Scotland Adventures... #4

When we arrived to Urquhart Castle, it was raining.  We'd been lucky to see Eilean Donan with no rain, since we saw those clouds roll in and it started raining soon after we'd gotten back on the road to head back.  It was a debate whether or not we wanted to brave the rain.  I told the guy I was with that I wasn't going to melt if I got a little wet, so we decided to brave the rain.

You have to pay then go down some stairs in a shop that is mostly under the parking lot.  That's definitely a way to make sure everyone pays.  There was a quick video we watched before heading out.  We'd hoped the rain would stop quickly, but it hadn't by the time we were ready to go out, so I bought a very Scottish, plaid, £7 umbrella (since I didn't have a jacket (I was wearing double layers)) and decided to make the best of it.

The rain was definitely coming down.

With the umbrella..  :)

I'm sure that this would make a lovely seat when its dry.

The castle was mostly destroyed in 1692.

someone really needs to make the joke for me about these fence posts.....  pullleaseee.

That guy's been in prison a LOOOONG time.

Every good castle's got one.

After about 15 minutes of being in the castle, it finally stopped raining, so I was able to put away my expensive umbrella and take photos without having to manhandle the umbrella and camera at the same time (very difficult if you've never tried).  I was greatly relieved.

Loch Ness

Where does it lead?

Just a little wet moss.  

Just some castle remains.  Chillin.

Lone solider.

The doocot was for the doves/birds.  The birds laid eggs, shed feathers for pillows, served as the post office, and sometimes even got to serve as dinner!

Just a house with a red door.

FREEDOM!!!!!
(ok, so I didn't get a good picture of the Scottish flag since it was always so rainy)

Loch Ness

Ruins through the ruins.

Just around the corner.

The highest point of the remains, which I climbed.

First try of water droplets.

And in black and white.

So much lichen.

Even the rocks grow in Scotland.

Loch Ness

A wee cloud just floating by.

Apparently, carving in the wall of the castle was cool?

I didn't add to it.

Loch Ness

Nessie, is that you?

Through the peep hole at the top of the castle.

This is my best dread face.

The scariest steps I've ever traversed.  Narrow, wet, slippery, cold, and I had my expensive camera.
Nothing spells disaster quite like that.

There were only a few flowers (besides daffodils) to photograph.  So I did the best I could..  :)

Moss on the catapult.

Big (catapult) balls.

Pretty flower.

Yellow with droplets.. happiness.

Goodbye, Urquhart Castle!  It was much fun.

Then we started the 1.5 hour journey back towards Lossiemouth.

The reminders to drive on the left made me smile.

Chimneys in Inverness.

Quality store.  Candy and tobacco!

Cathedrals on the banks of Loch Ness in Inverness.

Fields of rape (seed).

That boat was really big.

If you look very closely at the hill in the center, it says The Loft in the grass.  It was an activity place that offered 4-wheelers, laser tag, different workout classes, and also had a restaurant that often had live music on the weekends.

Rainbow on the drive home.

We stopped at The Loft for dinner (since we'd eaten lunch at Eilean Donan, we were starved).  That was when I had my Cullen Skink (Haddock (fish) in potato soup).  I also tried a beer that was pretty tasty, but didn't get the name of.  I was definitely glad to arrive back at the hotel that evening to take a short nap and dry off some before my midnight watch started!

After catching up on some sleep and working a few days, I went to Elgin to visit the cathedral ruins and take pictures.  Unfortunately, you'll have to wait for those photos till I get back to America.

Uploading these photos takes a fair chunk of data and since I'm already on limited usage, I'm trying to cut out where I can.  The free internet was really slow, probably because I was trying to upload at high traffic time, but it's really the only time I have to use the free internet, so I'll just have to make do.

My goal is to get through the rest of the Scotland photos while I'm still in Australia so that way I'll be caught up and can do Australia photos at my leisure (shoot me, I've been watching a lot of Jane Austen movies).

Fill in the Blank Friday #3

I jumped on the Fill in the Blank Friday bandwagon too late it seems.  Fill in the Blank Friday has taken a different turn now (at least for this week).  I'm still pretty crushed, but I figure that I'll just go backward through them all until I find a fun alternative?  Who knows, a lot can happen in 52 weeks.

I was really into the fill in the blanks.  It's like a test, but with no wrong answer.  This week there was a "prompt" that was the blank.  It felt to much like 10th grade English class all over again..  Here's your prompt, I want to see a claim, data, and what ties your claim and data together.  :(

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1.  Something very near and dear to my heart is my computer.  That sounds vein (and it probably is in a way), but my computer is my lifeline.  It's my way to talk to Teh Bear, it's got all my photos on it, it's where I share my life via Teh Blog.  If it were to not be with me, I'd be... ya know what, lets not think about it.

2.  Visitors are a good cause to celebrate.

3.  The most fun I ever had was riding go karts in Bahrain.  Teh Bear was there, other friends were there, it was all in all a fantastic time.

4.  True friends are timeless.  You can not speak for long periods of time (despite how much that hurts at the time), yet when you get together, its as if time never passed.

5.  Something that makes me terribly happy is delicious food, especially chocolate in nature.  (Hellllllooooo fattie Megan!)

6.  A good way to spend a sunny day is with a substantial amount of sunscreen if I'm going outside.

7.  My favorite celebratory food is chocolate, ice cream, or any combination of those two, but NOT chocolate ice cream, UNLESS it's Edy's Double Fudge Brownie.  So a brownie with ice cream is a good choice.


It's just barely Saturday on the East Coast, so I feel like I'm almost not late... :)

Adventures in Scotland... #3

Continuing from post #2, the castle that we had ventured out for:  Eilean Donan.  This castle is still in use by the family, but the main parts are open for touring.  Photography wasn't really allowed inside, so I tried to keep my photos to a minimum.  The landscape around the castle was breathtaking, so it made up for the limited photos inside.  It took us about 3ish hours to get here, with all our photo stops along the way.  This castle is about 1.5 hours away from Loch Ness.  Totally worth it.

We had lunch here then headed back to civilization as the rain clouds started to roll in.  We hit the rain on our way back towards Loch Ness, which made for a difficult decision when it came to the next castle...

For better quality, click on the pics.

Part of this castle is still used by the family for "holiday".

The storm clouds started to roll in.

The portcullis, aka the gate.  

A plaque on a rock in the atrium garden.

Looking up at the castle from the riverbed.

Such symmetry.

These were growing from the walls of the castle.  EVERYTHING in Scotland grows.

Storm's a comin'.

Goodbye, Eilean Donan!

As we headed back towards civilization, I noticed a statue on the side of the road so we stopped to investigate.  We discovered a cemetery and a WW1 memorial.

The MacRae Family cemetery, probably associated with the castle.

The view from the path.

WWI MacRae Family Memorial.

The statue up close.

Something growing from the "building" walls in the cemetery.

Colorful moss.

Boring moss.

Lichen covered gravestone.

The path to the monument was apparently "Kevin's Way".  Good to know.
Hopefully, Kevin didn't mind us trespassing.

You beautiful snow covered mountain, you.

Next up, we went to Urquhart Castle (ruins)...

A random funny for you.

I saw this on pinterest:

(image)

I made my own:

Seriously.







PS. Are we FB friends? Like can I decide another day on FB and we can be! At 75 likes there will be a giveaway surprise!!!!

Little Notes #1

I've seen Terri do Little Notes and I've seen Teh Singing Cat Lady do Little Notes and I've seen Kate do Little Notes and I looooove the idea.  Mostly in a, I frequently talk to inanimate (and animate) objects type way.

Dear outlet converters, 

You have made my life infinitely less complicated.  You were there for me when I was going to Bahrain and travelling through Portugal and Italy.  You were there for me in Bahrain.  You were there for me when I left Bahrain and traveled through Italy and Portugal again.  You have been there for me in Scotland.  Currently, you are here for me in Australia, even though I doubted you and bought a different thingy (because I'm silly).  You are the best $2.50 investment I have made for my world travels.  I love you long time.

Dear Water Bottle,

So many years we've been together.  Since 2006 or something.  Worldwide Jesus Lover brought us together and we've been mostly inseparable since that day.  You have a straw, which means I don't spill water all over myself while trying to drink from you, which makes me love you all the more.  I almost lost you that one time at Yellowstone, but fate brought us back together.  We were meant to be.  Despite your incontinence, I will love you always.  I will always be on the lookout for more national park stickers for you, even though Cairngorm failed us.  I love you forever.

Dear internetz,

You don't know me.  I'm just another peon that uses you to stay connected to those I love.  But I love you.  You make my life infinitely easier and I no longer have to keep a telephone directory in my house.  You are a part of me, like my blood, my life stream.  Ask people I know, I'm always "connected", when I'm not, they are concerned.  You make this blog possible, you make my continuous stream of whining of FB possible, you give me email, and you give me hope.  I love you forever.  Please don't go away.

Dear Teh Phil-Boy,

I miss you like crazy.  I know its silly to miss a dog (not), but he's my constant companion.  He even escorts me to the bathroom when I have to pee.  He watches me when I'm in the kitchen.  He (often) patiently waits for his meals.  He steps on my toes and digs his nails into my feet when he stretches in the morning.  He yawns in my face to share his bad breath with me.  He's actually kind of a jerk.  Nonetheless, despite what Teh Bear says, I love Teh Phil-boy.

Dear Teh Bear,

I can't write Phil a letter and not write you a letter.  This might actually break some of our "rules" but I miss you and I lub you, even more than Teh Phil-boy.  So much so that having the internetz in Australia was more important to me than sleep, pain, and food.  I love all the time we get to spend together, together, and I'm glad that we get as much online time as we do (because we've not been as fortunate before).  I love telling people about our skype dates, despite how cheesy we both thought they were to begin with.  I also love taking silly pictures with you.  Especially ones where I get to give you kisses.  Those are my faves.  I lub you.

Dear Everyone Else,
If you know of a job that Teh Bear could have in MD (so he could move up), I'd love you too!  :)

Australian Adventures #1

As most of you/ya'll know, I'm in Australia.  It has been an uphill battle.

It was a hard decision to decide to come (at which point I later learned it was either Australia or Fallon, NV, so its better I made the decision that I wanted to come vs someone telling me I had to go).  Deciding to come meant finding someone to keep Teh Phil, which is more difficult after you've already been gone for 2.5 weeks to Scotland a few weeks prior AND during summer vacation time.

I did find somewhere for Phil to stay, then learned I was flying commercial air to Australia (holy mother of long flights).  I accepted this fate by signing up for frequent flyer miles with the airlines my tickets were scheduled through.

The weekend before I left for Australia was Memorial Day weekend, and I volunteered for watch on Friday AND Saturday, meaning I didn't really get a long weekend to unwind and relax (ok this is only partly true).  I did at least get Sunday and Monday.  Sunday, I went to church and went out shopping for new sunglasses until my mysterious pains started, which sent me home in a fervor (driving home with these pains is probably the biggest accomplishment I've had since being in MD.  I considered driving myself to the ER instead of home, but I knew home had drugs that they had already given me AND my bed, so I opted for home (which was also closer)).  I spent a few hours in bed, napping, then woke up, packed for a little bit, then went to hang out with Teh Singing Cat Lady and her husband.  We had dessert (Mud and red, white, and blue cupcakes) and played Hoopla (which was a blast)!

Monday, I had to bring Teh Phil to the lady who was keeping him, which was very difficult, because I always miss Phil when I'm gone.  I purposely didn't drop him off till Monday so we could have that extra time together.  When I got back home, I finished my laundry and packing, I finished season 5 of How I Met Your Mother, chatted with Teh Bear some, and eventually went to bed.

Tuesday, I got to go into work early to draft up some forms for DET, that I'm sure never actually got signed.  YAY for most unorganized DET I've ever been on.  I grabbed sushi for lunch from the commissary and at noon:30 we left for Dulles Airport (ick) and we checked in with ease.  During the ride to the airport, I called USAA so I could see about what I needed to do so I wouldn't be charged transaction fees, and they said I had to fax my orders to them.  That was a speed bump, but I planned on fixing it at the USO at Dulles.

Everything was going well enough.

Despite how well everything was going, I still had this ominous black cloud hanging over my head.  The same black cloud that had been over me since I'd decided to go come to Australia.  The mystery pain had started on Sunday and continued into Tuesday, but I tried to ignore it and hope for the best while managing the pain with meds (all the while praying that while we were over the Pacific that I didn't have a fit like I had in April that sent me to the ER).

Then things started to go downhill.... FAST.

After dropping our luggage off, I stopped by the USO to fax my orders to USAA and picked up some bandaids (which I'll get to) and Girl Scout Cookies.  No big deal.  Just a minor annoyance in the grand scheme of things.

We get to our gate, and learn that our boarding was delayed for 30 minutes for some reason.  Then we finally boarded.   Then we didn't have pilots for a few minutes.  Then something was wrong with the flight systems.  Then as we pushed off, we were informed we were delayed because there was lightning.  Then when we were cleared to go again, we got up to the runway and we were told we had to wait out the storm.... in the aircraft... on the tarmac.  Seriously?  Seriously.

Our flight was delayed for 3 hours and we were supposed to have 2 hours between landing and our connecting flight to Sydney.  Lets just talk about how that didn't happen.  It didn't happen.  Fortunately for us, we had a 24 hour layover in San Francisco.  Pretty awesome.  Except, I was still hurting.  It was killing me to pull my carry-on behind me, but I didn't want anyone to have to take care of me, so I just suffered through it as much as possible.  I was hunched over and I felt like I was waddling to not aggravate the pain anymore than possible.  Oh, yeah, I was also wearing these slide on shoes that are super cute, but are the devil.  Just from Tuesday morning and the walk through the airport, I had 2 blisters on my heels and a blister forming on one of my toes (thus the bandaids at the USO).

I took some meds and went to bed in SF.  We had planned to do some touring of the city since we were there all day.  I was the only one who had been to SF, but I still wanted to get some photos in.  I finally rode in a Cable Car, we went down to Pier 39 for the Sea Lions, we saw the curviest road in the world or something, and I somehow managed to walk around all day with my blistered feet and my mysterious pain.  Death might have been a preferred alternative.  I questioned my sanity about halfway through the day and why I didn't just opt to sit at the USO instead of venturing out (borrrring!).

At some point during the day, I learned that Phil had attacked his sitter's cat.  There was lots of blood, the lady had some injuries, Phil had some potential injuries, the cat had disappeared, and she was looking for somewhere else for him to stay.  Cue feelings of helplessness and frustration.  I communicated as much as I could while I still had phone service.  I was very glad that our plane had been delayed, because otherwise, it would have been days before I found out about the incident and gave them contact information for my backup sitter which would have meant Phil potentially going to the kennel (which I really couldn't have afforded at $30 a day).

Finally, it was time to head back to the airport.  We caught BART back and started the adventure of getting to Australia.  We ran into several ticket problems.  Since we missed our flight, our tickets had to be rebooked, which is really a pain in the (insert your choice of body part).  The SF-->Sydney had to be rebooked, along with the Sydney --> Perth.  /wrist.  Apparently, it wasn't done correctly the night that we'd arrived in SF, so it had to be "fixed".  Once we finally got checked in and through security and to our gate, we started the process of trying to upgrade our seats.  /wrist.  Apparently, United no longer does upgraded seating to Business First or First Class.  So we were given Economy Plus.  By that point, I was exhausted, hurting, and didn't really care.  I just hoped that I was in an empty row so I could lay down the whole way there.

We boarded and were actually on schedule.  Luckily, I had a window seat and the seat between myself and the guy in the aisle seat was empty.  He asked if I wanted to lay down (he had to actually put my carry on in the overhead storage because by that point I couldn't lift it) since he knew that I was hurting.  I took a delightful cocktail of meds, hoping that it would at least dull the pain, then I slept for 10-12 hours of the 14 hour flight.  I woke up to eat around the 10 hour mark then promptly went right back to sleep.  I kinda squeezed in the two seats, then when my knees couldn't handle being bent anymore, I just put my feet and legs up on the window.  Social concerns go out the window if your flight is more than 5 hours, imo at least.

We arrived in Sydney on time, but we had to get our luggage (which had made it with us, YAY!) and clear customs, then check back in with the Australian airline, Quantas.  Despite being told on the plane to fill out the form, we still had folks in our group who failed to do so (wtf how hard is it to ask someone to borrow a pen to fill in the freakin blanks?).  We were held back because of that.  Then once we got up to check in, we learned that our tickets hadn't been booked properly, so 2 of us (I was one of those 2) had to just buy a ticket from the airline right then.  /headdesk.

In a fortunate turn of events, we magically made it to the terminal with 7 minutes to spare before boarding time via a bus that zig-zagged across the tarmac.  Woah.  We got off the bus and started to head to our gate and there was a majestic, brightly-lit, Krispy Kreme directly in front of us.  There may have also been a magical melody playing, but that could have just been in my head.  We stopped for KK, then headed on to our gate.  I also found a place that had fruit cups, so I picked up one of those as well.  We all arrived within a few minutes of boarding, but we had made it, and that was the important part.  I wasn't hurting too bad, but all the rushing definitely wasn't improving the situation.

We boarded and were on schedule arriving to Perth.  After passing through quarantine again (Australia is really serious about customs and not bringing stuff in the country), we made our way to the rental cars and promptly got lost and amazingly found our way after a while.

We're staying at a resort named The Vines about 15 minutes from RAAF Pearce.  I have a bedroom with 2 twin beds, one for sleeping in and another for holding crap.  I was just thrilled to have a room to myself.  I worked the first 3 days (including the day we arrived).

Yesterday was my first day off, so we took advantage and headed into Perth.  We went to Perth Zoo (where I took ~500 photos), to North Beach (more pics), then back into downtown Perth for souvenir shops and night time photos.  Traffic wasn't very heavy, so I didn't get too many long exposure traffic photos, butttttttt there was this amazing rainbow color changing building that I got over 100 photos of.  I'm sure no one will be as impressed as we were, but eh.  I should have just taken video, but that never even crossed my mind.  Photography>Videography.

I'm going to try to upload some Scotland pics and some Australia pics on the free internet when I get a chance.

But I think that is as good of an update as I can give to this point.  I'm sure Teh Dad just sighed in relief to have gotten the whole story.  He's been signing on to talk to me on a daily basis and I really don't have any great adventures to talk to him about.  So now, I just made up for all the chat time I've not been chatty.  :)

The other great thing about doing run down posts like these is that once the pics get finished, I can just upload them and not have to tell too much backstory!  YAY!

Hi, we're just a lazy Kangaroos.

Want to catch up on the Australia Adventures???1st day off in Australia (summary)
2nd day off in Australia (summary)
San Francisco (photos)
Perth Zoo a, b, c (photos)
The Indian Ocean and downtown Perth at night (photos)
Caversham Wildlife Park a, b, c (photos)
Fremantle Prison (photos)
walking around Fremantle (the city) (photos)
Perth from King's Park (photos)
HMAS Ovens (submarine) (photos)
Sydney at night (photos and a story)
Sydney in the morning (photos and a story)
Australia Panoramics (photos)

Fill in the Blank Friday #2

So after making my commitment to Fill in the Blank Friday, Lauren who usually creates the prompts decided it was time for a break!

I am a little crushed actually.  I mean, I know I missed Friday, but it's only Saturday in America and its Sunday in Australia, but that's no matter.  I was devoted enough to remember and go to the site and check for this week's blanks.  And to be completely honest, after last Friday's blanks, I wanted more blanks on Saturday and Sunday and Monday!  I love fill in the blanks (that have no correct answer)!

(image)

So, since there are no new blanks this week, I will go back in time and find some blanks from a prior Friday.

I choose this one:

Post linked: (image)

My bedtime routine includes: Talking to Teh Bear until it is time for me to get off the computer.  Then I take Teh Phil out for one last business session.  Then I go business myself.  Then, depending on how tired I am, I will read a chapter or few from whatever book I am currently reading.  After turning off the light, I ensure my alarm clock is set for the time that I have to get up (which changes depending on my schedule for the next day, and lets be honest, Teh Phil always lets me know when its time to get up).  Then I roll over and snuggle all my pretend Teh Bear pillows and try to fall asleep.

I am: Currently in Perth, Australia for a military exercise.  I'm short on sleep and maybe a little high on the meds I'm taking to control this mysterious pain I'm in that they could never figure out the source.  Maybe I'm also a drama queen.  :)

I can't stand stinky things because I have a very sensitive smeller, apparently.

My idea of relaxation would be snuggling with Teh Bear.

If I had an extra $50, I would have an extra $50.  I don't really have a monthly budget (I know, bad Teh Megan!) but I just try to limit my spending as much as possible.  If I don't need it, it stays at the store for the most part.  Except for dog toys.  I'm a sucker for spoiling Teh Phil.  But I've curbed my clothes spending problem, which was a relief!

The best thing about a bloggy friend is learning new things?  I'm not really sure, I don't get a lot of comments on my blog since I mostly blog about my personal life and I'm not so sure that many people are that interested other than people that actually know, know me.

A recipe I've been dying to try is Oatmeal Creme Pies (which I never made for Teh Dad for his bday, again, Bad Teh Megan!), this "incredible fruit dip" that is anything but healthy, sticky toffee pudding (which was my favorite thing in Scotland), or Peanut Butter Cup Brownies (for Teh Bear, since I should master it before he gets to MD so he will love me forever after he arrives),

I guess, I'll be going back in time to do my fill in the blanks until new blanks start coming out again.  Luckily, Lauren has been doing these for a year, so I have 52 weeks worth to choose from!  YAY, blanks!


Also, I did do some Scotland photo edits (since I've had a lot of free time on watch).  I'll be uploading those via the free internet since I'm limited in my data usage and I'm trying to conserve it and not spend it all in one place not use it all by being excited about reconnecting to my lifeline.  Patience is a virtue so I'm told...  Not my virtue of course, so I understand if you, my Gentle Readers, are like, "I quit reading your blog cause you're sooo slow!"  I'd be sad, but understanding.

Fashion doesn't agree with me...

I'm not a large person.. and I don't mean I'm not fat.. I mean.. I'm vertically challenged.  This doesn't mean I'm oddly proportioned (except for Tuner and Volume (aka my boobs)), it just means I'm small.

So when I buy sunglasses, I try to buy frames that are small.  Mostly so you can still tell I have a face, but also so I don't look like a bug.

I got some fake-lys right before I left Bahrain.  A white pair and a black pair.  The black pair broke right before Thanksgiving.  I dropped them on my way in the hangar and the arm broke halfway down and there was no fixing it.  They were still wearable, but the remaining arm piece kinda digs into my temple and it looks kinda silly.  The white pair have endured a LOT of abuse from living in my purse.  The arms are broken in several places, but they are still wearable.  Ghetto, but wearable.

Before leaving for Australia, I really wanted to have new sunglasses so that way I wouldn't have to be embarrassed about the ghetto-ness that was my Fake-lys.  On Sunday, I went by Kohl's since I have several coupons to there from Teh Sister.  I didn't have anyone with me to help me judge, which was tricky, but luckily, I have a cell phone....

This is what I sent to Teh Sister via text message:

Big and rounded.

big and squared.

I'm not actually sure what is up with those strands of hair that are standing straight up.  I guess I rock the Alfalfa look since no one mentioned it to me?

big and flared.

big and white.

Hello, 1993 called, they want their glasses back.

When I saw the last pair, I knew I had to take a photo with them to sent to Teh Sister.  I'm pretty sure that Teh Mom had a pair of actual glasses in frames like this, except the frames were gold instead of black.  I used to wear Teh Mom's glasses around because I wanted glasses too (everyone else in my family has them, I felt left out).  I also later wanted braces.. except I actually got that wish.. partially.

She said that she would actually go out in public with me if I was wearing the white ones so I bought those and a black pair that are not pictured here.  YAY for new sunglasses!  Although.. I probably should have picked up a case for them since I'm so abusive....

This (permanent) idea I have...

For a while, I've wanted a new tattoo.  I wasn't sure what I wanted though.  My personal rule is that I have to have wanted it for at least 6 months before I get it.  That does not mean I have 6 months to plan what I want, no no.  That means, final design decided on, then I have to wait 6 months to get it.  I feel like I've talked about this rule before, which originally came from Teh Mom about piercings, but I view piercings as not permanent, so for me, that doesn't count.

Something permanent though?  At least 6 months.

For a while I tossed around the idea of a side tattoo (like side of my torso).  I didn't like it for long enough.
Then I tossed around the idea of something on my foot.  I still like that idea.  But I wasn't sure what I wanted.
I considered an anchor, representative of my Navy choice, but that feels pretty cliche.  Every now and then I see someone, including Teh BFF, on Pinterest post pics of foot tattoos, but none of them are really "permanent" material for me.  It's not that they aren't good, its just its not for me.

Recently, I've been leaning more towards a word tattoo.  I like the simplicity of it.  But, at the same time, I also would want some design to it.  Some wavy lines or something.  IDK.

Within the last week or so, I think I've finally pinpointed the words that I want.

I pass a church when I go into town and last week I was having a pretty crappy week.  Ok really crappy week.  Mostly work stuff, but add to that a lovely batch of PMS and it was just a disaster that started to spiral out of control.  I was headed into town that day and noticed the sign said:  Be still, and know that I am God.

I really, really, really, struggle with the "be still" part.  I mean, sometimes I struggle with the "and know" part as well because when things aren't glaringly obvious I tend to be more skeptical (I'm working on that faith thing).  But the "be still" part is really hard for me.  I'm always doing something.  I pray and thank God for my blessings (because I have a LOT of blessings to be grateful for), but rarely to I just still myself to listen.

For the rest of the week I looked to the sign for that moment of peace, but I realized, it was only on one side of the sign!  I was actually disappointed to see their message about their Wednesday evening service on the other side.  I wanted more Psalms 46:10.  Sadly, every time I passed it coming from the correct direction, I always missed it.  I was singing to the radio and not paying attention.  I was passing some slow driver and not paying attention.  I was talking on the phone and not paying attention.  And that's just it.  It's hard for me to "be still".

So when I saw this tattoo design, I feel in looove.

(image)

I like the swirly parts, I like the colored parts (not so sure about the feathers), I loved the words.  I would definitely add "and know" underneath the "be still".  As for the feathers, I was considering something like paisley/henna related.

Getting henna in Bahrain was one of my favoritest things about that place.  To the point that my last day in the country Shoulda Been a Cowgirl and Miss Difficult Last Name waited ALL DAY with me to get henna. No jk, it was a 7 hour wait.  Apparently, getting henna around an Islamic holiday is not a good idea.  Sadly, I wasn't aware that a holiday was coming up, or I would have planned better.  We actually left and came back later (which one of the locals suggested we do).

I'll have to give it some more thought to plan out the logistics.  I really like the tattoo that is shown in the picture.  I'd put it on my foot instead of my shoulder and I'd probably alter the colors of the feathers if I was to get that exact one, but that's pretty unoriginal, imo.  I think I'm going to stalking this site for some inspiration and see how do-able it actually would be to incorporate henna into this concept.

Anyone have any suggestions?  Anyone have any art skillz?  Anyone know a good tattoo artist that is a reasonable distance from me?  Anyone wanna get a tattoo with me?

Fill in the Blank Friday #1

I've been working on making friends here in S.MD and I met a couple at church  (I will have to figure out a Teh nickname for them as we get to know each other better!).  She writes a blog that I'm reading and one of things that I really wanted to copy (isn't that what we do in the blogging world?) was fill in the blank Fridays!

Hopefully, I can manage to stay on this boat, as it is just a weekly post, but we all know how I end up being about things like blogging schedules..... oops.

At least this doesn't require an extra work (like taking a photo) other than some typing, which I'm really good at.  :)

So for my first fill in the blank Friday, here we goooo!

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1.  The best surprise ever would be: Teh Bear telling me he found a job and that he needs me to fly down to FL to help him move up to MD...  or Teh Bear being moved into my apartment when I came back from Australia.  Either of those are valid options.


2.  Laughing with anyone are my favorite memories (ok, I took some liberty on that one).

3.  The hardest, but most worthwhile thing I've ever done was: gone to college, joined the navy, never, ever, ever getting back into a relationship with someone after we'd broken up.


4.  The best part of my day is: Getting to talk with Teh Bear since he usually makes me laugh/smile.


5.  Something I like that most people don't is: Livermush.


6.  Something I am willing to fight for is: fairness.


7.  Something you might not know about me is: Rarely do I believe that I'm a nice person and I often worry that I'm being "mean" or "bitchy".




YAY for first times!!  I love doing new things on Teh Blog!!