Friday, July 4, 2008

Happy Independence Day!


Well, celebrations in our neck of the woods got off to an early start with fireworks in the nearby town of Villa Rica. It was their 3rd fireworks display and the largest gathering of people in Villa Rica ever. I know why so many people were there - these people know what they are doing. There were plenty FREE things to do with the kids, lots of food and drink vendors, lots of great seating areas, plenty of changes of entertainment, lots & lots of bathrooms and pit stop potties, and one of the best & longest firework displays I have seen in years.

Festivities were to start at 6pm and when we arrived at 5:45 everything was in full swing. We staked out a spot to sit and at our supper. After a spectacular air jumper display including the National Athem as the American Flag drifted down with one of the jumpers, we took a walk to check out the booths. Free fans, free ballons, cheap trinkets, fundraising t-shirts, and some photos of the hot air balloon later we headed off to the inflatibles. The line seemed long but the teens running them kept it moving and we were in line for less than 5 minutes.

At 7pm a band started playing and except for a short intermission they played until just minutes before the fireworks started. I'm not a huge fan of country but they were great and had a fabulous mix of songs that kept the crowd entertained. Much to Miss Andreia's embarassment her mom kept singing along - badly. It was lots of fun.

They played the National Athem again and the fireworks started on the line "the bombs bursting in air". They played several patriotic songs, marches, and military songs and there was a mini-finale at the end of each song. Finally, the music stopped and the real finale came and it just kept going. I was disappointed that my camera picked the end of the night to misbehave, but the display was truly enjoyable. We will definately go back next year.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Tabbikat's Thursday 13 #11



13 First Lines


Rules: Okay below are 13 first lines from novels. All of them on this list are books that I have read. If you know an Author, a title, or both just post your answer in a comment. I will put correct answers up with credit to the person giving the correct response first. Have fun!


  1. As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect. ~ The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka ~ 1915 (Journeywoman)

  2. All children, except one, grow up. ~ Peter Pan, J. M. Barrie ~ 1904 (Journeywoman)

  3. It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents--except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness. ~ Paul Clifford, by Edward George Bulwer-Lytton ~ 1830

  4. It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. ~ Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen ~ 1813 (Journeywoman)

  5. All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. ~ Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy ~ 1875 (Journeywoman)

  6. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair ... ~ A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens ~ 1859 (Journeywoman)

  7. Call me Ishmael. ~ Moby Dick(Carol), Herman Melville ~ 1851

  8. Call me Jonah. ~ Cat's Cradle, Kurt Vonnegut ~ 1963 (Kat)

  9. I am a sick man ... I am a spiteful man. ~ Notes from Underground, Fyodor Dostoyevsky ~ 1864 (Kat)

  10. Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice. ~ One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez ~ 1967 (Kat)

  11. The drought had lasted now for ten million years, and the reign of the terrible lizards had long since ended. ~ 2001: A Space Odyssey, Arthur C. Clarke ~ 1968 (Kat)

  12. If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth. ~ The Catcher in the Rye, J. D. Salinger ~ 1951 (Journeywoman)

  13. "To be born again," sang Gibreel Farishta tumbling from the heavens, "first you have to die." ~ The Satanic Verses, Salman Rushdie ~ 1988 (Kat)



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Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Writer's Wednesday #11

Where are you going?
Have I been there, can I follow?
I am tired of where I am,
Where I am going,
Of the road that I travel
I lost it somehow -
My sense of adventure
Left it behind, on the roadside
In a ditch
I've walked and walked
Been everywhere and nowhere,
Seen everything and nothing,
I'm tired and alone
Where are you going?
Have I been there, can I follow?

written February 1994

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Tabbikat's Thursday 13 #10



13 of My Favorite Books


  1. The Stand by Stephen King
    The Stand,
    Stephen King

  2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling
    Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,
    J. K. Rowling

  3. I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb
    I Know This Much Is True,
    Wally Lamb

  4. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
    A Christmas Carol,
    Charles Dickens

  5. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
    The Color Purple,
    Alice Walker

  6. What Looks Like Crazy On An Ordinary Day by Pearl Cleage
    What Looks Like Crazy On An Ordinary Day,
    Pearl Cleage

  7. The Green Mile by Stephen King
    The Green Mile,
    Stephen King

  8. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
    Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone,
    J. K. Rowling

  9. The Client by John Grisham
    The Client,
    John Grisham

  10. Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts
    Where The Heart Is,
    Billie Letts

  11. The Gunslinger by Stephen King
    The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, Book 1),
    Stephen King

  12. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
    A Tale of Two Cities,
    Charles Dickens

  13. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
    The Secret Garden,
    Frances Hodgson Burnett



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Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Writer's Wednesday #10

Where can I go?
Locked up in my own mind
Closed off by walls
Of my own creation
Walls too high to climb
Do I have the spirit
To knock them down
Or, must I go through life
Trapped behind these walls
I built to keep you out
But, instead they work only
To keep me in, alone
Protected from everything
Except, the fiercest
Enemy of all
Myself

written February 1994


pounding, pushing, pulsing
blinding, biting, bruising
crushing, cutting
pain washes over me
caressing me with its razor edge
limp, lifeless
battered, beaten, broken
I wish it would leave me
this monster that's attacking me
this...

written May 2006

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Tabbikat's Thursday 13 #9



13 Albums I've Listened to in the Car
During the Last Month


  1. David Cook - American Idol
    I bought all of David's American Idol performances from i-tunes and made my own little cd! It's my favorite and plays at least once a day in the car.
    Favorite Song...
    The World I Know

  2. David Cook - Analog Heart
    I bought this from Amazon before it was pulled (yeah me!) and have listened to it over and over, even my daughter likes this one.
    Favorite Song...
    Don't Say A Word

  3. Collective Soul
    This album has been a favorite for a long time but hadn't been in the car in ages, thanks to David Cook for reminding me how much I love it.
    Favorite Song...
    The World I Know

  4. U2 - The Joshua Tree
    This album has been in my car for years and years, it gets more use than any other cd I own.
    Favorite Song...
    In God's Country

  5. Creed - My Own Prison
    This is one of those cds that I seem to search out when things go wrong, hence the multiple copies floating around the house and cars.
    Favorite Song...
    One

  6. Imogen Heap - Speak For Yourself
    I don't remember where I first heard this or when I bought it but it is a favorite for traffic jams and other need to relax moments.
    Favorite Song...
    Hide and Seek

  7. Axium - The Story Thus Far
    This is another DC addiction, I bought it at the start of the Top 12 and it has been in constant rotation since.
    Favorite Song...
    Incarcerate

  8. U2 - War
    This album has been in car rotation since college, which was a long, long time ago.
    Favorite Song...
    Sunday Bloody Sunday

  9. Creed - Human Clay
    This has been in and out of the car over the last several years, I like to sing along and the kid even knows a few.
    Favorite Song...
    With Arms Wide Open

  10. Foo Fighters - The Colour And The Shape
    This was a gift from a former boyfriend, he's long gone but the music remains.
    Favorite Song...
    My Hero

  11. High School Musical 2
    This is my daughter's favorite, and let me tell you it isn't really a step up from Backyardigans & Dora the Explorer.
    My Favorite
    Gotta Go My Own Way

    Daughter's Favorite...
    Fabulous

  12. Hannah Montana 2
    I honestly can't believe that I listen to this, but my daughter loves it so...
    My Favorite...
    See You Again

    Daughter's Favorite...
    Nobody's Perfect

  13. High School Musical
    The last of the kid friendly albums in the car, I try to avoid this if possible; but sometimes a mom has got to do what a mom has got to do.
    My Favorite...
    Breaking Free

    Daughter's Favorite
    What I've Been Looking For



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Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Writer's Wednesday #9

GONE
Morning arrives
And you're not here
Alone I face the world
Emptiness envelops me
Invades my soul
Looking ahead I wonder
How I will make it
Even through this second
When my single reason
To carry on
Is gone

written January 1994


So-
you're leaving
going somewhere, anywhere
out of here - away
far
Lonliness-
envelops me
traps me, keeps me
here - alone
scared
Why-
must it happen
this way, or anyway
leaving is so painful
but
Staying-
being left behind
not being able
to follow, is
worse

written February 1994

Friday, June 13, 2008

Friday the 13th

In honor of Friday the 13th my daughter and I made a middle of the night trek to the emergency room. It was just one of those moments when you know something is wrong with your kid, you just don't know what. Well after much waiting and a spiking of her fever to 103.3 we finally got some help and she was diagnosed with of all things a UTI. Not what she was complaining of at all but at least the antibiotics seem to be helping. Now all we have to do is get some sleep!

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Tabbikat's Thursday 13 #8



13 Photos of My Daughter Andréia


  1. Andréia & I (5 days)

  2. Andréia 6 months

  3. Andréia's 1st Birthday

  4. Andréia at Creative Discovery (18 months)

  5. Andréia's 2nd Birthday

  6. Ballerina Beauty (2 1/2 years)

  7. Andr&eacuteia's 3rd Birthday

  8. Andréia on the Pink Pig (3 1/2 years)

  9. Andréia's 4th Birthday

  10. Andréia decorates the tree (4 1/2 years)

  11. Andréia at Summer Reading (5 years)

  12. Princess Pop Star (5 1/2 years)

  13. Bye-Bye Baby Tooth (5 3/4 years)



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Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Writer's Wednesday #8

Silently you smile
Offering a helping hand
A gift of joy and happiness
Lifts my spirits higher
Than I ever dreamed
The limits of joy
Stretched beyond
All hurt and pain
Life appears before me
As endless possibilities
A chance to touch perfection
the will to try again

written March 1, 1994

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Tabbikat's Thursday 13 #7



13 Things To Do On A Rainy Day


  • read a book

  • walk the dog

  • scrapbook

  • craft with my daughter

  • jump in puddles

  • go for a drive through the woods

  • go to the beach

  • bake (bread, cookies, cakes, anything really)

  • watch movies

  • cruise the internet for new and different sites

  • sit in the window and watch the rain

  • have a daylight pajama party with friends

  • sleep




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Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Writer's Wednesday #7

Love's Cast



A peaceful shadow
across a moonlit room
your presence stirs my soul
Waking that which has lain dormat
since before my time began
Wakefulness a blessing and a curse
my heart's desire
a step outside my grasp
Taunting, teasing, never fulfulling
wants-desires-needs
plead for completion
for that which never comes
Searching all directions
my heart breaking; soul shattering
realization of impossibility
I let go -- ye, holding on tightly
that elusive word
set within my grasp
My hand and love's hand
clasped

written May 20, 1994
updated June 3, 2008

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Tabbikat's Thursday 13 #6



13 Photos of My Pets


Pepeu
  • Freshly Washed Pepeu

  • Baby Pepeu

  • Mr. Pathetic

  • Pepeu And His Birthday Cake

Abbie
  • Abbie by the Christmas Tree

  • Abbie In the Window

Clarkie & Lucyfur
  • Baby Clarkie & Lucy with Andréia

  • 2 Petunias in an Onion Basket

  • The Fat Twins

  • Fatty Clarkie

  • Lucyfur with Her Electronic Sunshine

  • Fraidy Cat Hiding From the Thunderstorm

Mr. Dubbie ~ Gone but not forgotten
  • Mr. Dubbie Plays Flat Cat



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