I heard it through the grape vine...

We planted our grape vine two summers ago. Looking gooooood..

Since we have had a cooler spring this year, we have been anxiously waiting for flower buds to open. This Morning, we were greeted with our beautiful fragrant Peony bush just bursting with joy.

I'm getting a kick out of blogging. I just heard from my Uncle & Aunt in Ohio. My uncle wrote:

...I went to your blog and had a great time. So I type all this good stuff up like I was surprised Satish was on a motor cycle and that I had him pictured as a little guy with a three piece suit not some weight lifter that could break your fingers (among other things) if you looked at him cross eyed. Any way we enjoyed your pictures very much. Did you know your dad had a motorcycle when he was a kid? It was called an “Indian) and had a suicide clutch. It would be worth a fortune now. So anyway I had all these witty little tid bits typed up and then it wouldn’t let me post them but it brought back some memories...

This whole web thing is just mind boggling to me. I have viewers from Europe, Africa, Asia, Canada & all over the US. Thanks to my dear friend Laura for introducing me to blogs. I feel a little more connected to my family, friends, & people around our precious earth. Boundaries just seem to melt away. Not to sound so hippie like..but...Very Cool!

PS: Thanks for the comments Uncle & Aunt from Ohio and BTW - No. Actually I did not know that my dad ever owned a motorcycle & neither did Mom. Huh?...

We have this wonderful walk/bike path behind our house. The hubby put a gate in for us so we have access to the path from our back yard. We have been taking morning walks with Vijay every chance we get.

He loves it!!!

Check out Yolanda over at Bliss. She put a great big smile on my face with her rendition of "Walking on Sunshine" which also happens to be the name of my blog. Nice Yolanda & love your garden blog!

Me: This is one of my favorite flowers.

My Mom: Their called Butter Cups. They were in your Paternal Grandmother's yard. She inherited them from her Grandmother & then passed them on to your Father & now they grow in your garden.

Me thinking: All those disagreements my Father (who has since passed away)& I had with each other & yet I somehow feel connected to him through a Butter Cup.

From the Garden - Love those Dahlias

Most of you know our 5 year old son, Vijay is diagnosed with autism. In Colorado, insurance companies stop covering services such as speech & occupational therapy for children with a diagnoses of autism once the child turns 5 years of age. Even though many of these children, including our son, still need the service.

I would like to thank our Colorado Governor Bill Ritter who signed Senate Bill 4 into law Tuesday during a brief signing ceremony. The new law coordinates payment for services ultimately bringing several million more dollars into Colorado’s Early Intervention services programs.

Thanks Governor for recognizing the importance of these services.

Thank you...thank you very much

Vijay with the Elvis Presley lip thing going on.

I know he's really thinking, Enough with the pictures already...

You can find a little Mother's Day Humor

HERE

Happy Monday!

The two people who made it all possible for us!

We are so lucky to have you as our moms

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

My Niece, Pooja sent me these images of truck art.

They are from a painting competition that was held in Germany

Very Creative!

Here are a few pics from our rock garden

Yesterday I met with Vijay's teachers as he will be attending Kindergarten in the fall. All of his teachers & therapists are wonderful! I have learned so much these past few years. Although it has been a bumpy journey at times, his teachers helped smooth out the road & together we all figured it out.

This is appreciation week for our teachers, paras & school therapist & so I would like to say:

Thank you for your support & compassion. Thank you for recognizing Vijay's strengths. Thank you for being open to learning & Thank you for being teachers.

This makes me smile.

Happy Monday - Dance your way through the rest of the week!

We just received a wedding Invitation...

Satish will be heading to his home town, Trivandrum, India to attend a wedding for his cousin, Divya. Satish is from Southern India which is still pretty traditional. Divya & her future husband, Baiju, are having a traditional arranged marriage.

The date & time of the wedding will be based on the stars & dates of birth of Divya & Baiju. Therefore, it is not unusual for a wedding to be held on Monday between 9:15 & 9:45. Working that day, no problem, most employers will give you the time off; just let them know you are attending a wedding. You can also bring a couple of co-workers along who are interested in eating some good food even if they have never met your cousin before. You can expect a big crowd. There will be music, flowers & a bride who is adorned in so much gold from head to toe that it will seem like a fairytale of some sort. Here is a picture of my sister in law on the day of her wedding. Notice the gold jewelry - yep that's the real thing!


Prior to the ceremony, people will mingle & enjoy each other's company. Then the ceremony begins. Satish said some ceremonies are so brief that he has missed a couple because he stepped outside for some fresh air. By the time he returned, the couple had already become husband & wife.

Now it’s time to eat. When I attended Satish’s younger brother's wedding several years back, I was astounded by the large crowd. But even more surprising was how well we all ate. If something became empty on your plate, you were immediately offered more food. The food is served on banana leaves which in turn serve as bio degradable plates! – Very good for the environment. The menu for Hindu weddings is all vegetarian & it is all very delicious.

A friend sent me this & I want to share it with you:

Life is short! Break the rules!
Forgive quickly! Kiss slowly!
Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably..
And never regret anything that made you smile.

Make the best out of your life, Make a difference, & Make a Great Day!

Amu - This is for you!

I just talked to my sister-in-law on the phone - love to hear her laugh.

Here is a picture of me taken with my beautiful sisters, Subi & Amu. We went on this all day shopping spree in Satish's home town, Trivandrum India. The family still gives us a hard time because we were gone for so long. They were wondering if we got lost or abducted. We probably could have shopped into the next millennium if given the chance. We had so much fun together. I am looking forward to our next shopping spree (maybe in Dubai).

OK - Vijay's Occupational Therapist is not feeling well so OT has been cancelled. Therefore, I am going to focus on completing some reports for work (even though I would rather be blogging, playing in the sun, swimming with Vijay, scrap booking, gardening...the list goes on) Sigh...spring fever!

I finally fashioned up a little scrap booking. I love creating memories with paper, stickers, pictures, & words. I made two mini books for my cutie pie nieces who live in Dubai. I will be sending them my creations along with two blank mini books so they can create their own art.

The picture of the three of us was taken last November in India.

We had such a great time in Vegas that I thought I would share a few more photos. We were so impressed with how well Vijay adjusted to the noise & crowds of people. Good job son!

Smile Daddy Satish & Grandmother Alta-We are in Vegas baby! If you've never been to Vegas or have not gone in a while, it might be time to check it out.