corncobb

Years Ago

2009-02-08T18:10:00.000-08:00

I'm stealing this idea from Laura, who stole it from someone else. But I thought it would be fun!

30 Years Ago -
February 1979 - I was almost 4 years old and had been living in Ashdown for about two years maybe. My peditrician was Dr. Rorie - who was a little scary to me. But my favorite doc was Dr. Hunter - my urologist. I remember driving in our old red & white Volkswagen bus to Dr. Hunter's office. I'd go to sleep on the 20-minute drive. Mom & I would eat the Pitt Grill sometimes. Some days, we'd go across the street and eat lunch with Laura in the school cafeteria with the BIG kids. Some days we'd picnic on the playground, or on the back steps of Mrs. Dulaney's house next door. Then we'd crawl into Mom & Dad's bed and take a nap. Mom always woke up before me! :-) Then I'd spend the rest of the afternoon waiting on Laura to come home - one time I even climbed up in the kitchen windowsill for some reason. Then we'd wait for Dad to come home. We had a dog, Tippy, and cats Midnight & Tabby (I think). Mom stayed at home and Dad worked at the Okay Cement Plant. He carpooled to work with Mr. Miller and Mr. Gathright. I think he had an old blue car. His boots always had a white dust on them. My grandparents lived in Ashdown (Dad's parents) and Hope (Mom's parents). My great-aunt lived in Ashdown too (Aunt Bessye and Uncle Bo) and we liked playing at their houses - mostly their extra bedrooms and closets - and they let us watch TV more! Laura and I were still sharing a bedroom. It was blue with two-colored blue shag carpet.

25 Years Ago -
February 1984 - I was in the third grade at Burke Street Elementary, in Mrs. Stoker's class. We lived right across the street from the school, and Mom taught 1st grade. I would get a lot of "tummy aches" and "headaches" because I was bored, and didn't want to do all of the "Jobs" we had to do in the mornings. I think I was sick for Valentine's Day and missed wearing my white knee socks with hearts on them.

20 Years Ago -
February 1989 - I was in the 8th grade at Ashdown Junior High, playing clarinet in the band. I had Mrs. Williamson for history, Mrs. Perkins for speech, Mrs. Pyron for English (she insisted we use only PENS), Mr. Poole for band, and some others. Laura was finally driving, and could be my transportation, thus relieving me of riding the bus. I was sick a lot that year. I had mono right after Thankgiving, the flu, and strep throat twice. I had glasses and braces. So I'm painting a lovely picture of myself; hence, the reason for NOT including one on here (check out Laura's blog post if you're just dying to see what I looked like).

15 Years Ago -
February 1994 - I was a freshman at Harding! My roommate was Dana and by then we only had one suitemate - Rachel. Nancy had moved off campus (lucky duck). My job that spring for cleaning the bathroom was to clean the toilet and shower I think. I had an 8:00 Bible class - old testament with Ross Cochran. I drove a blue Ford Escort.

10 Years Ago -
February 1999 - I had been working for Extension (the short version of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service) in Pike County for about a year and a half. I lived in a nice basement apartment two blocks from work, the Post Office, the bank, etc. and only a block from church. Mrs. Twyla lived upstairs and owned the house. I had cable and a carport too. By this time I was also driving my new(to me) red Dodge Avenger, and driving to DFW for week-ends with my college friend(s), or going to LR to visit Laura & John. I enjoyed walking at the city park, the diamond mine, the neighborhood, and at the lake. I sat with Cotton & Jo Ray at church. I often spent week-ends with Mom, and she even let me do laundry.

5 Years Ago -
February 2004 - I had been living in Searcy for a couple of years. Laura was pregnant with Ethan, and I enjoyed babysitting Emily when I had the chance. I often thought that Laura & John's social life was way more exciting than mine. I loved living so close to them (just blocks!). My best friend Elissa and our Moms were planning a vacation to Savannah in April and I was researching vehicles to buy. Still had my red car, but eventually bought a blue Honda CR-V. I wasn't dating anyone that I remember.

1 Year Ago -
February 2008 - I was driving that Honda CR-V and it was almost paid for!! I was in grad school finally - taking the Principles of Learning & Teaching class with Penny McGlawn. I hosted my new Bunco group that month.

1 Week Ago -
I was driving home from Ashdown and it was raining cats and dogs. We had actually packed up some stuff of Mom's and some guys from church came & moved some of the big stuff to storage. I had met Bingley, hung out with the kids, Mom, Laura, and Patti. Oh, and spent the morning on Saturday at the Honda dealership (I had run over a raccoon driving in Friday night).

Yesterday -
February 7, 2009 - I worked ALL day at our child care provider training. I left my house just after 7am and got home around 4pm. I had really wanted to go to the store, but didn't feel like it after I got home and got comfy. I had the rest of the banana nut Cheerios with the vanilla soy milk leftover from the training. Then I realized I had no more cereal for breakfast today. Oh well. I finished watching "America's Sweethearts" (I had rented it and watched about half of it on Friday night). And I went to bed early.

Today -
That little sore throat from yesterday, which I thought was from talking too much and not drinking enough water, turned into more of a cold today. I read the last book of the Harold Bell Wright trilogy that Mom gave me last year - God & the Groceryman. It was really good. I need to studying for a test tomorrow. I did work a little - sent out some emails so I wouldn't forget to do that tomorrow. Need a new shower curtain and I've got my eye on one at Target.com. I've done laundry also. But mostly took medicine and wrapped up in blankets.

my little crockpot experiment

2008-09-17T14:56:00.000-07:00

So, if you haven't found the "crock pot blog" you should! It's linked on Laura's blog or go here. This lady, Stephanie, is using her crockpot every day for a year. She has some really neat recipes (including making shrinky-dinks in the crockpot instead of the oven). You can search pretty easily for what you're looking for - vegetarian, light & healthy, chicken, side dishes, etc. Some of the breakfast stuff looks pretty good too. I tried out several recipes last week and thought I'd share my results. One of the reasons - I'm doing a lesson on crock pot cooking next month and thought I'd do a little "research." I think I just wanted to cook something!

The absolute best one was the "creamy crock pot risotto!" I've made risotto the usual way and it takes time and effort (but is well worth it). But this stuff is easy AND yummy!!!! YUMYUMYUM. Even my coworker Keith (I'd guess he was a meat & potatoes man, who usually looks at my cooking rather skeptically) loved it and had me email the recipe to his wife. I didn't use the chopped garlic - I was lazy and used garlic powder (and not as much as called for).

Next I tried out the Jalapeno Corn Pudding because I figured it would go well with the leftover BBQ, beans, & not-much-left-potato salad from lunch. I prepared it pretty much the way she said, but I would probably use a little less jalapeno to suit my tastes - I didn't chop it up either because I was in a hurry. I didn't find any of the frozen roasted corn, no surprise there.

I made Vegetarian No-Noodle Crock Pot Lasagna on Thursday. I knew by then that I'd want some veggies instead of the steady diet of meat, starch, and ice cream. I don't have the larger size crock pot recommended for this recipe, but I improvised. Quite a bit. I used all of the pasta sauce, about half the ricotta cheese, half of the other cheeses, half an eggplant, 2 squash, half the mushrooms, half the spinach. This was pretty good, but most people didn't want to try it and it made a lot. I'd try this again, and tweak a bit more. I just layered and layered, very hurriedly, but I still really liked it.

Mom & Patti came for the week-end, so I took my crock pot home and made Mediterranean Chicken Crockpot on Saturday (I figured the weather would be bad and we'd want to stay home for dinner). So they picked up salad at Harp's (what a chore!) and I cooked brown rice to go with this. I did finally find frozen artichoke hearts at Harp's (in the organic frozen foods). They weren't cheap and Stephanie says you can just use the canned/jarred ones also. We decided that this one needed something else - maybe onion, more seasoning, salt, etc. It was tasty and it got better after sitting in the frig (or maybe I was just hungry and didn't have anything else to eat and put enough salt on it). One of the reasons I picked this one though - easy and no chopping or anything! Just open and dump it in! AND, I used my last crockpot liner which really helped with clean up.

Fair-ly Well

2008-09-14T16:42:00.000-07:00

Well, the fair is over for another year. Things I liked about this year:
--seeing Lou get SO VERY excited about "Elvis" and getting to eat with him
--having one of our 4-Hers win the Fair Queen contest and do a great job as Queen
--the Dove ice cream that I ate way too much of
--the BBQ running out before I was sick of it
--the cookies Willie brought!!!!
--getting to see people
--seeing people so excited about their ribbons
--hearing the applause for Brian's "mutton-busting" skills
--watching the kids get their animals ready
--riding around on the golf cart and Kubota thingys
--having internet, a printer, soft drinks, and a comfy couch at the new fair office
--eating lunch on the bleachers with Mom & Patti - the breeze, food, and company were really nice.

I'm really trying to remember the good instead of the chewing out I got this afternoon, the resentment I feel at having to do some of the things I do, the exhaustion and tears, the feeling that I'm not doing anything really worthwhile out there, the pressure to make people happy while knowing I won't ever succeed. I know I'm not perfect, my patience (never great to begin with) wears very thin, and I am human and make mistakes. I never try to hurt people, or forget them intentionally, but I do. I keep thinking, "if they only knew....." while wishing that I could drop it all, or at least parts! One of my bosses, Martha Ray, came by on Friday. She always said she looked for the fun. She said you just have to do some things and you might as well enjoy it along the way. I wish I could have done better at that this week instead of venting. It seems like that if I vent, I feel better but I'm sure it comes across that all I do is complain which is not what I want! I hear enough complaints from others, and I'm sure the people I vent to feel the same way. To err is human? sigh. such is life. I know, I should work on my attitude!!!!!!!!!

Alone

2008-09-07T18:34:00.000-07:00

I really needed to hear Noel's lesson this morning "Never Alone." I guess I needed the reminder than even though I may be lonely at time, I'm never alone.

I won't be alone much this week, that's for sure. The White County Fair is this week! People have asked what I do out there all week. Basically, I'm not in charge of anything, I don't tell people what to do. I'm there as a support or advisor, to work with the many volunteers out there, and try to keep the peace and make people happy. I do lots of little things - we have a "worker area" and I hosed down the bathroom with bleach, washed out all the kitchen drawers of the little mouse droppings, cleaned dishes, cleaned counters, etc. I also make lots of coffee, make sure that the donuts are handy, do paperwork, and get lunches ready. I help with the Fair Queen Contest (no, it's not a pageant they tell me) - put on the reception, work with my Extension Homemaker ladies, coordinate with people, eat cookies, drink punch, smooze, direct, and help the judges. Not to mention loading my car with two wicker screens, a trophy, a tiara, a sash, chair covers, food, a change of clothes, a step stool, my file box, parade signs, coolers, etc. I'm also attempting to try out four crock pot recipes this week - creamy crockpot risotto (Tuesday), jalapeno corn pudding (Wednesday), Mediterraean Chicken (Thursday), and Vegetarian No-Noodle lasagna (Friday).

So, check out the schedule:
Monday - 4-H Poultry Chain Sale (need any chickens?!?) and Fair Queen Contest
Tuesday - Talent showcase, check in exhibits like jelly & quilts, FREE night
Wednesday - judging of those jelly jars and quilts, dairy show, gospel night
Thursday - Senior Day (free lunch, entertainment, and free admission for the older folks), Cody Slaughter (young Elvis impersonator - really good!), Bullriding
Friday - Kid's Day, Livestock Auction, Kentucky Headhunters, Rodeo
Saturday - armband day for carnival (I think), demolition derby, rodeo, last day to buy a stomach bomb (polish sausage) or a funnel cake.

New Post (gasp!!)

2008-08-30T07:46:00.000-07:00

Highlights since the last post:

I finished my summer school classes!!! And I made all A's!!!!!!!!! Never had a 4.0 before, unless you count that one semester in high school. I enjoyed all 8 hours this summer and learned a lot.

I got the "Pampering Package" at Serenity Day Spa on Aug. 1 (the morning I left on vacation). It was WONDERFUL!!!! We started off with a paraffin treatment on my hands and feet, then moved to the "scalp treatment" which was pretty relaxing. Then she wrapped my head and hands with warm towels and let me just relax. She finished up with an excellent massage. AHHHHHHHHHH. I highly recommend it. I was so relaxed.....Dena recommended that I go home and take a warm bath with epsom salts. I needed to clean the tub anyway, so I did that. I was lucky to get the packing finished!

VACATION NOTES:

I left Searcy that day about 6:00 p.m. for my much-anticipated vacation. My friend Elissa, her parents (George & Sue), and I were going to San Francisco.

Friday evening - My plan was to drive to Memphis, park near the airport, shuttle over to airport, and take cab to the train station. I was running a little later than I planned, but made good time. I made a wrong turn looking for the FastPark place. Got the cab, and made it to the train station. I knew that we'd have to bus over to the train (sink hole at the station!). It's just a little after 9:00 p.m. and I think the train doesn't leave til 10:40 p.m. so I'm doing great! I carry my luggage up the stairs and find the little kiosk to get my ticket. I'm a little nervous, not having done this before. I get my reservation number, and start getting my ticket. Only......I notice something about a 9:15 time......about then, an employee tells me, "we're leaving in about 2 minutes." WHAT?!?! I get my ticket, frantically look around, and then my mind went blank. I finally asked him where do I go? He calmly tells me to go down to the buses. Oh yeah. Duh. But then, I still had all my luggage....(I planned to check one bag). SO I went downstairs to the buses and asked one of drivers what to do. He was really nice and just suggested that I wait on the train guy. Anyway, I made it to the train with all my luggage. Elissa met me on the stairs and helped me get up (E, G, & S got on in New Orleans, and we were on a Superliner train with two levels). Talk about leg room!!!!! If you want lots of leg room, take a train. There was SO much more space than planes. The seats reclined quite a bit, and we even had a foot rest. AND plug-ins. We got caught up and finally dozed off. When we woke in the morning, we were almost to Chicago! Mr. George graciously got up, and got breakfast AND brought it back (4 cups of coffee, 4 cups of cereal with milk, and some danishes!!).

In Chicago, I was able to check my other bag, and we put the rest of stuff in a rental locker so we could go explore the city during our layover. We got to go up to the top of the Sears Tower! That was about all we had time to do but it was really neat. A great view. We picked up lunch on the way to the station. There were a lot of people waiting (hint: if you're older, or have kids or are basically anything other than the average traveler, you get to load first). The nice thing about train travel is you get to pick out your seats if you're the originating city. We got settled in and enjoyed the ride, leaving Chicago about 2 pm on Saturday.

Chicago skyline

The Sears Tower from the street

There are lots and lots of farms along the way - corn and soybeans mostly. The scenery was really interesting. We got into Iowa that evening, Nebraska that night. We hit Colorado Sunday morning. By then we were running a little late and had to wait to get into the Denver station. We were in Denver about 30 minutes or so, so we were able to get off the train and go into the station. It was very interesting - the "old time" train station look.
Volunteers from the National Park system got on the train and gave some interesting history along the way. Heading up into the Rocky Mountains were really interesting. The Moffat Tunnel was....dark. :-) We decided that Glenwood Springs would have been a good stopover. I think we all enjoyed this day's scenery. We followed a river most of the way this afternoon - and the river runners must have gotten a message to "moon" the trains because most of them did!

We made it into Utah the evening. Talk about empty and desolate. We finally broke down and ate in the Dining Car this evening. At least it was more interesting than the scenery. It was a good experience. It sure beat the Lower Level Lounge and Todd (the LLL attendent). Todd would get on the intercom and encourage people to visit the LLL - and he'd say it with a deep, seedy kind of voice. The food there wasn't bad though - we especially enjoyed the cheese and cracker tray.

Monday morning - Nevada! More scenic that Utah. We had reservations for dinner in SF that night, but we were running behind schedule and weren't sure we'd have time. So we rescheduled dinner at Morton's, and made reservations in the hotel instead. We enjoyed the Nevada mountains, and made it to California about lunchtime. We were getting close when we had to stop and wait. We had to cross a body of water, but a tanker had to pass (the bridge had to be raised for the tanker so we had to wait - tankers go rather slow.....). We finally made it to Emeryville on Monday evening!!!!!!!!

There was a bit of confusion here. The train stops in Emeryville and they had shuttles/buses that go into SF. But we weren't sure about luggage. Turns out, you have to get your luggage, then put it on the bus. We weren't sure where the bus would stop, so we just got a cab. Well, we had to get a van because we had so much luggage (trains let you carry a lot more luggage!). We were packed into the van too. We got to a hotel, and partially unloaded, only to figure out that this wasn't OUR hotel (the names were similar). We finally got to our hotel!!! The Beefeater doorman was huge - and carried a lot of luggage. More confusion on the rooms for tonight, but I didn't care as long as I got a shower! We cleaned up and ate Italian in the hotel. We had expected something quiet, but it was rather loud. We were hungry though, so the bruscetta hit the spot and dinner soon followed.

Tuesday – Mrs. Sue’s birthday! We walked down a few blocks and got our transportation lined up (a 7-day pass for the bus/cable cars/street cars/etc.). We took a street car down to the Ferry Building where we thoroughly enjoyed the market – tons of fresh veggies, fresh fruits, and other foods. The figs were delish! We got some fresh sourdough bread and some cheeses also. We had a little picnic behind the building, sitting on a bench and watching the bay. We ate dinner on Pier 39 at the Crab House. The Eyrichs enjoyed fresh crab, while I enjoyed a crab enchilada. Mine didn’t take long to eat, so I went outside to get pictures of the amazing sunset!!

Wednesday – We got out and about this morning. A bus picked us up for day of touring. We got to the office, where we loaded a smaller bus for the morning tour. We headed out to Muir Woods to see the magnificent redwoods. We walked the trail and took tons of pictures, and then visited the shop. We loaded back up and drove to Sausalito where we had just enough time to eat our fish & chips and get some ice cream. Yummy! Back to the tour office, where we loaded up on a bigger bus for the afternoon tour of SF. I’m not sure how much we got out of the first part though – I think we all dozed off. We toured the SF area and got some great views of the Golden Gate Bridge from both sides. We made it back to the hotel in time to get ready for dinner at Morton’s Steakhouse. And what a dinner it was!! The chopped salad was just divine – the best salad ever. The steak was delicious and very tender. We got some sides to share – asparagus, potatoes, etc. We shared two desserts – a soufflé and a way-too-good chocolate dessert. We walked back, and checked out the bookstore at the corner.

From the SF side of GG Bridge

From the Sausalito Side of the GG Bridge

The redwoods at Muir Woods

The fog rolling in - what a sight!

A famous "photo spot" in the city - historic homes, city skyline

Panoramic Shot from the Sausalito side

Thursday – We rented a car for the next few days. Since Elissa was in charge, I knew we’d have something good and more than likely a convertible. She had researched rental companies to find a convertible big enough for the 4 of us and we ended up with a nice black PT Cruiser. The only thing it lacked was four doors. The two doors got old crawling in and out. Anyway, we hit the road, with the Eyrichs Tom-Tom GPS, for Napa Valley. We enjoyed the lovely drive and found the train station with time to spare. So we hit McDonald’s for a snack/late breakfast. We got back on the train, and enjoyed a leisurely train ride through the Valley. The vineyards were so pretty and scenic. We enjoyed a fruit and cheese tray and some dessert. Afterwards, we hit the road again – this time to the Jelly Belly Factory!! We barely made it for the last tour but we did get to tour. We got to wear little Jelly Belly hats (everyone has to wear them) and we got a bag of Jelly Bellys at the end. Then, of course, we had to peruse the gift shop!!! Belly Flops are the ones that don’t quite pass inspection but are still good, so I got a back of those. Way too tempting…… We hadn’t had Chinese food yet, so we found a Chinese place for dinner…and had so much food that we took half of it back with us.

Saturday – after looking at the menu at the diner, we decided to go back there for breakfast. Yummy! We took the car out for another drive. It was an experience navigating the city on a Saturday. We got pulled over for driving in the bus lane, couldn’t turn left anywhere, and got all mixed up before we finally made it to Lombard Street for the drive down “the crookest street.” It was crooked all right. We drove around a bit more before giving the car back! Elissa and I took it back to the rental company, and walked back to the hotel (about 6 blocks, only one of which was really uphill!). We had more adventure getting back to Pier 39 on the street cars. We walked around a bit and ate Mexican before heading over to another pier for our evening cruise to Alcatraz. We stood in line a while before boarding, and enjoyed a nice cruise over to island. We had a great tour (even got to see & hear them open/close the prison doors) and got some great pictures. It’s a very neat place – eerie, interesting, and chilly. We were pretty tired by then!

I finished packing and set my alarm for way-too-early. I had a shuttle to the airport and made it in good time. But I didn’t have time for breakfast or coffee before I got on the plane! I made do on the plane with the “breakfast cookies” and a cup of coffee. And more of the cookies, pretzels, juice, and more coffee. I ate when I got to Atlanta and made it home that evening.

HOME AGAIN!

I reluctantly went back to work. And worked.

School started – I have two classes this semester. Anatomical & biomechanical kinesiology and Research Methods.

I had dinner at Eagleview with the ICHF (supports the Nigerian Christian Hospital) and learned a lot. I got a book from Grace Farrar and it was really good.

Went to NLR – got two new pairs of shoes at Sports Authority (one was on clearance), got a few things at Sam’s, and then ate dinner at Cracker Barrel.

The fair is September 8-13!

Limas, Learnings, and Leanings

2008-07-22T12:29:00.000-07:00

I'm taking a little break from the drudge of writing APA-style research paper, annotated bibliography, and the like. I'm really sick of it. But I'm sure it will be worth it when I get that raise.....just keep thinking.....

So I found some baby lima beans in my freezer. And since I don't want to drop this research paper to go out for food....I cooked them. I threw in a chicken bouillon cube, and they are quite yummy. They were actually better than my "throw something together" quinoa salad. And the aforementioned frozen sloppy joes.

I'm looking forward to the week-end. I'll be done with school (YEAH!!! for the summer anyway), Supper Club (Christmas in July) will have been pulled off by the skin of my teeth, I'll hopefully see some Ka Ra Te friends, and Mom, Laura, Emily, and I will be celebrating Mom's birthday! Togetherness and cake - what more could we want?!

My education class has been fun and I still have one more big project to do for it. (WHY am I blogging instead of working?!?! Oh yeah - my brain needs a break) My other class is abstinence education programming. I've got personal experience on that one. But reading all this research makes me think - more parents need to be actively involved in the lives of their children (and research backs that up). And those kids need to be educated on it all - no matter your beliefs. I hope they choose abstinence, but if they don't, they at least need enough information to protect themselves and learn to make healthy choices (some studies show that even comprehensive sex ed shows increases in abstinence). I don't have kids, and I'm not saying what I'd do if I had them. But I have thought about it and I would hope that I would be brave enough to talk to my kids about, yes, SEX throughout their life span. I don't mean all the details - just what they are ready for at an appropriate age. I know it's scary because I've heard some conversations about this very thing. But if you just ignore it, hope it will go away, or put it off until what you consider the last minute.....what wrong information will children get in the meantime? Studies show that children get most of the information from friends or the internet. So what are they learning? Wouldn't you rather them learn from you? Most people learn in small doses. So if you gradually add information, in a way that doesn't frighten or embarrass, wouldn't that be better than one long, red-faced "talk?" It sounds better to me. But then, what do I know?

Black & Blue and in between

2008-07-08T15:47:00.000-07:00

The Searcy Community Band presented a rousing patriotic tribute on Thursday, July 3rd at Spring Park. For the first time, I actually heard most of the parts!! And it all seemed to come together pretty well, with the exception of some wrong notes. It was fun. My biggest problem is not new – it was my main problem growing up with piano and clarinet – PRACTICE!! But another clarinet player offered to practice together in August since I’ll miss some of the practices. Whew.

I went to Wally World after the concert to pick up essentials for the “Tucker Invasion” week-end. Laura suggested keeping it simple – so I planned a Ham & Rice Salad and sloppy joes. The weather was really nice Thursday night – not hot and a little breeze. However, by the time I got to WM (Wal-Mart), the breeze had really picked up and the clouds had rolled in. I briefly wondered if I should have brought my umbrella…..and I should have! I heard lots of thunder inside, and saw the growing line of people and carts by the door. But I finally just decided to run for it – it wasn’t too bad by then. And it had stopped completely when I got home.

On July 4th, I got up and ate a bowl of cereal before putting on some a t-shirt, jeans, and flip flops to pick blueberries. I knew, since it had rained the night before, that I’d probably get wet. I didn’t plan on getting thoroughly drenched and muddy – and I don’t remember being that muddy and wet in a long time. I had to cross some dirt to get to the berries and it was soft. So soft, in fact, that I sank into the mud and lost my flip-flops! I went ahead and picked and picked and picked. I found a branch and dug one shoe out. Then I jumped over the mud moat, and dug the other shoe out. Can you say wet & muddy?!?!? I found a water hose and hosed my feet and shoes off before heading home and into the shower!

I put some of the berries into the freezer, and then made a blueberry cobbler (light!) with the rest. I cleaned house, cooked rice, and relaxed before the Tuckers arrived. We met at the Brick Oven Pizza for dinner, and then went over to Harding for the fireworks. The kids had fun with the carnival stuff and the adults had fun catching up with friends. We sat with the Adams family and enjoyed the show.

Saturday John went on a bike ride (they had to wait for the rain to stop) while we hung out. He texted and told us that Willie had invited us over for lunch. When he got back, he took the kids and Laura & I went to Harp’s. We ran into Willie & Jake, and Flee Patton. We headed over to Willie & Kim’s house with the cobbler and enjoyed hamburgers and freshly-made guacamole! The kids bowled on their WII and I filled in while Emily ate her cobbler. That was fun! Laura tried out the FIT also before we headed home to rest. Laura & I made sloppy joes for dinner but John went home. We ran into Rena Howard & her family at church on Sunday then ate the Ham & Rice Salad for lunch. Laura and the kids packed up and left me with a very quiet house.

Fun Moments:
~Emily hugging me and saying, “I love you Aunt Katie.” – multiple times!
~Laura wielding my Pampered Chef Spatula.
~The kids fighting over my great toys: the exercise ball, my megaphone from 6th grade, and pillows (note to self: get some more toys!).
~Ethan pooping the potty! ~The blueberry cobbler and Mexican Coke.
~Bowling on WII
~Watching Jake and Clifford.
~Emily’s creativeness – from her telling everyone about her pet baby snail Amanda to her artwork of amoebas
~Ethan talking about anything
~Chatting with Laura & going to the grocery store not once but twice and finding Mexican Coke for Big John

Back to work on Monday! Fun Fun. After work, I went to WM to see about finding some clothes – mostly things I could take on vacation. I tried on several things but ended by buying two pair of capris – khaki and black. Then I went back to Anita’s to pick blackberries. WOW – talk about ripe and ready. I picked about an hour and got a bucket full – enough to freeze about 1 ½ gallons, and I saved out enough for a small cobbler. I also fixed up the leftover sloppy joes to freeze, so now my freezer is nice & full.

Band & Jennifer

2008-06-23T20:03:00.000-07:00

Well, my chops are tired. I can't seem to remember fingerings. Or how to read music. Or how to keep time. I kept getting totally lost in band practice tonight. It was getting frustrating!! The music is good and if I could just hear my part it would sure be a lot easier.

I got a phone call today at the office from a high school friend. I knew what she was calling about even though I hadn't talked to her in years (since our 10-year reunion I think). One of our other classmates, Jennifer DeVault Bunch, passed away yesterday. Jenn had cancer - and fought hard. She was always sweet, very positive, wild about her hubby John and daughter Abby Lynn (4). She was a majorette and then our feature twirler in marching band. During concert season she was a percussionist. She got to march in President Clinton's Inaugural parade way back when, twirling as she marched. I know she will be missed, and I regret not talking to her more the last few months. She found me on Facebook early this year, and I'll be grateful for the few months we communicated. We've been out of high school now 15 years and we've already lost 3 - Ben, Jeremy, and now Jennifer.

Jumping June

2008-06-22T17:41:00.000-07:00

Hello -
Thought I'd update since it's been a while. I had a great time at Mom's a few weeks ago. I got to visit with Mrs. Hearn - one of my favorite teachers from high school. I figured I should start on my "visit/do before Mom moves" list. Friday evening, Mom & I went over to Cowhorn Creek Retirement Center to have dinner with Aunt Chris, Johnny, Patrick, and Sam. The center has a nice big dining room with round tables that seat four. Mom & I sat with Johnny, and he regaled us with his preacher life - the wheres, the whens, the whys, etc. After a leisurely and light dinner (they serve slowly to allow residents plenty of social time), we headed up to Aunt Chris' room. Sam & Johnny played a bit of pool, while the rest of us visited. I hadn't seen Patrick in a long time, and Sam since he was a baby. We really enjoyed the visit. Then Mom & I went to the hospital to check on Uncle David and Alice Marie (his mother-in-law was in the hospital). David hadn't eaten, so we went to get him some food. By the time we got to Chik-Fil-A, we were hungry too (that dinner was really light). So we all ate and talked in the small chapel at the hospital. On Saturday, we went to Idabel, OK for Keith Lancaster's praise workshop. We were late, and left early (I wasn't feeling too good - mostly tired and had a headache) but it was really good. I enjoyed the time with Mom and look forward to her moving here!

The Hot Springs trip was adventurous. Not exactly the word I'd normally use when hanging out with mature women. But the meeting was good, everyone seemed to be doing fine and having fun. Until Thursday morning (the last day). That's when it got really exciting. LaVerne, one of my favorites and a real go-getter, had an "episode" at breakfast. She just got really tired all of a sudden. I wasn't there but Joyce got help (2 nurses and a paramedic were nearby) and they called 911. By that time, I found them and was wondering what was going on! I ran up to our room to get LaVerne's purse and mine, and made it back downstairs as they were wheeling her out on the stretcher. By that time, though, she was looking much better and almost pert. We got in the ambulance, they checked her out, and recommended that she go to the hospital. So we both got our first ride in an ambulance! Anyway, she was okay - her blood pressure was really high. I got her registered (clean out those wallets!!!!), called her daugher (hated having to scare her), and mostly worried. But she got released after about an hour, with a recommendation that she see her doctor when she got home (so I made sure she did that). We even made it back to the meeting after grabbing a snack since neither one of us had had breakfast. Joyce was so happy to see LaVerne that she got all teary. LaVerne, Joyce, Mary Ellen, and I headed back home with a stop at Cracker Barrel for lunch. The blueberry pancakes were yummy. I was a little hesitant to let LaVerne drive home by herself, but she was insistent. Her only concession was that she'd call me when she got home, which she did. Whew. She's still doing good, just going to her doctor, and a heart doctor next week to check things out.

After that, it was time for the Associated Women for Christian Education conference (AWH, and other organizations like that from the other Christian schools). We had a nice dinner and I did icebreakers (got them moving around!). Lara Noah led singing (yeah!!!!!) and Kim did a devotional. We even went out to the Lily Pool, where Lara led us in more songs (yeah!!!!). On Friday, I had planned to go to the conference all day, but I had the opportunity to go to Beebe and interview their superintendent for one of my school assignments. So I did that, then went to the luncheon. I went by work for a while, then home but made it back for the dinner that night. We walked over to the Lightle House Inn for a scrumpious dinner - appetizers, an Italian dinner, entertainment by Joli & Paul Love (accompanied by Donna Jo Miller on piano), and the BEST EVER ITALIAN CREME CAKE. It was DE-lish. I savored every bite.

So other than that, it's just work and school. One of my coworkers, Amy, is pregnant. She's due Aug. 1 but figures she'll have him early (her first baby was 4 weeks early). But she's already started dilating and having a few contractions. The doctor gave her some medicine, told her to work only half days or less, and to try to make it through another week. If she had him now, she'd have to go to LR. So we're praying that she can hold off a while longer! The 4-H day camps are next week, so we'll all be pitching in.

School is going good. My online class is moving along. I even turned in my assignment due today EARLY. And I finished up the paper for the Ethics class and turned that in today. I've even gotten a lot done on my powerpoint to turn in next week. Now that I've finished the Ethics paper, I need to get started on my other class - the abstinence education class.

The last thing is my critter-sitting week-end. The Parnells live out near Letona and have animals that are more like their kids. When I started critter-sitting for them a few years ago, they had 2 horses, 2-3 dogs, and 2 cats. Now, they have 2 horses (Max and Cody), 1 dog (Lily, but she stayed at the neighbors luckily), 3 cats (Tigger, Baloo, and Jack), and 12 cows (Teddy the bull, Missy the heifer, Cindy the heifer, Matthew the bull calf, Milly the momma of Missy and Matthew, Rascal, Della, Sugar, Lisa, Sammy, Lady, and Amber). Sugar is my favorite. So, I go out and stay there (they do pay me), and the biggest job is feeding. I get the feed for the cows, go out to the barn. Check on the cats, give them some food (dry and the canned stuff) and fresh water. Then, I feed Max & Cody, spray them with fly spray. Then, it's on to Teddy who is waiting patiently for his feed and minerals. Then I feed the "girls" and Matthew - 3 small feeders for the young ones and 2 big things for the others. I put out all of the feed, THEN open the gate for them to mosey in. They are pretty serious about eating, especially in the mornings. They are fun to watch, and Sugar usually came over to me and let me pet her a while (she likes watching Jack too). I'd eventually get them all out of the feed area, close the gate. Then I might clean out the horse stall (Teddy got in there and messed them up good), and check the water for the horses and cows. Yeah, it's work, but it's fun too. They like me to talk to them (they are used to it I'm sure), and it gives me someone to talk to. I had planned on working on my paper and watching a little tv. I couldn't get the tv to work though. :-( I played online Friday night but finally went to bed. I kept hearing this noise though - like a pop. Took me a while to figure out - it was fireworks. Whew. Then early Saturday morning, the power must have gone off and come back on because the printer started "doing it's thing like when you turn it on" (whatever you call it!) and I couldn't figure out what that silly noise was. Saturday morning though, I figured the power had gone off because I had to reset the microwave clock....and then the computer wouldn't work. Nothing. Zilch. Sigh. No TV. No computer? I had homework! So, I drove home, messed around (painted my toenails - Passion), and got my laptop. Went back out there and started work. You know, with so few distractions, I got a lot done - finished my paper!!! Well, I did find a few books to read.... Saturday evening the neighbor across the road called. A couple of pit bulls had gotten loose in Letona and he wanted to warn me. He didn't think they'd get that far, but if the cows started getting spooked.... Then, the garage door wouldn't go down. I moved the car up - nothing. By that time I was tired, so I just looked the doors and went to bed. I was taking a last stroll before I left today when I scared a snake (I think it was just a king snake) and he scared me. Lo and behold, the garage door went down with no trouble. And I came home.

Here are Max, Cody, and Teddy:

Oh, and did I mention that I'm now in the Searcy Community Band? Yep. Found a horn to borrow since mine's still in the shop. I remember a lot, but I forgot a lot of fingerings! It's fun though, even though my mouth has been a bit sore. We have a concert at Spring Park on July 3. Come listen...and if you ever played an instrument and would like to join we'd love to have you! Especially if you play any low brass instrument. We meet on Monday nights at 7pm in the Reynolds Center at Harding. There's even a group on Facebook.

Joy

2008-06-04T20:10:00.000-07:00

I went to a new Bible class tonight - a women's study of the book of James. Consider it a joy to face trials. So maybe to you that means those big trials. Like cancer - I think of Barby Smith on that one. Or maybe a marriage crisis. Or losing a child. But hey, those little things that annoy you? Nah, you don't need to be joyful about being late because of traffic, or that stress-induced neck pain, or even someone that hurts your feelings. Right? Nope. It's those smaller trials that give us good practice at being joyful - choosing that attitude - and can make a huge difference. So to me, that means being joyful at being single, and not wasting my time wishing for what I don't have. So I'm trying but it's a trial.

School is wild!!!! I have tons of papers to write, using APA format of course. I like blogs and news articles so much better. I enjoyed the Christian Ethics class over the week-end and I met some neat people. Now I just get to write a paper! My P-12 curriculum class is online and so far, so good. I've discussed on Blackboard, I'm even ahead in my reading. Now, I just need to work on my independent study class - abstinence education.

I'm headed to Mom's for the week-end. Taking my joy and my school work with me. Then next week, I get to go to Hot Springs with 8 other people (7 women, 1 man). I'll be staying in a room with 4 other women (it's actually a suite and I've already claimed the lumpy couch), so I'll be needing lots of joy and patience!!!

I hope you have a joyful week-end.

JOY

My Next Exciting Adventure!

2008-05-27T19:47:00.000-07:00

I'm looking forward to a nice, relaxing trip. It will certainly be an adventure to go ALL the way to Little Rock and spend two nights!! I know, sounds silly - but with gas prices....this way I can get a little shopping and a sushi & Sam's fix!!! I think I even have a hotel room to myself. Wow.

I know you'd love to join me, but you know those little ones need you to be the "mean Mommy" and keep them in line. One day, they will thank you for your time, your energy, your love, and your "expertise" while marveling at your continued sanity. Go ahead, make them make their beds up, clean the sink out, play in the mud, ride bikes all over the neighborhood, eat their veggies, and wear mismatched clothes. Let the dishes sit on the counter and go watch them play for a while. Wonder at their imagination. Laugh with them. Ask them open-ended questions about their play. Be a good example of loving life.

Have a good week!

Another Try

2008-05-23T18:14:00.001-07:00

I'm listening to my newest CD - Josh Turner's Everything is Fine. I've been listening to it a lot lately - I like it more than I thought I would. My favorite songs:
Another Try with Trisha Yearwood
Nowhere Fast - duet with Anthony Hamilton
The Longer the Waiting [the Sweeter the Kiss]
I think I like the last one for the name. I think I can emphasize. And it's got a kind of Scottish/old timey feel. Nowhere Fast is a little different. I had not heard of Anthony Hamilton so I googled him. He wrote the song with Kelvin Wooten.

So, I've written about Dad and a little about Mom. Can't talk much about the family without mentioning my big sis though. I always looked up to Laura, even when she steered me wrong, got me in trouble, or made me look bad. But most of the time, she was always looking out for me, and helping me out. When I fell off the monkey bars at the playground across the street, I went straight to Laura first. When she saw all the blood, she said, "We better go see Mom." She's always been talented. I loved listening to her play the piano - Moonlight Sonata was one of my all-time favorites, along with Exodus (loved since I never hear her play anymore - hint hint!!!!). I didn't enjoy listening to the trumpet quite as much, but she was good - and she could even play harmony to my clarinet melody. She also has quite the talent for impersonations - I guess she probably peaked when she was in CD Franks Intermediate School though. Those are the ones I remember best. Laura made a good Don Juan, an excellent teacher, a "scary" make-up artist, and she can be devious although few people believe it. I love looking at Emily & Ethan and seeing little snatches of Laura (and definitely John too). Laura has a "one-track mind" and hands like Dad, but she's better known for her similarities to Mom. I call them both social butterflies and Emily is made in that same vein. But if you're around Mom & Laura for very long - you will start seeing it. I've never thought Laura looked like anyone in particular (people usually say how much I look like my Dad) but I always thought she was much prettier than me. She WAS blond of course, and in case you hadn't noticed, the blond dolls are all prettier than the brunette ones (or so I thought anyway). When she left for college, I really, really missed her. Yes, I missed the chauffeur too (I couldn't drive yet) but I missed my friend more. She's always been my best friend.
Various Memories:

Her white high heels - I grew into them for a few months, then my feet grew more.

The way she held her hands out when showing her engagement ring (she's double jointed and could make her hands do weird things).

Those long eyelashes

Fuzzy Wuzzy............as Dad said

Our neighbors told Mom that I never ran home to Mom - I just ran to Laura.

Summer fun - riding bikes all over the neighborhood, down to the 7-11 for icees, and to the Castle to rent movies. Her picks? John Wayne in True Grit or The Journey of Natty Gann.

Dad bringing Laura to see me in the hospital. She brought me a yellow comb with my name on it in blue (hers was blue with her name in white). I also have some cards she sent me.

When she came home for spring break her freshman year at Harding wearing John's class ring. She finally got the nerve to put it on in front of Mom & Dad while eating out.

She had to look "just right" - fluffy 80's bangs and all - which required hair dryer, hot rollers, and such all over the bathroom.

Her love for all of our pets - Tippy, Sam, Midnight, Tigger, Charlie, Tootsie, and various gerbils. Oh yeah, remember the tail coming off one of those gerbils?!?!?

Celebrating Mom's birthday last year in Hot Springs

Thanks for being my sister and friend. Love ya!

Here's another of Ethan's early masterpieces- taken at Emily's backwards birthday party (which is the reason Laura's sweater is on backwards).

Random Thoughts again

2008-05-16T17:19:00.000-07:00

Well, Sis said to update my blog. So here I am. I'll be honest, I don't have any good stories about little people in my life. I think Laura's covered my favorites anyway. So here are some random thoughts.

Did you know that most women need 3 servings of dairy foods a day? Raise your hand if you get that. Dairy is good for you!
Well, string cheese is a yummy way of getting some dairy food. Especially the low-fat kind. Try some of the zillions of new yogurts out there - especially FIZZIX - fizzy yogurt (Warning: don't let it get warm!!!). Or, if you are adventurous, try Kefir.
And now, for those of you that just can't bear of the thought of "white water" - there is skim plus - skim milk with thickeners added so that it "feels" like 2% milk.
If you are lactose intolerant, try eating aged cheese like cheddar or swiss. Most of that type of cheese has no lactase.
Mooooving along...................(yes, I went to a nutrition training this week)
I got my books for my summer classes. I've already starting reading for one. If anyone has an old textbook from human structure and function, I'd like to borrow it. I need to brush up for a fall class.
I made up a menu for the next week. Healthy stuff that I wanted to try. I'm going to be adventurous.
I should be cleaning right now. So I'm blogging in an effort to put off cleaning. :-)
Yarnell's Triple Play ice cream is my current favorite. I had the pleasure of doing a survey for Yarnell's and my "reward" was a container of ice cream. YUMMY! It is, however, staying at the office. I can't hear it calling "KKKKKKKKkatie, come eat me!!!!" from my office.
Cheerios has a blueberry yogurt burst cereal - I've only seen it at Sam's. It's good! Sam's also has good prices on a huge bag of dried cranberries, mixed dried fruit, and yogurt.
How 'bout this weather? Sure was nice today.
West Point is celebrating 150 years on Saturday - speakers, bands, musicians, dancers, storytelling, BBQ lunch & catfish dinner by Eagleview, and fun stuff going on. West Point News.
I really like my mom - we had a good week-end for Mother's Day. She's always been a good Mom and now a good friend too. I'm excited about her moving here!!!
Mom made a Holly Hobbie doll quilt for me when I was little. Also some doll clothes. I'm impressed since sewing wasn't her favorite thing. She always let me "help" make bread (my loaves weren't that tasty!) and cookies (we ate more dough than cookies I'm sure). She sang, and played the piano and dulcimer for us. Mom was always reading to us - We loved "The Little House" series. She stayed with me in the hospital every night, except the one night Dad stayed. I'm sure her bed wasn't too comfy but she hung in there with me for 10 nights or so. I always wanted her close when the "vampires" came to draw blood. Thanks Mom - for all the little things you've done through the years.

goings on

2008-04-16T19:10:00.000-07:00

April has been rather eventful so far, in a laid-back kind of way. I went to Ashdown to visit with Mom - we shopped, went out to Arden (where I got the van stuck in the mud at the cemetery - lucky we have relatives with tractors!), and watched "Enchanted" among other generally fun things together. The next week-end, I headed up to Pokey to visit the Tuckers. We had fun (watched "Enchanted" again), went to Jonesboro (Lowe's, the Mall, Whole Hog, ice cream), enjoyed our time together.

April 9th marked the day that, in 1998, my dad passed away. 10 years. My dad was the best dad. He made a yummy chocolate mousse in May 1993 - he had lost his job and was at home searching for another. Since Mom was in the end-of-the-school-year-mode, Dad cooked dinner and even made a great dessert. He was also the chef that made our white cake supreme birthday cakes each year (Mom was the expert 7-minute-frosting-maker). And I can't forget the time he made dinner - a one-casserole-dish. Mom asked if we needed rolls. "Nope - it's in there." Vegetable? "Nope - it's in there." Salad? "Nope - it's in there." What else? Here are some of my random memories:

Dad wasn't very talkative but when he talked, you listened.
He was extremely patient - he often, very often, waited on "his girls" - in the bathroom, getting ready for church, etc. He would get frustrated at times, though.
He was always so proud of us - no matter how awful we looked in those awkward years.
Dad kept this little black comb in his front pocket sometimes - so he could comb his hair (especially useful on those windy days).
He loved ice cream - vanilla. That's why he got lots of gift certificates to Baskin-Robbins. And he could bite into an ice cream cone.
We always enjoyed laughing at him when he washed the windshield - his tongue would stick out to the side.
I always thought he looked nice - no wearing his pants down low under the big belly sticking out. He was good at shining shoes and kept his looking good. He was especially handsome on August 14, 1993 when he wore a tux for Laura's wedding. I thought he was, by far, the most handsome man there.
He was really good at listening - must have been all that practice.
He was always trying out new pieces of luggage since he traveled so much. We never ran out of shampoo - he always brought home the ones from the hotels.
He called every night - no matter where he was or what time it was. That meant, on occasion, he got to just listen to us breathe and hang up on him (we were asleep). Luckily, he knew that meant we were okay - just tired.
He eventually gave up trying to get into the master bedroom closet - it only opened on one side anyway. He bought himself a freestanding closet that went on HIS side of the room and pretty much covered up the window.
He showed us how to run backwards (luckily he had a cap on that somehow protected his head when he fell down).
He taught us to drive a stick shift (bless his patient little heart).
He bought us nice jewelry (like the watch that I still wear!)
Those fried chicken strips with curry gravy.
That cute grin.
We couldn't go to bed without Cheerios, milk, bananas, and coffee.
His sipping coffee in bed (Mom was the early bird). He's just sit there, sipping coffee until it was gone. Then he'd get up. On Saturdays, after breakfast, he'd usually go back to bed.
He always insisted that we go on a vacation every summer - and we did!
His ever-changing vehicles from work - trucks, station wagons full of "stuff" and with that white powder from the plant (that also showed up on his work boots).

I miss you Dad.

Journeys

2008-04-04T09:31:00.000-07:00

Life is a journey. There are highways and country roads, flying and more leisurely travel like a scenic train. You can stop at rest areas for a picnic or you breeze through the drive throughs. You can rush and rush and still not get there on time. And when you are in a hurry, you can be sure that you'll get behind a slow-poke. But along the way, it's up to you if you enjoy the journey, or just rush to the next big city.

Which journey are you taking?

Me, well, sometimes I feel like I'm stuck on a two-lane and everyone else is running up & down the interstates. Other times, I'm so thankful I'm in the slow lane, enjoying life as it comes - even when I take a few detours and wrong turns.

I'm at my Mom's in Ashdown - taking off for a few days of R&R, shopping, and Mom-time. It's good to get away, and I can just hope that my house hasn't floated away. Calvin & I make good friends but that's about all for now. It's one of the roads you travel, and decide that while it's a great drive, it's not the route you want to take. I've been on the road several times, and each time the scenery is beautiful and I learn alot along the way. I've never regretted those roads because they are good trips in life's journey.

Hope you enjoy your journey this week-end.

weather, week-end, and good stuff

2008-03-14T18:34:00.000-07:00

Good evening friends & family. What a week of weather - I've walked at the park TWICE!!! Super duper springy weather is nice, even when it rains (because we always need the moisture - just ask the farmers!). I'm enjoying the springy temps too - not too hot and not too cold. Just right.

Elissa and I had a great time together. We didn't do a whole lot - we did enjoy the snow, eating at Cookie Basket (good thing she found money in her jacket or we'd have been washing dishes!), cookies from the Key Lime Cottage, multiple trips to Walgreen's, sitting around the living room drinking tea, looking through pictures, sharing pictures, eating out (we didn't want to cook!) at Brick Oven Pizza and Mimi's Cafe. And of course, seeing MICHAEL BUBLE!!! The opening group was Naturally 7 and they were really good. Check them out! Then, it was a 30 minute wait on Michael, but that was okay. We had some good conversation while waiting!!! Michael can put on a great concert - fun, casual, and lots of great music! Well worth the wait and a night to remember.

I'm working on my grad presentation for my grad class - podcasting for teachers! Lots of interesting things out there. I downloaded a bunch of stuff to my new ipod and listened to it while walking this evening. Sure made my walk go fast! That, and the good music too.

If you've ever had to wear glasses, you'll know what I'm talking about here. Remember when you got your first pair of glasses? Remember when you went outside and looked around, and actually saw leaves on the trees instead of just green blobs? You know that "aha!" feeling when you finally get something? Or maybe when the fog cleared and you could see where you were going? Maybe you'd call it an epiphany, a clearing, or just what some glasses can do for you. Whatever you call it, it's a cool feeling. I still remember my big red glasses. I could barely walk on the sidewalk as we were leaving the eye doctor's office. But I looked up and saw so many individual little green leaves on the trees. I was like, "Wow!" I wonder how long it had been since I had seen that (how bad were my eyes?!?!). Anyway, after a few dates with someone (Mr. Pirate - see future Laura blog post), being on eharmony, after processing a few of the other guys I've dated, I had that cool feeling of "ohhhhh!" I was typing up yet another answer to the eharmony question, "what are you looking for in a mate?" As I was typing my "regular" answer, I thought, "that really just sounds like Calvin." I've known Calvin since 2005. We officially met at spring sing 2005 after "meeting" on churchofchristsingles.com. We dated a few months. Even after we broke up, we were still good friends. We'd hang out, email, and keep in touch. So I emailed him again. He must be a saint to be so patient with me. Long story short - we're now dating again and it's even more fun this time. He makes me smile. He treats me so well and he's such a gentleman - a trusting man of God. We're going to picnic tomorrow - depending on the weather. Drive around the country roads, enjoy each other's company. I'm sure it will be another fun day, another memory made.

Hope you have a great week-end!

Marching On

2008-03-02T17:19:00.000-08:00

We sang "Onward Christian Soldiers" this morning. And you know what? The chorus sounds really neat when you can actually hear the bass. It really sounds like marching......

Can you believe it is March already?!?!?! Me neither.

I was so excited that the Tuckers came Thursday night for the last home basketball game at Harding! We met up at Mazzio's and ate, before heading to the game. It was a great game!!!! http://www.hardingsports.com/News/mbball/2008/2/28/mbb07-08.asp?path=mbball I'm so glad we got visit with Matt's family (and ours) and that so many of them were able to come to the game. And hanging with John, Laura, Emily, and Ethan was pretty fun too.

Spring Break already! A week off from class and tutoring will be nice....now if I could have just gotten off work too!

Do you listen to the Harding radio channel (95.3 fm) much? I've been listening to it more and tonight I'm listening to some nice jazzy stuff. It has a good mix.

Life

2008-02-26T16:46:00.000-08:00

Life cereal is pretty good. So is the pineapple angel cake (angel food cake mix and crushed pineapple), especially topped with whipped cream (light is great!). Not to mention fish tacos.

So things are still busy and I'm really glad I'm not married with kids while working full time and going to school. How did Mom do that?! I guess overall things are going well - I'm trying hard to stay caught up and not let the little things go (like my contacts spreadsheet, my office appearance, phone calls, etc.). But it's a constant struggle - put out the most pressing fires first, and maybe I'll get around to the small fires later!

I've been thinking a lot lately. About decisions - have I made the right ones? Should I have done that? Should I have said yes or no? Should I not have let my stress level decide for me? Should I have let those little things bother me so much? Should I have been more assertive? affectionate? Should I have tried harder?

Emily's birthday was fun - backwards is the way to go! Mom & I went to Jonesboro to the new mall and shopped some too. That was fun!! I'm glad Mom got to come up and hang out - party, shop, church, just hanging out at home drinking tea. Thanks for your visit Mom - come back soon!

I'm really looking forward to Elissa coming back next week - planning food, things to do, things to talk about (why is she out of the country when I'm dying to talk?!?!?). And of course, I can't wait to sigh over Michael Buble. sigh.

Hope you have a great week.

BBBBBBBBBBBBUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

2008-02-18T16:40:00.000-08:00

That's me - busy as a bee. bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz :-) Or me being silly. Take your pick.

So, school is going well. I did well on my first test. I'm working through the Universal by Design Stage 1 Planning. I think I'm starting to "get" it now although sometimes it still seems like a lot of busy work. I'm still trying to get my tutoring hours in - I have three different things so most weeks I can get at least one hour in! If you need a little help learning something new in nutrition, health, wellness, combating heart disease (the number 1 killer of women), money management, etc. - give me a call.

Work is going well. If you are interested in Strong Women, I'm teaching 2 classes again. Mondays & Wednesdays at 1:00 p.m. in the Family Room at College church, and Tuesdays & Thursdays at 2:00 p.m. in the fellowship hall at the First Baptist Church in El Paso. I get to go to LR three times this week - ugh.

Supper Club is Thursday night. The good thing about being in it so long is that I can "recycle" recipes. So I'm making "white chili" which is what Staci made when we were partners in January 2004 or 2005. If you haven't used www.eVite.com it is pretty nice for party planning stuff.

Emily turns SEVEN on Sunday and I get to go party on Saturday!!! Yeah - I feel like it's been forever since I've seen them. I can't wait to see the Tuckers house - unpacked. And Mom will be coming & staying with me. Fun!

I don't have any deep thoughts. I'm looking forward to Elissa coming in a few weeks and we're going to see Michael Buble in concert!!!!! Can't wait!!! www.michaelbuble.com

It's Not Easy Being Green....

2008-02-01T18:19:00.000-08:00

I already knew I was a "green" personality (NT for those of you not familiar with the colors). I came up with a lot of gold for my learning personality but I think I'm still green. But I didn't know it was more rare than, say, blue. I keep thinking of Kermit for some reason....

It's been a long but busy week. School is interesting - we even had a socratic seminar on Wednesday. After class, I went to Lara Noah's office to check out her "skylight" from the wind damage. It was good to see her!

I got my Harding magazine today. Best article is the last one, although reading about some of the history and customs of Harding was pretty interesting also.

I guess I don't have a lot to say tonight. I'm sleepy and I have to teach Best Care tomorrow. I should probably go over my lessons again! I get to teach about tax credits and sandcastles & mud puddles. Should be fun.

Shut up & kiss me

2008-01-26T16:44:00.000-08:00

is playing on my new sound system right now. What? You were expecting something else? :-)

The holidays were fun! I had fun hanging out with Mom, the Tuckers, Patti. Mom & I had the pleasure of hitting every Wal-Mart between Fordyce & Ashdown the day after Christmas. We picked up a few goodies, nothing really big though. The next day, we hit T-town and I finally found a bigger, newer Christmas tree for half price! It's a prelit, 7 foot, TWINKLE lights tree. Yeah!! Now I'll for sure be excited for Christmas this year - I'll have that new tree to put up. Mom put up with me for most of the holiday and I enjoyed being with her alot. Patti is fun to add to the mix.

So the new year is getting off to a good start. I got all my ducks in a row for grad school. Managed to do good on the GRE, even though I didn't start studying until 2 days before. I was surprised by the things that came back easily (algebra) and the things that didn't (geometry). I think I can tie it back to the teachers I had - the more I liked the teacher, the better I did in the class, and the more I remember. Which would explain why I'm so bad in biology.

My grad class (yes, just one - 4 hours) is going well. I know the teacher, and that helps 'cause she is AWESOME and fun (and she might read this!). We have some interesting projects, learnings, and stuff. We've talked about personality & learning styles (I think I'm a green/NT), library (WOW - you don't even have to GO to the library anymore), and tutoring (although I have figured out that Algebra 2 is beyond me). It's fun to be learning, at the moment. I'm sure I'll tire of using my brain after a while, although it probably could use the exercise.

Work is going well also. Lots of projects - I feel like I'm juggling a whole bunch of things. But they are interesting! I'm even getting experience teaching college students - I'm teaching a ServSafe class to one of the FCS classes. Interesting.

Fun things I've done:

climbed in the laundry room window of Laura & John's new house - because the garage door wouldn't open, Laura didn't have a key, I was freezing, AND I had to go to the bathroom.
Dusted the walls in my den.
Put together a mobile "Balance Your Meals" - a teaching tool from 1962. Yes, it's for real - I found it in my closet at the office. It fits in pretty well with my other retro kitchen stuff.
Got my new Ipod nano going, hooked up my new stereo system.
Learned how to podcast and vidcast. Now THAT'S cool.

(I tried to upload my first try at this, but was unsuccessful.)

I'm hosting a Ladies Gumbo Night tomorrow with Ellen. Bunco will be here next Monday (any ideas for prizes?!?!?!). Then Supper Club is finally getting off the ground this year, and Allison & I are hosting in February. Hopefully, I'll have company next week-end for the basketball game. But it's been quiet this week-end.

Hope you all have a great week!

Happy Holidays!

2007-12-16T13:44:00.000-08:00

It's been a while - I've had internet issues! We had family pictures made the Saturday after Thanksgiving - the Tuckers were here anyway, and Mom came up for the pix. She brought Patti with her, and Patti was a big help - holding purses, setting up the pix, getting the kids to smile/look at the camera/be still! I think these are the first pictures we've had made since...I don't know when! The Tuckers have had pictures made, but we haven't had any of the six of us.

A sweet friend emailed me and was very encouraging. It was almost like someone said, "you are just fine the way you are - you don't need a man to complete you." I should know that, and I do. But sometimes it's hard to really feel it. Thank you sweet thing for encouraging me and inspiring me to get out there and do things.

Another holiday! I'm not really scrooge, but not the opposite either. I'll admit - I didn't put up my big tree or much else this year. I have a little tree in the kitchen but I didn't dig out the ornaments, so I'm hanging my Christmas cards on it! Lovely. I have a little tree at the office too. Maybe next year, I'll have a brunch/lunch one Saturday to refresh my friends out shopping! I need to wrap my presents - I hope the two I'm waiting on UPS to deliver arrive!!! I'm excited about going to Fordyce for Ethan's program, then to Ashdown, back to Fordyce for Christmas!, then back to Ashdown. Mom, Patti, and I may go somewhere - Jefferson, TX or Dallas maybe. Then it's back to work!

I'm trying to enrich my life in 2008 - read my Bible through, take several classes for my masters, pick up my clarinet again, and try to meet some other singles and make a difference. Find my spot. I'm not sure the kiddos are really my strength though. Oh, and keep my house and office straightened up and organized, and maybe "do" something with my den (get it decorated).

The Highlights

2007-12-03T16:20:00.000-08:00

Ahh, what a great few weeks! Thanksgiving was, of course, a wonderful holiday. Mom arrived in Searcy on Tuesday before the Thanksgiving. We left Searcy Wednesday morning about 9:00 a.m. in Mom's van. We stopped by the Key Lime Cottage (I had ordered the YUMMY friendship bread, pumpkin bread, and pumpkin cupcakes!!! awesome!!!!) because I thought we needed to take some snacky/breakfast food. We stopped in West Memphis for a late breakfast/early lunch at Cracker Barrel (one of the three times we ate at CB on this trip) before heading on down the road. I drove and it wasn't too bad until we hit Hattiesburg. It rained off & on the whole time, but then on the radio we heard the tornado warnings. And then the tornado watch. We heard what county the tornado was in, but since we don't live there we had no idea where it was. So Mom got out her trusty AAA map, only to discover that we were IN the county, and in the storm's path. Hmm. We filled the tank with gas and finally decided just to keep going because the storm was morning east and the further south we went the better. So, we head out. We called the Eyrichs to ask about the storm and they told us to keep coming too. It was really pouring rain, very windy. I told Mom to watch the skies! The traffic slowed to a crawl, people had their hazard lights on, it was wild. But we made it through!! It didn't last very long, but I was sure ready to get to Long Beach! We ate, talked, caught up on the latest. We prepped food (whatever they told us to do), looked up recipes, got the Pina Colada cake on, etc. Thursday morning, Mom & I got up quickly and showered and dressed. We headed downstairs and chopped some more, crumbled cornbread, whipped cream, etc. More people arrived, and we ate about 2:00 p.m. It's been a while since I've been so stuffed. We managed to sit around and check out the sale papers while planning our "Chicks Day" attack for Friday.

Mom & I didn't get up to hit Michael's at 6:00 a.m. I didn't need anything that bad. But I did get up and around in time to hit Tuesday Morning, Stein Mart, etc. We came home to unload (again) and eat Mr. George's delicious oyster po-boys for lunch. Then we headed out again. We finally gave up and limped back to the house for leftovers.

Saturday morning, we took our time getting around before heading to Mobile. We met old friends of ours Phillip & Ann at Cracker Barrel for lunch, then we shopped at the new Eastern Shore Mall until dinner (do you notice a pattern here - shop & eat, shop & eat?). We went to Stix - sushi and hibachi grill! Mom & Mrs. Sue had never tried sushi before, so Elissa made sure we ordered several things for them to try. It was great! The show was wonderful and the food was way too good.

We went to church on Sunday, and then ate at a casino (it was a buffet and yummy - and we didn't even have to walk through the casino!). We had planned on leaving and getting on down the road, but the weather reports were calling for more bad weather. So we stayed another night with the very hospitable Eyrichs!!! And on the way home Monday, guess where we had dinner?!?!

More later - it's time for Bunco!

2007-11-18T10:28:00.000-08:00

Another Super Sunday.....and I'm almost glad that I'll be gone next week! I know, that's bad. I am so far out of my zone in Children's Worship Training and the cradle roll class. The helpers today in the class had more experience that my age. And in CWT, the kids just look at me. Sigh. As someone pointed out, I'll never meet anyone in children's classes and in women's classes.

But it's been nice to hear in the past week:

at least two people are praying for my future and future husband maybe
that I'm doing a good job from several bosses

I guess I haven't really missed being in "big church" since Noel's talking about "happily ever after" - a series on marriage. Yeah, you know there aren't any fairy tales or happy endings for the singles. :-) I guess I just get tired of always listening to couples, marriage, children topics. I know, I know - I'll probably need to know that stuff sometime. Maybe. I'm starting to wonder. Yes, I do hear that biological clock - no need to point it out thank you very much. No need to pout about being an older mom when you're younger than me. No need to point out that you waited so long for your husband when you're younger than me. Let me tell you all about waking up to a cold & lonely house, coming home to a cold & lonely house, eating alone, going to sleep in a cold & lonely bed. (no, I don't want to spend a fortune heating my house this winter, so it is literally cold, but also figuratively cold.) Just for the record, I do like hearing about your families - I don't want to think that I get sick of hearing the latest tricks the kids are doing or anything! I have actually learned a lot just by listening to people at supper club. And I realize that I'm the odd man out in most situations. Just a little disclaimer!

I am looking forward to going back to Mississippi for Thanksgiving this week. Mom is coming here and we'll leave Wednesday morning, after stopping by the Key Lime Cottage for some yummies to take! We'll share Thanksgiving with the Eyrichs and friends, then shop the day after Christmas! Mom & I will head home Sunday after church, but we probably won't make it back to Searcy until Monday. Mom's still getting her strength back and we'll both be tired from the holiday. I'm looking forward to spending time with Elissa and her family. Hanging out with my best friend is always fun. Luckily, I always feel at home with Lis and her family. I'll miss seeing the Tuckers, but they will be here the next week-end. Yeah!!!

Falling..........

2007-11-17T13:44:00.000-08:00

Leaves mean I get to rake my yard. Whew - I'm tired from that good exercise today. Of course, I need to exercise since I've been eating way too good the past week or so.

Last Friday (Nov. 9), I got up ridiculously early (3am) to catch a flight at 6:30 am from Little Rock. I flew from LR to Memphis, and then Memphis to Gulfport. I must have had the "middle seat" syndrome because I had the middle seat for all the flights except one. And that flight didn't have a middle seat! I got to Gulfport, got my bag, and waited on Elissa to arrive. I waited outside on a bench, in the sun, and got sleepy. We went to the Harbor View restaurant for lunch, and went to Tuesday Morning while waiting on our order. She gave me a choice - go back to work with her (at a credit union) or stay at the house and rest. Duh. Rest I chose. So I ate (a fried shrimp po-boy) and watched "Speed" with her Dad before he went back to work. I rested a while, then made some hot tea and watched TV (what a treat!). I ended up watching the riveting show of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Tryouts. We went to the Trans Siberian Orchesta concert in Biloxi and sat way up in the nosebleed-we-need-oxygen-section. It was a loud, blinding at times, show. It was pretty much the same show as last year, except the opening song wasn't near as good. With TSO, you have to wait until the end to hear the really good stuff and it was a long show with no intermission. But we enjoyed it.

On Saturday, I had the opportunity to do something fun with Elissa and Mrs. Sue - strip wallpaper and paint a bathroom! The bathroom was a pepto pink and is now a more subdued and elegant cream and taupey-gray color. It was fun and I felt I really contributed - since I was the tallest and could reach the high points! :-) That evening, we went to Emeril's restaurant (yes, we had to walk through the casino to get there!) and it was yummy! I had barbequed shrimp, shrimp & grits, and Mississippi Mud Pie, along with cake-like cornbread and a potato roll. Remember I'm not big on chicken (see a previous post). Sunday, we went to church and got to visit with people. Then we went to a chinese buffet for lunch (the sushi was good!). Elissa, Mrs. Sue, and I did some shopping before heading to the church that evening. We went by Sonic for ice cream, and then enjoyed the ice cream in the Eyrich's new travel trailer - it was so nice!!! After church, Mr. George went by Church's Chicken. Yes, I did eat some fried chicken, but it was easier since it was fried! We finished up painting in the bathroom before bed.

On Monday, Elissa & I just hung out mostly. We picked up lunch and then went to the beach and ate in her car. It was so relaxing to just sit in the sun, listen to the waves and the gulls. Then she took me to the airport and I came home. I went to the restroom downstairs and the ladies room was on the right. After I went through security, I went to the restroom. I went right (I did glance at the sign).....and it was the wrong one!!!! Oops.

This was another busy week. Tuesday & Wednesday I was in LR for a training. Thursday, we had our program review with our new district staff and our new FCS state leader. This is where they come and we go over what we did last year, and they check everything out to make sure we're doing what we should. It went very well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They were all very nice, complimentary, and encouraging!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a relief.

I guess I've told you all the food except for our office Thanksgiving lunch - which was Prime Rib from Eagleview. We had it catered this year and it was SO good. Which was why I raked leaves today....to burn off just a few of those extra calories I've consumed!!!

Super Sunday

2007-11-04T17:03:00.000-08:00

Wow - what a day! I had the opportunity to help out with Children's Worship Training this morning. Yes, I got up in time for the early service! After, of course, I got up, ate breakfast, then realized that I had an extra hour (I had forgotten to turn my clocks back!). This was my first time in CWT and it was interesting. I sat on the row with Hannah Ferrie, Mallory Gowen, and Gracie Metheny. Mr. Brent asked the children what made them happy. Hannah's first response - her mom. I was impressed with CWT - and the kids were so cute.

While the kids were going to class, I headed to my cradle roll class. Luckily, I had already set up. I kept hoping I'd have help - and I did. Alice Jewell, Pat Berry, and I managed to corrall 9 little munchkins. Two of them cried the whole first half, most didn't want to sit, and the other kept throwing the toys. But we survived! We did have several visitors and some new children that had moved up. I'm almost glad that I'll be gone next week. But I have full confidence in Mrs. Jewell - I wouldn't have made it today if she hadn't been there!!!!

I made a 15-bean soup last night and had some for lunch, along with some cornbread. Yum! I think that will last me ALL week. What cheap eating for the week.

Tonight's worship was Singing Night! That is always a favorite of mine - and I was glad I wasn't running the powerpoint. Mike Wood took requests - and the PPT operator got to find the songs and put them up. And there were so many requests that we only sang the first and last verses. Oh but the singing was so wonderful, uplifting, and encouraging!!!! We even had a few guest songleaders. I think Jalen or Jaden Montgomery was by far the audience favorite. He came up, stood on his stool, and led "Blue Skies and Rainbows." His way of remembering the verses (he's only 6)? He drew a picture that was projected. Way too cute - and he did an excellent job complete with applause. Glenn Olree led two songs - he has a great voice and did a wonderful job! Warren Casey led several songs also. We finished with "The Greatest Command" and "The Lord Bless You and Keep You" - a great ending to a great service.

So I'm ready to face another week - a short work week for me! I'm taking off Friday & Monday and heading to Long Beach, MS. I'm ready for the break and to see the Eyrichs again. I'm going to be cleaning house this week - I want to come home to a nice, clean house next Monday night!

Have a great week everyone.

Day....whatever!

2007-11-02T18:53:00.000-07:00

So since Laura asked how my experiment was going.......here goes. I haven't been writing down everything I eat or exercising enough. I haven't measured all my food, but I am getting better at "eye-ing" it. I'm eating more vegetables & fruits and making healthier choices. I can tell a difference - either from the SW or the eating! Well, at least my legs are smaller, even if nothing else is! I don't do great every day, but certainly better!

It's hard to believe that when I go to Elissa's next week-end, I won't be seeing Aunt Thelma (Elissa's great-aunt). Thelma Price passed away this week and she will be missed. She's the one who told us, "every girl needs to have a little red car sometime." I took her advice with the first car I bought - a little red Dodge Avenger. I loved that car. She was always free with her opinion, liked her coffee hot, and was a sharp lady. And she never seemed to mind that I called her "Aunt Thelma" too. I remember her 90th birthday party a few years ago - pink was the color of the poinsettias. By the time her party rolled around, they were looking a bit scragly. So, Mrs. Sue had us get magnolia leaves, hairspray, and glitter. I can still remember standing on the back steps of the church, in the dark, spraying hair spray on the poinsettias and then sprinkling them with glitter. And you know what? It worked great! Good memories of a great lady.

I'm sorry if you all missed the celebrity on TV last week. Ch. 11 had a really cool guest on Oct. 24th demonstrating a healthy appetizer - it was really early so you might have missed it. But Ch. 7 had a great guest on Daybreak last Saturday demonstrating cookies. So if you missed it, oh well. Fame is so fleeting.

I got to go out to a soybean field this afternoon while the beans were being cut. My coworker Keith left his moisture meter on his desk, and needed it. So I headed out to Worden (past Bald Knob on 64) and went a few miles down a gravel road. It was interesting to see, and a beautiful day to be out driving.

Tag

2007-10-26T17:38:00.001-07:00

Here are the rules. 1)Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves. (2) People who are tagged need to write a post on their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules. (3) At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names. (4) Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

1. I'm taller than my sister. We could wear the same size shoe for a few months back around 1985, but then I outgrew her. She hasn't tried to beat me up since.

2. If I pull my hair back and don't have my contacts in yet - when I glance in the mirror, I see a glimpse of my dad. Because I really look like him sometimes! It's weird.

3. I like Ikea. I guess my house is not as typical as most, or that's the impression I get from a lot of people. I do like to be different every once in a while. I really like my house.

4. My newest favorite food is risotto. I had my first taste of it in Como, Italy. Our first night in Italy, we ate at the hotel with our tour group. The first course was the yummy risotto. I don't remember much else, but after dinner we roamed around Como. Of course, on the way back, we had to find an ATM so we'd have euros to buy our first Italian GELATO!!! For my birthday, I got a cookbook called Risotto, so I've experimented with making it and I love it. Now if I could just find some gelato.....

5. If I could go anywhere for a vacation, I'd go to Lucerne, Switzerland. And then I'd go to Scotland and Ireland. And then, an Alaskan cruise with lots of expensive excursions (obviously I'm not paying for this!), and hop over to Hawaii. I'd get a convertible rental car and drive around the island, then fly over to all the other islands. I'd hike, sit on the beach and read, and just wonder at the beauty God created. And while I'm at it, I'd just fly to Iceland, wander around the Mediterrean, then take a trans-Atlantic cruise, end up in New York, where I'd spend a few weeks walking around, seeing the sights, before taking a train back home.

6. While I look like my Dad, I have my mother's feet. And at times, my Grandmother's temperment and bossiness. Other times, I have my Pa-Pa's quietness. And, Laura, Mom and I sound a lot alike on the phone. Just ask John.

7. I'm still wondering why Lara didn't tag me on the previous tag. Maybe it's because I'd have had to make up all the answers about my husband? Hmm. That might be interesting.....

8. And finally, if I could change one thing I'd done....I wouldn't have hit Laura with that baseball bat. Although I didn't get near as close to her head as she'd like you to believe!

I'm going to tag Lara, Bob, Elissa (I know you're reading).

Day 1

2007-10-22T17:57:00.000-07:00

I'm trying a little experiment - practicing what I preach! Last week in my Strong Women - Healthy Hearts class, we discussed meal planning. We even had worksheets to just fill in. So, I decided to give it a try - plan all of my meals and make them healthy. I'm trying to get all of my recommended foods. So I went to the store last night to stock up - I really did spend more time on the outer edges (produce department mostly).

This morning, I just had my standard cereal. I woke up late (I set the alarm but forgot to turn in on!) and didn't put any fruit with it. For lunch, I had a "make ahead lunch wrap" (got the recipe from Laura/allrecipes.com), 1/2 cup cottage cheese, and about a cup of grapes. And a big glass of water. During the afternoon, I had a handful of animal crackers. For dinner, I had a veggie burger on a whole wheat english muffin, corn on the cob, and salad.

I had a good week-end in Ashdown. Mom & I went to Texarkana Friday night - we picked up Aunt Chris and ate at Lee's Catfish. Saturday, we went shopping and found Mom several things. I got some warm socks. We picked up hamburgers for dinner. On Sunday, Bob Simmons met me at the door and asked me to run the powerpoint during the service. I did, and it went well. And I got to visit with some people at the church in Ashdown - which is always a good thing!

Quick Post

2007-10-18T20:12:00.000-07:00

I was glad to host some of the Simmons family Saturday evening for dinner. Bob, Susan, Amy, and Chloe were such fun to have - and they brought yummy ciabatta bread and dipping stuff (olive oil with Parmesan cheese)! I know they had a long day but I was honored to have them in my home. Bob posted a couple of pix on his blog.

I went to Hastings Sunday night after worship. I had a vanilla chai latte and looked at books.

Wednesday was the Extension Homemakers Fall Council Meeting. We tried something different this time - and it worked great! We had more members at this meeting than at any other meeting since I've been here - 77! We had the meeting at Harding in the Founders Room, had some great speakers including our new FCS state leader who did a tai chi demonstration, and we had a great lunch. The best part? NO COOKING, CLEANING UP, OR SETTING UP TABLES AND CHAIRS!!!! And they were all HAPPY! Oh my joy.

We had supper club at Doc's tonight. It was fun and I think it was good to spend time together especially for Kimberly. I know she's had a rough few months. But I always leave feeling like something is missing. I don't know what - maybe I feel like I just don't fit in most of the time. Who knows?

I've struggled this week with headaches and just generally not feeling well. I know I should take better care of myself. On Tuesdays & Thursdays, I do get exercise but not enough. I need to eat better too. So tonight in my Strong Women - Healthy Hearts class, we talked about menu planning. I think I'm really going to try to plan menus better, and eat healthier. And exercise more..... I don't like this tummy thing I have. I've done better today about drinking water so I need to keep that up.

I'm going to Ashdown for the week-end. I'm excited to see Mom again and spend time with her at home. Hopefully, we can see Aunt Chris, maybe shop some, just enjoy the week-end.

Hope you have a good week-end!

10 Years Today!

2007-10-13T07:58:00.000-07:00

October 13, 1997 was a Monday - and it was the day that I started work with the Cooperative Extension Service in Pike County, AR (Murfreesboro). I wore a black & white houndstooth dress with heels, had my picture made for the local paper, the Murfreesboro Diamond, and generally wondered what in the world I was doing. I was supposed to be an Intern working with another agent. But after about 3 weeks, the agent I was working with (Jean) moved to the neighboring county. But she was only aboutg 15 minutes away, was on my speed dial, and was still very helpful to me. I became an actual agent October 1, 1998 I think. I was promoted to an Agent II in 2002. One of the reasons I'm going to work on my masters is that I can't promote again until I do - not to mention that we get a nice payraise when we get our masters!

For the first three weeks or so, I lived in Nashville in a one-room apartment. It did have cable though. The dorm-size refrigerator was by the bathroom, and the microwave was in the bathroom. I lived on slim-fast for breakfast, and frozen dinners for dinner. Then, I rented a cute little house in Murfreesboro and lived there about 6 months. It didn't have any furniture except for a little table in the kitchen and maybe a chair. I slept on the floor for a while - because I didn't have any furniture! My parents were bringing me some furniture, but Dad's cancer spread to his eye and they were unable to haul any furniture. So, my grandmother and uncle & aunt took pity on me. They loaded up furniture from their houses and brought to me! I had a chair for the living room and table with a lamp, a twin bed (Laura's old daybed), a nightstand, and maybe another table. Not much but enough! In March 1998, I moved again. The next apartment was a basement apartment - it was furnished, all the utilities even cable (except for the phone) were paid, it had a carport, and I guess I felt more comfortable knowing that there was someone else in the house. Really, I think I was so used to living in a dorm, hearing people above me, that living in a basement was very nice! I lived in that house until I moved here to Searcy in April 2002.

I've enjoyed my time with Extension. Wanda, Mike, & Avonne were great coworkers in Pike County. I still miss them. But Roberta, Anita, Brian, Sherri, Keith, Jamie, Amy are great. I've also worked with Dustin, Amber, Melanie, Rose Ann, and Tammy in White County. I've enjoyed getting to know the EH ladies, the 4-H kids, the people in the county, the county judges. I really do like my job - it's fun, I get to know neat people, and it's always different.

So, here's to another 10 years (I guess)!

week-end fun vs. dead animals?

2007-10-09T17:13:00.000-07:00

What a week-end! Mom, Patti, Colbie, and Britton got here Friday afternoon....and then Charles, Mitzi, Sean, and Hershel arrived for dinner. I was a bit adventurous with dinner - which means I was a little nervous about how it would be received. But when Sean (sophomore in high school) went back for seconds and maybe thirds, I knew it was okay! We had make-your-own-grain-salads. I cooked some quinoa and bulgar, then had bowls of veggies (black beans, kidney beans, corn, red bell pepper, cucumber, green onions, almonds, carrots, etc.) and dressing. Everyone made their own. Mom brought some herb bread that was delish! With blackberry cobbler and ice cream for dessert...it was all good. Then the fun began.....Mom brought out her dulcimer and Hershel brought his guitar. We heard great music and stories. Hershel is so good - of course, he did have a record with his garage band!

Saturday morning, we got a tour of Harding from Morris Sewell (to help encourage Colbie & Britton to come to Harding!), then went to the BBQ Wars for lunch. We went to Midnight Oil (Mom needed a pick-me-up before shopping) and JCPenney before we ran out of steam. So we went back to the house for a quick nap, then hit Colony Shop & Kroger. Colbie & Britton helped me fix a quick dinner of spaghetti with smoky marinara, garlic bread, and a great salad with lots of veggies and a homemade vinaigrette. The girls were awesome! We ate quickly, then headed to the Acapella concert. It was pretty good - I especially enjoyed hearing the songs I knew from the Sweet Fellowship and Rescue tapes (I think those are the ones) - the ones I remember from high school anyway! Since it wasn't even 9:00 p.m. when we got out, we went by the Underground and treated ourselves to Italian Cream Sodas. Yummy! We made it to class (Mom, Patti, and I visited the Barnabas class) and worship at College before heading to Doc's for lunch. Everyone left pretty soon after that, so I got a nice nap in!

I don't think I want any chicken for a while. I had a meeting out at the fairgrounds yesterday and I noticed that one of the refrigerators was unplugged. I looked in the frig but it just had BBQ and drinks in it. No problem. Not so lucky with the freezer.....it had had frozen chicken....raw frozen chicken that had defrosted and was getting really....yucky and smelly! I had noticed an odor and now I knew what it was. So since I had another meeting out there today, I decided that someone had to clean the awful mess up. I got there early and let me tell you....it was so disgusting!!!!!! I gagged, sprayed air freshener, got out the cleaner with bleach, and it still smelled (I cleaned it all up, and took the trash out to the dumpster). So I found some cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and nutmeg and put them in some water on the stove. That did help! So did drinking coffee.....I kept smelling and drinking, smelling and drinking more than I needed. I had to go back to the office for ice, and I had been getting a headache. So I went home and took my migraine medicine and hoped that would help. But...it really didn't for a long time. It probably didn't help that when I got back to the fairgrounds, I made some little pizzas for my lunch contribution. Luckily, the dead chicken smell had mostly gone away. But in it's place was the dead mouse smell radiating from the oven when I turned it on. NOT a good thing. By then, I was really feeling awful - I didn't want to eat, I didn't even want to think about eating, my head was killing me, and I really thought I was going to throw up. I managed to eat a little bit - I was afraid I'd feel worse if I didn't eat something. But I had to leave early - I was just sick. I went home and napped on the couch for about 2 hours - I was feeling better - Not great, but enough to go back to work. Anyway, my head is finally starting to feel better.....even though my hands still smell like dead chicken (and I washed them repeatedly, and doused them in lemon juice).

Autumn

2007-10-04T19:21:00.000-07:00

ahh autumn!!!!!!!! The cool mornings, the colors changing, the longer nights.

It's been a pretty busy week! Monday was a really long day - it started with a breakfast meeting at 7:00 a.m. (I made swiss oatmeal with healthy trimmings), work, reports, the big 4-H Centennial Celebration, and Bunco. Whew. Tuesday was more of the same - early morning, work late. But I left work early today and I'm not working AT ALL tomorrow (at the office anyway). I'll be working at home - cleaning, straightening, preparing food. The house will be hopping by this time tomorrow. Mom, Patti, and Patti's two nieces Colbie and Britton will be here for the week-end. Add Charles, Mitzi, Sean, and Hershel for dinner tomorrow night. That equals fun!

Oh by the way, if you have never tried the peanut butter pie at Bobby's - you don't know what you are missing!!! I know, I know - it's not that healthy. Everything in moderation you know. Roberta's birthday (she's one of our secretaries) was yesterday and she loves that pie. And to make her happy (and us too), we celebrated her birthday with that yummy pie. I just happened to get a nice big piece and unfortunately I couldn't even finish it. It was rich, delicious, and peanutty with a huge merigue on top. I can't believe I just wrote an entire paragraph about a pie!!!!

Mixed Reviews

2007-09-27T17:49:00.000-07:00

I rented a couple of movies Saturday night. After an exhausting and warm trip to Memphis and a nap, I thought I'd relax a bit. I rented "The Wedding Date" (I'd already seen it) and "Sideways" (movie I had not seen). I guess I like to go with something I know I'll like, just in case the new one is a bust.

I watched the familiar first. I enjoyed it again. I've spent other 4 nights of the rental watching "Sideways." I finally decided that I had to finish it tonight since it was due. I fast forwarded through a lot though!

"Sideways" is the story of Miles and Jack - college buddies that don't have much in common. The week before Jack's wedding, they take a trip into wine country. If you haven't seen it, it has a lot of bad language, immorality, and wine drinking. The music was enjoyable though. And the wine tasting parts were interesting. I felt a little sorry for Miles - bless his heart. He was depressing.

I think in some ways, I feel like Miles. In one scene, he says something like, "My life is halfway over and what do I have to show for it?" But then, I think, I hope I'm not that depressing and down all the time!

I checked out an interesting book at the library the other night. Quiet Strength by Tony Dungy. If you don't know who that is, he's the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. It was a very interesting book about his life, his faith, and coaching. It was an inspiring look at what is right or encouraging about pro sports instead of the bad news you hear about all of the time. I'm not even a football fan, and I enjoyed it.

I've really enjoyed the ladies in my Strong Women classes. They have been so encouraging, so interesting, and so fun. Not to mention good cooks! We had another potluck Wednesday and they gave me a beautiful "thank you" card and a gift card to Dillard's! Wow!!! They are so sweet and definitely one of the best things this year.

I hope you all have a great week-end!

Did You Know........

2007-09-18T18:36:00.000-07:00

that this week is National Unmarried and Single Americans Week?!?!? Wow - a whole week to celebrate being single? I guess I already sort of did that with a previous post! But if you need more information, check this out:
http://dating.personals.yahoo.com/singles/datingtips/39619/party-of-one;_ylc=X3oDMTFmNXY5cGg3BF9TAzI3MTYxNDkEc2VjA2ZwX3RvZGF5BHNsawNwYXJ0eS1vZi1vbmUEenoDYWJj

I thought it was interesting. Especially since I've been so down lately. What is wrong with me? I'm tired, I've got headache #246, I don't want to go to work and I certainly don't want to work when I get there, I'm sick of the melancholy way I feel when I look at the couples (even at the fair - now that's depressing), I'm tired of wondering what's wrong with me/why am I still single/am I really scared of men and commitment.

The fair went pretty smoothly. That was a real blessing. No big contraversies, no big fights, not too much whining, no one yelling at me or complaining about me (that I know of anyway). The weather was great, the people around me were smiling all week for the most part. And now, it's OVER. Just a few more things to do to wrap up, and one more fair to work (just one day at the Mid-South Fair).

Highs & Lows

2007-09-07T16:10:00.000-07:00

"Reaching new heights after falling to record lows" was the title of a presentation I gave at a national meeting last October. But you know, that's life. There are highs, lows, and lots of in-betweens. Sometimes, we enjoy the highs, dread the lows, feel like we have more of the lows than the highs, or maybe you feel like you spend your life "in-between."

I was excited to have a new friend, Penny, over last night for a girls movie night. We had a good time chatting, then we watched "Catch & Release." It was okay - not the best and not the worst. But for some reason, I went to bed feeling slightly disappointed/down. Then I got up early to go walking with Cindy. We walked and talked for a while before she said something like, "so what's going on with Katie?" She asked me some questions about my life - I think she thinks I'm not very social. Which, in all honesty, would be rather correct. She asked me how do I expect to meet anyone (of the single male species) teaching the cradle roll class and teaching the strong women classes. Hmm. Well, she has a point. But, there's really not that many single people my age - not that I've found anyway. But she got me thinking about excuses. So many people have excuses. I've heard a lot of excuses the last few months from various people about various things. But it still boils down to excuses, or for some, little white lies to avoid telling the real truth. So, I guess my excuses have been things like: there aren't many singles, I don't know of any singles group for over 30, etc. So it felt like, not that it was necessarily so, my day began with someone else telling me I'm not enough, I'm not good enough, what's wrong with me because I'm not married?

But today, work was busy and I really felt like I had accomplished a lot. I've gotten prepared for next week - not only my fair work, but the other work stuff too - and I've had some good responses. So the day has gotten better. And since the Tuckers are coming sometime this evening, I'm sure it will end brightly.

So that is life - highs, lows, and everything in between. I guess we should always try to enjoy the highs and treasure those peak moments. And when we have lows, we should try to withstand the onslaught, look for brighter glimpses, and strive to overcome. And the in-betweens? Prepare for the highs and lows, enjoy just being, and always look up.

I'll be out at the county fairgrounds next week. If you go out there, look for me in the Educational Building, or maybe the livestock barn. A quick run-down of the week in case you are interested:
Monday - Fair Queen Contest, Poultry Chain judging/auction
Tuesday - check in exhibits in the Educational/Horticulture buildings from 8am-2pm. Free day to the fair, armband night for the rides. Talent Show.
Wednesday - judging day in the Educational building. Livestock shows. Country night (up and comers).
Thursday - Senior Day. Livestock shows. Gospel Night. Bull riding.
Friday - Kids Day. The Whites. Rodeo.
Saturday - team roping, armband day for the rides, rodeo, demolition derby.

Top Eleven Reasons to Be Me

2007-09-01T07:50:00.001-07:00

In an effort to be upbeat & content with who I am, I thought I'd post my Top Eleven (I came up with 11 and couldn't find one to throw out) reasons for being me. I also wanted to update my blog, unlike SOME people, and since I couldn't come up with anything more exciting........Read & weep (or laugh). Disclaimer: This is intended for entertainment purposes only.

11. No noses or butts to wipe, except mine.
10. No one else to mess up the house, leave dirty laundry on the floor, or stack dishes in the sink - just me!
9. Singing or talking to yourself are not met with suspicious stares.
8. Naps on the couch at lunch are great revitalizers for getting through the afternoon.
7. I can eat that leftover broccoli for dinner and cereal for lunch.
6. I can work out to any DVD (aerobics, bellydancing, dancing, pilates, yoga, etc.), have fun, and not get laughed at because I can't dance!
5. I don't know the words to any Dr. Suess books.
4. My "style" has developed through the years of living by myself (10 years). I like slightly retro modern in the living areas, and more subdued & girlie in my private spaces. I can turn the lights on as bright as I want, or just sit in the dark.
3. I love to travel - and I could just take off for Hawaii (if I could find the time and use my frequent flier points). Travel for me is relaxing and fun (and a good way to spend time with my best friend).
2. My alarm wakes me up gently - not someone screaming, someone poking me, or someone that wants to eat - and I can always just turn it off when I want to sleep in.
.................and the Number One reason for being me:
1. Silence. Quiet. ahhhhhhhh.

And for those of you who read the last post until the very end and had a guess on the songs - there were 4 songs/lines from songs.

The Thunder Rolls (Garth Brooks)
Listening to the rain fall on the roof.....(from Kenny Rogers' song Morning Desire)
Chill of an Early Fall (George Strait)
What a Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong)

Gratefulness

2007-08-18T08:03:00.000-07:00

The thunder rolls, the wind blows, the rain is coming down. What lovely sights and sounds! Makes me want to curl up in bed, listening to the rain falling on the roof. The rain is very welcome and I hope it will help cool things off a bit. Makes me wish for the chill of an early fall.

And I have a mosquito in my house. He's not too bad though - just when I think the silence is deafening, I hear this buzzzzzz. He follows me around - just to let me know he's still here I guess. It's not so bad, unless you think it's strange that he doesn't bother me that much.

I'm learning to appreciate the quiet and dark. I used to want every light on. That way, everything was light and bright and cheery. And I had to have the radio on, listening to a favorite CD or Delilah. But I've grown accustomed to not turning the lights on as much, and to listening to the sounds I hear without the radio. This wasn't really by choice - my CD player/radio thingy is getting old, cranky, and tends to spout out this annoying racket after it's been on for about a minute. But now, I can hear the rain pounding the back porch, falling on the roof, what it sounds like hitting the driveway, the rolling thunder, the wind blowing through the trees. I can hear my mosquito, people as they walk or jog past the house, the people next door saying good night.

So I was thinking of things that I'm grateful for. Besides the obvious - My God & my faith, my family, my friends, my home, my job, etc. I'm grateful that I've had at least one good romantic evening.
Ahhh, I still feel the breeze over the water, through the trees. The evening was perfect, a bit cloudy, but good for a lovely sunset. The colors were beautiful - the sunset, the trees, the water as we floated over it. The feel of the breeze in my hair, on my face, was like a brush of the God's hand saying, "here I am." We anchored the boat and sat and talked and cuddled. We ate a dinner we had packed, and moved the boat to catch a better view of the sunset. I listened to the sweet sounds of the critters in the woods, the waves gently brushing the shore, the sounds the boat makes as it drifts ever so slightly. We watched the sunset, and cuddled some more. We stayed out on the lake until about 10:00 p.m. but it was an evening to remember for me. It was just being. No other people, no other distractions. Just us, enjoying the world and each other. A quiet time of reflection.
I'm grateful that I've learned valuable lessons. I've learned to watch what I say and how I say it. I'm grateful that I still have a job even when I messed up big time. I cringe whenever I think of that, and my red face shows my embarrassment at being such a stupid idiot. Letting my anger and dislike get the best of me. I should have taken someone's advice - to let myself get angry and stew. For one day. And then let it go. But I guess that is hard for me and something I need to work on! I can still remember people interpreting my message in the wrong way...and wondering how I could have done it better.
I'm grateful that I can write on my blog, and express myself here when I can't express myself any other way.

And I think to myself, it's a wonderful world.

How many songs titles/lines can you find in this post?

Decorating Project Report

2007-08-17T07:51:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my "designer's challenge" consultant Elissa! She suggested cleaning up/de-cluttering, focusing on the black accent color, adding visual interest for little $ with the shelf, pillows, etc. All of my pictures frames are now black (but different sizes and textures). The shelf was painted black and I used black sheets (very easy - probably cheaper than black fabric and no hemming required!) to cover odd colored furniture. Thank you Elissa, not only for your expertise & imagination, but for your contributions to the look.
Here are the pix:

This first one is the view when you walk in the front door. I painted the shelf on the wall black. It has a history - Laura & I had it in our room growing up when it was not painted and it hung 90 degrees to the right (I think). I put one of my IKEA lamps on a stool behind the sewing machine cabinet, covered with a black sheet. I will eventually put more pictures on this wall.

The second picture is if you come in the front door and look right. I put larger IKEA lamp in the corner. I got two concrete blocks and put under the long shelf that is under the window. Then I covered that shelf with a black sheet. Note the new pillow look (new round black satiny pillow and new green fluffy square pillow, plus the odd number of pillows).

The third picture (looking towards the window) shows the shelt and the coffee table-scape.

The last photo is my new & improved guest room. Mom gave me the double mattress set to replace the old twin I had. I got a new comforter set from Walmart.com and used the site-to-store option (delivered to WM in Searcy - no shipping charge!). I haven't put the bedskirt on yet but it is the khaki color with a green grosgrain ribbon trim. The comforter is a paisley with khaki, green, and blue. I still have to get more pillows so I can put the shams on!

Hot Hot Hot

2007-08-11T16:35:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh, August has arrived with all of the heat and humidity that usually accompanies such a distinguished month. Let's see, August is first day of school, hot days and nights, Laura & John's anniversary (Aug. 14 - #14), Laura's birthday (Aug. 27). It was also Pa-Pa Moss' birthday (Aug. 25) and Dad's birthday (Aug. 31). This time 14 years ago, we were hot on the trail of the perfect wedding (would we have gladiolis? would it be extremely hot (yes!)?). I can still remember how incredibly handsome Dad looked in his tux. I had never seen him in a tux before and thought he looked pretty distinguished.

I turned on the radio and heard Roxette's "Joy Ride." Anyone remember that one? It was the single cassette that I played in my blue '90 Ford Escort as I cruised around the big city of Ashdown when I started driving.

And for this week's medical update, no bladder infection!!!!!!!!! YEAH. The bad news? I have another kind of infection. But I think the antibiotics are really working this time and I'll be infection-free soon! I sure hope so anyway. I'm already feeling better and perkier.

Ellen Daniel and I decided that we needed to help people feel more welcome at church, so we committed to inviting new people over for lunch. Tomorrow is our first "welcome lunch" and we're excited! We got together today and got some things ready. I made a blackberry cobbler tonight - I think I had too many blackberries or too much liquid. The pan is really full (and I made the mistake of using a disposable pan!) and some of the liquid spilled out into my oven. Oh well. I'm sure it will still TASTE good.

The AWH Retreat at Eden Isle was great and I learned a lot. I got some good fundraising ideas, not only for AWH but also for Extension Homemakers. And, I got to know some people better and meet other neat people. It's really interesting to hear some of the more "mature" ladies talk about their lives. The restaurant at the Red Apple Inn was very good too - the food and the view!

I really need to clean house since Supper Club is here Thursday night, but I have not gotten motivated very much today. I did hang a new wall hanging up (got it last week-end at B. Jaxx). But now, I need to straighten, dust, clean my room & bathroom. I have one more decorating project to do also - clean up a dirty shelf and paint it! Elissa will be so proud when I post pictures of the projects she suggested. So, how do you get motivated - to clean, to exercise, to plan menus?

So instead of cleaning, I've read some this week-end. I checked out a few books from the library yesterday. I had read "White Chocolate Moments" by Lori Wick before, but wanted to read it again. The title caught my eye first, but the book was a good read. I finally got to read the sequel to Karen Kingsbury's "Even Now." The sequel is "Ever After." It was really good - but a real tearjerker. I have a hard time understanding when people cry all the time at meetings or church or whatever. I guess it's just that I hate crying in front of people (trust me, it's not a pretty sight!) but apparently, I can cry at home by myself. I had to stop reading and blow my red nose today. The big lump in my throat was killing me. But back to the book - it was a wonderful story of love, loss, and patriotism with some good insights into the war in Iraq. I also checked out "Dealbreakers" but just skimmed through it. It was some psychoanalyst's idea of relationships and the dealbreakers that can make or break a relationship. I could figure that one out all by my single self.

Amy - I'm glad you are feeling better!!!! Hope that trend continues instead of the whole being-sick-the-entire-pregnancy-thing. Thanks for your kind words. You are probably the friend I've had the longest - well, except for Laura! But there were times when she was all mean and devious (though hardly anyone believes that!) and you were nice and sweet (still are).

Elissa - hope you have a great week. Don't forget to let me know if y'all need help moving things around one week-end. Tell your family Hi. Thanks for the help, the advice, your friendship! I treasure it. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have you as a friend. I'd sure be a lonely single and wouldn't have traveled as much! Take care and keep me posted. I figured since you couldn't email, and texting takes a while, that you'd eventually read my post!

Mom - glad you can now comment on our posts. Hope you had a great time with the munchkins while L&J were in Dallas.

Raindrops

2007-08-06T17:39:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered why your mind will latch onto something and won't let go? Especially when it bugs you, like when you can't get "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" out of your mind. Or when you just can't remember that name no matter how hard you try. Or maybe it's when you hear something that, while not surprising, still manages to make you feel somewhat sad.

That's where I've been lately. I'm so impatient - and probably envious. Why are all my old boyfriends getting married and having kids? Why does it hurt to know that they have moved on and I'm still sitting here waiting for Mr. Right (not Mr. HurryUpIWanttoGetMarried, not Mr. Jerk, not Mr. TalkUpaStormAboutMe, not Mr. Psychobabbler, not Mr. Sloppy, not Mr. SillyKid, not Mr. GrowUp)? Why do I keep thinking of memories made that are meaningless now? And why am I always hearing stuff like, "I'm so old!" (and the person is younger than me), or "she waited so long for him" (and again, she's younger than me). I'm starting to second-guess my own decisions - where they the right ones?

The other thing I keep thinking - am I ever going to feel better and energetic? Is this medicine going to clear up the infection this time?

But even with my brain on overload at times, and dead at other times, I had a great week-end. I took off Thursday afternoon a little early, and Friday. I got my walking in Thursday night and Friday morning before heading to Mom's. I met Mom and Patti at Olive Garden in Texarkana for lunch (Mom's favorite place). We did a little shopping (a decorative accent and tennis shoes for me) before heading home. I made them risotto for dinner - and Mom fixed a yummy salad. Saturday, we all headed to Hot Springs. We met Laura for lunch at the San Francisco Bread Company, browsed at Good Earth, and then drove downtown for baths/massages! Laura just got a pedicure, but Mom, Patti, and I had the full treatment! ahhhhhhhh, I was warm!!! oh so warm and it was so nice. I almost went to sleep. By the time we were done, it was time to hit....Starbucks. We all got cold drinks and sat outside and talked.....and talked. Laura is so much like Mom sometimes. Of course, she is her mother's daughter! But it's so funny to see them together because they are just so similar. Makes me wonder if anyone ever thinks that about me. I know I've always heard that I was a lot like Dad. Anyway, we sat there talking long enough to think about eating dinner......so we headed to On the Border. No mango margaritas. I even tried the healthy option - soft chicken tacos. They were pretty good. Mom, Patti, and I drove home (I napped some - Patti drove!) through Prescott and visited with Uncle David, Aunt Jackie, and Alice Marie. It was a fun, relaxing way to celebrate Mom's birthday!

I got to catch up with Amy Silva at church on Sunday. She wasn't feeling too hot but we had a nice chat. She has a blog too so maybe we can stay updated that way too. Amy was always a good friend - from sharing fun times at Mrs. Ora Lee's house to driving me to/from school and lunch before I could drive in high school! And all those youth activities in between and the fun we had our last New Year's in Ashdown. Amy - hope you are feeling better. You are so beautiful - inside and out!

2007-08-01T18:48:00.000-07:00

I was trying to come up with a catchy post....but since my mind is apparently a minefield for nothing right now, this will have to do since I haven't updated this week!

Accomplishments:

Went to Lowe's and Wal-Mart on a Saturday afternoon and got home in about an hour. I had my list and stuck to it. I mostly got "home" stuff for my decorating projects.
Emailed people I've been meaning to email (and if you haven't gotten one, well, sorry).
Got my checkbook up to date. Paid bills. Watched the flow go in, and then right back out.
Cleaned out most of the work stuff in my vehicle. Now, I only have my SW workout bag, SW class stuff, and lots of OrganWise Guys stuff.
Putting together a bag of stuff to take to Mom's. Including home ideas for her new remodeling project, risotto stuff, pictures/frames.
Went walking, even when I didn't feel like it. Even tried out a new workout DVD (core conditioning with the bellytwins).
Made a good veggie dip/thick soup dish. Not quite as good as Mississippi Caviar but tasty nonetheless. And full of veggies.
Down to one cup of coffee a day. As I told someone else today, I'm a water and cranberry juice girl now.
Can now belt out Mary Chapin Carpenter's "Almost Home," Norah Jones' "Turn Me On," and Peter, Paul, & Mary's "Leaving on a Jet Plane" (not that anyone would want to listen).
Got to work early.
Kept my plants alive. Even bought a short hose so I could water them easier and more often hopefully.
Have taken all my medicine faithfully. Well, almost anyway.
Got to help get the Fair Tabloid to print, hopefully as error-free as possible. Look for it in your Community Shopper next week.

No, I haven't saved the world, or anything earth shattering. I keep waking up and facing the day. I enjoy life. I look forward to time with family & friends. I wish I were a better person most days. But as Scarlett said, "Tomorrow is another day!"

Risotto, Redecorating, and Real Friends

2007-07-24T13:58:00.000-07:00

Waaaaaaaaaay back in the fall of 1994, on the second floor of Cathcart Hall, a friendship began. Elissa was not on my wing (I was an RA, she was a freshman) but I saw her a lot during room checks. She was really nice to the RAs and since she went home a lot – she let us watch TV in her room! What a treat!! We had master keys, so we made ourselves at home in her room, always making sure we had blankets because she kept her room so COLD. I didn’t really get to know her that well during the year. But at the end of the semester, we knew she’d be coming back as an RA. I met her dad (Mr. George) when he came to get her. Elissa lived about an hour and a half from where my parents lived near Mobile, so during the summer I called her. We got together in Long Beach, MS (where she lives) and had a great time. When we got back to Harding in August 1995, we naturally hung out with all the RAs since no one else was around. And when school started, Elissa & I were still hanging out….and becoming good friends. We were blessed to become such good friends in college and after. Picture - RA Christmas Party 1995. We were RAs in 95-96 in Cathcart with Aunt B, and then in 96-97, Aunt B moved to the New dorm – Searcy Hall and we followed. We were apartment-mates for a semester before she left to go to HUF. Elissa even made it back to Harding for my graduation. Through the years, we’ve kept in touch and traveled together even though we’ve lived hours apart (from 3-8 hours). Our first big trip together was April 2002 – right before I moved to Searcy. We’ve enjoyed our travels together!
April 2002 – Williamsburg, Virginia
April 2003 – Asheville, NC
October 2003 – Hawaii (we got to stay with Aunt B) Picture - at a Luau at the Polynesian Cultural Center
April 2004 – Savannah, Georgia with our moms
March 2005 – short trip to pre-Katrina New Orleans
May/June 2005 – Europe with my Mom
May 2006 – Alaskan cruise
September 2006 – Caribbean cruise
April 2007 – Washington, DC

Elissa arrived in Searcy at 2:00 a.m. Friday morning. What a drive!! We finally went to bed and slept late Friday morning. We messed around, ate breakfast, talked, drank coffee, and finally got dressed. We went to Little Rock to meet Mom, Patti, Laura, and the kids at Macaroni Grill for lunch. It was an enjoyable lunch catching up with each other, playing tic-tac-toe with Emily, watching Ethan, and eating yummy Italian!! Elissa and I went to Walgreens to stock up on poison oak remedies before heading to the nice west LR Kroger. We got Arborio rice among other things. We had to stop at Barnes & Noble – bathroom and coffee break. We were getting tired after the long night and the big pasta lunch! We got back to Searcy as the skies were turning an ominous gray…….and the rain came down just about the time I was going to the store to pick up a items for our risotto. I got wet, and then I couldn’t find dried tomatoes and fresh asparagus. So I improvised…..I just decided to try another recipe with ingredients I could find! We made risotto with blue cheese and bacon – it was delicious!!!!!!!!!!! But it’s not for the impatient or the short-on-time! We even had enough left over for Saturday lunch.

We got up Saturday morning, dressed, and picked blackberries at Anita’s. YUMMY!!! Elissa went to Heart & Soul to shop around while I ran a few errands. We finished off the risotto before heading back to LR, stopped in Jacksonville on the way at Starbucks! We went to Tuesday Morning, Garden Ridge, and some other shops. Elissa was helping me redecorate my living room a bit – just tweaking some. We didn’t buy much but had fun shopping til we dropped. By then, just driving around sounded good since we could just sit…….so we did a little of that and finally went to Murry’s Dinner Playhouse. We got there early and stood in line for a little while. But we got in, found our seats, stood in line some more to get food, and sat down! Ahhhhhh. We had plenty of time for more great conversation before the show began – Steel Magnolias. It was wonderful – funny, touching, sad, yet good. And the exciting thrills of conversation continued on the way home………..didn’t it Elissa?!?!

Sunday, we made it to worship service and then helped with the cradle roll class. Good thing Elissa was there to help corral the kiddos!! After a gas stop and another stop at Walgreen’s, we ate a good lunch at Los Montano (we’d already had enough Italian….). I napped for a while and Elissa took care of Gumbo (the cat got outside to run off the excess energy she’d been using to mess things up in my kitchen!). We got to church early so I could run the powerpoint and Elissa could check out our system for that. Noel had a great lesson on truth & lying. Thought-provoking. We went to Arby’s for a quick bite to eat before heading to the theatre to see “Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix.” It was pretty good, even though I’m not up on Harry Potter! Elissa had to leave Monday morning, but it was a wonderful visit – full of great conversation, laughs, fun, and togethertime.

Simple Pleasures

2007-07-19T07:09:00.000-07:00

In an effort to be a bit more upbeat, here is a list of my simple pleasures. Maybe you'll be reminded of something good.....

colorful sunsets
hugs & kisses from Emily & Ethan
getting cards in the mail, instead of just bills and junk mail
fresh, clean sheets on my bed
a massage
hearing a favorite song on the radio and turning up the volume
ice cream melting on warm blackberry cobbler
the different colors of the world
fresh pineapple
daffodils, daisies, and tulips
someone sending me flowers
trying a new restaurant
Italian food
a good cup of coffee
springtime rain
the first cool days of fall
falling leaves
snow
sunshine
the wind blowing through my hair
anticipation
hanging out with Elissa
hanging out with my sis
going to Mom's for the week-end
cute little pets
Patsy Cline
John Wayne movies
that clean fresh feeling
dressing up for something special
hiking on a mountain
watching the ocean waves
traveling to a new place
driving on a two-lane, exploring, & enjoying the scenery
finding something good at a flea market
a clean house
leaving on a vacation
coming home from a vacation to a nice, clean house
Ella James singing "At Last"
Harding basketball games
Michael Buble & Frank Sinatra serenading on a romantic evening

thoughts, and good thoughts

2007-07-17T12:30:00.000-07:00

I don't know Rachel all that well but boy, she's been on my heart the last few days. I can emphasize with her struggles some but not totally. I had one class with Jeremy - the last class I had at Harding. Some kind of literature class that Larry Long taught the summer of 97. It was a great class, and I only remember Jeremy because he was so nice (I don't remember another single person in the class). Oh yikes - that was 10 YEARS AGO!?!?!! ughhhhhhhhhhh

I've really been struggling with anger issues and I wish I knew why. I wonder if my physical problems (yes, still have a bladder infection and it's worse) have had a part in my emotional struggles. I've just been so down, ready to cry, just wanting to sleep and not do anything. It hurts that he moved on (or was he ever really that into me anyway?!). I keep thinking - why? Why did I find someone I really enjoyed, and he's just not that into me or just not ready for anything besides carefree single living? Why didn't he reply after my last email? I just hate feeling like I'm being ignored (which is how I feel when people don't respond). Am I just going to be single the rest of my life? I feel like I'm losing time here - that old biological clock ticks on and on. And I just date on and on occasionally. It seems like I've been close, but no cigar. I know, it's a learning experience and I've learned a lot. I keep telling myself that, and I believe it. But the reality is sometimes harder to live with. I get tired of thinking about it. But I can't seem to make my mind stop. My job is fun, but some days it's a struggle to actually go to work and stay there.

Oh well, enough complaining for now. I'm starting to buy myself. But I think I know now why he "hates dating." For those of you out there that are married, count your blessings while you pick up his dirty underwear!!! :-) Yeah, that's for you Lizzie. :-) For others, I'd say something like: count your blessings when he doesn't "see" those dirty dishes, when the kids walk in on you, when he says something that just sets you off, when he sings off key, when he puts his dirty clothes on the floor RIGHT NEXT to the hamper, when he leaves the toilet seat up, when he asks something like "why don't you pick up around the house more?" Brag about your spouse instead of complaining about him (at least some of the time!). Tell your friends what they mean to you. Reach out to someone. Let someone know you're thinking of them - even with just a card, a phone call, an email. I'm speaking to myself too so here goes with one anyway!!

Laura - I'm so glad you're my sister. From the days of being my "nurse" to playing with makeup (yes, I still remember how awful you made me look), from playing on the playground to playing the piano. Those days of playing school and chalkboard art, Sunday afternoons (cleaning the kitchen, playing "museum"). I always really enjoyed listening to you play the piano - Moonlight Sonata was my favorite. I always looked up to you, even when I outgrew you (he he). You may have been mean or mischieveous sometimes, but I guess I didn't care that much. When you went to college, I missed you oh so much (missed you driving me around too!). I was happy when you met John, and glad/relieved when you finally got engaged. I was thrilled to be your maid of honor, even if I didn't really like the dress all that much. You've always been my sister and best friend all rolled into one. You remind me so much of Mom most of the time, but I can still see Dad, and even Grandma Moss in you. You're a good mother to those cute little munchkins. You're a better cook than me. And you're so cute - social, talkative, warm, friendly, sweet. Even when you make me mad (like when you interrupt me), I'm still thankful to have you to talk to and hang out with. I miss you A LOT but I'm thankful we had about 4 years of living in the same town (as adults) - that was just way too much fun!!!

2007-07-12T06:41:00.000-07:00

I don't have much to write this week. It has been a quiet week. My new Strong Women classes are going well. And my 5 o'clock class at WCMC has changed a bit - we're doing some other videos. On Monday, we did a Leslie Sansome (sp?) walking video. Yesterday, we branched out and tried a new-to-everyone belly dancing workout video. It was pretty fun. I even got out and walked some last night - not too far and not too fast, but it was nice.

So I have to admit that I sound more positive on here than I've really been. The days have been really long, especially after work. I watch the clock to see if it's time to ready for bed yet. Funny: last night, I was getting ready for bed, in my pjs, when I hear a knock on the door. I couldn't imagine who it could be! It was Staci, delivering some Arbonne!! Thanks Staci. Anyway, at least Elissa is coming and giving me something to look forward to. But I know I'll be pretty busy this fall with work, so I guess I should just enjoy the slow and quiet right now!

Well, hope you have a good week-end!

Saturday musings

2007-07-07T19:50:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the notes in the mail Mom. I appreciated your thoughts, hearing what you thought, and the reassurances that I’m not alone, or as weird as I think I am sometimes. By the way, I even cleaned some baseboards and dusted today. But just in one room - I didn't let myself get TOO bored.

So, I’ve been on Facebook – obviously Scott hasn’t because he’s still listed as “in a relationship.” I keep wanting to make things for him – who can I cook for this week instead?! I can’t decide what to do about dominoes either. I kind of wanted to make a cobbler or blackberry yummies for them (since I didn’t get to pick last week and take something), but at this point, I doubt I’ll go. I think it would just be too awkward right now. Although I’ll miss seeing Jim, Kathy, Jennifer, and Bill. And Scott.

He asked me several times (when we were dating) if I was used to dating yet or if it still seemed weird. I guess it was easy for me to think of him and make him a part of my life. I was thinking today things like: I could go vacuum his boat out while he’s gone, would he like blackberry yummies (a cake with blackberries), I’ve been wanting to check out Village Creek State Park and we could rent bikes, maybe we could go to Quitman (to the little antique place) and then on to Woolly Hollow State Park or the elephant sanctuary (only on the first week-end of the month though), we still haven’t made risotto, I even picked up his habit of saying, “yeahhh,” etc. Yikes.

Then I wonder: Did I really try hard enough? Was he honest when he said he just wasn’t interested in dating or was he just saying he wasn’t interested in me? Was it just an excuse? I know I wasn’t always myself, except maybe after we broke up. At least, then I knew where I stood! I think that was really the first time that I knew where I stood with him. Although I thought it was a big deal when he finally kissed me (after like 3 months – did I have some disease or something?), and when he put “in a relationship” on Facebook (or did he do that just because I got on Facebook?). It was weird though – he wasn’t shy about telling me about his needs and love language, but when I told him mine – he ran (or swam) the other way. Hmm. Maybe it’s just the mysteries of man. I guess overall, I’ve learned a lot about myself. I think I’m a better person for having known Scott and that is good. I can’t say that about some other guys I’ve dated. Jess asked an interesting question - why did he never see us together at church? I'm not sure. We never drove to church together, and I usually didn't see him. Or I might have gone over. Maybe it was another way to be independent. Or maybe I didn't want to be that visible together at church because of the situation with the guy before Scott. I don't know - but it was an interesting question - one I had thought about before. I've always enjoyed going to church with guys I've dated. I knew Scott went to a different class than I did. If he'd asked me, I would have gone with him, but I'm not sure he wanted me there! It would have seemed like we were really dating.

So here I am again. Single. Old Maid. Content. Challenged. A little down. Honest. Searching. Wondering. I bet my brother-in-law is wondering, “so when are you going to start on the next ex-boyfriend?” :-) John is such a optimist.

Good night.

hey hey

2007-07-06T07:44:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I figured you smart bloggers would figure it out. I just didn't feel like writing much more yesterday, so thought I'd just start with that.

I have to say, I've actually gotten bored the last few days. Now, my laundry is totally done, my ironing is done, my house is fairly clean (although I haven't been bored enough to clean the baseboards and dust again), I've picked things up every day. I've read every magazine I have. I had planned to visit Village Creek State Park next Saturday with someone, but since that's out...I was thinking of doing that tomorrow. But it's not fun by myself. I need to find some single friends around here. My best bud Elissa is coming up in a few weeks!!!! AND, she's bringing me a "try-out" cat, Gumbo. If we don't suit, Gumbo will go home with her again. I'm hoping Gumbo & I will suit though - apparently, she's verbal (she likes to be talked to, which would be good practice for me!). If she's affectionate too, then we're all set. And I think that could make me wear my blue tshirt proudly (it says: Tell me again why is it I need a boyfriend?). :-) Here's a picture of Elissa and me in DC - note the beautiful cherry blossoms.

So what happened? in a nutshell - not much. Scott said he just wasn't interested in dating, which I had figured out. When he couldn't tell me why he was dating me, when he stopped calling, when all he emailed were his needs/obstacles, when he didn't ask me to the lake, when he didn't stick around, when he acted like he didn't want to be with me alone...yeah I get the picture. And honestly, though I feel like a loser sometimes, it was probably for the best. We didn't really have that much in common. He's still not sure what he wants to do with his life (me neither) but it almost certainly includes living in Australia, he's way more outgoing & friendly than me (which explains why he's so busy with all his friends and had so little time for me), he hates dating (because he might have to break up with someone!). Now me, I tend to be a bit more optimistic. I look at each one with bright eyes wondering if they will be the one to catch this great fish. :-) They will fall hook, line, and sinker. But, usually, I just swim away. This time, he was just a faster swimmer than me. hahaha. I'm trying to be humorous and upbeat - if you couldn't tell. But I can appreciate the good things - I think I am a better person for having known him. He taught me a lot - to try to more spontaneous, more adventurous, less fearful, more kind, to try new things and ideas, get a different perspective, enjoy the water and the wind in my face, to love quiet sunsets and to marvel at the colors God created. I don't think he got as much from me, but hopefully I gave him some things to think about anyway.

By the way, the title of this post is the line after "another one bites the dust - hey hey, another one bites the dust - heeeeayahayheayheyay." :-) Y'all have a good week-end.

Another one bites the dust......

2007-07-05T08:31:00.000-07:00

....as Queen would say. That song has been playing in my head the last few days. Can you guess why?

Random Thoughts (catchy title I'm stealing.....)

2007-06-25T11:39:00.000-07:00

Well, I don't have any earth-shattering stuff to talk about this week. I have to admit, I'm not used to taking so much medicine. But if it helps me to feel better, I'm all for it. I just wish it would hurry up and work.....

We always have interesting conversations at Supper Club and Thursday night was no exception. Yeah, we talked bladder infections. And wouldn't you know, that is what was making me feel so bad! I went to the eye doctor Friday morning because I was seeing "flashes" of light in my right eye. Nothing wrong with my eye, but he suggested I talk to my doctor about migraines. Well, since I was going to the doctor (PA actually) anyway that afternoon....so now I have antibiotics for the infection (# way-too-many), old people medicine (anti inflammatory) for the headaches, and Imitrex (or something like that for migraines), plus the allergy medicine from last month. So after getting my prescriptions filled, I headed up to Petit Jean for a family week-end. I think it was the first time I had been to PJ and NOT hiked. The rest of the fam hiked but I just did not feel like it. I really didn't do much besides rest. We did go to the pool, but I just sat in the sun (with sunscreen on) and watched the kiddos. I came home Sunday (via Target in Conway), napped (missed church), and was ready to go to bed at 7pm. But I stayed up, and then couldn't go to sleep......oh well. I went home at lunch today, and managed a little nap.

By the way, a big thanks to Kami and Lara for a wonderful Supper Club!!! I wish I had felt better and could have enjoyed it more. They fixed such yummies - grilled chicken, grilled pineapple, grilled corn on the cob, rice, spinach salad, rolls. And a really yummy dessert - strawberry shortcake like the Bulldog. I think some of it was healthy......Lara?!?!?!

In other news, I felt like such a disappointment at Supper Club when I was asked about Scott. I hesitated, and heard a collective "awww Katie! not again...." But I told them it wasn't ALL me - I just mentioned the Australia thing. I haven't seen Scott since last Tuesday. We've text messaged a little, and emailed today. At this point, I don't have high hopes for anything more with him.

And, I'm getting out of the movie recommendation business. If someone doesn't like a movie I recommend, that is fine with me. I never recommend something that I think they'll hate. On the contrary, I only try to recommend things that I think they will enjoy. But when people are a bit rude and judgemental when telling me they didn't like a movie I recommended, well. And to add to my soap box today, God gave us TWO ears and ONE mouth for a reason. I think we'd all be better off if we tried to really listen instead of talking so much, instead of interrupting with 20 questions. Now that's off my chest for the time being.........

Thinking in circles.....I'm getting dizzy!

2007-06-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

A big thanks to my sweet friend Nancy this week. I haven't seen Nancy in years - probably the last time was at Spring Sing of my Junior year at Harding (1996) but we've kept in touch some by email. I shared my blog with her and she has emailed me back. Thanks Nancy for giving me pointers, your opinion, and your support. I can't tell you what that means to me. I'm planning on trying out some of your topics tonight. I think we'll have time in the car on the way to the lake - haven't really been alone much to ask much this week. But then, I guess we don't have to be alone - I guess I just feel more comfortable one-on-one.

Do you ever have days when you think you're just such a loser? When you feel like you don't do anything right? When you just want to cry? I'm sure you do - I know I do. I was so down last Wednesday and I wrote my Mom. I kept telling her that I was asking her opinion, to go ahead and tell me what she thought. So when she called me Saturday afternoon - to answer a few questions she said - I was like, good. The timing was not great, but oh well. But she only answered the 2 "light" questions I had (anyone need a twin frame and mattress set?!?!). Didn't mention everything I was struggling with. But she did email me and said she was writing me so at least I know she heard me. I also wonder - how did I get this way? Surely I wasn't always this difficult!!! Is it just my selfishness? Being alone so much, so long? Not knowing basic personal/communication skills (that has been suggested by others)? I know I'm not anywhere near perfect, but I guess when the truth glares at you it is hard to ignore.

I know I've mentioned this before, but I'm not a good talker. Oh, if you get me going I can talk. My best friend Elissa is probably best at reading me - she knows sometimes what I'm going to do, months or weeks before I do! She also takes the time to get me talking - not an easy feat sometimes - and really listens. Maybe it's just that I'm lazy sometimes, maybe because I don't want to "ramble on and on," maybe I just need encouragement and a listening ear. When I get tired or stressed, it's worse. I'm probably not as honest in communicating either - my first reaction to "how are you?" fine - even when I'm not. To "what's wrong?" - nothing. Why am I so fearful about what I say? Why do I not open up easily? I hate being the center of attention, but then I do want to say things that I don't say. Why do I worry so much (that must be an inherited trait from my Grandma Moss!!!)? Stuff like: getting my masters (should have gotten it already), retirement (am I putting enough back? - probably not), am I doing a good job?, am I being a good daughter, sister, friend? Would I be a good wife even though I know it would be huge adjustment but worth it? or would I be better off single? I know, you have worries too - about spouses, about raising good christian kids, making the right decisions, jobs, retirement, thinking about things you may encounter in the future, etc.

So, this post may not make much sense. My mind runs in so many circles these days that it's hard for me to make sense of it sometimes! Scott is different from the other guys I've dated. Most of them I got to know through email first (yes, most of them I met online!). And since it's easier to "talk" on email, that may have made a difference. By the time I actually met them, I already knew a lot about them and felt like I'd known them awhile. With Scott, we started from scratch - the old fashioned way! With some of the guys I've dated, they were always eager to spend time with me and I didn't wonder what they thought about me. I have no idea what Scott thinks about me. I said I was just taking this as it comes, being patient. I didn't want to be high maintenance or bug him all the time, so I pretty much let him lead. I figured if he wanted to see me, he would call or email. And he did (not as often as I was used to!). But I think I just wondered what was going on for so long, that I'm still wondering if he's happy dating me, if I'm boring (even I think that a lot, and I get so frustrated!), if I'm adventurous enough, pretty enough, deep enough. I think he smells good - but I haven't ever told him that even though I've thought it. But I guess that does sound rather trivial. Let's see - I liked what Lara wrote - he just seems like a very kind person - and he is. He's very thoughtful of other people - waiters and car hops and friends. He has probably made me think more, get out of my comfort zone more, and learn more than anyone else I've dated. I've been way more adventurous (or maybe just less fearful - or maybe just trying something new because he wanted me to try it). There are times when I'm not just all that excited about going to the lake, but I'm always glad I did. I guess I've thought, well, I may not get to see him otherwise. He even told me his "love language" several weeks ago, so I've tried to be more "gifty" - I've enjoyed that process for the most part. But I fear my artistry is not that good - but I hope that he least could tell that the picture on the card was supposed to be his boat at sunset. But since he mentioned the 5 love languages, that got me to thinking about mine. I didn't even know what mine was (you would have thought I'd have figured that out earlier this year when I was reading every book I could). I thought I could narrow it down to 2. So I went to Hastings with a piece of paper and a pencil (I couldn't find the book at the library). I went through the profile at the back of the 5 Love Languages. But that wasn't much help since it was for husbands and wives (it kept saying your husband this, your husband that, and I can't imagine that!). But there was another love language book - the 5 Love Languages for Singles (which I had read once). So I tried that one out and felt much more comfortable - and got a better idea too. My primary language appears to be "quality time." And second is "physical touch." I probably smothered my parents with hugs and kisses growing up, but after you get away from harding huggers, it's hard and I really missed that. I think I crave that - I love shoulder and back rubs, holding hands, tickling. But when I get out of the habit, it's harder to just reach out and touch someone. But I like quality time - I can be happy just spending alone time with someone, sitting on the couch, driving around, whatever. But then I start getting nervous about not talking enough. It's a cycle I tell you. I could just sit with Dad and be perfectly happy. We didn't have to talk too much - although when we did share good conversation, it was great. I could just sit there and he was so patient to wait and see what I'd talk about.

Well, I guess that's enough rambling for now. Please don't think that I'm all weird or unhappy. I struggle. I wonder. I have no idea where I'm going most of the time. But I know I'm lucky to have great friends, wonderful family, a good job, fun times traveling, but most of all, I have Hope in Him. Take care and have a blessed day.

I love the lake!

2007-06-11T12:00:00.001-07:00

I've never really been a big water person. I probably won't ever be - but that doesn't mean that I can't have fun. I'm not just real adventurous either but I've getting out of my comfort zone a little more. But I'm still having trouble with talking................. Maybe I need to think more or something. I think Scott had something to tell me on Saturday - but he didn't. He doesn't like "controversary" he says, so I'm assuming that whatever it was, it was something he had on his mind that wasn't warm & fuzzy. But he never told me what it was! I think I'm at that point now where I start thinking "maybe I'm not really what he wants/needs." Yes, I've done this before - maybe then it was just an excuse that I could use to break up. I don't know.

Anyway, here are some pix from the lake this week-end.

the Ladies & Dinner

2007-06-08T13:10:00.000-07:00

I got to go to Hot Springs with 5 of my Extension Homemaker ladies - Tuesday-Thursday. We attended the Arkansas Extension Homemakers Council annual state meeting and stayed at the Embassy Suites (sweet!). I took advantage of their Spa Botanica.....and the massage was wonderful - wish I could have another one right about now! LaVerne, Shirley, Joyce, Pete, and Mary Ellen kept me hopping, entertained, up too late, and up way too early!!! But they were lots of fun too and even helped me plan a romantic dinner with Scott (if adding candles makes it romantic....). Pete insisted on the candles, mentioned it several times, so I had to use candles. And since I was using candles, I thought that I might as well use the china too. So after discussing what veggies to fix for dinner (Scott had mentioned that he needed more veggies), and after I dropped them off, I headed to Kroger. I even impressed myself with how well the black eyed peas turned out (must have been the bacon they said I just had to use). We had black eyed peas, corn on the cob (fresh - I even shucked them), cooked baby carrots, broccoli cole slaw (Mary Ellen recommended cole slaw, but I wanted something with more color), and fresh-homemade-from-scratch-in-Grandmother's-iron-skillet-cornbread. I wish I had taken a picture!

After dinner, Scott got out the old cappucino maker (probably 15 years old - hasn't been used in years!) and fired it up. He called Jason & Penny McGlawn, friends of his, and they came over. We all had cappucino and ice cream (Yarnell's Anniversary Cake - yummy!) and had a nice time visiting.

June has arrived!

2007-06-04T13:51:00.000-07:00

Well, so far, June has been pretty good! Let's see - Friday was good because I left work early!! I went home and messed around. Invited Scott to dinner and had absolutely NO idea what to fix. I browsed through my trusty cookbooks, I tried to think really hard, I thought of things I had made before, but I was getting nowhere. So I decided that a trip to Kroger might help clear my mind and stir my creative juices. You know, when you go to a grocery store just to browse, you find interesting things.....but nothing was "coming to me." Until the phone rang.......

Scott was setting up the sound for a wedding on the front lawn, for the wedding in Cone Chapel, and for the dinner in the Founders Room. He called to see what I was doing (meandering around the Kroger store) and he mentioned that a cherry limeade would be really nice......so I said, "AHA!" Something to do - to put off making a dinner decision!!! So I hopped in my trusty blue vehicle and sped to Sonic. Then I went over to campus, parked, and walked around the Front Lawn looking for Scott (oh there he is - going the opposite direction on the opposite side of the Lawn......why DO they have those silly fences in the way?!?!). I strolled over to the Heritage and waited for him. We sipped our limeades and watched the goings-on, talked weddings (just in general!!), chatted with people, etc. He checked on the Cone Chapel & Founders Room before we decided to use my wonderful Gift Card from Doc's to eat! ahhhh. He went back to take care of the sound stuff, while I went home to change the shoes that were rubbing blisters on my feet! I headed over to his temp place (the Cronk's house) and we watched "Finding Neverland" - an interesting, yet somewhat sad movie. After the movie, we walked the dog (she snored during the movie!).

Saturday, we went to the lake with Lora & Lydia Fleener. I was a little uneasy about actually putting my swimsuit on and wearing it, but it was okay. I haven't worn in since I went to Hawaii in October 2003 (I think!). We played in the water, even though the weather was not that great, and we ate our picnic dinner. For you lake people, if you haven't found the Jitterbug coffee house yet, it's on Main Street in Heber. We were a bit chilled, so we stopped and enjoyed a cup of joe before heading back to Searcy. When we got back to Searcy, we went by the Johnstons to hear all about the Hurd-Sides wedding (one of the 3 weddings on Saturday). Jim had officiated, so we got to hear the good stuff.

On Sunday, we had talked about going back to the lake. But to be honest, I wasn't all that excited. I'm really not sure why..... I think I had to take things slowly and get used to things? I don't know. But anyway, when Scott called I was getting my things together and I'm so glad I went! Jennifer Hurd, her friend Karen, and Bill Spears went with us and we had a blast!!! Karen & Jennifer got on the tube and Scott pulled them around. I thought, "if they can do, I can do it!" So I did!!! And it was loads of fun. I was a bit nervous but Scott is a good captain. :-) And then, he got on the tube and I got to drive!! That was pretty fun too. We made it back to Jennifer's, loaded up her leftover BBQ and wedding cake, and went to the Johnstons for our Sunday evening ritual - eating and playing dominoes! Scott won last night, but I came in second - and even went out once! Wow.

It was an enjoyable week-end. I seem to stress about little things sometimes or worry about them. But whenever I get past myself, and my worries, I seem to have fun and I'm always glad!!!

Last of May

2007-05-31T07:09:00.000-07:00

May is almost over - what a month! So, what's been happening with everyone? I hope you had a great Memorial Day holiday. Mine was pretty quiet for the most part, but that was okay with me! I still wasn't feeling that great, so I took it easy between projects around the house! My goal was to clean house and clean out the guest room so that I could put the double bed that Mom gave me in there (to replace the twin bed). I pretty much got all of that done by Sunday night. So Monday morning, my goals were to: walk and dust the house. Mission accomplished before lunch! Scott came over after lunch and helped me move the beds around in the guest room. We hung out for a while before walking around the neighborhood (Scott got to meet the Noah Family). Then we walked to Sonic and got limeades! We cooled off some before going over to the Johnstons for dinner (yummy steak, chicken, corn on the cob - delish, baked potatoes, grilled veggies, smores, and ice cream). We even played dominoes and I did NOT come in last!! I actually came in second or third - must have been a record!!!

I really enjoyed the "sub" preachers on Sunday. Donny Lee in the morning, and Paul Pollard in the evening. Since I was running the powerpoints Sunday night, Paul came back with his slides and notes. It was really easy to follow him - and I think I got so much more out of the lesson because I had his notes and really had to follow closely. I hope I get to hear him again soon. The powerpoint-running went well - and Jack Ryan came back as soon as church was over to tell me that I had done a good job with the songs! I appreciated that.

In other news, I found a yummy recipe for Dark Chocolate Mini Muffins and got the recipe analyzed for nutrition information. They are yummy - and not bad for you!!! I also tried making some fat-free cookies - they are edible and okay if you're not too picky about texture.

More in May

2007-05-24T13:42:00.000-07:00

I took this of Scott on Monday evening at the lake. We went a different route and experienced another first - a bit of rain! But we did not melt. It is so relaxing being out on the lake.....

I made chicken & dumplings (too much chicken, not enough dumplings!) using Grandmother's recipe on Tuesday evening. Scott left early Wednesday morning to head to Portland & Seattle and will return Sunday night. So it will be a quiet few days here without Scott.

I don't really feel like adding much today - it's official that I have allergies! I got 3 different medicines and I'm exhausted. And since I don't talk or write well when I'm tired....this will have to do. Just wanted to share my newest pic of Scott - I actually remembered to take my camera Monday night!

Colors

2007-05-15T08:42:00.000-07:00

Most of the time, we see things in black & white, or maybe shades of gray (see Laura & Lara's blogs about church!). And there are other colors in our world - the sky is blue, the grass is green, dirt is brown. But there are so many colors in our world!! The sky can really be blue, white, gray, purple, pink, orange, red, yellow, and many shades and combinations of colors. The grass can be green, brown, or a mix. Trees - do you know how many different shades of green there are?! And what about the water? On the lake last night with Scott, I thoroughly enjoyed soaking up the colors of the world last night. The trees were majestic and colorful - even though they were all basically the same colors (brown & green). The sky was lit up with all the shades of the setting sun - from a beautiful purple-ish color to the deepening blue as the sun went down. The deep blue of the sky was soon joined by the many twinkling stars. The lake was every color around it - blue, green, yellow, orange, purple, blue, brown, red. One of the stars was really bright (oh wait - that was the navigation light!). The wind blew softly through the trees, on the water, through my shorter hair. It felt cool - which was the reason I had a blanket! But it felt almost like a brush of God's hand - light, airy, saying, "I am here." The beauty of the evening was breathtaking.

So here's my next situation for you. I'm not known as a big talker (most of the time!). Sometimes, it's really hard for me to open up and say what it on my mind. And then, when I do open my mouth, it is usually at the wrong time, saying the wrong thing! ARGH!!! So I think a lot of things that I don't say. And I have this list of questions - but I can never think of any when I'm actually in Scott's presence (he must short circuit my brain). Or, if I do, I think, "oh that sounds so silly." So, what can I do about this? I know we need to talk about stuff instead of just starring into each other's eyes - however fun that can be. If you have suggestions, please post a comment (that's a good way to get some comments to check & see if you actually read - and I need the help!!!).

Additional information updated 5-17:
Okay, so I left out part of the fun from Monday night! And since Scott asked what Mom and Laura said about it...I'll tell the "rest of the story" as Paul Harvey would say!
We took a picnic to the lake on Monday night! I had food left from the week-end, so we made wraps at my house and took chips, cookies (Sexton Foods has really good cookies!!!!), baby carrots. Simple but good. Anyway, we went out on the lake, cruised a bit before finding a nice shady spot and anchoring. Yeah, we sat around and talked and cuddled. He had his ipod playing on the radio and we listened to Michael Buble and ol' blue eyes (Frank Sinatra). And we danced under the stars. We moved the boat to catch the last of the sunset (beautiful!) and then watched the stars come out. And out. We stayed on the lake until about 10pm before finally moving - we hated to leave since we were having such fun! So there you have it - Scott will want to know what you think about the dancing under the stars.....

Tuesday night, we went to.....the airport and picked up his Dad. We did have a nice chat on the way - I found out that he would like to go back to Australia and live. We ended up at IHOP for a late snack. Wednesday, we went back to the lake so his Dad could experience "captain Scott" and the boat! We cruised and I got to drive (is that the right term or not?!?!) for a long time. We made it to a nice spot to watch the sunset before heading back. We dropped off Reet Cronk (she went with us too) and then went to find something to eat (it was 9:30 by then - luckily, I'd snacked!). We ended up at Chili's because all the other places that were open were filled with kids from the track meet.

Progress

2007-05-11T07:37:00.000-07:00

You know, dating can be fun. It can be frustrating and stressful, happy and thrilling, peaceful and relaxing. Scott and I met (thank you Liz!) on Feb. 8 for coffee. You remember the tortoise and the hare story? Well, if the last ex-boyfriend was the hare, then this one is definitely the tortoise. But you know, I kind of like that. And I really have worked at being patient, relaxed, and just seeing where this one takes me. I feel that I've grown and will continue to grow. The patience is paying off, finally. He was just so cute last night. And I think he'll help me come out of my shell and try some new things (although I'm not too sure about tubing on the lake!) and new ways of thinking. So, thank you Scott.

2007-05-09T11:11:00.000-07:00

Last week was fun! We went to the lake twice and then I cooked dinner Thursday (chicken pot pie, salad) and Friday (chicken marco polo, salad, green beans). Friday night, we rented "The Pink Panther" and went to DQ for Blizzards! Yummmmmmmmm (and I only ate half of mine!). Both evenings were fun and enjoyable - although we stayed up too late Friday night talking.

Saturday was 4-H Agri-Skills day, so I worked, then headed up to Petit Jean. I met Mom and Patti at Tanyard Springs and we grilled hamburgers for dinner. I hung out on the porch swing and hammock, while Mom and Patti walked around. We had a great time chatting. Sunday, we went to church at PJ (all 16 of us!), then had lunch at the Lodge. I came on home after a walk down to the lake and picture taking. I ran the powerpoints at church Sunday night - my first time! It was a bit stressful at times, so please be nice when you notice a mistake with the powerpoint running!!! I shopped for food and stuff at wally world before playing dominoes with the gang, and you got it - it was late!

This week, the AWH Garden Party got cancelled on Monday night due to storms :-( so I cooked one of the dinners I had actually planned and shopped for this week (spaghetti, salad, bread). Mom had come for the Party and we invited Scott over too since we figured he wouldn't make it to the lake. We had a great dinner together and after dinner & dessert (ice cream and cookies), we sat in the living room and talked late. Again. On Tuesday, Mom had a doctor's appointment (she was fine - no injection needed!) and I was in training in LR. I had texted Scott but had not received a reply, so I was sitting in my chair, catching up on my magazine reading, when he knocked on the door. He, Paula, and Beverly were headed to the lake and invited me. Boy, was that fun! Those two are hilarious!!!!! What great conversation - and I didn't have to say much which was good - because the late nights were catching up!

Happy May, Juice

2007-05-02T10:37:00.000-07:00

Happy May! It's hard to believe how much time flies when you are having fun. But it flies when you're not having fun too! I will definitely miss Grandmother, but she's so much better off than us now! I'll miss going by to see her, eating lunch on Sunday at Pinecrest, her sweet smile and laugh, her tears (she always said we were a crying family but I'm not sure I got all those genes), her history. She was a great cook - her vegetable soup was so yummy. I enjoyed the hot cereals, the burnt toast (Pa-Pa's preference), the pancakes on Saturday, her perfect fried eggs, meatloaf-mashed potatoes-LeSueur peas (always served together as a meal), and pretty much anything else she made! I'm glad I was able to stay with Mom a few extra days. We got GM's room at Pinecrest cleaned out, shopped for clothes for mom, took my great-aunt out to eat, and generally had a good time together.

Okay, Desiree - NOW I have some juice (a little anyway)!!!! Scott was really sweet last week - sending text messages, emails, voice mails that were so nice and thoughtful. And he sent us a basket of daisies that really brightened my day (and still do - looking good on my kitchen table). He called Sunday night on his way home from Dallas and asked me to go to the lake with him Monday after work. He bought a pontoon boat a few weeks ago and I hadn't seen it yet. So, after a hectic day at work, he picked me up and we headed to Heber. I briefly wondered when we neared the lake if he'd brought the key - I thought it would be funny if he forgot it. Turns out, he did! He'd taken it out of it's regular place for his trip to Dallas. I laughed and was amused. He was so mad. But we had a great time anyway - we just sat on the boat in the marina, listened to the radio, I got the grand tour, and we talked. Very relaxing. We ate dinner at the Smokehouse, and had a pancake for dessert (he loves pancakes). On the way, we talked. Yes, talked about dating. It was kind of funny. We sat on my couch for a while and talked some more. I smiled a lot - still do thinking about him. Anyway, he emailed me Tuesday and said he was thinking about going back to the lake that evening - with keys! So, we headed back to Heber. AHHHH, this time we made it out of the marina and cruised the lake. It was so much fun and so relaxing!!! And he let me drive some. So anyway, we talked on the way home again - about dating. So, I think we are dating now!!! He really is sweet. So if you see me chuckling and smiling for no apparent reason, I'm probably thinking about Scott. :-) He even took some pictures last night on the lake - a couple of us together. I'll have to get one of those.....(and I did!)

Grandmother

2007-04-24T18:25:00.000-07:00

As I was warming up lunch on Sunday, my mom called. When I heard her voice, I knew something was wrong. She was calling to tell me that her mother, my grandmother, had died. Grandmother (GM) was 88 years old. She was the last of her siblings.

GM's full name was Mattie Mozelle Cannon Brown. Most people called her Mozelle. She was named after her grandmother Mattie. She was the middle child - older siblings Dorothy and Carroll and younger siblings Ida Mae and John and Billie Jean who died as a baby. In the picture, she is on the far left.

We were a surprised at the suddenness of her death. But she was tired, struggling with some health issues, and we count it a blessing that she didn't linger and just fell asleep.

Here are some other pictures:

Grandmother & Pa-Pa on their 55th wedding anniversary.

Grandmother & Pa-Pa's church directory picture from 1982 - the were BOTH smiling!!

Grandmother, Mama Bond (my great-grandmother), me, and Laura in front of the house we grew up in in Ashdown - summer of 1980.

The Ladies

2007-04-12T13:15:00.000-07:00

Since March 5, I have gotten to know a new group of people - the Strong Women!!! I have really enjoyed teaching three classes of strength training to women, and it's really been beneficial to me too. So, what is it about anyway?

Most Mondays & Wednesdays at 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. at College church, you will find a group of women (ages 20-something to 80-something) laughing, talking, having fun, and oh yeah, exercising! I have met so many unique and lovely ladies that I now call friends. We chat about people, exercise, listen to bones creak (and mouths moan), and discuss our new-found ability to pour gravy out of that heavy iron skillet - with ONE hand (the latest "success" story). When I miss class, they tease me and tell me how much they missed me. And someone always says, "Thanks for doing this!" They may not realize this, but I think I get more out of this than they do! I just give them a hard time about proper form (rock back on your heels, and stick your butt out!). :-) They are so much fun, so appreciative, and so kind. Even when I'm tired and down, they lift me up. I'm so lucky! Feel free to join us.
Mondays & Wednesdays
9:00 a.m. class meets in Room 100 at College church
4:00 p.m. class meets in Room 119 (next to kitchen and family room) at College church
5:00 p.m. class meets in the old Carder Buick building next to WCMC

Wild Weather in Washington!

2007-04-09T11:30:00.000-07:00

My vacation was last week and I really didn't want to come back to work! It wasn't the most restful vacation, but it was fun. I flew to DC on April 1st. My best friend Elissa and her mom, Mrs. Sue, met me at the airport. We used her dad's (Mr. George) cool new toy, Tom Tom (renamed Tina by Lis and Sue) to navigate. We stayed at the Virginian Suites near the Rosslyn Metro stop.

The weather was magnificent on Monday & Tuesday! Sunny, temps in the 80s, and the cherry blossoms were in full bloom! But, silly me - I forgot my camera on Monday. DUH. But Elissa said she'd share. The picture below left was taken near the Jefferson Memorial on our night tour. Here's another one taken on the night tour (right). We were on the edge of the Tidal Basin, near the FDR Memorial looking towards the Jefferson Memorial. Note the beautiful moon.

Wednesday, the weather changed a bit. We got rain Tuesday night, so it was cloudy and cooler. We decided to go to Mount Vernon, George Washington's home. We ate lunch at the Mount Vernon Inn, a colonial restaurant. We had fried green tomatoes, corn chowder with crab, and I had sausage and bean cassolet with duck. It was very tasty. We toured the home (very interesting) and walked the grounds a bit. Picture below - Elissa and I in front of the home and the "bowling green" (green yard!).

Thursday, the weather was considerable colder - FREEZING! Elissa and Mrs. Sue braved the cold and wind to stand in line for tickets to see the Capitol and then the Library of Congress. I wasn't feeling that great and wanted to relax a bit, so I stayed at the hotel (yes, I've had the Capitol tour!). But that evening, we layered up as much as we could, took 2 blankets, and headed to RFK Stadium to see the Washington Nationals play the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ww got there plenty early and feasted on hot dogs and hot chocolate. It was FREEZING so we left at the bottom on the 4th inning (the Nats lost).

Yes, we did all the tourist stops - the National Air & Space Museum, the Natural History Museum, all the Memorials, the Mall, the Bureau of Engraving & Printing, and totally enjoyed the cherry blossoms and even the Metro! I took a lot of pictures of the beautiful flowers at the Monuments and Mount Vernon too. I'm out of time and energy for now...........................................

Almost April

2007-03-29T07:27:00.000-07:00

Thanks for all of the birthday wishes. I had a great birthday. If you don't count the frustrating frustration of trying to leave town and the crying jag as a result. Instead of driving out of town, I drove home. Cried, took a nap, felt much better. Got to Mom's late - but in a much better state (hey that rhymes!). I think I was just drained from a week where I spent way too much time on the road (about 20 hours driving to Mt. Ida, Walnut Ridge twice, and various other places!). I'm sure it was just emotions or better yet, hormones.

But Laura's cake was WAY too yummy, Emily was too cute with her new haircut, even though she cried. Mom was feeling better, even though I teased her. Grandmother seemed to be doing well. Patti & Madison were a fun addition too. Laura, Emily, & I shopped in Texarkana (Laura shopped, Emily & I tagged along). We ate lunch at Olive Garden and ate surprisingly healthy (we think). But we ate dinner at On the Border. Even though I brought half of my Fish Tacos home, I'm sure it wasn't healthy! I made chicken pot pie for lunch on Sunday. Grandmother came over to eat with us and had a good time.

I think I emphasize with everyone's struggles. Sometimes I get really depressed and down. Critical. But I think of a verse I wrote down years ago - don't worry about tomorrow - each day has enough troubles of its own! If I can just start each day with a fresh, clean attitude, I think I'd be better off. But no, I worry about things that are past, I stew over things that happened months ago, I wonder about what people think, I wonder if I'm dating or not - is he interested or not? SO, now of think of that phrase - let go and let God. I loved what Donna wrote about prayer and realized that I need to work on my prayer life. I keep thinking, oh, He doesn't want to hear about that AGAIN. And with people, oh, they don't want to listen to me - I don't have much to add to that conversation, I don't want to toot my horn too much, they don't want to hear me ramble on and on about myself again. But God will listen, every time. I can pour out my heart. And then I will let go and let God.

Birthday - yeah rah!

2007-03-23T08:29:00.000-07:00

It's March 23 and today I am 32 years old. I was born really early in the morning (thank goodness Mom doesn't call me at that time!) in Knoxville, TN. The night before I was born, Mom and Pa-Pa Brown (her Dad) sat in the floor and hemmed a black & white round tablecloth. That tablecloth is in my living room. It's older than me!

I have gotten several birthday cards - one from someone I don't even know. I'll have to find out who that person is!!! The ladies in the Wednesday morning Strong Women class even sang "Happy Birthday" to me. What special ladies! I'm headed to Mom's for a girls week-end - Mom, Laura, Emily, me, Mom's friend Patti, and Patti's dog Madison. I know shopping is on the agenda for Laura and Mom - they need clothes that fit since they've lost weight. I'm really not in the market for clothes - I have plenty and when I lose a few pounds more I'll be able to wear them! But I know we'll have fun - and Laura is baking my favorite birthday cake!

I also had a bag on my vehicle this morning when I left the house. Scott left me a card and cute book! He was out early.

I really emphasized with Lara's newest post. I find myself being critical, impatient, and asking "why does everyone bother me?" I even had an email this morning from a friend asking some good questions like (related to dating):

What *would* work for you, i.e., get you past the 6-month mark and into a long-term situation. Do you have an outline of what you want in mind and just can't find someone to match it, or do you start optimistically with each guy and then inevitably develop a "blah" or "ick" feeling over time?

Hmm. I don't have a really specific idea of what I'm looking for - more like a general idea of what I want and don't want. But usually around the 3-6 month mark, I start wondering. Do I really want to live the rest of my life with this person?!?! Which takes me back to being critical and impatient. Here I am, 32. At supper club last night, some of the younger ones were lamenting about their age. And I'm thinking, if I have kids, I'll be an older mom. Maybe I'll be more mature, but I'll be more tired too. So, I'm impatient with other people, with myself, and with the way my life is going. And then I'm critical of everyone to boot. When will I grow up?!

Anyway, I hope you have a great week-end!

New March Post

2007-03-14T17:50:00.000-07:00

I’ve been nudged to update my blog. Mostly by my sweet sister. I kept telling her that I really had not had much to say lately. But here goes……….

Have you ever struggled with fear? Fear of spiders, bears, wolves? I admit, I was scared of bears & wolves – I had nightmares about them sitting outside my window at night. What about other fears? Fear of rejection? Fear of failure? Fear of love? Fear of people?

I went to Fordyce last Saturday and stayed until Sunday afternoon. Laura kept me busy with her new square foot garden plots – from the trip to Lowe’s on the way to mixing up the soil for the planting. That was actually fun, if a bit dirty. I had fun with the kids – Emily didn’t want me to leave. Ethan gave me lots of hugs. We went to the big city of Bearden for dinner on Saturday night at the Bear City Diner. The BBQ chicken was very good. So were the mashed potatoes and corn nuggets!! Not the healthiest, but not the worst either. I’ve been trying to watch what I eat more and exercise. Since I’m teaching 3 classes of Strong Women on Mondays & Wednesdays, it’s a little easier! But I need to get out and walk more – the weather has been so nice lately.

I’m started thinking that I have finally arrived in Searcy – people really do check out what is in my buggy at the grocery store! And, even though I don’t like it, NOT having Laura and John here has probably been good for me in some ways. It has forced me to get out on my own more. I’ve met a lot of people in the past few months, and find myself staying after church to visit instead of just leaving. Of course, I seem to know more mature people but they are fun too!

Thanks to Liz, my heart-to-heart partner and AWH guru, I met a new friend, Scott. Liz talked to him about me, and he gave me a call. We got together at the Underground and talked for several hours. He’s very easy to be around, to talk to. He introduced me to his Sunday night dominos group and that has become a really enjoyable end to a great Sunday. We go to Jim & Kathy Johnstons, and usually the crew consists of Jennifer Hurd, Bill Spear, Scott, and me. Last Sunday night, Scott’s Dad Larry came and he was a lot of fun. Scott is not demanding, is very easygoing, and apparently patient. I’ve just taken the “whatever” philosophy – take it as it comes. Although, I admit that I am missing him this week – he’s in Italy with his Dad! And yes, I’m probably envious too – I would rather be in Rome too. I’m not really what is going on, but I’m trying to enjoy it. If I wonder what he’s thinking about me, I can only imagine what he thinks about me. And that’s scary – I don’t wear my heart on my sleeve and I’m probably not the easiest person to read. But anyway……

My next trip is to Washington, DC with my best friend Elissa and her mom, Mrs. Sue. They have never been there and we should be there during the peak of the cherry blossoms blooming. I know we won’t get bored, but now I’m worried that they want to try to pack too much into the week. I was sort of planning our attack since I’ve been there, but then Elissa threw in a Nationals baseball game and other things I had not really thought about! Oh well, I’m sure we’ll have a blast. I bought my plant ticket the other day.

Movies & Update

2007-02-04T14:16:00.000-08:00

I rented a couple of movies over the week-end - two that I had not seen. The updated version of "Yours, Mine, & Ours" with Dennis Quaid and Rene Russo and "Beauty Shop" with Queen Latifah. I just loved "Beauty Shop." It was so funny and a real chick movie. "YM&O" was pretty good too - they changed up several things from the original with Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda. I have to say, Dennis Quaid is still pretty irresistable with those eyes and smile! Both were fun movies to watch!

In yesterday's post, I failed to mention as part of my "self help" that I'm attending Noel Whitlock's class on Wednesday nights. He is using the series by Tommy Nelson on the Song of Solomon. Very interesting study on relationships. We watch a video for about 25 minutes or so (Tommy speaking to a large group) and then have discussion. If you haven't been, you might check it out. It's very frank, honest, and enlightening.

I also mentioned John Gray's book, "Mars & Venus on a Date." I checked it out at the library and will be returning it tomorrow (if you are interested in checking it out). The paragraphs I mentioned that sounded like me in my last relationship - pages 137 and 138. It has to do with what he calls making it through the 5 stages of dating (did you know there were 5 stages?!) and what happens when one person is in a different stage than the other. Here are the stages FYI:
1. Attraction
2. Uncertainty (this is probably where I get stuck most!)
3. Exclusivity
4. Intimacy
5. Engagement

Of course, Tommy Nelson's study has a bit different view on the stages and I guess his make more sense to me. I think Mr. Gray has some good points but not from a christian standpoint.

So, all you great advice-givers out there, what do you have to say about any of this? Please feel free to post a comment. Yes, I'm asking for comments and advice! Drop me a line.

It's February!

2007-02-03T16:54:00.000-08:00

Yes, it is now the month of roses, flowers, red, hearts, valentine's. Oh so much fun for singles. I'm never actually been dating someone on Valentine's or my birthday. And that bites. And it's looking like this year won't be any different from the previous 30. Oh well. I'm not depressed or desperate. I just hate seeing hearts everywhere. Where's cupid when you need him?

In other news...Mom is doing better. Work is going well. I still miss the Tuckers. I'm planning my next vacation with my best friend, fellow single, and travel buddy Elissa and her parents. Looks like we are headed to Washington, DC in April. Should be educational, fun, and photorific with the cherry blossoms in bloom hopefully.

Oh, and I got my new dryer on Thursday! Yeah - clean, dry clothes and wrinkle-releaser!

I think I've about self-helped myself to death. I've read:
For Women Only by Shaunti Feldman (highly recommend - especially for the gals in my supper club and other singles). The companion book for guys, For Men Only (duh!), is pretty interesting for women to read too. But hopefully, men will get more out of it, if they actually read it all.
Falling in Love for All the Right Reasons by Neil Clark Warren, otherwise known as the eHarmony guru (pretty good, lots of examples).
Venus and Mars on a Date by John Gray (I found a few paragraphs that he MUST have written about me! Plus other nice tidbits, examples, and various interesting notes. Not that agree with everything he said but it was still quite enlightening)
He's Just Not That Into You by those two "sex and the city" writers (witty, amusing, and all about the signs that say he's just that not into you. Not that that is usually a problem with me - it's usually the other way around according to SOME folks - but it's nice to know when I can just let it go and not worry about why he didn't call).

So, hope you have a good week-end. Go Colts!

What a Week!

2007-01-25T12:53:00.000-08:00

It's been a long week. Work kept me hopping early in the week! And next week, I start off with a trip to LR for CPR training. I have to be prepared, you know, in case one of the Strong Women has problems!

Did I mention my dryer doesn't work?! How can I unwrinkle clothes without it (yes, I know I could IRON). Danny Isom came over yesterday and gave me the bad news - it's not worth pouring money into that old thing. He told me the same thing the last time he came - but then it was the washer! So, now I have to go dryer shopping. But since I'm headed to Mom's this week-end anyway......I'm taking some laundry with me!

eHarmony has a special going.....so I rejoined. Got a few matches so we'll see how it goes til the "special" runs out. I'm really not desperate. Yet. So even though I'm not that interested in dating right now, I'm still looking. Weird, huh?

So, drop me a line and give me advice!

Oh the FUN!

2007-01-22T14:03:00.000-08:00

I had a houseful of company over the week-end. Laura, John, Emily, & Ethan came Friday night and Mom arrived Saturday afternoon. I had a blast (and ran my dishwasher TWICE)! Ask Laura what we did Saturday morning to make our calves sore! :-)
We basically just hung out a lot but we did go out to eat at Mi Pueblito before the basketball games. Glad the Lady Bisons won, and sorry the Men lost. It was close though. And we even made it to early service on Sunday - on time - with 7 people and 1 bathroom!

I watched an interesting movie last night. Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School. Somewhat sad, somewhat funny, somewhat scratch your head (at the ending mostly), lots of stars (including former New Kids on the Block singer Donnie Wahlberg, brother to Mark). Kind of made me want to take some dance lessons (but I guess I'll stick to the workout DVD I have already that made my calves sore!).

Have a great week.

FYI

2007-01-18T13:35:00.000-08:00

Strong Women is a strength training class that meets twice a week for 12 weeks (and can meet more). This is a community-based program from Dr. Miriam Nelson's book series on Strong Women (Strong Women Stay Young, Strong Women Strong Bones, etc.). The reason we do the 12 weeks? For evaluation and data gathering! We like to show impact (before & after). Most groups continue meeting after that also. You can check out the website at www.strongwomen.com. We hope to get another group going soon! Watch for details.

NEW POST

2007-01-17T14:31:00.000-08:00

Since I was ever-so-gently reminded that I had not posted in SO long, here it is.

Supper Club was a blast last night! Tish & Allison did a great job. I was so impressed when I came in - they were just hanging out on the couch (waiting for the fun to begin I'm sure!). The food was so yummy and the fellowship superb. Now I just need a nap............

Let's see - what else? I'm meeting with the women's ministry gurus - Kay & Brenda - on Friday to discuss starting a Strong Women class at church! It's just strength training (targeting older women but anyone can participate) but it's fun and relaxing, not to mention empowering. And to get to exercise with other Christians - what could be better?

I'm really excited that my fam is coming this week-end! Laura, John, Emily, Ethan, and Mom. And maybe more! I know we'll have fun being together. I miss them so.

I'm on schedule, maybe ahead, for my daily Bible reading. Joseph right now. I just finished a great book - Meeting God in Quiet Places - the Cotswold Parables by F. LaGard Smith. Not his usual book - but a very nice, thought-provoking (and travel provoking since it's all about the Cotswolds in England) book.

I guess that will do for now. Nothing exciting happening here, except that I'm getting ready for my 5:00 Strong Women class, then I'm headed to the new class that Noel is leading at church tonight. Happy Wednesday!

2006-12-13T07:57:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a good day. I got a lot accomplished at work. After work, I went home & changed into my workout clothes. I returned some books to the library and found a couple more to check out. Then I walked 2 1/2 miles at the Harding track. That felt good! I returned the movies I rented Friday night and then blew the walk with dinner at Sonic. Oh well. I looked through the Real Simple's Celebrations book that I checked out from the library while I ate. It had some pretty nifty ideas.

I cleaned the kitchen, straightened some, and, sigh, got out the wrapping stuff. I gathered all the presents and piled them in the living room by person (Emily & Ethan's on the couch, John's on some pillows, Mom's by the chair, Laura's - oh I don't have anything for her. Haha. Her pile was in the chair). I used all the bags that I could so I wouldn't have to wrap much (I know - LAZY!). I put all the bags by the tree. Yes, I have realized that some of the bags will need to be hidden before the Tucker invasion on Friday!!! Or I could break down and wrap. hmm. Hiding bags sounds more fun.

I got my order from Amazon yesterday - 2 presents for the 2 men in my life (Ethan & John) and a present for me - a book about finding the love of your life. It may sound corny, but it does have some good ideas and it just reinforced the decisions I've made about the men in my dating life. I did try eHarmony, but it's kind of expensive. churchofchristsingles.com is quite reasonable, and I've made some friends there. That's where I've "met" most of the guys I've dated since coming to Searcy. All of them are nice guys too.

Have you ever had that moment when you think, "Wow. I really am like Mom (or Dad)!" Reading over this post reminds me of my Mom for some reason. Maybe it's similar to her emails to us telling us all about her day. But that's okay! There are times when I think about how much like Dad I am. The first time was when Dad was in hospice in Texarkana. One morning, I woke up, went to the bathroom, pulled my hair back (so I could wash my face). I didn't have my contacts in yet. But when I glanced in the mirror, it hit me. I really look like Dad! Recently, I found a picture on Mom's computer. She had taken a picture of Elissa and me in Paris while we were waiting to go up to the Eiffel Tower. Even Laura thought it was weird how much I looked like Dad - from the way I was standing, my arms crossed, to the smile on my face. I'll try to get a picture of Dad so you can see it too!

2006-12-12T12:15:00.000-08:00

I keep thinking that I really don't have much to say. Or much to say that is interesting! Maybe I just need to practice.

This week has been much better than last week and I'm terribly glad. The last few weeks have been so stressful that I didn't turn the lights on my Christmas tree on, I let the house go (see the dirty dishes and stuff?), and basically vegged. But I turned the Christmas tree lights on last night and they were surprisingly cheery. Now if I could just get the presents wrapped and under the tree........

I'm really excited (and motivated) because Laura, John, Emily, & Ethan are coming! They will be here for the HU basketball game Friday night and will go back to Fordyce on Saturday. SO, I have to clean the house, move all breakables to the top of the tree (and off the tabletops), and wrap all the presents! I have really missed having my sister close. I got spoiled living in the same town. I enjoyed dropping by their house - for tea or coffee and short chats with Laura, for the occasional dinner, when Aunt Katie needed to see the kids (and babysit), or just for some advice. But I'm so thankful for the time I got to spend with them when they were here!

2006-12-09T11:58:00.000-08:00

Today's Edition:
Last night was rather quiet. After work, I went by Movie Gallery and rented a couple of movies. Then I went to Sonic for dinner. I went to bed early. Yes, so very exciting I know! I'm not used to writing much or expressing myself. But I will try. Just not now. I need to get tickets for the AWH Tour of Homes tomorrow and make a trip to Wal-Mart. Now, that's exciting!

Newbie

2006-12-08T13:33:00.000-08:00

Well, here am I. So many people have been talking about this blogging stuff, so I decided to join in. I'm not sure I have a whole lot of interesting stuff going on, so if you fall asleep reading it - happy napping!