What an amazing significant birthday for her.

She’s studying abroad and it really baffled me how I might celebrate this important day with her long distance.  I tossed a variety of ideas around and decided on this one.

She will completely not expect this from me, and it will be a memory she will have forever.  Mostly it gives her a bit of me, creatively and in an indulgent chocolate way that celebrates her.

Happy Birthday My Kate!

Project 21

21 bars of chocolate

21 handmade collages to wrap them in

21 days of chocolate until I see her next.

how positively delightful they are…

He’s taking his phone, laptop, one humungous bike bag and riding his bike to the airport.  That’s going too.

Thoughts and images of him fleeting in my mind today are amazing.

I am letting them stream over me.

I feel celebration for him and his leaving.

Go fine son.

Journey free.

Be tremendously safe.

I adore you.

Love.  Mom.

this image was taken by my daughters friend Maddie, they did an in the woods shoot pretending to be wolves. this capture is obviously not one of the wolf shots, it’s totally my daughter

as beautiful as ever.

she is a BFA Acting Major.

LOVING her studies, loving her world as she discovers it.

she said I could share …

taken by maddie

It pleases my very hippoty-hoppity heart.

I forgot to save the link to credit whoever took it – I so apologize.

I admit that I saved it quickly and in a moment of oh my gosh this is adorable glee.

Someone who loves bunnies captured this image and I appreciate you – whoever you are.

The bunny for me represents spring.

Spring in the natural re-awakening mother earthy kindof way.

Yes — things bud, birds come out from nowhere and the sun shines ever so brightly, but bunnies leaping speaks ever so much more to the utter yipeee of spring.

Growing up under our back yard stoop we had a family of bunnies.  In the winter I loved looking for the elongated foot tracks they’d leave in the snow and the comical pea like pellets of poop they’d leave behind.

I have no idea why their poop cracked me up, but it did.

Each Spring a new crop of baby bunnies would be born.  The cuteness factor of which I could hardly stand.

When I I moved to my teeny tiny townhouse in 1996 a rather large bunny lived nearby.

Whenever I returned home that grand old rabbit would be standing somewhere just waiting for me.

I took it as a welcome home gesture.

I wanted to be sure you returned home safe – thank goodness you’re back kindof waiting.

I always said to myself, thanks for watching over me.

I have to say nine out of ten times upon returning to my townhouse that bunny was waiting for me.

I have had a bunny watching over me and my family at some level ever since.  Each time one sits waiting for us I am sure to pause and think hey thanks we’re back and I am glad your making sure we are OK.

I really do believe that nature watches out for all of us.  Even in crisis, even with all the abuse we have bestowed on our planet – it still gives back.

We are so tremendously blessed.

My post for this weekend extends to you the very same giggle that both of these leaping bunny pictures evoke for me.

May the bunny be with you.

lovely artisan paints with bunny theme – this one in a moon leap – flickr image credit

Have you ever had a special kissing moment?

My very worst kiss was when I was a young adult. I worked in a tuxedo shop and ironed a zillion of those cotton ruffle shirts. This guy would wave to me as he got off the train. I’d wave back. This went on for some time. One day he came into the store and we talked. He was very cute. We exchanged quite the banter, he made me laugh and we found we actually had a lot in common. He started visiting daily and each day as he left he’d say – see you tomorrow! I found it all wonderfully distracting. Finally, he asked me out. The date was an absolute blast.

There of course was that inevitable moment when I knew he would kiss me.

(I can’t tell you the chuckle this memory STILL brings to my mind)

Instead of puckering up and kissing my lips he opened his mouth really wide and kissed my entire face. The only way I can explain it is that he surrounded my nose, my chin, and my mouth with his completely open wide hello are you in there mouth and called that a kiss. I tried to coax him into a bit of a pucker but this dude was utterly determined to give face instead.

This last year I dated.   A kiss from one of these dates is my NEW best kiss.

It was in a parking lot after a very long and wonderful lunch date.  He asked politely if he could kiss me.  I liked that he asked. It was a very breezy day. The sun was setting.  It was unseasonably warm.  I of course said yes.  What I remember most about this particular kiss was that it was very gentle and sweet.  His hands, however were very wanting and strong.  He placed them on either side of my rib cage and firmly pulled me very close to him.  He moaned and said, I don’t want to let go.  That kiss sure took my breath away.

pucker up flickr image credit

Recently he tweeted me and said he missed my participation.  Gosh – what a sweet thing to say.

The deadline is looming and I am trying to decide how to summarize my thoughts regarding this month’s topic:  What I Learned From Children.

MY children have taught me my strongest life lessons.

I am not the same person I was when I gave birth to my son.  By the time I had my daughter three years later, I had become yet something more.  My children are now young adults.  The way I can summarize this best is how profoundly I feel each time I see my son.  I think to myself wow – I like him.   I mean I like his company.  I love laughing with him.  I love talking to him. Listening to him.  I am always left with I LOVE who he is becoming. This reminds me over and over how evolving we all are.   My daughter is in her freshman year at college.  Our transition was a bit rocky.  Not awful, just not what I expected.  It was actually a huge year of transitions for my family.  I feel this remarkable becoming with her too.  She’s blossoming beautifully before my very eyes.  I am completely enamored by it.

I have met many people in my life who are stuck, who are un-evolving.  ( is that a word? )

I remember deciding to become a mom.  I remember thinking to myself  I want to learn.  I remember thinking to myself they will teach me.  I wanted to become with them, be an example to them, be part of their growing – foster their confidence.  I wanted to fill their lives with adoration.

What my children have taught me most is that it’s remarkably rewarding to give and to love.

flickr image credit