EYEFUL OF THE EIFFEL INSTEAD OF THE AWFUL!

I have a friend, Chris who I used to work with at the Space Center, who rode his bike all over our beautiful country. He would train by riding down beautiful River Road in Cocoa past our house very early in the morn and yell out good morning Tracy. We didn't have AC so the windows were usually always open at that time. He also traveled to Ireland, Germany and France. He always shared his photos and had many stories at our annual lunch get-togethers. He told me how, over in Europe, he would bicycle through towns and see all these store windows. Which sounds normal, but in the windows? Were prostitutes! Naked and waving. He said he about fell off his bike with that eyeful. He was expecting to get an eyeful of the Eiffel. Not an eyeful of awful. PIMP LOL. He had lots of biking stories, like the gorgeous flowers in April. In Paris. But this one “spoke” to me. I could really picture it. You know? Get an eyeful of the Eiffel. What did you think I meant? PIMP LOL. Anyways, whatever you thought, have a fun day. Take a bike ride or a walk or read a book or watch a show and see the world. Get an eyeful of man’s works and God’s creation. It’s easy on the eyes. Quite magnificent. My last thought? When you look upon someone, get an eyeful of the Eiffel instead of an eyeful of the awful. You know? Look beyond the storefront. See the beauty and magnificence in someone. You just never know what they are going through. Hope this got the wheels of your bike turning. Or, at least the wheels of your mind. I know it “spoke” to me. Oh! And, thank you, April and Chris, for the lovely photos from your trips to Paris. I feel like I have been there.      Trace

These boots are made for walkin...

“Shake Your Boots-y or Shakin’ In Your Boots! One Boot At A Time”! What? Yep! Still putting my boots on one boot at a time. Like everybody else! Unless you got a better way. I'm always open for ideas. Putting your 1st boot on is half the battle! Literally! PIMP LOL. Ever since I got sick and my life changed, my boots are my symbol to get up, get my boots on and get my encouragement on. To kick boot and never give up! To have a kick boot day! To be encouraged and encourage someone. Okay, 2 jokes: what do you call it when you're shivering cold and puttin' your boots on? Umm...shakin' your boots-y? And: don't give anyone the boot! Unless, of course, you give them the other one. Just sayin'! Cuz 2 boots are always better than 1. PIMP LOL! But, really? I would rather be shakin’ by boots-y and shakin’ in my boots TRYIN’ than leaving my boots in the closet. Don’t be afraid. You are not alone. We may make the boots, but God makes the walk! He is my strength, my walk. Gotta go. My girl and I are cleaning out our closets and boots and all. Organizing and getting rid of! Speaking of getting rid of? I'm going. I'm going.... Going to kick my boots-y and encourage myself to walk on. That can be hard sometimes. Have a kick boot day. Encourage someone. Maybe even yourself. It’s contagious. Some days are hard, some are harder. Some days you gotta wear your boots laced halfway up and look good and some days you just gotta lace them the whole way up. Pull yourself up by the bootstraps cuz these boots are made for walkin’… Trace

Thunder for the dry bark of the soul!

Was feeling a li'l dry, both my skin from the sunburn and my soul, but the rain peeled back the bark of my morning. Ahhh... My life storms are no match for the magnificent storms we experience with the thunder and lightning and rain displays. Thank you God for your storms. They calm mine. A li'l bark is no match for thunder! PIMP LOL. So, let's calm down and no barking today. No matter how dry we feel! Take our storms to God. Just like to add that my face is cracking. Me up! PIMP LOL. It was too much sun on the face. How 'bout you? Is it cracking you up? What?  Gotta have humor, too.  To survive the storms.   Trace

A letter from the beach of my heart...

Click on the letter to read!  Have a lovely day!  Trace

Don't "suck"cumb... Just suck it up!

"SUCK IT"! What? Oh my! Someone just said, “suck it” to me. I was thinking about yelling something back, but decided not to “suck”cumb to the whole nastay talkin’ thang! I saw them again on the way out of the store & thanked them for putting the idea in my head to get some Popsicles. Sorry, I couldn’t help but “suck”cumb some Popsicle in this hot weather. Especially, after getting A LOT of sun the other day. I proceeded to show them the box & asked if they wanted to “suck it”? They finally cracked a smile. I told them to watch out or your face may freeze that way. You know? Frozen from the Popsicles and smiles? I smiled… I had not “suck”cumbed. They had. Be cool. Don't "suck"cumb!   Just suck it up!  PIMP LOLTrace

Something's afoot! It's Toesday!

If something's afoot, you better stay on your toes.  What? I knew something was afoot! when I got up our of bed this morning. Today is Toesday! Keep walkin'... Cuz when something is afoot, It's a foot you need. Or two! So, you wiggle your toes and keep walkin'... Right? Never give up! When things get hot, like beach sand, keep walkin'. Or, those toes will be "toes"st! As in, burnt toast! The photo is portrait of my foot at the beach... I call it my "toetrait"! Trace

Jetty Jettison! Let's Boogey! Board!

So, I finally made it out to the beach. Thank you God! Though, I would have liked to have just been jettisoned from my house to the beach, but I made it. Getting ready to boogey! Board! PIMP LOL. So, yes I am at the beach and still stuffy and dizzy, but def better. Miracles take time and do happen. I may not be walking on the water, but I'm walking IN it! It's a start! One step at a time. Yes! Miracles do happen. To some, they may seem as small as a grain of sand, but to me they are as big as the ocean and as many as the grains of sand. Yes! I'm putting feet to my miracles. One step at a time. Walk with me?  Oh! And, click on the photodrama to get the bigger picture!  Of course!  Yes! That IS my foot!!    Trace

Cage Rage

“Cage Rage!” I’m having an inner conflict this morning that just keeps pecking at me. It’s makin’ me a li’l cagey! What is it? Guess you could call it an inner chicken fight! Well, part of me feels like a bird in a cage and the other part of me feels free. Like I’m ready to fly and roam. Why? Well, I found out the eggs we ate were cage free and the chicken was not. Oh my! And, they are fighting each other. Feel like I could just lay an egg. PIMP LOL. The chickens who laid the eggs might have been free, but the eggs weren’t. In fact, after looking at the bill, they must have laid golden eggs. Anyways, every time I squawk like a chicken and flap my wings to get outta this cage, no one hears and I ummm… chicken out? So, I traded in my bak bak bak for talk talk talk. I stopped flappin’ and start yakkin’. Traded the cage rage for the wing sing. Yep! How? I decided to pray. And, to sing. You know? Put wings to my thoughts and troubles. Talk to God? What? That’s the real freedom. And, I had a peck of prayers. So, whatever your pecking order is for today? Don’t be hen-pecked! PIMP LOL. And, certainly don’t forget freedom. It’s endowed by our Creator and flies free in the heart. So, we can feel free to fly to Him anytime we need to. Without feeling cagey or squawky or chickening out. Or, even if you do feel that! He loves us. Gotta go. Do some flyin’ and some singin’. Love all you hens, roosters and chicks. I’ll be bak bak bak! Oh! I was having a fond memory from writing this story about how much I loved going to the neighbors farm to get our eggs. Ahhh... Flyin free... Oh! And, the photo drama? Well, the photo is real. Taken in St. Augustine a few years back. At least, all of it but the wings are real. And, maybe one or 2 of the guys hanging! Have a fun day! I'm fixin' to get a visit from my niece who I haven't seen in 17 years (my brother Larry's daughter). Thankful! And, thankful is freeing! Trace