DC Trip...LONG OverDue

One of the main issues I've already encountered from not blogging consistently for over a year is that I'm now having to play catch-up. So much to share, but not knowing where to begin...THAT is the dilemma!  I will do my best to fill you in on some of the more memorable things that have happened this past year...and let the rest take care of itself.

 

A year ago in April, Chris, Abby, Brittany and I took a trip to Washington, DC, primarily because Brittany had never been there before. Plus, it gave us an opportunity to make more family memories before she became a married woman. We all know how things change after that point...in a good way, though. Just different.

 

I would have to say a favorite, yet very humbling attraction for us was the Holocaust Museum. There are no words to adequately describe what you see and how walking through the museum makes you feel. It's hard to wrap your head around the fact that evil like that existed... 

 

 
A huge pile of shoes that were worn by Holocaust victims, young and old alike...

 
To see the faces of the precious, innocent people who lost their lives was beyond emotional. It's something that will forever remain with me. I believe each and every American, every human being, should visit the museum, at least, once...

 

We toured the US Capital, Library of Congress, and even the White House. The pics from our White House tour are still on my phone, so I'll try to remember to share them, sooner than later...

 

We, of course, visited all of the Smithsonian Museums and had a blast!

e

There is nothing more moving, in my opinion, than visiting Arlington National Cemetery. To say that it makes you feel so proud and eternally grateful to all who've given so much for your freedom is such an understatement. As always, I had a lump in my throat the entire time we were there, especially, during the changing of the guard ceremony...

     

The Lincoln Memorial was magnificent at night...

 

 

Unfortunately, my SD card from my camera malfunctioned and I lost some of my photos, but am grateful for the ones I do have. We really enjoyed our 4 days in the our country's capitol. I cherish the laughter we shared while there and, as always, the memories we made.  

 

 

A"Walk" to Remember...



Dear friends...have you forgotten about me? I certainly haven't forgotten about you! I can hardly believe that it's now been over one year since I last blogged on a regular basis. Some of you may be wondering why I've been absent. Let's just say that I needed to step away for awhile for personal reasons. My family has needed my attention in various ways, so I had to answer the call. 

As some of you may know from my Facebook posts, my oldest daughter, Brittany, got married on March 24th, 2018. BIG news, right? It was an outdoor ceremony and the weather was ideal! Y'all, I'm now a mother-in-law to a pretty special guy, David. He and Brittany had a flawless wedding day and one that brought tears to many eyes...including my own. David, as you may recall, is a paraplegic. He is the first person to ever use the Indego suit during a wedding. What is an Indego suit, you might ask? Well, it's a device that is worn and enables a person, such as David, who's lost the ability to use his legs, to be able to stand and even walk. When David stood up and turned to watch Brittany walk down the aisle toward him, it was all over...my chin started to quiver, then the tears began to stream down my face. It was a beautiful day celebrating their love and it couldn't have been more perfect. I thought I'd share some pics of that unforgettable day...

                          

                          

              

              

            

           

      

                                                     

   

     

The reception was a blast from beginning to end and was filled with great food, music and dancing, friends and family.  

                   

I did my best to soak in every moment because I knew the day would be nothing more than a blur, eventually. I look forward with great anticipation to all that God has planned for Brittany and David's marriage. I can't wait to be part of it all!

You have my word that I'm not going to post, then dip out, again. Now, it may take me a bit to get back into full swing, but I WILL get there! Please don't give up on me! I'm so excited to catch up on all of your blogs and learn what's been happening in your lives for the past year. Ahh...feels so good to be back!

Hoping to Return Soon

Hello, friends!

I can't believe that I've been away from blogging for 9 months! I sure have missed all of you dearly. I just felt the need to take a much-needed break for awhile as I had lost my motivation to blog, anymore. We've all been there at one time or another, right? Sometimes, it's necessary to step away and get your head back in the right place, again. I'm getting there, one baby step at a time.

One thing I think is going to help me find my motivation for blogging, again, is to get a blog makeover. So, I'm communicating with someone right now about my ideas and we'll go from there. I'm not sure how long the entire process will take, but I'm excited about a new look...and a new perspective.

Chris got me a Microsoft Surface Pro for Christmas that I have yet to take the time to figure out, so that's a goal of mine, as well, which will surely help in my ability to blog more easily than before. So, I ask that you bear with me as I go through this transition phase and come back, hopefully, even better than before.

Please don't give up on me just yet! Hope to see you back here in the near future!

Love to you all!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Do y'all have any idea how much I've missed each of you...not to mention blogging? Well, I have A LOT! Hey, life happens sometimes and you just have to step away for whatever reason...and that's what I decided to do. Now, that isn't to say that I'm back full swing, but it's definitely a move in the right direction, wouldn't you say? If you're interested in participating in Hodgepodge, simply answer the questions on your own blog and link up. Here we go!

1.  Do you try to set rules for yourself in how you use your time? Explain.  Yes, I usually have a list in my head and I allot a certain amount of time to getting those things accomplished before I can enjoy some down time. Seems to work well for me.

2.  Monday was National Lighthouse Day. Have you ever visited a lighthouse? If not, do you have any desire to see one up close? Of the 10 Most Beautiful that made this list, which would you most like to see in person?  Lindau Lighthouse (Germany), Fanad Lighthouse (Ireland), Portland Headlight (Maine), The St. Augustine Light (Florida), Peggy's Point Lighthouse (Canada), Start Point Lighthouse (England), Tower of Hercules (Spain), Bass Harbor Head Station (Maine), and White Shoal Light (Michigan). When you've been away, what's your 'lighthouse' telling you you're on the right road home?  I have visited a lighthouse in Hilton Head, SC (Harbor Town) and one in the Caribbean, though I can't recall exactly where. On the list, I'd most like to visit Fanad Lighthouse because I've always wanted to go to Ireland. When I'm away, my 'lighthouse' is either Chris, as he's great with directions (me...not so much), or the Waze app on my phone. That thing is priceless! However, if you're talking about a landmark, it would have to be the golf course that is at the entrance to our neighborhood.

3.  What have you unintentionally stopped doing? Is this something you need to pick back up and begin, again, or is it something you need to let go of for now (or even permanently)?  I don't necessarily think this is unintentional, but it's my trying to control the things over which I have no control. I'm thinking of letting it go permanently. After all, God is the only one who's really in control...and that brings me such peace.    

4.  We've had a full week of August. Share a GRAND moment of your month, so far.  Last Sunday at church, we combined our two services into one at 9:30 AM and it was awesome! There was hardly a vacant seat in the sanctuary!

5.  Tell us one song you love with the word 'baby' in the title.  "Baby I'm A Want You" by Bread. Please, someone tell me that rings a bell! It was one of my favorite 70's songs. Boy, am I ever dating myself now!

6.  Insert your own random thought here.  As Brittany recently posted to her Facebook, "Wedding planning is NO joke!" I'd say that's the understatement of the century! We now have 7 months to pull everything together before her wedding and my stress level is beginning to rise. We recently booked the venue and we want to commit to a photographer by tomorrow. Next on the list will be the catering, cake, and DJ. Oh, and we, also, have to start dress shopping. Time is of the essence! I'm trying hard to enjoy the journey and I think that once we have all the vendors nailed down, I will be able to do just that.

Please keep our family close in your thoughts and prayers. We've come to the painful decision to have our beloved dog, Maddie, of almost 17 years put down on Friday. Her health has taken a sharp turn downward this past month or so. She has suffered a couple of seizures, is blind and deaf, has lost a lot of weight, has a tumor inside her ear, and isn't steady on her feet (walks into walls, etc.). We know it's the right thing to do, but there is still that sense of guilt that we're all fighting. Pray for peace as we go through this difficult time. We love our Maddie deeply and don't want her to suffer. I'm sure I'll post more about her next week, but it's too raw and too real right now. I know you understand. Here's a shot I took of her a couple of weeks ago while she was attempting to eat her dinner. Her little legs often give out from underneath her...

In our eyes, she's the BEST dog there is...and certainly the MOST loved. 

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Sure have missed participating in Hodgepodge over the past couple of months. Life gets in the way sometimes, as we all know. If you'd like to join in, simply answer the questions on your own blog and link up.

1.  The first day of summer rolls in later this week. What are ten things you'd put on your list of quintessential summer activities? Will you manage to try all ten this summer? 1. Go to a matinee movie. 2. Pick strawberries. 3. Swim in the ocean or lake. 4. Eat watermelon. 5.  Make homemade ice cream. 6. Look at the stars from our back deck. 7. Go white water rafting. 8. Take a hike in the mountains. 9. Grow wildflowers. 10. Go boating. Yes, I should have the opportunity to do most of these this summer.

2. Do you collect seashells when you're at the beach? What do you do with them once you get them home? What's your favorite place to comb for seashells? How many of these 'best beaches for hunting seashells' have you visited? Which one would you most like to visit?  I love walking along the beach and looking for pretty or unique seashells. I have a Mason jar that I've filled with some my favorite shells that I've collected over the years. I've only visited the Bahamas and Sanibel Island on the list, which I highly recommend! The one I'd most like to visit would be Shipwreck Beach as we're heading to Hawaii in July.

Calvert Cliffs State Park (Maryland), Jeffrey's Bay (South Africa), Sanibel Island (Florida), Shipwreck Beach (Lanai Hawaii), Oracoke Island (North Carolina), Galveston Island (Texas), the Bahamas

3.  At a snail's pace, shell out money, come out of your shell, go back into your shell, drop a bombshell, happy as a clam, clam up...which 'shell' phrase could most recently be applied to some event or circumstance in your life? Explain. I'm going with 'shell our money' because we're close to booking an all-inclusive wedding venue for Brittany and her fiancé, David.

4.  What summer activity do you dislike? Why?  I love summer, but one thing I can't stand is sitting on a beach and getting covered in sand.

5.  What's something you see as quickly becoming obsolete? Does that bother you? Human conversation. Cell phones have taken over the world. I can't tell you the times I've been in a restaurant, for example, and I see a couple or a family...all of whom are on their phones...and not one is engaging in actual conversation. I find that to be very sad and disturbing. Put your phones down, people!

6.  Insert your own random thought here.  Chris is Quintera, Mexico on business. I've been nervous about him going there ever since one of his golfing buddies told him that whenever he's had to travel to that part of the country, he's taken bodyguards and travels in an armoured vehicle because of the dangerous environment. Well, yesterday afternoon, I received a text message from Chris saying that the car he was riding in to his sales call got robbed. That's all I knew for well over a couple of hours as he wasn't reading or responding to my texts. I was worried sick about him. He, finally, let me know that he was alright. Said he and the other two men (Mexicans) he was with were advised not to leave anything of value in their car while they were on the sales call, so they made sure to take their phones and laptops inside with them. When they got done with their car, thieves had taken the rear-view and side mirrors from the car, so they had to go to a local dealership to have them replaced. It could have been so much worse and I'm thankful that it wasn't. He will be down there until Friday morning...I'll be relieved to have him home.

She Said, "YES!"

I can't believe how long it's been since my last post! We've had a lot going on around here, which seems to often be the case, anymore. I wanted to share some very exciting news in our family!

On May 19th, after nearly three years of dating, Brittany's boyfriend, David, asked for her hand in marriage! They came to visit us on Mother's Day and we all went bowling. When we got home, David asked to speak to Chris outside for a minute without Brittany knowing. He asked for his permission and blessing to ask Brittany to marry him and, of course, he agreed. Well, the weekend of May 19th, Brittany and David went to Alabama to help with a camp for disabled folks. In fact, that's where they met and they've been participating together ever since. David waited for the perfect moment as they were surrounded by some of their friends at the camp. The sun was getting ready to set, then he popped the question.

David's brother captured the exact moment it happened...

Brittany was shocked and, oh, so thrilled! She called to tell me the wonderful news. Would you believe that I was taking a bubble bath? I took her call because I knew why she was calling. She put David on speaker phone...I was dying! Talk about AWKWARD! I told Brittany after the fact and she got a good laugh out of it.

They truly are meant to be together...I've seen their love blossom over the years. As I may have mentioned before, David became a paraplegic back in 2010 after a motorcycle accident. Brittany has an amazing ability to see past his wheelchair and to look straight at his heart. David is a wonderful man and we're excited to have him become part of our family.

Here's her beautiful engagement ring...

They have set a date for March 24, 2018. They've been busy looking at venues and have it narrowed down to two. We're hoping to reserve one within the next two weeks as they book quickly. Next will be shopping for a wedding dress. The fun is about to begin!

Love is definitely in the air!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Happy to be joining everyone today for Hodgepodge! If you're interested in participating, too, simply answer the questions on your own blog and link up.

1.  Share a favorite memory of your mother or share a favorite something of your own life as a mother. If you're a mother (or a stepmom), tell us how your experience as a mom differs from your own mother's experience.  My mom and I shared the same kind of dry sense of humor and we were known for getting tickled at the most inappropriate times and places. I recall one time when we were sitting in church and her belly started growling. I started giggling and before I knew it, Mom was giggling, too. We, literally, had tears running down our cheeks. We were mortified because we giggled so hard that the pew was shaking. No joke. My experience as a mom differs from my own mom's experience in that we have social media and cell phones to contend with now. Growing up, we only had four TV channels, I think, and no Internet, so my world was pretty contained. If I wanted to call someone, I had to do so on our home phone that had a long cord I would wind through the kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom. When my mom or dad thought I had talked long enough, they'd grab hold of the cord and reel me back in. Everything now seems to be all about being "plugged in" electronically, whereas when I was growing up, we had actual conversations with family and friends...imagine that.

2.  In May, we celebrate teachers (May 9) and nurses (May 6) both. Most every family has, at least, one in their midst, so tell us something (or a few things) you appreciate about the teacher or nurse on your family tree.  I have an aunt (my dad's sister) who is a retired college professor; she earned a Doctorate degree. She taught Early Childhood Education classes. In fact, she was one of my own professors when I was in college. It was funny because I can recall a time when I was sitting with some of my classmates and they were talking about Dr. Bowers (my aunt) and how hard of a professor she was; I sat quietly and listened. I waited for the right moment and said, "You do know you're talking about my aunt, right?" They all gasped. Honestly, I found it to be quite a compliment for them to say that she was a tough professor because she demanded that her students give their best in her classes...nothing less.          

3.  Chicken salad, egg salad, tuna salad...which would you go for if all three were on the menu? On bread or a bed of lettuce? If you answered bread, what kind of bread would make it the perfect sandwich? I love chicken salad on lettuce with egg salad on wheat bread being a close second. I'm not a fan of tuna salad.

4.  Do you have a desk? Is it organized? If so, share your secret to keeping it that way. If you don't have a desk, where in your home do you take care of family paperwork and business? Where do you normally sit to blog?  Yes, we have a built-in desk in our kitchen and an office desk upstairs and in our basement. The ones in our kitchen and upstairs are pretty organized. I tidy them up every few days and use mesh cups for pens, as well as a baskets for other essentials. I keep bills to be paid, with the date they need to be mailed written on the bottom left-hand corner of the envelope, in a small stack on our kitchen desk. I blog from the desk upstairs. Now, the one in the basement is in Chris's office and he's tossed papers all over it. Whenever I walk past it, I close the door and walk away. He doesn't like when I try to organize his office...he can never find what he's looking for.

5.  When I was nine years old...

I looked like one of the Beatles. Take it all in, folks...take it in. Now, I may have been a bit older than 9 in this photo, but you get the general idea.  

6.  Insert your own random thought here.  The girls and I saw Riverdance on Saturday at the Fox Theater in Atlanta. It was phenomenal! I highly recommend it! I am now ready to take an Irish Step Dancing class because I'm convinced that after only a few lessons, I would be a pure natural...in my dreams, that is!