Meet My Best Friend

 

Best Buddy with Best Buddy

My best friend is my CJ. He is 54 years old. His hair is sexy gray, his eyes are the color of truest blue, his smile lights up to his cheeks bones and he has a loyal heart full of pure adventure.  He’s been my best friend for the better part of 35 years. We’re so close we made 2 other humans, Caitlyn and Sadie.

CJ stands for Christopher John, but through the years he’s had many other nick names given to him. His friends called him Camel Jockey, his dad called him snake, girls at Olympus High school called him leopard poco’s, and I always called him a fag because he made me laugh so stupid silly! The list has grown through our married years - handsome man, cutest man, adventure man, magnificent man, math man, nerd, Ceej, Peej…and many more. Our grandkids call him Papa What, Crappa, Grandpa CJ and Best Buddy.

CJ was raised by a cabinet man, became a cabinet man and successfully runs a cabinet shop. His skill has been noted by so many contractors and home owners.  It is a craft, talent, that he has brilliantly honed. Other than the fabulous cabinets I’ve always had in my homes, he has made my most favorite pieces of furniture. I honestly believe he has the ability to craft and build anything he puts his mind to. It’s incredible. 

Best friend loves Breyers mint chocolate chip and/or rocky road ice cream. Don’t buy another brand, because he’ll be disappointed. He makes a wicked chocolate shake. He likes Mexican food and does NOT like Indian food and especially Indian restaurants…I think it’s because of the belly dances, not a comfy situation for him ;]

Best Buddy doesn’t give a rats ass if his clothes match or not. He’s become notorious for some of the outfits he’s put together for family parties, or his Sunday morning runs to Maverick…and even his pairing of tie pattern to shirt pattern at church. I don’t care, it’s part of what I love about him. He’s not out to impress a damn person.  His focus is always on challenging himself.  He rarely competes with another.

His hair. Sometimes he grows it out a bit. When it grows to a certain length he begins to twist his sideburns or mullet into small unicorn looking dreads and it drives me insane. Also something I love the most. He is awkwardly aware of his on coming baldness. He looks great, always handsome, although I don’t think he feels the same. He cuts his own hair, always has…except once and that time the hairdresser flirted with him and blew on his neck, slightly provocatively, and that was it. Never went into a salon again. (He is that handsome. Girls flirt with him in front of me and the girls quite often) The man gets better looking with age. Also something I think he’d deny. Speaking of his hair, he won “the hairiest” award his sophomore year at Alta high school. 

My best friend has completed 11 Ironman races. How many other triathlons has he run? I have no idea, lost count. He is an endurance kind of a person. He doesn’t do anything frivolously or half assed. All his adventures, projects and challenges are giant. He hunts sheep in the middle of nowhere Canada and has hunted in the middle of nowhere Greenland. He’s been hunting in Africa where a Cape buffalo hunted him right back. Yep, my best friend is the stuff of grand stories and mega movies. But he’s legit. The real deal.

Handsome Best Friend is so scary smart. He thinks with absolute logic and always in fractions and measurements.  I am a creative thinker, so having a math man around to set my visions spatially is a bonus for me.  I can draw a plan to ‘my’ perfection and he’ll always tell me it’s out of scale…haha, DUH! I know! ;D   I am forgetful and he reminds me, re-teaches me, and constantly gives me the grace I need to remember correctly…or at all!  His patience abounds. 

If CJ can be made to mush, it’s by his grandkids. He loves them. SO MUCH. I thought being a grandma would be the ultimate, it’s not. The ultimate is watching our grandkids love CJ SO MUCH. He’d do anything for them. 

The glorious thing about my best friend is that he loves me. He keeps me honest and boldly manages my addiction. He holds me when I’m scared and talks calmly through anxious moments. My life would come unhinged without him.  He is my balance. He is my always. He is my eternal companion. 

Oh how much more I could write, but the day is late and my handsome is calling me to sleep on his left shoulder. I can’t help but appease that ;]

study, journal, create, repeat...

One year ago I started a scripture study.  The study was to run for 7 days and guide me through the last week of Christ's life.  There was so much sincerity and spirit in that study I decided to find another scripture study challenge.  When that challenge had ended I found another challenge...and so on and so forth.  I studied various scripture themes for the next 12 months.  It has made a significant difference in my life.

Also, one year ago, I embarked onto many personal journal challenges.  These are not as consistent as my scripture journaling, but definitely as enjoyable.  I'm not a writer and no more am I a scrapbooker, however my desire to keep on documenting is alive.  I love the idea of pictures that illustrate my words and so I will always strive to involve photo's...because they are fun!  It's been proven that journaling is therapeutical.  I guess I'm a sucker for personal theory?  I don't know?  At any rate, I will continue.

What I'm taking from this past 'year of journal study adventure' is that journaling must be "my thing".  I'm constantly challenging myself to read, journal and create.  I don't feel right if I'm not involved in it in some way.  It's like being lost.  I don't want to be lost.  I don't want my memories and knowledge to be lost.

Life is a process that's never ending.  I can't really wrap my head around that?  I'd like to see a finality to it, where I am the all knowledgable and complete human being...nope, not in the cards.  I will always be my quiet, chaotic self, loaded with anxiety, panic disorders, addictions and insecurity.  It's gotta be ok, because when I document it all it seems silly, fun, crazy and worth my days spent on this earth.  Again, it all seems fun and normal when I journal.  My spirit finds peace when I'm nose deep in scripture study.  My memory stays semi acute when I'm documenting.  No one will ever take interest in my ordinary life, nor will it prove any historical findings.  I don't care.  I've just gotta do it.

So...HERE'S TO SCRIPTURE STUDY, JOURNALING AND LEARNING!!  May the force be with you!

Keep your sunny side up,
Lisa Lucille :]

i noticed my life!

Does life ever just 'occur' to you?  All the sudden you feel like you're having an awakening?  You think, "Wow.  This is life.  This is MY life.  Cool beans.  It occurs to me that my life is pretty awesome today.  What's happening in MY life today is super great and it makes me happy...AND I NOTICED!"  Well, that happened to me...just now. 

CJ chillin' at the Nuuk Airport...Greenland

CJ is in Greenland right now.  After 4 days of travel chaos, he finally arrived in the prehistoric and remote area he will be hunting in.  On his list of animals to hunt is a musk ox and a caribou.  He has wanted to hunt caribou since he was 7 years old.  Today, his dream came true...he shot a huge caribou!!!  I was so thrilled for him, I wanted to burst into tears of joy!  He will now spend the next 5 days searching out a massive musk ox.  Oh how excited I am that he is on this adventure.  Oh how grateful I am that he has amazing opportunities to go adventure hunting.  He loves it so much.

All the odd shaped circles (balls!)...Ava's!

This afternoon Ava drew, on purpose, a ball.  She asked me to draw a ball, so, mindlessly I drew one on the white board and said, "It looks like a circle."  I turned in my chair and continued talking to Cait. A couple seconds later I happened to look back over my shoulder and noticed Ava had drawn 3 more "balls."  I clapped my hands furiously and cheered, "Ava!  You drew a circle!"  She looked at me, sort of blankly, and said, "It's a ball."  Then she smiled and attempted to draw at least 50 more!  She usually draws lines, just lines.  I'm so proud of her focus and determination.  I'm just sure she thinks I'm pretty lame for thinking her 'ball' was just a 'circle'...duh nana.  It's a miracle watching her grow and learn.  It really tickles me pink!

"I love to see the Temple" :]

Although the task of staining a wood block temple the color gray and then tying a white bow around it is so super simple...the point is that I made time to craft.  I don't craft, ever.  I used to, but not even close to lately.  It just made me happy that I had time to create something just for me.  That's a pretty amazing thing for me to do on an ordinary weekday.  I love it so much because of what it represents.  I thought it only appropriate to nestle my little temple in among my angels and underneath Moroni...exactly where it should be.

Today has just been another usual day...but it definitely occurred to me that it was wonderful.  I'm so grateful I noticed 'life' today.  Happiness abides in all the normal places, that's why it's so great.  Gautama Buddha said, "There is no path to happiness; happiness is the path." Spot on Buddha.

Keep your sunny side up!

Lisa Lucille :]