Have a Blessed Christmas

On a cool rainy day in April 2018 we walked the hills of Augusta National Golf Course during The Masters Golf Tournament. We felt truly blessed to walk these ancient lush green hills filled with a nursery of beautiful trees, bushes, and grasses.



Part of a day in Atlanta we spent time in the Jim Henson Puppetry Museum.What fun to see his  imaginative work displayed for all of us to enjoy. In person the puppets are incredible works of art. 

This painting is done using architectural
pieces of design to cover the canvas.

The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library in Atlanta gave us the opportunity to walk the halls of our living history, and be reminded of the energy crisis we faced in the mid-70's. How cold I remember my home in Greensburg, KS the year we were asked to keep the temperatures at 55 degrees.  Our bathroom/shower was screaming 
cold when we stepped into it.


We continued on our southern trip with a drive up mountain from Atlanta to visit friends from college days at LSU, who now live in Blairsville, Ga.  Mountain fog may have kept us from scenic views, but laughter and giggles from the shared experience will chime in my ears for time to come.

A month later we drove to Houston for our niece, Sophia's, graduation and wedding. Oh, such fun for all of us. Being around young people who are majoring in Stage/Acting/Directing made us feel so young and energized.  






Homeward bound we stopped to visit the GHW Bush Presidential Library, and burial site for the family.  The literacy work of Barbara Bush proudly filled a large section of the library. Her smile was so contagious.

Feeding and petting a Stingray.

In July we met kids and cousins in Omaha for a four day weekend. It is a great way to share a vacation with sons who live in New York City (Matt) and Dodgeville, WI (Mike, Ann, and Isaac) and our four nieces.  We were mesmerized by the statues and artwork all over downtown Omaha and the river-walks, but overall I think we all agreed that the "20% butterfat ice cream, made-from-scratch and slow-churned"  from Ted and Wally's was the Best. 

"The abstraction is often the most definite form for
the intangible thing in myself that I can
only clarify in paint." G. O'Keefe 

Jack and I took off several days in August to tour Crystal Gardens Museum in Bentonville, Arkansas where they were hosting a Georgia O'Keefe show. Then we drove to Glenwood, Arkansas to spend a day with our Stapp family members, who have become close family now. 










Home for the fall and winter our days have been filled with football games, gardening, working out, walking Lucy,and adding new tile throughout the halls, kitchen and dining room, plus carpet in three bedrooms, a new counter-top in the guest bathroom, not to mention the painting, and cleaning up process. No wonder we slept so well with shorter days and longer nights. 

The tiling transformation is awesome.

Somehow, we played many rounds of golf this year. Jack won The Trails Cup by winning or placing in many weekend golf events, while I won the Women's Club Championship this year. We both laughed over our surprising wins. As we know, age can be a state of mind or condition of the back, the knees, the shoulders, etc. etc. etc.

Most of all, we feel fortunate to be alive and share our moments and memories with all of you, our friends.

Happy New Year.  
Letty and Jack

Passion, from the Heart

A few weeks I wrote a blog called "Goals from the Heart" which awakened something deep within me. I still can't name it, but I think it must have something to do with passion in our lives. Ideas sometimes strike me like a tree branch slapping me in the face when I'm walking and dreaming, not watching and walking.

 


Sometimes we call these moments serendipity, which I think is a delightful explanation. Perhaps that's how I find things that I'm not searching for, or perhaps these words, "from the heart" are chasing me.

Recently, I listened to a TED talk by Isabel Allende called Tales of Passion. Isabel Allende: Tales of Passion  Her words, "Heart is what drives us and determines our fate." caused me to ask, "What is my passion? Where is my heart leading me?  Do I have the drive or the hunger to complete my goals?  Her words hit a cord, and I flashed back to a movie called "Joy." 

What are you passionate about today?

In the movie, JOY,  actress Jennifer Lawrence, presents a powerful character in her representation of Joy Mangano, inventor and entrepreneur. The life choices portrayed on screen and in Joy's real life vividly define words like perseverance, passion, and determination.  

One of Joy's many Inventions. How many do you own?

Joy Mangano writes on her website,  "I guess I've always wondered why the ordinary things in life need to remain ordinary? For as long as I can remember, I've had ideas, dreams for new ways to design something better.  More color, more style, more function. ...Here's my little secret.  This isn't work, it's my passion, and that is how I find joy." Finding Joy

from the heart...

My mind circles around faster than I can create a story, in fact, too fast sometimes. When this happens I often ask for guidance from above. Ironically, even the Lord sends helps through souls who've asked and answered this question. Georgia O'Keefe walked right into my mind shaking her head, "I gave up everything to be a painter. I focused on my heart. Is that what you want?" 

I smiled thinking, No, I'm not willing to give up everything, so I'll just enjoy the moments passionately....

When did you last follow your heart?