Oh my goodness......It has been way too long!

So, I just don't know where to start.  I haven't written since December, shame on me!  Anyway as always there has been A LOT going on.  The new job is still going well.  I enjoy being home, I enjoy sleeping better and less stress!!  YAY!!  I have learned lately from questions from various people that there is a huge misconception about my job.  Yes, I work at home.  Yes, I can work in my pjs.  BUT I do way more work!  I am busy all day long.  I don't get much free time at all.  It is OK though, I enjoy it.  I would rather be sitting here at 3:45 and realize that I should have quit working at 3:30 rather than to be sitting there at 1:45 watching the clock and waiting for the day to end.  The job is very detail oriented.  You are dealing with claims, medical coverage and all so everything has to be entered in correctly.  I work for a great organization and one that has this telecommuter thing down to a science.  Everyone assumes that you can just do as you wish and nobody will know....HA!  No, they monitor everything (Wouldn't you?  I would!)  Of course, I have the mind set that if you are doing your job and doing what you are supposed to do then who cares?  I don't.  Of course after explaining all of this to my nephew yesterday he decided it was a bit too much for him that he was not cut out for working from home.  Truth.....not everyone can work from home.  You can't be distracted by everything else around you.  It takes a lot of self discipline and self motivating.  It works great for me but again, no, it isn't for everyone.  I am very happy with it though.


The kids are doing well.  Starla starts high school next year and JD will be a senior......CRAZY!  They are both so amazing though!  


Wedding plans are moving along.  We will be getting married on the hill at Diana at Biltmore on October 7th.  My dress was ordered in Jan.....good lord, I can't believe it takes 4-6 months to get a dress....craziness.  Working with a photographer on our Engagement photos and so long as all goes well we will have him booked for the wedding as well.  So location - booked, music - booked, Cake - tasting is the 21st...YUM, Shoes - purchased and are safely packed away, I am doing my own flowers and have started working on those.  Mom and I are going in the morning to choose fabric for the bridesmaid dresses.  I am working on favor bags and looking at some different options.  So......it is still a work in progress but things are moving along and a decent pace.

I went to school with this designer, check her out!
http://annrothshoes.com/

Gracie is GREAT and spoiled as ever!  How can you not love a face like that.....she is my baby!  John is like her little buddy which is HILARIOUS since everyone knew him to "not be a dog person".  They go on little hikes together and everything.  Ha ha see.....you can't help by love her.

SNAPSHOTS......Well I am still doing this.  Can you believe it?  Since Jan 1, 2011 I haven't missed a single day. I have posted a picture every day.  I am working on my 2011 coffee table book but some of my photos were not uploading the other day....gotta figure out what is up with that.

JEEP!  Yep, got a new Jeep.  Well John traded the C7 and got the Jeep so he could "play" on weekends and I could drive it and he drive my car to work now.  I am good with that because I LOVE the Jeep!

So.......I guess there is a quick run down.  LOL  I will have to get better at this updating for sure!

Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the spring weather!

" People are often unreasonable and self-centered.

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. 

If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway. 

If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway. 

The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. 

Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. 

Give your best anyway. 

For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. 

It was never between you and them anyway.” 

~ Mother Teresa

Ok.....I have been SO busy!

So, so much has happened so I will try and do a decent but not too long update! Let's see.....The end of October I started a new job!  I am now a Clinical Administrative Coordinator for United HealthCare.  I have a home office which is a big change.  All learning has been virtual but I must say, they have a good set up.  So far it has been a great experience.  Everyone has been very kind and welcoming.  We got a power point today of the veteran staff so that was great to put faces with names and voices.  We have a Christmas party coming up in Nashville so I will soon get to meet a number of them which I am looking forward to. Thankful for the new direction!

Mom says the picture doesn't do it
justice but this is the best I can do.
It's BEAUTIFUL

If you are on FB then you likely already know but if not......I became engaged Thanksgiving Day!  I am sure you have heard me talk before about John and of course he is on FB.  He is from England.  We seem to balance one another well.  Knowing I am a bit of a traditional person he arranged to get my mom and dad bother together the night before for dinner and asked them both.  I love that he did that.  So many just don't do it these days.  We are planning for fall 2012.  Having some issues with the location we originally wanted so not 100% sure on that yet.  I know, I myself never thought I would agree to get married after some of what I have been through.  I feel good about it though.  


New experiences this year, new friends, new job, new future.........I truly did set out on a mission this year though.  I set out not with any one particular "resolution" but I set out to CHANGE the way I did things.  I made myself get out and do things I wouldn't normally do, hiking by myself, seeing a movie by myself, I challenged myself to make changes in the people I surround myself with; focusing more on those that have a positive influence in my life and reducing the focus on those that don't.  I challenged myself on my snapshot blog and as of today I have not missed a post for every day this year.....personally that was one I didn't think I would accomplish!  LOL  Maybe those are the resolutions we should be making for ourselves. Not always big things either, sometimes just the simplest changes make such a huge impact.  Make yourself step out of your box.  It really has made such a difference in the past year. 

My little Gracie turned 7 on December 11th!  

We took her to see Santa and then of course took her annual photo. 

I just love her.  She is so rotten!

Well there is my update for now! 

 Hope everyone is getting ready for CHRISTmas 

and has a wonderful time with their loved ones!

"Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time."

  ~Laura Ingalls Wilder

So, things were very hectic this summer.  It just worked out that I did not get a trip to the beach (Still a little sad over this) Nor did Jearmy or Starla.  So we decided it was time for a weekend road trip!  So, last Friday John and I both left work at lunch, picked the kids up and hit the road!  We drove up through KY and enjoyed the crazy, beautiful fall colors.  BEAUTIFUL!  We arrived at our hotel in plenty of time for dinner so we checked in and headed off to explore a little and find dinner.  We walked below Newport on the Levee and along theOhio River until we picked a place to eat.  Saturday morning we got up early, had breakfast overlooking the Ohio River and the headed out to the zoo.  It was such a gorgeous day for the zoo!  After wearing ourselves out there we decided to have dinner at this little place I came across on the internet.  It was called Maury's Tiny Cove. What an absolute hidden treasure they have there.(Founded in 1949, Maury's is one of the oldest, continuously operated restaurants in Cincinnati ) WOW.....what a find!  I mean a Filet &Chicken Combo for just $24 and it was excellent.  Everyone got bread baked in their own little bowls, (Starla loved that) and the service was great.  We'll go back next time we are in the area for sure. (LOTS More photos to be posted on FB soon!)

Sunday morning we got up early and had breakfast again overlooking the Ohio River and watching all of the rowers doing their morning training.  We took off for a little sight seeing, exploring a little of downtown and then on to the Levee where we took a ride on the Ducks.  For those unfamiliar they are WWII Amphibious Vehicles.  They drive you around and then straight into the water where they convert to a boat and then you finish your touch back on land and wheels as you started.  Neat to do if you haven't done before.  I rode them in Branson, MO back in 96.  It gives you a different look at things getting a touch on land and water while learning along the way.  After the Duck tour we headed down to Hooters on the River for lunch and then back down town for a little more exploring.  We checked out the Carew Tower.   Completed in 1930 and standing 49 stories high we took 2 different elevators and a flight of stairs to get to the observation deck.  The views are insane, you can see everything!  We then made our way down and strolled through Tiffany's & Co.  (why not? it was right there! LOL) and then on to Fountain Square where we made a stop at Graeter's Ice Cream (founded in 1870 and loved by Oprah) I am telling you I have never been an ice cream person but good lord, if I lived there I would be HUGE!  The mango ice cream was the most amazing ice cream I have ever had!  LOVE LOVE!  After that we took off to find the Holy Cross-Immaculata Parish.  It is a small church but one with a lot of history.  It was considered to be a beacon/watch tower for this in the underground railroad.  It is also the church that hold the splinter from THE cross.   Once we made our stop there it was back to the interstate.  I guess we dropped the kids in their driveway a little after 10:30 on Sunday night.  We had one very packed but very good weekend!  Road Trips are always great!

(not my photo)

“The world is a book 

and those who do not travel 

read only one page.”

~ St. Augustine

Everglades National Park - Simply Stunning!

Oh my goodness........It has been TOO long since I have posted.  I have had SO much going on though.  I will try and do a few posts to cover rather than one HUGE post.   LOL  August, well mid August John's Mom, Step Dad and Brother came from England for 2 weeks.  In the middle of their visit we all went to Florida.  It was great to get away for sure!  We went to the Everglades, enjoyed and Airboat ride, got to hold the little gators, explored the Miami Zoo and just enjoyed the time away and all getting to know one another.  Love the Everglades BUT I must warn you, if it is hot....DON'T GO!  The mosqitos will eat you alive!  Aside from that it was a lovely trip though.  The zoo was great.  It was beautiful all day!  We got to feed the giraffes which instantly turned me into a 4 year old!  ha ha ha I loved it!



We took them to Biltmore, Cades Cove and all sorts of places.  I think they enjoyed it and enjoyed the sun since they don't seem to get much of that in England.  I recall when my mother went there with my mamaw when I was in 5th grade that they said it was cold and rainy the entire time!  Anyway, lots more to update since I am clearly so behind but again, one thing at a time.  


Hope everyone has been doing well!

Everglades National Park (yep just at side of trail)

Everglades Alligator Farm

Everglades National Park

Everglades Alligator Farm

One of my favorite shots of the trip!

"My mother drew a distinction between achievement and success. She said that achievement is the knowledge that you have studied and worked hard and done the best that is in you. Success is being praised by others. That is nice but not as important or satisfying. Always aim for achievement and forget about success"

~Helen Hayes

Ok, ok.....I must admit.  My update skills are continuing to lag.  Things have stayed a bit busy though.  A lot of out and about as always.  Snapping away and keeping up my snapshot blog, at least I have done well not to miss a day so far on that one!  LOL  Full time work has not changed much.  I think we would all like to see some improvements but on the upside we still have our heads above water.  Better than being completely under!  My business is still steady.  Two new clients the past few weeks so I am totally happy about that.  One is a new print client and one is a new website so a little variety is good too.  Oh yeah, and apparently one of our local magazines used some of my photos, and maybe a couple of John's on their cover for this month.  Of course I haven't seen it yet so I have no clue what it looks like.  Took the kids one evening and snapped a few pictures.  We'll have to get out and do more soon.  They said it looked great though, I will have to check it out when I get my copy!  I have still yet to "fully" clean my house but I am starting to get a little more caught up so at least that is a step in the right direction.  Took all the blankets and sheets to the laundry mat yesterday, ok a boring hour but man, sure was nice to have it all done at one time!  It would have taken me forever at my house.  Had lunch after that, went to the grocery store, picked up some movies and cooked dinner at the house.  It was just a "regular" Sunday.  Seems a bit odd since I am always on the go but every once in a while we need just a regular day to get regular stuff done.  Been trying to spend some more time with the kids so one weekend we took them to the Haunting at Ramsey Plantation (fundraiser), they enjoyed that and then we went to Chop House for dinner and of course they enjoyed that!  LOL  Last weekend we took the kids out for a FULL day.  Picked them up at 6:30am and dropped them at home at 7:45pm!  LONG day but we had so much fun.  We took them to Cades Cove, got out did a little walking and exploring.  We went into Gatlinburg and had lunch at Calhouns and then back on the road again.  From there we went to Cataloochee.  Hoping for them to see the Elk but in the heat they tend to hide.  We did see a couple though.  Saw a nice turkey and saw the Biggest bear I have ever seen outside of a zoo from 15'-20' away!  Yes, way too close to be considered safe viewing distance but we sure didn't approach her she was just there, with her 3 cute cubs!  It was Starla's first time seeing a bear outside of the zoo and she was able to get a picture too so that was pretty neat.  I must admit I was VERY excited, my goal for the day had been to get a picture of a BIG bear and I was so bummed when I left Cades Cove not seeing a single bear!  

I mean for the past couple months every time we have been to Cades Cove we have seen bears, a few weeks back one even jumped right in front of my car!  I was totally excited to see this BIG bear.  It made my day.....LOL    Ha ha ha I just love where I live.  I love that we have so much of beautiful mother nature for us to appreciate on any given day.  It is great!  Took off this past Saturday on the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail.  Not sure why we had never taken that one since we are out and about in the GSMNPs every weekend but none the less we hadn't.  It was nice, a lot of little trails around the cabins and and found a few trails/hikes to check out once the weather cools off a bit.  The heat and humidity have been AWFUL here.  I have a vacation coming up in a couple weeks, I will not be getting away from the heat and humidity at all but it sure will be nice to really get a way for a few days!  Off to the Everglades, Keys; off to see something new again.  Can't go wrong there.  Still doing good at the gym.  3-4 times a week since June 4th!  lol Ok well there is a bit of an update as scattered as it may sound.  I will post some pics as well.  Hope everyone has a great week!

The BIG Bear!  LOL

"I love to think of nature as 

an unlimited broadcasting station, 

through which God speaks to us every hour, 

if we will only tune in." 

  

~George Washington Carver

Way too long....

Ok, it has been WAY TOO LONG since I have updated my blog.  Sorry, I have been so busy though!  Not sure where to even start to get caught up so I will just go with the flow.  I will try and post some pictures for you as well.  Starla has knee surgery on the 11th.  It has pretty much ruined her summer but she has been so good about it.  She has been a total trooper.  She will just get a late beach trip this year.  The weather has been crazy here since first of April.  Tornados and everything which generally we do not get here.  Lots of hail!  I have had my car repaired and I am now collecting quotes on the roof.  I hate it had to happen that way but it will nice to have a new roof.   I am thankful I am not dealing which much bigger issues.  We didn't have much of a spring in terms of weather so I am ready for fall.   LOL  I am so not a dead of heat kind of person.  The 70's are for me.  I like comfort and nice breezes.  

I am still keeping up with my Snapshot blog.  We are halfway through the year and I haven't missed a single post.  I am so surprised at myself, I never thought I would be able to keep it up this long without missing a day!

Cades Cove 6.26.11

I started at the Gym June 4th.  I have done well going at least 3 times a week.  I even got up and went yesterday morning on my day off at 8am and I go every Saturday at 8am.  A lot of misconceptions with that place for sure.  I wish I had joined that one last year and I joined Curves.  That was such a waste of money.  Anyway, I am doing it now and determined.  VERY!  I got a "Buddy Membership" so I can always take someone with me which has been great too because when one person can't go with me someone else can meet me there so it helps me to keep it up!

Poor Gracie!  She had like 6 baths in 3 hours!

Let's see, the week of June 14th was rough!  My little Gracie got sprayed in the face by a skunk at 1:30 am!  It was AWFUL!  Oh my gosh, I feel bad for her.  I mean here we are July 5th and she still has a little bit of skunk breathe!  It was an adventure for sure and one I hope to not have to deal with again.  YUCK!  (Only did the gym 2 days that week, had to skip the 15th due to the fact that I smelled like a skunk too!)

Work is still just work.  No major changes.  Still doing the dating thing.  Seems to be going smoothly so far, just taking things a day at a time.  It has been going well though and in a positive direction so I don't suppose I can complain there.

Still getting out and about and everywhere.  Cades Cove is always in there somewhere.  Found a new little local place called Parrot Mountain which was pretty neat.  Some great pics that day.  So many beautiful and bright colors.  This past weekend was sort of a lazy weekend.  Watched movies stayed local.  No day long road trips.  Need those weekends here and there for sure.  Went to the park Sat evening for my "daily snapshot" and ended up getting to watch some fireworks from the over look with just about 15-20 others so it was nice to do that and have no crowds!

This one had personality!

No zoom, you can really get this close!

Great view from Panther Creek Overlook!

Anyway, I will try and do better about updating.  I am SURE I have missed things in this post but hopefully I will pick them up here and there. Hope everyone has a nice short work week!

Hope Everyone Had A Safe & Happy July 4th Weekend!

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same."

~Ronald Reagan

Introspection.........

"...why should we not calmly and patiently review our own thoughts, and thoroughly examine and see what these appearances in us really are?" 

~ Plato

 

Introspection......I feel like my entire year thus far has been filled with it!  I guess I have to take blame for that though.  I set out at the first of the year and decided it was going to be a year of change for me.  I was going to make some big changes, I was going to do things I would have not done in the past and so on.  I have to say, I have done a little better at this than I originally thought I would and we are not even half-way through the year so I am pleased with that.  Of course with all of that introspection comes the good and the bad.  There are light and easy days and there are heavy days.  Days that you just feel a bit like the weight of the world is planted firmly, centered on your chest.  My nephew informed I had been changing quickly....lol  I told him only because I pushed myself to do so.  He said there were things he would like to change about himself and I told him he had to just make it a challenge for himself as I have done.  Approach one thing at a time and most importantly, start before I did!  HA!  

Anyway......More on all of that later.   I took Starla to see Bridesmaids on Sunday.  It was actually pretty funny.  Then we took a ride, had to have a snap shot!  Speaking of, when I got home from the movies I checked my messages to find a message from someone who said:

"I went hiking today and took several pics which had me thinking of your daily post, wow you have some great shots and just want to know that your post were enough to get me out and shooting some."

" I guess I kinda wanted to thank you cause I had a great day shooting and hiking, which I've not done as much as I used to, so thanks for being you"  ~ Bri

Wow, thank you so much for sharing that with me.  It means a lot to me that you took the time to actually tell me.  I know there are a ton of people that read my blogs and check out my daily snapshot blog without ever speaking a word.  I am totally cool with that, don't get me wrong.  My blogs are set up so that anyone, anywhere can read them, comment on them or even just click next if they have no interest.  It is always nice to know though that somewhere they have a positive impact on someone. 

The snapshot blogs was one of my new challenges.  I am happy to say that so far I have done good, there is a post for every day of the year!  I love photography.  I am by no means an expert and I have a lot to learn.  Maybe, just maybe, one day I will save for a more proper camera and maybe even take a class.  Who  knows.  Although I have always been more of one to learn by trial and error.  I know this is not always the best or easiest way but I think that in the end all that you learn, good and bad, tends to stick with you more!  Just my opinion, we all have those ya know.  Either way, it has been good for me and it has allowed me to open my eyes and sometimes see something crazy beautiful in something that just months before I would have driven right past and not taken a second look.  It allows you to appreciate so much more in life, you take more time, you really take things in. Who knows, maybe I will go crazy and continue it through 2012?  We shall see.  I will start working on my book soon.  I think that if I don't start uploading and placing photos now that when I am ready to do my 2011 Coffee Table Book I will be completely overwhelmed!

Well, it is Monday, as much as I truly do not want to I suppose I should get to work! 

So....I have been OK about updating but not great.  I will continue to improve on that.  There has been SO much going on lately.  Let's see, the weekend of April 9th Starla and I took off on another one of our mini road trips.  We always make it home before the day ends but often get lost a number of times along the way.  That is part of what makes it so fun.  We venture off somewhere new and always see something a little scary and something amazingly beautiful it seems.  We have a good time though rain or shine.  We ended up making a huge day of it and went all sorts of places and found all sorts of "new" places.  New to us at least.  We finished off in Johnson City with dinner and then started our drive home.  It was supposed to have stormed all day but ended up being sunny and beautiful.  Just as we were headed out the rain started.  Just as we entered the Green Co line on I81 there was a tornado warning over the radio and about that same moment we started getting pounded by hail the size of golf balls and even bigger.  Needless to say it made the almost full hour that we sat there, moving no further than maybe a quarter mile if that - VERY LONG!  Let me just say, the abrupt Tornado Warnings is not something that happens around here.  When it does, it usually doesn't end well.  I guess we can say that is one down fall of living in these beautiful mountains!  It was not fun for sure!  When all was said and done and when the reports from Green Co residents and officials were coming over the radio before we even made it home I was just THANKFUL.  My sister said that mom called her and told her when she spoke with me (while I was sitting in the storm with nowhere to go) that I was handling this all quite well.  I was.  I just kept reminding myself (even though I just had my car repainted!) that this is why I have insurance and that Starla and I were OK.  We even got out of it without any broken car windows unlike a lot of other people.  We were safe and in the end that was really all that mattered.  They had a tornado come through when my mom was little and one of her sisters (my aunt) actually got picked up by one and is still with us today!  I will try and remember to upload the video we took on the interstate later, don't have it with me at the moment.

April 27th-28th - This event already has a Wikipedia page!  That is just crazy!  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tornadoes_of_2011  Of course, this page is not fully updated and will continue to change.  That last streak we had like this I believe the news said was 1974 and even that when did not create the death toll that this past week did.  Over 342 was the last count released over 6 states.  Alabama, they were absolutely pounded by the fury of mother nature.  Greene Co, Tennessee (mind you, where Starla and I sat on the interstate just on the 8th) was hard hit in our area.  They are still cleaning up.  Everyone is still cleaning up in all 6 states and several are still doing "Recovery" and there are news posts of tons of "missing".  It has all just been crazy.  It catches everyone off guard here because Like I said, especially in the area I live in, this sort of thing just doesn't happen every season!  Lots of thoughts and prayers still going on in my heart and mind for ALL who are dealing with this.

His daddy doesn't allow his face on the internet but he is a doll!

April 30th started off with a beautiful morning at the park taking pictures of one of my most favorite little guys ever and with one of my most favorite people!  Good morning with Julie and Dawson and he did pretty good for a 2 year old at the park. He is a joy though.  I just adore him. The only kids I like more are Starla and Jeramy....LOL  After that I headed towards NC with John.  We ended up walking the gardens and trail at Biltmore, exploring a little of the old neighborhood and then decided to take the long drive home over the Blue Ridge Parkway.  It was nice.  Had not done that in ages and I grew up doing it every weekend with mom and dad so it was a nice day.

I love having this park so close to me!

Biltmore Gardens

May 1, 2011 (US)

US forces kill Osama bin Laden in Pakistan

'Justice has been done,' Obama says; 9/11 mastermind is buried at sea after deadly gunbattle"

Well now, this has clearly been a long time coming.  From the moment it was announced I have watched the posts on FB and read peoples comments, not saying too much on the matter.  I have a friend currently in the Middle East who will be leaving in another week or so headed for India.  I have another friend, hopefully, on their way here now.  They were in Dubai and headed this way but by the 20th will be heading straight back to the Middle East (using this loosely, I know, can't really give out a specific location).  I hope they both along with everyone else are safe as they travel.  There has been a lot of talk in regards to the US respecting the Religion of this man.  Without getting into religion it can be simply put that we are taught from a young age that "Two wrongs do not make a right".  I think that for us to stoop down to the level of our enemies does nothing but show we are no better than they are.  This is a pretty clear rule that we have learned at one time or another in our lives.  It is also a good thing to point out that in being respectful of that we are not out to enrage others just so we can behave like a bunch of jerks!  If you want to get all religious about it.  As Christians we are taught to love all of God's children.  That does not discriminate between race, sex, religion, region or anything else.  It is a simple and clear rule.  We are taught that it is not our place to judge others, that is God's place.  If we choose to be disrespectful of someone elses beliefs then you are not being very "Christian".  It goes to the whole being a hypocrite thing.  It is like "selective hearing", so many people chose to be "Christian" but only when it suits their current needs.  They have created "Selective Christianity". I would like to say that everyone's disrespectful outbursts will have no role in what the future now holds given this recent and long awaited news but I feel that more than ever it will not go as planned.  I guess only time will tell.  I have saw a few people that have spoken well in their response.  I will share what my friend Rita Davis posted with you as it is the one that resonates with me.

Freedom rings true! Hypocrisy.... sounds about the same. God bless the brave men and women who put their lives on the line for all of us, and may God bring true justice to light. I do not rejoice in someone's death, but in justice being served. I pray that in this instance - we will be thankful and somber at the events unfolding. None of us can correctly judge this man, situation or these people for eternity... let's keep that in mind - we will all stand before God at some point. But by Grace We Will Be Saved! Let's not be self righteous.

 I think that everyone truly needs to make more of an effort to be respectful of others.  I have a lot of friends with very different views in life.  Some are straight, some are gay, they are of all nationalities, some are true Christians and some don't believe.  I DO NOT Judge them based on these things.  It is simply not my place to.  I need to live my life within the boundaries I set for myself, not someone else.  I embrace all of my friends and all of their differences.  If I don't want someone telling me that I can't believe in GOD and I can't believe in loving whom ever it may be that I choose to love then I clearly have no right telling someone else.  They have the same right I have and if I expect them to respect mine I have to respect theirs as well.  In the end, for me, we are ALL children of GOD and it is his place, not ours.  I appreciate the eclectic group of people I have in my life and I learn something from all of them and in the end if they can learn something positive from me, I am happy with that.  If they were all just like me, well I would venture to say my back yard would be filled with holes 6' deep....LOL

My  mom just LOVES the word HYPOCRITE!  Ha ha ha.  I remember one day my brother using that word and mom turned and immediately asked for the definition of Hypocrite, when Brandon could not tell her he ended up writing the definition until he could never forget it!  LOL  Trust me, there is an upside to being the baby in the family.  The first time I told my mom that she "irked" me, I damn well knew the spelling and definition.  I knew better!  Gotta love my mom!

By the way mom, thanks for waking me up!  I call and check on mom every morning as I am driving to work so when I had not called and it was later than my normal time she called me.

I hear this wonderful song in my ear, I keep turning it down though because I am sleeping!  Finally I hear more lovely music in my ear and I pick up the phone and see mom's smiling face:

me:  grrrrr Hello!

mom:  what are you doing?

me:  I am laying here!

mom: Are you still asleep?!?

me: No, I am waking up....geeesh.....

mom: You are supposed to be at work! You overslept!

me: OH CRAP!

mom: You better call work!

bawhahahahahahahaha......Happy Monday Morning!

It is not sufficient to be worthy of respect 

in order to be respected. 

~ Alfred Nobel

Respect for ourselves guides our morals; 

respect for others guides our manners. 

~ Laurence Sterne

I have been a bad blogger so far in March.....

Gosh....I just don't know where to start.  Things have been sort of crazy lately and if it is not one thing it is another.  I keep saying I am going to update my blog and I always get side tracked.  I did make some "goals" for the new year; rather than "resolutions".  Some I have been doing well with, some I have scratched the surface with and some are still to come. Rome wasn't built in a day people!

One of my goals was to do my Daily Snapshot; yes, daily!  So far I have not missed a single day.  Each snapshot is from the day of posting of just within a few days.  That was part of my goal.  I thought, I enjoy my photography and I enjoy seeing new things so it was a good way to force me out of the house.  Now, I will be honest, there have been a couple pictures snapped from the comfort of my pj's & my car!  Hey, even when I was sick I made my self get out!  We are not even through the 1st quarter of the year but I am happy with myself that I have kept it up so far.

Another goal was to start getting back to the old me.  The one that did not worry so much about what everyone else thinks.  That is a downfall of living in a small town for sure!  Every which way you turn, no matter what you are doing or not doing you are being judged.  Not like you are not judged every where, all the time but I guess in a small town there is only so much for people with no life of their own to do than to nose in everyone's life but their own.  I have done a lot of biting my tongue as to not hurt the feelings of others despite the fact that very often they hurt mine.  I had become so "nice" that it was starting to wear me down.  So I have done well with that goal.  There are areas I still need to improve on but I am moving right along.  I mean let's be realistic here; biting one's tongue only works until there is nothing left to bite!

The advice I have given those around me:  If you don't want to know the TRUTH, Please do not ask me because that is what you are going to get.  I will put it as nicely as possible until pushed too far but none the less the truth will come out.  One of us may wind up face first in the mud but that is just part of it!

I also made a goal to do more things this year that in past years for whatever reason I had not done.  Mostly simple things; things that may seem trivial to others but of course that is why they are my goals and not yours. HA!   I did not even make a list really, I figured I would know them as they happened.  I mean really simple.  I took myself to the movies (yes. me, myself & I. Not sure my sister believed that one at first).  No this is not major earth-shattering even but none the less it is something I never would have done in the past.  I enjoyed it; I will be doing it again I am positive.  It was in the middle of a Monday too, there were only a couple other people in the movie I was watching, it was peaceful.  I loaded up my dog a couple Mondays ago and we took a hike.  Nope, not a walk in the park or around the blog.  We actually set out on a hiking trail, spent some time sitting out on the rocks at the edge of the lake on a comfortable breezy day.  It was WONDERFUL!  It was so peaceful so relaxing.  Again not earth-shattering but something I would have never done before.  I am not a very trusting person so I tend to stay on paths that follow the roads or stay out in the open, I don't tend to venture off like that alone.  I took a painting class one Friday night with a group of friends and new friends in Knoxville.  Not something I would have really jumped to do in the past but I LOVE IT!  I was a little nervous about it, I am outgoing when you get to know me but to be honest I am not big on meeting new people.  Again though, love it!  I would do it again for sure!  I broke out a sketch book.  I have not done that since I was in maybe freshman/sophomore year of high school!  I have always had a creative side but somewhere over the years I have lost touch with it.  So there are just a few of the changes I have made so far....not all of them but I can only write about so many at once......I am making up for lost time here!  LOL

I met up with a very sweet old friend of mine, Amy Reece Spahr, for dinner one night in NC.  We had not seen one another for 16 years!  It was so great!  I am so glad I drove the little way after work that Friday to be able to see her and catch up!

February - WOW - February was a strange month for me.  It was filled with a lot of stress, a lot of ups and downs, a lot of emotions.  February was literally a month of connections for me.  Some old, some new and maybe some still to be?  Not for sure on that one.  I mean something was seriously in the air last month with the people in my life.  I have to read back over emails and replay conversations in my head really trying to take it all in.  I do have to say that I was just really taken back by some of it.  Left a little speechless in some situations.  (ha ha hold the comments on me being speechless)  I mean what is it in people that years later...some over 13 years later finally deciding to email me, call me, tell me all these things all at once.  I am still unsure how to handle some it or what to think of it.  Some I am unsure about, some I feel maybe I should have given more response to but had they known how much I was having thrown at me and from how many directions out of the blue; maybe they would understand my lack of response.  One can only hope.  Gosh, one person told me everything you would ever want to hear(and good lord it was sincere); I did a lot of crying, a lot; of course there is such a thing as too late.  I mean the ship only holds anchor for so long, there comes a time when it sails.  Sometimes, eventually, it may make it's way back around to where it once was but sometimes....it sets off on a one-way course.  We simply can't always control things in life we just have to go with the waves, navigate the best we can and pray we don't sink along the way!

Clearly it has been a stressful few weeks and last Friday at work was very trying.  My sweet niece Starla (13 yrs) decided while out shopping Saturday morning she wanted to get me something to make me smile.  So she picked something out to buy with her own money but only had enough money for one thing so she put back what she had gotten for herself and bought me a gift.  She was so excited to bring it straight to me she called on their way home.  It was so sweet and made me smile for sure!  Even when my family can drive me insane I always know how very blessed I am to have them.  I love them all!

Most of you know work has been stressful for me since the fall.  I have been working on improving that situation.  Things don't happen over night. There are days I am ready to just give up and continue to tough it out (sort of like when your drop a rock down the well and you feel you could sit there for days and never here it hit) and other days I feel a little better about there being a light at the end of the tunnel.  I am trying to manage that stress.  I am trying to find different ways that work for me.  I have actually went to bed earlier a few days this week and last night I never once turned my laptop on once I got home!  I can honestly say I don't recall the last time that happened.

My web design business is gradually starting to get more calls.  Things got a little quite for a while and I was starting to get concerned.  I have met with 2 potential new clients already in March and have my fingers crossed that will all work out.  I have 2 ads coming out in the new Yellow Pages phone book in April so I am excited about that and hoping that it brings in some new connections as well.

So, I guess that is a bunch of catching up for one post!  LOL  A busy evening and weekend ahead for me.  I will be keeping my thoughts and prayers going for:

all of those affected by early hour events in Japan, as well as those still in the path of mother nature's fury.

my former schoolmate Gary Owenby who's house burned down this past week

Jennifer Dunlap who's father lost his battle with Cancer this past week

Gray Rice who once again is facing his own battle with Cancer, I have faith he will beat it!

my sweet friend Amy Reece Spahe who is once again on her way to the M.E. on her journey to share her love of Christ with the world

and of course thoughts and prayers for all of those in my life!  

"Every child is an artist. 

The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up." 

 

~  Pablo Picasso (1881 - 1973)