Could this day go by ANY slower?

I don't think my views will quite be like this over the weekend, but I am sure they will be beautiful anyway. I can't wait to get out of this office. The weather is perfect. I am all packed, I just have to fill up the gas tank and pick up a few food items and then I will be on my way.

I am just going off call as the Supervisor this week so my sleep pattern has been all messed up. I am looking forward to some rest and relaxation with 15 other lovely ladies.

One of my oldest and dearest friends will be on this trip with me. Be ready for lots of pictures the next time I post!

Happy Weekend, Peeps!

Sorry to leave ya hanging.....

So, as you can see in the picture above I broke down and bought socks.

I realized that I had also forgotten my deodorant, tooth brush and toothpaste. (Good Grief).

Luckily, the convenient store next door to the hotel had all my needs including the 3 pair of socks above, and I only paid $2 for them! STEAL! :)

This week won't be quite so hectic, thank goodness. I am only working thru Thursday and then I am off to a cabin in the woods until Sunday with a great group of ladies for some relaxing, reading, hot tubing, sight seeing, and scrap booking. I am totally excited!

How is your week shaping up?

Oh My Goodness.

I am about to have to do something that I haven't had to do in probably 15 years or more.

I really don't know how I am going to make it, but I am sitting in a hotel in a town that I don't know anything about. I am mentally and physically exhausted and don't have the energy to go back out tonight.

By the way, I am in a hotel because of an event for work that I have to be present at 730 am for. It's was more logical that I have a hotel room for the night than try to get up before the chickens and drive this far. So here I am.

I really, really, really don't know how I am going to sleep without my socks on.......

I forgot!

I forgot to mention in my last blog that I was a winner in my girl, Heather's give away recently!

I won a $60 giftcard to csn.com! I am totally stoked and am having a hard time deciding what I want to purchase! Oh, the agony! :)

I had an AMAZING time at church yesterday and am still experiencing the "high" today. I hope everyone has had a wonderful start to their week!

One of My Loves.

(please excuse the poor quality..they were taken with my cell phone)

I have mentioned before that I have five God Children. The pictures above is one of my loves.... my oldest God Daughter, Sarah Ashton. I love her to pieces!! I got to spend some time with her last night and today( and I will get to see her tomorrow at church too). She is 12 years old and is wise beyond her years. I don't think I could be any prouder of her and her older brother( who is my oldest God Son and is 14).

This weekend has not been bad thus far. Last night I had dinner with a friend from church. Her name is Donna and we tell people that we are sisters. Most people that don't already know us, believe it because we look alike. She has three teenage children who call me "Aunt Kathi"....I love it! We ate at a local Mexican Joint called Anita's...It was YUMMY! After we parted ways, I stopped at a store called "Eye Candy" that sells costume jewelry. I got four necklaces and three pair of earrings for $12.19! As we say in the south, You can't beat that with a stick! :)

After that, I visited with the God Children mentioned above and their parents

and then headed home.

Today, I had to attend a patient of ours' funeral. It was bittersweet, he was truly a wonderful man who loved God and his family. I have been friends with some of his Grandchildren all my life and am continuing to pray for them in the days ahead. He and his wife had been married 64 years. I can't hardly fathom that. That is TRUE love that only comes from God.

After the funeral, I went to a benefit for a local child that has a rare heart disease. Our praise band at Church is also a Christian Rock Band and they were playing for it, so I sat out in the sun and enjoyed the music and the great weather. After they were done playing their set, I left and went to the local Children's Home and hung out at their rec center with some cool kiddos and my cousin who manages the rec center on the weekends.

Now, I am home and chilling. Church is in the morning! It's youth Sunday, so I don't have to be there early to practice for worship service...this means I get to sleep in a few extra minutes(thank you, youth!). Whoop! How is YOUR weekend?

PS: One of my favorite movies is coming on right now, Miss Congeniality. Score!

Day 30

Day 30-One Last Moment

First of all, I am really really really proud of myself for blogging 30 days straight. There were several times that I just didn't want to, but I disciplined myself and did it anyway...whoo hoo!!

Now onto my one last moment.

I read the book above several years ago. My cousin had given it to my mom as a gift and then she passed it onto me. My mom had written a note in it saying that she hoped that I would find content and happiness like the character in the book did. She listed the page number as 336.

"Our dear Helen has been given us for this emergency. It is not strange that seeing our domestic life should have awakened in her some yearnings for a home and a heart and children of her own. She has said that there was a weary point in her life when she made up her mind that she was never to know these joys. But she accepted her lot gracefully. I do not know any other word that describes so well the beautiful offering she made of her life, first to God and then to us. He accepted it and has given her all the cares and responsibilities of domestic life without the transcendent joys that sustain the wife and the mother. She has been all in all to our children, and God has been all in all to her. And she is happy in His service and in our love."

Day 29

Day 29-Your Aspirations

First off, let me say that I can't believe that this challenge is almost over. I am very proud od myself to have blogged almost 30 days straight.

I could sit here all night long and type all sorts of dreams and aspirations out to you all, but I won't bore you with all of that.

One HUGE aspiration of mine is being worked on right now. I can't indulge you on this public blog with specifics, but for those of you that want to know are free to email me. I will give you a hint: there is a clue in the picture above.

The other two things that I REALLY REALLY want in my life is to be a wife again.....but a wife to someone that loves me with all they have inside of them and then to be a mother. I long to know what it's like to carry a child inside of me.

The thought that it may never happen scares me to death.

Day 28

Day 28-Something that you miss.

It's not something is someone that I miss. But I don't miss the new him, I miss the old him. He was one of my best friends for several years. He made me laugh so hard over the stupidest stuff. Most of it was inside jokes that only our inner circle understood. I could never stay angry with him because he would say something totally funny and crack me up.

I kinda believe he was my soul mate because even my husband(ex now) never had this kind of effect on me. He and I were closer than close. He, my friend Karen and her husband and I have so many memories together that I hope I remember for a lifetime. I just wish that he could get his life straightened back out so that we could have our friendship again. Its been almost a year since I saw or talked to him and some days he is on my mind so much that I wonder if he's thinking about me too. I hope he is. And I hope that one day he can overcome the demons that have him consumed.

Day 27

Day 27 – Your favorite place

To be completely honest, my favorite place is my church, Hickory Tavern Church of God(pictured above). I have attended there for a year and finally have found a place that I truly belong. I have spent a lot of my life looking for a place that I could knit my heart to other people and this is it. Most importantly though, its a place where I always feel God's presence.

I am very involved in my church and it helps me stay busy and not sink into feeling alone and abandoned like I use to.

My pastor and his family are beautiful people who genuinely have a heart for ministry. Too often now a days, pastors are in their career for the wrong reason, I am fortunate that this isn't the case for mine.

We are a proactive body spreading the love of God through our community and I couldn't be in a happier place.

Day 26

Day 26-Your Fears

I have suffered all day from a horrible migraine so this post is going to be very short.

My greatest fear is growing old alone.

I will elaborate more about this at another time.

Goodnight. <3

Day 25

Day 25-A First

I am really tired so I don't want to blog about anything serious tonight.

My first is going to be that I went to my FIRST wedding of 2010 today. :)

My friend and co-worker, Kenyotta got married today. It was a beautiful outdoor wedding and a nice reception. It was a wonderful time, except for the fact that I got stung on my leg by a bumble bee! Ouch!

In this picture from left to right are, our boss Carmen, Kenyotta, Me, and our co-worker Sally.

Congratulations, Kenyotta!

Day 24

Day 24-Something that makes you cry

One huge thing that makes me want to cry is when I see, hear, or read about cases of animal abuse. I love, love, love animals and if I had the financial means, I would have a huge farm area with so many dogs and cats that need a home. I have always dreamed of this. I would make it a therapeutic place for abused and/or special need children to come play and visit with the animals.

My baby Lexy(not pictured) came from a local Humane Society over 7 years ago. I have adopted kitties from there before too. I have also been known to rescue strays from the side or the road or dumpsters. :)

If you have a heart for animals and would like to donate to a good cause, or would like to know more about a Humane Society, please click here.

I hope that everyone has a beautiful weekend!

Day 23

Day 23 – Something that makes you feel better

The one thing that ALWAYS makes me feel better is music. I don't remember a time that it hasn't. Music is one of the most important things to me. I listen to music wherever I go. I listen to pandora.com from my computer at work. I can't say that I have a favorite genre either. I have contemporary christian, country and pop all programmed into my stations in my car. I listen/watch CMT in the mornings while getting ready for work.

I am forever hearing a song lyric and thinking "thats exactly how I feel".

Music just speaks to me.

Day 22

Day 22- Something that upsets you

It is kind of funny that this should be my topic tonight. Right before I logged on to here to do my post, I read a status update on facebook from my first cousin on my dad's side. Fat, hot tears started running down my cheeks.

She posted that even though her dad( my father's brother) didn't feel well, he had still driven her 80 miles to where her car had broken down( and is now fixed) this past weekend. She also said that he was taking her out to dinner before they went back home. Her last statement in the status update was "I have a sweet one <3".>

Why couldn't mine be like that?

Day 21

Day 21-Another Moment

I love the quote above. It is so true. Moments happen in a flash and sometimes if you aren't careful the moments will slip by and we forget them so easily.

This is one reason that I started writing in this blog again. There are so many moments that I don't want to forget.

Tonight, I was coming home from doing a good deed for some friends of mine. I called my buddy Jason, to ask him some advice on painting my car. I asked him what he was doing and he said "I'm on my way home from Simpsonville". I jokingly asked him had he been on a hot date and he replied, "No, you're still at home aren't you? If I was on a hot date, it would be with you".

That was a good moment. I don't think he had a clue how bad I needed to hear something like that. Whether he meant it or not, a girl still needs to feel special every once in a while.

Day 20

Day 20-This Month

Well, we just entered September six days ago, however, it has been a pretty good month so far. I have had a three day weekend.... No work since friday and it has been great!

Today, my sweet little Grandmother and I went to North Carolina to the Hendersonville Apple Festival and then road through the mountains stopping at all sorts of little stands filled with complete goodness.

It really was a perfect day. The weather was nice and it was so relaxing being out with her. Not a care in the world!

Blogger is being a pill and won't let me upload any more of my pictures. I will try them again at another time.

I hope that you all had a wonderful Labor Day!

Because I'm bored...

I stumbled across this little gem, here. I am a little bored tonight, so I thought I would give this a shot. Join in with me, if you would like. :)

1. What insect are you most afraid of? Feel free to post a picture.
Ugh, basically anything that is a creepy crawlee. I hate bugs! :Shudder:

2. What is the greenest/most organic thing about you or that you do?
I buy organic milk and try to use the cloth grocery bags as much as I can remember to. I know, I know, I should do better.

3. Tell me about a recurring dream that haunts you.
I kinda talked about this the other day. I dream of staircases and ladders that never end. Or I am on a ladder and am afraid to get down. Or there's an attic or something that you have to jump beam to beam to, and I am too scared so I remain stuck teetering on a beam until I wake myself up.

4. Have you ever missed a flight? What were the circumstances?
Yes, last summer when I was coming home from Colorado. I was suppose to fly out in the evening. That flight got canceled. I was rescheduled until the next morning. We boarded that plane and were grounded due to fog. We arrived from Colorado Springs in Denver and everyone had missed their connecting flights. I made a friend though that day. I had a girl who was sitting beside me that was celebrating her 16th birthday and was traveling alone. She was totally upset not knowing what to do to get another flight, so I helped her get everything situated. She and I connected on facebook and keep in touch with one another. She deemed me her honorary big sister that day. I was happy to help her. :)

5. What do you consider your best feature?
I would say my eyes. I get a lot of compliments on them.

6. What was the last concert you went to?
Winter Jam 2010 where I got to hang out with all the members from Sidewalk Prophets and met some of the members of Third Day and the Newsboys.

7. Describe the most embarrassing church moment you ever experienced.
There have been a lot. The most recent was the whole mike cord falling to the floor and disconnecting me in mid song the other week. It seems that the most minor things embarrass me the most.

8. Are you a whistler, hummer or singer?
Definitely a singer. I don't know what I would do if I couldn't sing anymore. Seriously.

9. George Washington Carver said, "I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in." What is God saying to you through nature today, or this very minute?
I am constantly in awe of clouds and study them all the time. Recently, I have seen a "K" figure shaped cloud or one that looked like an angel. I take it as friendly reminders that God's very fond of me.

10. On September, 1, 1752, the Liberty Bell arrived in Philadelphia. What memorable event will take place in your life on September 1, 2010?
I guess I am a little late on this one...Hmmm, Wednesday was memorable for me but not in a good way. I was told by my pharmacy that my insurance policy was canceled and my car had broken down that day too. Not the best of days.

11. Taco Bell or the Liberty Bell? (You must choose.)
Is it bad if I say Taco Bell? LOL. Its one of my favorites.

12. Do you believe men and women can have purely platonic friendships?
It all depends, and honestly, it doesn't work out well for me. I wish it did, though.

Day 19

(12/31/07)

Day 19 – Something you regret

I try really hard not to live life with regrets.
I am usually the first to say, I don't regret anything, everything in life is a lesson learned.
I don't regret marrying Keith. I do wish things had of been different. I wish that we hadn't rushed things. We had an on and off again relationship for a long time. A lot of the time even my closest friends didn't know we were "on". I wish that he had gotten his medication straightened out before we got married. I also wish his thyroid and diabetes problems had of been diagnosed while we were still married because some of his "issues" could have been avoided and understood better.
I wish that I had been truthful with him when he asked me to watch "Fireproof" after we had seperated and I told him no. I wish I had told him that I watched it three times in a row by myself and cried like a baby all three times.
I wish that he had committed to the 40 day love dare.
So, I don't regret him, If I said I had to regret anything about our relationship it would have been that both of us didn't try harder.

Day 18

Day 18 – Your favorite birthday

My favorite birthday was my 16th one. At the time, I NEVER would have admitted it, but it was pretty magnificent.

For starters, My mom's best friend worked at my high school. On my birthday, there were signs posted all over school telling me happy birthday and my car was "decorated" that afternoon when I got out of school. My mom cleverly posted a happy birthday listing in our local newspaper. This part WAS embarrassing. It was a picture of me when I was about two, in my raggedy nightgown, Winnie The Pooh slippers, pacifier in my mouth, and my blankie. The caption was something along the lines of " Happy Birthday to our favorite brat" or something.

That weekend, I had a party at a local teen center. All my friends were there and we had loads of fun. Two of my guy friends(they were brothers), who couldn't come to my party, came to my house beforehand and sang the New Kids on the Block version of Happy Birthday to me. They gave me long stem red roses. I swooned and promptly fell into "like" with the oldest brother for the next year. :)

Oh, to be sixteen again!

Day 17

Day 17 – Your favorite memory

I've been thinking about this entry all day long. I guess most people would say their favorite memory would be the first time they held their child, or their wedding day.

My favorite memory isn't a milestone event. Its just a moment. I don't even remember the date or time. What season it was, or even how old I was. I know that I was no older than four years old. My memory is about my Papa. He was my Great Grandfather and he lived with us. He died two weeks before my fifth birthday.

This memory took place in our den. We had one of those brown pleather type fabric couches with the wooden arms. My Papa was sitting on the couch in his pajamas and blue robe. I was standing there in front of the couch sort of propped up at Papa's legs. He was patting and rubbing my blonde hair and saying I was his baby. I remember my head tingling because it felt so relaxing for him to rub my head like that.

He was the only "daddy" figure I ever knew and I hate that I lost him so early in my life. That memory has stuck in my head for the last 20-something years and is so precious to me.

Day 16

Day 16-Your First Kiss

My first kiss. I discussed this sorta in this post.

I honestly don't remember ALL the details. If my memory serves me right, it was after a football game and we were hanging at my house. He was about to leave and we were in my yard in the dark. Don't ask me dates or if I heard the rushing ocean waves crashing or birds singing, cause I don't. :)

I do remember my mom flashing the porch lights and embarrassing the poo poo out of me. Leave it to moms, huh?

Day 15

Day 15 – Your dreams

I don't know if today they want us to talk about our life dreams or the dreams we have while we sleep. However, I do not feel very confident in my life dreams right now, so I choose to talk about the stuff I dream about.

My dreams often come true. I recently dreamed that my friend/ Chiropractor's baby was born on a certain date. I told him about it and he kinda laughed it off. Well, guess when his baby was born? Yeah, the date I told him. I also dreamed of the date when my God-daughter, Alayna, was born too. I was right again.

When I worked for the Sheriff's Office, if I dreamed about a certain co-worker, you could bet your bottom dollar that all you-know-what would break loose at the jail the next day. I would actually contemplate calling out in the morning if I had dreamed about her the night before.

I also dream quite often that I am climbing stairs or ladders that have no end or they have steps or rungs that scare me.

I need to research the meaning of dreams that contain stairs, heights, etc. It probably translates to some sort of insecurity.

Oh well. In other news, I am totally proud of myself for blogging fifteen days straight. :)