What would happen if you could fly anywhere?

If I had the magical ability to fly anywhere, anytime and time was not a factor, I would start in Italy. I would exploring each and every magificent city..Florence, Rome, Sicily, the Chianti region, Tuscany, Pisa, Amalfi coast, Venice...oh the possibilities!
Once I was able to explore every nook and cranny, I would be off to Greece, Turkey, Scotland, Amsterdam, Switzerland, Austria, China, Japan, Thailand, Tahiti, Egypt, The Holy Land, Russia, Alaska, Ireland, Australia, France, England... um pretty much every country I could get my hands on. My dream vacation would be one of those practically year long around the world cruises.
But yes, I would have to start with Italy.
Why?
1. I love the wine! I can only imagine exploring the wine country, learning about the trade from locals.
2. I love cheese. Just thinking about visiting parma makes me drool!
3. The cooking. Hanging out with locals and making authentic Italian food.. YUM!
4. The country side- gorgeous, historic, epic!
5. The architecture. There is something about old buildings that have been around for hundreds of years. They are so mysterious...who was there before me? How did the building get created? What events took place here?
6. The pictures. I will love looking back 5, 10, 15 years from now thinking back on my time in Italy.

Nikki and I would eat Mozzarella/Tomato sandwiches, eat 20lbs of cheese a piece, drink 20 bottles of wine, shops in Venice, drive the coast, stay in B&B's, walk along the coast, learn a little Italian, shop in local markets, cook and drink with the locals, stare at art work, stare at people, stare at fountains and buildings. Yes, Italy will be amazing!!!!

What about you? What would happen if you could fly anywhere?

Like an old friend..

I love poetry because it is a reminder of who you have been, places you have travelled, experiences you have sought. Here's a few I dusted off for your enjoyment. Let me know what you think. :)

Belly of the Bridge
I thought it was some hallucination or maybe the Shiraz,as I watched the man who called the belly of the bridge his home.

His arms and legs flailed through the air like he was kicking and screaming for sanity.

Was this his entertainment for those who rode by nightly in the riverboat?

Perhaps it was his own?

Or maybe he was acting out some nightmarish skit from his past.

Someone said he must be high.

I might be as well if I lived his life.

The speed of the boat forsook my steps as I tried to keep him in sight.

All alone he stood unshaven, unkempt, and perhaps unloved.

Was it a curse or a blessing?

Psychedelic in my bed
Psychedelic in my bed,Can't get this awful feeling from my fucking head.

Won't move forward.

Can't let go.

The downward spiral torturing me so.

Kaleidoscopic vision never disappears,

A rainbow of atrocity fills between my ears.

Who are you this soul I must claim as mine?

What my mind has done must be a final sign.

Abomination to polarize this personality it must be.

I am a transfixed imagined figure this world will never really see.

All that is angelic and innocent looms,so dangerously close to my naughty hidden rooms.

Who am I, this contemporary fairy on free flight?

Yes, I think it's going to be another very long night.

Untitled
I dig past the pain and I find even more.

Broken fragments I cannot string together.

My guilt is over whelming, yet I cannot find the crime.

Alone, afraid, fearful, paralyzed.

I cannot throw you away and yet I cannot embrace the gravity of your truth.

I run, cry, fight for addiction and fill my world with activity to avoid the stay still truth you know.

Too much to think on.

I'd rather sleep.

God help me.

Feel for me, what I cannot.

Work
Work. Work. Work.

2750 hours of this year gone.

Sleep- 2496 more gone.

3490 left to clean, pick up the kids, run errands, pay bills, grocery shop, pencil in time to enjoy life.

Busy. Busy. Go. Go.

Cars whizzing by and electricity shooting through the air.

Starbucks Carmel Macchiato, that sounds good. "$4.95 please."

Watch Oprah and American Idol on Tivo.

Shower, make coffee, make the bed, make a life.

Don't stop now, keep going.

Be a daughter, be a friend, be a lover, talk to Jesus, pick up the dry cleaning, complain about life with a friend.

Drive to the mall, watch the flourescent red, blue, and yellow signs flash by me.

Pass a homeless person.

Wait.Stop.

Don't.Don't be de-sensitized.

Who is this man?

Where is his family?

How can I be so blessed and him so unfortunate?

How did he end up on the street?

How will he spend Christmas?

Alone? In a shelter? Begging for change from travellers?

8736 hours to worship Jesus and what have I done?

Gave change to the Salvation Army.

Spent 5 years at a school fixing it up.

Went to church 39 times, busy the other 13.

Squandered my time.

Squandered my talent.

Squandered my treasure.

Gave not enough back for what I was given.

Looked at commercialism instead of humanity...God forgive me.

Shower me with your grace and mercy.

I am inadequate.

I am unworthy.

Slow me down.

Thank you Lord for your messanger.

Lord, I am humbled.

Dysfunction Junction
Dysfunction junction is a ride where you can no longer hide.

It’s where you decide that all of your decisions will misguide.

You wanted to escape, you tried, but without victory you subside.

Someone was suppose to be your guide, but their indignity is covered by your pride.

Each one a dose of cyanide, but it’s really your own mission towards emotional suicide.

Abuse and shame always collide, until you stand firm and open eyed.

Don’t be embarrassed you can’t get off this joyride;

it’s an epidemic spread world wide.

A cycling rollercoaster all part of the landslide, that is, until you turn the tide.

Walk away from the abuse, for god sake, untie the noose.

It’s time to call a truce, this time don’t let it seduce.

What left do you have to reduce?

What is it this time? What excuse?

Aren’t you tired of this boring game?

Tell me you want to be the one who overcame.

The only obstacle is you, so dear friend with this dysfunction junction, what will you do?

I need your help....

1. I'd really like to aquire more followers. More followers= more participation. More participation=an interactive forum :) If you know anyone who might like my blog, please pass it along. If you have not yet signed up to follow the blog and you enjoy what I have written so far, please do.

2. I use to write all the time. I was the high school newspaper editor and I was on the staff on my college paper. In addition I've written poetry since I was in 7th grade. This blog gives me a chance to get in touch with my inner writer. I will try to avoid typos..hee hee. Sometimes I need a little inspiration to write. My first mini assignment for anyone who might read this is to tell me what you'd like to see me write about. Want to know my view on something? Want to know my best drunk story? My view on world religion. What's my favorite recipe? Give me some ideas that might be fun to write about and I will give it a stab.

Thanks a bunch. I look forward to these blogs! :)

Kim and Nikki- 1st date of 2011

I hope you have had the chance to experience the Contributor newspaper. If you haven’t, you are missing out big! http://www.thecontributor.org/main/ The Contributor is a street newspaper designed to help the homeless help themselves. They buy the newspapers for .25 and sell them for $1. They are also allowed to keep any tips. If you see a homeless person selling the Contributor on the side of the road, they are legit. They work hard. They must work sober. And this is a great financial rehabilitation program for the homeless.
Nikki and I had the privilege of attending their “Disposables” benefit last night. We shared dinner with the vendors as well as looked over their photography they had for sale. All of the photos were taken with disposable cameras. Some of their artwork was quite magnificent. It was such an inspiring evening. It was also freezing. I couldn’t help but think about these homeless folks and cringe at the thought of a single person being stuck out in the freezing cold weather overnight.
After the Art show was over, Nikki and I decided we were not quite ready to call it a night. Even though it was freezing, we decided to do a little walking. We bundled up and headed to Hotel Indigo which houses a fabulous two story Starbucks. On our way, we discovered an art walk was going on. So Nikki and I stopped spontaneously into a couple of the shops, which proved to be fun and fascinating.
Once we made it to the hotel, I ordered a Venti decaf latte and Nikki ordered a hot chocolate. Nikki mentioned aloud that she wished she had some peppermint schnapps to go into her hot chocolate. The barista recommended the idea of going to the bar and getting a shot to put into our coffee.
What a great idea!!! So we both head to the bar. I request a shot of peppermint and one kahlua. He didn’t have peppermint, so I substituted for Malibu. We sneak our shots into our Starbuck coffees about the same time he is handing me our bill for the two shots… $8 I think.. ,maybe $10… it is a fancy hotel.., maybe $12. Nope… try $20!!!!!!!!!! $20 for two teeny weenie itty bitty shots of alcohol. Not even enough to get a fly drunk!!!
Of course, Nikki and I laughed it off. We then perused around the Hotel Indigo and checked out their art work.
We then headed back to the truck, but we were still having a load of fun and we were still a little hungry. I convinced Nikki to go hang out at The Palm. We split a fabulous bottle of Malbec called La Linda from Argentina. We also had Calamari, a blue cheese/tomato salad, and Lobster Bisque. YUM!!!!
We then bundled up and made a B line to the truck. It was 19 degrees, YIKES! On the way home, we got behind a car that had a bumper sticker that said “I love Jesus” only Jesus was intentionally scratched out and it was replaced with "Blowjobs". How sad we commented. I mean really? If you love blow jobs great… good for you. But really scratch out the name of Jesus and replace it with “blowjobs”..so so wrong.. Of course it was no surprise to Nikki and I that he was completely alone on a Saturday night… Shocking, huh!
All in all our first date in 2011 turned out to be amazing. Thanks baby…everything is better with you! (Queue the audience throwing up and gagging) :) hee hee

How big can you dream?

2011 is going to be a pivotal year.
I have learned to trust my instincts more.
I am not fully leveraging the strengths and skills God gave me and I am not sure how I better integrate those things into my life, but there is a deep stirring in my soul telling me more positive change is in the works. I feel Him challenging me, prodding me to take risks and ask myself the tough questions.
I’ve been told that nothing is ever good enough for me. I want too much. I dream too big. To which I say… Pa-KA-Key!!!! We are our own worst enemy. I will not stand in my own way. I will not put myself or God in a tiny box. I will not limit what is possible. I challenge you to consider the same.
ANYTHING is possible. Remember that childlike innocence we all once had? The innocence that said we could touch the stars, be president of the United States, conquer anything, have anything, and be anything? I still believe in that child. Do you?
I look around at each tiny blade of grass, the birds flying through the air, the tall trees that have lived longer than me, the blue sky, my body’s movement and its ability to heal itself, my friends, each tiny unique snow flake. God is in control. God is in everything. God will not let me down.
In 2011 I will turn my cannots into cans; my no’s into yeses, my fears into trust, my anxiety into peace, my want into reality. I will do this with God’s grace and mercy because I know He provides.
Here is my favorite quote of all time:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” Marianne Williamson

If money and fear were not a factor..what would you dare to do?

Welcome 2011... The year of anything can happen if I dream it!

Every year I write my goals for the following year and recap the previous year to hold myself accountable and review progress.
2010 goals in review:
-Continue to prioritize my relationship with God and my relationship with Nikki in every opportunity. Nikki and I made a lot of progress this year. We continue to pray at every meal and pray every morning before our day gets started. We started a small bible study group in our home, which we host once week. We started running the church couples ministry. And I did two different small theatre skits. We definitely met more people at church this year and were more plugged in for sure! Oh yeah and we went to see Joyce Meyers, which rocked!
-Get Duke registered with Delta Society and Reading Paws so we can visit schools and nursing homes together Duke is doing great, but I need to work with him more, so we can get him past the “neutral dog” test
-Travel abroad Most of our travel this year was inland, but we did do a fabulous Caribbean cruise on Celebrity, where we got to visit 3 new countries..Awesome. Plus we went to Atlanta, Florida, Chicago, Milwaukee, and a few small weekend trips.
-Create a longer term strategy around future wealth. I want 6 digits in my income and 7 digits in my portfolio. I won't stop until I figure out a way to make that happen. I am still trying to figure out what God’s long term plan is for me. I know He has something amazing in store, I just need to do a little more baking before I am ready
-Buy an RV for weekend travel –Moved to 2011 goals
-Get to freaking Italy –Moved to 2011 goals
I will be working on categorizing 2011 goals and making them as specific as possible, so I can mark them as I go, but here is my first stab:
· Get back to the weight I was when I met Nikki :)

·Continue success with couples ministry and small group
· Yoga once a week
· Home cooked healthy meals three times per week
· Take 1 finance, 1 cooking, and 1 architecture class
· Do 1 theatre production this year
· Get car and credit card paid off
· Visit my brother in Conn
· GO TO ITALY
· Buy a small RV
· Dance once a week with Nikki
· Send or give Nikki a card once a week
· Have Nikki play the guitar for me every week
· Have a huge garage sale and get rid of unneeded crap
· Power wash the house
· Paint the ramp on the back deck
· Blog 2 times a week
· Organize our closets
· Drink 3 glasses of water a day
· Write poetry once a month
· Read the bible at least 3 times a week
· Get Duke past the Neutral dog” test
· Really think about a long term strategy on career..how do I find something that really leverages my strengths?

Other goals for the future: A Mediterranean cruise, visit wine country in CA, new kitchen appliances and a granite counter top.

I know I added a lot of “cost” items.. so I will be having yard sales, learning about Ebay, selling excess gold, bath fizzies, selling old books, movies, cd’s, counting change, and coming up with other inventive ideas.
If you have some LEGAL and realistic ideas on how to make some extra cash, let me know :)

Let Me Introduce you....

Welcome to my brain. Thanks for stopping in. I'll be sharing a little about myself and my favorite things today so you can learn about my "Tate of Mind." I hope you enjoy.

I strive to keep God as the center of my life. I know that everything good has come from Him and and I would be nothing without Him. I am so grateful for God's grace and mercy every single day!

God was gracious enough to send me the most amazing gift ever, Nikki Ivey! I saw Nikki's profile on Myspace, when Myspace was still super cool. I'd never reached out to a complete stranger in my life. But I liked Nikki's fiction writing, she loved animals like I do, and she had recently gotten out of a relationship like I had. So I wrote to her looking for a pen pal of sorts. We conversed for several weeks via email. Then we met in person. What was suppose to be a "Let's drown our sorrows night" ended up being a "sparks flying" night. We had a great time. I was armed with Lisa and Nathan and seh was armed with Robin for reinforcement, but we didn't need it!

She asked me to go out on the boat with her and some friends the next day.

I told her I had to work.

She told me to play hookie.

I explained how imortant my career was.

I called one of my best friends, who also happened to work with me. I told her my predicament. She told me I would do EVERYONE a favor if I took the day off.

So I did. I showed up to Nikki's place at 7am!

However, there was no room on the boat for us!
Nikki frantically called her mother... Her mom came up with the idea for us to go to the RC Cola and Moon Pie Festival in Bell Buckle, TN... and we did.
It was a crazy fun and amazing first date.

5 years later and I am more crazy about her every single day.

She is a spiritual warrior, an amazing friend, trustworthy, she makes me laugh, we share our dreams and fears together and she is an exponential multiplier of joy and everything good in my life.

Next, Meet Mr. Dukie Pickles...

Mr. Dukie Pickles was SUPPOSED to be a foster dog... key word SUPPOSED. Of course I fell in love with him in 3 seconds flat and now he fills my heart with more love than I could ever describe. Mr. Pickles models occassionally, he has a solid grasp of sit, down, stay, circle, treat, back, and snuggle. He is great with other dogs. He loves the dog park, popcorn, french fries, peanut butter, liver treats, hanging out with kids, fetching, bathing in the sun, wearing his bathrobe after bath time, and snuggling with mom. He is still grasping the "Do not run after the neighbors or the neighbors dog" rule; the "don't bark your head off when people come to the door" rule and the "NO you cannot eat EVERYTHING in the house AT ONE TIME" rule.

Oh and of course, I should tell you a bit about me by sharing some of my favorite things (In no particular order):

I love the ocean, my dogs, scrapbooking, theatre, wine, HGTV, OWN network, Food network, the ID channel, Oprah, Rachel Ray, Ellen, picnics, cabins, tomato/mozzarella, candles, Angel perfume by Thierry Mugler, my friends, making Bath fizzies, painting ceramics, Old Navy, Chico, Sushi, photography, awesome coupon deals, Christmas time for the decorations, COFFEE!, The wizard of Oz, Wicked, Thomas Arvid Art, Flemings Steak House, Art/photo books, cruises, Europe, any kind of travel, karoake, the beach, Damien Rice, Joyce Meyers, Cindy Morgan, cooking, entertaining, developing people, being creative, and laughing a LOT!