A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

The laundry is in overdrive.  The dishes are still in the sink.  I still need to make my lunch for tomorrow.  Paperwork needs to be taken care of.  What am I doing?
Relaxing by reading blogs.  I came across this cat.  I don't know why I found him/her to be hysterical.  I guess because the cat seems to have a disposition like me right now.  "It is the middle of the week look".
Funny cat!
I never want to complain because I have so much to be thankful for.  The rain is depressing from Issac.  But, there are lots of people suffering much worse because of it.  Sunshine and Vitamin D does make for a happier me.
While I am on a post, let me ramble a bit:
Gas is up to 3.69 a gallon which is just plain nuts!

I have Lifetime's The Week the Women Went on DVR.  I have suffered through 3 episodes.  It is painful to watch, yet it is like a train wreck.http://www.mylifetime.com/shows/the-week-the-women-went

If you watch minute 46 on episode 2, you can see my dorsal side at Richfield Plantation for about two seconds.http://www.richfieldevents.com/.  Yemassee did get their train depot remodeled out of the deal.

School is in full swing.  I didn't get a first day back to school picture which has me feeling guilty.  I am going to have to do a reenactment.  R2 is following in his cousin's footsteps with flag duty at this school.  R1 rides with me.
Well, it is time to change another load of laundry and make my lunch.  Before I go, let me tell you about my lunch.  I went to Sam's and bought dinner rolls.  Some crazy number of rolls for 5 dollars.  I cut them in half and placed the sandwich meat of my choice and a piece of cheese (an indulgence I can't seem to give up). I pack the 50+ sandwiches in the freezer in individual Ziploc bags.

 The night before I select a sandwich and put it in the refrigerator.  At lunch, I add tomato or pickles (an obsession of mine) and some mustard.  Wha-la!  A delightful little 20 minute lunch break along with a Diet Coke!    The other 49 sandwiches I take for tailgating, post cross country meets, and football games.  Much to my kids' chagrin, I can't stand eating fast food.  And, on weeknights, I don't have time for sit-down restaurants especially in towns that are smaller than ours.
Enough about the sandwiches!
Have a great Labor Day weekend.  We will be cheering on the GSU Eagles!

When Prayers Go Up, Blessings Come Down

 Go, go, go. 

I used to feel like this dog.

 The last year tested my resolve.  I was going into too many directions.  I wasn't making my family time a priority.  


As a result:

• I ate too much
• Tired all the time
• Spent money without thinking it through
• Didn't exercise
• Didn't read the Bible or do a devotion consistently
• Felt like I was walking in wet concrete

I'm not joking when I sat in church last spring praying for guidance on how to make my life more manageable.  Now, keep in mind, I know how blessed I am.  I never could have imagined having the husband and children that God selected for me.  I am blessed exponentially.  God was part of my life, but I sort of had Him on "the other line".  It was the day to day details that were just wearing me down.  On that particular Sunday, it all became so clear.  I knew that I had to resign from committees.  These committees would go on just fine without me.  I will continue to be glad to help others, but I'm no longer "in charge".  




I always thought taking care of young children was going to be the most demanding time as a mother.  But, my sons are teenagers now.  They need my time and attention as much as they did as babies and toddlers (just in a different way).  I'm reading a book now called:

There is the original marriage love  language book, too.

Each teenage has a "love language".  It words of affirmation, quality time, gifts of service, receiving gifts, and physical touch.  It sounds odd, but personality wise, each teen fits into one or two categories.  I'm about half way through the book.  So far, I've figured out the love language of one teen, one teen to go.


After this epiphany, I started Weight Watchers (again) online.  But, this time I have stuck with it for almost 3 months. The weight loss has been slow, but that is fine with me.  I truly feel better and have more energy.  Dairy Queen is still a temptation, but I can save my points for a chocolate extreme mini-blizzard.

My absolute favorite dessert- ever!

I also started walking 5 miles each weekday morning with a group of friends.  We like to go early to beat the heat and start the day off exercising.  There is truth in exercising with friends.  When you really don't feel like it, you know they are waiting on you.  Once you get started, you can't imagine not doing it.
I also found motivation in the ABC TV show  Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition with Chris Powell.  Chris is wonderful!  I like it better than Biggest Loser because people are not sequestered to a ranch.  People have to stay in their regular environment and deal with the challenges of weight loss.  I especially identify with the women because I am a woman, duh!

Chris is a real motivator!

I happened to read about an online Bible study for women on another blog.  What I liked was that  you keep a journal.  I always keep a journal.  But, this is a journal on His word.  I write down parts of the daily passage that I want to keep and I'm able to write down my reflections.  I also write down prayer requests.  It is neat to flip back and forth on the different days of the journal.

Started by a group of friends and grew from there

By reading daily, I am finding scripture that helps me with my day to day stresses.  I'm sorry that it took me 42 years to figure that out!  I use the You Version app on my phone.


Lastly, by getting my physical, and spiritual life together, would you believe my financial piece has fallen into place, too?  I read an article in Ladies Home Journal (It was the one with Ann Curry on the front cover- August 2012, I think) about a woman who doesn't buy anything unless she absolutely has to.  She also writes a blog called the Non-Consumer Advocate.  She is funny and sarcastic, which is right up my alley.  Her motto is:  "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without".  So when all those catalogs find their way to my mailbox and I'm so tempted:  I run Ms. Non-Consumer Advocate's motto through my mind.  You would be surprised how many items I talked myself out of at Ikea last weekend.  I find myself asking:  "do I need this, or do I WANT this?".  I will say, I do live in a geographically disadvantaged area.  If I can buy local, I do.  There are just some things you have to go to a city for...thus, sometimes I have to stock up because I'm in the city.


I also found a powerful blog post:  http://receiveandbreathe.blogspot.com/2012/07/not-enough.htm
It was a reminder of how the Bible views money.  Trust me, it is worth your time to read!


I'm not perfect and I'm sure I will continue to stumble or want to get back on the hamster wheel.  Yet, I have found:
When Prayers Go Up, Blessings Come Down 

A Weekend Get Away/Mini-Vacay

We had a purpose.  We needed to pick up R1 from his summer camp.  We also had not planned a vacation this summer.  So, we decided to combine the two.  Of course, picking up R1 was our first priority.  The first leg of the trip was to Charlotte.  Charlotte would become our home base as we went out and about in the state of North Carolina.
For our family, the hotel/motel of choice is Residence Inn.  I play all of the frequent flyer/hotel mile games.  I used to be all about Hilton Honors.  Mark was loyal to Starwood.  But, ultimately, we have found a home away from home with Marriott properties.  With the Residence Inn- we get a complimentary hot breakfast (a must with teenage boys), cocktail hour and plenty of room.  You get that at the Embassy Suites as well.  What sold me was the nice laundry facilities and mini-kitchen.  I love the big refrigerator!  Even in NYC, the Residence Inn had plenty of room for a mini-kitchen.

Love filling up the fridge with stuff!

On Friday night, we ate at PF Changs.  When we walked outside, everyone was taking pictures of the rainbow.

The picture doesn't even begin to show how pretty it was!

On Saturday morning, we had to get up early to pick up R1 by 11.

It was so cool to watch the Olympics live at breakfast

There was only one other person eating breakfast at 7am.  Off we went to pick up R1.  Boone, to me, seems like you are traveling straight up a mountain.

I found it so funny that the UPS truck was beating us up the mountain!

We were reunited with R1!  His request for lunch was Five Guys

My lunch did not look like this- mine was much smaller!

 

Don't even get me started on this Five Guys Coke Machine!

 The Coke machine at Five Guys is a touch screen.  Being a Diet-Coke addict, you can customize your drink.  I went with vanilla Diet Coke.  On the way out, I went for cherry-vanilla Diet Coke.  It is bad for me, I know!

On our way back down the mountain, we stopped at Ikea.

Rug purchase- the desk boxes are flattening it out

It is a good thing that Ikea is hours away from my home

 

I'm sure this is NOT where the boys wanted to go, but we had no choice.  We needed 2 desks for the boys.  I also found a rug, coffee table, bathroom mat, and a few (well, several) other inexpensive items. I know the stuff is not heirloom quality, but that's fine with me for right now.

The next day, we had a leisurely breakfast and planned to head out to the US National Whitewater Training Center

 

Notice that I said "planned".  We were all packed up ( and this included all of our Ikea purchases) and our Tahoe would not crank.  We quickly surmised it was not the battery.

A kind stranger offered to jump us off anyway.  No go.  Then, the stranger started pushing the Tahoe and told us to crank it. Sure enough, it cranked right up!  I asked the kind man if he was a mechanic, he replied he was just a NASCAR fan.  The diagnosis of the malady was:  failed starter.  Whut wo!  This is on a Sunday and obviously, we couldn't turn the engine off.  Thanks to AAA and GPS, we easily found an Advanced Auto Parts.  The boys and I "sat" in the running SUV because we couldn't turn the engine off.  I sure didn't anyone to steal our desks and rugs!  Mark met James at Advanced Auto and he referred us to Tire Kingdom down the road.

 

I have to admit, I never understood why these places were open on Sunday.  I also thought Tire Kingdom was just tires.  I was wrong.  Mark met Art, the manager, of Tire Kingdom.  Mark described Art as a "good Christian man".  Art told Mark to take us back to the motel and he would have the parts there by the time Mark returned.

The Big Blue Tahoe has been so good to us.  

The boys and I went to the pool since we were already dressed for it.

Mark soon returned and we set out for the Whitewater Center-- take 2!

The Whitewater Center was awesome!  We had so much fun.

I should Photoshop our faces in this picture!

   

Even I went down the zip line!

   

R1 is good at rock climbing

 

I had to copy/paste Google pictures because everything had to be put in a locker. You had to wear closed toe shoes on everything.  I did get a few pictures.

Check out my kicking outfit.  Socks/tennis shoes and bathing suit!

Brian was our guide on the raft.  He reminded me of Lt. Dan from Forrest Gump. He meant business!

 We did exactly what he told us.  We shared the raft with a mother/son from Myrtle Beach.  By the end of the rafting trip, we knew them as Cherie and Jeremy.  Cherie and 18 old Jeremy were the leads at the front of the raft.  R/R had the middle and Mark and I were in the rear.  Brian would fuss when we didn't row correctly.  I think it was tough love.  Jeremy did fall out when we went down a class IV rapid.  I had no idea there were classifications of rapids (http://www.oars.com/our_adventures/river_ratings.html)  Mark pulled him up by his life jacket with Reeves and I assisting. Jeremy looked pretty scared, but all of our training kicked in!  (We had a training seminar prior to the rafting trip) We spent about 90 minutes in our raft.
Coming off of our adrenaline river trip.  We then took on the zip-line.  I have an inherent fear of heights.  But, I was determined to do it.  What was the worse that could happen?  I signed the waiver form and I didn't want to be a chicken.  The worst part to me was right before taking off, my nerves almost got the best of me.    It was an exhilarating ride!  I would do it again.
If you like active vacations, this is the place for you.  There are some age and/or weight restrictions on some activities.  I want to go back to try mountain biking, paddle-boarding, kayaking, etc.
More info at www.usnwc.org
We went back to our home away from home at the Residence Inn that evening.
Today was our trip back to reality.
There is just something neat about creating family memories on a vacation.

It Should Have Been a Normal Day...

What a sad time in America
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-07-20/colorado-shooting-as-it-unfolded/56373242/1


Let me back up to Friday, July 20th...


The news was talking about the release of Batman-- people were buying their movie tickets ahead of time.  There was a lot of buzz about the movie.
Did I have any interest in seeing it? No.  With boys, I usually watch what they want!


At the same time...
My brother, Rad, and his family were staying at my grandmother's river house.

I'm the oldest!

 Rad needed to get to Columbia for a 8am meeting on Friday for his job.  I volunteered to drive him to the capital city.  I also recruited R2 and my nephew to go with us.  The meeting was going to be from 8 to 4, so I needed a plan.


After dropping him off at the meeting, I whipped out my phone and looked up movies.  R1 and I had seen one of the Harry Potter movies at 9am after dropping R2 off at the Citadel baseball camp a couple of years ago.  
Aha- we would go to the movies.  My suggestion was going to be to watch Spiderman (because I like Emma Stone).  Heck, I even would have seen Madagascar.  The only movie at 9:30 was Batman.  The boys wanted to see it.  I told them I couldn't make any promises.    I was afraid that it would be sold out. I could have ordered movie tickets through my phone, but I haven't attempted that yet.
We set out for the Shoney's on Bush River Road.  I probably haven't eaten in a Shoney's in 10 years, and it will probably be 10 years before I go back.  Nonetheless, the boys enjoyed their breakfast.
We pulled into the movie parking lot about 8:50 am with the other Batman fans.  At this point, I've only listened to satellite radio and had not checked the news on my phone.  Once one person got out of the car, we followed the masses to the box office.  Surprisingly, we were able to get the 9:30 show (yes, a.m. show).   We enjoyed all the previews.  It looks like a lot of good movies are coming out in the fall/Christmas season.
Batman was more on the violent side, but it was a good movie. I didn't fall asleep like I did in Green Lantern  I had no idea it was 3 hours.  Maybe a little under 3 hours due to the previews.  I took a picture of the boys by the movie poster after the movie.  R2 wanted me to "post" it.  

We were totally unaware of the tragedy in Colorado.  R2 was born during Columbine.  I remember being so distraught over it.  The doctors never said, but I really think that is why I went into early labor.  

After the movie, we ate lunch at D's Wings in West Columbia.  I had a salad, but I was in awe that in my college days, I would eat those wings.  I can only imagine the caloric intake.

We had a leisurely lunch and then headed over to Mast General Store.  I just love that place!  It is like a nice Cracker Barrel gift shop with clothes, shoes and camping equipment.

www.mastgeneralstore.com

Before we knew it, it was time to pick up Rad from his meeting.  A trip to Columbia wouldn't be complete without a trip to Krispy Kreme!  I abstained due to Weight Watchers.  If I could have one- it would be an iced chocolate doughnut!

On our way home, I-26 backed up.  I scooted off in Orangeburg and took Hwy 21 back to Ridgeland.  It was neat to see the little towns like Smoakes, Branchville and Sniders Crossroads.  Sadly, I later learned that a state trooper had been hit by a vehicle while doing a routine traffic stop causing the interstate to shut down.  Thankfully, the trooper survived the accident.  SC Interstates are so dangerous.

Love those around you and hug them a little tighter.

1992

As I reflected on my post from a few days ago, I realized that I casually mentioned that I celebrated my 20th anniversary in June.  It was almost like:  "oh yeah, my 20th wedding anniversary".  It is a big deal!  1992 really doesn't seem that long ago.  To make it even more confusing, Mark and I celebrated the anniversary in April.  He had to go on a business trip and I tagged along.  We made it our get-away weekend before he went to work on the following Monday.  So, I didn't mean to be so blithe about June~ we really did recognize the date!

1992

2012

Mark and I did reflect on how much has changed since 1992. 

Our first tv was a 12" color and we didn't even have cable!






1992 Dream Team in Barcelona






George Bush, Sr. was President

And the list continues...

Only 2 shows left from 1992 that are still on TV.

I My car- 1987 Honda Accord


Jay Leno replaced Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show



A Few Good Men was released



The list of 1992 could go on and on!






We have been blessed beyond measure the last 20 years.  Thank you Mark for everything!