so, this whole Chick Fil A thing....

Ok, so first off let me say I am by no means a religious person.

I was raised  in a family that includes a couple atheists,  an agnostic or two along with various Christian religions being represented (Baptist, Lutheran & Methodist).

I respect EVERYONE's right to believe what ever they wish to believe, support it to their hearts content even. What I do not support is a group of people telling people what is right or wrong.

Being gay is not a choice...would someone choose to live a life in which they are constantly judged and told that they are an abomination against nature amongst other ever so kind statements?

I have friends and family who are gay.

I support them.

I love them.

I am in no position to judge their choices in who they love or

how they live their lives....no one is except them!

I support love.

One of my friends posted on FB earlier saying "isn't it within the bible to love thy neighbor....do we pick and choose which neighbor we can & will love?"

Another says she always goes back to the thought,
 "What is it about my love that is hurting you?"

What it comes down to in the end is that we as a human race to need to learn to love and appreciate one another's differences.
You do not have to support gays if you
 do not believe in them, but don't attack them.

 Let go of the hate.

You can be a person of religion without being a person of hate.

I personally have never eaten at a ChickFilA, and due to items within the news of late I doubt it will ever happen now. I do not wish to support an organization that gives money to groups that promote a less than loving view on gays & their lifestyle.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-badash/chick-fil-a-5-reasons-it-isnt-what-you-think_b_1725237.html

In what I think are important bits to this article these statements were made:

"Even if you don't support same-sex marriage, do you really think gay marriage is "inviting God's judgment on our nation"? Haven't we all heard enough blame from those who claim to speak for the Lord, like after Katrina or, more recently, after the shooting in Aurora, Colo.?"

I think people should use their beliefs, religious or otherwise to be a positive force

in our world rather than a negative one.

Promote love, understanding and acceptance.

Again this is just my own humble opinion...I know I will have some people amongst my FB friends who will disagree. That is what makes us as humans so great, we can agree to disagree.

All I ask is for people to not judge, just love one another!

I support love...how about you?

this one is for you....

Today is my bestie's birthday.

It seems as if we have known each other forever yet I still remember our first meeting over a game of jump rope on the playground of South O Elementary all those years ago.

I would love to say we were best friends from that moment, but honestly when we first met it was just as individual friends within a bigger circle of girls. Flash forward to junior high where we had a couple classes together and became inseparable almost overnight.

I think I spent as much time at her house as I did my own. Her family would become an extra family to me, with her mom even grounding me along with her a time or two.

We would experience so many firsts together; crushes, dates, dances, kisses, cars and so on.

The most trouble I ever got into was with my DK right by my side...her dad still asks how the lil jailbirds are 25 years after our "outing" (teehee)

We had matching clothes, oh my the bumble bee swimsuits...I SO wish we had pics of some of those!

Songs, rocks and payphones booths that were "ours" . We shared our first job and looked ever so cute in our lil mexican dresses...don't you agree?

 

We have a million little inside jokes, silly nicknames and countless memories over the past 30 years.

There were times that were not as rosy, we have had tough times like most relationships do...however I feel as if those times have made us stronger.

We might not always have lived by each other with my moving to my own lil slice of Paradise here on the central coast of CA shortly after hs grad while she stayed in our
old stomping grounds of the O. I spent a few years in SD for college and loved being close to her & the kids, was hard to move back home and not be right there for it all.

A couple years ago she moved out of state and I was devastated at not having her as close as before.

I was spoiled by being able to just pop in my car and seeing her within a few hours, now I have to pop on a plane to get to her...which I will of course do...just not as easy.

Life isn't easy though, neither is friendship.

We have worked to remain as close as we are. It means picking up the phone, emails and letters, lots of random FB smiles amongst other things.

I want to thank you my cmg, you make my world a better place

for being a part of it.

You force me to see myself much more positively than I would on my own. You are my own personal cheerleader and the first one on board when I come up with a idea for a caper or silly shenanigans. You truly are my partner in crime!

You are a beautiful soul who has touched many lives in such positive ways.
I hope you know just how beautiful you are both inside and out.

I look forward to all the memories we will create in the future...including the craziness

of the mudrun in Sept! I have faith that eventually we WILL take our girls trip to Catalina...seriously after talking about it for so many years we must make this happen! How can we get to Hawaii and not there? Crazy!

On this day of your birth today I wish you all the love and happiness you deserve, may your day be filled with all the people and things that make you happiest.

I will be there in spirit of course!

I love you more than mere words can say.

sad, but blessed

Due to working in a lovely small cafe we tend to get close to our customers. Many of them live nearby and come in quite often. They keep up with our lives as we do theirs. Last evening I found out that one of our regulars who has been battling cancer passed away. Her and her husband live on the same street as the restaurant and since I live in the neighborhood I would always wave and say hi or make some small talk when walking by.

As we were working last eve my boss and I noticed a fire truck & paramedic outside, but after a short while they left without taking anyone with them. We were hoping for the best, but a couple hours later we sadly saw the coroner's van come. As it was right at closing time we both went out to express our condolences to J. In the small world that is our community his brother M. is married to a family friend I have known for years and they were both there also.

It is always sad to be with someone whose loved one has just passed, but the moment the coroner drove away J. broke down and it broke my heart.

This is the moment none of us want to experience, for ourselves or others.

I walked away after this experience with sadness, but also feeling so blessed with the people within my life. I went home and called my sweet friend B, a phone call in which tears & laughter were equally shared. It is so important to let those in your life know daily just how loved they are. There are lots of  sayings about how life is short, life it to the fullest...etc...etc,but seriously we do only have one life to live so make the most of it and the people you have within it!

Take a moment today to share some of your love, give someone a hug, a kiss or even just a smile.

I love you my friends...

my moment of wow

I just got back from a fab getaway to see my bestie.

I checked a bag for the first time in years using a fun vintage pink marbled

Samonite suitcase (it is amazing) as I doubt that there would be another one like it thus making it easy to spot! Due to it being a vintage (circa 1960's) it has no wheels so you get a bit of a workout carrying it! I was worried about the weight so I popped on the scale both holding it and without it to gauge it's weight....much to my surprise it was a mere 32 pounds. It felt so much heavier, probably due to that old school style single handle and all.

The big AHA moment for me was realizing that the suitcase I was carrying was the exact amount that I have lost to this point. So, now I am on the path to try and lose another suitcase....woohoo.

leaving it all at work

To earn a living I work as a waitress and the best part of my job is that I walk away at the end of the day leaving it all behind. There are times at work where I get irritated by the craziness or stupidity of a guest.
I am sure it works both ways as I know I have been out to eat & been put off by a server, but after being in the business for 20 years I know there are lots of quirks to deal with in my profession and it falls on the server to be the professional and ignore any and all strange things people may say or do!
I have to say that after all these years I am still amazed by some of people's actions, but for me it stays at work. I may recall a funny story or two, but I no longer hold unto the irritating acts of my customers...once they walk out that door it is done. My viewpoint is it all balances, some people tip well, others not so great. Some are sweet & polite while others don't seem to think of servers as people, but rather a servant or non person. I am blessed to work in a fabulous little restaurant which has some amazing regular customers who make going to work a pleasure. In addition I like all of my co-workers, my hours and how close my job is to my home. I read a article the other day about what a bad job being in the service industry is, you can't count upon set wages (due to tips etc) and there are no benefits. While those points are true, in many ways it is the perfect job as I get to talk to people while I work & it is actually encouraged. I am never short on cash as I make money each and every day I am there, plus twice a month paychecks. So, in short I am grateful for my job and all the people it has brought into my life! 

It is funny how sometimes you talk about something with one friend and it comes up with another.

My sweet girl DK and I were just talking in a phone convo about making ourselves more of a priority & taking time for ourselves. I especially tend to take on the stress of those in my lives, I celebrate the good and cry with them over the bad...sometimes to my own detriment.

My sweet girl D wrote a fab blog on the same subject and I thought I would share it with you

http://dragonflywarrior.com/2012/06/02/importance-of-self/

She is going through a transition from a "traditional" job to being self-employed while juggling a house, husband, young child and pets. I like what she expressed about being a better person to those in her life when she takes the time for herself, in her case it is a daily yoga routine.

I also feel more calm and centered as a person when I take time to do my yoga routine. It makes me feel healthier, more relaxed and the only time of day I don't feel pressure to be "on" or "perfect" as it is only about me. I find many excuses to not do the things that make me healthier, we all know getting to the gym is the hardest part of working out after all! Yoga can be done anywhere, no special clothing or materials are needed per se which is one of my fave things about it.

Most of all though I love how I feel when I conquer a new pose...for the longest time I had a hard time with the dancer's pose. I lack balance, I tend to be like a weeble wobble in my life...slightly of balance. I could do the pose, but needed to be holding unto a chair or wall. The first time I did it in the middle of a room and held it was a huge deal for me. I am working on doing more challenging routines, but for now my focus is to merely do a form of yoga each day for my own sanity.

It makes me relax, have better balance & flexibility and in general is just good for me.

What is one thing you should do for yourself on a regular basis that you allow to slip away?

Can you make a point to allow yourself the time for that activity?

We deserve our time...carve it out and take it!

friends make life a better place...

Had an almost 2 hour phone convo with one of my oldest friends last eve.

Love you Barbiegirl!

I love chats like that where we talk about everything and nothing, laugh and just enjoy.

It reminded me that I am truly blessed with the people who surround me.

There are friends who have come and gone over the years, but a core group has been there through it all. We may fight now and again, or not talk for a bit due to busy lives, but when push comes to shove we are there for one another!

It made me think about why some relationships work and some don't.

For me it is that I have stopped being the one who always gives. I want relationships (of ALL kinds)

where it is a back and forth, 50/50 is ideal of course, but I'll take 40/60...LOL.

In my past I was always the friend who called or initiated outings and talks, and was hurt with friends who didn't give back what I put into our relationships.

After many years I just learned that not everyone has the same views or needs in relationships and you have to accept the limitations others put on said relationships.

There have been friends who say how close we are, yet if one of us were to move the amount of contact is drastically reduced. Others whom have taken advantage of innate kindness and seemed genuinely confused when this could or would upset me?

Having experienced these less than perfect friendships illustrate what I truly want in all my future ones.

Including, but not limited to trust, love, kindness, laughter, humor and shared adventures.

Cheers to the girls who make my life better every single day.

AKS, DK, D &Barbiegirl you are my core which gives me strength every day.

SBell, A, C and R thanks for the smiles and times shared over wine & walks!

xoxox