Yellow Tears

No tennis this morning because of rain. I was disappointed, but God always knows what's best for us...I truly needed those extra hours for all I wanted to do today.

George and I headed out for bagels. I called and was able to move my eye doctor appointment up from the afternoon to the morning so I could only have to get out once. Great news!!! The tear duct plugs she put in recently were still in and my dry eyes have improved considerably! She did some test where she put yellow drops in my eyes. By the time I got to the car and looked, it was scary. I looked like a wolf....very yellow eyes.

George and I stopped by to say one more goodbye to Bob and Jennifer. So hard to say goodbye to such good friends. Yellow tears streaked down my cheeks as we drove away. I'm gonna miss them both in so many ways, but especially Jennifer's hugs. She gives the best hugs and always knows when I need one.

Thanks goodness, I had a busy day ahead. We stopped by the storage unit and picked up our Christmas decorations...it took two trips! The rest of the day (literally) was spent beginning to decorate and wrap. I love it when it's finished, but Lord this is hard work!

Goodbye Bob and Jennifer!

Our friends, Bob and Jennifer, will be moving to Atlanta in the morning. We met them, along with Jack and Linda, for barbecue tonight. We're definitely going to miss them! What good, good friends! Kinda sad tonight!

Home again - energized

Mom cooked another big breakfast...scrambled eggs, bacon and biscuits. Spoiled again!

Bree left at the same time we did...around 8AM our time. Rainy, yucky day, but we all got home safe. It's good to be home. I spent my time in the car making lists of things I needed/wanted to do this week, including planning a party Saturday night for my tennis buddies, decorating for Christmas and wrapping, wrapping, wrapping all the gifts we've bought! It's gonna be a busy week but I feel energized and ready!!!!!!

Going out to dinner later with Bob and Jennifer and Jack and Linda.

Shopping and Harry Potter

Mom made us french toast for breakfast....yummy....amazing how something so simple can make you feel so good!

Bree, George and I headed out to do some Christmas shopping and lunch. Afterwards, we went to see Harry Potter....our tradition with Bree every year when we're together for Thanksgiving. Karen and Rusty showed up too so we all sat together.

Mom made my favorite meal for dinner - pork chops, rice with tomato gravy, peas and rolls. She spoils me!

Joint Birthday Party

A fun day at Landon and Kaley Grace's joint party. Kaley Grace recently turned four and Landon will turn six on December 7th. They were so cute and excited about the party. Sydney Anne was good too and didn't try to "steal the show". It's so much fun to see them interact with each other.

Afterwards, Mom and Sherry, Bree, George and I stayed for awhile to visit and play games and then we all went to Longhorn's for dinner before we had to drive back to Columbus.

These last two days have been so nice...surrounded by family...I'm a lucky girl!

Thanksgiving 2005

Woke up to the smell of turkey and dressing. Mom was already in the kitchen cooking dressing, squash casserole and green beans. Yummy!

Once we were dressed and the cars loaded, we headed to Karen and Rusty's. Appetizers started around 11:00 and we had lunch around 1:30. What a crowd...I think there was 38 of us!:

Karen, Rusty, Jarred, Jason, Jamie, Cameron and Mason
Mom and Sherry
Bree, Me and George
Eric, Angela, Landon, Kaley Grace, Sydney Anne
George, Jan, Dalton, Carson, Karrigan
Kim, Mike, Kristin, Elizabeth, Zac
Kim F., Amanda, Brandon, Trinity, Mike's daughter and Amanda's boyfriend (Brittany was out of town with her boyfriend)
Pete came just for awhile (Diane couldn't leave her Mom)
Angie, Terry, Trent
Theresa

Good food, lots of laughs, kids running everywhere!

Afterwards, George and I drove to Atlanta to spend the night at Eric's so we could help with the party tomorrow.

A good day!

In Columbus for Thanksgiving

Got everything loaded and left for Columbus around noon. We had a nice trip and arrived at Mom's shortly before Bree. So good to see her! Wow...amazing how good it feels! Mom too. We went out for pizza with Karen and Rusty and Theresa. Afterwards, Bree and George went downtown to see Zac and his band perform at The Loft. I stayed at Mom's and helped her put up her Christmas tree. They said it was amazing how much the band had improved. Wish I could have gone too, but I'm glad I was able to get Mom's tree up. I put my turkey breasts in the slow cooker just before going to bed.

Busy before our trip

Tennis, lunch, stopped to visit with Carol (she's doing great), manicure, grocery shopping, packing, laundry, dinner. A full, busy day before we leave tomorrow for our Thanksgiving trip. I'm pumped about getting to be with my family, especialy Bree. Seems like I haven't seen her in so long.

Lucky Me

I got a phone call late last night that my friend, Carol, was taken to the hospital after collapsing at Jeanette's house. It turned out she had food poisoning...an extreme case. Scary since she lives alone. Thank goodness she was around others when it happened. Jeanette's husband even did CPR! Lucky me because she invited George and I to go to lunch on Sunday after church with her and another friend. We didn't since we had other plans. Wow...knowing me, I would have ordered the same thing she did and I would have been in the hospital with her. Carol was released and is home now. I talked with her later in the afternoon and she sounded pretty good.

Since it was a rainy day and both of us didn't have tennis, George and I headed to Pensacola to do some Christmas shopping. We had alot of success and it was fun spending the day together.

A Rainy Sunday

George and I had breakfast at The Diner on the way to church. Church was awesome. We planned to do our walk after church, but the rain started so we came home. I ended up curled up in my reading chair and eventually took a good nap. So nice sometimes to nap in the afternoon. I went to Target tonight and did a little more Christmas shopping. Wow...even with the list in hand, it's not easy finding toys these days. So much out there. With no Toys R Us here, it's kinda hard. But...Aunt Bree to the rescue...she going to look around tomorrow for some hard to find items. Since it's still raining tonight, I doubt either one of us will have tennis tomorrow so George and I might just take a trip tomorrow to Pensacola or Fort Walton to shop some more.

Fun Night with Nikki and Jamie

A beautiful day. One of the girls couldn't play this morning so George played with us. We had fun...lots of laughs. Afterwards, we all went to Jim & Nicks for barbecue and then George and I took a long walk around Sandestin. He came home to watch football and I went Christmas shopping. Kinda exciting to get some of it behind me. I love shopping for the grandchildren. Tonight we went out to dinner with Bree's friends, Nikki and Jamie, who were here for a long weekend. What a cute, fun couple! Wish Bree was here too. She's actualy in Memphis visiting Becky. I'm looking forward to church in the morning. Heading to bed now to read a little bit. Looking forward to that too!

A long day

Got up at 5:15 since I went to bed so early last night. Started wrapping some Christmas gifts and before I knew it, it was time for breakfast. No tennis today so I made a big breakfast. Nice sometimes. Went shopping and then met my friend, Donna, for lunch. It's the first time I've seen her since Jeremiah's funeral. So good to spend some quality time with her. Tonight we had dinner at The Summerhouse with our friends, Richie and Karen, from Atlanta. A nice day, but I'm ready for bed early again.

Sleepy

Definitely cold this morning, but we played tennis...real women! Afterwards, did a little Christmas shopping and bought my pansies for the balcony. Came home and got them planted. Wow, the ocean was gorgeous and the air was crisp. Felt great to be outside with my hands in the dirt. Kinda hard to pull out my begonias though since they still looked so good, but I needed the pots and I knew they wouldn't last much longer anyway since we're having some close to freezing temps at night. Made spagetti for dinner. Took a nice warm bath. Sleepy now and ready for bed early.

Talking at Starbucks

The tennis courts were just too wet for us to play today, so the four of us girls decided to go have coffee at Starbucks. Two and a half hours later, we were still sitting there talking! Amazing how fast the time flew. I'm really enjoying my tennis buddies.

Tonight John and Tania and George and I went over to Bob and Jennifer's to see the handpainted stools she recently finished. Wow! After drinks, the six of us went to Outback for dinner. A fun night. Got home in time to watch "Invansion" and did some laundry and wrapped some Christmas gifts.

Brrrrrrrrrrr...it's getting cold. Finally feeling like fall/winter. I love it. Probably won't in the morning when we try to play tennis in it though.

Getting into the Christmas Spirit

I woke up feeling better. We were able to play two sets of tennis before the rain came. Drove home wet even though it didn't even rain where we live...so weird. I guess it was because I was feeling better, but I jumped right into the Christmas spirit. I showered and changed and then got my list of stocking stuffers I've bought so far and headed out the door to shop for more. I've asked all the kids for their wishlist for the grandkids, so hopefully I'll get alot done early once I hear from them. George and I went out for pizza and salad and wine tonight...yummy. A good day.

Monday

Still not feeling good. My upper stomach hurts and I can feel it in my back too. I played tennis, but was glad when it was finally over. I called my GYN doctor's office and they called back and said my symptoms sound like it might be my gall bladder, so they have scheduled me an ultra sound this Saturday afternoon. I have to drink 32 ounces of water right before the test without going to the bathroom...yuk! She also wants me to go see my primary care physician as soon as I can. I called his office this afternoon, but only got a recording. Hopefully, I'll get in to see them tomorrow.

Feeling Yucky

Still loving our new church! George and I took clothes to change into afterwards so we could do lunch, get in a walk and then do a little Christmas shopping. Didn't get to walk though since it looked like rain (never did though). Haven't felt good for a few days now...stomach and back ache. Came home and took a nap. Didn't accomplish much tonight...just feeling yucky. I think I'll call my doctor tomorrow and try to make an appointment. Too much to do to be sick!

A Day With Beth

Beth's last day here....boo hoo! She has to leave early in the morning. We had a great day though. It was gorgeous weather, so I put the top down and we drove to Seaside and Grayton to shop, explore and have lunch. Lots of fun. George wanted to watch football and "gel" all day so he told us to do our thing. We decided to stay in tonight and watch a movie...a really good one - "Crash"...wow, really makes you think about "stuff". We picked up shrimp salad and fruit salad for dinner. I'm so glad Beth is feeling good and we've had a good visit.

First Day Home Always Busy

Left home at 7:30 and didn't get home until 5:00...tennis, lunch, carwash, eye doctor appt. (she put puntal plugs in my tear ducts trying to help with the extreme dry eyes), manicure, pedicure, grocery store. Hurried in the door and quickly showered and dressed for a party tonight. Fun, but we didn't stay long. Afterwards spent some time with Beth at Starbucks. Exhausted so I'm off to bed!

Home again!

Home tonight...tired...long day. Drove from Keowee Key to Atlanta and had lunch with Jack and Linda. So nice to see them and catch up a little. Did some shopping at Northpoint Mall. Driving home seemed to take forever. Beth is here through Sunday, so she met us at The Cracker Barrel for dinner. Ready for bed now!

Last Day

We really cheated and had breakfast in - huge cinnamon rolls I bought last night at Ingle's Bakery...so yummy. Then, we took the walk around the Keowee Key walking trail trying to walk them off! We drove into Ensley to meet with the interior decorators who did the model home at The Reserve. Two very nice ladies. Ensley is very close to Greenville so we drove there for lunch and walked all along Main Street. It was a beautiful fall day...just perfect for strolling and exploring. Afterwards, we stopped in Anderson...not too impressive. We came back to the cottage at Keowee Key to rest up and then went to the Keowee Key Country Club for dinner. I'm so thankful George likes to explore just like me. Another nice day. Leaving tomorrow for home. Planning to stop in Atlanta for lunch with Jack and Linda.

Fun with Cousin Joyce

Two pics from the walking trail in Keowee Key - beautiful!

Me and My "Cuz" Joyce

Another good day. Slept late and then went to breakfast at a small "hole in the wall" concrete building restaurant called Mountain View. The best big breakfast and cheap too! We then went to The Reserve and checked out our new property. They have begun clearing the lot...exciting. We ate lunch with David, our sales person, and had a nice visit. We shopped around RamCat Alley in Seneca and then returned to Keowee Key. We did our 3 mile walk on the walk along the shoreline enjoying the beautiful show of leaves! Tonight we met my cousin, Joyce, and her son, Jeff, for dinner in Clemson at Pixie and Bills. Good steaks! It was so nice getting to spend time with them.

Trip to Mountains in South Carolina

Leaves in South Carolina...we picked the perfect time to see them!

Believe it or not...our meal for the 2 of us at the Dillard House in Dillard, GA!

It was hard leaving the kids, but at least we had some snuggle time before breakfast. We left around 9:30 or so and began our adventure. We drove from Atlanta to Dillard, Ga and ate at the famous Dillard House. Unbelievable food and LOTS of it. (see photo for proof) You don't order anything but your drink. They just start bringing the food...so much it's a sin! We had fried chicken, roasted chicken, barbecue ribs, ham, salisbury steak, lima beans, green beans, cream corn, squash casserole, cabbage casserole, baked apple, fried green tomatoes, coleslaw, apple/walnut salad, potato salad, corn bread, rolls, biscuits and then blackberry cobbler with vanilla ice cream for dessert! Our bill was $37.00 for the two of us. They offer take-out boxes for the leftovers too. Yum Yum. We then drove to Highlands, North Carolina...what a charming little town! Then to Cashiers, North Carolina...cute, but not the same as Highlands. The drive EVERYWHERE was absolutely gorgeous...our timing for seeing the leaves was perfect. What a show! We arrived in Keowee Key in Salem, South Carolina around 6PM and unloaded the car and then went into Seneca for dinner. A very nice day. Our tummies are full and our hearts are happy.

Things I'm Thankful For Today

Two serious wrestlers against Granddad while sister watches TV

Today I feel thankful for:

Hugs from my grandson when I tell him I need some loving.

Watching the leaves fall outside the window as I'm snuggling on the couch with 3 little people.

A small Baby Ruth candy bar taken out of someone's Halloween bag. Yum!

A good, long, warm shower as I hear the 3 little people laugh and play with Granddad.

Getting to be the official referee for the wrestling match with Granddad. I got to make the bell noises and introduce the wrestlers. A very important job.

Listening as my grandson reads a book to me....a new and exciting experience. I'm impressed and overwhelmed with love as I watch him in action.

Reading chapters from my own book curled up on the couch during "quiet time".

Turtle ice cream.

Eric and Angela's safe trip home.

Getting to share in their bedtime ritual of "thankfuls", prayers and a family group hug.

A FULL DAY

Today we got to go to Landon's soccer game. It was lots of fun. Landon scored two goals. His team won 5 to 2. His games only last about 20 minutes. Short, but cute and fun to watch.

We came home and played awhile and also watched some old Popeye the Sailor cartoons. I think the kids loved them as much as George and I used to. Fun to see them again.

Memaw and Aunt Sherry came over after lunch and played and visited with us all. So good to have them here. The kids love their visits.

After a quick dinner of hot dogs and mac and cheese, we all took baths and did some serious snuggling.

I love being a MeMe!

Tired, but oh so happy!

Three tired little people!
Landon was the second one asleep, but the first to wake.
Sydney Anne was the first to fall asleep and the second to wake up.
Kaley Grace was the last to fall asleep and the last one awake. Woke up grumpy until I reminded her we were getting ice cream after dinner!


I'm the only one still up. I'm tired, but oh so happy! We had a wonderful day of playing with Landon, Kaley Grace and Sydney. We drove to Alpharetta this afternoon to meet up with George and Jan and the kids for dinner. All three kids fell asleep on the way.......I think we all wore each other out playing today. They were so cute sleeping in their carseats on the way. We had a good (but crazy, loud and chaotic) pizza dinner and then went to another place for ice cream afterwards. Landon, Kaley Grace and Sydney were so excited to see their coursins, Dalton, Carson and Karrigan. It makes me happy to see them all together and they are really fun to watch. Coming back home, all three fell asleep again! A busy, but definitely fun day.

Heading to Atlanta and then Lake Keowee

A beautiful day. Shirley and Laura Jane were here from Florence, AL and we had a wonderful tennis match along with Jo. Had to pack for our trip to Atlanta to keep the grandkids for the weekend and then we're heading to Lake Keowee on Monday. Looking forward to seeing the fall leaves. Can't wait to see the grandchildren!

Busy, Busy Always

I'm exhausted. Too busy lately. Our friends, Rudy and Sharon, are here visiting so we've been out every night. Lots of fun, but I'm tired. I'm still playing tennis every morning and trying to keep up with the chores, errands, etc. We're leaving tomorrow for Atlanta to keep the grandchildren so I'm excited. Need to pack though. After Atlanta, we're going to Lake Keowee to explore. Busy, busy!