j-flamingo reflections

Inspired by the grace and beauty of the flamingo, my life reflected by my love of reading, writing and creating.

Life, Death and NaNoWriMo

Life seems to have been a bit of a slippery slope for me lately. Everything from dealing with my own mood swings to more car troubles. Day by day, I find I have more to do. Reminds me of Mr. Incredible,

"No matter how many times you save the world, it always manages to get back in jeopardy again. Sometimes I just want it to stay saved! You know, for a little bit? I feel like the maid; I just cleaned up this mess! Can we keep it clean for... for ten minutes!"
I've been desperately trying to organize a bit of a space upstairs to help aid in the ability to enjoy doing the things I love best at home. Little by little it's coming along and looking more like the Art/Writing/Papercraft studio I've always dreamed about. Plus, I have a nice place to read and I really love my comfy chair that Jared bought for me when I had Noah. That's been a comforting place lately.

Here's a few book quotes:

“You know you've read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend.”

Paul Sweeney

“Books open your mind, broaden your mind, and strengthen you as nothing else can”

William Feather


My grandmother Lillian passed away this week. Truly, a remarkable woman. I was told about it on Weds. and that her funeral arrangements were made for Fri. and Sat. After researching about tickets, I just couldn't take away the money it would consume from the family, given our current financial state, to get me to the funeral. It was a tough decision. I hated it. I've had to find my own way to feel closure. I don't deal too well with that considering I still have things I drive my husband and friends batty with because I can't get over it. I don't know how to fix that either.
So, here's what I wrote on facebook:

Things I remember about visiting my Grandma Lillian: warm hello's, treats on the orange rug, singing songs, sloppy joes, coffee table magazine's, perfume filled hugs, memorized poetry and sad goodbye's. I'll really miss my dear sweet Grandma. I'm grateful that she is not in pain anymore and reunited with Grandpa now. I'm unable to attend the funeral this weekend but I'm looking forward to hearing about it.

I'll add here that my sister mentioned Grandma giving us her hard ribbon candy and I remember Werther's or butterscotch hard candies too.


"He(She) who has gone, so we but cherish his(her) memory, abides with us, more potent, nay, more present than the living man." -Antoine de Saint-Exupery {R.I.P. Grandma Lil}


I did it! I did it! I signed up for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and you can see my progress here. If you're doing it, I'd be happy to have you as a writing buddy. To say the least, I pretty much feel like this quote from the movie A Beautiful Mind:

Hansen: So how about it, Nash? You scared?
Nash
: Terrified... mortified... petrified... stupefied... by you.

Yet another classic line:

Nash: Classes will dull your mind, destroy the potential for authentic creativity.

I'll be seeking that potential next month. I'd like to wish all who participate this year in NaNo the very best and lots of luck! Whatever comes of it, one thing is sure, it's going to be memorable!

4 comments:

Marcia Mickelson October 19, 2009 at 11:38 PM  

So sorry to hear about your grandma. My grandma passed away a few months ago, and I wasn't able to go. The funeral was in Guatemala. I hope that you'll be okay.

I signed up for Nanowrimo too. I have to figure out how to add a buddy. Good luck with the writing.

Amanda October 20, 2009 at 6:52 AM  

I"m afraid I've given up on keeping anything completely clean. As long as it stays a tolerable level of semi-messy, but not really all that dirty (if you know what I mean), then I'm okay. I don't mind if things are scattered on the living room floor, but I do want the kitchen counters wiped off. That sort of thing.

Sorry again about your grandmother. it's so hard when we live so far away from our family. :(

And good luck with NaNo. It's goign to be so hard. I'm counting on the write-ins and stuff to help me.

Ken October 20, 2009 at 3:30 PM  

I, too, missed Grandma's funeral, and while it would have created a priceless memory, the price of an airplane ticket seemed a bit much, all things considered.

I read the tributes given to her during the funeral, however, and they were very good and fitting.

Grandma was a great woman and will definitely be missed!

Julie October 22, 2009 at 10:03 AM  

Thanks for your kind words and for thinking of me.

About this blog

Welcome Readers~to my blog! A tiny extension of myself and my life. Here, I'll share this journey through my top passions in my life - reading, writing, and creating. You can expect to read poetry, view my papercrafts and read design related posts. Every once in a while, I hope you'll grasp an honest feel of my heart. If you haven't noticed, I love flamingos! I think they are beautiful birds. *Thanks for your attention.*

She is pure Alice in Wonderland, and her appearance and demeanor are a nicely judged mix of the Red Queen and a flamingo.
~Truman Capote

welcome vistors

About my original stories & poetry: Please be courteous.

Protected by Copyscape Duplicate Content Protection Tool

Look who did my page

Julie Hatch Carter's Facebook profile

my little tweets

    follow me on Twitter

    I've read

    Widget_logo

    My Bookshelf - What I'm currently reading

    Shelfari: Book reviews on your book blog

    "Advertising isn't a science. It's persuasion. And persuasion is an art." ~William Bernbach

    Followers

    About Me

    My photo
    I love living my life through reading books, creating beautiful things to make people happy, and sharing snipits of the world as I see it through writing, blogging or designing.

    Labels