A personal accomplishment...

Check it out everyone...

In mid March I joined the American Heart Association's Heart Walk "competition" between the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville. Everyday I go enter my activity... I'm only entering the walking I do, nothing else... and to date I've logged 91 miles.

The Little One (who started all of this) thinks she's created a monster... YAY me!

Sunday...

I hope everyone had a great Easter weekend! I'm late, again... but here are the ArtsyBlogger links for the week!

6 Fun Easter Craft Ideas For Kids
Looking for a last minute Easter Craft to do with the kids, check out some of these ideas.

Eileen - The Artful Crafter
How to make a beaded pull chain for overheads lights or fans.

Felt Peep Bunnies
Cherie adds some ornaments to her Easter tree.

Beading Arts
Cyndi is celebrating her travel fever by inviting readers to submit their travel-inspired work!

Laura - Taz's Corner
ExiStencils and /radiant Rains by Luminatre

It's been no secret...

...that the last few months have been very difficult for me. To say I've been a bit overwhelmed is an understatement.

It began with my father being admitted to the hospital, the word was that the blood clots in his lungs likely meant he would be reaching the end. He's proven them wrong. He is now in a long term special care facility, working on rehabilitation. He's had a difficult couple of years in the facility he was formerly a part of. Today, he is improving, and I thank each and every one of you who said a prayer, sent good thoughts, and in general hoped for the best... they have been very welcomed and are held tight.

I go over every day around lunch time to visit. For the most part he's in the same time I am, but there are days, moments really, where he's visiting some long ago time. He knows exactly what is going on in Kentucky basketball... Considering how poorly I was told he had been doing, I am very surprised at how far he has come. I'm coming to know a father that I didn't, and I am very thankful for this time that the Universe has given to he and I. It turns out that he's actually VERY funny and has a razor sharp wit. I've even noticed a shade of sarcasm from time to time. I told him the other day that I'd have to apologize to Kate's father... I've been blaming her smartass tendencies on her own dad all these years, but it turns out that I may have been wrong.

Speaking of My Little One... she's a big girl now, and getting ready to move out on her own. At the end of this month no less. And you know how fast time flies, so it will seem like tomorrow. We've been gathering things for her to create her very own first home, and it is bittersweet. I'm very proud of her for reaching this milestone... and somewhat sad at the same time. I have no excuses left... I guess I MUST get out there and create the life I want.

My "good will" gesture of Easter baskets for my Great-Nieces.... well, I have no idea how that has gone, they've been picked up, but there has been no acknowledgement. Something I was fully prepared for, but I had hoped they might open that communication.

I've discovered you can learn much about people on facebook. I've learned that often you are not always told the whole truth by someone you care greatly about, but you'll most likely find that truth there. Who knew it would be such a tool, albeit a very painful one to use. Seems truth would be so much easier in the end...

Lessons learned... we move on. Life goes forward.

One of my bright spots is my friend Larry. We've known each other since we had small businesses next door to one another, and probably through a couple of other lifetimes because we became fast friends immediately. He and I converse back and forth through the day via email, at least when we're both not totally swamped. (You all know that means we bitch to each other about things all day long...right?) He's one of my closest and bestest friends. I love his partner too... because Larry loves him... but mostly I cherish the bond of friendship I share with Larry.

He sent me an email this morning that, after long and careful consideration of the last couple of months, I have decided that it represents exactly how I feel at this point in my life. I can't give proper attribution, although I did search the internet... seems all I could find was "author unknown", so if you DO know who wrote it, please leave me a comment. In the mean time...

I'd like to tender my resignation... effective immediately...

I resign from adulthood

To Who it May Concern:

I am hereby officially tendering my resignation as an adult. I have decided I would like to accept the responsibilities of an 8 year old again.

I want to go to McDonald's and think that it's a four star restaurant. I want to sail sticks across a fresh mud puddle and make ripples with rocks. I want to think M&Ms are better than money because you can eat them. I want to play dodge ball at recess and paint with watercolors in art.

I want to lie under a big oak tree and run a lemonade stand with my friends on a hot summer's day.

I want to return to a time when life was simple. When all you knew were colors, multiplication tables, and nursery rhymes, but that didn't bother you, because you didn't know what you didn't know and you didn't care. All you knew was to be happy because you were blissfully unaware of all the things that should make you worried or upset.

I want to think the world is fair. That everyone is honest and good. I want to believe that anything is possible. Somewhere in our youth, we matured and learned too much. There are nuclear weapons, war, prejudice, and abused children. Lies, unhappy marriages, illness, pain, and death. A world where companies poison our water and our soil, and children kill.

What happened to the time when we thought that everyone would live forever, because we didn't grasp the concept of death? When the worst thing in the world was if someone took the jump rope from you or picked you last for kickball. I want to be oblivious to the complexities of life and be overly excited by the little things again. I want to return to the days when children played hide-n-seek outside instead of being glued to a television, when video games were as harmless as Pac-Man...instead of spine-ripping, blood-splattering mind numbers like Mortal Combat, and TV still had some shows on that weren't about sex, killing, and lies.

I remember being naive and thinking everyone was happy because I was. Afternoons were spent climbing trees and fences and riding my bike. I never worried about time, bills, or where I was going to find the money to fix my car. I used to wonder what I was going to do or be when I grew up, not worry about what I'll do if this doesn't work out. I want to live simple again.

I don't want my day to consist of computer crashes, mountains of paperwork, depressing news, how to survive more days in the month than there is money in the bank, doctor bills, gossip, illness, and loss of loved ones.

I want to believe in the power of smiles, hugs, a kind word truth, justice, peace, dreams, the imagination, mankind, and making angels in the snow.

So....here's my checkbook and my car-keys, my credit card bills and my 401K statements. I am officially resigning from adulthood. And if you want to discuss this further, you'll have to catch me first, cause...

"Tag! You're it."

They conquered, then they came home...

and we celebrated...

The Governor and the Mrs. dropped by...

A few thousand folks filled the seats...

We even had a Storm Trooper show up...

And then... then the real show started... the boys arrived home...

...and a banner was raised to mark the 2012 NCAA Champs.

It was great fun... but let me tell you what was the most fun of all...

Free tickets for the event were handed out starting at 8:00 am Tuesday morning. There was a limit of 4 tickets per person. Two different people in our group had gotten tickets, neither knew the other had, so we ended up with 4 extra tickets. I tried to give them away at work, but there were no takers. So, we took them with us. Surely someone would be down there who hadn't been able to get tickets, and we could give them away.

On the walk in, I saw a family of four, with two adorable little girls. Something said... ya know what, see if they want them. As they were taking pictures in front of the fountains, I asked if they had tickets. They did, but they weren't together. So I asked if they'd like to trade. They were thrilled, said I'd made their day. Little did they know how much I enjoyed the trade. Even more when I looked up and happened to see them sitting all together.

However, now I still had four tickets, only now they were really two groups of two.

We went into the center that houses Rupp Arena, and I started looking for likely victims. A couple came in, and again, something said they might like them. I asked, and sure enough, they had come down, unable to get tickets earlier, and were thrilled to be handed two tickets.

Woo hoo... now I'm down to two tickets. We went up on the top level, and never did see anyone else that stuck out as maybe without tickets. But, I happened to notice that the Easter Bunny was out and about... how perfect would it be to let him find homes for the last two tickets?

I went to the person who was helping him, and explained the situation. I asked her if perhaps the Easter Bunny would consider handing them out. She seemed very excited to have that prize to give away.

Woo hoo... celebrating the win, AND doing good deeds... could it get any better than that?

Have y'all heard...

We've got a pretty good basketball team here in Kentucky...

Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Reuters

Not that I'd brag or anything... but... How 'bout dem CATS!?!?!

Could have sworn...

That I hit the "publish post" button yesterday, but I was obviously wrong. I don't want you to miss what these wonderful women have been doing though... so, better late than never, here are the ArtsyBlogger links for the week...

Beading Arts
Cyndi wraps up "Seed Bead Month" with a look back at tutorials in the Beading Arts archives, from easy beginner projects to more challenging ones!

Gold Glass Sculpture for the Home
Cherie makes a sculpture for her hearth.


Eileen - The Artful Crafter
One of The Artful Crafter’s readers has developed a new, improved recipe for homemade polymer clay. Be sure to check out Eva’s recipe, as well as the darling gingerbread house she made with it.

Laura Thykeson - Taz's Corner
Laura offers a link to some free stencils, journal promptsand vintage photos for collage, atc's or mixed media art!