2010 and beyond...

Yet another year is upon us, as we start another decade. Much like our own birthdays... every time a year rolls around we stop and reflect, we look back at the year and think of all the events and experiences we had and look forward to a fresh new start.

So, as Earth celebrates another birthday and as we say goodbye to one decade, pressing onward towards a new one...let's reflect, let's look back and see what we've been through and what we've learned both on a global and personal level. I hope that we will cherish the good times we've had, pat ourselves on the back for the major and not so major accomplishments we've achieved, and most of all learn from our mistakes and the mistakes of others and not repeat what history has taught us...

For the coming year and the new decade we are entering, I have very few things to ask for. I hope to find peace both internally and for our fellow man as well. I hope to live with eyes open to see the wonders each day has in store for us, and to witness the events as they unfold in the world. I hope mankind will learn to be a bit more compassionate and to rely on love more often, I hope for an outbreak of kindness around the world (as a friend said the other day). And most importantly I hope we can all do our part as individuals as well as a unit to make this little blue planet of ours a better place for our future generation...

I wish you all a Happy New year and a prosperous decade ahead. Enjoy yourselves tonight, don't drink too much.... then again...why not? Go ahead knock yourselves out I know I will, there will be lots of drinking and a downpour of tears in our home tonight, both happy and sad...

Peace my friends!
Love and Joy to accompany...


So...tell us what do you hope for in 2010 and beyond...?

love from the bogoshere...

My lovely blog friend Christina over at Soul Aperture sent me this photo today...
Her husband participated in the cancer run in Milwaukee on a September day, and among the names of all their friends who have been effected by this horrid disease, was Gag's name too.... made me teary looking at it.




Thank you Christina and husband for thinking of him and thank you for the photo, you truly are a very special person. To think we don't even "know" each other, we met here in the cyber world, between blog posts and sharing stories, admiring our pictures and finding comfort in our words. Yet it would seem we have connected on a much deeper level...

There is much love here in the blogosphere, no doubt about it.



love...peace...joy...

sweet snail mail....

Hey everybody, look what I got in
the mail from Janet.
This is one of her tags from her
Tuesday Tag Challenge posts, I commented about
how I really liked this one... and voila!!!

Thank you Janet, I really love it,
love the colors, the message, and most
of all the fact that it's hand made by you.
It's very happy in it's new home, hanging
from my lamp on my nightstand,
where I can see it daily and think of all
the great memories Gag left us with.
Thanks again... it really made my day.


Isn't Janet great? If you guys haven't
already been there please check out
her corner.

LOVE...PEACE...JOY...

october..

just a quick note to let you guys know what's going on in October over at Capturing beauty.
so go on over there now and check back throughout this month for some fun shots of the changing season captured by all 11 of us there..
Here's my first shot I posted.... more to come :)

thanks Philip once again for this blog opportunity

love...peace...joy...

got nothing...

i don't really have anything for you guys today... but did want to share a beautiful song....

"a brotherhood of men".... what an amazing concept...
unfortunately religious differences will keep mankind segregated forever... and that is a sad thought...


peace...

the game...

So here we were... players, coaches, referees, parents, and family members,
gathered on a Sunday afternoon
(the first day that the smoke had actually cleared up),
all there for one purpose... to remember a great coach, and to honor him by
playing a clean game, to have fun and play from the heart.
T-shirt were made especially for this event for the player to wear
that said:
"In memory of coach Jerry Mansourian
September 6, 2009"

a moment of silence before the game

I took the place of coach Jerry for an
after game snapshot.... this will remain in our
hearts forever...

loyal coach Jerry fans
(thanks Mardy for making these t-shirts and in Gag's fave color)

a jersey was signed by all the players
for us to take home and remember this day by

and here I am... filled with tears of joy and pain.

I wore Gag's favorite cap (which still smells like him).

He always wore a cap on the field, so one day
when he showed up without one... the kids (10 at the time)
were surprised.... one of them yelled out....
"But coach... you're bald!"
what a good laugh we all had that day...

So glad I had enough battery power to at least take a few shots. The special moment of the event though was at snack time, after the game, as I gathered everyone to thank them for putting together this great event... I wanted to make sure that they knew what a memorable day this was for us, and how deeply they touched our hearts, and how proud the coach would be of them.

A few coaches had some things to share as well about the way Gag was on and off the field, and what an important part of the organization he was. So, I wanted to hear from the boys, and asked if any of them had a fond memory with the coach that they would like to share... and what happened was amazing... one by one they got up and told a story or two about this coach they loved so much.... It was truly an honor to be there, and to hear everyone talk about Gag with such high regard, I think it was even more important for our boys to hear all this about their dad. Arman did play that day... and just as I had thought, it motivated him to play this season, and that makes me very happy and I'm sure makes dad very proud.

Gag was there... we could feel him walking up and down the field watching the game he loved... played the way he would have wanted.

I guess we will take part in this seasons games once again... looking forward to our weekends on the field.

love...peace...joy...

something special

Tomorrow at 4pm at the Glendale Sports Complex, where we've had many futball (soccer for all you yanks :) games headed by Coach Jerry, something special will take place.

Some 37 young boys have volunteered their time on this long weekend to play a friendly game to honer their coach. All of these boys have at one point or another been coached by Gagik. The soccer organization and some of the coaches who have worked with him have put this together, I'm so touched by this event.

It will be a difficult day for all of us, as I step on that field, all the memories of past games will come into mind, the way he would pace back and fourth on the side lines yelling out instructions, and the post game "high fives" between the boys and him.... Arman will be participating in this game as well, and I'm sure it will be an emotional game for him too, but I know he will play with his heart for dad.

I will be without my camera tomorrow (I've left my battery charger in Mexico, so till they ship it back to me... I'm stuck with no toy), this may be a good thing.. I love the game with a passion and I'll be sitting on my chair, just enjoying this special game tomorrow. Watching the little faces that have grown into young teen boys, playing the game that coach has given so many pointers on.... I know he's touched their lives in so many ways in the past years, and tomorrow their young heart will touch our lives forever. I'm so grateful for that.

The following weekend will mark the beginning of the new season, it will be the first in eleven years which we will not take part in. We loved this time of the year, a game every Saturday, which meant a late Friday night for the coach. I can just see him now, sitting in the balcony, going over line-up card and game plan, rearranging the players over and over again. He loved this game, and he loved coaching, I can honestly say it was one of his greatest passions in life. He'll be enjoying the game tomorrow as well, except he will probably have the best seat in the house.

I'll post the details of the game and the images on my mind from tomorrow.


Enjoy the rest of your weekend...

love...peace...joy...

Paper or Plastic?? Neither!

Don't you just love reusable bags?? I'm so glad more and more supermarkets, drugstores and other retailers are carrying them. They're inexpensive (anywhere from .99 to $2.99), can be used for more than just grocery shopping, (bookstore... picnic.... lunch bag...) are very cute and stylish, and hey they're good for our little blue planet.



As soon as I'm done putting away my groceries, I fold them up and put them by my purse, so I don't forget to take them back to the car, and they're ready to go for next time. Of course Trader Joe's have some of the nicest ones, and they've come up with a brilliant plan to encourage people to use them more. Every time you take your bags in with you, they put your name in a raffle drawing, 5 winner every week for a $20 gift card towards your next groceries. Isn't that smart thinking? (I have yet to win, but oh well there's always next time ;).
So, here's hoping that someday the question... "paper or plastic"? will be a thing of the past.

That's all I got for you guys today.... just trying to stay busy on another gloomy and blue day.

Have a great Tuesday!
Love and Peace!