Spin The Bottles

All I can say at this point is that this isn't the party game you're thinking of, especially since it's bottleS - plural not singular. I'll explain properly tomorrow once the spinning has worn off =)

Memories

They are fleeting moments of time, polished and buffed by distance and perspective.  Some carry the whisper of childhood promises, others come with the dull ache of loss or regret, but all have the ability to transport you to another place, and sometimes as a different person. 

One of the perils I constantly face as a writer is trying not to constantly re-write my own life.  It would be so easy to take my various experiences and turn them into what might have been a happier ending.  That's probably why the prospect of writing is so appealing to me; being presented with the opportunity to create a better version of myself.  Looking back, it's not as though the person I used to be was all that bad, maybe a bit confused and lost, but i like to think I've found my way to a pretty great place.  I suppose in time, I'll be able to look back and see if that statement was really true or not.

Hope in a Jar

If I could do one thing for everyone in my life, it would be take away the uncertainty and give everyone hope.  In my opinion, the worst sentence in the world is, "I don't know."  How can we take those words away for others?  I have no idea, but if I figure it out, I'll make sure to spread the word!

Dr. Mario

If only getting over a real illness was as easy as playing Dr. Mario (aka one of THE BEST original Nintendo games ever!)

Writing from my bed, which I know is par for the course for me, in the midst of my pity party. Hopefully tomorrow brings the ability to keep down solid foods and a return to the real world =(

Bunny Hop

Back in the day, Easter meant the family came together. For some reason, this particular holiday was more likely to bring us all together than any over holiday during the year. Easter meant baseball in the park and some of the most difficult and competitive egg hunts I've ever witnessed. It was also time for the annual Cruz vs. See-Saw battle at the local park. Those were the good old days!

Family Ties

I want to start today off by saying HI to our newest follower Olivia!  I kept wanting to do a shout out last week but my hockey brain kept blocking it out when I actually sat down to write =s  Now even though the Canucks won last night to take a 3-0 lead in their series against the Chicago Blackhawks, I feel guilty about all the hockey talk that dominated last week so I thought I'd focus on something a bit closer to home today.

"There are two sides to every story"

I'm a couple of years late but I finally watched Brothers.  For those of you that can't remember that far back, this movie stared Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Natalie Portman and was centered around a family dealing with the supposed death of a US Marine in Afghanistan.  It is a story of family, love, honour, will, fear & survival that asks, what would you do to find your way home again?  How would you move forward when the unimaginable happens?

I thought this story was compelling, distressing, and sometimes even disturbing.  I have no experience with military life or the rigors associated with it but I felt like this was a fairly accurate portrayal.  There wasn't any sugar coating or over exaggeration, and it felt honest in a way that made my heart and head ache.  I felt unsatisfied with the conclusion because it left us without the typical happy ending, but that's exactly what we're faced with every day.  There is no such thing as happy endings because it implies that's where your story ends, when really, it's just beginning.

Sunny Days

Something happens to people when the weather warms up.  There's just something about warm Spring days and hot Summer nights that bring out fewer inhibitions.  Maybe it's because we're all snapping out of yearly bout of SAD, or just drunk on natural vitamin D.  Whatever the case, it's a fun transformation to watch if you're paying enough attention.

I think people can surprise you at anytime of year, whether by their compassion, selfishness, love, fear, or any number of other emotions and actions.  Though, in my limited experience, I'm never taken by surprise more that during this particular half of the year.  With so many people drifting in and out of my periphery, I'm anxious to see what the season brings, not only for myself, but for the people around me.  One thing I know I can count on?  That no matter what happens, at least there will be sunny days ahead to look forward to.