Dog Beach - Coronado, California

If regular Lucy hangout time is Puppy Prozac, taking her to Dog Beach is like a puppy lobotomy...in a good way. Hanging out with my dad and Midge was a pretty good mood lift too...

Dad and Lucy are besties...

Lucy did, however, attempt to expand her circle of friends to include some of the canine variety.

It was scary at first...

But then she got the hang of it.

Some of the other dogs were slightly less elegant than darling Lucy.

Lucy is not quite sure enough of her place in the social hierarchy of Dog Beach to go making friends with the weird kid in the life vest....

{Poor little bulldog.}

Felicities

Things to be happy about:

*free flowers  
Flowers are good; free flowers are better.

{Thanks, Storm Florist!}

 *Michael's     Oh, the possibilities in a trip to Micheal's... Like a loser, I went to Michael's on Friday night looking for inspiration for some crafty fun. The problem is that trips to Michael's give me an inflated sense of my crafting abilities and thereby a distorted conception of my craft supply needs. 

Of course I should have a rainbow collection of grosgrain ribbon for all my gift wrapping needs. 

 The glitter gets me every time. Glitter plus Martha Stewart's seal of approval? Yes, please.

 Embroidery floss? Maybe it's time that friendship bracelets make a comeback.

The stamp aisle is particularly dangerous because I have absolutely no need for stamps, but they're so pretty...

*organizing
This fact is probably something to be sad about, but these storage containers make me ridiculously happy. After my super cool Friday night trip to Michael's, I came home and organized my pantry. I am a loser.

 *homemade cookies
In typical Katie fashion, I came home from Michael's with the necessary craft supplies for a new project and then promptly got distracted and decided to bake cookies. Sometimes my ADD is delicious...  This recipe for whole wheat oatmeal chocolate chip cookies is my new favorite.

 

The Gift of the Word

{When I sat down to write this, I intended to just list George Dawson's story as one of my things to be happy about, but I got a little carried away with researching and retelling his story... Plus, he deserves his own post. I'll finish up this week's list of happy things at some point this weekend.}

 Ok, so I was watching Oprah today; that is not, however, what I want to talk about because she's leaving me soon, and that makes me sad, not happy... Anyway, in typical Oprah fashion, she presented one of those heartwarming, inspirational segments that renews my hope for and faith in humanity just at the moment when I need it most.

This is George Dawson:

{Source}

George Dawson was born in Marshall, Texas in 1898. The grandson of a slave, one of his earliest memories was witnessing the lynching of 17-year old black man who was accused of getting a white girl pregnant. George was the eldest of five children and he started working on the family farm almost as soon as he could walk; by the time he was eight years old he was working full-time in the fields. When his aunt and uncle died, George's parents took in his nine cousins, so in an effort to help feed the now enormous family, George went to work on a neighboring farm when he was just twelve.  Mr. Dawson eventually ended up at Oak Farms Dairy where, in 1944, his boss recognized his skill and dedication and offered him a promotion; all he had to was fill out an application and the new title and a raise would be his. Ashamed to admit that he couldn't even write his own name, let alone fill out an application, Dawson demurred, claiming that he was happy in his current position. 

Dawson continued working at Oak Farms until they forced him to retire at 65. He continued to garden and do yard work for his neighbors until he decided to fully retire at ninety. When he was 98, an education recruiter knocked on his door and handed him some information about adult education classes. As Dawson remembers it, he looked at the young man, looked at the paper, decided he no longer cared if his secret came out, and said, "Hang on a minute while I get my hat!"

He hopped in the recruiter's car and drove to the adult education center, which happened to be in the same building where his seven children, now all college graduates, had gone to school. There he met Carl Henry, the retired teacher who would become his instructor. Dawson had a brief moment of doubt when he realized that he was half a century older than the average student at the center, but he decided that he wouldn't let his pride keep him from doing the thing he had wanted to do all his life - learn to read.  

{George and Carl - Source}

Despite his initial hesitation, Dawson returned to the adult education center again and again. He had to start at the very beginning - with the alphabet, but in three months, he was reading. The first book that he chose to read on his own was the Bible. "There's a verse I love: 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.' Now the Word is with me. If there's anything worth being proud of, it's that" (Guideposts.org).

{If that doesn't melt your heart, you are dead inside. Source}

He didn't stop there; he continued attending school and started working on his GED. By the time he was 102, George Dawson was the bestselling co-author of his autobiography, Life is So Good. By the time he passed away in 2001 at 103, he had also received two honorary doctorates. A year after his death, the George Dawson Middle School opened in Southlake, Texas. 

 I want to be more like George Dawson.

Felicities

{While Friday Felicities has an appealingly alliterative ring to it, I seem to have some difficulty meeting that otherwise arbitrary deadline.}

Things to Be Happy About:

*my mom

It's hard to put into words how amazing my mom is. I don't know anyone who is kinder, more generous, or more loving than my mom.  She is the most positive person I have ever met; this woman literally never complains. She's also smart and strong and brave and she can sing old, Lebanese beer commercials like no one's business.

Thanks to my mom, our whole family got the travel bug, and thanks to her planning and scheduling wizardry, we have had some amazing adventures. Thanks to my mom, I think getting lost can be fun. Thanks to my mom, I leave lengthy, highly informative voice mail messages. Thanks to my mom, I celebrate small things. Thanks to my mom, I try to give people the benefit of the doubt and I try to have patience with the rude, the ignorant, and the incompetent. Although, my mom would never be so judgey as to label people as rude, ignorant, or incompetent. 

My mom is also a big part of the reason that I believe so strongly in trying to somehow be of service to others. I've mentioned it before, but a big part of my childhood memories of my mom involve her being of service to others. I remember her spending weekday mornings helping with the therapeutic massage treatments of a friend's injured child. I remember my siblings and I riding around town with her, picking up leftover pastries from local restaurants and delivering them to the food shelf. And, how could I forget Carol, the developmentally disabled woman whom my mother took shopping, drove to bingo, and basically adopted. My mom didn't have to preach or lecture to teach her children the importance of service and selflessness; all we had to do was spend a day with her.  

So many women joke about being afraid of turning into their mothers; I, however, am afraid that I won't.

Happy Mother's Day, Mama!

*my 'hood

I miss living in Coronado, but I do love Hillcrest. I am proud to live in a diverse neighborhood where everyone is welcome.

I also love that I can walk just about anywhere including: the farmer's market, a gourmet cheese shop, and outdoor movie theater, and a novelty store that sells tasteless t-shirts and Albert Einstein action figures.

{The Maltese Falcon at the Starlight Theater}

*discovering random weirdness

I was walking home from the library earlier this week when I discovered this ridiculous sign. Actually, discovered isn't the right word since I drive past it every day and had taken it for your average pedestrian crossing sign. This Tuesday, however, I walked by and really noticed the sign for the first time. It seems that the city is commenting on the particular type of pedestrians who are likely to cross at this particular junction. I must also point out that this sign sits at the corner of the street that one would take to get to the Canyon of Despair and the horrible apartment we almost inhabited.

{vagrant crossing?}

Ripples and Reflections

{fool's gold, Coronado}

 The news of the last twenty-four hours has left me conflicted. On the one hand, I understand the celebration...people are relieved, vindicated. I'm ashamed to admit that when the news first began to seep out but details were still foggy, I had a vengeful reaction. I hoped he had seen it coming, that it hadn't been an over-in-an-instant explosion, but that he had looked our soldiers in the face and known that it was us who were calling his number. The thing is though, I'm ashamed to admit that. 

There is something about the tone of the celebrations that I've seen on the news that I find unsettling. I can understand people gathering, bringing flowers and flags, to remember loved ones and to mark the closing of a painful chapter in our history. The hooting and hollering, the chanting, and  the singing of "We Are the Champions," however, seems more appropriate for a Super Bowl party than for the death of anyone, regardless of how evil his actions may have been. I can't help but wonder how video of these impromptu celebrations will be perceived by our fellow world citizens. What will the ripple effects be, not just of the deaths themselves, but of our reaction to them?

The two quotes that I have seen tossed around in response to last night's news are by two men whose words and work I admire. The first is courtesy of Mark Twain Clarence Darrow, "I've never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure." [edited to add: This was a misquote. It should have been attributed to Clarence Darrow and should have read, "I have never killed anyone, but I have read some obituary notices with great satisfaction." Darrow is most famous for defending high school science teacher John Scopes when he was charged with breaking the Tennessee state law that made it illegal to teach evolution, so I figure Darrow qualifies as someone whose words and work I admire.] 


The second quote, from Martin Luther King Jr., expresses a loftier sentiment, "The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate. So it goes. ... Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that." While Twain's Darrow's words are probably the more accurate reflection of the sentiments of most Americans, I think King's message is the one we most need to hear. I understand that sometimes force must be brought to bear, and I am forever grateful that there are so many men and women who are willing to risk life and limb to be on the sharp end. At the same time, I believe that Dr. King was right. Returning hate for hate can only increase it, and violence never leads to peace. Every action has a reaction, ripples that continue outward long after the original incident. The more I think about it, the more I believe in this idea...what we put out comes back to us. The principle of nonviolence seems an untenable one in today's world, but I think it is an ideal worth striving for.

Friday Felicities {Better Late Than Never}

I've been sick for the past couple of days, so this is going to be a bit of a bush league post. Despite the fact that my vacation ended on Monday, this week was a really good one, filled with lots of things that make me happy, but I have spent the last forty or so hours in a feverish haze of stomach flu ickiness; therefore, I lack the energy for editing photos and having original thoughts.

Sooo, this week, I give you the embarrassing truth - the internet makes me very, very happy. In addition to making lesson planning a breeze, the internet is a source of endless entertainment. Without the world wide web, I might never have had the absolute pleasure of encountering the following:

Funny things:

 {Yeah, if I have to be subjected to 24/7 coverage of a spectacle, I prefer the royal wedding to the Trump nonsense.}

 source: someecards

{Sorry, Mom. Sometimes the internet has a potty mouth.}



 

{I think Disney gave me unrealistic expectations about a lot of things...}

                                                                                                           Source: None

Super Cute Things:

{Seriously. If not for the internet, I may have gone my whole life without seeing a baby owl in a snow hat... }

                                                                                                  Source: thebeanandthebear.tumblr.com

{Well, hello friend.} Source: tumblr.com

Inspiring Things:

                                                                                     {True, yes?}                                                                         

Source: michelleums.tumblr.com

{I need to go here. Thailand, apparently.}

Source: une-deuxsenses.blogspot.com

 

  {I want this for my classroom.}          Source: etsy.com

Things that Fill Me with Envy/Materialistic Lust:
*Ok, maybe the internet has its risks, you know, besides pedophiles.

Source: elementsofstyleblog.com

                                                               {I want a book nook!}

                                                                      Source: anthropologie.com
 

{I want to stroll casually through a foreign flea market in a lovely golden dress!}

 

                                                                           {I want to dine in an underwater restaurant!}  

                                                                                                                                            Source: google.com

 

                                                                                                                 Source: teenangster.net

{I want a porch with a bed swing! Stomps foot.}

The internet is also home to informative things, delicious things, scary things, beautiful things, sad things, crafty things, and celebrity things, but my eyelids are heavy so I'll have to share those another time...

That's Gonna Be Embarrassing...

I drive past a billboard identical to the one below everyday on my way to and from school. And every day I think about how awkward May 22nd is going to be for the guy who has to get up there and take that billboard down. Last week, when we were in L.A. (and Tom was driving), we drove by this very same billboard, and I was finally able to get a picture.

{It's guaranteed, y'all!}

Birthdays and Rebirth - Scenes from the Weekend

Saturday

{a hardboiled egg mysteriously makes its way into Buckley's champagne glass}

{yes, we still dye eggs despite the fact that my youngest sibling is 21}

{but look at what a nice job we do}

{blurry packages for the birthday girl}

{wish}

 

Sunday

{yep, we still stage a full on Easter egg hunt after church}

{the hunt continues}

{Mom and Uncle Steve catch up with their other siblings over a game of cribbage}

{the artiste at work on his rotisserie turkey}

{blueberry yogurt cupcakes}