*happy*

Do you know that feeling of eating dessert for breakfast, running and skipping everywhere, following your heart instead of a map?

This is what it's like to spend a day with a grandchild.

On Saturday I got to watch my grandson play football, I only have baseball photos of him, the football photos are still in my film camera, but here is Travis running the bases when he played baseball.

After his game he was invited to a college game in L.A.

My little girl grandchild was sad, she was going

to have to play alone quietly while her mother studied.

This didn't seem like a good idea to me since it was too glorious a day to spend inside being quiet.

Sadie and I went to the Zoo instead!

here, we ran through the grass...

...rode the Zoo train...

...ate a picnic lunch beside two Elephants...

...that were in love...

We looked in the Zoo gift shop...

(and found a special furry ellie to take home)

...and daringly walked where Mom's say "Get down!" and

(Granma's say "How's the view from up there?!" )

we watched penguin's contemplate the water...

...and then we watched them dive in... here Sadie taking her own photo's with my cell phone. She had taken photos all day, zooming in and out, sending pictures to her Mother and confiding in me that she was really a good photographer. I said I have no doubt. :)

Watching the penguins swim gave us an idea, since it was still almost 80 degrees out when the Zoo was closing, we headed home, changed into our bathing suits...

and jumped in our own pool...

When I took Sadie back to her Mum, she hugged me

bye Grammy!

and then whispered in my ear,

You are my best friend.

Can you hear me falling into a million pieces?

Spent the evening in reflective bliss, thinking about the day and then relaxing while my husband got dinner for us. And then knitting for my child who has requested these leg warmers for her cold days up in the Pacific Northwest. See Hannah? I'm past the knees, they'll be to you soon!

thankful and exhausted, yet ever so grateful

lori

♥

Of nature

"Reading about nature

is fine,








but if a person

walks in the woods

and listens carefully,

he can learn more

than what is in books,

for they speak

with the voice of God."

George Washington Carver

I hear you God

♥ lori

These photos are for you Mom, Happy Birthday tomorrow,

I love you very much.

first date

we went on our first date in over 5 months on saturday!

i am finally beginning to feel a bit more like myself.

my husband was particularly pleased

since he's been patiently waiting

for me to get well.

we were full of ideas, should we go to the zoo,

dinner, a movie, the bookstore?

we ended up on the pier instead



after all our blustery rain a few days ago,
we are back to sun and 80 to 90 degree weather.
it makes you want to be near the water.

dinner turned into lunch since my husband is always hungry.

we ate at this little restaurant at the end of the pier, not the fancy one,we chose the one with stools that you pull up to a bar that face a window so everyone has a view. And you can order whole crab or a lobster tail to crack and eat and make a little mess. YUM.

while we ate we watched sailboats, paddle boats, kayaks, paddle boards, surfboards and fishermen all do their thing.

we noticed that most everyone here was a tourist, so many different languages. Santa Barbara is sometimes referred to as the American Riviera, a popular international destination i think.

driving off the wooden pier

we head downtown.

i think this photo is funny, you see sun and palm trees, shopping and sports cars, i guess it is typical Santa Barbara, but there is so much more.

State Street is a place you'd want to see, at least once, but for the most part it's not for us.

we decide on a movie.

i get to choose.

my husband smiles, "this better be good"

i pick a "lori movie"

that's what he calls it.

detouring through the bookstore, which is really not a detour at all, because we both immediately take off in opposite directions,

which is usually the case.

till one of us goes looking for the other.

i go look for him, where are you honey?

it's time for the movie!

there he is

there's my date.

he is so cute.

he surprised me and bought us each chocolate for the movie,

i bought popcorn too, i really must be feeling better!

we giggled and laughed. he liked it and i loved it. it was all about couples and relationships and a tropical island, silly and fun.

we agreed we'd had a great day but we would finish the rest of our date at home. the sun was setting and clouds were forming out over the ocean.

my favorite time of day.

as we pulled into our driveway we had already made plans for our

next date which will be more of a short trip date sort of.

for our anniversary that's coming up

soon.

i can't wait.

♥ lori

love in a click

I need to write about one thing that's not so beautiful.

It's something that could affect any of us.

For some of us it already has.

It's Breast Cancer.

October is National Breast Cancer month.

I'm hoping to help by reminding everyone to get checked, make your appointment please.

In 2003 my Mother was diagnosed with Breast Cancer.

In 2007, my sister.

My Mother underwent a double mastectomy,

My Sister lost a breast, and then her hair, but most of all,

her life as she'd always known it.

We as a family have learned a lot thoughout this. We learned about prevention, early detection and finding a cure. Well, helping the cause to find a cure. There is something we can all do, get checked and then help others with something as simple as a mouse click.

At the Breast Cancer Site you can learn more about clicking.

Click here for an easy and free way to help fund mammograms for those in need at The Breast Cancer Site!

(then click everyday)

Did you know?
Friday October 16, 2009 is National Mammography Day

(i'm sorry I'm late, but it does include the entire month)
Location: Nationwide

The third Friday in October of each year is National Mammography Day, first proclaimed by President Clinton in 1993. On this day, or throughout the month, radiologists provide free or discounted screening mammograms, and women are encouraged to make a mammography appointment.

Make your appointment please.



Clicking on anyone of these buttons is the simplest way there is to fund free mammograms. You can sign up for a daily email that'll take you to the Breast Cancer Site and even before you've had your first sip of coffee or tea, you will have done a good thing. Helped another.

Once Breast Cancer is diagosed, no matter what stage or degree, it never goes away. Even if treated. There is always the what if?

We need to find a cure.

I have one niece and two daughters, now a granddaughter. Maybe you do too? I am hoping for a cure.

There another thing we can do, donate.

I hesitate to tell you that I have an Etsy shop because I have pitifully little in there at the moment, but I intend to try to put more effort into it now that all my kids are gone! I've got ideas!

But what ever I can sell, the proceeds will go towards research.

If you like you can visit me at

lindylove

My store is named after my sister Lindy, my inspiration. Lindy and my Mom, Sylvia, are Breast Cancer Survivors. This is one small way I can help raise money for Breast Cancer Research. TheBreastCancerSite.com together with the Mayo Clinic has created

The Breast Cancer Site Endowed Fund for Breast Cancer Research. Your gift helps fund this endowment. Contributions to the fund are matched by the Mayo Clinic up to $250,000, so your contribution is doubled at no extra cost to you. A portion of proceeds will go towards the

Gift That Gives More at TheBreastCancerSite.com

Please see if you can't do this one simple thing,

click every day.

For everyone of our Mother's, Grandmother's, Sister's,
Daughter's, Auntie's, Friends, ourselves...

come to think of it, that would be a beautiful thing.

♥ lori

Award~Challenge

Thank you beautiful Ribbon

Accepting this award comes with a challenge.
The challenge is to answer the below questions using one word only.
This was especially difficult for me, I didn't realize I'd want to chat so much!...
here we go...


1. Where is your cell phone? near

2. Your hair? long

3. Your mother? sweet

4. Your father? estranged

5. Your favorite food? lobster

6. Your dream last night? mountains

7. Your favorite drink? chai

8. Your dream/goal? passportstamps

9. What room are you in? Family

10. Your hobby? create!

11. Your fear? anger

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? safari

13. Where were you last night? here :)

14. Something that you aren't? mean

15. Muffins? blueberry

16. Wish list item? health

17. Where did you grow up? California

18. Last thing you did? text

19. What are you wearing? bathrobe

20. Your TV? Off

21. Your pets? passed

22. Friends? many

23. Your life? BLESSED

24. Your mood? peaceful

25. Missing someone?
Five. Mine. Oops, that's two words.


26. Vehicle? ranger

27. Something you're not wearing? makeup

28. Your favorite store? Powells

29. Your favorite color? safari

30. When was the last time you laughed? today!

31. Last time you cried? fullmoon

32. Your best friend? sister

33. One place that I go to over and over? ocean

34. One person who emails me regularly? GeliVal :)

35. Favorite place to eat? home


I think i've failed the challenge, but can I still keep the award? :)



Also I'm to pass this award/challenge along to six others...
please take the award/challenge...


Under The Blood Red Sky

Hilly Billy Farm Girl

Clarity in Wonderland

Letters From Usedom

Monkeys On The Roof

Fire Byrd

Cut and paste the questions to your post and let me know if

and when you do so.

I'm looking forward to your answers.

Then this beautiful award from the lovely Tessa at

An Aerial Armadillo

This award is to be passed on as an acknowledgement of womanhood and sisterhood to those we’ve come to value most especially during our time in the Blogworld.
And because Tessa says it so beautifully, I hope she won't mind that I borrow these words from her...There are so many remarkable women whose blog company I treasure and whom I have grown to think of as true friends during our exchanges in this amazing world even though I may never have actually met them in person. Someday, somewhere, I hope we will meet, but in the meantime I would love to pass this friendship award on to these very special ladies and men in acknowledgement of how much I value their visits to, and comments on my Lori Times Five world.

Please take this award everyone, I know I would make a mess of linking, so i'll hand it to you instead! here you are Nicky, Lola, Aden, Tessa, Diana, Kavita, Karen, Renee, Clarity, Mina, Mandy, Tam, Ribbon, Jeri, Michi, Janis, Anja, Geli, Nancy, Helen, Val, Meagan, Natalie, Janelle, Cynthia, Joanne, Chaitra, Rosaria, Michelle, Lori Lynn, Tulsa, Sallymandy, Reya, Maithri, Miranda, Janet, Tiennie, Bogey, Bhavana, kj and ♥ Braja

Forgive me if i've left off anyone and as Tessa also says Please feel free to pass this on to your friends so we can make this global circle even larger!

♥ lori

fairy tales and full moons

a white swan appeared one day in our salt marsh

my husband told me he saw her




i wanted to see her too






since the marsh is minutes from our home




we can come here when we need to, for nature, for bliss






see?




i really love it here






this marsh supports hundreds of birds

some live here year round, like these mallards

but some migrate, like this one, the white swan

oh

she watched us and we were entranced by her

she stayed but a moment, the memory a lifetime



as she drifted away we saw movement in the pickleweed

a fox!

as the magic hour faded a full moon came out to accompany us home.

wishing you a storybook weekend too

♥ lori