Follow-Up Friday - What a week

Well, I know last week I said I was thinking of maybe not doing follow-up Friday anymore, but the truth is, I like how it ties my week up all nice in a bow, so I'm going to keep doing it...It just may mutate a bit.

Anyway, onto the recap of the week. Since we're in the middle of NaBloPoMo and I'm actually posting on weekends now, let's start with Saturday. On Saturday I posted some pictures of an amazing sunset I was lucky enough to capture on my way home from work on Friday. Thank you everyone for your kind comments on my photos, but really, I just took the pictures, the sunset was the real artwork. If you missed them, please click on the link above and check them out, I promise you, you won't regret, it was certainly the most beautiful sunset I've seen in ages.

Sunday I posted my results to the "Classic Movie Quiz". Curious? Check it out, what movie are you?

Fun Monday this week was all about Holiday Traditions. I had lots of fun traipsing around checking out everyone's traditions, and also digging back into my childhood memories for this one. In my comments, I was surprised to learn that a lot of you also do the "One gift at a time" thing. It's definitely one of my favorite things about Christmas, because it becomes more about seeing everyone's reactions then about what you receive, and that is so special.

Tuesday I teased you all with promises of stories of my past loves. In response to my question about whether I had missed my chance at love, because I felt I've already met, and broken up with, my soulmate, Sognatrice posted this quote in the comments section: "People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that's holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life. A true soul mate is probably the most important person you'll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake. But to live with a soul mate forever? Nah. Too painful. Soul mates, they come into your life just to reveal another layer of yourself to you, and then they leave." This is from Elizabeth Gilbert's "Eat, Pray, Love" and I couldn't agree more.

I also couldn't agree more. I know I commented on wondering whether I'd used up all my "loves" but honestly, I don't really believe that. And as far as soulmates go, the above quote pretty much mirrors what I have always believed. I'll introduce you all to The Soulmate in a future post, but when I do, you will see just how much he fits the description above. The person who tears down your walls and smacks you awake. But could I have stayed with him forever? Probably not...obviously not, or we'd still be together. A long time ago I watched the movie "How to Make an American Quilt". In it, one of the characters talks about how she met her soulmate one afternoon in France. She never even learned his name, and he was married to someone else, but she knew he was her soulmate. For some reason, that completely resonated with me, and I've always remembered it. It's the thought that you can meet your soulmate, but that does not necessarily mean you'll end up with him. But that isn't exactly a terrible thing either, it just is. The quote Sognatrice posted, seemed to restate exactly that.

In my Wordless Wednesday I introduced you to my brother's new puppy Diamond. I'm so in love with this little pup. I was over there last night and she was just all cute, and cuddly, and giving me kisses. She's a gem. There will lots more stories and pictures to come, I'm a proud auntie after all.

Then there came the big NaNoWriMo meltdown. But, I've already addressed this in my Thursday Thirteen, so I'm just going to again say Thank You to everyone who offered help, suggestions, support, or just commiserated with me. Thank you! Due to the meltdown, I am now WAY behind on my word count for the novel, but I've recovered what I thought I'd lost, so I'm okay with that. I'll just spend some serious time this weekend, and check back with me on Monday, I'm hoping to report a higher wordcount. Also, I've been asked if I'd be sharing excerpts, and I will be. I was actually getting ready to share some stuff right before the big "crash", so stay tuned, I'll have something up next week.

TGIF! Happy travels throughout the blogospere!