New Beginnings

I'm sorry it has taken me so long to write, but I have had some major life changes going on and I have been caught up in that. I am living in Atlanta full time now and figuring out what my future holds for me.

I will write more when I can get it together better. love you guys

Mothers

Happy Mother's Day to all of you! As I reflect back on this day I naturally think of my two mothers. One that gave me life and one that taught me about the Lord and this life. Both loved me and did what they thought was best for me and for that I am eternally grateful. My biological mother has been gone for 34 years and my adopted mother for 32 years.

I've now been a mother myself for over 38 years and a Nana for 10 years. I realize I am so blessed and thank the Lord I have my loved ones in my life. I'm glad we have a day to celebrate mothers, but at times it makes me very misty-eyed for those of us that have lost our mothers to death, or lack of love. Unfortunately, I know many and I truly believe their loss must hurt more and deeper than mine. I know my mother is in heaven rejoicing with our Savior, but others suffer knowing their relationship just isn't what it should be. For those of you, I pray God will give you a special peace today and know that others care about you, especially our LORD.

Post 275 and still counting.....

This is one of my favorite scriptures and today after all the drama with the stock market I found myself saying it in my head a thousand times: "The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and they are safe." Proverbs 18:10 (NIV) I believe so deeply that He is watching over me and I just need to call His name to run into the tower. I can see why the tower was such a symbol of strength. It's huge and solid and is immovable. In my own strength I'm weak, but He is so strong!

My security is not in my 401K. I've already taken a wild ride with it last year. Whatever we will face, I believe, we can have trust in our Savior. I may be up and down, but He is steady and solid.

Updates on the Past Week

I thought I would catch you up on a few updates from the past week. I had a fast, but safe trip to Tampa and it was extremely relaxing riding along listening to Joyce Meyer tapes. I had attended the Beth Moore presentation on So Long, Insecurity the Saturday before so I had lots to ponder. I feel like I'm in a much better place than I've been in a long while.

Mark will be having a stress test tomorrow and his cholesterol tests came back high. I pray he will do fine and it will only be something very minor. I have a feeling they'll put him on some cholesterol meds with those numbers. Please keep him in your prayers.

Avery and I went to a Garden Party yesterday morning at church. We had a nice luncheon and a great speaker. We had our pictures made and I will try to get some on here. You know I'm somewhat challenged when it comes to the scanning deal.

She only has about 3 weeks of school left and then she'll be in 5th grade. Time goes so fast! It's time to get my stuff packed to head back to Atlanta until Friday. I pray you guys all have a wonderful week and try to find some adventures.

On my way South

I will attending a manager's meeting and then heading to Tampa for another audit. It's going to be a quick trip and I just wanted to let you know about my big weekend. Saturday morning I attended the Beth Moore Simucast on "So Long, Insecurity!" It was great and I can't wait to read the book. Saturday night Avery and I headed to a Chonda Pierce concert. She is a Christian comedienne and we loved it. So funny and a great treat to have Avery with me. It was so rainy and windy, but we made it home okay.

I have a 7 hour car trip so please pray my eyes will cooperate and stay open. Also, please pray for my husband. He's at the doctor now with his left arm hurting and some chest pain. I pray he'll be fine. I'll check in as soon as I get a chance.

Why am I looking back??

This was me at 40. It was right before I met my husband. I was at a medical convention and I was having a super time in New Orleans. BTW I love the food, art and gorgeous buildings in New Orleans. Today I was thinking back to the person I was at 40. It's not my birthday or anything, I just was wondering if I had any clue that my life would be so different in 2010. I really don't think so. I had tons of energy and went brisk walking nearly every day. I was divorced with a teenage daughter. I guess I'm just going to look to the future. The Lord has blessed me and I have so many wonderful friends. I just kind of wonder what I'll be doing 20 years from now. Do you do that too?

Strawberry Time Again

I love strawberries. I love to eat them and especially look at them. When I was taking an oil class years ago I painted strawberries and I realized they are a beautiful fruit. I know it sounds crazy, but they are so pretty.

I feel better and more rested. I hope you guys are all doing well. I finally got my laptop back and I have been missing posting. I did need a break though. I have checked out your posts when I could and I can't wait to stop over tonight.

I'm watching American Idol and then I plan on reading and calling it a night. I'm so happy to be back and God is so good!!

Taking a Break

I have missed you guys, but work has had me in a frenzy. I am going to take a little time off from blogging as I need to charge up my batteries. I guess I don't need to say take time off because obviously I have only posted a couple of times this month and I feel like a slacker. I will try and read your posts and keep up with you guys, but sometimes I can't get my laptop to work and I just read and go to sleep. I know you're jealous that I have such an exciting life, but lately I just haven't felt good at all. Too much stress and not enough rest.

Avery had her 10th birthday party Friday night at the Drive-in with 3 little girlfriends, her parents and Papa and I. We saw Alice in Wonderland again and then they all went home to have a 'sleep-over'. She had a big time and unfortunately, I didn't get to see her the rest of the weekend. I was in bed most of the weekend and hopefully tonight I will get some rest.

I didn't want you to think I just drifted off again. I will miss you, but I'll be back. luv ya

Still on Planet Earth

I am still alive and kickin'. I have had so much going on that I just didn't have the energy to post. I know that sounds wimpy, but it's the truth. I have missed you guys, but pushing to just keep going takes everything out of me at this point. We had our inspection last week and it went well, but it was Stress City around here. I have often envied the people that can just chill and say, "It will be okay! No problem, man!" I tend to go over things a jillion times and then start over again.

Last weekend Avery and I did get to go see Alice in Wonderland and it was fantastic. The 3-D made it so much fun. It was whimsical and oh so cute! I would enjoy seeing it again. Sunday night we went to another Christian concert, as Mark had won tickets. We saw Toby Mac and Brandon Heath. It was a great concert and I drove back to Atlanta Monday morning. All I feel like doing is sleeping for a while. I know that sounds so non-productive, but I am being very honest with you folks. I'm tired and I'm of the school that says, "Sleep is good for you" I have had friends and relatives that think it's horrible to nap and that you should jump up early in the morning even if there's nothing pressing. I function better with sleep.

I'm going to get my hair cut and then I'm going to Barnes & Nobles and get me a yummy coffee and walk around looking at books. That is usually guaranteed to make me smile... Later

My Secret is Out Now

I thought I would share some of what I was up to in California. Are you laughing yet? Come on, I know you are at least smiling. Steven and I have kept this a secret, but now the secret is out. Yes, he has been married to beauties and is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but we just didn't know how to tell the world. Who would think he would be with little old me?

Okay, now for the real story. When I walked in my hotel when I arrived in California he was in the lobby talking to my boss. I was introduced and the rest is history. My boss took the pictures and I have to say Steven was very gracious. He said he like my spikey hair and I told him he had a beautiful daughter. He thanked me and he said he's proud of her. I forgot about his other daughter, the plus sized model. I guess he figured I was talking about Liv. Yes, he was very kind and was it ever exciting for me. One of the first things he said was, "Don't say I'm Mick!" I said don't worry, I know exactly who you are. So there you go. The picture is a little fuzzy, but it makes me smile. Talk about an Odd Couple. My husband thinks it's funny and I think he got a kick out of it.

I'll report about my trip later. I just had to share and I'll be trying to visit you if my computer let's me. I missed you.

Happy Dance!!

Since ya'all have been probably losing sleep over my dilemma with the dimensions of my storyboard I thought I would bring you up to date. We went to pick up the board and HOORAY!! they got it right. That's not bad. It only took three tries. This is a happy picture to me so I thought I would post about my renewed hope in places that say they will do something and actually do it. Of course, I still have to go back to the first store to get my credit card credited, but such is life. It's one fun challenge after the other. I am blessed I am able to get around and engage in such things.

I will be away from Bloggyland for the next 6 days or so. I'm off to southern California and I will not be taking my laptop that is not working half the time. I wouldn't mind toting it around if I felt like it was worth it. But when you have to wait 5 minutes for a blogsite to open it gets a little ridiculous. I'm usually pretty patient, but actually 5 minutes is an understatement for much of the time.

I need to take a nap before I leave for Atlanta in a couple of hours. At my advanced age I need to rest more frequently. This whole thing about getting older and getting less sleep is not working out so much for me. Actually I am relatively young compared to ninety year olds. Smile. I hope you guys are doing great and please pray I have a safe trip. You know I just love being squished up in a tiny little seat for hours and hours. I'll give you all the scoops and some pictures when I arrive back in the ATL next week. Take care my sweet friends!

Is it just me?

Please don't take wrong. I'm sure this company has a wonderful reputation and they do many great deliveries and whatever. Here's my story:

I went by the local FedEx Kinkos on my way to church Wednesday evening to have them put my storyboard presentation together and laminate it. I specifically said, "I must have it 22"X28". I thought I spoke clearly and they wrote it down. The girl behind the counter said, "We'll have it ready for you in a couple of hours." Fine. This would be so perfect. Wrong.

I came by to pick it up and the nice girl said, "Ma'am, we got the dimensions wrong the first time, so we made you another one and we're not charging you for the second one." I, of course, thanked her and paid the $44.00 and off I went. I was feeling pretty good that I had it all together and I could just slip it in my suitcase for my trip to the conference in Palm Springs Monday.

Yesterday, I started thinking.....maybe I should check the dimensions. So my co-workers and I got the measuring tools out and, Lo and Behold, (I love saying that) neither of the creations were the dimensions I requested. This is the part where I say, "Is it me or what?" Why does everything I seem to do like this seem to turn out this way? I called the store back and explained what happened. The nice girl said, "Just take it to the Augusta office and they'll make you a new one for no charge."

So on the way home tonight I stopped at the Augusta branch. When I explained the situation to the man behind the counter he immediately said, "No, you will have to take the receipt back to the other office and they will do a credit." I told him EXACTLY what I needed and thirty minutes later he came back and said, "I can do it, but it will be around $54.00 because of some editing." At this point I am getting antsy because I must have it on the plane with me Monday morning. My boss will analyze the dimensions and if they look different from the other storyboard presentations I will hear about it.

I'm going to pick it up in the morning and I'll let you know how it goes. I try to be optimistic, but at this point..scream. Why is everything so difficult? It's almost like people just do whatever and if it turns out okay, if not, they don't seem to really care. Part of doing a proper job would be getting the right dimensions, or am I too picky???? What's the charge for? In my book that's a pricey piece of paper they laminated for me. Wish me well.

I have joined Willow and her friends with a writers group. We'll write postings by Tuesdays and I'm pretty excited about it. She gives us a picture each week and we write a story or poem about it. I'm putting her Magpie Tales stamp on my sidebar so if you would like to join us please come along.

As I think back nearly fifty years ago I remember a cold winter day that changed my world forever. I had been staying with my aunt for several months. My mother had died when I was a baby and my father was always traveling with his job. I knew he had an important job and it always seemed so secretive. I had lived with different relatives for the past ten years and I was so tired of trying to make friends only to have to leave again.

We had arrived from the airport and Aunt Elizabeth had rushed me up to our room. The Presidential Palace was just across the street. I remember all the lights and I was anxious to see the building in the daylight. I was told to sit by the fireplace and that we needed to talk. After she tipped the man for bringing our bags she walked over to me and stood directly over me.

"There was an accident and your father has been killed. We will wait for other relatives and then discuss where you will live." I looked down at the box of matches and all I could think about was that as long as I lived I would never forget this moment. My daddy was gone forever and I would have no one that cared.

I picked up the little box and put it in my silk purse. The edges are worn and I still can remember the coldness from that room. No fire could warm me that night.That beautiful hotel became like a prison and I lost all interest in seeing that palace across the street. That night I felt my frozen tears and I still long to say goodbye to my daddy.

Finally Warmer Weather

Here's a picture from last year when it started warming up. This is what Mark and Avery were doing yesterday, playing at the park, but they were riding their scooters. It feels like spring and it's a wonderful relief.

I got to go to church here in Atlanta this morning and it was like a slice of heaven. The worship and music were off the charts and the preaching was dynamic. I felt like I could be lifted up any second. God is so good and He is bringing me through so much these past few weeks. Fighting with pain is exhausting. I feel guilty mentioning it because some of my sweet friends have it much worse than me. At least I can go to work everyday and at times I do get some relief from the pain. Wednesday my anti-inflammatory will be back in stock and I will be a happy girl to get back on my medicine. It has been back ordered for weeks and the doctor tried me on another type and I'm probably repeating myself, but the indigestion was horrible. I only took it 3 days and back to same old, same old. Thank the Lord He has given people the wisdom to discover what can help suffering.

I hope everyone has had a great weekend. I just went to the laundry mat to do a load of clothes. I hadn't been in years and it was an experience. I won't be back to SC until Friday so I had to have some fresh clothes. Did you know it costs $3.50 and $4.00 per load of wash and 25 cents for every 8 minutes of drying time? What happened to 25 cent and 50 cent washers? Bless those people's hearts that have to always use the laundry mat. I felt so blessed. Sometimes I think He puts us in situations so we can stand back and say, "Thank you Lord for what you've given me." I'm always thankful, but this brings you into a different reality.

I pray you are all having a great weekend. I'm sleepy so I'll stay at work for a couple of hours and then head to the apartment. Life is so good!

Frosty in South Carolina

Last Friday night we received quite a bit of snow in South Carolina. Avery loved it and played and romped in it. She and her daddy made this snowman Saturday morning and I think it looks great. It's so seldom that we get snow that we all get giggly. I know, those of you in the north are thinking, Whoopee. It's different for us and Avery is certainly scrunching up her eyes from the sun.

I'm staying in Atlanta this weekend as we have a mock inspection tomorrow and I need to get prepared for it. I wanted to let you know that I finished the Guernsey Literary and Sweet Potato Pie book, or whatever it's called. I know I picked up that book about 20 times and would start and couldn't get very far with it. Then I saw where my friend, Brenda, from Coffee, Tea, Books and Me said it was a keeper and that got me determined.

I believe all the letters back and forth from different people kind of threw me. I usually think in pictures and it kind of blew my mind getting it straight who everyone was. Well, I kept going and I loved it. It's such a sweet, tender story. The writing is great and post WWII. Avery had questioned why it was so hard for me to read. She reads a lot of historical diaries and she thought it must be similar. Well, it's not. I needed to get it straight every time who was writing or receiving the letters and I must have some kind of learning issue.

Project Runway was neat last night. I didn't get to watch it last week so I got to watch the redo and Anthony from downstairs won the challenge. He's a hoot in person, so it doesn't surprise me how excited he gets with everything. I feel like I practically know Heidi Klum by knowing Anthony.

I will be putting a storyboard together next week for my business trip to Palm Springs on March 1st. At least that will be something a little different from my everyday stuff. We have been working on a collaborative project for the past 3 years and I need to show our project accomplishments. I'm telling myself it will be fun, fun, fun. Right.

I think I'll head to my apartment. I have such a challenge with my laptop so I thought I would post while I have a computer that is fast and easy to manipulate. I hope you guys have a great weekend. I believe I'm rambling at this point, but I'll try to zoom around in bloggyland tonight and catch up with you guys. I've been working too much and need to chill.

Wonderful Weekend

I must tell you we had an absolutely wonderful weekend. Please indulge me. I like to read about what you guys are up to, so here goes. Thursday I came home early from Atlanta to go to a Christian concert with my husband and Avery. It was Winter Jam and had the following groups: Third Day, Newsboys, 10th Avenue North, Fireflight, Revive, Sidewalk Prophets, Robert Pierre. It was lots of fun and my husband brought us earplugs so we were prepared. When we were waiting outside I had to sit down and wait until the end of the line because old Arthur has been giving me a fit lately. In all the thousands of people we saw one of Avery's little friends, Taylor and her mom. They were thrilled and hugged each other and her and her mother sat by us. It made it so nice for AT. and of course, that made us happy.

Then Friday schools let out at noon due to the snow and bad weather coming in. We picked her up from school and we had promised her we would take her to see Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. She had a great report card so it was a reward.

We went for Chinese and it started snowing. Avery only eats cold noodles at the Chinese restaurant. They don't have mac and cheese. Anyhoo...we were leaving to head for the movie and some light snow was falling. We enjoyed the movie, but she, of course, said the book was so much better. She has read the series multiple times now and is fascinated with Greek mythology. Now she wants to go to Greece and see everything firsthand. It's an action packed movie and I thought it was pretty neat. When we left the theatre it was snowing hard and there were several inches on the truck.

We dropped Avery off at her house and she and her daddy and Mark were throwing snowballs and playing in the snow. We don't see much snow so it was a huge treat. They got up the next day and made a huge snowman.

We watched the race(Daytona 500) and I slept and read through most of it. It was the longest in history. I think around 7 hours or more. I had taken my car in for service and we were to pick it up Saturday morning, but the dealership shut down due to the weather. Therefore, I had to wait to come back to Atlanta this morning. Now you have some of the details of my weekend. I won't bore you with all the fun stuff like laundry, cleaning, grocery shopping. Overall it was truly a super wonderful weekend. What did you do?

Random stuff

I haven't been able to get on my laptop at the apartment very well. I guess I need to have someone check on it. So I thought I would post a little here at work. I am allowed breaks sometimes. :)

Remember how last week I was thinking about being a secret agent. Well, the other night I was behind a Red Bull Mobile. I guess that's what you call it. It was a truck type vehicle with a huge, probably 8 foot tall can of Red Bull. A few months ago I was behind an Oscar Meyer Wierner-mobile. I was thinking that driving one of those vehicles must get you lots of stares and funny looks. I don't need to do that with my new secret agent job. I got the sweetest comments about my dream to go undercover and learn all the scoops. I decided that I could use my cane as a weapon since I am not really into guns. I don't want to hurt anyone, but I may have to protect myself. I'm glad my daughter doesn't read my blog. She would already be ready to put me away somewhere. Avery reads it, but she has the same imagination I have and she would understand.

News flash. We may get some snow Friday in South Carolina. I hope so, Avery wants snow and the last time we got it here in Atlanta they didn't get any. I know the folks up north and around D.C. are tired of it by now, but here in the south it doesn't take much to get us all excited.

I wonder how many of you have hubbies that are crazy about NASCAR. It's almost embarrassing that I know so much about so many of the drivers and their families. Mark is very excited about Daytona this week and that will be the big theme of the weekend. Going around in a circle is what I call it. Sometimes he will watch races from back in the 70's or 80's and I don't even realize it's an old race until they start calling out names of the drivers. I guess when you enjoy something it doesn't matter that you already know who won and they just keep going around in circles.

Let me know if you will be sitting there with your honey watching the race at the same time as little old me. I need to get back to work and reality. My Colts didn't win Sunday so I'm not even going to pick a driver for the big race. It might jinx them.

Pull the Plug or Never Give Up?????

I went to church last night and we had a great session where the senior pastor sits at a table and is asked questions that the congregation has emailed about a specific subject. It's very interesting and he is brilliant so I often hear things in ways I have never thought of in my whole life.

He has memorized most if not all of the Bible and has a PhD in counseling and theology. He's very humble and I just enjoy hearing his view on things. Well, last night he was getting questions such as, "What if you feel like you have made a wrong decision, what should you do?" He answered that, "Pull the plug, if something is not working, try another avenue." Then later when someone was asking about feeling they can't go on with things, he was talking about never giving up. Life is such a constant decision of what to do and what not to do. I know this isn't very profound or anything, but lately I have been thinking about my posts not being very interesting at all. I love blogging, but I read some of the most clever posts on my friend's blogs and I can't help but think, "Trish, you have what sounds like a very mundane life."

I was talking to Avery the other day and I told her that perhaps I could be a secret agent. No one would ever suspect a senior arthritic plus sized super model. It, of course, doesn't help that I really don't like guns and I can't move very fast. Maybe I could get the scoops. Of course, in crowds I don't hear that well, so I may have to ask the bad people to speak up a little so I could hear their clandestine conversations from the next booth.

You know what, maybe I better pull the plug on the whole secret agent career. Ya think?

Random Stuff

I apologize for not posting in so long. I just don't know what happens to me. I get busy with work and reading and watching wonderful shows like Masterpiece on Sunday nights. This past week was the conclusion of Emma by Jane Austen. I loved it. I must get the DVD. The acting, the clothes, the story, the beginning, the middle, the end.

I enjoy learning more about my blogging friends....so I thought I would list some things that make me happy...

Purple
All kinds of art
Books
Learning about authors
Purses/handbags (they really make me smile)
Project Runway
Watches
Seafood
Going to work
Reading books Avery reads so we can discuss them
Starbucks
Baked Potatoes
Office supplies
My blogging friends
Learning more about the Bible
Tea parties
New makeup
Nail polish (all kinds)
Crossword puzzles
My husband and his love of animals

Some things I really don't like:

Self-absorbed, arrogant people
Hearing people eat ice (it drives me crazy..it always has)
Spicy, spicy food
Flying
Driving in the mountains
Riding on boats, watching them is great

I believe I'll go visiting my blog friends. I want to learn more about you.

Nana-The Queen Mother

I had a few minutes before I pack and head out to North Carolina to work for a few days so I thought I would share my thoughts. Looking at my tea party pictures I am realizing I have gotten old. Well, you say, "Duh!" Yes, I realize this profound revelation everyday, but to see it in this particular venue. Wow. I guess I need to get real and think that nearly all of my fellow tea party girls are over 30 years my junior. I guess that alone would tend to make one look older.
They did the sweetest thing. They made a picture album with lots of pictures of the tea party. I just love it.

My friend Brenda discussed about my guilt in her post the other day. We had so much fun and then I started feeling sad about others not able to do such fun things. She helped me appreciate what the Lord gave me and I should be thankful and appreciate, not feel guilty.

So I guess it's okay to look like the Queen Mother. She always appeared to be a kind of a sassy confident lady. Hope you guys have a great day. I will be riding along in my automobile. Ta Ta

My Magical Afternoon

Thursday afternoon, January 21, 2010..a day that will live in my heart forever. My staff gave me a gift certificate for Afternoon Tea at the Ritz-Carlton. It was grand and so many things about it were just divine.

Here's Jessie checking out our menu. Don't you just love this wonderful hat. That was such a fun part of our little tea. So many wonderful hats! At least in my estimation.

Here's our tea sandwiches. The chicken salad on pumpernickel was the best I'd ever had. It had a sliced date on the top which gave it a special zing. The center is a crab quiche, cucumber sandwich with asparagus, brie and salmon, a pizza-like tasty treat.

Here's our gang upon arrival. They are the greatest group of girls. Smart, sweet and oh so much fun. They work hard and we like to play hard too. Most of them have Biology degrees and are dedicated to our mission of giving others sight.

Here we are sipping our tea. I'm in the background taking it all in. It was almost surreal. The teas we tried were Orange Jasmine, Vanilla Bean, Wild Blackberries and Wild Blossoms and Berries. This is the married side of the room. We didn't realize it until we were seated for about an hour that all the singles were on one side and the married all together. We also realized that the singles are all size 0 and 2. Bless their hearts.

This is Christina. She's a sweetheart and a graduate of the University of Georgia. She plans on going to med school one of these days and we sure don't want to let her go, but will be proud of her.

This is Gena and Nana Trish. Gena provided 3 of the hats for our tea (mine included). She's been to the Kentucky Derby many times and has the most beautiful hats. She's another sweetie.

Here's Saira sipping her tea. She has the best personality. She keeps us laughing and upbeat even when it gets stressful. She has been married almost two years and a very hard worker.

Here's some of the gang. The Ritz is so beautiful. Dark woods and grand rugs and artwork.

Here's Jessie, Christina and Gena. Don't you just love the hats and outfits? I think this looks like a picture that should be painted.

Erica, Jessie and Christina. All graduates of the University of Georgia. Go Dawgs!!!

Here's Chemika, my right hand man. Doesn't she look great? She stayed with me at the hospital when I was in last September. She didn't want me to be by myself and she was getting married just a couple of days later. She slept in a chair and I will never ever forget her kindness to me. She's a University of Alabama graduate.

Here's Chesoni on the left and Jamila on the right. They are bubbly and full of energy. Believe it or not, Chesoni has six children and she looks fabulous all the time. Jamila is our Research Coordinator and does a great job. She has two sweet little girlies

Yes, this is a cup of the most delicious tea. I wish you could have been there to join us.

The top to me was the very best. Fresh scones and they were served with Devon shire cream. It was like my taste buds were dancing around all happy, happy, happy.

Here's a very serious Nana Trish looking over the menu and interesting information about tea and it's history. It was a great time and I told the girls that it was as if they hadn't given me my flowers before time (if you know what I mean) I love making these sweet memories. I'm glad I could share with you, my bloggy friends. love ya.

Guess Who Went to Tea?

This has been an amazing day. My employees gave me a gift certificate for Afternoon Tea at the Ritz Carlton. We left work this afternoon and headed for the Ritz. We all dressed up and wore big hats. If you are wondering where my pictures are, well they are still in the camera. I tried to link it to the computer, but NOOO. I can't figure it out so I must wait until the weekend so my daughter can show me how to do it.

For now I can tell you that it was great for all the senses. The smell of divine exotic teas. The feel of the satin chairs. The sounds of the afternoon crowd having a drink and our group was the only tea party of the afternoon. The scones were the best I have ever had. They were blueberry with Devonshire cream. Prior to the desserts we had various open faced sandwiches. The service was perfect and our server did an excellent job of making us feel relaxed and definitely not rushed. I loved that. I wanted to just soak up the whole experience.

Our hats seemed to draw so much attention. It reminded me of days gone by when dressing up was the norm. I realized that my friends were very brave to walk through the entire lobby of the Ritz-Carlton looking very different than the other women. It didn't feel like a costume. It felt elegant and so much fun.

I think as long as I live I will remember this afternoon. I have been having huge challenges with my reports and this was something refreshing. I felt like Anne of Green Gables when she went to her friend's aunt's mansion and affluent lifestyle. She said she didn't know how she would go back to normal living after this. That's just how I felt. This was such a treat and I can't wait to show you the pictures. Stay tuned.

picture from allposters

Update on Zayla

For those of you that were praying for my friend's little niece, here is little Zayla. She is so beautiful and doing so much better. Hopefully, she will be able to go home in the next few days. Since Monday was a holiday they had to do a test and didn't have the appropriate staff there so they had to wait. Her parents are so anxious to get her home to her big brother. The surgery went very well and they are appreciative for your prayers.

I am so blessed to have so many wonderful friends to pray for emergency situations like this particular one. You guys are great.

I thought I was nearly done with the dreaded report and today I found out I have to change about half of it. I am trying to be positive and just look at it as an adventure. I did decide today that me being in labor for 41 hours was like a piece of cake next to this monster. I have 12 days to finish it and turn it into the national agency so I have got to get crack-a-lacking. Tonight I will watch American Idol and try to work on changing my background of this blog. Tomorrow I will start up again with the numbers. Scream.

They're Back!!!!

Get ready for a cool show tonight. Project Runway is back tonight. I had nearly forgotten it and my friend StevieWren reminded me. It will be on at 10p EST tonight on Lifetime channel. I am excited. I have been working so hard and I need a little entertainment. I think it is so cool that these folks can whip together beautiful clothes and put together all types of fabrics and materials. Of course, it's not like the beautiful show I watched Sunday night, Return to Cranford on Public TV. Heidi Klum is not Dame Judith Dench, but it takes lots of different people to make up this world.

I saw a woman today at a restaurant while I was having a luncheon meeting. She reminded me so much of Stevie Wren. My mother used to tell me that the older she got she started thinking so many people were someone she had met before. This woman had the pretty red hair and pretty smile. Her nose looked a little different, but besides that they could have been twins.

Have you ever heard that? I do see a lot of people that remind me of others. Maybe it's just that the older you get you have seen a larger number of people. I tend to have a big imagination anyway, but it's kind of fun. Have you ever thought you saw someone famous or in a situation that you just know couldn't be that particular person?

I am getting very close to getting my big report done. I will go over it tomorrow with my boss and I feel much better already. I kind of feel guilty feeling bad about doing work when so many are suffering in Haiti. It breaks my heart. I have a friend that has been there several times doing mission work and she was so touched by the poverty. We are so blessed.

No Particular Reason

You see this picture of Hugh Laurie (House) and you may be thinking I have something special to tell you about him. Well, you are wrong. I just wanted to put up this picture on my blog. I think he's quite nice looking. Eye Candy. Love those Brits!!

I am currently watching American Idol auditions and I wanted to watch something entertaining and not sad. I have had sad things to read about and hear about all day long. I have been working so hard on my reports and I decided I must get on my blog and write.

Please help me pray for one of my employee's niece. She was born this afternoon and she had a syndrome where she is having a hard time breathing and they will need to do surgery Friday to remove some extra tissue in her throat. She's over 8 lbs and we are praying she will be fine after the surgery. Their whole family is so upset and I told them I would be praying and have others pray. They have not named her yet because they wanted to see her first and decide if her new name was good for her. She was whisked away to PICU so they didn't get to see her for very long. I know the Lord knows exactly who she is so please say a prayer for her. I'll give you an update when I hear more.

I have been concentrating so much on my project that I have not been able to get into any of the books I've been trying to read. My bible has been my only book that is holding my attention. I have been going to bed so early because I'm exhausted, but then I wake up at 1 or 2am. I guess by now you have read enough of my whining. Thanks for being there. It helps me to know you stop by and check on me. love you guys.

Some Rambling and Ranting

I posted this winter picture again because I have a question for Mr. Gore. Where is the global warming?I grew up in Indiana so I have lived through cold winters. Then I moved to south Florida as a teenager and lastly to Georgia and South Carolina...Hello..deep south. Having temperatures in the teens with 5 and 7 as wind chill factors is not what I signed up for here in the sunny south. I know for all my friends in the cold north it sounds like I'm a wimp. Well, yes, when it comes to this freezing weather I am pretty much a wimp. We may get snow Thursday and when I was at the store getting my medicine tonight they said it's been really busy with folks trying to get ready for the 'big snow'.



I have been having some computer troubles so I haven't been writing as much during the week. For some reason it seems to be working tonight. Hooray! I'm sitting here watching Biggest Loser and I have been crying with them. I need to watch them suffer through the beginning. I need to be reminded that I need to get back to the serious level again. I've kept most of the last amount I lost, but when the holidays came I fell back to some old habits. I realize you guys understand what a battle is, but for some reason I have to be reminded over and over and over.



I just finished reading Forward from Here by Reeve Lindbergh. It's about growing older and I loved reading about her life as one of Charles Lindbergh's children. It's pretty good. A woman at the doctor's office today recommended a book and I'll let you know what I think probably tomorrow. I love to read book reviews and get personal recommendations. There are so many books out there with clever marketing people and they write up clever back covers and inside covers. I'm tired of getting books and after reading a couple of chapters I don't care for it. If someone tells me they have enjoyed it I will keep going and more times than not I end up liking the book also.



My friend, Brenda at Coffee,Tea, Books and me recently said she loved The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. So I am going to pull it off the shelf and try again. It seems like once I know it's safe to read on I'll be alright. I know it sounds crazy, but it helps me so to know it's a keeper. So I'm going to list some more books that I have, but have not read yet. Please let me know if you have read any of them and what you think. I will truly appreciate it.
Blessed Child by Dekker, Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, One Thousand White Women by Fergus, Wicked by McGuire, The Road to Cana by Anne Rice, Take One by Karen Kingsbury, firefly lane by Kristin Hannah. I have gobs more, but this is enough for now. I need to know whether to put the time into them or just move on. I really do appreciate you taking the time to let me know if you enjoyed any of these.

I guess I've rambled enough. Thanks for being there!

Happy New Year! It's really really cold and I'm thankful for another brand new year and new start. I love the feeling of having a new planner and a clean year ahead. Of course, I'm not so naive that I think it will stay clean. There will be obstacles, roadblocks, and maybe even train wrecks in my life. The Lord is with me and I have to remind myself that He will take care of these happenings in 2010.

The picture above is Avery during Christmas break as we left the bookstore. We both love hanging out there looking at all the books and trying to plan what we'll read next. She is currently working on writing an updated version of a classic. We have so much fun together and I realize how blessed I am to have her around me so often. Although I don't get to see her during the week while I'm in Atlanta, we do get to have her over during the weekend.

Her sweet mother got me a Nikon camera for Christmas and I will try to figure out how to download pictures and share with my blogging friends. My family has accepted that I am always on the lookout for blogging stories and pictures. I hope to become a blogger that has some great photos and interesting posts.

I must hop off and get ready for church. I pray this quiet Sunday will be a beautiful day for you!