Do you have any unusual collections? No not really, I have collections of pretty normal things, crosses, etc…starting to collect wine with unique interesting labels, and poppets (thanks Janet for getting me hooked! )

What do people notice about you within the first hour of meeting you (other than appearance)? I don’t have a shy bone in my body and I like to have fun! If I’m in a casual setting, you know we are going to have a good time!  If we are in a more formal setting, well I’ve been known to loosen things up discreetly and efficiently.

We had a wonderful weekend here, how about you? Friday we didn’t do as I planned, the steaks I wanted to grill came from the deep freeze that quit working earlier in the week. I thought I saved them but when I went to marinate them I didn’t like the way they looked or smelled. Into the trash went 6 filet’s. Brandon and Brit were at the house so we sent out for Bar B-Q ! It was a nice evening. D worked on his final and was looking forward his very last day of school….ever!!!

Saturday, Big D took off for his final day of class, he had to give his presentation and take his final. While he was gone all day us girls, Brit, Miss Priss, myself and Brit’s mom and the lady that Brit nannies for met at the wedding location to get decorating ideas! Spent a couple hours there getting some great ideas, it’s going to be a beautiful wedding!!

I got a call from D telling me he was DONE!! He made a 100 on his final! He will be getting his Master’s with a 4.0! To say that I’m proud of him is an understatement! But I’ll post more on that later.

We met the guys downtown for dinner at Cabo’s for margarita’s and fajitas to celebrate! It was a fun night spent with my family! When we got home it was still so hot outside so D and I decided water volleyball was a much needed reprieve from the heat! I beat him two games out of two! It was so nice to have D relaxed and not worrying about studying, homework, etc…..oh I’m so glad school is OVER!!!!

On Sunday D and Brandon decided that going to play golf on the hottest day yet would be a good idea so off they went. Miss Priss had to work, so I had the house to myself. It was quite nice actually!  I played with my plants outside, then tinkered around till I got too hot and then decided I could just lodge in the pool…so I did.

Later my sister, BIL and niece popped in and when they are over, there is never a dull moment! Let’s see, my sister thought we were having a wet t-shirt contest…(she was going to water my banana trees, and my hose attacked her! ), my niece wanted to cool off, but by only sticking her head in the pool, (she’s 12 OK! ) I did get some cool pictures though of that!

Laughing at her silliness!

The “spray!”

My BIL wouldn’t leave till he got my Wii hooked up to the Internet! I love him!! Had a great dinner at “Logan’s Roadhouse” laughing and planning D and mine mini vacation to celebrate his graduation! When we returned home we walked down to the pond and fed the fish and Zack the duck. 

That’s one big Catfish!!

Zack in the Grass 

My sister enjoying the view.

It was a great weekend when you spend it with the ones you love! How was your weekend? Talk to me!  

­On September 11, 2001 ­I was laying in a hospital bed, having just woke up, rather hazy from a drug induced sleep, I turned on the TV and watched as the first plane hit the World Trade Tower. I remember laying there in disbelief. How could this be happening?

I immediately called my husband, he was aware of the attacks. I just needed to hear his voice. I needed reassurance that only the man I loved could give. He promised to call me every fifteen minutes, just to check on me. He knew I felt so helpless laying in that hospital bed.

One of my nurses came in and we watched the news together, both of us not holding our emotions in. To see this footage live, to see the raw emotions on peoples faces, it was heartbreaking.

I couldn’t stay in the hospital, I was determined to go home, it didn’t matter what my doctor said. When he came in later that morning, I informed him I will be going home that day to be with my family, he understood. I spent the rest of the day watching the news with my family very close to me.

Where were you on 9/11/01?

Thankfully when I was up in Chicago last October I made a point to go to the old neighborhood. I took a few pictures and though my childhood home doesn’t look anything like what it did when we lived there, I’m thankful I took some pictures. This is where I spent the first eighteen years of my life…

Our little house was always kept very tidy and very clean. My parents always took great pride in keeping the landscaping perfect. My friends use to tease me that you could come to my house anytime and it would be perfect…and they were right! I was really heartbroken to see our little house in not so “perfect” condition. But now hearing that it’s been torn down, well….that’s even worse. Lot’s of memories in that little house. My dad converted the formal dining room into another bedroom so I had my own bedroom when I was a teenager. I was in heaven. Eventually, he converted the attached garage into a family room, laundry room and a half bath, making the house seem so much bigger. It wasn’t a big house, but it was one that held lots of memories. I’m sad to hear it is gone.

The reason the demolition of my old house and one’s around it, they are building bigger and better homes in the neighborhood. I guess all things change…at least we have the memories.

Did I ever tell you about my experience with a jelly fish? Since I mentioned Miss Priss was stung last week while she was at the beach, I thought I’d share my experience with you for my Monday Memory.

I had gone to Texas for two weeks to stay with my aunt and uncle when I was sixteen for a summer vacation. I loved visiting them and it was always so much fun for this girl from Chicago to visit Texas! I loved it! Probably one of the reasons I ended up marrying a Texas boy!

One of the things I really wanted to do was go to the beach. What teenager wouldn’t? I had made friends with a gal from my uncle’s church and so he took her and I down to Galveston so we could swim and play on the beach for the afternoon. I remember my excitement, it was a beautiful day, big fluffy clouds in the sky, and I would hang my head out of the car to take pictures of them. Typical teenager.

Once we got to the beach we couldn’t get in the water fast enough! We were body surfing and my friend had just told me to be careful of jellyfish…..not five minutes later something grabbed my leg. When I say grab, I mean GRABBED, this thing was huge…it wrapped around my leg and I screamed. I tried to kick it off with my other leg, but it wrapped itself around that leg also, now was being pulled under water, while screaming!! My uncle was not swimming with us, he was in jeans sitting on the shore, but he heard and saw me. It felt like forever, it had pulled me under several times, but I finally got it off. My uncle had run into the water and carried me out. He had thought I was being attacked by a shark. I guess my screams were quite loud!

My legs were covered in stings, they started swelling right away and the pain…well it was intense. My uncle stopped at a store and bought meat tenderizer and made a paste to apply to my legs. When we returned home I had to soak in ammonia and water to draw out the poison. I remember being really sick for two days and then I was back, to my spunky self, pestering my uncle to do something else! Though I didn’t ask to go back to the beach!

When I was a kid, we would take trips to Tennessee to visit my grandparents, on those trips we would visit various tourist attractions. One of those attractions that has always been a favorite of mine was Rock City. This weekend we went to Chattanooga, Tennessee and spent the day sightseeing.

The Incline!

After our little trip up and down the mountain, we headed over to “Rock City.” It is different and then again it’s a lot like I remembered. As you walked through the garden areas, there is beautiful flowers, (I was in heaven!) and plants everywhere!

There are paths to follow and rock formations to view and maneuver around. This one is called The Needle’s Eye and it was very narrow! My claustrophobia kicked in when I stepped in there! To see what a tight fit, here’s Big D walking through…..

The Needle’s Eye

Being a rather “busty” woman I was kind of concerned going through there! You have to kind of maneuver, but I made it!

One of the things I did remember as a kid is the swinging bridge. I have a picture somewhere, but I can’t find right now to prove it, but I did cross it back then, but I didn’t this time! I will be honest and say, I’m a chicken! I chose the stable, sturdy, non-rocking stone bridge! Big D and Bubba crossed over on the swinging bridge though and I have proof!

The Swinging Bridge

They maybe smiling in the picture but when they got off they both looked a little green! Apparently there was a little too much swinging on the bridge for them! It was quite amusing, for me that is.

Walking around Rock City and standing a “Lovers Leap” looking out over the beautiful panoramic view it was very reminiscent of when I was a kid. I remember doing the same thing many years ago.

Friendly Gnome Band

Fairies!!

This was not only a very pleasant day with my two favorite men (Miss Priss is in Myrtle Beach this week), but it was also a trip down memory lane. Sure it wasn’t as “grand” as I remembered but it sure was fun! Stayed tuned, you’ll hear about the rest of our adventures later in the week!

Happy Monday!

I love shoes and handbags, I mean I really love them!! It’s almost called an obsession….well, that is what my husband calls it anyhow. I call it love.

This love started with my very first job, I was a shoe sales girl! Talk about the perfect job for a shoeaholic. I wasn’t even sixteen yet when I interviewed for the job, but I won over the manager with my charm and he hired me. The shoe store was actually two stores in one, they shared the stock room, but were two separate stores. One was a higher price store that carried name brand shoes and the other was more lower priced. I loved working the brand name store, because the commission was so much better! I was pretty good at selling shoes, but I spent most of my paycheck on guess what? Shoes and handbags! You name it, I had every color shoe – red ones, black ones, white ones, pink ones, spectators pumps, do I need to go on? Because I can you know. The higher the heel the better back then…nowadays, I wish I could wear those heels again! It’s tough getting older, but shoot I will always have a great handbag to make up for it!

My love for shoes and handbags has continued, though my taste has matured. So I may not be able to wear the 4 inch heels that I once wore, but now I can afford the designer bags. So things even out, don’t they? And now when I shop for shoes, I am very nice to the salesperson, because I have been there, done that. It’s was my first job and one that fed my addiction!

And always remember, if you are having a bad day go shoe shopping!

This one year we drove through the Smokie’s and ended up in a horrible traffic jam, one that was miles and miles long. Traffic was at a dead stop and everyone was out of their vehicles trying to find out what was going on. The answer we came to find out was, a man had been so interested in the black bear he saw by the picnic tables by one of the road side picnic areas, he decided to try to feed it. Big mistake! The bear attacked the man. This was the hold up, emergency vehicles were having to make their way up the mountain to the man.

Now the weird twist to this story is that the very same year, and the very same traffic jam there was a young man and his family, whom I had never met, traveling through the Smokey Mountains on their way home from the same church function we had just attended. That young man would end up one day being my husband.

We were talking one day about the Smokies and our experiences and started comparing notes….we found out that we were there at the same time, stuck in the same traffic jam, on the same day. Tell we weren’t meant to be together!!

*Updated due to questions* I have no idea the extent of the attack to the man nor his injuries, I also did not I see the bear that attacked him. However, I have seen bears in the Smokies. Seeing that this happened in the 70′s, and I was a youngster, all the details are not very clear. But one thing is clear…Never Feed The Bears!

When Bubba was around three, he went to stay with his poppy and nanny who lived in the country. He loved it there, because they spoiled him rotten and it was the country where little boys could be anything they wanted and Bubba wanted to be a cowboy! His poppy and nanny had just built their house and had a truck load of dirt brought in for something or other, I never knew why they had dirt brought in….I seem to remember seeing lots of dirt there! But to a three year old, it was heaven.

This one day nanny was inside watching Bubba play with his trucks on the dirt hill from the window. She recalls he was really getting into his role as master of the trucks that day, directing them up and down the hill, loading and unloading dirt. Of course, he was covered in dirt himself, his clothes just filthy, but that was ok, as they say boys will be boys!

So nanny went on with cooking dinner and would check out the window periodically to see what Bubba was up too. Well…..to nana’s surprise the next time she looked out the window there was Bubba in all his glory, buck naked playing on the top of the dirt hill with his trucks! Now you have to understand, my mother-in-law is a very modest woman so this was something she definitely did not expect to see! She was also the pastor’s wife to the small church in the tiny community where they lived, plus their house was on the main road, so everyone passed their house….so I’m sure scandal was to be had, they allowed their grandbaby to play naked in the dirt! OH NO!! Actually, she thought it was hilarious and walked out to see why in the world he was naked. When asked, he answered, “Because the dirt was cool.” Honest and to the point and oh so true!

So if you ever happen to come across my son, ask him if he’s played in any dirt hills lately. Just see how fast his face turns red….it’s actually record breaking!

­ ­ ­ ­

Did I Ever Tell You About My Baby Growing Up?

Let me introduce you to Miss Priss if you are new to the “garden,” she’s our baby, well in my book she’s my baby but at just a few weeks shy of her 18th birthday, she is not liking the term baby girl. This memory is going to be a gushy one so bear with this mom….ok?

Thirteen years ago, I walked my baby girl up the sidewalk to her first day of kindergarten. I was more nervous than she was, she couldn’t wait to color, have story time, meet new friends and enter into this world that her older brother had told all about. I cried that day as I left my baby girl sitting, coloring a picture at the table with other children as I watched through the glass on the door without her seeing me. It took all I had to walk away that day and trust in God to watch over her and keep her safe because I wasn’t going to be watching over her like I had since the day she was born. It was a not only a stepping stone for Miss Priss, it was one for me too.

Miss Priss

(You see why she has the nickname don’t you?)

Watching Miss Priss grow up has been a joy and she has never caused her father or I any problems or gotten into trouble. She really is a good girl. As she has gotten older we have developed a relationship that is not only mother-daughter but also we are friends and confidantes. One of my favorite times with Miss Priss is when she comes in from being with her friends and it could be late at night but she wants to tell all about her evening and who said what and who did this or that. To me that is just a little piece of heaven, because she wants to share that part of her life with me. As she grows older our discussions have matured into more adult discussions. I feel like I am talking to an equal, she really surprises me. But then there are times she will say something goofy and yep, there’s that teenager again! I love that goofy teenager, and I’m not ready to see her disappear just yet!

So why the sentimental journey, Miss Priss graduates high school on Saturday. My baby had finished this journey of her life. I am very proud of her for accomplishing so much when it could have been difficult her when we moved from Texas to Georgia in the middle of her Junior year. But she adjusted to her new school so well and excelled. What more can parents ask for? So on Saturday, as I sit watching my baby walk across the stage and receive her diploma, I will once again cry remembering that little girl sitting at the table coloring and watch in pride and amazement on how she’s blossomed into a beautiful, smart, vibriant young woman. Yes, I am extremely proud of her, can you tell?