Egypt

Just a few days ago I was standing among the last of the intact ancient wonders of the world.  These great structures have withstood the passing of so much time and their exact locations are still being studied as to what they actually represented aside from a burial site for the kings.  The air is electrifying - the buzz of your high stays with you long after you have walked away. I wanted to stay there forever, to watch the sun pass over its horizon until the night came and the sky filled with stars. But we had so much more to see and do in such a short time.  I like to know that my footprints will remain, forevermore; my hands have touched and run across the stones that were precisely set to erect such beauty, and my mind's eye has burned permanent images inside me that allow me to be there in an instant.

Please watch this

One of the many amazing talents my friend Adele Selena has shared with me are her guided visualizations and meditations. She is now offering free meditations here. Please take a few minutes to watch and enjoy the gifts she shares!

Egypt

Just returned early this morning from a most amazing journey! MUCH more to follow...

Mikayla's celebrates today

So, seventeen years and one day later I had my second baby girl. She was due on March 5, but as fate would have it, she did not come. The labor started on Tara's birthday and rather than jumping in the car and rushing to the hospital, I called the doctor and told her that this baby was going to have to wait. I was busy making Tara's cake! My water broke and I grabbed the paper towel roll and stuffed my pants with a big wad of padding, sat my ass on the stool and continued to decorate that cake. I was actually crushed! I will never forget Tara's face when she walked through the door to find out the news. My heart was breaking into a million pieces for her and I think we both cried for a million different reasons. We were going to be a new family soon and there were still a lot of raw emotions behing all of this. But as I mentioned, Tara handled it with grace and composure as I packed up my things and headed out the door. Labor progressed normally at first but in the end she just wouldn't come and early the next day the doctors decided it was time to get her out via C-section. I remember the night nurse rubbing my face and telling me that it was past midnight and it was okay, I could let this new baby out now, she would be having her own special day. As the sun was just rising they rolled me down the hall and within fifteen minutes my little Mikayla Reanne was here. At that moment, I couldn't imagine the world without her. The first thing I saw were those little purple little feet and then I heard that first cry. There she was, lying across my chest, a perfect little angel. Mikayla is so lucky to have such an amazing big sis, and the same can be said for Tara. A little sister to love and adore you is a lifetime reward! And as cool as they are to share such happiness just one day apart, I still want to be sure they both know just how special each of them are to me in their own separate ways. Thank you both for choosing me to be your mom - it is really me who is the lucky one! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU MIKAYLA - MIK-DOODLE, MIKI-D, and as Mimi liked to call you Trixie D. Your laughter is contagious, your smile melts my heart and I love you forever!!! Your timing was perfect as I see now, and your existance is a gift to this world. xoxo

Happy Birthday Tara

The first time I ever saw this painting I was immediately convinced it was as if the artist painted it for me and Tara.

My first baby

I've been daydreaming all day about Tara's arrival 25 years ago. All 7lbs 2oz of pure love. I remember my mother dragging me out to the store about a week after she was born to buy some food and how I cried in the supermarket because I wanted to get back home to my baby. Same with the first time she went off to kindergarten and then sleep away camp (which was only a week). Most parents can't wait to get away from the kids for a little holiday. Not me, I knew these times were precious and made sure every vacation included both her and Ryan. That's what retirement was all about, right? Well, I'm not ready to retire quite yet, but I'm still crying every time we part and still plan my vacations with her in mind. If I could keep her with me forever I would. We are mother and daughter yes, and I know it sounds cliche', but we are truly the best of friends. I am blessed to have such an amazing relationship with my daughter, she is my blood, a part of my essence, a slice of my soul. Her beauty astounds me and her grace is one of her greatest virtues. She has taught me just as many lessons in life as I have her. I am so bummed that I am not with her today to celebrate every day that she has been a part of my life, but I know that she is surrounded with love and luckily I am not the only one who realizes her greatness. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY FIRST BABY GIRL. I love you to the moon and back again my sweet Tara! xoxo

The Alchemist

To realize one's destiny is a person's only obligation. When you want something, all the Universe conspires in helping you achieve it ~
The Alchemist - Paul Coelho

Nine months old

Nine months! About nine and a half months ago I was doing yoga with my big ol' Buddah belly hanging out, imagining my baby inside, sitting in yoga pose, enjoying all the big breathes and stretches as a gift of space as the walls of my belly closed in on her closer and closer by the day. Now she's here - and she's a little over nine months old. And she still enjoys yoga. She likes to sit and watch the poses, waving her arms back and forth, humming along to the Sat Nam mantra's as if on cue. I'm positive she remembers all of it.

Nine months - the time is so relative. Nine months of pregnancy, spent dreaming of who this new little person would be, what she would look like, how she would fit in as her own little being in this family. And then that same amount of time, after birth, watching your little one grow - it goes by in a FLASH! This month has been a biggie. One of her top teeth has started coming in (she got the first two bottom teeth in December) and we went from getting the feel of swallowing mushy rice cereal to full-fledged chewing motions now. She almost seemed insulted one morning when I mashed a banana. Her eyes were pleading, "bring on the chunks mama - I've got some teeth and I'm ready to use 'em". Pita bread, avacado chunks, pasta fagiola - she's conquered them all! She's also been studying everything we say and do with such intent and suddenly has a full repetoire of trained acts. Her arms go up for the "How big is Arianna?" question, she can clap her hands for dancing and cheering, and four days ago the backwards seal move gave way to a full-on forward crawl - INDEPENDENCE at last!!! Today she bee-lined right out of the "play room" and into the kitchen. She went under the kitchen table, checked on Kimo napping with a little tug of his ear then grabbed hold of the bar that runs underneath, and up she went into a stand!

That's it... in just a blink, her days of infancy are over and the limited view of her world has just opened up to a whole new adventure. I'm just hoping that all that yoga pays off and through the bumps and achievements ahead, she always stays grounded as she finds her favorite stars to reach for.

Spotted this online yesterday!

More from Carnival week

Can you spot our little cowgirl? 

Carnival and Green Monday

Feast before the fast.  Cyprus is about to begin their forty day fast before Easter.  "Green Monday" (beginning of Lent) kicks off the start of it all.  No meats; just fruits and vegetables and breads. Loads of big beautiful loaves of bread - herbed, olive loafs, seeded and unseeded. This daughter of a baker loves all of it!  Families gather outdoors for picnics on this holiday and kids can be seen all over the island flying their kites, playing music and dancing.   I love traditions!

Year of the Tiger!

Happy Chinese New Year!  If you missed your chance to clear out the old and usher in the new, back in January, well, here's your chance.  Place plates of fresh fruit throughout the home to represent abundance, clear out the clutter and get ready for a great year ahead!

Scenes of love for Valentines Day weekend

Me and my Dad, my first true love!

More help still needed

As the weeks pass, its easy to lose sight of how much help is still needed in Haiti.  Last week Mikayla and her friends held a bake sale as their contribution.  If you are not sure where to send money, the Red Cross is always a safe option. 

A little piece of heaven at the stable

If dogs can be angels, then surely horses can be too. 

I took this up at the stable a couple of weeks ago.

Can you see the beam of light shining straight down into the pony's pen?

Do I believe in angels?

Without a doubt! But what about little white furry ones? Well, exactly one year ago today an angel moved into our house. All these years I’ve been picturing angels as cute little chubby cherubs joining hearts on Valentine’s day, or beautifully radiant beings with long white flowing robes and wings, and of course, my all time favorite – Archangels standing ready to guard and protect me from – well – anything I need protecting from! I never really stopped to contemplate the concept of angels in animal-form, but I am now convinced that I share my life with one daily.

As I write, he is resting right below my perch, close by, as he always is, ever faithful, ever present, and I swear I think he sleeps with one eye open to just to make sure he doesn’t loose sight of me at any given moment. Even when he goes outside to do his “thing” he stays close to the glass doors like a dutiful sentry would.
Its not like he’s a stalker though – he does like his play time and will run circles around Cadie and Max when they all hang outside – but for the most part, where ever you find me, you will definitely find Kimo. And as I said, I am pretty sure this little guy was sent from Heaven to watch “under” me as I was over him.

Here I was thinking I was the one who would make a difference in his life when I plucked him out of that dirty, smelly, overcrowded puppy pen at the shelter last year. You see, he was the runt, and all the other little puppies just barreled over him to get at the food. Survival of the fittest is what they call it, and I would just watch as he sadly backed inside the little doggie house and lie down on the blanket, knowing full well he was not going to get past all those big bully’s up front.

I was pregnant at the time, and certainly didn’t need to take on yet another responsibility three months before having a baby, but when I plucked him up out of that little wooden box I just knew I would never put him back down.

So here we are, one year later and this little Cyprus pup has brightened my days, lifted my spirits and given me more unconditional love than a person can ever imagine they could receive in one lifetime. I know that sounds so over-the-top and you want to say, “yeah, I love my dog and my dog loves me too,” but seriously, I think he is more than just my furry animal companion, in fact I’m sure of it. He is most definitely, without a doubt, my living, breathing guardian angel, who has come to spend some time on earth with me to laugh and play and brighten each and every day.
Luckily, it was a smooth transition when he moved in. Cadie and Max welcomed him like a long lost relative. Now that Arianna is here, she and Kimo have grown up together and play like all siblings do. They roll around on the ground together, take naps in the afternoons and sometimes like to share their toys. And yes, I have caught Arianna chewing on Kimo’s bone and have also caught Kimo chewing on Arianna’s stuffed animals, but the BEST part lately is that they can share her clothes. These days are, for sure, the most wonderful days ever! So keep your eyes out for those angels, you just never know who or where you’ll find them 

Good morning

The first thing I see when I wake in the morning is this sunrise - straight out my bedroom window. I've never been much of a morning person.  I didn't realize what I was missing!  Happy Saturday everyone.

I've been hibernating I think

I don't know why, but the last few weeks I just haven't had the energy to do much of anything outside of day to day living, and it dawned on me today that the weather had turned cold and I must have gone into some sort of mini hibernation.  I finally got out of Nicosia today. Took a nice long walk along the beach and let the sun melt away the winter blues. Granted, it is not as cold as what NY and much of Europe is experiencing right now, but it is certainly not warm, and its definitely not summer.  I also went into my pictures tonight for some further inspiration of the beauty that surrounds me and found this scene from the top of St. Hillarion Castle.  I hope you enjoy the eye candy as much as I do.  Time to snap out of it and get all my latest pictures uploaded and get back in the game now!