Breathe.......

Wow.....this week feels like it has lasted forever!  Thankfully we are now on the downhill side of it.  Wooo Hooo.  Had a good but busy weekend, still not caught up on sleep.  We had a good trip to the Titanic Museum.  I think everyone should go at least once if for no other reason than the educational experience, especially if you children.  Plan on spending at least 2 hours just to make your way around but the limit people per hour so you don't have to worry about over crowding....great idea!!  When you arrive each person receives a Boarding Pass.  On the backside you will find the story of a passenger.  Throughout your trip in the museum you can learn a little more about your passenger.  At the end you will find out if they survived or perished.  (I survived, woo hoo)  When you come back down the grand staircase you can ask the lady for additional info on your passenger after.                                                                             

Afterward we stopped off at Fudruckers for lunch then to dad's where we ended up in a few rounds of darts.  Starla was pretty entertaining but she picked it up quickly.  All in all it was a good day, just a long day! 

Work has been slow going this week for sure.  I think my allergies and all of the rain has played a part in dragging it out as well.  So, yesterday evening my sister closed on a house.  She is really excited and it is going to be a really good thing for her and the kids.  I think they all need a fresh start.  Of course, a little hard work before they can get settled in but nothing too major, mostly painting, cleaning and minor repairs.  Nothing that we can't handle.  I really do hope that they take every opportunity to make this the change they really need!  The kids are going to have to put in their share of hard work as well but it will be good for them!

I am getting ready to start my 4th month at Curves!  Gosh, it seems like it has went by very quickly.  I always dread that 1st day of the month when I know all day I am going to learn how much progress I have made.  Ugghhh I didn't make it in today due to having a migraine all day but I went Monday & Tuesday plan on walking the campus tomorrow and then hopefully go workout Friday and Saturday.  Now, this is just a plan, we will see how it goes.  ha ha  I am hoping before the weekend to get the door on the carport painted too so it will match all the new vinyl.....another busy week!

"For beautiful eyes,

look for the good in others;

For beautiful lips,

speak only words of kindness;

and For poise,

walk with the knowledge

that you are never alone."

~ Audrey Hepburn

 

Things that soothe my soul....

In great need of a vacation I tend to think about the little things that Soothe My Soul.

                                        

 Sand & Salt ~ There seems to be nothing like laying back in the heat of the sun with the waves crashing and the salty beach air to make all of my worries just temporarily go away.  For whatever reason I can manage at that time to block out all of the background noises. I can lay there all day and never get tired of it.

 

Snow ~ Yes, I am quite aware of the fact that my friends in NC had a bit too much of it this year and that yes, it is indeed not winter but no matter what is going on, how I am feeling there is something about looking out and seeing those amazing, sparkling, beautiful little creations fall from heaven.  They totally make my heart smile! If only for a brief moment there is this feeling of just being at ease.

Sound ~ No, not just any sound but I noticed there was an "S" theme going on here, not sure about that.  Anyway, music, totally takes me somewhere else.  Sometimes I just like to shut everything off but the music.  I listen to about anything.  Bootleg Jerry Garcia, Janis Joplin, Norah Jones, Amos Lee, Zac Brown, BB King, Adelle, Lady A, Alabama, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Dylan, Skynard and the list goes on and on. Shut everything off, a nice glass of wine, turn the volume up and close your eyes...It is a little like a mini-getaway!

"By the light of the moon, she rubs her eyes

Says It's funny how the night can make you blind

I can just imagine" 

Of course no matter what the day has been like or how frustrated I get at times when I walk in the door and that little fur ball comes running around the corner she is getting ready to do something that makes me say "silly girl" and just laugh.  Laughing is good for us so I will gladly take it.

Anyway, nothing major today just a little of this and that.

"The highest courage is to dare 
to appear to be what one is"

~ John Lancaster Spalding 

Busy day today.........

Had a great dinner with John (aka Pirate) and Ronnie last night at a little place in Erwin/Greenville called The Farmers Daughter.  Set out on the patio of the country store next door on these beautifully made and super comfortable gliders/swings.  Of course the down side of all that time outside meant I had to lose the contacts when I get home and trade them in for allergy drops and glasses...LOL  So, I was supposed to call dad when I get in, he does not normally ask me to do this so it was not regular routine, and of course I was so tired and my eyes were so itchy I forgot.  My phone rang early this morning...

Dad:  What are you doing?

Me:  Ummmm sleeping. (duhhh)

Dad:  Oh, what time is it?

Me:  7:30 am (on a Saturday morning mind you)

Dad:  Oh, well that is what you get when you forget to call me when you get in.

Me:  OH CRAP!  

Boo! on being woke up early but I had to get up at 8 anyway so I guess it is ok.  LOL

Got up and picked up little man (aka nephew Jeramy) and Starlabug (aka niece Starla) and we headed off to Jearmy's first Anger Management Class (aka...Karate).  He enjoyed two hours of class and Starlabug and I walked 3 miles!  Curves is only open 9-11 on Saturdays so clearly I was not getting my workout in today.

(Starlabug)                

After that we headed to Chick-fil-a, we were all a little starved at that point.  Left there and went to pick up Josh (sister's beau) and took him to the house to get ready for work (Misty was stuck at an appointment and he was stuck there with her...LOL) ren to the rescue!  To my pleasant surprise when we got home the guys were here finishing up the siding and soffit.  Gutters should go up on Monday and then it will be done!  Yipee!

So, along with my baby bunnies out back I also had a bird's nest with little eggs.  Well I told the gutter guys I understand you have to move the next (it was sitting on the down spout) but please don't leave them in my yard!  I really preferred they live but everyone had said that was unlikely.  Well before he left today he said "Oh, let me show you something".  OMG......They were so nice, they had set the next under the porch very carefully on Wed and didn't tell me.  They wanted to make sure the mommy bird would come back and take care of them because apparently by Wed the little babies had hatched!  That was so sweet of them.  So my bunnies have hopped away and my little birds are getting feathers!  YAY!  With all the chaos this week all my critters were saved.  I know, some may say that I am silly, but I really prefer for them to survive so I was pleased! Storms are moving in tonight so I have done my best to secure their area and from here they are in God's hands for the remainder of the storms.  I am sure he will take good care of them. (\o/)

After the guys finished and cleaned up Linda stopped in and we decided to go grab dinner.  Went my mom's to try and take down her large chimes and hanging plants with the hope they will be safe for the evening and then on to my house to do the same.  By the time I made it in for the night my coat was so soaking wet I had to just toss it in the tub!  lol  Maybe it will start to dry out by tomorrow.

Since we changed our schedules around a little today we will be heading out to the Titanic Museum in the morning.  This is a project my company has worked on so I am curios to check it out for more than one reason.  Hopefully the rain will not be too bad tomorrow!

Please take a moment before you call it an evening and say a little prayer for all of those that have been devastated today by the tornadoes throughout our region.

"Keep away from people who try to 
belittle your ambitions. 

Small people always do that, 

but the really great make you feel that 

you, too, can become great" 

Mark Twain

Friday.......Thank the LORD!

So very thankful that it is finally Friday!  It has been a very long week.  I have had guys working at the house all week so I really have not been getting in or settled until about 8:30 each night....makes for very long days!  I am excited though.  Ever since I bought the house I have disliked all that dingy blue/gray wood all around the house and the matching gutters.  Yuck!  It always looks dirty.  So, when all is said and done it is going to be a pretty, clean/ bright white that not to mention I will not have to paint every year...Wooo Hooo! The picture is the carport.  You can see a little to the left and of course the door are still the old dingy blue/gray wood and then the pretty new white is all around!  I think I am going to feel much better when I look at it and see Clean!  I hope to get some landscaping done this year as well but I will just have to wait and see what my budget allows for.  One thing at a time, right?  I guess I should first paint that awful door white to match everything else this weekend...LOL  Another busy weekend ahead it seems.  As soon as I get off today I am headed to Johnson City for dinner with friends.  Tomorrow morning I will be missing my workout but that is OK.  I will be picking my nephew Jearmy up in the morning and taking him over to WSCC for a Karate class.  Something he has been interested in and so hopefully he will enjoy it!  I have a friend that helps teach the class so he is going to work with him so he is not just thrown into it.  Sunday I am taking my sister, her beau, Starla and Jeramy and we are all to the new Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge.  The company I work for worked on the project so I guess I have more on an interest in it than your average local but I think it will be a great and fun learning experience for all of us.  It never hurts to learn something new for sure.  Jeramy is a lot like me in the sense he can totally get stuck watching the history channel and stuff like that.  I love museums of any sort.  It has been a quite day so far in the office which is just what I needed after such a long week!  The nice man that mows my lawn called me back this morning to let me know he made sure to mow around the bunny nest!  ;o)  The gutter guys were not able to save my little bird eggs so I am thrilled the bunnies are safe!  ha ha  I know, I am silly, it's just me.  It is supposed to rain for the next week starting tonight so I am hoping that it really gets the pollen under control so I can enjoy being outside more.  

Graice loves laying out on the porch but she refuses to stay outside alone....really, she is a strange little girl, mom says, "she doesn't even know she is a dog!".  

Oh well maybe so, I love her none the less!

Anyway, I think it is about lunch time and I am for whatever reason totally starved today!  I will try and continue to be good about updating this thing.  Hope everyone is having a beautiful Friday!  Of course, I will leave a daily quote below the pics!  

"Do you ever look at a picture of yourself and see a stranger in the background?

Makes you wonder how many strangers have pictures of you.

How many moments of other people’s lives have we been in?

Were we a part of someone’s life when their dreams came true?

Or were we there when their dreams died?

Did we keep trying to get in as is if we were somehow destined to be there?

Or did the shot take us by surprise?

Just think. You could be a big part of someone else’s life and not know it."

So....I said I would get to this one.....

“The first time someone shows themselves to you, believe them.” – Maya Angelou

I came across this one day and wow....hit me like a ton of bricks.  If I look back on some various relationships in my life that have failed for one reason or another be it friendships or romantic relationships I can totally see this.  I am not the most trusting person or most willing to let others in but when I do I normally jump.  I go into it and always try and see the best in others.  I give second chances, and third and forth and so on.  I think had I fully recognized these individuals for who they were the first time they really showed me and acted accordingly I could have prevented a lot of the pain and hurt feelings I have dealt with.  

I make statements all the time about children and how they see things....A friend of mine, her little girl one time said to her, "Mom, why is he always so mean to you?" speaking of the man she was seeing at the time.  Well my friend started with all the excuses and reasons for his behavior (he is tired, stressed, long day at work) rather than just seeing him for who he was.  As adults we tend to make excuse and try to reason when it comes to everything.  Children have these fresh eyes and sometimes they hit the nail on the head because they simply just see "it".  Who we are, how we act, the don't make excuses, they don't try to reason.  In the end in this situation she child was correct.  He showed himself and the little girl believed him.  Didn't matter the excuses, reasons or flowers that showed up the next day.

All of this of course sort of leads into the next part of this.....

Spring Cleaning!

It is that time of year.  We start cleaning out our closets, our garages, basements, our cabinets, our spare rooms and well any thing else that seems to continually collect things.  Well along with all of those things that we grow out of, things that are no longer good for us, I have come to the conclusion that we need to occasionally do a little spring cleaning in our lives.  Strange thought to some maybe....I mean really, we decide that smoking, staying out late, too much partying, spending too much money is bad for us and we make changes accordingly.  I have always sort of thought that when it comes to people that you shouldn't burn bridges.  I have not changed my thought on that I have just decided that just as with bad habits, junk and materials things (we all have that one pair of pants we think will miraculously fit one day as well as they did 5-10 years ago) that 

"Maybe some friendships aren’t meant to be saved. maybe we’re meant to spend a certain part of our life with certain people…and then move on."

 

Sometimes we are simply just holding on to certain relationships in our lives because we feel we have to or because they have been around for so long.  We don't want to cause hurt feelings or seem like we are giving up.  When you have exhausted all other options, when you find that this relationship seems to do you more harm that good I think it is time to move on.  Change is just a part of life in every aspect.  I am not saying burn bridges or hurt people's just learn to "Let Go".  I have trouble with this myself but that is part of 2010 for me.  Learning to Let Go.  Much easier said than done for me.  I am so not a fan of it but I realize now that sometimes it just needs to be done.  Hence the phrase....Spring Cleaning!  Sounds like a good time to start......

 Spring is no doubt in the air!  :o)

Where will this go......

So this seems to be the thing lately....blogs. Well I guess to some extent if nothing else it allows individuals to get all of the jumbled mess in their heads out a little piece at a time. Anyway, we will see if I manage to actually keep this up. I will give it a try and see how it goes!




I snap pictures all the time, of everything so don't be surprised when totally random snap shots pop up here and there. As well, I am big on quotes so you will often see those too.


“The first time someone shows themselves to you, believe them.” – Maya Angelou


I will get to this one later.......


~ ren