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!

I love Sundays

It seems like Sundays are always beautiful and today it certainly was. I remember when George still worked and had to fly out on business for the week and he always hated to leave on Sundays. He said it was the best day of the week...he was/is right. Today was cool in the morning, but not too cool. Just right! We put the top down on the convertible to drive to church and was in awe of the day. Church was special again...we're so thankful for our new church home. We went to lunch with friends and ate out on the balcony where we had a view of the ocean and the sun on our face....so nice. Tonight was the anniversary party for our favorite Italian restaurant...yummy food, good music and seeing friends. A truly memorable day...and I didn't take one picture. Unbelievable!

A really good marriage

Really appreciating my marriage lately...it's always been very good, but sometimes you just appreciate it more than others. I'm a lucky girl...my husband is not just my husband, but my bestest friend. He makes me truly happy. I'm very thankful.

Every Single Day Is Precious

George and I attended the funeral today of the 18 year old son of our friend, Donna. What a tragedy! As I sat there and listened to many speakers tell great stories of Jeremiah's short life and of how he lived every day to the fullest, it made me realize and appreciate just how precious every single day is! We never know when the final day will be for any of us so we must enjoy and appreciate every moment, love one another and tell our love ones we do, and live our lives so that God will be honored.

WE'VE BOUGHT A HOUSE!

The Front Porch
Back Porches and Pool
View from the street.

Side path from backyard to front yard.

We bought a house! George has wanted to move off the beach since we've been bombarded with hurricanes - Ivan, Dennis, Rita and Katrina (not to mention the tropical storms which do damage too)…..AND the experts predict more and more for the next 10 years. It's been overwhelming to us to deal with the aftermath each and every time, not to mention the stress of evacuating and living here with the mess waiting for renovations. It's taken me 4 hurricanes and several tropical storms to finally accept the facts! But, finally I've been convinced and we've talked about listing The Martinique and Color Me Happy for sale sometime next Spring. My only problem was I didn't know exactly where I wanted to go if I couldn't be on the beach??!! Well, God has a hand in our plans always and provided an answer! A house that I have always loved came available. The neighborhood is darling. All the houses look like Florida cottages and are clapboard with tin roofs and are painted colorfully and have white picket fences out front and around back. I feel good about our decision. I can see myself living there. Lots of changes in my life though...kinda scary, but exciting!

A Church Home - Finally

I'm feeling truly happy and blessed tonight. After such a long, long time, we've found a new church "home". George and I have been trying out churches off and on since we moved here and nothing felt right to us. I mentioned this to a friend this week and she invited us to hers. Wow...you know how you just know something sometimes....it just feels right? Well, I know in my heart that I'm "home" in this small seaside chapel! I literally cried during church today overwhelmed with such joy to be "home". Thank you God!

Looking for a home???

I heard about a house for sale near the tennis courts and told George yesterday. We went today and looked and really liked it. Feels kinda weird looking at houses. I don't want to move, but these hurricanes are coming way too often. I guess we'll be listing ours for sale in early Spring, so looking now while it's off season makes sense. We'll see. It just feels weird. It needs some work, but we have plenty of time to get things done before we even sell ours. We're going back tomorrow after church and will see if we feel the same way.

Tonight was fun. We took Julie and Steve and their friends, Donna and Jean, to O Sole Mio. The entertainer was there, which is always so much fun. The food was so yummy and we all danced and had a wonderful evening. A beautiful sunset too!

Bad then Wonderful!

Had a terrible day at tennis this morning. One of our players is playing terribly lately...makes it no fun. I can't concentrate at all and it makes me c-r-a-z-y!!!! Not fun!

BUT, my sweet George bought me a new car this afternoon. Awesome. I'm not a car person, but he is, so he's always "kicking tires". He spoils me! Drives like a dream.

Lucky I didn't break my neck!

I fell last night in the parking lot...my ankle turned in my flip flops and down I went. My purse, jacket, keys, tennis shoes (everything I was holding) went flying out of my hands. It scared me pretty bad. I was very lucky...no major scrapes and so far no bruises, but boy am I sore. All over. Amazing! Guess I twisted and turned in a weird way to help protect myself. Couldn't sleep well last night and tonight I'm even more sore. Glad my bones are strong!

Another nice day though. Played tennis with 2 of my regular tennis friends and a new girl I just met at the tennis tournament this weekend. Jo is a really nice person and plays really well. It's fun to make new friends...keeps life so interesting! It was a fantastic match and a beautiful day to play. I love, love, love this time of the year!

My coursin, Julie, and her husband and their friends arrived today from Minnesota and will be spending the week. So nice to see them. We had a nice afternoon on the beach. The water is really churning though...I guess due to Hurricane Wilma although it looks like we've lucked out and it won't be coming here. Yippee!!

I cooked a big pot of homemade chicken and brown rice soup tonight. Yummy and sooooooo comforting. What is it about soup that feels so good?

A Heavy Heart

I had a wonderful day...tennis in the morning and then George and I walked down the beach to visit our friends, Bob and Jennifer, and then dinner tonight at Outback. Yummy. Feeling good since I was able to stick to my low carb diet all day. Even managed a 50 minute walk on the treadmill. A really nice day.

But, tonight my heart is heavy. One of my tennis friends e-mailed me tonight. Her husband was diagnosed recently with inoperable liver cancer. They went to St. Louis for a meeting with a specialist. In her e-mail tonight, she said their news wasn't good and her husband has decided not to seek further treatment, but to come home and call Hospice. I pray that God will lead me in the best way to help her. I cannot put myself in her shoes...I hope I will never face this horror...but I want to be able to help. My prayer tonight is that I will find a way.

Lunch with the girls

Judy, Marie, Rita and Me - Lunch at Rita's

My friend, Rita, is so good about getting a group of us together from time to time to have lunch at her house. She makes it look so easy. Today there were only the 4 of us for various reasons, but it sure was nice. We started at 12:30 and didn't stop talking until 3:30! The time flew by. What a great group of girls. Good food too.

PARADISE IN OCTOBER

Oh my goodness! Today is paradise in Paradise! Absolutely wonderful! I played tennis, then ate lunch outside, and I plan to walk on the beach this afternoon. Unbelievable Day!

GRANDCHILDREN

Don't know why, but today I'm really missing all my grandchildren. It's so hard living away from them. Each one is special to me in their own way. I love them all and sure wish I could see them today!

Smart Aces - Not a Good Day

Jennifer, Susan, Mary, Laura Jane, Jo and me 10-14-05
My partner and I lost both matches today. The first match was a bad situation since one of our opponents was a real ringer! She should not have been playing in this tournament and neither one of them was nice on or off the court. The second match was much more fun. They were very nice and nice players too. Our team made it to the finals for tomorrow (top 8 teams), but since the team we played in the second match today hasn't lost even one match, tomorrow would be just a "wash" for everyone. We all decided not to play since there is no way we could win. Maybe next time. A fun tournament though.

Smart Aces Win! Theresa Has A Birthday!

Theresa's 44th Birthday

Theresa's birthday...drinks on the balcony at sunset then dinner at Jim and Nicks's. Afterwards went to Theo's Pizza Pub to listen to Lou and Nora. Fun!


SMART ACES WIN!

Yippee! First day of the tournament was fun and exciting. My partner, Laura Jane, and I won both matches today! The first one was kinda easy. The second one was on hard court and we had to fight for it. Won in the third set. Whew! Our team won all matches....we're tied for first so far. Gotta play twice again tomorrow.

Busy, Busy

Tennis this morning. Perfect day! Love this weather.

Kim arrived this morning, so she and Theresa were on the beach by the time I finished tennis and then picked up Chick Filet for all of us for lunch and joined them on the beach. Absolutely perfect beach day! So peaceful.

We had drinks on the balcony with George this evening (after his golf today) and then went to O Sole Mio for dinner. Yum!

A busy, but "oh so nice" day.

My tennis tournament begins tomorrow ...gotta play twice both tomorrow and Saturday and once on Sunday if we're in the running. The morning matches won't be bad (9AM), but just thinking about playing at 2PM makes me nervous (the heat, the heat!). My team is called "Smart Aces"...hope we won't be smart asses about winning or losing!

Gotta get to bed soon!

Theresa's Visit

Yeah! Theresa arrived today. We had a wonderful time sitting on the beach and we took a good walk down to the jetties. So nice being able to catch up. Tonight we had drinks on the balcony and went out for pizza.

I'M THANKFUL

10/11/05 Dewey Destin Seafood

I'm thankful today for:

A gorgeous, cool morning of tennis with 3 good friends...a good match too.
Lunch with 3 different friends...an excellent "Hawaiian Salad"...very yummy.
A good walk on the treadmill.
Boating and drinks and good music around the harbor with John and Tania and Bob and Jennifer...perfect boating conditions.
Dinner by boat to Dewey Destin Seafood.
A safe trip home in the dark.
Coffee and dessert back on our balcony.
A husband that still like to pinch my butt!.... A wonderful and healthy marriage.
My children and their spouses and our grandchildren.
Friends and family.
My health.
Realizing that I'm a very lucky girl and that I never take any of it for granted.

KINDA FUN

Found this...kinda fun : www.blogthings.com/whatdoesyourbirthdatemeanquiz

Here's what I found for my birthday:

Your Birthdate: September 24
Born on the 24th, you have a greater capacity for responsibility and helping others than your may have realized. You may also become the mediator and peacemaker in inharmonious situations. Devoted to family, you tend to manage and protect. This birth date adds to the emotional nature and perhaps to the sensitivities. Affections are important to you; both the giving and the receiving.

A CONVERTIBLE DAY

I'm a lucky girl! A wonderful day...sunny, a little cooler...perfect for my convertible. This is one of my favorite times of the year...Spring too. Tennis this morning was awesome. We all kept thinking how lucky we were to be out there. Perfect! I told "G" tonight that we really need to take the boat out tomorrow afternoon. It won't be long before boating will be over for the year. I don't take these times for granted. God is so good to me.

Seafood Festival

A nice Sunday. "G" and I met John and Tania and Bob and Jennifer at The Seafood Festival. A beautiful, sunny day! We all walked around and looked at all the booths and had lunch, even splurged and had a yummy funnel cake. Nothing special really, but I feel lucky to spend a nice afternoon with friends.

A GREAT MOVIE

"G" and I went to see FLIGHTPLAN with Jodie Foster tonight. A great movie! Jodie Foster is an unbelievable actress.

Missing "B Bear"

Me and "B Bear" in July 2005

I'm missing my "B Bear" today... a whole bunch! Just chatting on the phone isn't enough some days...I want to be with her...I need her hugs.

There's No Place Like Home

We came home a few days earlier than planned since "G" came down with a nasty cold and a weather front came through and they predicted lots and lots of rain for days. We drove home in rain the whole way. Yuk! We're both glad to be home though. There truly is "no place like home".

Ready for a hot bath, my book (I'm enjoying the Mitford series by Jan Karon and I'm on the third book), and then my own bed. Dreamy.

Back to The Reserve At Lake Keowee

Taken on the lawn of The Reserve Clubhouse
Taken standing in front of our lot!

After breakfast, we left Chattanooga and headed to The Reserve at Lake Keowee where we've bought a lot and will build soon. What a beautiful and peaceful spot. Bob and Jennifer got there a few days before we did. A fun day exploring and celebrating. We found a great place in Seneca for dinner.

I'm in awe of the blessings I have!

Dentist then Chattanooga

"G" and I both got good reports from our dentist after our annual cleaning. Yippee! Glad that's over with. Dr. "C" isn't just our dentist...he's a good friend. It was great getting to see him and hear how his family is doing. His girls are growing up!

After lunch in Nashville, we drove to Chattanooga to spend one night with Rudy and Sharon. We had a wonderful visit. I hate that we don't get to see them as often as we would like to, but it's so nice to have friends that you can pick right up where you left off last time you saw each other. Good, true friends! They took us to a great restaurant downtown. Sharon and I even had time to play Mexican Train dominos after we got back home.

I FEEL BLESSED

It was an awesome day! It was wonderful getting to have breakfast and dinner with Beth and lunch with Bethany. They both looked great and we talked fast and furious catching up! Too little time though...never enough. I drove around Bellmeade and Green Hills alot today and enjoyed revisiting all my old haunts. Amazing how little has changed...even found that alot of the employees at my favorite places are still the same....and they remembered us! We left over 6 years ago! I did some fall/winter shopping and actually had some luck.

My tummy is full and my heart feels blessed after today, so I'll go to bed with a smile on my face!

Nashville - feels like home!

Just got back from having breakfast with Beth at The Pancake Pantry....yum! Gonna meet Bethany for lunch at The Green Hill Grill....another fav of mine. "G"s meeting some of his friends all day too, then we're both having dinner with Beth tonight at PF Chang's...another yum!

I rode around this morning...went past our old house on Golf Club and went by Whitworth, but couldn't get in since I don't know the code for the gate. Amazing how great it feels to be back and how everything comes back to me so naturally. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Nashville. What a great city. I think it's a great place to live and raise children. So glad we lived here when "B" was growing up. A good size city...not too small and not to big...just right (I sound like The 3 Little Bears!). I wish the leaves were changing though... my favorite time of the year here. Well, almost...I love the springtime too. Nashville just feels like home, more than Atlanta ever did.

Nashville!

We stopped in Birmingham at the mall to have lunch and break up the trip and shopped for about an hour. The trip was pretty easy. We arrived in Nashville in time to have dinner at one of our favorite places and then went to Beth's. She looks so good...unbelievable that she was soooo sick not too long ago. It's the best I've seen her since she first found out she had MS. Makes me happy. She actually is letting me use one of her cars since "G" will need ours tomorrow. We're both going in different directions seeing friends for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I love Nashville and it's great to be here. Busy schedule, but alot of fun since we're seeing so many friends.

Five Finger Prayer

Finished packing and was checking e-mail tonight before getting into bed and saying my prayers. I received the neatest e-mail from my friend, Marie. I had never heard this before...This is beautiful - and it is surely worth making the 5 finger prayer a part of our lives.

5 Finger Prayer:
1. Your thumb is nearest you. So begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you. They are the easiest to remember. To pray for our loved ones is, as C. S. Lewis once said, a "sweet duty."
2. The next finger is the pointing finger. Pray for those who teach, instruct and heal. This includes teachers, doctors, and ministers. They need support and wisdom in pointing others in the right direction. Keep them in your prayers.
3. The next finger is the tallest finger. It reminds us of our leaders. Pray for the president, leaders in business and industry, and administrators. These people shape our nation and guide public opinion. They need God's guidance.
4. The fourth finger is our ring finger. Surprising to many is the fact that this is our weakest finger; as any piano teacher will testify. It should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain. They need your prayers day and night. You cannot pray too much for them. 5. And lastly comes our little finger; the smallest finger of all which is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others. As the Bible says, "The least shall be the greatest among you." Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself. By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively.

I Don't Like Packing!

Spent the day getting ready for our trip. I sure don't like packing! It's hard packing for one week, so I can't even imagine how I'll do it for a three week trip in January for Austrailia/New Zealand.

Talked to Bethany in Nashville about seeing her while we're there. She was soooooo excited and we've plan to meet for lunch. Can't wait to see her.

Talked to Sharon about seeing her in Chattanooga and she sounded excited too. She and Rudy want to show us all around downtown since lots has changed since we were last there. Always fun to see them.

I'll get to see Beth again and Bob and Jennifer are meeting us at Lake Keowee! Lots to be thankful for!

Now I'm excited about the trip too! Back to packing.................ugh!

OH MY!

Instead of "Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!", seems like this summer's theme will be "Sharks and Hurricanes and Red Tide, Oh My!". So glad we're on the down side of hurricane season and there's been no more shark attacks. Red Tide started a few days ago though. No fun. Everyone started coughing as soon as you stepped outside anytime you were near the beach!

We're taking a trip next week to Nashville (dentist appts. and get to see Beth again), then on to Chattanooga to see friends there, and then on to The Reserve on Lake Keowee. "J" and "B" will be there too. Look forward to being in areas where it will be a little cooler. "G" and I decided to go shopping this afternoon to start looking at fall clothes. Getting excited about fall and winter.

Wonderful News!

Wonderful news! Got my pathology report back from the dermatologist...the spot on my face was nothing to worry about. Yippee! My prayers were answered!

We're So Bad!

Drinking Margaritas! Yum!
Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls!

Beth and I did our usual...and it was wonderful to be able to. We drove to Pensacola to go to our favorite Mexican restaurant for frozen margaritas, cheese dip, salsa and chips AND then Cinnabon afterwards at the mall. Perfect for my low carb diet! What I won't do for a friend! The mall is right there at the Mexican restaurant, so we didn't have to drive anywhere until the margaritas wore off! Love having her here and feeling so good. (the patch on her arm is her pain patch)
Tonight George took us to O Sole Mio for Beth's last night in town. Sure gonna miss her, but I'll be ready to get back to my diet!

Thai with Friends

Beth and I met my movie group (Jennifer, Tania, Lois and Pauline) for Thai tonight. So good! Lots of fun!

Back to tennis! Yippee!

Got to play tennis today for the first time since before I got sick. Soooooo wonderful to be back on the court! I actually stayed at the club and walked on the treadmill for 30 minutes afterwards.

Beth and I went to see "Just Like Heaven" this afternoon. Good, but syrpy sweet...almost too sweet. I think this was made from a book I read and enjoyed called "If Only It Were True". I liked the book better.

Back to Wearing Silly Hats

(this photo was taken a few years ago when I was good about wearing my hats)

Went to dermatologist this morning to get refills on a prescription ok'd and to have her check a red spot on my cheek. She wasn't worried about that spot, but found another tiny pimple type spot she decided to biopsy. Now I'm walking around with a circle band-aid on my face! I'll get the results in a week. I've gotten lax about wearing my silly hats on the beach and boat this summer...no more!

Doing good back on South Beach...lost a little over a pound yesterday! Yippee!

Beth arrived last night. So glad she's here! Her 3 week hospital stay had me concerned, so it's nice to see her myself. She tires easily and is still puffy, but I'll be sure she gets plenty of rest while she's here. It rained buckets ALL morning...really until almost 4PM. We went out to lunch but then I took her back to CMH for an afternoon of rest. Hopefully, we'll get in some beach time tomorrow.

Australia and New Zealand

My sweet "G" has planned a trip of a lifetime to Australia and New Zealand. We leave January 9th. A three week trip. Wow...can't wait!

I started back on South Beach today...want to be ready and in shape when we leave in January.

FIRST DAY OF SOCCER

"L" had his first day of soccer yesterday. He got his first goal too! Wish I could have been there.

CELEBRATING WITH GOOD FRIENDS!

The end to a perfect birthday. We had a wonderful evening with our good friends, "J" and "B". Good food, good wine and good conversation. Perfect!

A good meal before the challenge begins - filet mignon (cooked absolutely perfect), a bit of baked potato with sour cream, bread and butter, steamed spinach, and portabella mushrooms. Oh my! I'm full, but not stuffed! Ready to begin the "new me" tomorrow!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

Happy Birthday to Me! After being sick with a virus for weeks and weeks, it sure feels good to feel good! Hard to believe I'm 53! Unbelievable really! I can easily remember (yep, still got my memory) when 30 and 40 sounded OLD and 50 and above sounded ancient! HeHe... silly me! I now know age is only a number! You're as young as you feel and I certainly don't feel ancient! I'm so blessed to have my health and I'm surrounded by so many good friends and a wonderful family. Those are the gifts God has given me! Who needs wrapped gifts when you have gifts like I have! How lucky can one girl be?!

Now, for my new goal......A few years ago I started the low carb (South Beach) diet, cut out "real" Coke, and exercised a little more than I normally do, and I really began to see results. I've slipped back to my old ways gradually and I'm not happy with what I'm seeing happening to me (the 53 year old!), soooooooooooooooo, my new goal is to get back to where I was when I looked and felt so much better. Starting tomorrow!!!!! No more excuses.

My grandson's a STAR!

My Grandson "Z"'s band EDEN CREEK is really taking off...winning Battle of the Bands, etc. and performing everywhere. A CD is in the works! I'm so proud of him. Check out the website to see what's up. www.sonicbids.com/edencreek Click on Audio to hear 3 songs. (I love "Fire Me Up"!) "Z" writes the words and the music. I know I'm bragging, but he deserves it.

Acting Silly!

"B"'s been kinda down for a few days now and I worry about her...stress at school, lots of tests and trouble with a friend. She's not down much, but when she is, it makes me sad too. Wish I was closer so I could run over and give her a hug! I pulled up this photo taken recently when she and her friends were acting silly. She said they called it "prom night"! Guess they miss those days. Anyway, the photo makes me smile...young and having fun!

"A" and the three grandchildren left today :-( Sure was sad to say goodbye.

A yucky day here in Paradise...the ocean is really churned up due to Hurricane Rita. Hard to believe it is so far away and yet we still get such a surge. I feel so lucky that we missed her! Still praying for everyone in Texas and Louisiana.

I can feel the love!

Tonight three of my sweet grandchildren gave me a birthday cake that they made with the help of Mommy. What a nice, nice surprise! They were so cute and excited and they all wanted to help blow out the candles. They all wrote me birthday messages (Mommy's help again) and drew me pictures. They show me so much love and make me so happy. I can feel the love! My daughter-in-law always does the nicest things! I'm a lucky girl!

Dodging another MONSTER!

I'm praying this morning for Texas (and Louisiana) since a true monster, Hurricane Rita, is headed there. A Category 5! This photo was taken from my balcony this morning showing the pounding waves coming into our shore and the wall of sand all up and down our beach to maybe help keep the water from coming closer to homes. Photos can't really show the force of the waves and the height of the sand, but both are pretty awesome. It's kinda nice in the weirdest way to see how very powerful the force of nature is! We're so far away from the actual Hurricane, yet we still get damage. In the last year, we've been hit hard here locally by Hurricane Ivan aka Ivan The Terrible (we've still not recovered from that bad boy) and Hurricane Dennis aka Dennis The Menace (another bad boy, but a bit gentler to us than Ivan). Hurricane Katrina, which devasted New Orleans and so many gulf coast towns didn't hurt us too bad, but still messed up our beaches and gave us heart attacks with worry. Tropical storms (Arlene and others I can't remember their names) have hurt us too. So many people want to move, including "G", and I know in my heart that he's right, but oh do I love living here in "Paradise"! I pray Hurricane Rita will decrease in size and no deaths will occur. God please be with all those people now and in the many months ahead as they try to rebuild!

Learning to just be thankful

One daughter-in-law is really good about sending photos of the granchildren...another isn't. Two different personalities. Both are creative and sweet though. I crave photos and stories since we live hours away. It's not the same as the actually hugs and kisses, but it's a darn good thing when I can get updates through photos. Sometimes it makes it even harder since I miss them so much, but I always smile for hours after getting them and it seems I can feel my heart "smile" too. Anyway, "J" sent me this one photo and I'm trying to just be thankful for it and not stress and wish for even more. What sweeties..."K" and "C" look good enough to eat! Just wish big brother "D" was in the photo too. There I go again, wanting more. Got to work on this problem!

Friends

My Mom lost a very good friend today to a rare blood disease. They had been friends since grade school...a long time. Mom is sad and it's hard for me to really know how to help her. It's made me think of friends and how important they are to me. Just like the old saying "Make new friends, but keep the old...some are silver and some are gold". I have all types of friends...even some truly nutty ones (aren't we all sometimes), but they're all special in their own way. My friend Beth is battling MS and it's scary for me, but she inspires me with her strength. She's special to me.
(this photo was taken back in Sept. 2004)

Grandchildren

It amazes me just how much my grandchildren bring me joy. I love my children and I love children in general, but grandchildren are in a whole different area of my heart. My heart smiles...yes, I know it really does...when I hear their voice or see them (even just in photos). It's kinda weird in the nicest way. They bring me so much joy. Just being themselves...that's enough. They say and do the cutest things. Wish I could document them all. Here's just two: today "KG" found what I thought was a good size rock on the beach. It was probably churned up after one of our many tropical storms or hurricanes. She said with a knowledgeable smile to her Mom "Look at my stone....it's not a rock...it's a stone!". She carried it around for a good part of the day, cleaning it and playing with it and when we headed to the pool, she insisted on carrying it with her to "keep it safe". Her brother "L" told me as soon as we got to the beach "MeMe, we only have one rule today" and when I asked what that rule was he said "If we see any jelly fish, we need to panic!"

Blogging Again - Finally!

I've been a bad girl about blogging. A virus has had a hold of me for 3 weeks and counting and it's "kicked my butt". I've been going through the motion on most things, but I'm starting to feel a little bit better so it's "back to the real world". Our sweet granddaugher "SA" turned two recently! Can't believe it! She was so sweet at her party thanking everyone as she opened her gifts. We gave her another inch on her pearl necklace, but also gave her a doll and new doll stroller so she would have something to open.

Our friends "J" and "L" came for a visit recently and it was lots of fun. We went to our favorite dockside diner one evening for fried shrimp baskets. YUMMY!

My aunt "S" celebrated her 60th birthday while here for a visit last week with my Mom and "B" aka "Other Mother". We played lots of games (this time Phase 10 and The Mexican Train) and laughed alot. They babied me all week (fed me constantly). So much love!

My daughter-in-law and three grandbabies arrived tonight!

All in all, sick or well, I'm a lucky, lucky girl!