Oh Happy Day!

About six months ago, as you may recall, I blogged about an anticpated a change that very disappointingly didn't occur. Well, since that emotional day, I have learned to be okay with the way things turned out. I have been at peace with the lack of change and what that entailed. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right? Isn't that what they say? So this last Sunday, that change finally happened. As comfortable as I was with the way things had been, allowing God's will to take over in my life, I must admit that I was silently singing the Hallelujah Chorus. Seriously, this change is Heaven sent. Testing my feelings to make sure I really was okay, I found myself smiling ear to ear. Change is good. Angelic choirs could be heard raising their voices in songs of rejoicing... or maybe that was just me, not so silent anymore. Oh Happy Day!

Life.

"It isn't as bad as you sometimes think it is. It all works out. Don't worry. I say that to myself every morning. It all works out in the end. Put your trust in God, and move forward with faith and confidence in the future. The Lord will not forsake us. He will not forsake us. If we will put our trust in Him, if we will pray to Him, if we will live worthy of His blessings, He will hear our prayers."

~President Gordon B. Hinckley

A New Favorite.

So for those of you who know me well, you may know that I have worn the same mascara forever. My mom introduced me to L'Oréal's Lash Out years ago. Every time I have tried to venture out into the vast land of mascara to find something new, I have been sorely disappointed and regretful that I'd strayed and spent my money elsewhere. (Note: RiteAid allows you to return opened makeup if you're unsatisfied with the product. Just keep your receipt.)

About four months ago, I found myself in need of a new tube of mascara. When I arrived at the store, I found that all L'Oréal mascaras were "Buy one. Get one free." If you've ever purchased mascara, you know that one little tube with a whopping .27 fl. oz. can run you anywhere from $7-$10. So the "Buy one. Get one free." deal easily motivated me to stock up. However, they only had two tubes of my standard kind in the Black/Brown color I always get. (Regular Black always looks way too harsh on my eyes.) So I decided to once again risk the possibility of disappointment, and try a new kind.

Telescopic® Clean Definition Mascara, it's called. I'll admit, I was very skeptical considering the No Clump Brush™ is so thin and long, with few bristles. But I found that the thin brush allows you to easily coat the lashes without weighing them down, resulting in a very natural look. The sparsely placed bristles allow for a combing effect, keeping lashes separated and clump free. And it perfectly lengthens my lashes (up to 60% they say). So I'm sold. Dare I say, I've found a new favorite? I know... hard to believe, but I think it's true.

I've been to the Palm Springs airport, too!

Pull up a chair and let me tell you a little story. About ten years ago, I was sitting in the living room having a conversation with KDJ and KMB about all the airports we've flown in/out of in our lifetimes. We made long lists, reminisced about quirky characteristics of some of the airports we'd been in, and marveled at the number of airports in California. End of story... or so we all thought. Fast forward three days and we, again, were sitting in the comfort of our living room. Apparently, we weren't talking about airports anymore, though in my mind the conversation was fresh, as if we had just been talking about it. Evidently, I was just replaying it all in my mind and not out loud because when I then audibly announced, "I've been to the Palm Springs airport, too," I got the strangest looks. What I said was perfectly normal, I assure you... :) Alright, alright... it WAS three days later, so maybe it was slightly out of context. Anyhow, I thought I'd give you my list of airports now (as many as I can remember). And it does, indeed, include the Palm Springs airport.

1. San Francisco (SFO)
2. Oakland (OAK)
3. Burbank (BUR)
4. Ontario (ONT)
5. Los Angeles (LAX)
6. Orange County (SNA)
7. Long Beach (LGB)
8. San Diego (SAN)
9. Palm Springs (PSP)
10. San Jose (SJC)
11. Seattle/Tacoma (SEA)
12. Spokane (GEG)
13. Boise (BOI)
14. Salt Lake City (SLC)
15. Reno (RNO)
16. Las Vegas (LAS)
17. Phoenix (PHX)
18. Dallas/Ft. Worth (DFW)
19. Denver (DEN)
20. Detroit (DTW)
21. Milwaukee (MKE)
22. Chicago (ORD)
23. Chicago (MDW)
24. Indianapolis (IND)
25. Cleveland (CLE)
26. Columbus (CMH)
27. Atlanta (ATL)
28. New York City (JFK)
29. New York La Guardia (LGA)
30. Baltimore (BWI)
31. Philadelphia (PHL)
32. London Gatwick (LGW)
33. London Heathrow (LHR)
34. Stockholm, Sweden (ARN)
35. Riga, Latvia (RIX)
36. Vilnius, Lithuania (VNO)
37. Malaga, Spain (AGP)
38. Bilbao, Spain (BIO)
39. Barcelona, Spain (BCN)
40. Prague, Czech Republic (PRG)
41. San Salvador, El Salvador (SAL)
42. Managua, Nicaragua (MGA)

Whew! I think that's it. But I reserve the right to remember another one in three days. :)

200 Haves and Have-nots.

I saw this on Andrea and Mark's blog and thought it was fun. It's a list of Haves and Have-nots. All the bolded in RED items are things I have done. So here you go... more about me. :)

1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby's diaper
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said "I love you" and meant it
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don't
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover (The New Testament)
86. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all four
106. Raked your carpet
107. Brought out the best in people
108. Brought out the worst in people
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway play
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
127. Published a book
128. Pieced a quilt
129. Lived in an historic place
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131. Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one (if miniature golf counts)
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating
135. Run a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted
148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Ran away
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunchbox
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics
169. Can hula or waltz
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone’s life
176. Eaten raw whale
177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hostel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma
188. Built a camp fire
189. Kept a blog
190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
198. Found a long lost friend
199. Helped solve a crime
200. Responded to a NJP newsletter

Did any of these surprise you?

The veggies are growing. The veggies are growing.

As you may recall, this is what my vegetable garden started out like. This is what it looked like today, just one month later before I picked some herbs. It's coming along quite nicely. You probably can't see from the picture, but the two tomato plants, though not huge in size, have at least three or four tomatoes apiece already. Yum!

I'll keep you posted on their progress.

I'm Proud to Be An American...

How many of you can honestly say you did not sing a single phrase from this classic '80s patriotic song yesterday?!? One can't go a 4th of July without at least hearing the song! If you didn't take this Independence Day as an opportunity to whip out your hairbrush microphone (or your thumb or a spoon, or whatever you fancy), I strongly encourage you to let loose and be proud to be an American. It's freeing just singing the words. :) Lee Greenwood would be proud. I think the song is actually titled "God Bless the U.S.A.", but I like singing the rousing chorus best:

And I’m proud to be an American where at least I know I’m free.

And I won’t forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.

And I’d gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today.

‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land. God bless the U.S.A.

Every time I hear this song I think of summers at the Cannons and watching the Summer Olympics in 1984. (You know you're getting old when you can refer back, with clarity, to events that happened more than twenty years ago.) Yesterday, Lindsay and I resolutely (alright, somewhat in jest) stood and sang our hearts out. We tried to sing the verses, but really the chorus is what it's all about! :) Also, Agne and I learned all four verses to The Star-Spangled Banner, its history and sang it for my mom, KDJ, Linds, and Stephen. Then we also sang the Lithuanian national anthem. Fun times.

Having spent four out of the last six 4ths of July out of the country, I have a greater appreciation for the holiday and have realized how truly patriotic I am. I really am "proud to be an American" and recognize the myriad blessings I have experienced due to my citizenship of this great nation. Plus, ... who wouldn't love the 4th of July when spectacular fireworks shows, homemade ice cream, barbecued hamburgers, a day off work, and the colors red and blue (my favorites) are involved?!?! :) It's a no brainer, I tell you.

I hope all had a joyous 4th and that you, too, feel a deeper sense of gratitude for the privileges we enjoy.