stories

Getting married abroad, in a most glorious city (Prague, Czech Republic)

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Prague scene
Beautiful Prague, Czech Republic

My husband and I met each other when working for the same company in the U.S. It was an instant attraction. It wasn’t long before I officially moved in with him. After about two years together, our love grew very strong. The day then arrived when we decided to get married, which was soon followed by a request for my hand in marriage from my parents. What a sweet old-fashioned gentleman! The whole period was quite romantic. I’d share more details of that romance, but Hubby told me that some details he’d like to keep just between the two of us. I must respect that. Instead, in this post I will concentrate on just the preparations and events surrounding a marriage abroad. From this point until after the wedding, hubby will be referred to as “fiancé”. Continue reading →

Simple yet extremely memorable stories

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Grease truck
Grease truck

Not all favorite stories have to be from significant events, like a marriage or a first love. Sometimes there are little past stories you tell again and again that may seem insignificant to some, but are highly memorable to you. Perhaps you start to tell the story for the tenth time and your spouse finishes the story, with a roll of the eyes, but gosh, you love telling that story! They’ll hear it again! Here is one such story about my love of tea. Continue reading →

Left adrift, but found our way

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sailboat

Looking back at my childhood through my mid 20s, I suppose one could say that compared to other youth, I was mostly left adrift. I think my siblings were, as well. My parents were the opposite of “helicopter parents” in that they did not control our every move. In fact, they did not control much of what we did. They provided us with a nice home, and good food to eat. They took us on weekend and other excursions. They did teach us right from wrong, but beyond that we had a certain freedom that many other children our ages didn’t seem to have. Continue reading →

Seemingly small trigger, but big panic

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panic scream

I have had issues with anxiety and panic attacks at various times of my life. It either comes with my bipolar disorder at times, or is a separate mental health issue. My panic attacks can be brought on by what may seem like nothing, or at least seemingly small triggers. And panic attacks can easily breed more frequent attacks. Scientists believe this may be part of the “kindling effect”. The kindling effect (originally applied to epilepsy, but now also applied to bipolar disorder, addictions, and even other mental health issues) is where with each episode of the illness, later episodes become more likely and more severe.  It can sometimes be difficult to finally break the cycle of kindling. Continue reading →

A very caring little bird story

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hummingbird-1617433__340-001

Last summer my husband and I bought two beautiful new light green painted rocking chairs for our deck. We had to assemble them, which was a monumental effort, as self-assembly projects can sometimes be. But when they were ready, we put them into place with a perfect view of our hummingbird feeder. Continue reading →

I’d rather bottle my au natural fragrance

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stink bomb perfume

My husband loves perfumes, and has given me a few over the years, but they sit in my bathroom cabinet collecting dust, along with several underarm deodorants of various scents that I’ve rejected.

I have just never found the scent of perfumes appealing. In fact, when I put them on I feel like I’m breathing horrible fumes. Continue reading →

Curled up in my favorite alpaca blanket

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Cindy alpaca blanket best
My favorite alpaca blanket

Do you have a favorite blanket? One that is extra comforting? Perhaps it is especially soft and warm and has a long history of providing comfort. Maybe its colors, pattern and origin are meaningful to you?

fireplaceI have such a blanket with all of those special attributes. Continue reading →