A Year ago Today - Christmas Eve

It's funny how some people's lives change dramatically from one year to the next and others lives don't. Sometimes that change is executed by our hands and sometimes it is because of circumstances beyond our control.

Some people like the predictability of the future. And while the future is NOT, in the least, predicable, a lot of people live as if it is and are devastated when they find out it isn't as predicable as they thought.

This time last year I was on the beautiful Hayman Island in Australia. The weather was warm 90+ degrees (32.2C), the water was clear teal color and I sat on the white sandy beach thinking it was not like any Christmas Eve I had ever experienced in my 50 years on this planet!

I had no idea that this year I would be sitting in my bed and it would be 23 degrees (-5C) outside.

One of the major differences I have seen this holiday season is that people in California don't go to the store to shop with a list in their hand. I noticed while running errands the other day that it appeared everyone, in Target, had a list in their hand. Small children, men, grandma and grandpa, they ALL had list. I thought it was sooooo sweet. It really touched my heart. Our economy is suppose to be in the toilet and yet there are people who make list of special people and special things to get for those special people. That's amazing!

This picture is of my special friend Kelly who I reconnected with in Australia last December. Although we had only met for the first time then I say "reconnected" because I believe that we have soul mates. People who we love dearly and we decide that we want them to be part of our new life experiences so we make a pack with them that we will cross paths in this lifetime. And when we do it feels like we are "reconnecting" and picking up the friendship where it left off in the past lifetime. It doesn't feel new or different or strange. I am blessed to have had this experience quite a few times, so I am fortunate enough to recognize it. In the picture Kelly and I are celebrating Christmas Eve!

Ciao

What Flies in Bloomsburg

This is the first time I have seen a red cardinal up close and personal. I saw blue jays when I lived in Louisiana. I saw hummingbirds in Woodland Hills, California. The cardinals aren't really small birds. They are literally right outside of my front door.

The other thing that I see flying around in the evening are bats. The last time I saw bats flying around was December 25, 2008, on Hayman Island in Australia. Standing on the beach as the sun was setting I saw them. I don't recall ever seeing a bat in Louisiana or California.

On another note.... I am starting to see some headway in the unpacking and getting things organized. Each room is about 87% complete. Within the next 10 days all the unpacking and putting away should be done. Yipppppeeeee!

Ciao

Waves of Christmas

So like this really super weird thing began happening to me my last week in Los Angeles when my guy and I were busy packing up my things.

I would get these "waves of Christmas".... which I can only describe as being something like "waves of nausea". The "waves" part was the same... but "Christmas and Nausea" are obviously two different feelings.

They were good "waves of Christmas". The weird thing is that I wasn't packing anything remotely connected to Christmas and I don't have any great good feelings of Christmas stored up in my data bank of experiences. In facts, last year, I took a 3 week trip to the other side of the planet (New Zealand and Australia) to purposefully avoid the month of December and everything that went along with it.

These waves happened about 6 or 8 times each day. We would be packing and I would tell my special guy "I just had one of those waves of Christmas". Something may have flashed super fast in my mind or not (not really sure).... it was more like this feeling that would run through me. It was warm, fuzzy, loving... everything good in one wave. I wasn't thinking about Christmas before or after the "wave" thingy happened.

During our drive to Pennsylvania the "Waves of Christmas" only happened a few times.

Since I have been here I have only experienced the "Waves of Christmas" about once or twice.

It's super weird and have no idea what it means or why it is happening.

Ciao