Terrific Trio...

Lovely Lauren Bacall, Jimmy Durante,
& Humphrey Bogart


"My wife has a slight impediment in her speech.
Every now and then she stops to breathe."

Jimmy Durante

A Blog Award...

The lovely Ashley Nicole has given me the From Me to You blog award. Thank you so much, dear!

The rules are as follows:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award.

2. Copy the award.
3. Post it on your blog.
4. Tell your readers 7 things they didn't know about you.
5. Link 7 bloggers as recipients.
6. Notify winners of award with a comment on their blog.
7. Keep being awesome.

* * * * * *

1. I almost met one of my favorite classic actresses.

She has starred with such notables as Cary Grant, Montgomery Clift, & Paul Newman, but remains a relatively unappreciated actress today. She stars as the leading lady in my very favorite film, 1954's On the Waterfront. Yes, I once almost met my beloved Eva Marie Saint!

Eva Marie Saint & Marlon Brando
in On the Waterfront.

2. I love wearing bright pink nail polish.

It's cheerful & makes me happy.

3. I was homeschooled from the fourth grade through high school.

I'm not saying that it would work for everyone, but it was definitely one of the best decisions my parents could have ever made for me. I learned & experienced more in those years than I ever could have in a conventional school.

3. Growing up, one of my feet was quite a bit longer than the other.

They caught up to each other soon enough, but while it lasted I thought it was the neatest thing ever!

4. I am too much of a perfectionist.

I don't mean to be, but somehow without realizing it, I always find myself striving to attain perfection when I know, as a human being, I can never reach it. It pushes me to be the very best that I can be...but when I fail to touch the stars...you'll only know the depths of that keen sense of disappointment if you struggle with this, too.

5. I stalk World War II veterans.

I have a problem that way. I am so awed by their courage, their heroism, their stories. More than most anything else, I hope to take part in saving their history, helping their stories live on. We need young men and women with their values and hard-working attitudes today.

6. Ice cream is my favorite dessert.

Especially Breyer's. Heaven, simply heaven.

7. I have an outdoor kitty cat called McQueen.

Named after...who else? The King of Cool himself:

Steve McQueen in The Great Escape

* * * * * *

I'd like to award:

A Banner of Crimson
Actually Laura
A Little Kingdom I Possess
Blessed Femina
Classic Forever
In My Own Little Corner
Ribbons of Light

Gregory...

"Tough times don't last, tough people do, remember?"

Gregory Peck

Monty & Elizabeth...

I've always loved this series of photos showcasing Elizabeth Taylor & Montgomery Clift. Snapped during a break in the filming of the classic, A Place in the Sun, they are light-hearted and full of fun, showing us a different side than is usually shown of these iconic film stars.

What's not to love?

* * * * * *

Happiness.

Elizabeth on Montgomery Clift:

"I thought he was the most gorgeous thing
in the world,
and easily one of the best actors."

Perfectly paired.

Montgomery on Elizabeth Taylor:

"She feels like the other half of me."

Beauty.

Laughter.

Friendship.


* * * * * *

Wednesday-ish Plotting...

I always wake up feeling sluggish and exhausted on the "in-between" days of my work schedule. I long to crawl back into my warm bed and pretend that nothing else matters but a few more precious hours of sleep. But somehow, sleeping the entire day away just doesn't seem to work for me, no matter how late in the morning I'm finally able to lay my tired head down.

I've resolved to tidy up my bedroom the moment I am able to tomorrow, sluggish or not. Somehow, it has become suspiciously messy. Who crept into my room and left clothes, and dishes, and books, and books, and books lying around while I've been gone? Have any cyclones swooped through one tiny part of Michigan--specifically one tiny room--that I haven't heard about?

I still have several boxes that I haven't unpacked yet from our move. I just really haven't had the time, but the most frustrating part is where to put the things that are in the boxes. The closet in my new room doesn't have any shelves, just a bar to hang clothes. And the only "extra" piece of furniture I have besides my bookshelf, bed, and beloved WWII army cot is a smallish dresser I use for my clothes. I never realized how much I depended on and was blessed by my rather large closet just filled with shelves. So...I am going to have to figure out some storage ideas for all of my craft projects, supplies, and miscellaneous "junk."

I can't wait until my room is neat and welcoming again. I have a beautiful new throw and squishy pillows to make my little WWII army cot cozy and a soft paper lantern to throw a deliciously warm beam of light on my new little reading nook.

So for now, I am counting down the hours until I can be home with my beloved ones again; home making a messy room peaceful; home where my heart belongs.

Newman...

"I would like it if people would think that beyond Newman,
there's a spirit that takes action, a heart,
and a talent that doesn't come from my blue eyes."

Paul Newman

November...

I can hardly believe that November has crept upon us again. Where does Time take herself to?

These first crisp, autumnal days have been overwhelmingly busy ones for me. Beyond the extraordinary changes that have taken place in my life these past few months relating to my father, new challenges--difficult and bittersweet in turn--continually remind me that I can never take any aspect of my life for granted.

Sarah--my sweet, darling older sister--is getting married! As happy as I am for her, I can't help but long for the days when the most serious thing we had to worry about was whether or not we could convince our parents to let us stay up for just a leetle bit longer. I am so glad that she has found someone she wishes to spend the rest of her life with...but my heart is breaking over the fact that she will be moving so far away. What will I ever do without her??

Our days have been spent scrambling to finalize wedding plans & create the perfect menu for the bridal shower Elizabeth, my cousins and I have been planning for her. Melanie, Laura (aforementioned cousins) and I couldn't help but continually sigh as we traipsed after Sarah in the store as she was deciding on items to put on her registry. We all agree that this wedding business is too unbelievable. Who can believe that one of us is getting married...and picking out dinnerware? Though we are supposedly "all grown up," I can't help but feel that it's all pretend; just another one of our "dress-up" games.

Beyond the beautiful-but-crazy wedding planning, we all have been accustoming ourselves to the new job we started after our move a few months ago to a home closer to the rest of our family. The opportunity worked out for us quite well. A close family friend has an aunt with Alzheimer's disease who needs 24-hour care and as we have had experience dealing with this particular disease in the past--this sort of occupation for the three of us seemed a perfect fit for this time in our lives. The only real difficulty is the crazy hours. Right now I am working forty hours a week, but those hours are spread out over only two and a half "days." I work Tuesdays & Thursdays from 4pm until 8am the next morning & Sundays from 4pm until midnight. The most difficult aspect regarding this job is a definite lack of sleep. Beyond work, I hardly accomplish anything I want to these days as I am always so tired!

Once again, I am spending an evening at work when all I really long to do is curl up in a warm corner of our house, lighted against the creeping gloom of the outdoors, to watch a lovely classic film...something I haven't done in much too long a time.

Hmm...that isn't a bad idea. If I can only stay awake long enough...

Love,
Emily