Sisters and Savannah

It's Sunday night and the moon is bright
I've sent my sister off on an afternoon flight
I love my sister, I can't wait to see her soon
Under a cold December moon

We've a house full of dogs tonight as Kate has her babies over for a sleepover.  It's wonderful to have so much canine energy!  I had a lovely weekend with my sister Lindsay and I'm sad to see her go.  We got to spend a lot of time together though so that is very good.  We took a trip to Savannah and boy is that a beautiful place!  We also went to her friend's wedding and I got to meet her Doctor friends, all very nice welcoming people.  Today we spent some time in Asheville and then drove to Charlotte to drop her at the airport.  Lots and lots of driving this weekend!  But it was still very fun and comforting.  Family is just amazing for that, isn't it?

Here's some pictures of Savannah:

Our Creepy Hostel with the rubberpants covered beds

Linds and a statue in a park, one of 20 something parks and statues

The graveyard!

It was twilight in the graveyard, and some of the graves were so old that the etchings had completely worn off

 

Spanish moss in the graveyard

An impromptu Blues festival two blocks down from us in the forbidden park!  (The hostel owner told us not to go there after dark)

Nighttime fountain

 

I liked these stairs

 

This is at Fort Pulasky

 

Cannons and marshland with a sister in the middle

 

Shoot it yonder!!

 

The fascinating underhill bunkers, reminiscent of Hobbiton

Inside the underhill bunkers

 

Just a little spooky

 

And these are from the wedding:

Centerpiece close-up

The bones of an old barn

 

I am very excited to begin work on my book tomorrow.  It feels like it's been forever since I've really sat down with those characters, my imaginary friends and adventurers.  I miss them, and an extended visit with them is in order! 

Isn't it interesting how Mondays can be either dreaded or looked-forward to?  Tomorrow feels like a new beginning, a springboard for not only my books but for my outlook on life.  I plan to do instead of sit and think of doing.  Optimism at its finest, and excitement.  Did y'all know that stress is only fear?  If we weren't afraid, we wouldn't be stressed.  I plan on being as stress free as possible in the upcoming months.  I plan to work hard and look ahead to wonderful things while still appreciating this moment.  As I will, so mote it be.

Shanti Elena

I'll Give You Something to Blog About!

Shalom and Good Afternoon

It's a rainy Saturday here in the western North Carolina mountains, the first day it's really felt like fall.  I'm actually wearing jeans today.  I've just finished giving myself a pedicure and decided that it's a wonderful time to put some words down.  Words are pretty amazing little things, they have so much power and majesty.  I made the decision many years ago that I wanted to work with words, form a close and intimate relationship with them.  They help me create new worlds and they help me convey emotion and experience and laughter and tears.  It is so much easier to express one's true emotion though pen and paper or keyboard and computer.  Arguments and highly emotional confrontations cause the brain to seize up, the words to not come.  How many times after a conversation do we think, "If only I'd said THIS, then that'd show them!"  Or something along those lines. 

I've noticed too that people feel more comfortable behind a computer screen.  My experiences in online dating have convinced me of that.  You have time to formulate responses.  It doesn't matter what you look like or what you're wearing, you could be naked and picking your nose.  The other person only perceives what you want them to.  You are, in fact, creating a persona as you type.  Say what you think they want to hear.  Ask probing, meaningful questions that you had some time to come up with.  Be funny, be intriguing, be what you've perhaps never been in real life; real conversation, real eye contact/facial expression land.

I fear we are losing these key communication skills.  It scares me.  How can one pick up on non-verbal cues if one is not exposed to them?  How will this guy know if I'm upset if he's never seen it?  How will that guy know that I'm smiling at his witticisms?  It's a quandary, no doubt about it.  And I want to be known, just like everyone else.  I want people to know the real me, and to appreciate the person that I've forged over my 34 years. 

It does happen, though, that sometimes the stars align, there's a harvest moon, or whatever fateful circumstances fall into place for meeting a truly neat person.  I've met many very cool people here, and this week I met another.  He's very nice and I'm excited to have a new friend.  He's a musician and he's funny and he's straightforward and honest.  He's a man, and I appreciate the heck out of that! 

I also need to decide what I'm going to be for Halloween.  Any suggestions?  Also, totally stoked that my Little Dr. Smell (aka my sister Lindsay) is coming to visit next weekend.  We are heading down to Savannah for a night on a mini road trip that should be very fun.  And the following week I start on the editing process of Saving Haven.  Plus I started a 40 day Pilates challenge that I'm three days into.  Abs of steel coming up baby!

This was a bit of a ramble, but I did say I'd blog twice a week so this is what happened.  I hope all are well, I miss so many of you, and I want to throw it out there, albeit a little early, that I am planning on having a Fancy Dress White Elephant party when I come home in December.  You've all been warned!

Shanti Elena

Catch Up!!

Well Happy Monday to all of my favorite people!  It's been a hot minute since I've posted on here, and as I've only just today gotten my assignment to blog twice a week *gasp* here's my first of this week, September 16th of the year 2013.  What have I been up to since last I was on here?  A whole heapin' lot!  Let's start at the beginning, as I've heard it's a very good place to start.

The Trip Home

On Saturday August 24th I woke up bright and early and our new roomie Kate took me to the airport.  I arrived a little too late, however, and missed my plane.  It was a close call, and I could have probably made it if 1. I didn't have so much crap that I couldn't have in my luggage and 2. If the line through security wasn't so long.  And so I got back in line at the check in desk, smiled sweetly at the man working, and said "I didn't quite make it."  He was very obliging, telling me a flight was leaving in another hour and a half for Atlanta.  Then he went "Oooh."  I said "What oooh?"  Turns out the next flight out of Atlanta wasn't until 5pm.  And so I got to spend six hours in the Atlanta airport, where I bought a book: World War Z and had some gumbo and took long walks among artwork.

By far the coolest sculpture

 

The plane ride itself was nice, as the gentleman at the desk had given me emergency exit window seats for both flights.  On the little plane out of Asheville I sat next to this super hot guy from Salt Lake City, or at least he was super hot until I saw what he was listening to.  An entire John Mayer album.  Ew ew ew.  I finally arrived in Portland at around 7 and my Mama picked me up and I was home!

 

The next day I got to meet this little lady for the first time:

 

The most adorable five month old EVER!

 

Had a nice lunch with Matt, Anna, Mom, Chloe and Audrey, followed by a little family barbecue which my dad came to as well.  Monday mom and I went and got pedicures with my lovely friend Holly and Tuesday I visited with Jessie and little Aubrey for a good while.

 

Hello Blue Eyes!!

 

Then had a girls night with Jess, Jenn, and Janine.  The triple J's. 

 

On Wednesday I spent all day with Chloe and Audrey.  By myself!  I am such a super-auntie!

 

Chloe is getting so big!

 

 

I could go on and on about how much I love these little girls, but I'll spare y'all for now.  Suffice to say that I miss them so much and I cannot wait to play with them more in December.  They make me smile and bring so much joy and love!

 

Thursday I headed out to Estacada to visit friends, and we played for a few days.  Jenn and Lori came to play with us and we had much fun.  I did spend some time in contemplation during this last leg, mostly about how I loved visiting everyone but how I knew that home was two places now.  As in, I was homesick for Asheville.  Interesting stuff, that! 

 

It was so wonderful seeing all the people I love, so wonderful to get some sunshine and happiness in.  It's a true thing when I say that what I miss the most are the people who mean so much to me.  I also sort of miss the no humidity thing, but that's pretty self-explanatory.

 

Home to Candler

 

My kitties were waiting for me when I got home, as was little Dali (Kate's adorable little dachshund) and of course good ol' cutie-pie Rufus, my buddy.  Our house is full now, and the energy and life that came in with Kate is refreshing and lovely.  We've had tons of company, lots of big dinners with friends and games and delicious drinks.  Wendy and Steve sent me home with a bottle of Parfait d'Amore and so I was finally able to make these folks the legendary Lavender Martinis that I've been talking about for months.  We had a real honest-to-goodness fire that we made s'mores on.  With peanut butter cups.  You're welcome.  And while there has been some animosity between the dachshund and the kitties, that's been mended by super-star David who made them a kitty ladder out my window.  And he also fixed our fan, our table, and our computer.  Handy man to have around! 

 

We've had dog visitors too.  Here are David and Larry Bird napping:

 

 

Dali the Dachshund

 

One of the delicious dinners on the porch where even I helped!

 

See the Okra?  I did that!

 

 

 

Can YOU Do the Charleston?

 

Our dear Molly's birthday is this coming Thursday, so as an early celebration we decided to head to Charleston for the weekend.  We got the sweet hook-up from Molly's friend Leah and a big blue beach house for 300 for two nights!  It was AWESOME!  I even slept on bunkbeds!  (Bottom bunk)

 

When we first arrived we took a nice rainy walk on the beach.  And that water was so incredibly warm!  So different than the chilly PNW coast for sure!

 

 

 

The following day dawned warm and sunny though, so we packed up a picnic lunch and headed to the beach for reals!

 

Kate, Leah, and Molly...beach ready!

 

Me on the beach!  Check the sunshine people!

 

Kate letting the sun worship her!

 

My legs and the surf...ahhh

 

We hung out just us girls that night, having had a boy with us the previous night.  (Adam, our friend who was watching Rufus, joined us for some drinking and relaxing.  The porch at the house is completely screened in and even has a ceiling fan!)  I got to know Leah and her friend Carrie well.  All in all it was a lovely girls weekend.  On Sunday it was HOT and we walked Rainbow Row and the Battery in downtown Charleston, then headed home.  We had planned on going to a concert that night but it got postponed, which is just as well.  We were beat!

 

 

 

So that's what's been going on in the life of Shanti.  Playing hard, and now it's time to get to work.  I have three writing assignments for the next two weeks:  Blog twice a week, finish my short story, and write ten pages on my third book.  I'm going to be busy!  But don't worry, I'll squeeze some fun into there as well.  And writing again feels so darn good all on it's own.

 

 

Until next you hear from me, which will be soon!

 

 

Shanti Elena