Yum cake!

Yesterday, I celebrated turning a quarter of a century old! Although I feel that I am too old for birthday parties and really celebrating getting older has lost most of its appeal to me...I enjoy spending time with my husband and family. Sunday, Jerad, his mom and I went to Genghis Khan Mongolian barbecue/buffet! It is one of my favorite places to eat and we don't go there often. Yesterday, I spent the day with my husband. We went for a walk, then went to a late lunch, grabbed more yarn (because one can never have enough) and then ran a couple of errands. One of those errands was hunting down some birthday cake because I have gone 8 months and several birthday celebrations, this year without birthday cake. Everyone else wanted pie or cheese cake (which is still not birthday cake). So, I found some cake. Yummy, moist white cake with chocolate whipped frosting on it.

And now I have filled my yen for cake this year. Bring on the pies!

Outside my birthday, I have kept busy with work and the usual. Same stuff different day. I took a break from crocheting for a week or two, nothing was really appealing to me and my yarn just wasn't cooperating. Jerad gave me a crochet stitch book for my birthday! So, now I can keep making new patterns beyond the single and double crochet stitches! I already have several ideas in mind. Thank you, my dear for this wonderful, and thoughtful birthday present. You are amazing!

 

One project that I am working on is another shawl! I love these CAL (crochet-a-long) projects that Adrienne Lash makes. I have said it before and I say it again, I love her patterns! This particular pattern is basically a four in one, which of course, I like. Except the projects all look beautiful and I want to make them all. At the same time. I only have two hands.  So, here is the one that I am working on. I just started it this morning:

The pattern is called La Tua Scelta, which means, "Your choice". I love the name of the pattern! The pattern is $5 but you get four choices. I am making the "baktus" shawl, which is the first choice. I was deciding between the baktus and the curly boomerang and decided to go with the baktus because I just finished a boomerang shawl, not too long ago.

For this project, I am using Red Heart Super Saver "Shaded Dusk" (love the name!) and a size K hook. I love how it is turning out, so far.

What projects are you working on? Feel free to leave a comment below and check out some of my other CAL posts!

Remember that you are beautiful and well loved.

Lessons learned from Dad

1. Even the strongest person in the world can hurt
My dad was always Superman, in my eyes. Bulletproof and never feared anything. I never saw him hurt, except when I was hurting too. I don't remember much from when I had a brain tumor, but what I do remember is moments captured in time. He would give me my I.V.'s (he was a medic, so he could), I would cry but I tried not to after the first time I did and I saw his face. It hurt him too. Once, my migraines were so bad they gave me morphine and I'm told that I was still screaming. I don't remember but mom said he cried then too. It hurt him that he couldn't do anything to help me. I know that I have hurt him too. Superman was still hurt by Kryptonite even if he was bulletproof.
2. Things, are just things. If they get broken or lost, it is okay because all that matters is that everyone is okay. You can't replace people but you CAN replace things.
 My dad had this hat that I really loved. It was kind of like an Indiana Jones style hat with a rattle snake tail on it. I played with the tail all the time because it rattled. I knew that it was Dad's favorite hat and one day the tail broke off. I burst into tears thinking of how much trouble I was going to be in and that I just broke Dad's favorite hat. Instead of being angry, he wrapped his arms around me and the first thing he said was "Are you okay?" When I nodded through sobs, he said told me this lesson: "Things can be replaced. As long as you are not hurt, I'm not angry." Then he held me until I stopped crying.

And the rest have too many stories to pick just one:

• Love people for who they ARE, not what you think they should or would be
• You can do anything that you set your mind to
• People are often wrong about what they think you are capable of, the only thing stopping you is You
• You are well loved, even if you think you are alone
• Love is not bound by distance or time
• Second chances never run out. The moment you give up on someone is when you will miss the moment you have been waiting for
• Forgiveness does not let the person off the hook, it simply removes the hook from your own mouth
• Live with no regrets. There is something to be learned from every mistake.
• If your dog doesn't like someone, you probably shouldn't either.
• A garden was never grown overnight, neither are relationships.
• Treat others how you want to be treated. Respect is never given without some in return.

What are some life lessons that you learned from your father/father figure?

Remember that you are beautiful and well loved!

I'm Probably Still, Daddy's Girl

 

I know that it is a little late, but I wanted to write a Father's Day post.

First, I want to say that I love my dad. I am seen as very independent but somewhere inside, I know that I was and probably still am a Daddy's Girl.  My dad was born into the military. His dad, my Papa was in the military and my dad followed. He is an amazing human being, though he has made his share of mistakes. He has taught me many things and still teaches me many things.

I remember reading, throwing the ball around the yard (and in the house). I remember studying but still finding time to have fun (something I wish I remembered how to do in High School and College). He is intelligent and creative. He would build things with his hands and they were beautiful. Once, he recycled our old, wooden bed-frame, to create a ball target for pitching when my brother, Chris, was interested in Baseball. He built this really cool mantle piece that you could take the lid off and hide things. Our bookshelves were made by him. 

If he didn't know how to make or fix something, he didn't go in blind. We didn't have interenet back then and even if we did, it wasn't that fast and any time someone called it went out. Do you remember those days? He took classes at Lowes. While my brother and I made terrible attempts at building bird houses, my dad was learning how to fix the plumbing, peel the horrible puke pink wallpaper off our bathroom wall, fix our popcorn ceiling and whatever else they offered. I didn't even know that plumbers and handy men existed because my dad was all of that. 

I think I get my independence from him. I was already independent but when I saw all that he could do, I wanted to do it too. I wanted to do it all and no one was going to stop me. I know that he certainly wouldn't, he hasn't tried to stop me before.

There was a time, after the divorce, that we really drifted. There were some lies that were told to me about him, but I heard them almost every day until I believed them. He would call every chance that he got just to tell me how proud he was of me and I'm not sure why he was, to this day. As soon as I hung up, I was thrown back into a world of lies and pain. Then, the e-mails stopped. The phone calls only came once in a while and I found, much later that he was not the cause of it. But, I was mad at him and if there was anything that I ever regreted in life, it is that I couldn't tell the difference between truth and lies. 

After I graduated high school, I went to his retirement. Mostly because I wanted answers and the answers I got were probably what caused a shift in the universe. My universe. I learned that he never did stop e-mailing and nither did the rest of my family. I learned that he was always and still is in my corner. I learned that I could still tell him anything and though he may tell me exactly what he thinks, he still believes in me. I learned that a father's pride is like aloe on a burn. I learned that even when it hurt to know that I didn't know, he never stopped loving me.

And when the day came, two years ago for him to walk with me he did it in a heart beat. He hadn't met Jerad before the wedding week. But he told me that I have a good head on my shoulders and if he makes me happy, go for it. He says the same thing, today about some of our choices in career, family...

I love my dad. I respect him. The way that he shows his love, the advice he gives and the example he sets for me, even still...I know I'm still his little girl and there is nothing that can change that.

I love you, Dad! Forever and Always. Thank you for always being in my corner. Even when I didn't know it. Even when it hurt that I didn't know. I'm sorry that I ever hurt you.

Remember that you are beautiful and well loved!