Night Vision

I was just in Kentucky, visiting my family. We all had such a great time. I love being able to show Cadin where I grew up. It's so much fun to take him to the barn and run around in the yard with all the trees. This time I climbed on the front gates with him, which was something I had so much fun doing as a child. It's nostalgic getting to re-experience things with him.

I want to share something I taught him that I learned about in an aircrew course that I took in Wichita Falls, TX. We learned about "night vision." I didn't think about how it would not only be fun to teach my son one day, but could help him to brave the dark.

At my parents house, I sleep in my bed and Cadin sleeps in the pack and play beside my bed. It was bedtime and the lights had just been turned off.

Cadin: "Mommy, I can't see. I need a nightlight."

Tara: "No you don't sweetie. Wait just a few minutes and your night vision will kick in."

Cadin: "Mommy, I need a nightlight!"

Tara: "Cadin, wait just a few minutes. If you still can't see, I will turn on a nightlight."

Cadin: "Ok." (hesistantly)

****few minutes passed**** I looked up and began to see the top of the window.

Tara: "Cadin, you should be able to start to see the top of the window."

Cadin: "I see it, Mommy." (this started to get his attention)

Tara: "This is your night vision. In just a little while, you'll be able to see a lot."

This was so fun to teach my son. I love teaching him this type of stuff. I can also imagine that it could help children to face their fears of the dark. It gives them their own "superhero" power.

Pretty soon we could both see most everything in the room. When the lights were first turned out, neither one of us could see anything in the room. It was pitch black. After a few minutes passed, we could both see all of the window, the bed and blankets, the furniture, the ceiling and the ceiling fan.

Cadin: "Mommy, can you see the window? You know why? Because we have night vision."

It was a lot of fun. Try it with your kids! :)

God's canvas....the universe (and beyond)

"Art is a collaboration between God and the artist, and the less the artist does the better."

Andre Gide (1869-1951)

This is one of my favorite quotes, which I believe to be true. In the beginning of a drawing course I took, our professor told us that drawing was a "spiritual experience....you enter a zone and let it flow." I didn't quite understand this concept until it started to happen. It truly becomes that way, the less you think about it, the more effortless it becomes. You learn how to tap into the talent. There's really no way to explain it. It just happens.

Recently I've been fascinated with the concept of "Man-made wonders" vs. "God-made wonders." There are historical sites to see everywhere. You can go to Greece and see the Acropolis. Go to Rome and see the Colosseum. Travel the world and see some amazing things that men and women have constructed. OR, just go outside and look up at the sky. It looks different everyday.....by the moment. It's always beautiful. It's like a canvas. There's really no comparison. The ocean and all its inhabitants. There is so much beauty in this universe when you truly open your eyes and mind to *truly* appreciate it. And, I say it that way only because I have not always appreciated the things that God does for us.

It's really a whole different way of thinking, when you start to see things that way. I don't think any of us realize just how big and powerful God really is. NONE of us really *know* anything about Him. I can say that I have no doubt in my mind that He is real. I feel so blessed to be able to say that. I have many beliefs about Him, just as everyone does. But, in the past year I've started to see things in a different way. I truly want to write a book about the things that I have learned. I guess I will just have to wait and see what the future holds.

Tyranny, Mixed Media Painting

I have a painting for sale, if anyone is interested. It's on Ebay. The bidding ends tomorrow!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=170335675489

Cadin's "Good LIfe"

Cadin and I had the best time in Washington D.C. I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful little boy. He has the neatest, sweetest personality......and is just so darn cute. We did a little bit of everything in D.C.

We started out at The Arlington Memorial. That was pretty neat. It made for beautiful pictures. But, it wasn't much to show a three year old. I did get to try to teach him "respect" for other people. I taught him not to walk on people's graves and to talk quietly. I love to teach him things. Children are so smart. It's amazing what they have the capability to learn at such a young age.

We also visited many museums. The Smithsonian museums are so cool because they're FREE. We went to the Air & Space museum and the Natural History museum. Both were pretty neat. But, chasing a three year old through any museum is exhausting. The Crime and Punishment museum was really nice. I would like to go back to that sometime.....when I'm not with Cadin. It was great, until he stormed out the fire exit. lol Yeah....that alarm was pretty loud.

We actually had the most fun just walking around downtown. We met some really nice people and took a lot of great pictures. Cadin is blast to hang out with. Yes, Cadin already knows how to "hang out." I love it! He talks to everyone. So, you never know who you're going to meet. We went to a few different cupcake places. And, each time we bought the cupcakes and then found a place to sit on the sidewalk. He is so content doing just about anything.

We went to Georgetown twice. That's such a neat area. He was so polite when I took him in an upscale restaurant. Okay....actually I told him that we were in a jungle and needed to be quiet because there were animals outside. lol But, I was very proud of him. I was able to enjoy a nice dinner without him disrupting anyone else's. After that, I took him Johnny Rocket's to get a burger and fries. He made friends with a nice man sitting beside him and scored a free dinner. He was also invited to see the guy's motorcycles. LOL Yes, Cadin gets special treatment. Being with him is like being with a celebrity. We later walked into Georgetown Cupcakes AFTER they closed and got free cupcakes.....because Cadin is so cute. (and, did I mention the lady that started off the whole night by giving him free candy?)

So, by the end of the night.....I'm thinking, "Wow! It must be nice." LOL But, he truly is a precious little boy. His eyes will melt your heart! I love to hear him talk about dragons and jungles. He can tell the most creative, vivid stories......yet be so down-to-earth and smart. He is a little bundle of love.

Well.....sometimes. LOL The night he took some heavy game thing and hit me in the head with it, I was less than thrilled with him. After he came out of the corner, I asked him why he got in trouble. He said, "for not listening?" I said, "NO! Because you hit me in the head." He said, "I'll find something that won't hurt you." We went round and round with that.....until he went to sleep.

Just a thought........

I just have a random thought that I'd like to share, which applies to a lot of things. I bought Lip Fusion lip plumper a LONG time ago. For those of you who don't know, a tube costs $40. YES....a lot of money and not something I should have done. But, that's not the point. The point is the tube is still in my purse with about half of it left. Recently, it dawned on me that I needed to start using my $40 lip gloss. Otherwise, I'm wasting that $40.

So, we buy fine china and never use it. We buy designer clothes to wear on "special occasions." Expensive wine often sits on a wine rack for decades. We just don't make sense! LOL

Just a thought.......embrace life and enjoy it. Stop saving things for special occasions. Every day is a special occasion.

P.S. If you're wondering about Lip Fusion. Yes, it really does work better than the other brands. Should you pay $40 for lip gloss? That's totally up to you. LOL

L-O-V-E

"Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth."

Sorry, Mr. Thoreau, but I have to disagree with you on this one. Love will keep us alive! lol I say that in jest, but it's true. There was a study done in Europe many years ago. Newborn babies were given all the "bare necessities" of life. They were fed, changed....and given whatever care they required. They were not given affection, however. They weren't held, rocked or played with. The outcome? They died. I couldn't find a link to this. It is something I learned in Anatomy and Physiology in college. So, if you happen to come across a link, I'd love for you to share it with me.

Love makes the world go round. Ok....maybe passion makes the world go round. lol Love makes it a safer place. (that's actually a quote I stole from Ice T) Simple, yet so true.

And, my favorite of all time quote..........

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will truly know peace." Bob Marley

That quote sums up so much that I truly believe. But, that's a blog for another day.

So, go out and share love with other people. It makes you and the other person feel good. You can truly change a person's day that way. (and your own) And, that is the truth!