I like dreaming up edible creations and watching them come to life.  I like being in the kitchen, quiet and contemplative.

The choosing of flavors and foods for removing stress, the chopping and slicing and dicing for getting rid of frustrations, the mixing and stirring and sifting for remembering blessings: this is what being in the kitchen means to me.

A lot of the world's problems can be solved in the kitchen, I think.  At least, I solve a lot of the world's problems, and my own, in the kitchen.

I'm not much for recipes, the tedious measuring of each tablespoon of this and teaspoon of that.  I'm more for a pinch of this and sprinkle of that; it feels more freeing.

The kitchen is where I go to remember where I came from and to be grateful for where I am and to dream of where I'm going next.  The kitchen is where I can be reborn after a long day; the kitchen is where I can celebrate a new triumph.  The kitchen is a place to enjoy life, and cooking is a joy.

It's Time for a Vacation!

Please excuse my absence.

I'll be away for a while.

Photo stolen from www.coastalfamilyliving.com
Soon, I'll have photos of my own.

Try not to be jealous or miss me too much.

See you soon,

Happy Father's Day!

This is one of my favorite photos of Daddy and me.  Me all dressed in pink with a bow in my hair and Daddy with his glasses and watch, things neither one of us went without.

Daddy holding me haphazardly in front of the camera, no doubt wanting the photographer to capture his precious little girl.  I love this photo because I think it was supposed to be of just me, and, instead, it's of the two of us.

The way his strong hands support my fluffy frame and his eyes look just a tiny bit fearful as he opens his mouth in a half smirk to speak combined with the way I sit content in his arms, this is what I love most about the picture--the honesty of it all.  The moment of fear and love and hope that wasn't supposed to be noticed but was.

I love the knowledge that he might not have known what he was doing raising a little girl into a lady, but he gave it his all, and he did his best. All things considered, I'd say he did a remarkable job, and still does--every day.

Thanks, Dad, for everything.

I love you,