create my own stimulus plan by doing at least one NEW AND FULFILLING thing in July, August, and September 2009

I’ve had a lingering cold (or allergy attack) all month, but I did get in some pretty awesome experiences.

I gave a talk in church on the 13th, which got a lot of attention afterwards. It was about finding time to have a morning devotional in your own sacred spot. What can I say? I watched a lot of Fraggle Rock as a kid. Gobo always disappeared to his special place, and I’ve always done it, too (except my “secret” place is a big comfy blue chair on my front porch).

I substituted for 4 days in first grade (not at all new, but the hugs made it sweet and fulfilling just the same)

I spent three days making a wedding cake that took 14 boxes of cake mix, 15 pounds of frosting, and 15 more pounds of bright red fondant, which my daughter and I had to dye by kneading for hours. Our wrists hurt for days afterwards. This was definitely a new experience, and fun to share with my daughter, but too painful, too lengthy, and too expensive to be considered fulfilling in the least.

The best, most fulfilling part of September is that ever since we got back from Maine, my mom and I have had painting dates every Tuesday. After I get out of class Tuesday mornings, I drive the 25 miles to her house and we go somewhere pretty to paint. Then we go get some lunch. It’s been really nice. Really nice.

My mom, enjoying her new-found independence now that my grandma is in the home, wanted to take a painting class. There is one at the Botanical Gardens 10 miles from her house in Phoenix, but her best friend’s sister-in-law is a mostly famous artist and painting teacher who lives in Maine. She takes only two students at a time and my mom thought it would be a grand adventure, so she signed up.

Then the woman who would have been the other student had to cancel and that would cancel the class unless my mom could find someone else to fill the empty spot. Nine days before the class was to begin, she called to invite ME to go with her! There had been no plans actually made yet. No plane tickets, no rental car, no hotel. No real chance with such little notice at the high point of summer, right? Well, within a few hours, I had all the plans cemented and all we had to do was show up at the airport.

We had a wonderful last week of August, painting en plein aire, exploring Heaven on Earth, and eating lots of YUMMEH LOBSTAH!

I love my state! ♥ ♥ ♥

Thursday and Friday, we drove up to the forest, camped overnight, fished in 3 lakes and 2 rivers, roasted marshmallows, heard a pack of wolves howling at 2am IN our campground, drove past marshes, meadows, and fields of wildflowers, through a copper mine and got to see bighorn sheep, lots of deer, a flock of turkeys, and a huge CONDOR in the wild!

The campground was in the mountains at 9000 feet, and we live on the desert floor at 1900 feet, so we also experienced a 75° temperature swing, as it dipped well into the 40’s overnight in the forest, and it was 116° as we drove back into town. (Alas, that is the worst of living in this Valley—you always have to come back to the oven.)

Nevertheless, it was a breathtakingly beautiful and much needed retreat!

I went last night, with my mom, my daughter and my sister-in-law and her daughter. And my niece brought a little friend.

It was awesome! Beyond awesome, even. I had been waiting four years to see this show and I was expecting a LOT! It did not let me down.

Afterwards, my daughter surprised me by buying tshirts for the both of us. Sweet. She could have asked me to buy her one. I would have. But it was her love language to thank me for taking her to the show, and for going the extra mile to get her a ticket.

See, in April, when we booked 4 tickets, we were expecting her to stay at college over the summer, but she ended up coming home. I didn’t want to leave her to just sit home, but it is Wicked, after all, and was sold out. I called last week just to check and was told there were only 7 empty seats in the whole house, none were together, and none were anywhere near where the rest of us were sitting. Then I decided to call back after the 4th to ask which seats they were, and miraculously 2 seats were found, together, in the row right in front of the 4 seats we already had! Of course I bought them. Then my niece got to invite her little friend whose family is struggling and would not have gotten to go at all if it weren’t for my extra ticket.

So yay! :)