friends, of the fair-weather variety

hello, friends. today over my tea i'm thinking about friendship and what that word really means. according to the dictionary it is defined: 

friend·ship

 [frend-ship] 

noun

1.

the state of being a friend; association as friends: to value a person's friendship.

2.

a friendly relation or intimacy.

3.

friendly feeling or disposition.

Origin: 

before 900; Middle English; Old English frēondscipe.  See friend, -ship

Related forms

pre·friend·ship, noun

Synonyms 

2. harmony, accord, understanding, rapport.

in your life, what is a friend? what constitutes a friendship? growing up in a military family friendship was always tentative for me. friends came and went as we moved and saying goodbye always stung like a bee, harsh and then slowly faded away. i found myself becoming more standoffish and less interested in having close friends, knowing i would have to leave them at some point. i thought that was the easy answer to not having to go through the ordeal of saying goodbye, but we all know that leads to loneliness, which is just as bad as the goodbyes in the end.

i have always been adamant about staying in touch with old friends since i moved around so much- 'civilian' kids don't really get that, but i tried. facebook has helped, but it's certainly not the same as being able to get together with friends and have a cup of coffee or dinner. i feel like i am missing out on major events in my friends lives, and vice versa. 

each time we move, we try to find ways of meeting people who are similar that we can spend time with- we try to find FRIENDS. this never seems to work out, and i find it's more and more difficult to meet people that want to DO things. don't get me wrong, we have friends who are good for dinners occasionally, or to meet for drinks, but not much more. they aren't the type of people who would help you move to a new house, or pick you up if your car broke down, if you needed help from someone in the middle of the night, they aren't the ones you'd call. these are what my grandmother always called fair-weather friends, the ones who are there only when it's convenient for them.

where do you find the GOOD friends? the ones who are all in, who love you, and want to see you succeed. they support you and cheer you on through the ups and downs and kick you in the ass when you are acting like an idiot and laugh in your face when you need a dash of honesty. i have a lot of these friends in my life, but they aren't physically in my life. they are scattered to the winds in every corner of the world, and while i know they're out there if i need to talk, but i want to be able to sit over a cup of coffee with them. NOW. 

i'm struck with the idea that in our digital, can't-slow-down-to-smell-the-roses paced life that these friends are few and far between, and may never grace you with their presence. maybe my feelings on friends is only because of the highly mobile lifestyle we have chosen for ourselves. do we need to settle down somewhere for years before people like this show up? or is this something i should just not worry about, chalk it up to a #firstworldproblem and let it be? 

how do you feel about friends? how often do you call, or get together with your friends? do you feel your friends slipping away because you can't find the time? 

i'd love to know your thoughts! Xx

babies all around!

i am a quintessential may baby. 

stubborn.

love the sun. 

flowers make me smile. 

have i told you i'm stubborn?

i share a birthday with my brother in law, his wife's (my sister in law) birthday is shortly after. then my stepson's birthday. then my cousin. then my nephew.

as if may wasn't already jam-packed with birthday love, i got the best text message yesterday from one of my dearest friends who had just had her baby boy. it's their first baby and i know they are just overjoyed by his arrival. i was thrilled for a number of reasons. kate is amazing. she loves (with a MAJOR passion) the color red, how could i not love her for that?! she exudes happiness and lights up any room she enters. i know she will be a fabulous mother because she is such a special person.  

kate and tom, 

i wish you the most amazing little man in the world! he is simply beautiful and i can't wait to meet him. may he have kate's passion for life, and tom's brains and laugh. you will both be amazing parents! here's to a new chapter in your life together! i love you! huzzah!

in addition to kate and tom's new addition... i have a new little addition as of yesterday also- my little barn swallows had their teeny tiny babies! they are so tiny they aren't even making any noise that i can hear. i saw mama bird fly away this morning and ran to get my camera and the step-stool. the pictures aren't the greatest, mostly because i can't see into the nest, so please don't think i've lost my touch ;) 

happy may birthdays to everyone! 

boxes, bags, & cleaning supplies

hello from my tiny little apartment i never knew could hold so much crap! we are in the process of moving, and are ALMOST out of our itty bitty teeny weeny apartment and i couldn't be happier. growing up moving around so much as an army brat has made me come to love moving time. a time to clean out, and clean up, and throw away gobs and gobs of junk that you thought was 'such a great buy' or that you 'really need this'. turns out, it wasn't needed, or wanted, and i didn't even remember i bought it after pulling things one-by-one out of closets and drawers and all of the little places we shoved things. i am feeling as if i can breathe again. things are looking up. we are almost out of japan and moving on to our next adventure. for too long i have felt stifled, bored, and miserable here, and we are slowly crawling out of that existence. yahoo!  ch-ch-ch-changes. 


what's the best moving experience you have had? what is that one thing you HAD to buy that's sitting in your closet (which you have likely forgotten about)?? clean it out- sell it on craigslist.... OR take it to the second-hand shop and let someone else decide it's what they HAVE to have! or you could do like we do, give it all away to people who truly appreciate your good will. then smile about it.  


good luck! and happy cleaning/ packing/ getting rid of what you have forgotten about!

i'm grateful...

...that my husband can see past my crabby days, and love me in spite of them!

...for the sun shining today after a week of cloudy and rainy days.

...that those rainy days got me in the mood to make soup and bake! yum-o.

...that my friend is preggers, and things are looking good- best wishes, i love you!

...i made good, albeit strong, coffee this morning which gave me the strength to strap on my shoes and greet the world. hello world. 

...we get to spend the weekend with people we adore. heart heart heart them.

...my hubby is as ambitious and carefree as he is, he is my opposite and keeps me ever grounded. 

...that there is a strawberry forming on my grown-from-seed strawberry patch! thrilling.

...there are only 20 days until i don't have to teach anymore. good-bye japan. hello america.

...fall colors popping up everywhere!

...for fresh produce presents from my students~ the most beautiful eggplant around!

...more people are checking out my blog, i really appreciate all of you! 

have a grateful sort of day! 

ps i lovingly borrowed this idea (in the spirit of the old adage 'imitation is the sincerest form of flattery') from jasmine at an experiment in poverty. i heart her blog~ check it out- you'll love that you did! satisfaction guaranteed. 

*action-packed weekend~ blog style*

hello last weekend, remember us?

singing. on key. off key.

the ipod shuffle. i heart new music. 

talks about religion. work. life. enlightening. 

eyebrows. the kind you pluck. 

'i've got hurt feelings.' a song. a theme. 

a small man's wet suit. fitting for small men. 

marijuana plants. to decorate your garden?

secret crocodiles. (not alligators) childrens' imaginations.

glow sticks. blinding others with them. 

donjiris. in my parking spot. 

dams. reservoirs. secluded islands. 

beware. falling rocks. 

tallest mountain. climbing it. 

autumn leaves. tree roots. mountain flowers. 

photos of mushrooms. and gunfights. 

god chains. slippery rocks.

steep jog on a mountain trail. 

monks. their temple. conch shell horns. giant bells. 

dangling from a cable. riding through the clouds.

driving at warp speed. starvation kills. 

triple meat yakiniku. love crepe dessert.

boys. video game battles.

steak. chicken. lentil soup. peanut butter cups.

"we're just taking a nap in the car." why. we're waiting for you.

spooky october moon billions of spiders. 

moonlight walks. hand-in-hand.

peace. love. rock & roll. river rafting. 

bonfires. floating candles. 

good times. great friends.

unforgettable adventures.

priceless memories.

*howling at the moon*

beautiful autumn leaves

scary spiders galore!

shrooms of all kinds

this is what moonlight rafting looked like...