Grains of Sand

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that they take it easy and look forward to the weekend. Kailani at An Island Life is embracing this custom with her weekly Aloha Friday posts, so I thought that today I would take it easy on posting, too. My husband and I have come to a turning point in our lives. As many of you know my husband was laid off a few months ago and has yet to find a new job. He has an associate degree in mechanical design and 12 years experience in his field. He is stuck between a rock and a hard place because he has so much experience that he is over-qualified for many positions, but does not have the bachelor degree that many positions require. He is contemplating returning to school to attain a bachelor degree in engineering and we are trying to figure out how to do this. I would like to know what you wanted to be (or do) when you "grew up"? Are you doing that now? I went to college right out of high school and was struggling academically with a 'C' ...

There is a fable about the way birds first got their wings. The story goes that initially they were made without them. Then God made the wings, set them down before the wingless birds, and said to them, "Take up these burdens and carry them." The birds had sweet voices for singing, and lovely feathers that glistened in the sunshine, but they could not soar in the air. When asked to pick up the burdens that lay at their feet, they hesitated at first. Yet soon they obeyed, picked up the wings with their beaks, and set them on their shoulders to carry them. For a short time the load seemed heavy and difficult to bear, but soon, as they continued to carry the burden and to fold the wings over their hearts, the wings grew attached to their little bodies. They quickly discovered how to use them and were lifted by the wings high into the air. The weights had become wings. This is a parable for us. We are the wingless birds, and our duties and tasks are the wings God uses to lift us ...

On Friday, my Aloha question of the day asked for your favorite book. So today I thought I would continue the book theme with a few questions I found over at Reading At The Beach . Which do you prefer....... Reading something frivolous? Or something serious? Depends on my mood Paperbacks? Or hardcovers? Paperbacks Biographies? Or Autobiographies? Both Fiction or Non-fiction? Non-fiction Poetry or Prose? Poetry History? Or Historical Fiction? History (My history teacher would be shocked to know that) Series? Or Stand-alones? Either Classics? Or best-sellers? Classics, there are so many I haven't read yet Lurid, fruity prose? Or straight-forward, basic prose? Straight forward Plots? Or Stream-of-Consciousness? Plots Long books? Or Short? Short, however I'm not intimidated by long books anymore Illustrated? Or Non-illustrated? I love a good illustration Borrowed? Or Owned? Definitely owned New? Or Used? New book–noun a written or printed work of fiction or nonfiction, usually on...

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that they take it easy and look forward to the weekend. Kailani at An Island Life is embracing this custom with her weekly Aloha Friday posts, so I thought that today I would take it easy on posting, too. I am an avid reader and want a few more books to add to my must read list. I want to know: What is your favorite book? To participate, go to An Island Life and ask your question. Aloha!

The whole family jumped in the car and headed out to a local strawberry farm to pick strawberries. When we arrived we found our strawberry picking containers. One large one for the family and three individual ones for the kids. M found another use for her container..... Then we waited for the wagon to pick us up and take us out to the field ... After we hopped onto the wagon, the driver gave M strict instructions that she is not to come back without red all around her mouth and told her she was to eat as many strawberries as she liked. When we got to the field and found our spot, M wasted no time eating as many strawberries as she liked... And soon tired of picking strawberries and decided to figure out how the sprinkler worked... L and E worked right beside us to pick the best berries and when our container was full, M did her "strawberry dance" to celebrate a job well done and we stopped to pose for a family photo with dad behind the camera. It was a berry good day!

Today my husband and I celebrate our 13th wedding anniversary. We went to high school together in a small town. I first noticed him when we were sophomores and in the same english class. He was a skater dude and I was a good girl with a big crush on him. I remember dreaming up some story about my brother wanting a skateboard and asking Patrick (my husband) what kind he would recommend, just to get a chance to talk to him. My crush lasted a little while until I found out, through the grapevine, that Patrick was not interested in me. Life goes on, we graduated from high school and were doing our own things until we ran into each other on a cold January night. We chatted briefly and parted company. We ended up running into each other one other time when Patrick mentioned that his birthday was coming up in March. I then called him on his birthday to extend my wishes. Now you have to understand that I've already labelled myself a good girl, and as such, I had never called a boy in my li...

Happy Birthday Makayla. We love you!

The burden of suffering seems to be a tombstone hung around our necks. Yet in reality it is simply the weight necessary to hold the diver down while he is searching for pearls. ~Julius Richter

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that they take it easy and look forward to the weekend. Kailani at An Island Life is embracing this custom with her weekly Aloha Friday posts, so I thought that today I would take it easy on posting, too. If you have unexpected guests arriving in about 15 minutes and only have time to do one thing before they arrive, what would you do? To participate, go to An Island Life and ask your question. Aloha!

Anyone who has a boy will know that anytime your son goes outside he will come back with a special "friend". My boys' "friends " are an eclectic mix. They are ants, worms, caterpillars, beetles and toads. Half the fun of entertaining these friends is making homes for them in buckets or other large containers. Finding just the right flora, fauna or dirt to make the occupant feel right at home is a necessity. When visiting Grandma and Grandpa this past weekend the boys found their very first salamander. (Actually dad found it, but the boys were happy to adopt it.) What an exciting day that was. They gathered together all the necessary equipment to house their new friend for a time, and carried the salamander everywhere they went. My oldest is especially fond of critters and developed quite an attachment to little Sal. We were scheduled to visit some friends for dinner that night and we brought Sal with us. Upon arriving we realized Sal might be in danger due to t...

There are quite a few ice cream trucks that peruse our neighborhood in the summer. The children finally found mom and dad with some cash in our pockets and were able to select a delightful summer treat. We love ice cream!