Day 4 Month of Love - Diana

Day 4 Month of Love goes to Miss Diana. Diana and I met when I was pregnant with Mason, we met at the Crawdad festival in Isleton, CA and it seems like we've been close friends ever since. I'm sure it didn't go just like that, but I don't all the way remember us not being close even though we've never really lived in any sort of close proximity of each other from that first night. We just have that kind of girlfriend love, it sparks and just stays lit. <3 font="">

I remember the first time Diana came and stayed with me for a long weekend, Mason was a newborn and Dave was deployed to Iraq. We were sitting out on the deck looking at the canyon and she was lamenting that I had it all, "Man, look at your life. You're happily married, have this precious new baby, a great home, some money in the bank, you have it all." I can recall feeling like, yeah, it's pretty good when I what came out of my mouth was, 'Yeah, it's really awesome but don't be fooled, it's not that simple, all of this can be gone in an instant. What's more important is that you live every minute appreciating what you have and telling those people you love that you love them." I think in true, soft-hearted Diana form she got emotional, started to cry and told me she loved me. We had lots of fun that weekend and it set the tone for many more good times, camping, river trips, Christmas in Sonora, dancing at the boot bar in Clayton, and so many more. We talk about all the things people need to talk about but so many are uncomfortable bringing up, really, "debris on the track" is something everyone should understand, don't you think? One of my favorite memories is of rewriting the lyrics to the song, 'Who's That Man" by Toby Keith. Of all the times I wished we had written something down, it's this one! She and I started singing along with the radio and plugged in the funniest lyrics, we were both laughing so hard we were crying. I'm sure when one of us noted we should write it down, we were sure it was SO funny, how could we forget? All I can remember is it was really funny and she is laughing right now reading this, and she can't remember the lyrics either!!

Diana is the epitome of tough but tender, she would have blazed trails in the old west, held her own in a poker game, plow the field, plant the crops, and turn right around to be at the school the next morning to teach needlepoint and how to make your own laundry detergent to the young girls. I don't think there is anything this lady can't do, yet she is pretty in pink, wears clothes that are flowy & ruffled, and finds more joy in makeup and lip gloss than should even be legal! LOL! I guess what I'm trying to say is that Diana is one of my favorite hippy-chick sisters, she's independent, able, smart, witty, and fun. I love you Missy and can't wait to see where the rest of our lives take us, rest assured, we'll be laughing all the way!

Day 3 Month of Love, Terry

Day 3 of my #MonthOfLove goes to my only sister, Teri Cartwright.

Terry (yes, I learned her as Terry, T-E-R-R-Y from the time I could spell so when she changed her spelling, I just never could fully adapt) is my only sister and she and I are the first and last born of 5 kids, we are more than 20 years apart in age. This is really only relevant because when I came along, she was almost married. Her sweetheart Bill, and now husband all these years were assumed to be my parents when they took me out with them. That would set the tone for how Terry took care of me and everyone else who has come into her life. Yes, she is a natural born nurturer to her very core.

I spent many years of my adolescent life with Terry and Bill. There were times it was really cool to have a much older sister and of course, sometimes, not so much. The fun stuff was clothes, make-up, she advocated to my mom to let me date before my mom wanted me to, and she put those boyfriends at ease. I had a safe space to go stay when as a teen I was at odds with my mom and dad, and later when I couldn't find my way as a young adult. My sister was always there for me even if I didn't deserve her alliance.

Our lives have gone in different directions, some because of our age difference, but more so because we live so far apart. Even still, we managed a trip to Las Vegas to see Clay Walker and she came to help me when Mason was born and Dave was deployed. I have not always been a good steward of her love and loyalty. I've behaved badly some due to immaturity and some because I'm hard-headed and get in my own way. I'm sorry Terry for the times I've been insensitive and not been more loving toward you and all you do for all of us. You took care of both mom and dad so they could stay with family and not have to be in a home, and you continue to take care of all of the people in your life. I love you and appreciate you more than you know, and I hope we can spend more time laughing this year even if it's only on the phone. #monthoflove #sisters

Day 2 Month of Love - Jules

Today I want to love on Julie Anna Boles Ballard. Jules has been my best friend since the 4th grade when I wanted to be her friend because she had ponies! Yep, I wanted to go riding with her, and riding we did! We have been friends for over 40 years now and can I just tell you, like my marriage we rarely fight. This woman is the epitome of Phenomenal Woman, she is strong, determined, smart, funny (she thinks she's REALLY funny!), and did I say awesome? 

This woman has made amazing things happen in her life. I've seen her get straight As through elementary and high school, put herself through college at Stanford University, save lives as her career, and just as she hit her stride at mid-life, she put herself back in the game and got accepted to Yale University! Yes, she is enrolled at Yale and will be a Physician Assistant next year. 

I can't tell you how proud I am of Julie, like loving Dave, there are no words for how honored I am to be her friend and to be able to be on this journey with her. Many of you may not know that one of my biggest life disappointments is that my granny and Mason never got to know each other. That is a little less bitter because Mason has Julie. This may seem like a weird correlation, but to me, Jules is right up there with my granny as a phenomenal woman. I will talk about my granny in another post and you all can see how that connects, but for this post here, I'm so glad Mason and Jules not only know each other, they love each other. Jules brings things to Mason's life experience that I could never even come close to doing for him. Jules, thank you for not falling in love with Dave when I tried to set you up, and even more for being in my life and loving my people. I love you to the moon and back, the place where our horses and doggies run free, and I can't wait to see what the next 40 years bring us! #MonthOfLove😍😘😍

February is the Month Of Love!

Happy February 1st! In honor of the month of love, I am going to post each day about the people I love and why I love them. It stands to reason that I am going to start with my Flower Dave. Why do I call him Flower Dave? I'll post that story at the end of this post so scroll down if you are interested.

Dave is the love of my life, not the first one, but absolutely the last one. Dave has taught me what it means to love so deeply that there are no words to describe it. While he was deployed, I learned what it meant to long for someone. How's that for an old fashioned word? Dave has shown me a life that I can live in with confidence that he is loyal and trustworthy. He doesn't send me flowers when we've had a fight, he stays and talks it out with me, and if he feels he needs to leave, he leaves in such a way that I know he is coming back. In fact, if he leaves, we will likely be continuing to work out our issue on the phone because we really want to work it out. More importantly that how Dave shows me he loves me and our life, he has shown Mason what it means to truly adore a woman and how to treat her. I mentioned not sending flowers when we fight, he sends flowers on my birthday, Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, and the first day of fall. I don't expect them and if they don't come, it's okay, but I do love them. Dave has planned dates for us that may be as simple as dinner in downtown, and as elaborate as tickets to a concert, dinner reservations, and it all started with an outfit I found on our bed with a note, "We've got plans for Friday night, plan accordingly." Yes, he is an amazing man, husband, father, and friend. Some say we got lucky, but I think it's more than that, I think we set up what we wanted to have, what we wanted to live and though we've had some bumps, we do the things we do because we want each other to know our marriage is important - you are important to me Flower Dave! Neither of us is perfect, and we've had moments we are not proud of, but they are far fewer than the ones that make up the happy memories of our life together that started in April of 1996 when I won him on the radio. I love you David, happy February 1, 2019! #MonthOfLove

Dave sent me a huge bouquet of flowers after our first date. I was livid mad! I told him after the date that I didn't want to "date." Here I was holding flowers so big you couldn’t even see me, but you could hear that I was not happy. When I finally was able to express myself I said, “Now I have to have this talk with him all over again! Didn’t he hear me say just friends?” I immediately called and thanked him for the flowers but before he could even respond, I started right in on him, “I thought you understood that I just want to be friends, I thought you got that I am not looking for a relationship…blah, blah, blah” Poor Dave, I don’t even know why it is that we are the great friends that we are except to say that we have always been true to ourselves and each other. We have never had to pretend to be anyone we are not. After Dave sent me the flowers and I became so angry, that made quite an impact on my family and friends. They thought I was crazy because I was probably the only woman in this lifetime to get angry with a man for giving her flowers, this became a defining moment in our lives. My friends didn’t know any of the new people in my life so I always had to explain who I was doing things with. Since Dave and I were dancing and talking often - as friends - I started to refer to him as “Dave, you know, Dave, the guy who sent me the flowers.” This went to just Flower Dave and then simply to Flower.

2001 - 2018

Our Family

Bubble Gum Alley, SLO 2017

Mardi Gras 2016

All my love! 2018

Julie's 50th 2017

Can't Fake the Lake! 2018

Wedding Day 11/9/01

It's About Time

Do you have time? Of course you do, you have the same 24 hours every day that everyone else has. What can you do with one minute? 60 seconds can be the blink of an eye or a lifetime, it's all in how you see it.

Out With The Old, In With The New Year Cards

Out with the old (Christmas cards) and in with the New Year Cards! Really, I don't think I am never going to send Christmas cards again. The New Year card is the way to go. Welcome, 2019! #NotFailing #NewYearCards #ILoveThis

Motivation & Momentum

"With regard to motivation and keeping the momentum. If you find that you can't stay motivated, maybe you are not working toward the right prize. If you don't feel the excitement and joy in working toward a goal, it may not be the goal you originally thought you wanted. Feel free to go back and rethink the things you aspire to and long for. When you are on the right track, motivation builds momentum. KP 2011" 

I wrote this back in 2011, and for the most part I believe it's true. I don't struggle with motivation or having the correct goals, I struggle with making time for the things I want to do. I am consumed with a long list of things I have to do for my home, my husband, my son, and my clients before I can even think about the things I want to do for myself. I know there will come a day when Mason is grown and out of the house and there is less to do for Dave and work, but then I wonder if I will still want to work toward those same goals. Time will tell.