Racy & Edgy

 

I wasn't sure if Victoria's Secret was going to have the racy & edgy look I want for my boudoir photos. Let's be honest, I'm not going for pretty. Think more, alter ego. 

VS did not disappoint! I had an idea of what I was thinking and came out with a more brazen look than I was intending. Because we couldn't try on outfits in their changing rooms, we came back to my place to try our new outfits on. 

Brooke said, "Mom... you look like a model!" 

It's perfect.

Horrible, Horrible, Adorable

 

Sofia loved her Princess Sofia jeweled crown Great Grammy bought for her. Then, we found an American Girl doll in her momma's keepsake box in the basement from when she was a young girl. With the crown on her new American Girl dolls head, the conversation went like this...

Sofia:  "You are horrible! You are just horrible! [Said in a sweet tone]

Me:  "Do you mean adorable?"

Sofia:  "Yes. You are adorable, just adorable. I'm your momma and you make my heart so happy" she tells her doll. 

She says the sweetest things, because her mommy says the sweetest things to her. 

A Deal With The Devil

 

My Boudoir photoshoot is scheduled and I cannot wait! The first 1-1/2 hours will be spent in hair and makeup by a professional, and I'm definitely thinking edgy and dramatic!

It got me thinking... I haven't seen my other boudoir photos (when I was 35 years old) for a couple years. I looked everywhere and I can feel myself break into a sweat looking in my go-to hiding places and not finding them. They are gone. 

I'm one of those who hides stuff well. So well, I have lost things forever because of it. Add to that, I've moved a few times in the last couple years since I sold our family home. 

Think. Think. Think. The purpose of these photos are to have them forever. 

There is one person... in this world... who quite possibly has them. In fact, if my photos have disappeared, it was probably him knowing one day I would have to reach out to him and ask. He will also go to the grave never confessing. 

So, I made a deal with the devil. Well, not the devil himself; rather, his twin brother, David. (Lolololololol!!) The "other" David. The original David from my youth and the one I shared several years in life with a couple years ago.

David saves  e v e r y t h i n g. 

I know because I know him more than anyone. In all fairness, he can say the same about me. I also know he reads this blog (because he recently confessed and called me out on a few things he's read). 

So, with a sweet ask, he text my photos over...

Honestly, thank you, David. 

A deal is a deal. 

Don't Be A Karen

 

Always yearning to know more, I was buying a new book by a favorite author of mine, when I was informed by the cashier with my purchase I get to select a pen and have it engraved.

Why, yes! At the engraving machine, I chose my font and I could choose an icon to have etched into my new pen. Too many categories, let's just get to what I like, "Do you have a flower?" 

Voila! The floral button prompted pages of flowers. I pointed to one, when the well-intentioned cashier said, "Ummmm... that's a dandelion." 

First of all, Karen, no kidding. [I have no idea what her name is, but she is acting like a Karen.]

Second, why do you have that look on your face as you said dandelion.

"I want the dandelion."

Karen. You see a weed. 

Forever etched in my mind's eye and in my heart is my perfect and sturdy 3 year old granddaughter. We are playing chase in a field full of dandelions, when she begins picking them up and squeezing them tight in her chubby baby hands. My Sofia is blowing hard and often missing her target of the white wisps with seeds. Her fist tight, her face scrunched up she is blowing with purpose and a little spit. 

Me, lost in the moment, watching her master blowing dandelions. Make a wish, pretty girl. Wishes are made blowing on dandelions, blowing on birthday candles and on twinkling stars.

When I see this dandelion now etched on my pen, I see love in the form of my granddaughter and a memory of her blowing on dandelions.

I Made It!

Let vacation begin! For my last day in the office, I had details to wrap up and walked out the door pretty pleased.

First of all, I made it through the month of October having 18 events. Events can be a lot, but it's the behind the scenes details that are often months to over a year of planning, dealing with event set up, staff, guests, and ensuring event success. I was pretty pleased with submitting my sales commission report before I left.

Which prompted the question, "Are we getting raises this year?" I've crunched numbers and I was ready to negotiate. My base salary is already completely comfortable for me to live on. Commissions are fun bonuses. To find out my base salary beginning this weekend is going to be what I was going to negotiate for. Better to have my raise in a base salary vs. commission increase in case covid screws with my events. I whip out my calculator, do the math, smile and agree. Well done, GM! 

Let's just knock this conversation out since we are already talking... "When are we beginning winter hours and how many?"

Perhaps it's covid, perhaps he knows I need to step away and take some time off, he's burned out, too. We all are. Winter hours begin now and I only have to work 30 hours per week. Not bad for the next 5-6 months. He also mentioned he will set up me in my home office to work from home 1 day per week. 

Exhale... I made it! 

I really am one blessed girl.

 

Boudoir Photography

 

When I was 35 years old, I did a boudoir photoshoot. Honestly, I loved it! I believe every girl should do this for themselves to have photos professionally taken so you remember what your body looked like. I had a fabulous body at 35 after two kids.

Multiple outfits and scenes, this one was, let's just say a dirty school-girl shot. Topless with a red and black plaid short skirt slipping off my behind, while it may seem questionable, for private purposes, it's really nobody's business.

I'm so, so, so glad I did this!

And, I am going to do it again... because I'm 50 and I can. 

A Bag of Chips

 

As an events director, I have repertoire of skills when it comes to handling a host of emergency situations.

For example, I know how to best  remove stains from wedding dresses during a reception, I have spare shoes for brides who realize they cannot spend 8 hours in their brand new beautiful wedding dress heels without their blisters, and last nights sweetest little emergency...

We were seven (7) minutes from the bridal party walking down the aisle. Let me tell you, there is a lot of excitement in the air moments before a wedding ceremony and just as I lined them up to walk, the bride and grooms, incredibly cute 14 month old, chubby with lots of curls daughter, started SCREAMING! 

The bride shouts, there's no more milk. I run into the ballroom, shout to one of my staff to grab milk in the walk-in! He runs across the ballroom, hands it off to me as if we are in a relay race, and I race off to the bridal party. We are down to minutes before the wedding. The baby doesn't want her bottle and her screams are rattling her momma, the brides, nerves. 

I asked, what about a cookie? She said no, she just had a graham cracker. 

Then... I said, "Hold on!" I run into the grill, yank a bag of Lay's potato chips off the rack, open them up and give her one.

S-I-L-E-N-C-E! 

Instantly, she stopped blood curdling screaming. 

I'm a grandma. My grandbabies loves potato chips. The salty taste, the crispness of the chip, holding the bag, she loved all of it!!

Baby happy, momma happy, let's do this wedding! 

To Thine Own Self Be True

 

Ahhh... Shakespeare. A man of extraordinary wit and a grasp of human emotions... his work centuries old still beautifully known in modern times. His words, pieces of his soul, blending expertise with emotions. 

"To thine own self be true" quoted by Polonius in Shakespeare's Hamlet. Polonius, an incessant prattling windbag leaving his son with valuable advice before he departs to another country. After doling out swanky utterances, he leaves his son with one lasting and true advice, "This above all; to thine own self be true." There is the morsel of truth. 

Be true and honest to oneself. Cling faithfully to what you believe in. 

That is bravery. 

In a world of surface, with polite conversations and staying politically correct to keep everyone in a happy place, nothing exhilarates me more than digging deep. Deep into my thoughts, wants and desires and expressing heartfelt conversations raw and exposed in a truly safe place of trust.

To thine own self be true. When you have someone who you cannot imagine life without, those moments you share are windows of time, a gift to make the very most of. 

That is wisdom. 

Give me the moments, Lord, and I will bask in gratefulness. I will make the time and conversations count. I will bare my soul and expose my emotions, and I want to connect in the heart, because there is truth there. That is the foundation to build on. 

Life is about brokenness and games with broken people. Foundations crumble[d] like sand with broken people. We've all gone back into situations with renewed hope to find brokenness surfaces quickly. It's there because it's always been there. It's just a matter of time.

To thine own self be true... as candid as you are in private with God, be with the one you love. 

Time is but a vapor. 

 

My Daughters and Best Girlfriends

 

It was a funny Facebook post (this photo) Charlotte posted when my daughter, Mariah, commented:

Mariah:  Says 1 cup, I put in two entire bags

Me:  That's my girl!

Mariah:  Jeremy "that looks like it's enough." Mariah responds:  It's not!

It's all funny, because it's all true. If I make a homemade cake, I will dump and entire bag of chocolate chips into the cake mix before I bake it. 

What I love most is that my daughter is friends with one my best girlfriends of 35 years. In fact, my daughters are friends with all my dear girlfriends. 

Girlfriends are some of God's greatest blessings. They will tie their hair back and run to the battle line with you. It is them some of your best memories are made with. They will laugh at anything, cry when you cry, love unconditionally, and love your children. 

I guess I never thought about it much until this post. My adult daughters are friends with my best girlfriends: Charlotte, Dawn, Kimberly, Jaime, Karen, Sue, and Angie. 

I am friends with their children, too. 

We have been and continue to support one another's children in life and there is something so special and beautiful about that. 

My best girlfriends are FABULOUS! Talk about strong, successful, fun & funny, and independent women! These friendships span decades. Talk about prayer warriors who you know will reach out when needed for anyone in their spectrum in life that needs covered and willing, wanting, and ready to go in the trenches when needed in a heartbeat. The very ones we breathe life and logic back into one another, speak truth (even when not necessarily wanted), share and celebrate life with. They love when you love, their honest to a fault, they know your past, your secrets, and I love the saying:

You will have be my friend forever, you know to much!

It's these women who are there for my daughters in friendship, love, support, marriage, and babies. 

I love that my best girlfriends are friends with my daughters. These women keep it real and I know this strong support system in life is a phone call away when needed. 

My gosh, life is countless moments where we need one another and I dearly love each of them.

Indian Summer

It was the first frost and watching the weather forecast that said high 70's and sunshine. I kept my schedule clear, because this girl does Indian Summer.

“Indian summer” is a phrase most North Americans use to describe an unseasonably warm and sunny patch of weather during autumn. In U.S. states that experience enough seasonal variation for a brief warming trend to be noticeable, the phenomena is generally observed anywhere from mid-October to early November and normally occurs after the first frost. 

Sunshine, my car reflected it was 80 degrees out, and I needed to be home. There is only 1-1/2 days before all this turns cold. 

Opening all my windows for fresh air, I slipped into my favorite summer outfit, put my hair up in a knot and had dinner in the sunshine on my patio.

I've never had Pesto. This came up in conversation as I am re-writing my event contracts and menus. A colleague left me a jar of Pesto on my desk and I tried that for the first time ever with an Organic Edamame Spaghetti and it was surprisingly tasty. 

Having dinner on my patio in the sunshine, I am looking around at autumn. My property continues to amaze me as it is ever-changing in color. When I moved here in the spring, every single week a new flower and plant came to life. Every week I could walk around my property and find something new as a gift from whoever owned this purposefully planted flowers to awaken at different periods of time. My heartfelt thanks and appreciation. 

All of my flowers, trees, and flowering shrubs are in autumn splendor and I love their constant changes. 

I'm so grateful I planned well and didn't miss any of this. 

Mowing and enjoying the warmth of the sun, tending to weeds before the cold sets in, manually sweeping the driveway and sidewalk because I think it's relaxing, and putting all necessary items in the pool house for winter. I took advantage of this window of time.

This morning is going to be sunny and 77 degrees and I have the morning off for a wedding this evening. This evening it all changes. Thunderstorms dropping the temperatures in the 40's tomorrow then the cold air stays.

Ohhhh... but, this morning. I will be basking in the last bit of sunshine with my windows open. 

Indian Summer always requires planning ahead. Wait for that 1st frost, then watch for that short window of time when the weather becomes unseasonably warm... then make the very most of it. 

 

Instinct

 

If prayer is you talking to God, then instinct is God talking to you.

Yesterday morning, everyone came to my house before my Aunt flew back to Florida. On the way to my house...

Just wanted to publicly thank God for protecting the kids and I this morning! Driving down to my moms, I was in the left lane and approaching a yellow light and getting ready to move into the right lane. My gut (God) last second told me to just stay in the left lane instead of moving over. So, I'm sitting at the red light. Not 10 seconds later a trucker in the right lane comes FLYING, I'm talking had to be going 80 mpg through the red light (either texting or not paying attention at all). Had I of moved over, the kids and I literally would be been smashed. Super thankful this morning. 

I was rattled when I learned this. Let me say, I am so incredibly grateful my daughter listened to her instincts. I believe she couldn't have known what was about to happen. I also believe if she knew she needed to stay where she was, she was listening and obeying a voice that spoke to her soul. 

If you've never experienced this, it's near impossible to explain or understand. It isn't your own voice, because you don't know and could not have known, but God does. 

I went up into my prayer journal. The night before I had written down a prayer of protection and safety over my kids and grandbabies and diligently prayed. I prayed and always pray angels are kept around them to keep them safe and from harm. As the world is increasingly becoming unsafe, I do have the power to pray a hedge of protection around my sweet little descendants. While they have a life to live and I cannot always be present, I have the power of prayer which is more powerful than my own presence. 

My grandmother always told me she prayed for me every day. I am a praying grandmomma and I am so incredibly blessed and grateful my daughter is such a good momma and listens and trusts when her instincts raise alarm. 

Thank you, God, for their safety and protection, in that car was my heart. 

NO-vember

 

Ahhhh... November, you are an understated month. The crescendo of autumn meets winter, striking cold in the north, and the clash of Thanksgiving where our hearts are full to crashing down the very next day to commercialized Black Friday. 

But to those who do it best, Black Friday in my home is... Fa-la-la-la... welcome Christmas! 

November has also some pretty special birthdays: Alex (11/4, Brooke (11/8), David (11/10), and Sue (11/29). 

Forget no shave No-vember, unless it is the unshaven face of a handsome man with his lips against mine. To close my eyes and feel the scratchiness on my face, it exhilarates me! 

Another NO-vember I am over the moon happy with is, I sent my team the event schedule for November and for the 1st time ever, there are no events next month!! I for one, could not be happier! I had a handful of weddings postpone and several events cancel due to the pandemic and honestly, I'm relieved.

My November... I will slide into November on vacation, celebrate birthdays, enjoy low-key downtime in the office, handle all my Christmas shopping, and slide into the week of Thanksgiving in a gorgeous cabin in the mountains of Tennessee, stroll Gatlinburg decorated in a quintessential Hallmark Christmas, come home to Thanksgiving, then wake up the next morning... turn on Christmas music, perhaps the scent of cinnamon rolls fresh in the oven, and see what my new home looks like fully decorated for Christmas. 

November, I welcome you. 

Caramel Apple Sangria

 

"If you like Pina Coladas, and getting caught in the rain
If you're not into yoga, if you have half a brain
If you like making love at midnight, in the dunes of the cape
I'm the love that you've looked for, come with me, and escape"

It wasn't a pina colada, more a Caramel Apple Sangria and it was strong and FABULOUS! Quite possibly the perfect autumn drink walking down the steps to the patio by the water. The sun shining hot on my skin, not a cloud in the sky. 

Happy Sweetest Day. 

I've always loved Sweetest Day; in fact, I like it more than Valentine's Day because October is so beautiful with the air cool, the sun hot, and trees bursting in color. 

To sit back, relax, and laugh, it felt like vacation. Speaking of vacation, next week it will be me smiling driving down the road as I set out for a road trip through the mountains to my dear girlfriend Karen's place in North Carolina. The temperatures are looking to be 79 degrees next week and I know she already has a full agenda for us. 

Karen is quite possibly one of the funniest people I know! Nothing she says or does shocks me. She lives full throttle, loves deeply, is Miss Entertainment Extraordinaire, and I already foresee a lot of fruity drinks at the beach. 

The last time I walked through her door was 9 years ago. Her husband, Berg, had died of pancreatic cancer. When he was passing she said she was going to sell everything, rent a Uhaul and move to the beach to heal. I thought she was dreaming. My gosh, she did it!

She had said she lived in a shack on the beach and I worried about her. So, I hopped in my car for my 1st road trip there and found her shack on the beach was really a beautiful oceanfront condo. I laughed... all that worry and she was set up quite nice. She laughed, too.

When I walked through her door, there was a spread of food to welcome me made up of shrimp, fresh fruits, cheese, chocolates, etc. and in my room on my bed was the sweetest thing. A letter welcoming me...

Welcome to the land of I-don't-give-a-flip...

... telling me to relax, enjoy the sunshine, no worries, no cares, have a drink or three, walk on the beach, do whatever it is that I need to do for myself for the days I am with her and stay as long as I like. 

There was also an agenda of all the places we simply must go and do each day, amazing food to try, fun to be had. 

It was her ocean front patio with hammocks by the sand dunes and beach, I loved so much, and the tiki bar on the dock that stretched out into the ocean with barstools that I remember most. We wore cute sundresses and our hair was windblown and wild from so many hours at the beach. She's always laughing and telling one funny story after another and me, grateful for such a dear friend. 

If life gives you lemons, Karen's got the vodka, fun fruit to put in it, pretty glasses, chairs on the beach, a great story to share, and a willing heart to do and try anything that goes down in the memories called, "Oh my gosh!" 

That's where I'm going. 

Do I Need You?

 

"Do you need me?"

I was caught off guard, shocked, and momentarily speechless. My gosh, do I put off so much independence that he believes I don't need him? My mind is reeling... 

Does a flower need sunshine so it can blossom? Does a coffee bean need water in order to make a cup of coffee? Does a gun need a bullet in order to be used as it should? Does your truck need an engine?

God said it isn't good for man to be alone...

God said, "and these three remain:  faith, hope, and love, but the greatest of these is love." 

I was never intended to live life alone. Ever. 

I need him in ways he cannot imagine. I may need him more in a million little ways and big ways, because I haven't had it. My gosh, I've managed for decades, because I didn't have any other choice. 

What do I say in my shock and dismay?

"YES, I need you... 

I don't want you because I need you, 

I need you because I love you." 

The Hero to My Heart

 

*Not his shirt, nor a representation of what his muscles in it

When you think of someone, what is it your mind's eye pictures? 

My grandbabies for example, it's them laughing and being ornery. Sofia always in one of countless princess dresses and her hair wild. Rowan is always smiling, happy with his super blond hair and bright sky blue eyes, and on the move. 

When I think of David, it is him sitting in front of me, we are always facing one another and locked into hours of conversation. I envision his hands, which are large and strong, his muscles, and his shirt off. 

I like to look at him and touch him while we are talking. I'm not sure if he really understands it, but this is my perfect place with him.

He seriously looks hot in everything he wears! When he comes over after work with his SHERIFF t-shirt on, there is just something so masculine about it. He is testosterone and masculinity.

"Take your shirt off..." I'm not quite as reserved as I was in openly touching him. I'm talking running my fingertips across his muscles and his triple 6-pack stomach. How on earth at 57 years old?! 

It's just my favorite way to envision him. 

I said those magic words, "I love you..." to him. I never, ever want to live with regret with words not said. To live life and each day to it's fullest, I want him to know I admire him, respect him, and I am fully alive in his presence. He is desired, wanted, and loved. 

It's funny, when you're young, you have forever and so often hold back and play games. At 50 years old, I am a woman and I know what I want and I know what I want forever. I'm not holding back my words, words give life. Use them lavishly. Hopefully, he is okay with it, because I have a lot to say. 

I found the one who is the hero to my heart. 

Wild at Heart

 

In the heart of every man is a desperate desire for a battle to fight, an adventure to live, and a beauty to rescue. In the heart of man is passion.

Every man needs to know he is powerful and he is a hero. Think of the movies Braveheart, Gladiator, Legends of the Fall, there is something fierce in the heart of every man. What would these men be without the woman they love? Lonely men fighting lonely battles. It's not just that a man needs a battle to fight, he needs someone to fight for. 

The battle is never enough... it's not enough to be a hero, it's that he is a hero to the woman he loves. 

Most men marry for safety. They choose a woman who will make them feel like a man but never challenge them to be one. They choose easy, calm and safe, then they are frustrated with her for not being more. Versus, the woman who asks a lot of them. A beautiful woman who challenges them to be a man, to charge the castle, slay the dragon, and live a life of adventure with.

A woman doesn't want to be the adventure, she wants to be caught up in something greater than herself. 

Wild at Heart, invites men to recover their masculine heart, defined in the image of a passionate God. This book invites women to discover the secret of a man's soul and to delight in the strength and wildness men were created for.

A girls first hero is her dad. He is typically her first love and the bar is set high for the hero she longs for in her life. 

A friend asked me this week, "Why have you been alone so many years (23 years)?" I shared, "I would rather be alone and have hope for love, passion, and adventure, then to settle and be stifled in a sub par relationship." 

Life has a limit. I want a hero in my life; a Braveheart. A man who makes the unexplained part of me come alive and my soul sing. I want adventure. I want to go be in nature, in the wilderness, places I've never gone and enjoy life. Isn't that what we work so hard for?

I want to challenge him to his core to be exactly what he was made to be and breathe hero into him because he deserves it. 

IF in every heart of a man is a desperate desire for a battle to fight, an adventure to live, and a beauty to rescue... If in the heart of man is passion, why aren't women being a strong part of the adventure, a grand adventure to be swept up in?

A man must know he is powerful, that he knows he has what it takes. 

There is something wild, strong, and valiant in him waiting to be released. A strong woman, a smart woman, recognizes the hero in the right man and breathes this life into him. 

Warrior Princess

 

My Sofia is a warrior princess by nature. Fiercely independent, I know she challenges everything she wants and believes in. It runs through her veins and it is who she is. Give her a sword and a battle to win and she won't stop. 

The video my daughter posted was hysterical. Sofia was relentless with the sword, chasing and whacking her cousin over and over. 

Little brother sipping his juice in wonder and awe. 

Sofia was in her glory. Dressed like a princess, her hair tossed every which way and a dragon to slay. 

When the wrestling match began, she was tackling and on top of the pile, when she realized she wanted her mask.

Her mask in place, she went back into battle. 

Living her true design she is feminine, beautiful and valiant. She wants to be caught up in something greater than herself. 

Sofia battles for what she wants in most things. It isn't disobedience, it's more determination. She knows what she loves, she's willing to stand at the battle line, and fight for what she believes in.  

While the battle may wear you out all day, every day... one day, this beautiful warrior princess will fight for love. She will fight for who she loves, for her family, her children, and for all things she believes in. 

It is her God-given nature and strength to protect what is hers in a world that is out of control. 

Messy hair, don't care

Strength Training

 

It feels good to be back in the gym. 

In Keto-cycling, where I am not so hardcore Keto, yet maintaining a balanced healthy lifestyle, I've just added strength training.

My energy level has increased after just one week and with making more energy, I am constantly moving and active. 

Muscle memory, let's see what you're made of. 

For a girl who loves a good challenge, let's just see at 50 years old what I can accomplish, it's time to really see what I can do! 

STRONG IS BEAUTIFUL

Luxury Perks

 

A couple weeks ago, I traded my Jeep Grand Cherokee that has served me well for many, many years in for a shiny, new luxury SUV.

My wish list was a panoramic sunroof and a super light, light tan interior. That is what I got, along with a 386 page manual of luxury perks I'm going to have to dive into just to know all it's capabilities. 

My brother, super excited asked me what my favorite thing is about the car, I said the wireless charger for my cell phone. "WHAT?! You have a luxury SUV and you like the wireless charger?!"

I've never had one. 

It does so much stuff it will take me forever if I really want to know. I may have to have another lesson from my brother on the details. Honestly, I can only retain so much. 

What I did just realize as we were about to hit the towpath biking is... it's doesn't have a hitch for my bike rack.

I will call and schedule an appointment and make that happen... because luxury can meet adventure. 

Whisper

 

It was exactly what I needed... a good book, a cup of coffee, sunshine warming my skin, with a cool breeze in the air. To kick my shoes off, curl up on a park bench on a beautiful autumn day, became my perfect place. 

When my girls were little and we were at the park, I would tell them to close their eyes. Listen for the sounds you don't hear when your eyes are open. For me, it was the splash of water from the ponds water fountain, the sounds of cars in the distance, and the flipping of skateboards as young kids took advantage of the day, and the birds in the air. 

The fountain grass next to me danced in the wind and it's plumes soft to the touch.  

I picked up the book Whisper: How to Hear the Voice of God. Closing my eyes with my face to the sun, is a perfect time for a conversation with Him. 

Familiar with hearing the voice of God a few times in my life, it wasn't until my later years that I learned to ask. That's when I would hear it. It isn't an imagination or my own thoughts in my head, sometimes it's days and weeks, and when I least expect it, there He is. I have even heard an audible answer a couple of times without asking. God will speak when He wants, but I do believe it is for us to ask when it's our hearts desire to hear from Him.

Make time for the quiet moments

as God whispers and the world is loud.

Hung on my wall, a gift from my dear friend Karen many years ago, whom I am so excited to go see in a couple weeks. 

A whisper is gentle, but nothing more powerful. You have to lean in to hear it, you also have to be quiet in order to hear Him. 

There is an art to being quiet. It makes me laugh, I used to use being quiet as a weapon in warfare. People are uncomfortable when it's quiet, so they fill the silence with constant chatter. I guess this technique is used in business by other cultures. 

The more I want to learn about another person and hear what they have to say, the quieter I become. The more they talk, the more I learn. 

I have always found my balance in the quiet. Turning the white noise of television and the radio off and opening the windows of my home. I can take an 8-hour car ride and never touch the radio. Being in nature, I crave it and it restores my soul. 

I needed the park today. To close my eyes and feel the sun on my skin. 

As many clouds were overhead, not a single cloud blocked my sunshine. That's because God and I spent some time together. 

  

He Twirls Me

A quick text from the changing room, I asked David if he likes this top... 

It's easy to get his undivided attention and I secretly love I cannot be in the kitchen making coffee, making dinner, at the sink, or in the frig without him being behind me and on top of me. 

His 6'2-1/2" rock solid, muscular body, with giant hands that are trained weapons, is exhilarating. I don't believe there isn't anything I've put on that he doesn't *gasp* and twirl me to see everything. As a woman, I delight in his attention and affections. 

When I say trained weapons... he trains law enforcement and the SWAT team in tactical training, in self defense, and in all training and protection. He is the best of the best. He runs them through training and applies stress in many ways so they know how to perform under high stress. I love when he shares the details. I'm not sure what about that thrills me, but he can be shouting commands, applying stress, and in the midst will send me words of romance. 

His intensity thrills me and I cannot help but wonder, do these men he trains have any idea he has the romantic soul of King Solomon?

Our stunning cabin on top of the mountains is booked and honestly, our vacation cannot come soon enough! 

 

My #1 Guys

                         

It was super special to have all my #1 guys together. My dad, David, my brother, my nephew, my son-in-laws, and my sweet grandson. 

A sunny, hot Sunday afternoon cookout, everyone came over. A lot of yummy food and a cornhole tournament made for a relaxed day of conversation, laughter, and a lot of smack talk. 

There is definitely some bromance going on.