Word Association Friday Five

Below you will find five words or phrases. Tell us the first thing you think of on reading each one. Your response might be simply another word, or it might be a sentence, a poem, a memory, a recipe, or a story. You get the idea:

1. rooftop: The very sexy Marilyn Monroe

2. gritty: "Living just enough, just enough for the city!" Stevie Wonder

3. hot town (yeah, I know, it's two words): "Summer in the city..." :)

4. night: My son is on a trip with Grandma, and this word make me debate with myself which is longer to get through while missing him, the day or the night.

5. dance: An image~~I picture myself dancing. Maybe to "Play that Funky Music" or "Boogie Shoes". But that song reminds me of car dancing, which reminds me of a Barry White song and the group from Ally McBeal dancing to it.

I can hear him now ... "We got it together, baby!..."

My bonus question: what word is likely to make you feel good whenever you hear it? Kissing!

What Same-Sex Couples Can Teach Us About Marriage

"A growing body of evidence shows that same-sex couples have a great deal to teach everyone else about marriage and relationships. Most studies show surprisingly few differences between committed gay couples and committed straight couples, but the differences that do emerge have shed light on the kinds of conflicts that can endanger heterosexual relationships.

The findings offer hope that some of the most vexing problems are not necessarily entrenched in deep-rooted biological differences between men and women. And that, in turn, offers hope that the problems can be solved. "

Here's the article!

Celebrating My Birthday

Today is my birthday!

But I got two of my best presents last night. My beloved sent me an e-card and posted in the online gay Christian community we belong to, creating a birthday thread for me. And sent me an email this morning wishing me a happy birthday. It meant so much to me that she did all that because I know how tired she is with her job! And it helped make it a little easier to be here today while she's there.

My other gift last night was the moon!

I don't think I've ever seen it look so beautiful!! It had a wonderful halo/aura around it. I find the moon very comforting and soothing, and it was the last thing I saw before I got into bed. It was easier to believe that everything's going to work out the way it should, that God's got it covered.

And also, today's wonderfulness is that I have been showered with love!

So many good wishes today.

And tonight, I get to eat at Olive Garden! :)

School's Out for Summer! (Part 2)

We finished wrapping up everything we needed to this week, so our homeschooling is complete for the year! (YAY!!)

So I found this video for my son so we could celebrate.

A Beachin' Friday Five

From Mother Laura, at RevGalBlogPals...

So in honor of summer, please share your own beachy memories, plans, and dreams with a "Beach Trip" Friday Five.

1. Ocean rocks, lake limps? Vice versa? Or "it's all beautiful in its own way"?

I love both! It's all beautiful.

2. Year round beach living: Heaven...or the Other Place?

Oh, I would love to live on the water year-round. A house on the beach or the lake would be heaven! That's my dream.

3. Any beach plans for this summer?

I don't think so. My wife and I have thought about going to Myrtle Beach in August, but I don't think we actually will.

4. Best beach memory ever?

I've had so many wonderful beach memories, I can't pick just one. I was just remembering as many as I could, sifting through them for the one that was most special, but they were all special.

My trip with my wife to Myrtle Beach a couple of years ago (we weren't married yet) might be my best beach memory, but that one doesn't involve the actual beach. We spent all our time at Broadway at the Beach.

5. Fantasy beach trip?

Renting a beach cottage for a week or two with my wife and kids. We'd like to go to Basin Harbor Club in Vermont sometime, but there are other places we'd like to go, as well.

Bonus: Share a piece of music/poetry/film/book that expresses something about what the beach means to you.

I love to read novels that are set on the beach or at a lake! It makes the beach one of the characters.

I actually just finished writing a story with the beach as backdrop (I write in the BBM fandom). It made it more fun to write because I got to smell the salty air, feel the caress of the ocean breezes and gaze out at the ocean, listening to the waves, right along with my characters.

"School's Out for Summer!"

Okay, well, it's not quite...

But we are finishing up this week, so I hope to be singing that line at the end of the day tomorrow! For the past few years, I have ended the year with a book full of core knowledge info for his grade to make sure we've covered most of what's essential during the year. But I think next year, I may begin with that book, so I can avoid the year-end anxiety about finishing.

I'm very proud of my son, though, and must take a moment to brag!

In part because of what happened to his "best friend" (he has several), Tristan, and partly because of other things that came up in the past few weeks, we are a little bit behind. So I told my son we might need to add on a week or so past what the public school kids are doing. Well, he would not have it and was determined to finish on time, even if it meant some intense catching up.

Well, this morning, he got up early, grabbed the book and read for two hours before taking a break and has been very enthusiastic about continuing with me once I was ready to join him!

And he plowed through a lot of material!!

Of course, we will review some of it again, to make sure he actually ingested it, but his effort and his reading ability really impressed me.

I think we just might finish on schedule!

Saying Goodbye...

I've just come back from the crying extravaganza~~I mean, Tristan's funeral!

One more time for crying so hard it made my lips quiver and my face do funny things and my breath hitch. In fact, I experienced all the different levels of crying~~ tears that seem to come from nowhere, sliding suddenly down my face. The sudden scrunchy-face crying as it hits you again. The sniffly crying that can co-exist with laughter and fond memories. Etc.

It was a wonderful service!

There were bright colors, a puppet song, knock-knock jokes, affectionate and funny stories about Tristan, a performance by the kids of a song from Christmas that Tristan loved. It was hard to watch that because I kept thinking about where he would have stood.

I had deliberately chosen to sit by my favorite church friends, at the end of the row near the two who I could count on to cry, too. One of them hugged me at the end right after the procession, and we both stood there and cried. It helped!

I love my church!

Jonathan was sad after the service, but didn't want to talk to me about it. He kept saying he wanted to be alone, and sat by himself for a bit on the bench outside where we were all kinda hanging out as the limos filled. And one by one, people went over to him to check on him and ask if he was okay. Several "grown-ups" talked to him, and he later told me it helped.

I am glad they were there for him.

Well, I feel drained. I'd like to say more but I think I'm done. At least, for now...

Tristan, thank you for being kind to my son! I hope you are singing your heart out right now or laughing at a joke God made up just for you.