The Front Porch

Just Be

Today I choose to do one thing.

I choose to live from the inside out.

    I choose to follow the spirit inside me.

       The spirit that moves like the wind.

           The spirit that cannot be seen, yet leaves its mark.

              I choose to do one thing and that is just be me.

Happy Monday my blogging friends. Summer is coming to a close and the greatest gift this season has given me is the ability to be. Be in the moment, be me and be free.

Thank you to all those teachers who have taught me the skill of choosing. I was not born knowing how to choose but rather, those along the way who loved me enough to stop and take the time to show me how to make choices and wise ones at that. I stop today and pause and pray, I whisper a prayer of gratitude for each of you. A gift you have all given me along the way.

Thank you for letting me share.

Happy Anniversary To Us...

Tony and I just celebrated 21 years of marriage. Three kids, one grandchild and journals full of entries and stories of a couple who made it against all odds. A couple who learned to walk by faith even when it seemed fuzzy.

We took the entire family including some close friends to a rented beach house on the cliffs of Aptos. The view was spectacular and the company just as amazing as we toasted to the sunset and sipped wine to close the day.

Here are just a few snap shots of the great time we had. Hard to come back to the reality of the everyday ordinary but it only makes the anticipation of returning next year more exciting.

A day on the boardwalk

Family Time

Nearest and dearest

Big Mac

Gramps and Big Mac

Our View

Our Wine Expert

21 Years of "I DO"

Cherish...

Life's

Simple

Pleasures

1. Hershey kisses

2. Walking along the shore line

3. Watching the changing of the guard

4. Couch time with a loved one

5. Beach trips with my tribe

6. A good book and a long afternoon

7. Road trips with people I like

8. Painting outside the lines

9. Telling stories

10. Listening to stories

11. Frozen yogurt

12. Sparklers

13. A first kiss

14. Barefeet on cool grass

15. Longest day of the year

16. Homemade limoncello

17. Looking at baby pictures

18. Spoiling grandchild

19. Bike ride for fun

20. Calling an old friend out of the blue

Cris

Today I Will

Breathe

ask for what is needed

Practice COURAGE

be gentle on myself

trust that it will be OK

-------------------------------

It is going to be a kayaking kind of day!

Cris

Dear Me

I will live by the principles of black belt.

Modesty

Courtesy

Integrity

Perseverance

Courage

Indomitable Spirit

A black belt is just a white belt that never gave up. As I prepare for foot surgery in Aug. I am reminding myself that I am a black belt in the making. I am staying motivated to keep a positive outlook on my circumstance so that when I return to the mat a few months out, I will step right in where I left off.

"To me, the extraordinary aspect of martial arts lies in its simplicity. The easy way is also the right way, and martial arts is nothing at all special; the closer to the true way of martial arts, the less wastage of expression there is."

Bruce Lee

Thank you for letting me share.

Cris

I AM

I AM AN ARTIST

I CARE ABOUT THE CANVAS I CREATE ON

I LOVE COLOR

I LIVE IN COLOR

I DREAM IN COLOR

I CREATE IN COLOR

I WRITE, SPEAK, PAINT IN COLOR

I AM AN ARTIST

Today I choose to not let the circumstances of my life harden my heart. Today I choose to let the circumstances in my life soften me and make me kinder and more open to creating on the canvas of my choice.

Cris Nole

Phenomenal Woman

BY MAYA ANGELOU

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.

I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size

But when I start to tell them,

They think I’m telling lies.

I say,

It’s in the reach of my arms,

The span of my hips,

The stride of my step,

The curl of my lips.

I’m a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That’s me.

I walk into a room

Just as cool as you please,

And to a man,

The fellows stand or

Fall down on their knees.

Then they swarm around me,

A hive of honey bees.

I say,

It’s the fire in my eyes,

And the flash of my teeth,

The swing in my waist,

And the joy in my feet.

I’m a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That’s me.

Men themselves have wondered

What they see in me.

They try so much

But they can’t touch

My inner mystery.

When I try to show them,

They say they still can’t see.

I say,

It’s in the arch of my back,

The sun of my smile,

The ride of my breasts,

The grace of my style.

I’m a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That’s me.

Now you understand

Just why my head’s not bowed.

I don’t shout or jump about

Or have to talk real loud.

When you see me passing,

It ought to make you proud.

I say,

It’s in the click of my heels,

The bend of my hair,

the palm of my hand,

The need for my care.

’Cause I’m a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That’s me.

Maya Angelou,

“Phenomenal Woman” from And Still I Rise.