Say a little prayer for me...

Well, it's official. I am going to the hospital at 6:30 tomorrow morning to have my gallbladder removed. I am a little anxious, but I'm so ready to have this over with that I'm just relieved. Maybe I'm just fooling myself though, because I have been queasy and irritable all day. I don't like letting myself get all spun up over things like this. I don't think I slept but maybe 2 hours last night. I'm hoping that will work in my favor tonight & I will be so exhausted that I'll just pass out. 5:45 is going to come early, no matter what.

That said, Holli's pictures today reminded me that I have wanted to share these pictures I took on Father's Day (after the water balloon fight) of this very tiny praying mantis. Seriously, he couldn't have been more than an inch long but he was just so dang cool. Getting the shots was kind of difficult because he was so tiny. My auto-focus kept focusing on the trees or the roof in the background. But if I turned off the auto-focus, I couldn't get him at all. I did manage a couple of cool shots though.

by this point the little guy had had enough & was trying to flee the paparazzi thing I had going on

So, if you don't mind, if you have minute on Thursday, take a cue from the tiny, little, green guy up there and say a quick prayer for me and my surgeon! Much appreciated!

Also? Butterflies!!!

There were dozens of these butterflies (along with a couple of monarchs) in our driveway last week. This one sat still long enough for me to take a few shots. Thank heaven, because it took me about 20 shots to get this picture. It kept opening and closing its wings. It stayed in one place for quite sometime - until Bug decided that he wanted to hold it. Bye bye butterfly!

I suspect that they were drawn to the berries that I have yet to identify. They look like little white blackberries, but they fell from the tree that hangs over our driveway form the house behind us. At any rate, if they bring out the pretty butterflies, then I'm happy!

Springtime in Candyland

*whew* I'm glad I got that off my chest!

Anywho....Holli has inspired me to share the pretties that the previous owners left behind at our house. They have been a very nice surprise and a much needed bit of happiness and beauty around here this week.

I LOVE having flowers in my garden. The irony of that is that if you asked anyone who knows me very well at all, they would laugh - nay, guffaw - at the notion of me actually "gardening." I'm not a dig/plant/water/get your hands in the dirt kind of girl. I'm more of a "hey! look what popped up in the flowerbed! I hope they come back next year!" kind of girl. And as such, this is what I will share with you.

The clematis growing on my front porch. I love clematis and I'm hoping that next year it will climb all the way up the post. Any suggestions as to how to nurture it? I have no clue in these matters.

Irises! In my back garden! Who knew?! At our first assignment after we were married, there was a place called Swan Lake and Iris Gardens and it was one of the most beautiful places in the world to me (if you can get past the stench of swan poop). This takes me waaaaaay back to that "honeymoon period." *sigh*

LOOK how gorgeous this flower is! The purple! The yellow! How could you not be happy looking out your back window at this every day?!

You know the only thing that would make it better? Having my handsome husband here with me to enjoy it! I miss you honey! Only 53 more days!!! xoxoxo