Something you may not know......

What a week and it is only Wednesday.  Within our TCR community 3 families have suffered great losses this week and my thoughts and prayers are no doubt with these families.  We just never know what the future holds.

"Cherish the time you have with those who you
love. Tell the ones you love, that you love them every chance you
get, you never know when it might be the last"

 

Cancer has been my most recent topic as I am participating in the Relay for Life on June 25th.

Brian Sharpe's father-in-law lost his battle with cancer this week.  Cancer has become such a common thing, or maybe it is just that as we get older we pay more attention.

Something you may not know :  Rob Thomas wrote the widely popular song 3 A.M. (performed by his band Matchbox 20) about dealing with his mother's bout with cancer when he was just 12 years old.  Knowing what it is actually about changes everything about it the next time you hear it.

She says it's cold outside and she hands me my raincoat
She's always worried about things like that
She says it's all gonna end and it might as well be my fault
And she only sleeps when it's raining
And she screams and her voice is straining

She says baby
It's 3 am I must be lonely
When she says baby
Well I can't help but be scared of it all sometimes
Says the rain's gonna wash away
I believe it

She's got a little bit of something,
God it's better than nothing
And in her color portrait world she believes that she's got it all
She swears the moon don't hang quite as high as it used to
And she only sleeps when it's raining
And she screams and her voice is straining


She believes that life is made up of all that you're used to
And the clock on the wall has been stuck at three for days, and days
She thinks that happiness is a mat that sits on her doorway
But outside it's stopped raining

 

http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY10MS?px=16619474&pg=personal&fr_id=22567

 

Sharing money is what gives it its value.
  ~Elvis Presley

 Ahh....Cancun 07'....
how I would love to be back there right now!

Uggghhhh another Monday.  No matter how much I dislike them or how miserable they tend to be they always come around.  The weekend was fairly uneventful.  Friday I went to workout and then we decided to pickup BBQ (yummy little place in JC) and took it to mom's.  Sat around with Kent and Linda shooting the breezing and watching a little TV.  Sort of nice to be able to do that outside!  Saturday was my lazy day for sure.  I pretty much did nothing but a little laundry and painting on another frame.  Left a little after 4 and headed to Johnson City for a little shopping and dinner.  Sunday I had to get up and drive over to Five Oaks to exchange that picture I bought that the frame was damaged.  Of course, I got 2 more pics for the hallway.  The problem is that I keep buying pics for the hallway then I get them home and decide they look really good in a different room....ha ha  I guess I will eventually decide.  Afterward I decided to make my own cucumber dilly salad.  I always buy it at the fresh market in Knoxville but since that is an hour away it is not always accessible when I am craving it.  I have to say, it actually turned out great.  Unfortunately I took 1/2 of it to mom's and then I ate a good bit of mine at lunch today....oh well....will have to make more.  Then came the watermelon kick at which time I decided to clumsily cut a chunk out of my hand...BOO!  Oh well, it happens.  

We cooked out at Mamaw's and then afterward I came home to watch the much anticipated finale of LOST which just ticked me off!  I mean really, 6 years of this crap and that was the best ending they could come up with?  Wow.....I am still shaking my head over that one.

Well that is really about it for the weekend update! 

Just keep in mind I am still raising money for Relay For Life.

I know the economy is tough right now and I have set a much lower goal but please keep in mind that you can donate as little as $10.00 and every little bit helps in so many ways! It is Tax Deductible. 

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

You may click the link below to visit my page.

http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY10MS?px=16619474&pg=personal&fr_id=22567


Thank you so much for your support!

Serenity 

"If you wish to experience peace,
provide peace for another.” 

~ Dalai Lama

FRIDAY!!

Oh my lord, thank you Friday!  I just never thought  you were going to get here this week!  It has been such a long week.  I slept funny Sunday and have had trouble with my back and neck all week thanks to that.  Yuck!  I am looking forward to getting off work, working out and then just resting!  Maybe see if I can get this kink stretched out!  

So, I have just signed up for Relay for Life.  If anyone can donate it would be greatly appreciate as every little bit helps.  I don't really know anyone who's life has not been touch by cancer in some way.  I think anything we can do to help find a cure is so worth it.  It will be on a Friday night and June and normally runs 12 hours.  So 7pm - 7am.  Again, every little bit helps!!  You may click or copy and paste the link below to see my page.
 http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY10MS?px=16619474&pg=personal&fr_id=22567

http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY10MS?px=16619474&pg=personal&fr_id=22567

My Reason to Relay

The American Cancer Society Relay For Life is more than just an event to me. It is my personal opportunity to help save lives from cancer by supporting the American Cancer Society.

I personally have had a number of people in my life affected by cancer. Every little bit helps!

It's amazing to think that millions of people will be diagnosed with cancer this year. Somebody close to us may be one of them.

But, by taking part in Relay, I am helping the American Cancer Society save lives by:

• Helping people stay well by helping them take steps to prevent cancer or detect it early, when it’s most treatable
• Helping people get well by being in their corner around the clock to guide them through every step of their cancer experience
• Finding cures by funding groundbreaking research that helps us understand cancer’s causes, determine how best to prevent it and discover new ways to cure it
• Fighting back by working with lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer and rally communities worldwide to join the fight

Please support my efforts by making a donation or by joining my Relay For Life team. Together, we have the power to help create a world where cancer can no longer claim another year of anyone’s life.

"Education's purpose is to replace 
an empty mind with an open one"

- Malcolm Forbes

Ahhh 2 days down and 3 to go.  Woo hoo!  Work was a long day today, payroll day always drags for me.  Way too much time focusing on numbers & math.  After work headed off to dinner and workout.  Tomorrow I will be skipping the workout and trading it for an evening walk.  A friend of mine is bringing her little boy over.  He is such a joy.  Cute as ever!  

So over the weekend I finally caved and bought these two pictures I had looked at numerous times.  The frames are black which is what always prevented me from buying them.  I mean why spend money on the art then pay more money for different frames....not on a tight budget!  Well I stood there in the store and remembered I had some glaze here that I thought would be perfect to fix them so they would better suit my style.  So I started last night and I finished tonight.  Now....just to get the second one painted just right to match the first one...ha ha ha  We will see how that works out tomorrow night.  For now, here is the first one.

Now, with any luck by the end of the week the other picture in the set will match!

So the rest of the week will be a little busier at work.  My receptionist is going on vacation...I know, so not fair, I wanna go!!  Oh well.  Hopefully I will get away for a little bit in June.  I HOPE!  

If you are friends with Bear (TCR people) today they have issued a missing person report for his cousin Darlena.  Please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers.

It has been rainy here and looks that it will stick around the rest of the week.  I guess since I just replanted some shrubs/bushes this weekend it will be very good for them!  Hope everyone is having a nice week thus far!

  "Let the rain kiss you. 

Let the rain beat upon your 

head with silver liquid drops. 

Let the rain sing you a lullaby."

~ Langston Hughes

Mondays...

Ughhh.....the universal Monday feeling.  The weekends just go buy way too quickly anymore. I feel like I go, go, go and yet when Monday comes I feel like I didn't get much of what I wanted accomplished.  Oh well.  Friday I was just totally drained and exhausted so I decided it was a good time for taco night and catching up on all my shows I had dvr'd that I haven't had time to watch.  Saturday I ran around with mom a bit and then we picked up some stuff for Starla's new room and a large canvas for my sister's house and then we headed over to help put Starla's room together and hang pictures.  Mom and I are pretty picky about pictures, we break out the measuring tape and level and chalk, got to make sure everything is straight and at the proper height.  LOL  Saturday evening a few of us headed over to Five Oaks in Sevierville where I purchased a few paintings/pictures for my hallway.  Of course, one must now go back.  :o(  Go figure, those crazy protective corners protect but they also hide!  Top corner of my larger pic is messed up so I will be making a trip back one evening to get it exchanged.  I was so bummed too.  I had measured, chalked my spot and everything and then took those corners off....BOO!!  Oh well.  It is life.  Then we headed over to Smoky Mountain Brewery at Walden's Landing for dinner and a little relaxing.  

Sunday I was up early and off to Lowe's.  Dad decided that he was digging up some of his shrubs/bushes as he thought he had too many of the same thing and well I had nothing really but a small flower bed so I of course offered to take them off his hands.  ;o)  Now that the gutters/soffit are done I decided to get him to help me hang my wind chimes as well.  I love them, mom had them made for me for Christmas and they are a little heavy so I had to wait until I had everything replaced before we could hang them.  It looks nice with all the green out front now although I still cant wait to add more down the front of the house...once you get started you can't stop.  he he

We are on the downside of the Monday work day so that is a great sign.  Monday's for whatever reason just totally drain me.  Ughhh  So this morning I got up and put a beautiful roast in the crock pot with lots of good seasons and onions.  At lunch I stopped in (soaked in a little of the good smell my house is now filled with) and tossed in some potatoes.  After work I will toss in the carrots, take mom to drop the Jeep at the Jeep Dr, go workout and then home to dinner that will be ready!  YAY!  You can totally tell my mom cooked when I was growing up.  There is nothing better than walking in to a house that smells so great with dinner cooking all day!

"Cooking is like love. 

It should be entered into 

with abandon or not at all."

 
~ Harriet Van Horne

So much to do, so little time...

So, I haven't written in weeks.  It has been so crazy hectic.  I mean a week ago I declared myself to be on strike from everyone's favors and such so I could at least have time to clean my house and go to the store.  I mean I love doing for others but somewhere in there I have to do for me too.  Well not much has been accomplished although after 4 weeks I did finally get to the grocery store last  night!!  I cannot stand eating out all the time, it just seems to wear me down for whatever reason.  It makes me feel so blah!  Maybe because growing up mom cooked for us, we rarely ate out.  I am thankful for that!  I sure love her for so very many reasons.

So, one the 30th we stripped wallpaper after work until just after 9pm and on the 2nd we worked, cleaned & painted for about 12 hours straight at my sister's new house.  We completed the entire main part of the house.  With all of us working, 2 ppl per room trimming and 2 ppl per room rolling the painting was quickly knocked out!  They are now moved in and getting settled in to their new home.  I really do think this is going to be a great fresh start for them.  I was so tickled last night.  Mom and I were walking around the block with Gracie and I saw my nephew up the road, playing outside with other kids his age!  OMG!  I know, crazy to get excited about such a thing but when we were kids that is all we did was play outside.  With all this new technology and more game consoles than any one person could ever need in one home kids don't really play outside anymore.  I loved seeing it and seeing them enjoying themselves so much the way that we did.  YAY!

So, for those of you who caught that.....Yes, we now all live within walking distance from one another.  I never thought that would happen in a million years.  I am sort of in the middle.  I live in the "old" neighborhood and mom and Misty both live in the "new" neighborhood.  So mom and I can meet at the corner once I walk down my road and she walks up her hill and we can walk around the block together and now in the process of that we walk past my sister's at the opposite end....So, is that how you take over the world? One subdivision at a time?  ha ha ha  I will for sure see the kids more often now though.

On the 6th (Thursday) Misty & Josh were working on packing so I quickly rushed through half a workout after work then on to the house to shower then to pick up the kids.  I took Starla and Jeramy to Starla's school track banquet.  What was supposed to be an hour turned in to 3 hours and we were all tired and worn out when we finally made it home but Starla had a great time and that was what it was all about.  On the 7th we had a little get together at Mom's. (Yes she celebrates her birthday for like 2-3 weeks) and I also had a housewarming to attend.  So I went to the housewarming until about 8 then off to mom's where we ended up playing Catch Phrase, men vs. women.  Yes, of course the women one.  I had never played the game but turns out I am really good at it.  It was a fun evening but I had to get up early for Saturday so I left sometime after 11.  I have a friend that has been here from the UK for a little over 2 years now.  He decided to move back to the UK (tomorrow actually) so on the 8th I took him to Biltmore.  I had not been in years and it was the most beautiful day one could ask for.  Not too hot with a comfortable breeze and sunny all day long.  As you can see from my FB Album I totally enjoyed the garden.  Everything was so beautiful.  We had dinner at Cedric's Tavren at the new Antler Hill Village.  (For those of you in Asheville the "official grand opening" is like the 20-23 of May)  It is a neat little addition.  They have built around the Winery a few shops and restaurants.  Live music inside and out, it was really nice. There is also some sort of petting zoo just past it but we didn't have time to go there.  In the 19 years I lived in Asheville I never attended the Candle Light.  So they were running a special and I think I may do that this year so I just got a season pass.  It also gives me unlimited access to the Winery and Antler Hill...ha ha  I did skip over to Frank's for lunch.  Good lord, I have eaten that pizza since I was a small child and to this day it is still my favorite.

Mother's day was a beautiful day.  We all hung out by the pool in the sunshine at Aunt Darla's and really enjoyed the day.  Everyone was in good spirits and I think everyone was "relaxed", not a common thing when you get that many people together so it was WONDERFUL!  Monday was Mom's birthday (I know, double whammy every year) so I grilled steaks at mom's for her and of course my sister and her family.  We all had a wonderful dinner and spent some nice time together.

Tuesday I took my Pirate friend (aka John from the UK) to his going away dinner.  Wednesday I finally made it to my workout....(skipping so many days in between is so not good) and well last night mom was working over at the office and I HAD to go to the grocery store.  I didn't even have milk for cereal.  So I went to the store and then about 7 we walked around the block a few times.  Some exercise is better than none, right?

A few weeks back we attended the ALPS Annual Gala at the Rose Center.  My mother is on the board of the ALPS group here in town.  They are the Alzheimer's association.  You go, eat, socialize, bid on Silent Auction Baskets and then the live auction starts.  It is fun and for a wonderful cause!!  So found out Wed that we apparently made WINK Magazine's article.  Don't you just love knowing some pic has posted in a magazine none the less for the world to see and you have no clue what it looks like!  LOL  We had a good time and all in all raised like $17k+ so it was worth it!

Friday, finally!  

Oh my, I think I may just stay home tonight and do nothing!  With any luck, Saturday I will get some cleaning done.  My cucumber plants are starting to grow and show great potential and my onions have literally grown like weeds.  I have already started eating them as I pick them...lol  All in all for my first try at growing stuff it seems to be going well.   Hope everyone has a beautiful Friday!

"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not."

 

~Ralph Waldo Emerson