What A Day!

Ha, no exclamation mark necessary. Mine is quite the uneventful life... hey, book title, maybe?

So, it has finally arrived,Thursday, July 24, 2014, first day of BlogHer '14! However, it's also ComicCon - SDCC14 - opening day! Truth be told, if I had to make the choice, I rather be at ComicCon... sorry all you bloggers. I'm just tons more familiar with stuff going on in San Diego than what is happening in San Jose, although I would like to someday experience a BlogHer conference and have the chance to possibly meet writers whose stories have "spoken" to me.

Of course, as a relative newbie to the blogging world, I will not be at this year's conference. It's just not in the budget. I'm also not at all pressed for time at the moment. Actually, I am rarely pressed for time. Since I didn't need to keep the car today... who wants to be out in 118 degree temps!? Not me, that's for sure, so I have plenty of time to work on today's prompt; I shall now blog in bullet points 10 things about my day so far.

•  6:30   Nudged awake by Bookstore Boy... then again at 6:50.
•  6:55   Got up to fix husband's ham and cheese sandwich.
•  7:08* Took anxiety meds, and fell back to sleep. *approximately
• 11:15  Nudged awake again by Bookstore Boy... one day after my doctor said, "No daytime sleeping."
• Wished I could go back to bed.
• Logged on my computer to tweet, watch YouTube videos, and read blogs.
• Had chicken soup for lunch.
• Anxiously awaited call from optician's office saying my new prescription glasses were ready, and from husband saying he "got the job." Zilch on both fronts.
• Cooked dinner
• Got ComicCon updates from Bookstore Boy all morning and afternoon.

I! Know!

Until tomorrow ~ Lil

***

This post is written for Day 24 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge for July 2014 and NaBloPoMo.

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Ten Things I Love About Blogging

Participating in BlogHer NaBloPoMo for July 2014 has made it easy to come up with my list of 10 things I love about blogging.  Here goes:

1.  Following the many writers who are brilliant at the business of blogging.

2.  For this month anyway, challenging myself to write a daily post and discovering it is possible... I've only missed one day!

3. The freedom to be myself... and, on occasion, un-showered .

4. Being able to do it at any hour... mostly at the crack of midnight.

5. No pressure to be perfect.

6. The idea that a random stranger from around the world might read my post, regardless I have only five followers, not many hits, and very rarely, a comment... and I'm okay with that.

7. No word-count limit.

8. No grades.

9. No shirt, no pants, no shoes.. no problem.

10. Options:  Edit, View, Share, or DELETE

Until tomorrow ~ Lil

***

This post is written for Day 23 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge for July 2014 and NaBloPoMo.

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History & The Past

As I examine the past decade, I just wanted to share something from 2005. It was written in the midst of the lowest of lows for me.  You see, at this point I had been under doctors' care and managing a number of illnesses, including something new called  fibromyalgia, and the awfulness that is depression and bipolar disorder - emphasis on depression. This passage sums up my struggle coping with life on a small Hawaiian island. Some may infer that I was suicidal during this time; however, quite the opposite was true. I was hopeful... certain that this would pass. I took comfort in knowing I shall never sink like that again. I KNOW IN MY SPIRIT, HEART, AND MIND.

MIND STORM ~

Your embracing arms hold me

Your hand in mine is soothing

You, in mind, comfort me as 

Mind’s ills storm body mind and soul

Sudden isolation 

Confusion and despair

Anticipating fear

My mind storm is here

You have touched me 

You are strong 

I reach for you,

I trust you

I am frightened by the storm

You are caring

And I care for you too

I welcome you free from harm 

To my unimaginable storm

Accept my invitation 

You have been here all along 

Share this time with me 

The storm is still so strong

We all belong here 

Goodness abounds 

This is how it is: 

I’m alone inside

As the mind storm passes on

By Lillian Carilo 2005 ~ Bipolar Disorder

***

In keeping with this month's theme: Decade...
.

Horse-Drawn Sleigh Ride ~ Colorado 2005

Colorado 2005 was a welcome change. By springtime my family had established a comforting home life, our children eased into a new school and immediately made friends. Our first night in our new home was Halloween night.. Perfect, a great memory of a happy time... costumes, candy! It was a good night. Another highlight was a holiday weekend for families of employees, courtesy of my husband's company. Good times... 

October 2006 brought with it tremendous joy in the shape of a puppy... a Blue Tri-colored beagle. It was love at first sight... 

********

I love today's NaBloPoMo blog prompt: Wednesday, July 9, 2014 , "Do you like to read historical fiction? Tell us about your favourite book not set in the contemporary period."  I love reading historical fiction, it is one of my favorite genres in literature.  One of my all-time favorite books was a gift from my neighbor, Alicia, from the time my family lived in Texas.  At least twice a year - Eastertime and Christmastime - I pick up my tattered paperback copy of Marjorie Holmes, Two From Galilee ~The Story of Mary and Joseph. I enjoy it not for it's religious aspects, but for the budding romance between two quite ordinary individuals, who find themselves under extraordinary circumstances. The story begins with the mundane and leads it's reader from the inconceivable to the miraculous.  I'll hope to find time to read it for the rest of my life. 

***

Until tomorrow ~ Lil

This post is written for Day 9 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge for July 2014 and NaBloPoMo.

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Lil's Week In Review ~ July 6, 2014

July 2014 NaBloPoMo Theme is DECADE, and since weekends are left open to blogger's choice I'm going to borrow Thurs, July 3, 2014's prompt: "What do you think you will be doing 10 years from now?",  and share this post from my 2nd blog - A Home Not Our Own

This Week In Review:

~ Past ten years were not conducive to any concert going (financially speaking). But this decade has given us the opportunity to splurge on little luxuries like seeing favorite performers playing at nearby-ish venues. I'm hopeful more concerts will be enjoyed over the next 10 years. Micheal Buble, Josh Groban, and Ed Sheeran top my list.

Last Monday was Pomona. Woot woot? Wow! So much fun! If someone ever told me, "You will have one of your 'Best times ever in Pomona.'," I would have slapped them in the face for saying something so ridiculous... that's just crazy talk... but yep, it's true, I had a blast last night

So, rather than "Woot, woot, question mark," it was more like, Hank Green, Driftless Pony Club & Harry and the Potters! Woo! Hoo!!  In case anyone was wondering, here are some Hank Green You Tube vids.

~ Carilo Family Movies: Summer 2014 that were watch this week, as selected from @EW's "...essential movies kids must see before they turn 13." were... 

#13 Wall-E

#14 The Sound of Music
#15 The Lion King
#16 The Wizard of Oz
#17 Singing in the Rain
#18 Miracle on 34th Street... I LOVE THIS MOVIE!
#19: The Iron Giant. #GreatMovie LOVED IT!
#20 E.T. #StayElliott

~ And, lastly (because I am very sleepy), a list of this week's A How-To Guide visits from around the globe:

United States
Germany
Russia
Ukraine
India
United Kingdom

Yay, world!

Until tomorrow. ~ Lil

***

This post is written for Day 6 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge for July 2014 and NaBloPoMo.

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Did I Mention...

I started a hobby.

It was fun. So fun I stopped.

What can I say, life.

You know the drill... taxiing a husband and a son to and from work, school carpool, elderly parent watch , husband health watch, car problems, elderly diabetic parent meal management, husband ER visit, elderly parent emergency surgery, bailing on carpooling because that one nightmare kid, more car problems, more driving, more Mom (elderly parent) stuff. The list goes on and on. Oh, and let's not forget coordinating college kid's travel plans for visits home, including that extra stressful task of making arrangements for everything that needs to be taken care of (from opposite ends of the country) before she left school for Summer break.

Anyway, I hope to return to creating new vlogs... that hobby I was telling you about.

#ThisIsFifty

#InTheKitchenWithLilOnWednesday  #FiveOnFriday

&

More!

Vlogs by Lillian Carilo

Until tomorrow. ~ Lil

This post is written for Day 5 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge for July 2014 and NaBloPoMo.

Move On, Plan Ahead

This month I commit to take a look back over the past decade.
This is how it looked then.
I never imagined that life would get anywhere near this...

This is Hawaii. This road once took us on a hilarious adventure, but that was in 2003. July 2004 was... Gosh, I don't remember; not any specifics anyway. Everything I wrote back then is in storage.

***

Ten years ago, that first complete calendar year spent on the island, was full of jubilant highs... finally a secure job for my husband; relief... the ability to again establish financial serenity; concerns... were we ever going to adjust to drastic changes to our "normal;" and scariest of all, emotional lows... my inability to manage health issues was wreaking havoc on our home life.

By October of 2004, I had to leave. The only solution to matters at hand was for me to return to the mainland, and attend to my medical needs. Back on the island, my husband began a renewed job search. The industry he worked in - homebuilding - was still in trouble and jobs were scarce. All I could do was promise my soon-to-be eight year-old that I'd be back in time to celebrate her birthday. Now, I'm not one to make promises to my children, but under those circumstances, that promise was made as much to myself as it was to my children. It would be unbroken.

I was only able to stay on the island a few weeks before my health began to deteriorate again... at lightning speed. I had promised my doctors that I would return to California to resume care. It wasn't until March 2005 that my family and I were reunited. I made one last trip to Hawaii. Our things were prepared for container storage and an eight week journey across the Pacific Ocean, followed by a moving truck delivery. We packed a few suitcases with bare essentials to restart our lives together in Colorado.

I can't help but sigh at that memory.  I was forty years old.  I do not miss my forties. Since turning fifty this year, I find I don't have much expectation for anything.  I do have hopes and dreams for my children's future.
So, to answer, "What do you think you will be doing 10 years from now? I hope my husband and I will not have to go too long without visits from our children. We'll grow a bit older along with our dogs. I hope to be smarter, life stable, sound in body and mind. I don't know.

As has been true my entire life, my wish is to someday have an English garden to spend my days in, and enjoy with family and friends.  Yeah, that's what I'd love most to be doing 10 years from now.

Until tomorrow. ~ Lil

This post is written for Day 3 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge for July 2014 and NaBloPoMo.

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I Never Imagined

This month I commit to take a look back over the past decade. This is how it looked then...

I never imagined that life would get anywhere near this...

    This is Hawaii. That road once lead us on a hilarious adventure, but that was in 2003.  July 2004 was... Gosh, I don't remember; not any specifics anyway. Everything I wrote back then is in a Colorado storage place.

That said, the decade since then has been unbelievable. I'll fill you in as the this month rolls on.

***

By July of 2004 I am pretty sure that I had had it... island living was not for me. I had loads to complain about, but lucky for me, there were a few things that I could always look forward to with some regularity... and these things filled me with such joy that I could not help but be grateful.

Some of my favorite memories on that tiny Hawaiian island were of evenings on the lanai in Lanai. These evenings were shared with friends over dinners outdoors, hilarious conversation while playing dominos, still moments gazing at the Milky Way floating against velvety-black night skies, and ending with loving hugs & quiet good-byes. I loved those nights... we all did.

Then there were those soon waning weekend visits to the beach. We didn't attend church after moving to the island, so those short rides to the beach on the weekend were my retreat... no matter how much sand filled our swimsuits that would inevitably end up coming home with us. What a mess!  This was the only accessible beach, and it always seemed to be left all to us. The kids would snorkel in the tide pool, boogie board in the ocean, but mostly play in the sand.  We even had a couple of over night campouts, until that one giant wave we witnessed crashing way too far past the shoreline. The fear of a wave carrying my family out to sea trapped in a tent was enough to put a stop to any future camping trips.

Another thing to be grateful for was Omaha Steaks by mail. I'd place an order once a month to treat us to stuff we didn't have available on the island, or that I did not have confidence purchasing at any of the small grocery stores in town. Large grocery shopping excursions consisted of hauling ice chest to the small harbor for early morning  ferry rides to Maui, vehicle rental, and a long drive to Costco, and back again in reverse order. What a chore.  So, it was nice to occasionally have a food shipment arrive by Fed Ex. Ahhh, the good life... ?

Last but not least was the ocean itself; conditions were pretty much perfect year-round, and it left me in awe.   Fierce, strong, magnificent... it took my breath away.  One of the greatest gifts I have ever had bestowed upon me... bestowed upon us... was viewing a humpback whale show from our beach chairs and towels.  It was kind of cold and there were no more than 20 people on the beach that afternoon, and our outing was coming to a close earlier than normal. But, just as we started to get up, our friend Doug spotted a  huge splash directly in front of us. A whale! This gorgeous creature seemed to be expressing joy and gratitude for his or her home... the deep blue sea. It seemed to be putting on a show just for us.  We were captivated, and ohhh and ahhh-ed with every leap out of the water. Everyone honored to have had the experience erupted into cheers and applause when our happy humpback whale called it a day.

What a treat. I never imagined I'd ever witness such beauty. Time stood still during moments like that.

Until tomorrow. ~ Lil

This post is written for Day 2 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge for July 2014 and NaBloPoMo.

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Mind Blown

Yes, as soon as I decided to get down to writing this post, my mind is totally blown.  Why? Well, because I thought I'd get some help from July 2014 BlogHer Blogroll. I scrolled through all the titles - glad that they were numbered - with plan to choose one to visit in hopes that someone's post might inspire how I should start my July 1st post.  Seeing blogroll was numbered, I then decided to get my son's help by asking him to pick a number between 1 and 64... Get this, he distractedly muttered, "thiiiirty threee." And, wouldn't you know it, HE PICKED MINE! Wild, right?

See...

1. wordsbyelena
2. Alphabet Salad
3. The Foodie Patootie
4. inneractive FITCLUB- heart pumpin' spirit movin'
5. Chief Life Changers
6. Chasing Dragonflies
7. The Debrina Show
8. The LodyBlog
9. Crazy Eddie's Motie News
10. Life As It Is
11. through my eyes
12. out & about in new york city
13. Creations de mon Coeur
14. Have Apron Will Bake
15. Ramblin' with AM
16. Faith, Grace, and Hope
17. Thoughts Tips and Tales
18. This Fuckin House
19. The Serendipity Years
20. The Chic of Domesticity
21. Mydhiliram's Blog
22. Parenting with Faith
23. Francene--Blog. 2014
24. Dumbwoman's Lane
25. CodeGurl
26. Everyday Gyaan
27. squaarekat.blogspot.com
28. Beauty and the Beets
29. Tea Leaves
30. Right to the (Pen's) Point
31. I am a Plague of Music Cooties
32. In the Transition
33. A How-To Guide
34. Vidya Sury, Going A-Musing, Collecting Smiles
35. Belgium or Bust
36. ifs buts ands etcs...
37. Autumn Eyez
38. Knit. Run. Reap. Eat.
39. The Fit Beach Babe
40. I Kiss My Cat on the Lips
41. Felt With Love Designs
42. Perle's Ink, freelance words & art
43. Rose & Odin
44. The Go To Mum
45. Hey, Life? Are You Kidding Me?
46. Both Sides of the Atlantic
47. tales of a north shore princess
48. onethousandandtwo
49. Un Giorno Nella Vita (A Day in the Life)
50. Blackout Girl
51. Alternative Wiring
52. A Rose Is A Rose Is A Rose!
53. NoMoreNiceGirl: Meet the New Nice
54. Hopeful Luna
55. Having Coffee With Peppy
56. My Ambiance Life
57. I Breathe Vinyl
58. my heart's love songs
59. Someday Somewhere
60. Adorably Obnoxious
61. Kudzu, Mon Amour
62. Broadcast Pink
63. Tickle the Sun | Taming the Mess
64. Twigs and Tulle

So, let's try this again. Number 27! That's you squaarekat. Thanks, in advance, for being there for me.

Well, at least I know someone is off to a good start. Way to go, Marisa.

* * *

"This summer is BlogHer's 10th anniversary! Tell us something YOU have been doing for ten straight years." ~ Mel at BlogHer

Surviving? Enduring? Persevering? Struggling? *sigh* Maybe a little bit of all of those descriptions.

This month I commit to look back over the past decade. This is how it looked then...

This is not  journey. This is not a Journey. This is not  journey...

This is Hawaii. That road once lead us on a hilarious adventure, but that was in 2003.  July 2004 was... Gosh, I don't remember; not any specifics anyway. Everything I wrote back then is in a Colorado storage place.

That said, the decade since then has been unbelievable. I'll fill you in as the this month rolls on.

Oh, by the way, July 1, 2014 got off to a great start! Exited the freeway at 12:04 am after spending a night out with my daughters. We went to a concert at a venue about 100 miles away.  We had a great time, and performers were awesome. Made some great memories.

Until tomorrow. ~ Lil

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My Decade... Let's Do This!

A decade ago: We bought a car... in Hawaii!

BlogHer July 2014 Decade

Hang on, this is going to be ride...