flashback friday (daisy, daisy)...

"give me your answer do!
I'm half crazy..."

"half crazy" is probably an underestimate of myself!!!

on my 31st birthday (2000), i left work, got in my van, and went shopping for my birthday present from me to me:b third store was a charm:D there she was all shiny, black, and new...
daisy, daisy, my bicycle built for two!!!

looking back, who knows??? i guess it was an early mid-life crisis or something. i purchased her, and the guys at the cyclery somehow got the rather large bicycle into my van:O i do remember driving across the bridge home with her front tire next to me wedged between the front seats. it was so unsafe; i was SO excited:D

when i said in my previous post that i have ridden my tanDAMN 5 times and hurt myself 5 times, i think i exaggerated...

that i recall, i HAVE only ridden her 5 times, but i only really hurt myself 2 of those times... the other three trips were just near misses, lol!!!

FIRST TRIP:
i made it home safely with my bike in tow. i quickly changed clothes, helmetted up, lugged the monster bike (it was at this point that i realized how heavy my new mode of transportation was:S), and hopped on for my first ride...

uh-oh (1st near miss), i wasn't quite tall enough to ride in the front safely. but, i was so excited i jumped on anyway, and off i went to find someone taller than me to drive.

SECOND TRIP (actually second leg of 1st trip):
six blocks later, i rode up to d's curb, used the curb to exit the bike;b, and ran in to get her. she was excited, too!!! she jumped on the front, i jumped on the back, and off we went around the block. this was my second 'near miss' as the back handle-bars nor the seat had been tightened in place. oops!!! i was hanging on for dear life, laughing, and, yes, screaming as we went over all the rooted cracks in the sidewalk at d's top speed:O

THIRD TRIP:
my trip home that day, my 31st b-day, was basically uneventful. THANK YOU, GOD, i lived to see that day come and go!!! other than the fact that i needed a curb on which to stop. i really should have tried that bike on before leaving the shop with it, no???

FOURTH TRIP:
a week or so after (against my better judgment), katherine talked me into taking her for a ride on the aforementioned vehicular device. i waited until early evening so that the traffic would be light. i told her we would ride to d's, and she could play with will and sam while d and i took the bike for a ride (btw, john had tightened the back handle-bars and seat).
i dig that husband of mine!
 we got on and headed that way. guess what, we got a couple of blocks away, and i realized that katherine couldn't reach the pedals correctly. even though i told her just to rest her feet on the middle bar, half way there, she decided to just let her feet dangle and hit the back pedals as they rolled around... needless to say when i agreed to let her ride... 
"RIDE" she did!!! 
so, we finally made it to d's, curt was out edging the sidewalk, kat and i made a big U on the side street (tooooooooooooooo sloooooooooooooooooowly)... i didn't quite get over to the curb with enough speed. so, instead of getting off the bike the normal way, we fell over into the grass between the street and the sidewalk. 
THANK, GOD, THERE WAS GRASS BETWEEN THE STREET AND THE SIDEWALK!!! 
hence, the first injury... i being the safety conscious mother i am, ha... purposefully took the brunt of the fall. katherine ran to the house without ever missing a beat. i was crying; i was laughing so hard!!! curt didn't know whether to get me a band aid or laugh with me... so, he just laughed.
d and i didn't go riding that night;( 
the only riding i did that night was hauling butts home to the "click", "click", "click"... of my precious 6 year-old's shoes hitting the rear pedals...

FIFTH AND FINAL TRIP TO DATE:
d talked me into riding the tanDAMN over to her house so that we could ride it downtown to the 'W. C. HANDY BLUES FESTIVAL'". the trip to her house was fine. she got on the front, and we headed to the festival. even that short ride was blissfully uneventful. 
we got off the bike and mingled. everybody was digging my bike. i live in a small town where everybody knows your name... (just a little bigger than the cheers bar); i was so proud of my shiny, new tandem:D 
ever heard, "pride cometh before the fall..."? or something like that...?
well, after a little "blues", a lemon shake-up (ky for "lemonade"), and home-town gossip, we decided to head home...  hence the second injury. d got on; and, instead of "1, 2, 3... PEDAL!!!", she started waving bye and took off with me running behind her instead of riding. 
no, i was not chasing the dana on the "other-may ucker-fay" (pardon my pig latin, please); i was straddling the rear bar and running with the pedals beating me in the backs of my calves.
omGOSH!!! we were the scene!!!  w.c. handy, WHO???
i swear i thought i was going to wet myself!!!  no, REALLY!!! 
as quickly as possible, we two d's... GOT THE HELL OUTTA DODGE (ky for "left rather quickly")!!!

the tandamn has been in my basement since... she still looks like brand-new. in ten years from now??? she'll probably still look like brand-new:D but with dry-rotted tires!!!

whewee...
 love and blessings,
dani
ps. i originally posted this 5 years ago.  the old girl has since been hanging upside down in my aunt's garage, a very good place for her!

throwback thursday (the rescue)...

(destin, florida 1996)

recently on our way to florida,

katherine asked,

"what was that boy's name...

the one that saved me from drowning?"

"his first name was jacob,

and he was from new orleans.

that's all i know." 

i laughed,

"you are a dork, katherine!"

kat continued telling zack

the story of how she was "drowning",

and the boy "saved her life".

this throwback thursday

is dedicated to jacob.

for, if it weren't for 

his quick thinking

and actions,

our little katherine

might not be here with us today;)

love and God's blessings,

dani xxx

The Dance... (Happy Birthday, Gary!)

And now I’m glad I didn't know

 The way it all would end...

The way it all would go.

 The night before Gary’s funeral, I lay in bed pondering the words I would use to eulogize my precious brother in law.  Gary’s beautiful story of redemption could tell itself, but I didn’t want to disappoint Linda, Gary’s wife, or God in my delivery.

As I lay there carefully choosing my words and organizing my thoughts, something occurred to me, God, you have meticulously mapped out the way this all has gone!  In the silence of the night I was in awe.  I still recall getting goosebumps I got when the words, "God's timing is like a perfect dance," came to me. In that moment all I knew was I needed something to write with and on!  I quickly and quietly made my way out of bed and down the stairs to where I knew I would find both.  When I flipped on the lights, I saw on the coffee table a small tablet, a couple of ink pens, and my Bible- My lands,  I couldn't get up and speak at Gary’s funeral without using God's word! What was I thinking?

Our lives are better left to chance.

I could have missed the pain,

 But I’d of had to miss the dance.

So, I curled up on the couch with pen paper and my Bible. After penning the word Dance on the paper, I closed and sat the tablet to my side. I sat and stared at my Bible lying in my lap. Searching, I flipped through the pages...

nothing. I turned to the index for passages  containing "timing" or "dance".

Nothing.

I began to pray...

 Thank you, God, for revealing yourself

 to us through Gary.  You have written such a beautiful story to share though my words are not enough; I need yours too...

In that instant, I was enveloped by Him. My chest was hot; I could hear my heartbeat in my ears, the hairs on my arms stood erect!

Looking back on the memory 

Of the dance we shared

Beneath the stars above.

 John!  I heard Him say.

(Of course, John was my earthly connection to Gary.)

I opened my Bible and turned to the Book of John.

"What about John, God?" I asked,

"I’m here, what now?"

You know. He answered.

 "I do?"

I thought...

"11:11?" I questioned.

(As cliché as it sounds it’s the sign He gave me.)

 Look.  See. He responded.

After He had said this, He went on to tell them, 'our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.' (niv, John 11:11)

OH.MY.WORD.

Lazarus!

 All those months ago on the night Gary asked me to share my God with him, I shared the story of Lazarus concluding I didn’t know how things would end, but I knew God was using Gary and me.

For a moment all the world was right.

How could I have known? 

That you'd ever say goodbye?

Gary’s story had come full circle.

 The Alpha and the Omega-

 I knew it, He was there at the beginning of Gary’s journey…

 He was there at the end:

"Look, Dani, look through the roof!

 IT'S.SO.BEAUTIFUL!" Gary exclaimed.

 "Do you see it?" he asked.

 There was silence.  The three of us turned our undivided attention to Gary.

 I asked, "What did you say, Gary?"

He repeated, "Look through the roof, isn't it beautiful?"

Heaven…

(Gary was seeing Heaven.)

But if I’d only known

How the king would fall,

Hey, who’s to say, you know,

I might have changed it all.

I tore the piece of paper I’d written on from the tablet and used it to mark my place in my Bible.  Before turning out the light, I glanced around the room.

Thank you, God. I love you.

(Honestly, I don't know how I slept…

I had been in HIS presence.

HE had spoken to me.

HE had revealed HIS perfection,

HIS plan,

His whole self…

to me!)

And, He wasn’t finished…

The following morning I awoke. With my Bible in hand, I went downstairs to the kitchen where I found Linda with the same notepad and pen  I’d used the night prior.

"My Dani, this is how I think I want the service to go," she said and handed me the tablet.

Tears welled up in my eyes. Then came the hot chest and the loud pounding of my heartbeat in my head followed by goosebumps which, once again, caused the hair on my arms to stand at attention. I thought my knees would buckle beneath me. From between the pages of the Book of John, I pulled the paper I’d written the word Dance and handed it to her.

 Immediately, she saw:  she knew.

IT.WAS.GOD .

Unbeknownst to me prior to that very moment, Linda had decided to use Garth Brooks' song,  The Dance, as the theme for Gary’s funeral.

OH.MY.GOD…

THE DANCE!

Yes my life is better left to chance.

I could have missed the pain, 

But I’d of had to miss the dance.

  In loving memory of our Gary,  on his birthday...  on this memorial day.
Love and God's blessings, Dani xxx

because i love him...

when john and i were dating

his sister often asked me,

"why are you dating him?'

my reply was always,

"because i love him."

~@~

i awoke this morning to john holding my hand.

before i was even awake,

my heart began to sing.

sometimes i have to pinch myself

so as to know i am not dreaming.

then i think,

God really gave him to me...

and i smile.

~@~

over the years

we have had issues

both through and around

which we have 

worked.

things have not always been 

dreamy.

thankfully though,

we never allowed the issues

to define us.

love.has.defined.who.we.are.

~@~

nearly 25 years ago

i went to john and expressed

my feelings for him.

john was a very guarded man.

however,

he allowed me into his world-

into his heart.

God blessed me

with john.

make no mistake,

it was not the other way around.

i prayed to God

for him.

God answered my prayers.

~@~

john and i celebrated our 23rd

anniversary on saturday:

23 years together

because i love him

and he loves me

and

GOD loves us...

love and God's blessings,

dani xxx