I’m in a writing funk.  The ideas are there, swirling and blustering around my brain like a wind storm, but I’m unable to grasp any and hold them down into cohesive phrases and sentences.  Rather than pulling out my hair in frustration (which I’m sure my husband would think is a huge waste of money), I think I’ll follow the wisdom of writers far more experienced and talented than me who advise to write about anything if writer’s block rears its ugly head.  The topic doesn’t matter, as long as words are being put to paper (or the computer screen).  Because I really do want to write something today, and because I’m pretty sure I’m not able to write the good stuff because I’m feeling fragmented mentally, I’m going to give this a try.

This is me and my undisciplined brain on a dreary, humid Saturday in July:

I’m still dealing with a cough and cold that I picked up on my visit to California.  It is completely sapping my energy.  Having a cold in the summer is miserable.  Period.  I guess it’s  time to bite the bullet and go see Dr. King.

Speaking of California, I absolutely loved it.  The weather was perfect, and, for me, it was a wonderfully relaxing break.  Coming home to the heat and humidity was rough.  I’ve had a bugger of a time jumping back into our regularly scheduled life.  It’s been three weeks and I still feel like I’m going through withdrawal.  Here are just a few photos to give credence to my struggle:

[ At the Cove in La Jolla ]

[ The Gliderport looking over Black’s Beach ]

[ Coronado ]

[ A surfer at Windansea Beach ]

[ Anza-Borrego Desert State Park ]

[ Hiking The Slot at Anza-Borrego ]

[ The San Diego Zoo ]

[ Oceanside ]

Ok, now I’ve gotten my SoCal fix for the day.  I can move on.  If I’ve piqued your curiosity, check this out.  It’s where I gleefully write about my travel adventures and share my photos.  I’m sorry.  That was a shameful plug for my other blog, wasn’t it?  I try to post there about once a week.  Next up, La Jolla.

I went to see Disney’s Brave last night for Fun Friday with my daughter and her friend.  (The boys saw The Dark Knight Rises.)  It’s a deviation from Disney’s standard princess recipe and I really enjoyed it.  There is humor, tenderness, and growth in the main characters.  I surprised myself by tearing up at the end.  Of course, the animation was superb.  Another win for Disney, another fun movie experience for me.

I’ve been offered a job.  The perfect job, really.  The kind of job I just finished my degree for.  And yet, because it came out of the blue, I’m feeling slightly blind-sided and unable to think clearly.  I’m comfortable with my life the way it is.  Change would be stressful.  I’m not ready to go back to work full-time.  Blah, blah, blah.  This is a perfect example of God’s timing not being my timing at all.  Usually when God’s timing is discussed, it means He isn’t working fast enough for someone’s satisfaction.  In my life, God’s timing is often much quicker than my own.  I prefer time to think, ponder, and consider.  No rushing, please.  God, in His perfect wisdom knows I often need a push to get things rolling and so He steps in and makes things happen.  And so, this is the situation in which I find myself: a wonderful (albeit full-time) job dropped unexpectedly in my lap with a rather speedy decision required.  I can’t deny that it’s a wonderful dilemma to have, but the decision is driving me nuts.  I’ll just keep laying it at God’s feet and asking for guidance.

We’ve hit the midpoint for summer vacation 2012.  It’s always about this time that I have a mini-panic attack because I realize the summer is slipping through my fingers under-used and under-appreciated.   As a knee-jerk reaction, we (meaning I) have filled up the next several days with all the good things summer has to offer – a binge on summer fun, if you will.  Baseball games, amusement parks, swimming, sleep-overs, potato chip factory tours.  It will be a last hurrah before band camp and football practices steal the last weeks of summer from us like sneaky thieves.

I’ve been listening to Van Morrison’s Moondance album almost non-stop.  As a matter of fact, I’m listening to it right now.  In my opinion, it is the epitome of what summer music should be.  Of course, I’m very partial to Van “The Man”.  His bluesy, jazzy, soulful, kinda rock and roll music is easy to move to and I love the combination of mystical, sensual, and spiritual in his lyrics.  Many, many of his songs have a summer vibe.  Moondance just happens to be several of his best collected in one place.  In case you don’t know what I’m talking about, listen to this.  Caravan has got to be one of my all-time favorites:

Now I ask you, does it get any more mellow than this?  I can’t tell you how many evenings I’ve stood at the sink, doing the dishes after dinner and watching dusk settle over the freshly mown grass, and danced to this music.  Ah, summer…

For someone who couldn’t write a word earlier, I sure managed to fill up this space.  It’s very reassuring to know I can still put words together into rudimentary sentences. Thanks for bearing with me.  Hopefully, the next time I post it will be edifying, informative, creative, and thought-provoking.  (Ha!)  Enough of this self-focused nonsense already.  It’s time I faced the fact that I’ve used this post to shirk all my real responsibilities as wife and mother.  The jig is up and now I’ve got to do something useful.  (I hate housework!)