Fuelin' my Baby Fever!!

Out to Lunch

I had a good excuse to shower and put on clothes... (yeah I'm finding those reasons hard to come by lately) The Famn Damily was meeting to celebrate Aunt Donna's Birthday at Cafe 332 (Kristina's) -- great food and good fun! And the thrill of hanging out with Trisha and Bre one more time! So I decided to really purty myself up! The cute skirt is from a hippie store in Asheville that Kelli and I found while scouting the tattoo parlour; the overskirt I won in the raffle at the Conference (thanks Mindy!); Hannah's funeral shoes on my feet and her ribbon in my hair! Yes, that is the Lance Armstrong band AND the white one is the BRC Green - turned inside out :D I'm just loving my "practice dreads" (braids) though the top of my head is fuzzy! I've wrapped some of them in wool yarn, to encourage "felting" of my hair and to control some of the little hairs. Gonna have to get my hands on some of that wax and just commit!

A reminder

Appearances deceive in autumn. The transformations undergone by living beings seem much more like endings than the transitions they really are. Dormancy, not death, is the hallmark of fall. Your priorities will likely change as nature flares into sunset brilliance and then lapses slowly into slumber, but remember to rejoice in the beauty of nature where every finale serves as an overture for a new beginning.
Today's Full Om: http://www.dailyom.com/articles/2007/10370.html

St. Theresa's Prayer:

May today there be peace within. May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content knowing you are a child of God. Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us.
Amen.

It's in the coaching

September 21, 2007
Find Your Healthy Edge
Gemini Daily Horoscope

New challenges that test your limits could await you today and this might make you feel intrepid. Perhaps because you know that you possess an inner source of strength, you may find it easier to set out on new adventures and see how far you can push your limits. If you can keep in mind that being fearless doesn’t just involve jumping into a situation without awareness, but it also requires a certain amount of discernment, you may notice that you are much more able to take on situations that are not risky, but that instead stretch your understanding of yourself. Maybe today you can try thinking of your challenges as opportunities that can transform your life in a positive way – chances to further your grasp of your life and how you live it.

Finding a healthy edge allows us to have room to expand and grow without harming ourselves. Even though there are times when we may feel like we can take on anything, there are in fact certain thresholds we should be aware of, for audacity is not just being able to do anything at anytime, it is also being able to accept who we are and where we are at any given moment. The true mark of our fearlessness, then, is be determined by how much mindfulness we bring to our actions rather than the act itself. The more aware you are of your boundaries today, the more capable you will be to take on challenges that bring you to greater realizations about yourself.

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When the fates custom fit the vocabulary to my crazy gemini brain, I know it's a message just for me! The perfect incentive to gitterdun today!

Yeah? Well.... So!

Gemini: You aren't able to jump from one topic to another as you often do. It's as if there is a something attaching your emotions to everything you encounter now and your regular lightheartedness isn't enough to shake it. Even if you do feel uncomfortable sinking deeper into a particular issue, don't fight it. You won't make anything easier and you'll still have to deal with the situation before you move on.

By Rick Levine

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Happy Housewarming!

We haven't even moved in and the party is scheduled!!
Mary just made her announcement today! Amy's coming to bless my space AND play at Sunny-Side Up in Corvallis on Sunday, the close of the unofficial, semi annual non-con (or dianapalooza or Amyfest) November 3rd - 5th. Come Join Us! You know ya wanna!! ♥

Hayden and the Groomsmen

Pall and the Bearers? "Keeping the Beatles alive and well in the funeral industry"
I dunno, this picture rings "Lookee what obscure band Craig found!" to me.

We interrupt this wallow...

for a water balloon fight in the kitchen, leaving us both soaked.
And a mid-night movie date, Transformers at the cheap theatre. We can pay in quarters ;)
Life IS Good.
Even better with popcorn and m&ms and cherry coke and a happy happy boy.
Amen.

The Empire Tattoo Adventure

So I'm first, Will lays down the picture and it's perfect. Huge and perfect. Lots of freaking single line blackwork and perfect. I don't think I'm getting a nap. Melissa's tat for Abigail was done quick!

I'm still gettin' outlined...

Kelli's Self-Designed Swirlies were even quick. ish.

Cris' lotus was short and sweet - though I imagine that's a pretty sensitive spot!

Now it's time for shading and color.
I think I'll catch a nap, nothing's really worse than outlining near the knee pit. I promise. Those stripes grated on me. Jay even popped in from next door to affirm.
Hannah's ashes are in the background inks. Ren got hers started. It's story and completed pictures are here.
While I watched Jay finish Ren, he told us that Will had dropped out of school in 9th grade and worked his way, half his life, to become a renowned tattoo artist. Raina got stars for Paxton, Marika & Avery

Then I was done.
There I am yankin on his tail and getting the knock it off face.
My leg is angry at being shaven. I shoulda been kind to myself and bought the really expensive, gentle shaving cream and super sharp razor and done it my own self. Tattoo guys aren't the kindest shavers in the world. 3 hours of tat and it's the shaving that bugs me, go figure. Oh yeah, and don't ever, ever, ever put aloe vera on a tattoo. It's really for closed wounds. Ouch.
My Body Shop face cream worked good on keeping it moist, I became ever resentful at the unavailability of Body Shop products and found some lovely thick lotion at CVS as a happy replacement. The whole tat is soft and flaking and there are a couple of scabs. It was not a good idea to get a driving leg tattoo just before a big drive. My foot needed to be elevated and I needed to move more; so I did. Eh, it all worked out. In a week or so, I'll take pictures of the true healed tat. It's already very different than the above pictures. See how he almost missed coloring in one hand? It's pink like the others now ;)
I can't wait to get the pictures of the tattoos I missed!!

Discovered: Long Lost Monkey Twin Sister

Meet Olivia. She's exactly what we monkey twins wish we were at 15. She's pullin it off. She's courageous, assured and worthy. And so gosh darned grounded it makes me tear up! I'm dreading my hair. I so wish I could have done it at 15, I was even afraid to spike mine ala 1983. No longer. Here is my inspiration! She'll be heading westward to join in the Gemini Festivities at the LIFE is Good Conference! I can't wait to hang out with her again! You may not know it yet, you can't wait to meet her ♥

Conor's Smile

That's the highlight of the trip for me. Conor smiled. The first thing I remember encountering upon our arrival, a real, soulful smile on Conor Gold's face.

I'm knitting a bag I started just then, it's called the Conor's Smile Bag. It's gotta be worth $10K!

There's something to be said for Cocoon Time. Time allowed to curl into one's self and search for what it is that brings us here, a quest for a purpose perhaps. Whatever that time may be, one can no more pull a human out of their cocoon than can pull a butterfly out too soon, the results are fatal.

The patience pays off. A beautiful healthy specimen. Fully developed.

Conor's a butterfly for sure. I'm honored to have been witness to this metamorphosis to Self.

I didn't get a picture of it, I only remember what it feels like. It stretches my heart toward joyful capacity. He proudly told others Yeah, diana's moving to *my* town!

I can't wait to get there!!

I've Learned...

a thing or two since having blogs. It seems the gifts of my journals are boundless. I have a place to record my own inner struggles with being a human being. I have a place where I can be who I am, to reflect upon my journey, keeping watch for patterns, both those which serve my higher purpose and those which hinder my evolutionary lessons.
I find the more I expose my Self as Who I Am, the less tolerance I have for those who hide.
I've been a flake. Wooo. Human Being here.
I frustrate folks. Heck, I frustrate my own Self. Again, Human.

I'm not sure why anyone on this planet with any kind of connection to my Life through both of my blogs would continue to hide beneath Anonymous comments (not allowed here) at my other blog (where I moderate comments), using venomous language. If, Dear Anonymous, you have some kind of insider knowledge of the exact status of my eternal Karma, please reveal yourself to me. This kind of insight is beyond that of even His Holiness, The Dalai Lama. Possibly beyond that of the Holy Spirit. To have your attention and your advice is most deeply appreciated and revered as sacred. Please show yourself, if only to bask in the gratitude I shall bestow for the sharing of your perspective of my humble existence. If, indeed, you are a meek coward and seek only to create strife in my journey, I shall leave you at the side of the river, you are welcome to do the same to me. I eagerly await enlightenment.

May the Gods Grant You Twice
What You Wish For Me.
~Namaste~

My New Perspective

I was gonna title this post "Shittiest Friend Award Goes To..." and then I read Sandra's recent blog. I began to ponder the kind of energy I was wasting on a hurtful *moment* in my life, how much joy was I missing by reliving and rehashing someone's need to go out of their way to hurt my feelings. Are my hurt feelings so important that I'm gonna drag Saturday night's conversation into my every day?? No freaking way!!
Instead, I will tell you the most wonderful news: Elton John is coming to Sioux Falls!!
I won't be there. I'll be on my way to our new life in Corvallis. I'm not sure what kind of message this is from the gods, I'm not sure I care :) My new life is far more important than seeing EJ for the 10th time. The tickets are sold out and it's gonna be another amazing show by the Queen of England! I will send him my love and I know that many, many South Dakotans will be there, thinking of me while he sings to them.
Even my shitty-attituded friend won't be able to keep me from her mind as she rocks and rolls with her super-cool husband. And I wish for them the very best time, as I know it will be.

P.S. Jesus wouldn't be shitty with his friends. Not even the non-christian ones. Amen.
P.P.S. Did Jesus even have any Christian friends?

Yay for oncoming Manic Episodes!

Gemini:You have reached a large bend in the road of life as several years of preparation come to a close. It may still take a while for you to get a clear sense of where you are heading, but change is in the air. Nevertheless, it's up to you to respond to the current challenges and make a firm commitment so you can accomplish your goals as they continue to take concrete shape.
Sunday, September 2, 2007