Happy Birthday Tigger

Happy 22nd Birthday Tigger!

Even though I know that you are a man now, this is will always be the picture  of you that I carry in my heart. Not long after this picture was taken you asked me if instead of calling me "Mama Joy" that you could just call me "Mama."

No matter what happens, you will always be my son.

I love you more than you can imagine.

~Mom

My Independence Day

Today is the two year anniversary of the day my life changed. I consider it my own independence day.

I admit that when I first learned that my husband was cheating on me, I fell apart. This was the man who swore before God, our family, and friends,  to love, honor, and cherish me and then he broke all of those promises.  As I learned more and more about him, the drinking, the constant lying, gambling, the stealing, and the never-ending affairs, I was so humiliated,  I felt like I would die.

But here I am on the other side of this two years and I lived to tell about it. I am stronger, smarter, and I realize that I am worthy of real love.  Life could not be better!

For the first time in a really long time, I am truly happy. I have reconnected with old friends. I am getting to go places and do things that I would not have gotten to do otherwise.

 I finally got to take Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. I have a lovely little nest egg and live very economically. All of my utilities are paid up, for nearly 4 months in advance. I bet they wonder who has moved into my house. When I need something, I can buy it. I had been more than willing to be part of the struggle to build a family. Now I no longer have to struggle.  This year I was not only able to give my kids one pretty decent Christmas present, I also helped 4 people on the Christmas "angel" tree: three teens in Bulgaria and a local elderly resident. Blessings abound!

When I buy something to eat, it is still here when I get home. If I buy the ingredients for a meal, rest assured that there is no mad dash to the grocery store to replace something that someone ate because they were bored. I no longer have to skip lunch because someone needed lunch/gas money. If I don't want to eat dinner, I don't. If I want surf and turf at the local steakhouse, I go get it. And I usually do that on Wednesdays.

The house stays clean for weeks. I am finally getting decent furniture. When I put something down, it stays right where I left it. Nothing goes "missing" anymore. If I want to, I can rearrange the furniture without sparking an argument. I planted the flowering pear tree in the front yard. I replaced the roof.

I have found a wonderful church family, who appreciated my gifts, I am back in the Word of God and learning more than ever before. I am making many new friends. I get to do the things that I want to do, when I want to do them. "Why Not?" has become my new motto.

What about my "love life?" I have met  men who know to open doors without being reminded and willingly pay for dinner. Who ask about my day, and are truly interested. Who don't constantly belittle me around others. Who seem proud to have me on their arm. I date when I want to, but strangely, I kinda prefer to be alone. Like "Justin Matese" says in Hope Floats, "being alone ain't for sissies."

I know now that all relationships are work, and one must be willing to do the work to keep them going. Oh sure, they usually sail along, problem free the first few years, but eventually, issues arise that require compromise or down right hard labor. I know that I can do the work, but right now, I:m enjoying the ride.   Life is no longer a never ending series of  struggles or stalemates. No one to answer to. No one trying to incite an argument. No one to start fights moments before going to gatherings of family or friends so that we both show up grumpy and distant. No one else's bad behavior to apologize for.  I never realized that life could be free of drama.

Actually, I was surprised how easy it is to live drama free. How easy happiness is when one looks for it in themselves first. I have learned to enjoy my own company .I no longer expect someone else to "make me happy."  Any one who comes into my life now will do so because I want them there, not because I need something from them.

Best of all, I am finally getting the life I am worthy of having. I am finally seeing the benefit of all my hard work. The light at the end of the proverbial tunnel.

To quote a famous song, "Like Frankie says I did it my way.." That's what it boils down to: doing it my way.

IT'S MY LIFE

Those One Can Depend On

While running errands this morning, I found myself in a sticky situation: I let myself run out of gas. It was definitely on my list of things to do, but it was the last of my errands, so I was saving it for the trip home. Unfortunately, I miscalculated and found myself stranded at the post office, my next to last errand.

But lucky for me, the Lord put people in my life on whom I can depend. to be there for me in times of trouble.

Two such people would be my best friend and her husband. They have been there for me and my family in times of trouble and are always willing to drop what they are doing to come help, without grumbling.  Just like today, when they came and retrieved me, They took me to the gas station and stayed to make sure I was okay.

I had to learn to depend on myself many years ago. The ex, the one person who should have been the first person I called, my strongest ally, always fell pitifully short of being dependable. He was always full of excuses as to why he couldn't handle something. Oh, he put on a good front at first, but I soon found that I couldn't depend on him to even buy toilet paper, much less pay his share of the bills. But the Lord knew he'd eventually disappoint me. So He strengthened me instead.

The Lord equips us all for the things that He knows that we need. He knew that I would need to be strong in the face of many things. He led me to my new church family. A good group of people who I enjoy worshiping with each week. He would teach me how to survive on my income alone. He blessed me with enough to bless others too. He reminded me of my worthiness. That I am loving and deserve to be loved and treated properly. He reminded me to go back to looking for the good in others and expecting others to do the right things. He is removing those from my life who have no business there.  Those who come to steal my joy.

The thief  (Satan) comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly...John 10:10

I'm Dreaming ....

of a WET Christmas!

And stormy! I have been praying pretty steadily that the storm pass over us all.  It worked day before yesterday, so I am at it again. I really hate storms, especially since April 2012.

This year's Christmas morning was moved to Julz's place, as I found myself without power this morning. It came back on just moments before I left. Just as I was about to leave, the bottom dropped out! KitKat was there when I arrived and she brought along her puppy, Cash. He spent most of our time together trying to get into my lap.

She has the cutest little place on Southside. Just enough for her. She had just enough room for her Christmas tree.

 

Just like her Mom, Julz appreciates a nice crown

She was offered an apartment on the first floor, but chose one on the third instead. She said that the view was what sold her. This picture does not do it justice.

Julz cooked breakfast and then we exchanged gifts. I have started compiling all their gifts in one box. It's like opening a treasure box.

 

With everyone having other places to go, we took one more picture, a group selfie.

 

The only thing that would have made this day better would have been if their brother Tigger, had come too.

 

After lunch with my brother at our mother's, I got home just in time for the bottom to drop out again. I put on National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and settled in for what is proving to be a very Wet Christmas.

 

Be Safe and Merry Christmas!

 



Merry Christmas Y'all!

It has been so unseasonably warm this week that instead of a "White Christmas" we are having a "Wet Christmas"

 

We are on track for a "Wet New Year's" as well.

 

But any day above ground, right?

 

Merry Christmas y'all or maybe  I should give you the island greeting of Mele Kalikimaka !

 

 

 

"Mele Kalikimaka" by Bing Crosby featuring the Andrews Sisters

written by Robert Alex Anderson 1949

Clip from National Lampoons Christmas Vacation 1989

written by the late great John Hughes

EnJOY!

On The Light Side of the Force

I have been getting more  in touch with the Light side of the Force this weekend.

I have been to see Star Wars The Force Awakens twice now. Once in 3D at a regular theater and then once at  the IMAX. This was not my original intent.

I got my first ticket for opening day two weeks ago. I bought it in advance on Fandango. If you had never used Fandango before, I highly recommend it. Usually all one has to do is present their credit card that the ticket was purchased with, and collect the tickets, but I chose to print my ticket instead. I also highly recommend this method, as I was able to bypass the line and go right in.

Around the same time, my company announced that it had bought out the 4pm showing.  The powers that be had decided to sell the tickets to raise money for our Employee Assistance fund. This fund benefits employees who have faced a tragedy. It was established after the tornado of 2012 when several employees were impacted, myself included.

Because Birmingham's IMAX was one of only fifteen in the country showing the movie, I thought it would be a unique experience. I called my mom and brother to see if they wanted to go. I purchased tickets for that showing as well. The fella at work in charge of the tickets said that there were only six people who managed to buy tickets before my company bought out the theater. The rest would be coworkers and their families.

Unless you are living under a rock, there is no way to avoid all the hullabaloo over this premier weekend. Commercials for everything from new cars to soup, reference it.

Several friends had gone to the midnight showing on Thursday, so I had heard  some good things from them (but no spoilers)

I went to the noon matinee, and like I said, waltzed right in.  Given this was the last school day for the neighboring schools, it was no where near as busy as it was usually. I chose a 3D version. I collected my glasses, bought my popcorn and drink and headed for my seat.  There were maybe 20 other people in the theater.

There were no posters or cutouts for the movie, anywhere in the building, which I thought was really odd. I was reminded of the last three movies, all released in May. We saw "Phantom Menace" on rainy day during our honeymoon. "Attack of the Clones" and "Revenge of the Sith" had both been after anniversary dinner entertainment.  I remember there being many more cut-outs for those.

 On the way to the theater, I took a moment to grab a quick selfie with the poster for "JOY," a Christmas day release of the biopic about business mogal and HSN regular Joy Mangano (Miracle Mop, Huggable Hangers, My Little Steamer, the Roly Kit and the Clothes It All luggage system, just to name a few.)

 



After all, how often does one find one's own name on a movie poster? I couldn't resist, even though I take horrible selfies.  But I will definitely be seeing this one on Christmas.

After sitting through 30 minutes of trailers, mostly sequels of other movies, the main event finally started. Aside from the occasional person getting up to leave the theater for bathroom or snack runs, it was really quiet. As the stars of the original movies came on screen, there were no cheers, and the few humorous moments were met with silence. I will admit, after a full bag of popcorn, I was a little drowsy. I nodded off for a minute during, of all things, a particularly nasty battle scene! There is a particularly disturbing plot twist, that left me nearly in tears, and the ending was a little anticlimactic for my taste, but opens up the story for a sequel. I waited through the credits, but there was no stinger. (That little bit of film, usually included post-credit. Think of the "Go Home" scene at the end of Ferris Bueller's Day Off. That is a stinger)

When I emerged from theater, there was quite a line for the 3:30 p.m. showing.

Today, I puttered around the house, doing laundry and such,  waiting until time to meet the parentals. . I understand from my mom, that the Chief was so excited, he was almost like a kid. He had been humming the traditional Star Wars theme music all day.


We arrived at the McWane Center an hour early to ensure we got good seats. Some had gotten there much earlier, and were sitting on the floor in a line, that snaked around the glass projection room. The film was on a huge spool, that I am told weighs 450lbs.

 I also ran into Middle Stepbrother, his wife and her parents. They were four of the six random viewers who bought tickets before my company bought out the theater!

We chose our seats just to the right of the big box in the middle of the dome. The woman in front of me had commented on how odd the seating was and if she was to lean over too far, that she felt as though she would tumble to the bottom.  I tried not to think of that, but could not help but feel a little bit of vertigo. But we had good seats.

The upside of seeing a movie at the IMAX is that there are no previews. The downside was that everything on the screen is much bigger and the sound would vibrate your seat. The most disturbing was once you exited the theater, you were not allowed back in. I chose not to drink anything. Once the movie started, a cheer rose up from the audience.  The scrolling text was nearly impossible to read, as it wrapped around the screen. I commented to Brother that I was not enjoying seeing actors nose hair. There were times that one had to decide what to look at and the edges of the picture blurred into the sides of the walls.  The herky-jerky flight and battle scenes made Mother nauseated.  The theater was cold and I soon had to borrow a jacket to keep warm.

The IMAX experience was falling really flat with me.

There were a few of my coworkers taking photos with the movie poster in the lobby.

I have no idea why I am holding the souvenir popcorn bucket, but mother handed it to me.

 The movie was actually filmed for IMAX and then later reformatted for traditional theaters, which I thought was pretty cool. One thing is certain, it was an experience.

I doubt that I will ever do that again.

BANG!

I think that it is funny that the writers of "Big Bang Theory" decided to chose the night before the new Star Wars opened to allow "Sheldon and Amy" to be intimate.

Quite a conundrum for folks in line for the midnight showing.

LOL..geek problems

Great Beginnings!

I had another great date with John!  Trying not to get my hopes up. He has only been divorced for a year. Guys seem to sow their wild oats during the first few years after a divorce.  He knows how I have been hurt and he understands that I have SERIOUS trust issues now. But he gets my quirky sense of humor. We truly enjoy each other's company. We laugh.... A LOT! We like a lot of the same things.  We listen to the same music. He's much taller than me, even when I am in heels. Okay....he's a bammer ( for my out of state friends, in Alabama, there are Auburn fans like me, and then there are ....not...)  but not in that militant, "name-your-kid-Bear" (yes, seriously) kind of way.  I think what I like most about him is that he invented his job. He left one really successful career, to fill in a niche with another.  He has a very strong work ethic, and for that he is successful.

We went out for barbeque and then went bowling. The local bowling alley was taken over by new management and completely remodeled. The only thing that was familiar was the lanes. The game is completely automated so the tables that used to be by the alleys were gone. replaced with cushy sofas. that meandered along the backside of the lanes.  The hardest part for me was having to tell the shoe guy what my shoe size was. I always have to tell them I wear an 11 in women's, that translates to a 9 in men's, because they NEVER have women's size 11 shoes. I shared that I was embarrassed that I had such big feet.  John replied "Oh Yeah?' and loudly asked Shoe Guy for a pair of size FOURTEENS! They were the biggest shoes I had ever seen. I could almost put both feet in one!

I bowled the worst game that I have ever bowled in my entire life, including when I was big pregnant with Julz.  But we laughed and shared strategies. I tried really hard to tone down my fierce competitive streak, but the disappointment with myself was evident on my face. 

When our games were over, we sat in the lounging area of our lane and talked. For an hour.  Then he walked me to my car, and we talked some more.

Really looking forward to seeing him again

=)

Oh Well....

Well, I hear that Auburn lost to Alabama 29 to 13.

After years of being systematically "conditioned" to believe that I was bad luck, I only dared to watch a few minutes of the game.

This amazing play was the only one that I saw.

 

Guess that I should have watched more of the game.

 

Oh well, there is always next year.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Oh, I almost forgot! I met a guy whom I will call "John" We had a great blind date last night. Can't wait to get to know him better!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

It's Iron Bowl Saturday!!

 

 

WAR EAGLE!

"Lord, Please Remove Those Who Have No Business In My Life..."

In my morning prayers, as I send up prayers for protection over my children and other family, I always ask the Lord to remove those from my life who have "no business" in my life or the life of my family. I implore Him to remove those "who seek to use us and abuse us."  I  feel like this simple request has spared me from a great deal of heartache.

Today, in the final sermon of his "Blessed Life" series, our pastor shared an idea that I never thought of before, but one that makes a lot of sense.

"Those who are focused on PEOPLE, will use Money to help other People. But those who are focused on MONEY will use People to get more Money"

This struck me: I had lived this very truth.
For the better part of two decades, I was used for my resources.

Now I know the Lord won't let that happen again.

Thank You For Your Service!

Happy Veteran's Day to one of my favorite vets  and one of my favorite soldiers

 

Also to my Dad (AF Reserve) and my Step-Dad (Army)

 

And the generations of men in my family who have served our nation.

 

We owe you a debt of gratitude for a precious gift

 

Our Freedom

Delta Dawn

I saw this today on Facebook and had to share it. Though my brother may not remember, this was once his favorite song. Who am I kidding, it was my favorite too.

Recorded by Tanya Tucker when she was only 13, after hearing Bette Midler sing it on The Tonite Show.  The rest is music history.

I was surprised to see that she was still singing, although not completely. Most of the good, truly talented entertainers still do. Kinda hard to believe she is 56.

Here is Miss Tanya Tucker singing the song that put her on the charts

~EnJOY

Let's Pick A Time and Stick With It!

Well,  it sound like  Sen. Rusty Glover has hit a snag in his bid to keep Alabama one consistent time. I'm thinking that he hasn't thought this through. Why not just keep  THIS time all year long?  It accomplishes the same goal.

Geez

Forgiveness

"But to you who are listening, I say: LOVE your enemies, DO GOOD to those who hate you, BLESS those who curse you, and PRAY for those who mistreat you."
                                                   Luke 6:27-28


This week's message was probably the most powerful and eye opening message I've heard so far. It unlocked something that my life has been lacking for a long time

FORGIVENESS.

I need to stop holding on to the bitterness and resentment.  I need to forgive D/H and the ho for what they did to me. In the end God WILL punish them (and He may be already) but that is not my concern. But that also does not mean I should not be praying for them to seek His Truth before it's too late.

I am to RELEASE those who have offended me. Not to wait for the apology to forgive. It is the only way to move forward, and trust someone again.  Dare I let myself love again. When things in my life (finances, career, relational, spiritual, overall health) got better IMMEDIATELY after he left, I missed the sign. Never again.

With that said....D/H... I release you.

 The hurt you caused me.
The pain, bitterness, and resentment I have harbored in my heart.
Making you better in my mind than you really were.
Thinking I could not go on with out you.

Because you are the one who has to live with what you did. Not me.
You are the one who has to live with someone willing to cheat on someone.  Who thinks so little of the sanctity of a holy union, that they will never trust you or be trustworthy themselves. Not me.
You are the one who everyone said would not amount to much, and in the end you are proving them right. Not me.

I forgive you
And now I can forget you

Dating Rules

My mother "reminded" me that I have not posted in a while. I have been crazy, stupid, busy. 

Huck and I are on the outs. Turns out he was not as ready to let go of his "harem" as he first thought he was, and I was not was okay with it as I thought I could be.  The friend that introduced us has apologized profusely. "I thought he had grown out of that" she keeps saying. News Flash: One a player, always a player. Just like cheaters.  Neither will EVER change.

Looking through my tickler file, where I keep my blog ideas, I came across this article on Dating Rules .

I'm an old fashioned girl at heart, so I can appreciate all the rules. Rule #7, especially. Nothing is more rude than talking to the top of one's head while they check their messages. Geez! D/H would do that. Chances are good that he still does. He doesn't have much to hold his attention these days.

And like I said, some people will NEVER change.

~EnJOY!

Here's Your Sign....

I really wish someone had sent me this article 18 years ago. Seems like someone else needs it now, so I am posting it.

I have decided that life is too short to be in a constant state of stress and worry. Good Riddance!!

After my last post, I have given the end times some pretty serious thought. Did you know that this is the first time that all Biblical prophesy is being met?  Even the recent eclipse and blood moon both fulfill Biblical end times prophesy.

I have shifted my focus to Bible study, prayer, and openly sharing my faith with others.

I leave everyone with this thought.

Go Right or Get Left!

The End Is Near

Today's sermon really caught my attention.  Our pastor pointed out that signs are clear, the end is near. Very near.

Of all things said, this one verse stood out to me.


But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.

2 Timothy3:1-5

The end is upon us. Are you ready?

Have You Forgotten? (Annual Repost of my 9/11 Story)

It's that time of year again.

This is the annual repost of my my 9/11 story. This version is from the 10th anniversary. Every year, friends ask me why I "dwell on the past". History is written by the survivors, from stories passed down by their elders. The parts that are insignificant are soon forgotten.

For my children and the generations to come.

_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_

It is time for the annual repost of my 9/11 story.

The last few days have been somewhat emotional for me, as the tributes have begun playing on t.v. It's hard to believe it's been ten years now.

If you are a regular reader and have read this story before, I urge you not to skip over it. It's going to be a little different than in years past and here is why:

"All You" magazine had wanted to publish it in this month's edition, along with other 9/11 stories from readers across the country. I was very excited, but after working with the editor, it became clear that for me, the story was still too personal. I was not ready to share it in that medium yet. So my Bucket List item of being published will have to wait a little longer.

I also became aware of a problem that may be caused by the disclosure of a few facts about my customer.

I work for a coffee company. It is a coffee importer and distributor based in Birmingham, Alabama. We primarily handle coffees for Food Service (hotels resorts, restaurants, hospitals, etc...) Office Coffee (that stuff in your breakroom at work) and Convienence Stores (gas stations, truckstops and the like). We even offer the option to purchase it for your home through our home goods department.. But a large part of our business is Private Labeling.

Have you ever looked at a bag of store-brand coffee and read "packaged for This Store in Birmingham, Alabama?" Well, sometimes, Birmingham, Alabama means us. That is "private labeling." Some companies don't take kindly to the source of their private labeled products being revealed, so I've removed the customer store name. The real point of the story is not where the coffee was going, but the person delivering it and my reaction. And, I like my job.

Next February will mark my 21st year there as a customer service professional. Oh, the stories I could tell.

Like this one.

Tomorrow will be September 11th. Patriot Day.

I'll be wearing my yellow ribbon and my American Flag pin.

This year, marking the ten year anniversary, I know that it will be commemorated with the reverence that it should.

Even after ten years, the emotion is nearly as fresh and raw as it was watching the non-stop news footage.

And every year since, I have thought about 5 cases of coffee.

I cry when I tell it because the emotions bubble back up, so you are at an advantage reading it, though I am about to cry just typing it.

Every now and again, a private-label customer would request a few cases of coffee be sent directly to one of their stores. On September 10, 2001 they requested that I send five cases of coffee to the store on the basement level of WTC. I am told this is where the food court was. They had requested Next Day Air, Early A.M. delivery, which means it is delivered first thing in the morning. I processed the UPS shipment myself, to ensure it was done in time for pick up.

It stood out to me because the address was simply :

(Store Name)
Basement Suite#
WTC, NY and the zip code.

I remember thinking, "How cool is that?"

At the office the next morning, I arrived early enough to make my coffee, prioritize my "things to do" list for the day, and settle in. My department is a long room, lined in cubicles, with a walkway from our main breakroom to our lobby on the interior side and a wall of windows on the other. The cubicles in the center face outward, creating a large open area in the middle of the room. Between each workstation is a curved countertop and a chair, so in the center there are two that face one another like tables in a cafe. The space is very conducive to lingering and chatting by those passing through to and from the main breakroom. At times it can be very disruptive.

Our purchasing agent at the time, a fellow named Ron, was walking through on his way to the main breakroom, coffee cup in hand. You must know this about Ron. He was a very serious individual, but was also extremely funny. He had the driest sense of humor and could deliver the funniest jokes with an expression so deadpan, that sometimes it was hard to determine if he was being serious or pulling your leg. So when he stopped in the center, and asked "Did you hear a plane crashed into the World Trade Center?" we all paused for the punchline.

After convincing us that he was serious, I raced to the breakroom to see the breaking news on t.v. The address of my previous day's shipment suddenly came to mind and it dawned on me, the UPS driver could very well be there at that very moment. I was standing there watching, when the second plane hit.

As the events of the day unfolded, I thought more and more of those five boxes of coffee and the unsuspecting UPS driver I'd sent to his death. I prayed for a lot of people that day, but I prayed specifically for him.

Over the next several days, I began to think about him quite a bit. Was he married, did he have children, what kind of person would he have been....? Because I would never really know his fate, it started to be too much for me. Every time I saw footage of the dust & debris, I imagined a UPS truck buried beneath it.

Though it may sound strange, I felt really guilty, like somehow I was responsible. I cried uncontrollably, nearly daily, over this person I'd never met.

Two weeks went by. My best friend told me that I was going to give it to God and let it go. So I finally prayed that God would give me some peace over it and release me from this guilt I was feeling. I prayed once more for him and his family and "laid it down."

The very next day, our local UPS driver returned those five boxes of coffee stamped "UNDELIVERABLE." They looked as good as the day I sent them out. I took their pristine condition as my sign from God that the driver I prayed so diligently over, was okay too.

Looking back, I can't explain why I was so upset over this person that I didn't know, when there were those who I did know right in the heart of the events.

• My cousin, Amanda, pregnant with her middle daughter, on a courier run in New York. Her company had called her back to the office, just shy of reaching WTC, where her deliveries were to be made. She was one of hundreds of thousands who fled Manhattan on foot across the George Washington Bridge.



• One of our DC route reps had just left from making his Pentagon delivery, watched as that plane passed overhead. He called in, shaken but okay, and told one of the CSR's "I think I just saw a plane crash."



• Moments later friend Penny Huggins Bailey, stationed there as a protocol officer, would be saved from the direct hit by an overwhelming surge of mother's intuition.

There was a resurgence of hospitality, patriotism, and faith. People were kinder, gentler, more caring, more forgiving. More were proud to be American and began to relish what was good about our country, rather than harping on what was wrong. And everyone began to rexamine their faith.

As a family, we drew closer to one another, and drew closer to God. My children were scared, but the Lord gave us the words we needed to put their young minds at ease.  My husband was never the head of our family the way he was during that time. For the first time in his life, he embraced the Biblical standard set forth for husbands. We were more in the Word, more involved in church. We appreciated the little things.

Ten years later, my emotions still overwhelm me, and the tears come as easily now as they did then.

Alan Jackson's "Where Were You" effortlessly captured everything I had felt about the events surrounding 9/11. Thursday, I had posted the video of it from the live performance to my Facebook page. I watched the full five minute video to make sure it was complete and not compromised in any way before I posted it. Half way through, I realized that I was crying.

I know, when I tell this story to my grandchildren some day, I will fight back a tear even then.

I realize that to some extent, as a nation we should "move on." But I was raised that the first part of getting where you are going, is knowing where you've been.

Never Forget


(As always, dedicated to those who unsuspectingly gave their lives Sept 11, 2001, the people who knew and loved them, and all our military heroes keeping us safe ever since.)

I Guess Things Could Be Worse....

Had a little mishap with the car. It died Sunday right in the middle of town.

Thankfully, my brother came to my rescue. His somewhat educated opinion was that my fuel pump was going out. Luckily, the new O'Reilly auto parts store in town happened to have one and after a few hours of wrestling my quarter-filled gas tank out from under the middle of my car, my brother and my daddy replaced it.

That lasted about two days, when the car died on my way home from work.

I think the problem made me think of a similar situation when me and D/H  were  tag-team -driving my car after his car mysteriously "died." It turned out to be a failing sensor, that would shut the engine off and dump us in the most inconvenient of places.

 Sooooo my next stop will be the local repair shop, for yet another $300 part.  Thankfully I have the money for it

That has put a halt to temporary halt to the paint, lumber and siding purchase that I was planning to make.

It could always be worse.

I could be selling clothes on ebay to make ends meet.

Busiest Time of the Year

Sorry y'all. This is a super busy time for me.

Our annual sales meeting in the very near future. I am really not looking forward to it this year.
I have barely had any time to see Huck this week.

Since my last post I have\

1) went to my 30 year reunion cook out
2) had my roof replaced, finally
3) had my yard landscaped one good time, a surprise from Huck!
4) discussed making minor repairs and painting the house.

Huck has a really talented crew of folks! I can't wait for the work to start!

Life is not good...It's GREAT!

Wednesday Words of Wisdom

Musings

Eighteen months after having my heart ripped out, and stomped upon, it appears that I am starting to . heal. Huck is patient, and kind and I am slowly learning to trust again.

This pretty much sums it up.  This is exactly the article everyone in a relationship should read.

And then I read This Article.  It reminds me that I am valuable and did not deserve to be treated in such a manner, much like the article writer.

500 POSTS!

Woo Hoo!! I am now up to 500 posts!  Seems like this should be more exciting.

Sorry I haven't written in a while. Huck and I have been pretty busy and I just hadn't had time to post
since our July 4th weekend. Really, Mother, (my biggest fan), texted me to remind me to post an apology to all my readers.

Since then we have (in no particular order)

1) Went to dinner at a local Mexican restaurant, where the Mariachi band played "Sweet Home Alabama."  They attempted to add the  agregeious"rtr" that has become so popular with the bammers, but Huck (who bleeds Orange and Blue as much as I do) and I quickly shut that down with a little "War Eagle" of our own. It fits the song just as well.

2) Went to see the new "Terminator" movie. Nice tie-in to the original and the actress picked to play the young 'Sara Conner" bears an eerie resemblance to a young Linda Hamilton.

3)  Watched an entire season of "Ray Donovan" in one sitting (actually, camped out on a pallet in his floor like children, complete with snacks), so that I can be caught up enough to watch this season.

4) Took the scenic driving tour of his hometown. We drove all over, looking at the architecture, him sharing anecdotes from his childhood.  He attempted to show me the house he grew up  in, only to find the lot vacant.  Progress.....gotta love it.

5) Survived the "Wallet Incident," where Huck lost his wallet. On the day he finally decided to cancel both his personal card and his business card, got his new driver's license made, and got new insurance cards issued, he finds it. Isn't that always the way?

6) During that "Wallet Incident" I discovered that my own driver's license expired on my birthday. My BFF's did too. So I had to take a drive to Pell City for that. After tearing the house apart for my divorce decree, having the Chief print off another copy for me, I am told that I CAN NOT change my name back, as I have not had my social security card changed yet AND it will cost me another $30. Great. So I am stuck with the lying cheating scumsucking b@$+ard's name another four years.

7) I received my copy of the much anticipated "Go Set A Watchman" the Harper Lee sequel to "To Kill a Mocking Bird."  I was super excited to get it, but as my friends (and my Mother) began reading it, I quickly found that no one liked it. It was okay for "Scout" to be a selfish brat as a child, but much to my dismay, she never outgrew that. Now I am not so sure that I want to read it.  I am told there is one place where the now 26 year old "Jean Louise" is very, very disrespectful to her father, "Atticus."  I don't know how Yankees raise their children, but no self-respecting Southern girl would EVER disrespect her parents!

8) Huck is teaching me about, gulp, soccer.  A soccer coach for many years, Huck has a great enthusiasm for the sport.  I protested many times, reasoning that I am actually more of a football fan. But his patient nature won me over. He has no problem answering my questions, no matter how mundane (why is the goal keeper in different colors, why does the rest of the team on the side line have to wear those smocks, what is a "yellow card", what are the orange slices for....) even if I ask it in the middle of a fast paced game. He points out things for me, in case I miss something important. Unlike many parents who coach, he stayed on as a coach long after his girls outgrew the sport. He has several, signed team pictures, as well as division trophies, displayed throughout his home. From the signatures on each team photo, it is obvious that he is well liked, and he speaks of each of his players, both former and current, with great pride. He has had several graduate from club level to Division 1 play. I  have a feeling I may be cutting up oranges for a group of energetic 13 year olds this fall.

9) I have signed on for another round of sign language with the parental units. Nothing has made me more insecure (and stupid) than sign language. I have never done anything that I was not pretty good at, even in the most modest attempts. Some signs make perfect sense: "driving", for example, is mimicking two hands on a steering wheel. Other words make no sense, such as "country" (as in out in the...) resembles rubbing a "y" hand over the opposite elbow. Take  look at the online dictionary "Signing Savvy" to see for yourself.  So I am going to take one more stab at it and see if I do better this time.

That is all that I can think of right now.  I know that I still have to post about trip to North Carolina for the Divine Miss M's wedding and all of those adventures and my super fun family trip to Florida for the Masonator's  graduation.  I promise I will get to those soon.

Until then, I have a pool party to attend

~EnJOY

Rich Man Poor Man

THIS ARTICLE was on my Facebook news feed this morning,

Something to think about.

Awwww...

 I guess the grass ISN'T greener on the other side after all.

Why else would someone be stalking my blog?!

 

Just remember, when the sparks die out, the conversation had better be good.  Right?

 

Meanwhile, Huck and I spent a leisurely afternoon relaxing at the pool.

 

 

 

Life is Good!

 

 

 

Happy Birthday To Me !

Last weekend was the 19th Anniversary of my 29th Birthday!!!

 I had a fun filled weekend!

 

 

Festivities started on Friday night when Huck took me to The Cheesecake Factory for my birthday dinner.  Despite looking at the menu for 30 minutes, I wound up with the salmon, as usual.  Huck quickly decided that he wanted the calamari appetizer,  but given it is covered in gluten-laden breading, he had the whole plate to himself.. When they sat the plate in front of us, he gasps

 "Oh No! GLUTEN!'

Bless him, he is learning.

He selected some sort of pasta dish with chicken as his entre.

 

 

 

After several failed attempts to get a decent selfie, we asked our waiter to take one.

 

 

 

We were so full  after dinner that we both had to pass on their trademark cheesecake.

After dinner we strolled among the shops and peered in windows. Afterward we went back to Huck's to watch a movie, but wound up watching several episodes of  "Botched," a plastic surgery reality show that he had on his DVR.

 

Saturday was the day I had been eagerly anticipating since somewhere around March.

 The Tesla, Styx, Def Leppard concert! 

 A little birthday present to myself.

 

Originally I was to go with the Divine Miss K, but at the last minute she suggested that I take Huck instead.

 

The weather forecast for the week was sunny all the way up until Saturday, at which point there was a 50 percent chance of rain.  It jumped around the forecast all week, first all day, then half the day, finally settling on the morning. It briefly rained in Moody Saturday morning and I thought that we were done. But I packed my 99 cent rain ponchos from Walmart, just in case.

 

We made our way to Pelham early to beat the traffic and found a great parking spot. We strolled over to the venue, hand and hand.

We chatted about things people were wearing, and queued up in the first line we came to at the entrance.  This is where security checked bags and patted down the concert goers. The ticket scanners were just beyond that.

We were so distracted by our own conversation, that I did not notice the personnel checking bags, until it was too late. I had been so excited that I had not given it any thought before now. Before I knew it, I was face to face with the woman my husband left me for just over a year ago.

 

The Homewrecker.

 

Close enough to slap her. 

 

As she checked Huck, I had a little time to get a good look at her. She looked far worse in person than the pictures I had been shown. She was overweight, short, dumpy, built more like a man than a woman. She was somewhat unkempt, with her stringy. multi-colored, hair pulled up in ponytail. She was covered in tattoos, crudely drawn and fading. She had no make up on her masculine face. Her smile revealed a mouth full of crooked, yellow teeth. She was sweaty, from standing out in the heat, I'm sure.

 

The thought that the man I had called my husband had been attracted to this ....person... was not only a mystery, but a miracle on her part. She was not attractive in any sense of the word. One could barely discern that she was female. He had always preferred pretty, shapely girls, who knew how to take care of themselves. I doubt this person had even had a bath. 

But as Julz's daddy was always fond of saying, if you turned us upside down, all women were the same.

 

I braced myself for the worst, but took a deep breath and presented my bag to her for inspection.  I don't know what I expected to happen. My face grew hot.

. I said that all I had in it was my lipstick and my i.d. She leaned in close  and looked into my Coach bag.  In my other hand,  I held the rain ponchos, to which I drew attention.  She chuckled said that I might have to use them at some point that evening.

 

She looked me dead in the face and smiled. She never gave any indication that she knew who I was.

 

On the other side of the gate, Huck asked if I was okay. I asked why he had asked and he said that my face was very red.  I did not tell him what had just happened.

 

We quickly joined the line for souvenirs.  I chose a black tee, that he purchased for me as a birthday present.  We made our way to our seats, that were in the middle of the second row of the second section.  Just in front of us was a large screen.  Tesla was already on stage. I was surprised that I remembered so many of their songs.

 

 

 Between sets, a dark cloud blew up. The atmosphere cooled considerably, making what was usually a muggy time of the year, very comfortable. We had gone to find a frozen lemonade stand, like the one that we passed on the way in, but there was not one on our side of the amphitheater.

We made our way to the other side and stood in line so long that Styx started before we could get back to our seats. It seems that the crowd had the same idea we did. With so many people moving around, a bottle neck soon formed in the walkway. It was at that time that I spotted D/H "guarding" the stage.  Right where he had always wanted to be. So bad enough that he got his former best friend fired from this position two years prior.The distance was short and he was easily recognizable. He had not changed  I am not certain that he saw me as I stood there at the top of the stairs, but his expression indicated that he very well may have. I know that he knew Def Leppard was my favorite band, so for him to be surprised to see me would have been stupid on his part. He started fumbling for his phone in his pockets.  The bottle neck cleared and we moved on to our seats.

That was the very last that I thought of either of them.

 

The rain started just before the end of Styx's set. I handed Huck his poncho and pulled mine over my head. He tucked it into the pocket of his cargo shorts.  Styx rocked the house. All those around us sang along with all their classic songs.  The drizzle ended enough for me to take off my poncho.

 

The crew dried the stage and set up for Def Leppard. We chatted with those around us. The couple seated to our right knew Huck through his sister's husband. We chatted with them and the couple to our left. Huck pointed out all the mother/daughter attendees. They were easy to spot. The aging "rock vixens" with their progeny in tow.

 

When Def Leppard too the stage the sky had darkened and the drizzle started again. Joe Elliot mentioned not wanting to fall and have twenty thousand people put it on YouTube.  I pulled my poncho back on. Huck offered his poncho to the young lady to our right, who took it appreciatively. The crowd sang along to the Def Leppard catalog. I completely forgot about taking pictures. Huck filmed a few songs and put them on Facebook.

 

A high point came when Joe Elliot donned an acoustic guitar and played "Sweet Home Alabama" The crown hooped and hollered in true Southern redneck fashion.  He said, "Hey, we are in Alabama. What the %&&* am I supposed to do?"

 

 

 The rain picked up considerably. People in front of us left. When it slacked off again there were less people on our row so we spread out a little. Luckily I dropped a pony tail holder in my bag. I slicked my wet hair back to get it off my neck.

 

 On the other side of the couple to our left, a severely drunk woman was getting rather rowdy. She was rubbing all over the woman in front of her, who promptly left. The drunk woman's male counterpart forcibly sat her in her seat, where she moaned and carried on for the remainder of the concert.

 

 

We managed to get this picture before we left. I posted it to my Facebook wall. Nearly all of my friends commented on how happy I looked. Finally.

 

As we walked out the gate that we entered, we decided to eat a late dinner in Hooter's.  We were seated and it was immediately apparent that we were not the only concert-goer's with a hankering for hot wings. The place was soon packed. Our waitress, a young brunette, also celebrating her birthday. She was wearing the traditional black uniform with a tiara and a banner that read "Birthday Girl"

The sudden influx of customers seemed to overwhelm some of the staff.  It took a while to get our food. Our waitress seemed to forget about us, and when our food finally came, she forgot Huck's fries. I had the chili cheese fries, which were very spicy.  I had to get my own tea refill.  Despite the service, Huck left a generous tip. "It's her birthday" he rationalized.

The traffic had cleared as we left the restaurant. We made it to the truck easily, again strolling hand in hand. .

"So what did you think of your birthday?" Huck asked, kissing the back of my hand.

The answer came easily.

"The Best One Yet"

Surprise, Surprise

So last night, Huck returned the favor and cooked dinner for me.

From scratch.

It was Chicken Fajita Salad and it was awesome!

A girl could get used to this.

JB Approved!

Huck came to my house for the first time last night. 

I was nervous because I feel like the house is never clean enough. I warned him several times as he drove over that the house was a wreck and I do not have the Neat Freak Ninja Cleaning Skills that he possesses.

"I just want to meet this cat I keep hearing about"  In that he meant JB.  When I am on the phone J thinks that I am talking to him and "answers" me in a series of weak mews. Sometimes he will get right in my face, like he is trying to talk too.

"I doubt you will ever see him. He is really skittish. He hid from my mom when I went to North Carolina and he hid from Cyn the whole time I was in Florida.  Really, he doesn't do new people well at all"

When Huck gets to the house,  JB slinks along the wall to make his usual dive for the "The Chair" the moment he walks in the door.  "See, I told you"  that's as much as you will ever see of him"

Huck calls to him and JB sits up to see who is calling his name. I could not believe it. Slowly, and with little hesitation,  he creeps back to us. Amazing! Huck crouches and offers his hand for inspection. J stretches his neck out to smell the tips of his fingers, front paw poised in midair. Then he relaxed, presenting the top of his head to be petted. I could not believe my eyes!

J runs from the kids when they visit and he grew up with them! And here he was letting a stranger touch him!

He purred loudly as Huck stroked his back several times. Then what actually happened next was nothing short of miraculous.  J turned in a little circle then flopped over, presenting his vulnerable belly to be petted as well.

Huck grinned and looked over at me, all the while stroking the soft white fur of J's belly.

"I think I'm approved" he chuckled.

Really......You have no idea.

Too Busy To Write

Sorry. I have been too busy to write, but I will catch up soon. I have to write about my trip to North Carolina for the Divine Miss M's wedding and the family trip to Florida.

Tonite I made creole stew for Huck. He LOVED it! He ate three bowls!!

I promise I will write more soon

~EnJOY!

Happy Belated Birthday Little Brother

Yesterday was my little brother's birthday.
He turned 44.

This picture is from 40 years ago.

Happy Belated Birthday Partner!

How Sweet.....

Huck is so sweet I just can't stand it.

He told me yesterday that he had missed me while I was gone. HE MISSED ME!

Not because he had no gas money while I was away, or because he needed me to buy something, or bail him out of something, or for me to pay for something.

He also said that he was looking forward to seeing me tonight.  He had said that, while I could pick where ever I wanted to go, he didn't care if it was just a burger joint, as long as he could see me.

Really, I have never been treated so good by anyone, besides LG.

Yeah, you will be hearing about this one again.

Thank You Random Walmart Stranger

This has been a rough week. I spent the past week in North Carolina preparing for the Devine Miss M's wedding. But I will get to that story later. While I was away, Dooder called to inform me that yet another old school chum had died. His funeral was today and that fact was on my mind as we rolled back into town at 2:00 a.m. this morning.

This particular friend had been a been our high school drum major, a leader in my circle of friends. I had many memories of him. He was just a year older than me. Best friend of my high school boyfriend, he had ridden shotgun on many an adventure. We ate breakfast at his house before school nearly everyday my sophomore and junior year.  He was tall, handsome, and very smart. He was one of the first people that I knew who had a home computer. He was very musically talented as well, playing trumpet, mellophone, and French horn. I am told his descent into mental illness and prescription abuse led to his eventual death. Despite only having had only a few hours of sleep after the nine hour drive in from Durham, I had to attend the funeral.

On a related note, my favorite "most expensive shoes ever" made an unexpected detour to Georgia with one of the bridesmaids. That changed what I had planned to wear to the funeral home. Going with my my tried and true black sheath dress, pearls and the "second most expensive shoes ever" that are not as comfortable as the MESE. My hair was still pretty decent from the wedding yesterday (thank you for a great curly cut), all I had to do was jump in the shower and head out.

There were several former band members.

After attending the service. I had to run to into Wallyworld to stock back up after my week away.
 I usually start at the back and work my way toward the front. Then all I have left to do is check out.
Standing in the produce aisle for a bag of kale, a man. mid-to-late walked up to me.

'Excuse me," he said. " but I need to tell you that I think you are just stunning"

I stood there, bag of kale in hand. poised over my cart. Mouth agape, I looked behind me to see who he was addressing.  He continued.

"It is nice to see a woman who knows how to dress herself. Women don't know how to dress properly anymore."

I could feel my face flush, but I did remember to say thank you. A woman wearing a ratty tee-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops passed between me and the produce case. His eyes followed her.

"Its nice to see a woman dressed like a lady. I just thought that you should know."

With that said. he walked away. 

I had needed that little ego boost and I know that I stood up a little straighter as I made my way to the check out.

Thank you random Walmart stranger.
You definitely made my day!

A Little Meloncholy

Today would have been my sixteenth wedding anniversary and I am a little melancholy. Not because D/H is gone, but because his absence is a glairing reminder of my failure.

The last few days helping with preparations for the Devine Miss M's wedding have taken me back to making preparations for my own wedding.

 Looking through my wedding album this morning, (the only day I have allowed myself to do that) I am misty-eyed. I had worked so hard to make sure everything was perfect. But did I focus on the wedding so much that I missed making sure that my marriage was fireproof as well?

I am a bystander for this event and happy to do whatever I am asked.  My own wedding was much different. Doing nearly everything by myself, getting sick and loosing my voice the day before the event, the kindergarten graduation delaying rehearsal, decorating the church and finding that a dear church lady had showed up to add little touches just for us.

There were little things that went wrong that I had to shrug off.  Little things that no one realized went wrong but me. The church taking down the modesty rail and changing the look of the stage the week of my wedding , how my shoes were suddenly too big, how the pianist booked two wedding for the same day so we had to move the time up, and most notably the sudden rain storm.  Little annoyances.

Probably the most stinging was D/H's biological mother calling to say that she was not coming to the wedding. But her absence lifted and invisible weight from everyone's shoulders, because no one had to deal with her selfish, self-centered antics. (gee I wonder where he learned that) I learned later that it was because she did not like me. Then D/H did the most selfless thing that he ever would do the entire time we were married. He chose me. That decision would lead to a rift between mother and son that last the duration of our marriage.  I am told that she hates the Homewrecker  as well, but is reluctant to say anything about it. "Look what happened last time I said something" she was quoted as saying.

As I think back, I ask myself, was it that I didn't love him enough? But the truth is that he didn't love me enough. He didn't love me enough to stay committed and faithful. There is nothing like finding out that your "fairytale" romance is over and that your Prince Charming was shagging the troll from under the bridge.

But I have come out the other side of this past year in a much better place. Scores of friends have told me how much happier I am now and that they are glad  they no longer have to entertain the boorish, insufferable lout that was D/H. They all sat by, powerless to save  me, mostly from the near constant stress of keeping them all from killing him. Needless to say, they are all glad that he is gone.

I do have moment where I miss him, but they quickly pass now. Moments when I see someone celebrating double digit anniversaries, or see those family pictures at the beach. and the "oh my spouse is so wonderful, look what they did for me."

 D/H was never interested in doing anything, or going anywhere, aside from drinking, sponging off our friends, and making an ass of himself, usually at my expense. But I have already done things in this year that I would never have been done if  I was still married  The ability to pick up at a moments notice and head anywhere, has been very exhilarating. "Why Not' has become my new motto. Friends have come back into my life now,. Friends that had enough of D/H's self -centered antics and just removed themselves from the situation. One can only be manipulated for so long.  I had missed them.

I am certain that I miss my son Tigger most of all.  Looking through my wedding album I look at his little face, so wide-eyed  and fresh with promise. I wonder what this experience has taught him about truly allowing himself to love someone, versus just using them to get what they want. How selfish and shallow, but I have learned over the years that this was the only thing D/H was good at. Using people. I know that Tigger is more compassionate than that.  I hope this hasn't taught him that people are only as good as what they do for you, and then they are disposable.

I had a dream earlier this week. I dreamed that I was actually home on the day that D/H left. I watched, helpless, as he packed his belonging in his truck. I had pleaded with him to talk to me about this rash decision, about throwing away the life we were building together. I stood on the porch, begging him to stay.

Then the most heart stopping part of the whole thing, turning my dream into a horrible nightmare:

He stayed

Playing Catch Up

Sorry all,

I have a very busy couple of weeks.

I guess a good place to start is by congratulating my dear friend LG on his recent nuptials to the beautiful Mrs LG. I know what you may be thinking. What Happened? Nothing. really. We have always been great friends. The physical distance was just to great to try to explore anything more. He has been a voice of calm stability during a time when my life was in turmoil LG told me that I am an incredible woman and that the Lord is going to send the perfect person into my life when the time is just right and that he would always support me.  He met her not long after my visit, and he knew right away that she was the one. She is a very sweet lady. I could not be happier for them.  Despite the invite to share in their joy, I could not attend, thanks largely to prior commitments. The pictures he sent me were beautiful. She is truly a lucky lady, as LG was the ultimate gentleman.

Julz and a buddy got to go to the Kentucky Derby for her birthday weekend. She came and raided my hat collection and left with four hats.  They had a great time and I got this really cute picture of them.

I am super proud of my oldest nephew, who earned an academic scholarship to a military college.
I hate that we couldn't be there to see him accept his scholarship.

 

 

I guess here is a good place to bring up" Huck", the latest fella in my life. A friend of a friend, we have been busy getting to know one another. Aside from being an Auburn fan (score!) he is easy to talk to and we have a lot in common.  He is my age, owns his own business, volunteers his Saturdays, and has three grown children....and is a grandfather to two little boys. They live in Knoxville, but from their pictures I can tell they are precious. "Pop Pop" is obviously smitten and wishes that they lived closer. The dates that we have been on have been fun. He sheepishly puts on readers in order to read menus, and that makes it easier for me to wear my own glasses. Despite commenting (three times)on my height when we first met, he assured me that he likes when I wear heels. "You have great legs" he said with a grin. In my flats, he is just a hair taller than me.

 

 This past weekend we went to see "Mad Max: Fury Road"  I only have one word to describe it: LOUD. Not exactly a remake as much as a reboot. Max (Tom Hardy) reluctantly accompanies a group of ghoulish desert inhabitants who escape from a Darth Vadar-esque villain under the guise of collecting gas, They instead go in search of The Green Place where Furiosa (Charlize Theron) was born. The kid from that zombie movie (Warm Bodies own Nicholas Hoult) as an unlikely hero. There were a few big plot holes that I would have liked to have been filled.  The make up and special effects were cool. The vehicles were very "Road Warrior" worthy , especially the "War Rig" a battle ready 18 wheel tanker truck.  Huck and I both agreed that the vehicle  covered in woofers and tweeters, carrying six drummers and a bungee-swinging guitar player, was the craziest. Who wouldn't want to travel with their own theme music?! It leaves a huge opening, that producers could drive a truck through, making the way for future sequels. Very interesting,  We opted for the regular viewing and was later glad that we did. Not sure I could have stood the 3D version. Can you say Sensory Overload?

 

In more recent days, I have been tied up in preparing for my BFF's middle daughter's wedding. The Divine Miss M will be married in less than two weeks time. So far I have been on hand for the purchase of TWO bridal gowns,  made six bridesmaids bouquets, gone fabric shopping till all hours of the night, searched high and low for a nude leotard, and stapled lace hem tape on countless programs. And after work tomorrow, I get to do it all again. Yea.

 

So the next couple of days are going to be really busy.

EnJOY your week!