International Thrill

The usual morning… eyelids let me peek at the day, roll over and shut it away, listen for Nick downstairs doing his morning routine, snooze while cuddling with my two pups, I wake, they greet me happily, Nick comes upstairs and does the same, the day begins. Our every morning glory.

Not the usual day… I was invited along on a business trip and ended up getting to sit in the cockpit and tour a big, fat, impressive, jumbo Air Force jet. Very cool. I love it when you wake up and do something so unplanned and off the radar. I would not have guessed today’s happenings yesterday. Love it. No planning for me, I like the thrill.

My sister, Paige, and her family, Shane, Katherine, Landry, and Madeline are coming to hang with us tomorrow. I will have lots to chatter on about by Tuesday, when they expect to head back down south. And Williamsburg is on the list, yes. But, is it nailed down as a plan? Nope. Just a maybe we’ll do this Sunday, maybe we won’t. Like Polly. Along Came Polly. “So, I’ll see you there. Or not.” “Ok, well, come to the party if you can. Or don’t.” Day by day by day. If I had a plan for today, I would have missed posing as an Air Force pilot.

Do you know that I have found out a little more about my blog in the last few months? This is something I totally didn’t plan on. I have readers. So very exciting. I began writing again, which led me to eventually investigate the tabs on my blog’s main page. I had never done this for some reason. I would post and go, never dig. And I am so anti that exact kind of behavior. I am so ashamed. I checked these tabs initially, when I signed up to blog, never saw statistics because there weren’t any yet, and never thought to check back. Until… one day I started using my brain, you know, being a thinker, and started checking the tabs out again.

Please excuse my heavy use of sarcasm, it’s late, and I’m practically asleep here at my desk. Eyelids… are… heavy…

It sends me to sleep a very happy girl. I really appreciate that I have people who click on my site and read what I write. I lay in bed and think “Wow. People read me.” I hope it proves to be somewhat entertaining for you all. But, let me tell you now, I am flattered, humbled, happy, grateful, hopeful, all of those words and more that I have readers and that the number is growing right in front of my eyes. Do you know what gives me the nervous jitters? Like when you were in sixth grade and saw the cute boy you had been crushing on, that kind of fabulous, addictive jitters. I will tell you. Many countries are on my list as having read. Maybe this is normal; I am not a blogging expert. But, even if it is normal, I still feel special. I am not talking about products. This blog is just the world as I see it, my thoughts and reflections on life. It’s my interpretation of what I see. Life as art; one stroke, then another; the different shades collectively making beauty. Some dark, some light, some dull, some bright, but contrasting, all somehow complimenting one another when the viewer steps back and sees, “Ah, this is my life. I didn’t see it while up close. I didn’t know that moment would be so beautiful set next to this other.” In My Monet is my attempt at being metaphorical. That anyone would be amused by what spills out of my mind is so beyond words to me. Quite a concept, seeing as I love to try and tackle a word.

I write them all down. I look at the list of countries with page views and if I see a new one I shout “Switzerland!” or “Brazil!” Or “Latvia?” That one drove me to the search engines. I knew not a lick about Latvia at that point. It gives me a sense of accomplishment for some reason. It’s as if I am a world traveler while I sit in my desk chair. Or even better: partially accepted by people across the globe? Someone sitting on the other side of the earth is taking the time to read the words I put on a page? The measurement for my giddiness: off the charts. And I want to go throw a party in Denmark because they make me feel super popular. To whoever it is in Denmark, I like you and I don’t even know you! Ha. But, truly, they support me sweetly. It’s encouraging. And Russia and China along with the USA and Canada make the map light up visually and I feel like more space is represented than in actuality. Huge countries. I don’t have a goal or anything like that; I didn’t intend to even see steady numbers. But, letting my nations list grow is pleasure-filled. I guess I could just say “thanks everybody” and move on.

Not planned. A total surprise. A total thrill.

Those are my words for this day.

I am hitting the hay. :)