recently...

we finally got around to getting a new computer...and an external back up drive! So I can share photos like these of AJ's 9th Birthday ealier this month!!!!!

Birthday morning:

AJ decided that this birthday was going to be the day for conquering his concern about going on the corkscrew roller coaster at Sea World...and he did and loved it! Around the middle of the train below, you'll see Cary in the red shirt waving, and AJ sitting next to him. Summer is behind them. The ride is awesome with a full loop and a couple of twists, and very fast.

Nicholas decided this was going to be the day to try out all of the little kids rides that he had previously just not wanted to go on. AJ helped him out on the first couple. Here they are waiting in line together. I love it that they still hold hands!



After that, AJ, Summer and Cary went back to the corkscrew while I stayed with Nicholas in the little kids section. Nicholas just amazed me by running from ride to ride and hardly paying attention to where I was. I found myself stepping further and further back as he made friends with the other kids in line and started horsing around with them. In this photo, he is the 3rd from the left with his arms up in the air on a ride that goes straight up and down. Once he decided he could do these rides, he did them easily....both my boys showed how fast they are growing up that day!

And the cake, special request...mama's vegan chocolate cake with chocolate icing and banana ice cream, after pizza for dinner.

A very happy 9th birthday!

More photos coming soon! Oh, and the new computer prompted a new look for this blog. I'll have to play around with that title photo to try and reduce the size....later, right now we are headed to play at the park!

Living Simply..part 2

Another thought...for some people, living simply means living on their own land, growing their own food, relying on the natural elements for power and water. I admire the people who live this way. For a long time, I even wanted to do this too. Thinking about it, it does not seem to me like a simple way to live...basic and very earthy yes...but damn hard work. I am not afraid of hard work, I have just been questioning if doing this would fulfill me. If it would allow me the time I have now to devote to my family.

Since we've been back in Australia, we've all grown personally, emotionally and spiritually. But professionally, Cary feels as though he's gone backwards. ..I see that side of his growth like he has been in the pullback phase of a slingshot. He's gone as far as he can without breaking...now he's released the thinking that was keeping him in that mindset and he's being flown forward and is really soaring. I know he'll go a long way.

Cary had reached a point of major frustration. He was almost ready to go back to the USA to live. Realising that the most important thing in my life is keeping the family together, I released my attachment to the thoughts that were keeping me here. Just as I sincerely offered that we could go back to the USA if he thought that would be better, he realised that he really does prefer it here and it seemed to fuel his determination to make it work here. He asked Spirit for guidance and 'out of the woodwork', answers started coming to him.

The opportunities that Cary is now creating and attracting will require us to move house. Our lives will be a little more hectic and not as 'simple' as they have been on this plateau. But as I mentioned in my previous post, as long as we maintain our connection to the important people in our lives (including our own selves and God), and we remain unattached to the physical reality around us, our lives will rich and full and deep.

I don't think this is the right time for us to get on the land totally. I would like to have a large veggie garden in our new place (the move probably won't happen for 4-6 months). I'll continue to do all that I do to be kind to the health of my family and the environment. The hard work in front of us now will involve more of a mental nature, and that's good too. And as long as I stay grounded in Who I Really Am, my life will always have an element of Simplicity.

Living Simply...what does that mean anyway?

I've mentioned on here from time to time that we enjoy Living Simply....but what does that mean really?

What do other people mean when they talk about "living simply"?

It could mean living frugally...living in a place that meets your basic needs, surrounded by just enough 'stuff' to make your life comfortable. No frills, no added extras and no clutter. Buying just enough food to get you through the week, and/or buying in bulk to get additional discounts. Buying the things you need when they are on sale. Probably not having things like cable tv, air conditioning etc.

It could mean living 'green', with the environment a major consideration in how you live. Purchasing mostly organic food, recycled clothes and household items, or new items that meet a certain standard.

It could mean not over scheduling your life so that you have more spare time to let life unfold. Spending quality time with those you love (family, friends and yourself) just to Be and explore and seize the moments.

For me, it is a little of all of these things. Probably the most important part of Living Simply, for me, is not having attachment to the material things I do have, and also not feeling attached to things "having" to be a certain way. My priority is my family and the connection we have to each other and to our Selves and to a Higher Source.

We have been living in a very basic house with mostly second hand, basic things around us. We're now seeing several paths in front of us...stay as we are...get back on the road....or move to a larger house with a large outdoor area where Cary could store all of the big toys he brings in from the USA. It's exciting having options. I think on some level, I may have resisted going for a larger house and newer furniture thinking that it wasn't very Simple or Spiritual. I now realise that it's not the things around me that make my life Spiritual or Simple ... it's maintaining Who I Really Am.
........you know what? That's it (for me)! My life is fairly Simple because it's not complicated by searching and trying to find myself in the grand scheme of Life. I'm pretty content with Who I Am and I have a great deal of Trust that Life is unfolding exactly as it should.

I can really Be my Self whether I'm living in a camper or in a very nice house. No matter where I go, I carry with me the lessons learned in non-attachment and living with connection as my priority. In doing so, I am living my life fully and deeply.

I actually prefer that term...Living Deeply. That's what we do.