tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52604393412168645962024-03-13T12:10:44.080-04:00lily hydrangea's anonymous blogdianasfaria.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10488357854017358868noreply@blogger.comBlogger244125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5260439341216864596.post-67606147423840856842022-08-08T15:54:00.000-04:002022-08-08T15:54:08.880-04:00next corner...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9PhlGVU_KK0z27pOsxj_YOm_clozpFD0URAp1vU3DcYENILX6wTuhMeGDhZvWP1l1bh9alCxX_aPlCpts0BUGE7bEKR2jAUpdzPGLRPm0es7MwJeYyTMF645x4JzrYR3odr5wR4RCh8I/s1600-h/basement-shelves.gif"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9PhlGVU_KK0z27pOsxj_YOm_clozpFD0URAp1vU3DcYENILX6wTuhMeGDhZvWP1l1bh9alCxX_aPlCpts0BUGE7bEKR2jAUpdzPGLRPm0es7MwJeYyTMF645x4JzrYR3odr5wR4RCh8I/s400/basement-shelves.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310124662717792562" border="0" /></a>
<span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">And a close up of the ridiculous shelves</span>:
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP-qLFicSsnk8Ptbr8IlZn-qJ5d0Niakr29OZQQ-o3p-lY5uBIcxPbmEv3GyGkOGh1MlVbpZvFOKw53sNLaLM2i8BIeKrT68Wem35gEHe-KP4PvgNB3Lh6QQjm9AaGHLgRyOVPZJ4_GBs/s1600-h/basement-shelves-close-up.gif"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP-qLFicSsnk8Ptbr8IlZn-qJ5d0Niakr29OZQQ-o3p-lY5uBIcxPbmEv3GyGkOGh1MlVbpZvFOKw53sNLaLM2i8BIeKrT68Wem35gEHe-KP4PvgNB3Lh6QQjm9AaGHLgRyOVPZJ4_GBs/s400/basement-shelves-close-up.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310124452052006562" border="0" /></a>dianasfaria.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10488357854017358868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5260439341216864596.post-23097934443189354082012-05-09T09:46:00.000-04:002012-05-09T09:55:17.175-04:00Today Ian is taking his last final exam and it is also his last day attending an <a href="http://lilyhydrangeasanonymousblog.blogspot.com/2008/02/every-blade-of-grass-has-its-angel-that.html" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7;">all boys Catholic high school</span></a>. Just recently I realized I never made cupcakes for him to bring to school. Ian and I did make them for his violin group once - he was probably 6 years old. We had so much fun making them. I think we made a 100 of them and I think it may have taken us two days. He was so concerned about making sure we had enough for everyone. It was right before Thanksgiving and it turned out we had more than enough. The "icing on the cake" was how surprised everyone in his violin group was when we brought them in. Such a small gesture made so many people happy.<br />
So last night I made him 48 cupcakes to bring to school. Ian will be able to give each kid on his bus and his bus driver a cupcake and everyone in his homeroom one too. He said everyone likes chocolate cake the most so I made chocolate cupcakes frosted and sprinkled with his school's colors. I wish I could have made one for the entire graduating class.<br />
This morning I am thinking about how lucky I am to be able to do something like that. I am also thinking about how there are some kids in his school who will not pass their exams and who also feel so uncertain about their future. Ian's teacher told his class there are usually several kids who fail their finals. The finals at his school are worth half their grade for the entire year. No pressure there eh?<br />
I'm also thinking about how in just a couple of hours I will be waiting outside of Ian's school so I can witness a touching tradition where the senior class exits the school for the last time. I hope each of them knows deep in their heart that no matter what their final grade turns out to be, that is not what defines them. Whatever path they are meant to be on will make itself apparent sooner or later. They are all still so young and have so much ahead of them to look forward too. My prayer for all of them is that they realize this is true and that it's <i>all</i> good.<br />
I've been told they look like men when they leave. I can't wait to see this for myself. I just hope I can hold it together - I've already had a few outbursts this morning and it wasn't pretty.<br />
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Wow! it has been over two years since I've written for this blog! where the <i>hell</i> have I been?</div>dianasfaria.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10488357854017358868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5260439341216864596.post-22234299505314674852010-01-18T17:20:00.006-05:002010-01-18T17:40:40.997-05:0052 years and counting...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjefvgJOcBau6cC-XriiNOT2xPy020BODiYIo2snyYUTQyjjrg8ZjD1HsVoxjeXdGXDPAmZyNG11GmuD4pdp-5z7TjREyrcJcBCj-k4kTE3xX1DGt5HYeKcucs3qoDUu3zDNRgl4J2QDfU/s1600-h/52-Years.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjefvgJOcBau6cC-XriiNOT2xPy020BODiYIo2snyYUTQyjjrg8ZjD1HsVoxjeXdGXDPAmZyNG11GmuD4pdp-5z7TjREyrcJcBCj-k4kTE3xX1DGt5HYeKcucs3qoDUu3zDNRgl4J2QDfU/s400/52-Years.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428208347432167282" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Here my parents sit next to each other while they watch their grandson play his violin at one of his Christmas concerts this last December. I first took this photo because I couldn't get over my Dad's work gloves and felt a sudden need to document them. When I looked at the photo later on that evening, I realized it told a much greater story - 52 years worth to be exact!<br />Happy anniversary Mom & Dad and may you celebrate many more to come!dianasfaria.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10488357854017358868noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5260439341216864596.post-85696344366528052942010-01-04T11:51:00.019-05:002010-01-19T12:38:32.386-05:00sorry for the delay!<span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold;font-size:180%;" ><br /><br />c r e a t i v e</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,102,102);font-size:130%;" ><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">or</span></span><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,153,153)">... </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)">p r o d u c t i v e</span> </span></span><br /><br />I was torn between two words! I thought for sure I had made up my mind (<span style="COLOR: rgb(102,51,102)">creative</span>) and then another popped into my head that seemed so right and so perfect for how I felt. the only problem is, it (<span style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)">productive</span>) doesn't sound like the type of word you could do a twenty minute meditation on. & I am always happiest when I am doing something that makes me feel like I am a productive member of society. What was I to do? So then I thought, if my new word is to be my mantra for the year then I better pick a word I at least like the sound of and that is when I thought of the third word which really is a combination between the two. If I focus on the word "<span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(153,51,153)">create</span>", then it is most likely I will not only be productive, I will also be "creative" in my productivity. So without further ado my new word for 2010 is definitely...<br /><br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span style="COLOR: rgb(153,51,153)">~</span> <span style="font-size:180%;color:#993399;">C R E A T E </span></span><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(153,51,153)">~</span><br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic"></span>dianasfaria.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10488357854017358868noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5260439341216864596.post-54775936416590423002009-12-23T00:04:00.011-05:002009-12-23T01:32:48.999-05:00I miss my blog!Is anyone out there? It's me Lily & I'm still here. I've been a little side tracked these last couple of months but I am not gaining weight, I actually lost 1.4 pounds! So I'm happy about that, especially this time of year. It really is a small miracle for me which I am very grateful for. I have more to say about that later.<br />I just wanted to check in and say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! <span style="font-style: italic;">and </span>share this photo of Miss Priscilla as well. We had a blizzard last Saturday and she can not resist playing in the snow. The only problem is, she gets filled with snow-like dreadlocks and I have to use the blow dryer to get them off while she busies herself trying to lick them off at the same time! This is a dog who refuses to drink the water out of her dish, but should she find some elsewhere, suddenly it's the most delicious water she has ever tasted where she can't even force herself to stop drinking it, even if she tried.<br /><br />here she is looking really cute<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGzNvGgjYZsF04utngh44p_HxvSa3Oxn65w3dipAv33JX7VJv9uS2X-RZXZvY2vwAFvdtUdRljHQxYP1z8wV0Rb5F3aouB0sfO97ooiYbHA7fUrXI_jsF4AAGieHQNvCRY1z9roTsxuO0/s1600-h/Priscilla-with-blizzard.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGzNvGgjYZsF04utngh44p_HxvSa3Oxn65w3dipAv33JX7VJv9uS2X-RZXZvY2vwAFvdtUdRljHQxYP1z8wV0Rb5F3aouB0sfO97ooiYbHA7fUrXI_jsF4AAGieHQNvCRY1z9roTsxuO0/s400/Priscilla-with-blizzard.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418297783746065746" border="0" /></a><br /><br />& here she is looking cuter.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqvS0QYUYCdEv8unesqzdauv8NZrNXPa6haZvIggFSJ07Zc4VzU1SGD6em15aenxHYSBg9k2vz3DiThUuO_H-SZgeOGnYt7FS1hJ1ovEZNC8SdRggRpbQIg5IugjNSjppX2Plf-_f3S3o/s1600-h/Priscilla-with-Blizzard-200.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqvS0QYUYCdEv8unesqzdauv8NZrNXPa6haZvIggFSJ07Zc4VzU1SGD6em15aenxHYSBg9k2vz3DiThUuO_H-SZgeOGnYt7FS1hJ1ovEZNC8SdRggRpbQIg5IugjNSjppX2Plf-_f3S3o/s400/Priscilla-with-Blizzard-200.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418294327956939010" border="0" /></a>dianasfaria.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10488357854017358868noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5260439341216864596.post-83708305096781001412009-11-13T12:44:00.008-05:002009-11-15T11:20:19.378-05:00poll resultsThank you everyone who participated in my poll ! I consider myself lucky you all did since I have been so lax about blogging. let me just say I have a lot of catching up to do-- around here that is, in my little blogging world.<br />First I want to say I found both the poll results and the readers comments very interesting.<br />I wish I had the willpower to eat just fruits and veggies and protein but the sad truth is I think I would have to be checked into a mental hospital if I didn't get my almost daily dose of potatoes, be they boiled, fried, whipped or baked. There is something about them, any kind will do, Russet, Yukon, red, blue, ordinary (though I have to admit I'm not crazy about the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">fingerlings</span>, something about them looking too much like fingers I guess, even their name kind of grosses me out) I'm just not sure I could live without my beloved potato past one week. I always had the feeling they were good for me and I always seem to feel so good after eating one. Besides, regardless of the bad rap they get they really are good for you. Check out the facts<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2770/2"><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);font-size:85%;" >here</span></a>.<br />With 7 grams of fiber and 7 grams of protein a potato even has iron (which I desperately need) and vitamin C in it, the perfect combination for optimal iron absorption!<br />Thanks to your comments, I did start to stash some almonds in my purse in the event of a hunger attack. I even started weight lifting and I am also eating much less wheat, so it was very good of you to make these suggestions, thank you again! I've always felt small positive changes in habits add up to something bigger and these seem to be sticking.<br /><br />So based on reading your comments and pondering & looking at this poll, I decided I will stay on Weight Watchers at least until the New Year. Part of my reason is I know who the two people are that voted yes, that I should definitely stay with WW, & I got to talk to them about it & they both said the same thing, stay with WW for the support. That made sense to me.<br />No more going in on Saturdays just to get weighed, I'm staying for the meetings, sharing my experience & start again, to listen to others. It is easier (& more fun) to accomplish things with help from other people, something I all too often forget.<br />Besides, is there any other diet where you can eat sugar and still lose weight?<br /><br />Two weeks ago I lost 2 pounds at my WW meeting, but last week I didn't go so I am a little nervous about tomorrow. That in itself tells me I need to report to someone on a regular basis. If nothing else, I just don't want to gain anymore weight!<br />Thanks for listening, I'll keep you "posted"!dianasfaria.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10488357854017358868noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5260439341216864596.post-62504199799982430262009-10-21T01:29:00.002-04:002009-10-21T01:30:44.637-04:00Please watch this! it only takes a minute...<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p><object width="425" height="350"><param value="http://youtube.com/v/1JynBEX_kg8" name="movie"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://youtube.com/v/1JynBEX_kg8" width="425" height="350"></embed></object></p><p><br /></p></div>dianasfaria.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10488357854017358868noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5260439341216864596.post-84393431841238131892009-10-17T13:00:00.008-04:002009-10-17T22:52:26.528-04:00I've sunk to a new low...I've gained four pounds in the last two weeks, not exactly the low I was hoping for. The really rotten thing about this is the fact that as of today I have officially gained back all of the weight I have lost since I have started this second stint at WW not quite two years ago. All FOURTEEN pounds of it, how sad is that? That is more than my dog Priscilla weighs. & she gets awfully heavy if you carry her around for more than five minutes.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVJvhEu_tRKTCOiN-UZFNxR7eoXMmVLhbm2LYh1DAOpoMfYebRpcIRA6e6SLIbpvDQWSDoRYw_0PZfhZkolMCXs_Gx3oGdns1hs1ufVvaZ4jl0RTbLuPu03bQdsc7skDaa0m3IsHTv3_g/s1600-h/priscilla-princess.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVJvhEu_tRKTCOiN-UZFNxR7eoXMmVLhbm2LYh1DAOpoMfYebRpcIRA6e6SLIbpvDQWSDoRYw_0PZfhZkolMCXs_Gx3oGdns1hs1ufVvaZ4jl0RTbLuPu03bQdsc7skDaa0m3IsHTv3_g/s400/priscilla-princess.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393766519586436034" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);font-size:85%;" >miss Priscilla, please click on photo to see her cuteness up close</span><br /><br />The other twelve I have managed to keep off (thank the good Lord) since I originally began WW, I'm guessing that was four or five years ago.<br /><br />I warned the woman who weighed me this morning that I thought I'd gained some weight this week. I could tell by the look on her face after she weighed me that it wasn't going to be pretty. Arrgh! what the hell am I doing? why can't I stay focused with my food plan? Seriously, I am not getting any younger. I wonder if I am just destined to be 20 pounds overweight the rest of my life.<br />It doesn't seem like Weight Watchers is working for me. Then I wonder if I am just not working Weight Watchers.<br />I am also wondering if I should quit this program. Then I think about how whenever I skip a week of getting weighed at WW I always gain weight. It's as if I need to be accountable to someone, I need to be honest about what is going on with regard to my weight or I'll just keep gaining. This never used to be the case with me. In the past, whenever I put on a few pounds I used too focus on whatever made me happy in life and bump up the exercise and I would start to fit into my clothes better. I never used to weigh myself either.<br />Would I keep spiraling down if I stopped Weight Watchers, or is it possible I could still do it on my own?<br /><br />For today I've decided it is very important to me to lose this extra baggage that I feel has been weighing me down.<br />For those of you who question my weight loss ambitions please know I'm not exactly miserable, I just remember what it was like not having the extra weight on my body. I was much more comfortable.<br />Somewhere along the way I've lost the knack for maintaining a healthy body weight. I write about it here as I try and figure out how to get that balance back.<br />I miss running faster, waking up easier, having more energy, and I remember noticing big improvements in all three of those areas when I was 14 pounds lighter.<br /><br />Please vote in my poll as to whether or not you think I should stay in WW. It's over on my sidebar to your right.<br />Some good news, I've been exercising a lot. I jogged 3 miles the other day and I felt great afterwards.dianasfaria.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10488357854017358868noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5260439341216864596.post-32648351543595305912009-09-15T17:40:00.001-04:002009-09-15T17:40:49.139-04:00I hope you find this as funny as I did...<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p><object height='350' width='425'><param value='http://youtube.com/v/62ueJuGit8Q' name='movie'/><embed height='350' width='425' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' src='http://youtube.com/v/62ueJuGit8Q'/></object></p><p>I just laughed and laughed. Why Kanye West's drunken debacle made news is beyond me. This comedian puts it all into funny perspective.</p></div>dianasfaria.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10488357854017358868noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5260439341216864596.post-24310044395626915482009-09-12T13:35:00.009-04:002009-09-12T15:02:09.177-04:00I gained 3 pounds last week!oh well...<br />I didn't want to go to my Weight Watchers meeting this morning but I knew I had to because I didn't go last Saturday, I wasn't feeling well. And though I am not feeling so hot today, (I still have a cold) I knew if I skipped another week of getting weighed it could prove to be disastrous.<br />As I drove to my meeting I kept thinking I should just quit Weight Watchers. I thought maybe then I could relax, the weight will just drop off and things will just magically fall into place.<br />It's so weird how I seem to go through this reasoning every now and then, or should I say "magical" thinking? It must be a form of denial.<br />I mean, why don't I just stick to my program and lose the frigging weight already???<br />Pondering this, I looked back at the last time I was relatively successful at keeping my weight down. It was last winter, January of 2009. I was 6 pounds lighter. Ever since than I have been losing weight or gaining it back in two or three pound increments.<br />What does it take to be successful, to lose weight and keep it off?<br />This morning, Eileen, my Weight Watchers leader told my group, "Quitting is not an option".<br />Funny how that was exactly what I was thinking of doing this morning and that was one of the first things I heard her say <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> to do. She also said, and I am paraphrasing here, everyone cares about how they look, and when we take care of ourselves that is when we feel good about ourselves. We stand up straighter, we feel more confident, and we don't let people use us as a door mat. Then she said, "I demand to be treated well". Which made me think, why don't I demand that of myself? Why don't I treat myself well by putting my focus on achieving this one goal that I know will make me feel good about myself?<br />Every time I have succeeded in sticking to my program, my self esteem has gone up immeasurably and the cool thing is that self esteem naturally overlaps into other areas of my life.<br />I remember thinking when I lost the first fifteen pounds, if I feel this good now, how will I feel when I achieve my ultimate goal? Perhaps I am just scared to move out of my comfort zone?<br />I think it might be time for me to do some fire walking. In other words, I need to move out of my complacency or fear or whatever, and commit to taking the actions I need to take.<br />I need to do this because I really want to lose 18 pounds by November 12th.And I can't be afraid to say that just because I am afraid I won't be able to do it.<br />So, thanks Eileen, for saying the things I needed to hear.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);font-size:85%;" >this was the view from the breakfast room at Borgo Argenina, the place we stayed in Tuscany</span><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">.</span> <span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);font-size:85%;" >I can still hear the birds singing.</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFdSMyhyJBjkLlDEF7ZD6V6wFVjC-DJVOnREcKu23lWHsjo3i4cBhjUsH-SNBQHj2W7kYcYxp0Dz9xexayhLXGQ3CntEITWUWX1Q3dVnL579ONElc0tWihoe5tlbtpeA2DAefjlnMeXZ0/s1600-h/breakfast-at-borgo.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFdSMyhyJBjkLlDEF7ZD6V6wFVjC-DJVOnREcKu23lWHsjo3i4cBhjUsH-SNBQHj2W7kYcYxp0Dz9xexayhLXGQ3CntEITWUWX1Q3dVnL579ONElc0tWihoe5tlbtpeA2DAefjlnMeXZ0/s400/breakfast-at-borgo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380657112297225842" border="0" /></a>dianasfaria.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10488357854017358868noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5260439341216864596.post-46473004419197361162009-09-11T09:49:00.005-04:002009-09-11T10:35:40.700-04:00We Will Never ForgetI read this on my friend Daryl's blog, Out and About in New York City, on the <a style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204); font-weight: bold;" href="http://onthem104.blogspot.com/2009/09/in-memory.html">M104</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>this morning. I found this incredibly moving and I wanted to share it with you.<br />When I asked Daryl if I could reproduce it here, just as she did, she said, "absolutely".<br />Please visit her blog <a href="http://onthem104.blogspot.com/2009/09/in-memory.html"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 51, 204);font-size:85%;" >here</span></a> where she also has a photo of the Twin Towers.<br />Thank you Daryl.<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">F</span>rom the 104th Floor<br />by Leda Rodis (age 14 in 2001)<br /><br />When the plane hit the building<br />rocked first<br />to the right<br />then<br />to the left,<br />and outside all the skyscrapers<br />of New York<br />seemed to tremble.<br /><br />The alarms screamed louder<br />than we did, and I knew<br />it was time to get away. It's funny<br />what you notice:<br />a pen rolling across the floor<br />my screen saver flicker and go off<br />a picture of you<br />and me<br />at Coney Island.<br /><br />So much to leave behind. And yet so little.<br /><br />Running down the hall I remembered<br />my mother<br />taking me to the top<br />of the Empire<br />State Building when I was just<br />a little girl,<br />telling me that a plane<br />had crashed there a long<br />time ago. So I thought that maybe<br />that's<br />what happened. Just<br />an accident. And accidents<br />happen everyday.<br /><br />Under the blown-out exit sign<br />a crowd<br />is screaming,<br />crying,<br />pounding<br />on the door.<br />I know:<br />There's<br /><br />No<br />Way<br />Out.<br /><br />You have to believe that I tried. I'm not the one<br />to give up.<br />Back at my desk, I rescue<br />the rolling pen,<br />stare<br />at the blank screen, and<br />hold<br />my picture<br />of you.<br />I look out<br />at the blue morning.<br />I expect<br />to see God there.<br />But what I really see is<br />another plane.<br />And I know what it means.<br />But I don't know why...<br /><br />I always thought that life was full of choices.<br />It always has been.<br />What to wear<br />Where to eat<br />Who to love<br />(and you know who I chose).<br /><br />Now my choices have been taken away from me.<br />The men in the planes have narrowed my choices<br />down<br />to<br />two:<br />Death by fire, or death by fall.<br /><br />I see the smoke<br />rising<br />filling the room<br />It's hard to breathe<br /><br />I look towards the open window.<br />What<br />would falling feel like?<br /><br />I remember the roller coaster at Coney Island.<br /><br />The wind tugging at my hair<br />How good it felt to scream.<br />The feeling in my stomach.<br /><br />And how all the way down<br /><br />I was with you.<br /><br /><br /><br />many of you have asked who Leda Rodis is ...<br /><br /><br />ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2001, 14-year-old Leda Rodis was in her high school library in Vermont, researching a freshman English assignment, when the announcement came over the loudspeaker: airplanes had been flown into both towers of the World Trade Center in New York. Like people everywhere that day, Leda watched the unreal images on television as the mammoth structures burned, then collapsed, killing thousands. The image that stuck with Leda most was that of two very brave people jumping from the towers, holding hands. Rather than die in the fire the terrorists had created, they chose to jump. And they chose to do it together.<br /><br /><br />More than any other event in history, images from 9/11 are forever seared onto humanity’s collective consciousness. Every person has tried in some way to come to terms with that day. Leda decided to write a poem. “From the 104th Floor” flowed through her as if a voice had come up out of the rubble. Though it memorializes the events and feelings of that day, “From the 104th Floor” is in the end a love poem. An inspiration. Love is bigger than terror.<br /><br /><br />Leda’s mother shared the poem with a friend in Brooklyn, Serguei Bassine, a young filmmaker. The poem’s images dug so deeply into him that in the weeks following 9/11 he would stand up and recite it on his subway commute from Brooklyn into Manhattan. Each time he read he saw horror turn to grief and then to hope in the eyes of his rapt listeners. For a long time he wrestled with how to bring the poem’s images to film without violating the integrity of the poem, or the enormity of the experiences of the people who were lost. In the end he made a short film usingblack-and-white animation as a way of honoring both the writer’s vision and the courage of the people who perished.dianasfaria.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10488357854017358868noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5260439341216864596.post-30834055574791076472009-09-02T22:55:00.007-04:002009-09-03T09:00:05.887-04:00a brother is...the first boy you think of as being as handsome as your father<br /><br />you absorb as much of your childhood together as possible until...<br /><br />he falls madly in love and you see a side of him you never saw before<br /><br />and you become genuinely happy for him and you begin to see how he really does know everything<br /><br />...just like you always imagined he did.<br /><br />after a certain time he becomes a father and you get to watch him fall in love again<br /><br />this time with his children, and the love is palpable<br /><br />... because you are given these wonderful gifts in the process, called nieces and nephews<br /><br />and you also get to be called an aunt too.<br /><br />I am lucky because I have two brothers I feel this way about.<br /><br />today is the oldest one's birthday.<br /><br />happy birthday Chip! I love you dear brother!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUlRHC0F-1ryh_59UDn_2YMAH8QGLUS-CcbEESySBKYfh9YqqG2kLJ47nDAH14SUV1vcqwsYYz0PufLvpHlwn8ZgbillgYKdXUk2cY1bZUTW0KtmB-b3v2TRSIk7XecYVeEbSb-Q2b104/s1600-h/family.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 290px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUlRHC0F-1ryh_59UDn_2YMAH8QGLUS-CcbEESySBKYfh9YqqG2kLJ47nDAH14SUV1vcqwsYYz0PufLvpHlwn8ZgbillgYKdXUk2cY1bZUTW0KtmB-b3v2TRSIk7XecYVeEbSb-Q2b104/s400/family.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377224558756984466" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Aren't my brothers cute? Chip is the one next to my mother.dianasfaria.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10488357854017358868noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5260439341216864596.post-46670007593637950942009-09-02T13:25:00.009-04:002009-09-02T14:32:34.128-04:00I lost the pound (and .2) I gained...but that was last Saturday, so the question is, will I lose anything this week? Ok, ok, let me rejoice and remain positive!<br />I'll explain. It really <span style="font-style: italic;">was</span> a miracle I lost anything last week though, because I was hungry every day, all day long, all week long. I didn't keep my food journal and I reluctantly went to my WW meeting last Saturday. I so very much did not want to go. I am convinced the only reason I lost that one pound was because the night before my Weight Watchers meeting my son had a 103.6 fever and I had just given him Tylenol an hour before I read the thermometer.<br />Have you ever had that sinking feeling when your child is sick? You know the feeling you get when what usually works really well to remedy the illness isn't working and you begin to realize you are moving into unknown territory, or at least territory you haven't visited since your child was 8 or 9.<br />Plus you realize at 15, your child is more like a young adult and a 103.6 fever is quite high for a young adult and you think back about how a week before you were in a foreign country and all these thoughts come into your mind in rapid succession-in other words, panic starts to set in. Have you ever felt that way as a parent?<br />Yeah, I was a little concerned, so I called the doctor at 10 PM last Friday, and I was pre-screened by the doctor's phone service. I respect that totally. And I noticed as I spoke to her my voice was shaking, then I remember thinking, wow I must be really worried. Then she asked me, "how did you take his temperature?" and when I replied with my shaky voice, " with a thermometer, I..." (I can laugh at my answer now) she said rather loudly and not so nicely, interrupting me as I kept talking, "ORALLY or RECTALLY?"<br />where upon my shaky voice disappeared as I morphed into Super Mom and I said, " ORALLY." but I said it in a tone that really meant, don't f#@&# with me now, just get the f-ing doctor on the phone, now please." & she did so and she did so very quickly. & I was relieved immediately because the doctor who was on call has seen my son a lot this year and she knew exactly what I should do and I did so and he is fine. God bless his doctor and her phone service screener person (and I mean that most sincerely).<br />Yes, he was fine about an hour after that call actually. Though I spent the next couple of hours in the bathroom evacuating everything in my bowels. This seems to happen to me when I get scared. Thankfully I don't get scared too much.<br />So, I am convinced that is how I lost a pound last week. So the ticker has been moved in the right direction! I guess every cloud has a silver lining.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">thought you would enjoy a picture of her cuteness</span>. <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">please click on photo to see cuteness details up close and why she looks like a living breathing beany baby.</span></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlwZOUrXN2nGccbHetLJ_Mru5D6jXb_-B-2Gjuld4cxAPv50lFVXmXWecciobciEgmXjqXiOaplnFnYE5Y8xNMnuO1U2wF-yL-9tkBtJaZATTsTTga7Q1CfGb9Ks16WPVQXz89f_K9kRc/s1600-h/her-cuteness.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlwZOUrXN2nGccbHetLJ_Mru5D6jXb_-B-2Gjuld4cxAPv50lFVXmXWecciobciEgmXjqXiOaplnFnYE5Y8xNMnuO1U2wF-yL-9tkBtJaZATTsTTga7Q1CfGb9Ks16WPVQXz89f_K9kRc/s400/her-cuteness.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376923868796258546" border="0" /></a>dianasfaria.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10488357854017358868noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5260439341216864596.post-66750323266868564402009-08-24T09:32:00.008-04:002009-08-24T11:05:54.165-04:00when in Rome...It's hard to believe it has been 3 weeks since my last post. the week before my trip to Rome was a whirlwind of getting things in order before we left.<br />Last Saturday was my first weekend back since my last weight loss report and though it was the last thing I felt like doing, I dragged myself to my Weight Watchers meeting. Still feeling the lag of the jet, I spent the morning commiserating with my husband about how unfortunate we were to no longer be able to spend the day looking at beautiful art and eating amazing food, at least in Rome, anyway! Feeling lost in nostalgia I decided I was too wrapped up in my vacation memories and it was too soon to sit in a meeting and talk about losing weight, but I did go and I did get weighed and I found out I gained 1.2 pounds!<br />Oh well, what did I expect from having this (see photo below) for breakfast every morning? Don't worry, I only ate one of these. The other two were for hubby Anthony & son Ian!<br />So, the above weight loss ticker is officially moved in the opposite direction today. & I am back to journaling my food every day since this last Saturday. I should say I feel lucky I didn't gain more. I think the reason I probably didn't was due to the constant walking and cycling we did. We walked a good distance before and after every meal. Maybe I would have actually lost weight if I didn't eat Gelato everyday too.<br />I should also say how lately I have been thinking I would really like to change the course of my weight loss direction to being one of completing the weight loss challenge I have imposed upon myself. This November 12 it will be two years since I went back to WW. If you want to read the beginning of that story, you can find it <a href="http://lilyhydrangeasanonymousblog.blogspot.com/2007/11/i-dont-want-to-go-to-weight-watchers.html"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 51, 204);font-size:85%;" >here</span></a>. I think I may feel a great sense of accomplishment if I could succeed at becoming a lifetime member and just stick to maintaining my weight loss goal.<br />I have written in the past that as slow as I have been in my success, had I not been in the WW program I felt that I would have gained more weight so I would rationalize that at least I wasn't getting fatter. While that may be true, I am starting to think it's time to raise the bar a bit.<br />I was thinking how nice it would be to achieve my goal by this November 12 which is eleven weeks away. If I stick to the program, Weight Watchers says I should lose 1-2 pounds per week. Wouldn't it be wonderful to celebrate two years of this blog by achieving my weight loss goal?<br />I am going to do it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpvQifEWIfOiN1xouULEegOIFJC7bo30Gl55DsB6aj3Xo2PRvYFeM8tthxXx1qh9B-o6eoiYi4NK1re2f3E3I9mV2DQS67DLfAOYrFppKaz-eRMWCo3StqMLgSctWtkr2NzZIyo_NrOC8/s1600-h/breakfast-in-rome.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpvQifEWIfOiN1xouULEegOIFJC7bo30Gl55DsB6aj3Xo2PRvYFeM8tthxXx1qh9B-o6eoiYi4NK1re2f3E3I9mV2DQS67DLfAOYrFppKaz-eRMWCo3StqMLgSctWtkr2NzZIyo_NrOC8/s400/breakfast-in-rome.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373525474082451634" border="0" /></a><span style="display: block;" id="formatbar_Buttons"><span class="" style="display: block;" id="formatbar_Italic" title="Italic" onmouseover="ButtonHoverOn(this);" onmouseout="ButtonHoverOff(this);" onmouseup="" onmousedown="CheckFormatting(event);FormatbarButton('richeditorframe', this, 4);ButtonMouseDown(this);"><img src="http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif" alt="Italic" class="gl_italic" border="0" /></span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_James"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">"Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they've got a second."</span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">~</span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);font-size:85%;" >William James</span></a>dianasfaria.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10488357854017358868noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5260439341216864596.post-71436815939220268362009-08-01T10:51:00.006-04:002009-08-01T11:44:44.966-04:00weight loss updateRemember when I made the <a href="http://lilyhydrangeasanonymousblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/ive-decided-i-am-not-going-to-talk.html"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);font-size:85%;" >decision</span></a> about using the weight ticker to report on my weight when I gain? This morning I went to my Weight Watchers meeting and found out I lost 2.2 pounds this week. I was pretty happy since I diligently spent time keeping a food journal. I usually write down what I eat every week at least a few days but this week I wrote down what I ate every day. I remember when I first started Weight Watchers the weeks I religiously kept a food journal are the weeks I always lost weight.<br />Excited about my loss, I got home and prepared to move the slider thingy on the above weight loss ticker only to find out those 2.2 pounds I lost apparently had been gained back sometime during the last few months and I never recorded those pounds on my ticker! So, officially I still have 15 pounds to lose!<br />Whatever... I am still happy about my success. It always feels good to be back on track and actually succeeding.<br />It's not that I stopped going to meetings, I go every single week. I'm convinced that accountability keeps me from gaining my weight back, with the exception of one or two pounds of course!<br />I just haven't been reporting about it here which I would really love to change. In fact, I would love to report about actually being consistently successful at losing weight. I think that would be even more fun.<br />The truth is, sometimes I secretly think I can't do it. I say secretly because I don't like to think negative thoughts, in fact I am against thinking that way so I keep those thoughts to myself as I actively try and push them from my mind denying those feelings as if they don't exist.<br />I guess I just changed that by sharing those thoughts on my blog! LOL! Ahhh, that feels so much better! ...deep, deep cleansing breath.<br />Not to be perverse, but I had to include a photo of this luscious cake we had last week when we celebrated my brother-in-law Danny's 50th birthday. The chocolate was divine, the cake itself yellow and the filling was cannoli. It was like a meal. I enjoyed just ONE piece & I had it with non-diet ginger ale, a perfect accompaniment if I do say so myself!<br />and I still lost 2.2 pounds. I just made sure everything else I ate that day was highly nutritious and I also made sure to go for a bike ride when I got home.<br />This is exactly how I want to enjoy my life celebrating over cake yet still taking care of myself.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy7IQox5cMJEt_73ZST9bvyEBkG0Srd9bH7JXf3Swqiz_bYArxOAZYL2W5FASpvfl5RJAgvv2YK3tlFfNRl3R907rt-DkKP3ucO_RBhn8_EXbToKTg5u4PSN3nBnEcrOYeacCJ8gaR3LA/s1600-h/incredible-cake.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy7IQox5cMJEt_73ZST9bvyEBkG0Srd9bH7JXf3Swqiz_bYArxOAZYL2W5FASpvfl5RJAgvv2YK3tlFfNRl3R907rt-DkKP3ucO_RBhn8_EXbToKTg5u4PSN3nBnEcrOYeacCJ8gaR3LA/s400/incredible-cake.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365017029586787698" border="0" /></a>dianasfaria.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10488357854017358868noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5260439341216864596.post-79265989695384783502009-07-19T23:56:00.006-04:002009-07-20T00:27:22.883-04:00RIP Frank McCourt<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg08xBFDRLodYvbrLjKTvenwl1-NalK5gf6ALyv1LaP9qVC3rBLmAkKTdjVJCAXG0jvS6peHLZjwEzlJLhPS6LIlgnNXf8DK6tWSCwwfmRahHSJdXPxpKJZjdLwU9ENm0MwPWkytsekb9w/s1600-h/fmccourt.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 332px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg08xBFDRLodYvbrLjKTvenwl1-NalK5gf6ALyv1LaP9qVC3rBLmAkKTdjVJCAXG0jvS6peHLZjwEzlJLhPS6LIlgnNXf8DK6tWSCwwfmRahHSJdXPxpKJZjdLwU9ENm0MwPWkytsekb9w/s400/fmccourt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360386744136660130" border="0" /></a><br /><br />also known as the "Teacher Man". Thank you<a href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/hc-frank-mccourt-author-angela-ashes-tis-dead-dies,0,6088220.story"> </a><a href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/hc-frank-mccourt-author-angela-ashes-tis-dead-dies,0,6088220.story"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);font-size:85%;" >Mr. Frank McCourt</span></a> for inspiring the world around you by sharing your amazing talent.dianasfaria.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10488357854017358868noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5260439341216864596.post-45870150971695101362009-07-15T23:45:00.002-04:002009-07-15T23:48:45.946-04:00Thousand-Hand Guan Yin<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p><object width="425" height="350"><param value="http://youtube.com/v/xgHmSdpjEIk" name="movie"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://youtube.com/v/xgHmSdpjEIk" width="425" height="350"></embed></object></p><p><br /><br />This post is from an email I received today that I thought I would pass along. I hope you enjoy it.</p><p> It is called the "DANCE OF 1000 HANDS"<br /><br /> There is an awesome dance, called the Thousand-Hand Guanyin, which is making the rounds across the net. Considering the tight coordination required, their accomplishment is nothing short of amazing, even if they were not all deaf. Yes, you read correctly. All 21 of the dancers are complete deaf-mutes. Relying only on signals from trainers at the four corners of the stage, these extraordinary dancers deliver a visual spectacle that is at once intricate and stirring.<br /><br />Its first major international debut was in Athens at the closing ceremonies for the 2004 Paralympics. But it had long been in the repertoire of the Chinese Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe and had traveled to more than 40 countries.<br /><br />Its lead dancer is 29 year old Tai Lihua, who has a BA from the Hubei Fine Arts Institute. The video was recorded in Beijing during the Spring Festival this year.</p></div>dianasfaria.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10488357854017358868noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5260439341216864596.post-55761452723183799002009-07-14T11:05:00.008-04:002009-07-14T14:31:01.658-04:00moments I am missing<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Mx6ebhd0Fht-r4-X1vdUowDadrd5SPZoKPlh7R5J2fgIdB3ks1tJRpBJH7XTL5vqkvv2aT4C_kUgKWv9bYEZkwUJkO2lKgOL1F7VO19lzxMwp9AE3s0xoVmtPee2qEu3Bnd3tC-gG5k/s1600-h/moments-I-will-miss.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Mx6ebhd0Fht-r4-X1vdUowDadrd5SPZoKPlh7R5J2fgIdB3ks1tJRpBJH7XTL5vqkvv2aT4C_kUgKWv9bYEZkwUJkO2lKgOL1F7VO19lzxMwp9AE3s0xoVmtPee2qEu3Bnd3tC-gG5k/s400/moments-I-will-miss.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358332243734502930" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 102);font-size:85%;" >please click on photo to see this scene up close.</span><br /><br />These are the irreplaceable moments in life. Sometimes you see them and sometimes they go by unnoticed. I am glad I have a picture of this one to remind me of the happy memories our kitty Sylvia gave us while she was with us.<br />Last night as we talked about another day without Sylvia, I mentioned how I found different moments through out the day harder to bear, pulling into the driveway being one of them. Sylvia was always there waiting for us. She would see us driving down the block and would dart across the yard to greet us. I told my son and husband I realized now that Sylvia is gone, it's as if a bright light is missing. We all agreed how much we all looked forward to seeing her everyday, her presence just seemed to make life a little brighter.<br /><br />Today I am missing Sylvia the most. In her younger days she used to stay outside all night. This last year she had been coming in at night when I would let Priscilla out for her last pee. The last two nights just as Priscilla was going out the door, she hesitated as if she was waiting for Sylvia to come inside. That was their little ritual. Priscilla would let Sylvia into the house before she would go out to pee. She loved to sniff Sylvia as she entered the house and it always amazed me that Sylvia would let her. In fact she seemed to saunter in slowly as if she was saying, "Sniff away little Priscilla, take your time, no need to rush."<br />But last night Priscilla looked out into the night hesitating, like she was confused, her world had gone awry and she wasn't able to figure it out.<br />This morning I let Priscilla out at 6AM. Usually Sylvia and she would go out the door together. As I opened the door it was like being met with a huge gaping hole. Even though our son was sleeping upstairs, my husband was getting ready for work, Priscilla was standing beside me and the birds and squirrels were busy doing their morning thing, everything seemed completely empty. It was as if a bright light was indeed missing.dianasfaria.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10488357854017358868noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5260439341216864596.post-42883471694072294352009-07-12T16:41:00.006-04:002009-07-12T16:51:15.667-04:00RIP Sylvia<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFLzGXc8c457We2NJ_wYPQ4UEeK17YnusiMrqXJdeLeS2_v1fVA32Cvmm8Q1H184qQRX-PGOScf_d9BzNGCGvtEeLcMx9l0hUu_ijao8eV7qrEExLgl4W9QyCjMVYAT2UH5-_YJ0kUgDo/s1600-h/cuddly-sylvia.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFLzGXc8c457We2NJ_wYPQ4UEeK17YnusiMrqXJdeLeS2_v1fVA32Cvmm8Q1H184qQRX-PGOScf_d9BzNGCGvtEeLcMx9l0hUu_ijao8eV7qrEExLgl4W9QyCjMVYAT2UH5-_YJ0kUgDo/s400/cuddly-sylvia.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357676737783860882" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">cuddly Sylvia,</span></span> <span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);font-size:85%;" >always so content</span><br /><br />You will remain forever in our hearts dear <a href="http://lilyhydrangeasanonymousblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/sylvia-is-very-patient.html"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);font-size:85%;" >Sylvia</span></a>, we will never forget you. Last night I dreamed of your shadow walking past the kitchen window, It was the magical time of day when the light gets golden. In the dream I yelled out, "Look, it's <a href="http://longislanddailyphoto.blogspot.com/2009/07/rip-sylvia.html"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);font-size:85%;" >Sylvia</span></a>! I knew she would come back."<br />I really do believe I will see her again.dianasfaria.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10488357854017358868noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5260439341216864596.post-22083792077449682052009-07-10T23:53:00.009-04:002009-07-11T00:19:41.902-04:00Priscilla is posing for a cause!please go<span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/photography/2009/07/photoshop-a-camera-and-fatty/"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 51, 204);font-size:100%;" >here</span></a> asap and buy a raffle ticket to support the Lance Armstrong Foundation. The whole story is complicated but if you go there to that link I just highlighted for you, you will see how important it is. By purchasing a raffle ticket you will get a "virtual" chance to win a brand new Nikon D80 along with the Adobe Photoshop CS4 ! How cool is that?<br />Either way, you win, even if you don't win the camera, know what I mean?<br />I hope they raise a ton of money! Let's help them. please be aware, the drawing is this Monday, so if you are so inclined, please get your raffle ticket today or at least as soon as possible! Good luck everyone.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 51, 153); font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >thank you dear Priscilla for doing your part!</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeXRnUXnpaFQd-tAqu_scbdeYLpvUSqg8pGCjwDG9HzEaRhOFXInQgiu2yqM-653yp4mAIGnpivT8WH9qSNkHxIOrgKJqfpZxzmS9C3QzZPyTuwocbw4Toy6E00i7Eu7xRovuoH8jzoho/s1600-h/priss-profile.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeXRnUXnpaFQd-tAqu_scbdeYLpvUSqg8pGCjwDG9HzEaRhOFXInQgiu2yqM-653yp4mAIGnpivT8WH9qSNkHxIOrgKJqfpZxzmS9C3QzZPyTuwocbw4Toy6E00i7Eu7xRovuoH8jzoho/s400/priss-profile.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357046027353040418" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 51, 204);font-size:78%;" >please click on above photo to get an up close look at exactly how adorable Priscilla really is.</span>dianasfaria.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10488357854017358868noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5260439341216864596.post-49285389796815820802009-07-08T08:49:00.002-04:002009-07-08T08:50:57.710-04:00Evian Roller Babies international version<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p><object width="425" height="350"><param value="http://youtube.com/v/XQcVllWpwGs" name="movie"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://youtube.com/v/XQcVllWpwGs" width="425" height="350"></embed></object></p><p>saw this over at Marie Reed's <a href="http://www.cpaphilblog.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);font-size:85%;" >Vintage Postcards</span></a> site. It is sooo funny!... at least I thought so!</p></div>dianasfaria.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10488357854017358868noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5260439341216864596.post-86960356461542988692009-07-07T11:08:00.003-04:002009-07-07T11:12:28.242-04:00Has anyone ever heard of this?Please click on the badge below to find out more. I think it is a wonderful idea.<br /> <a href="http://www.the350project.net/" target="_blank"> </a><a href="http://www.the350project.net/" target="_blank"> <img src="http://www.the350project.net/supporter_graphics/member_icons/350_project_200x177.jpg" border="0" /> </a>dianasfaria.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10488357854017358868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5260439341216864596.post-88822017499690478542009-06-23T00:52:00.002-04:002009-06-23T00:55:09.133-04:00Dance improvisation in Antwerp (Danse improvisée à Anvers)<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p><object width="425" height="350"><param value="http://youtube.com/v/nemOAadaiLo" name="movie"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://youtube.com/v/nemOAadaiLo" width="425" height="350"></embed></object></p><p>I found this on <a href="http://babzyphotosblog.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">Babzy's</span></a>, one of my favorite photo blogs from France. Check it out, it is incredibly uplifting</p></div>dianasfaria.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10488357854017358868noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5260439341216864596.post-77840136414396140802009-06-14T23:29:00.008-04:002009-06-15T00:37:05.391-04:00another weird dreammy husband, son & I were living in an unknown city on the top of a store front. somehow in that weird dream like way that only happens in dreams & not in waking life, we knew the people of the city were being led to believe we were all getting sick and needed medication. We could hear people panicking by listening in on the activity in the street below & through the walls of the apartment building. Meanwhile it turned out the medication that was being dispensed was actually what was making everyone get sick & die. My family & I agreed to act healthy no matter how sick we felt.<br /><br />At one point I was lost (by myself) in a huge mall (a mall that I've been to in other dreams) looking for an exit & finally finding my way out by winding up at my old job walking through Macy's Herald Square in Manhattan. Then for some reason my family & I thought we should go visit my husbands sister at her new home. while visiting, my sister-in-law & I had a lengthy discussion about furniture she was showing me & how she thought we should go look for some more to buy. I told her I needed to buy some too & remembered thinking in the dream that I couldn't recall exactly what type I needed.<br /><br />Then my brother -in-law asked to borrow a pair of socks from my husband & my hubby asked me to get them. I jokingly asked my bro-in-law if he forgot to do his laundry. He got pissed off at me & told me to mind my own business. His girlfriend knocked at the door while he left the room, only it wasn't the girlfriend we knew. Apparently he had broken up with his old girlfriend unbeknownst to anyone else. I started getting upset because I loved his old girlfriend, but I didn't want the new one to feel out of place. She was sweet & pretty but completely opposite in every way to his old girlfriend who was also sweet & pretty yet still her exact opposite. the new one was a saleswoman who sold chocolate bars. As she moved her bag off the floor, my sister-in-law saw the extended family's names written on all her candy. She suspected she was planning on selling them to us. I told her it looked like her brother's handwriting & he probably bought some for us to have as a gift.<br />Next thing I know I'm driving with my sister-in law in the front seat & my husband, son, & mother-in-law are in the back. I decided to drive by our apartment. On the way I sense danger & start to speed, my mother-in-law doesn't tell me to slow down, this I find unusual. As I drive down the street I notice the store front's glass is broken & the windows are boarded up. When I look up, I see our apartment above boarded up as well with a red fabric banner and a yellow star on it, attached to one of the windows. Apparently this is the symbol that was used for homes where an entire family had died from the so called "illness".<br />I knew there was no turning back and no way to retrieve our belongings. I thought about how I would never get to look through my photo albums again. As I drove away from the building the atmosphere turned very much "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" and I knew I had to drive away quickly. I didn't know if she knew what was going on but I asked my sister-in-law if we could stay at her place. She said the place we had been to earlier was just a place she met people & that her & my mother-in-law were actually sleeping at one of those storage warehouses at night. Somehow I immediately knew whoever was behind all this had plans for them to be next.<br /><br />As I continued to drive it started to get dark & I didn't know how to get back to her place. My husband kept talking & I found it hard to get directions from my sis-in-law. Before I could tell him to be quiet, all the lights suddenly went out & I couldn't see the road. Next thing I knew, I drove off a huge bridge & the car was flying through the air & I could barely see where we were going though I could recognize shapes that implied a city in the distance. I thought to myself, I did everything I could and we will either land safely or die and there is nothing more for me to do. I just have to let go and accept. Then I woke up.<br />Talk about disturbing. & the disturbing feeling stayed with me for the entire morning. I purposely slept late so I could get some extra rest, Unfortunately I didn't feel rested after this dream. Does anyone else have dreams like this?dianasfaria.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10488357854017358868noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5260439341216864596.post-56911979722563318992009-06-07T23:47:00.005-04:002009-06-08T00:02:46.484-04:00I am in love with these flowersThe welcomed scent of these flowers filled the air as I worked in my garden yesterday.<br />These two lovely flowers remind me of my twin nieces. They are alike in so many ways, yet distinctly and uniquely beautiful. Remember when they turned sixteen and I posted their baby pictures<span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);"> </span><a href="http://lilyhydrangeasanonymousblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/sixteen-plus-years-of-memories.html"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);font-size:85%;" >here</span></a>?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHltjqOaCfR63X6Y-cG9B3HKu72wtmllEpcZE4OAfIDahzPHRjRYR5Y2SxtVeeMmq6A2MuVd3YoW5xJphyphenhyphenPXIceZszI0aPV-xyrUKhcVPVfznEi3NKWrzbHadprN6N-9Zt5pH-SDU48mU/s1600-h/twin-peonies.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHltjqOaCfR63X6Y-cG9B3HKu72wtmllEpcZE4OAfIDahzPHRjRYR5Y2SxtVeeMmq6A2MuVd3YoW5xJphyphenhyphenPXIceZszI0aPV-xyrUKhcVPVfznEi3NKWrzbHadprN6N-9Zt5pH-SDU48mU/s400/twin-peonies.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344798535137584114" border="0" /></a>dianasfaria.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10488357854017358868noreply@blogger.com8