Leslie's Blog

WHIRLWIND WEEK!!!

2011-08-10T19:30:00.000-07:00

Wow, talk about a whirlwind week! I am in serious SERIOUS need of some DOWN time for a bit - that seems scarce these days though!

My mom's birthday was yesterday, Aug. 9 - in the past week, we took TWO little trips for her birthday. On 8/3 and 8/4, we went to Jacksonville and Savannah, just the two of us - left early Wed. morning, 8/3 and got to Jacksonville in early afternoon, went to the Anheuser-Busch Brewery and did a tour and tasting, then checked into our hotel, and headed out that evening for the Orange Park Dog Track - enjoyed a prime rib buffet and several dog races - we used to do that when we visited relatives in the Tampa Bay area and have not been to the dog track for several years.

We spent the night in Jacksonville, then after breakfast on Thursday, we headed to Savannah, boarded the Diamond Cruise casino boat for a five-hour casino cruise, then got back at 5:00 p.m. and headed home. Got back LATE on Thurs night, extremely tired! But had a great time. Mom and I travel together and do trips together a lot, and we always have a great time. Fortunately, I took Friday off because by the time I returned home late Thursday night I was sick - not sure if I picked up a bug or what, but I took it easy all day on Friday, even having to beg off attending a cooking class with some friends of ours that night so I could take it easy.

After being under the weather ALL weekend, all FOUR of us (Dennis and my stepdad joined us for this one) left early Monday morning and went up to Cherokee, NC. We got to Harrah's Casino and Hotel in time for lunch at Paula Deen's Kitchen, and then spent some time playing in the casino for awhile. All of us did the slots except Dennis who spent a little time at the blackjack table. Monday night we went to see the outdoor Native American passion play, Unto These Hills - unfortunately the last bit of it got rained out but we saw MOST of it and it was a pretty good show. We have vowed to try to return and see it again in its entirety, perhaps next year.

We headed back to the casino late that night and played until almost midnight, spent the night at the hotel, then after a couple hours in the casino on Tuesday morning and an early lunch again at Paula Deen's Kitchen, we checked out and went to Asheville, stopping at the Farmer's Market, then on home.

So Mom's birthday was celebrated in good style this year with TWO little getaways and a fun time was had by all. Fortunately, by today (Wednesday) I am feeling much better and over whatever I had, I think... I had to travel to Manning, SC today for work and then back to Lexington for an afternoon hearing, and now a busy day on Thursday with a Facebook seminar for my GNO group, AFTER an early morning breakfast meeting with one of my networking groups. I have gotten so busy lately I've had to cancel some plans I've made with friends because my schedule has just gone haywire and I'm having WAY too much on my plate - but I guess it's good to keep busy sometimes.

I'm seriously in need of some major down time though - I'm looking ahead to 2 weeks off starting 8/29 and going through 9/9. Part of that two weeks will be spent doing some things I need to do at home and part of that time will be spent at the beach. The waves are calling.... I can hardly wait to answer!

I am sticking to my promise to WRITE more and spend more time on this blog.. so I'm off to a great start!

A Year Later - Almost!

2011-07-22T14:59:00.001-07:00

It's been almost another YEAR since I have updated this blog! I don't know why I have not done so in the past 11 months - why I've gotten SO out of the habit of updating this thing that I go months or close to a year without doing it.. just living life, I guess - and being busy and not thinking about it much! I am going to try to make a REAL effort from now on to update this thing weekly - part of my promise to myself to actually WRITE again, and what better way to start than by doing this blog regularly?

I have been thinking a LOT lately about my life. I just passed the one-year anniversary of my last surgery on July 2. Hard to believe it's been over a year now. I am doing well and have gotten back to my normal life with work, all my activities, and getting TOO busy again! But it's great.. it means my life has returned to normal, which is what I wanted for such a long time. I can remember many days lying in my room after my 2009 surgery, knowing that there was still something that wasn't right, knowing that I was facing another surgery STILL, even after having FOUR of them, and wishing that I could have the ONE thing I seemed not to be able to achieve - to get my LIFE back and be without health issues - and at this moment in time, that is exactly what I am - free of it all. I may have other problems at some point, but right now I am doing well - the best gift I could have ever asked God to bestow upon me!

God has blessed me with so many wonderful things - and I don't mean material things - I mean the things that REALLY count - I have wonderful family, an awesome husband who has stuck by me through every unpleasant thing I've been through with all my difficulties and has NEVER once complained - AND tons of fantastic friends! My Girls Night Out group has grown in the past year to a size that I never could have imagined - and I have met so many wonderful ladies that have become wonderful friends, that I feel blessed over and over again. I have some of the best friends in the world - friends that I can just be myself with. That's one thing I've learned a lot about in the past year or two - that there is a HUGE difference between people you KNOW and people who are your friends.

Your friends are there for you when you need them and you don't even have to ask.. they are just THERE. You can be YOU with them, you don't have to pretend, you don't have to hide your feelings. You can say what you want and they understand. That's something that's been a real eye-opener for me. I've KNOWN lots of people over the years and some I thought were friends.. but when a person won't even let you speak your mind and say what is on it and tell them what you think without punishing you in some way for it, crawling down your throat or making you feel like somehow you are wrong, that person is NOT your friend.

I've been disappointed many times in my life, hurt by people that I thought were friends - and that never feels good. But it's also taught me SO much - and it's taught me what friendship really is. and what it is NOT. And I've also come to learn that without the pain of being hurt we also wouldn't appreciate the joys that we experience in this life nearly as much, would we? When I think about people who have treated me badly, not been understanding about something I was dealing with, and those who actually deserted me when I was sick and recuperating and never once inquired about me - people I thought were my friends - instead now of licking my wounds, like I've done in the past, I smile at the thought that for every person like THAT that has hurt me, God has brought into my life another who has loved and appreciated me for ME. And THAT is a blessed gift!

Some people are going to disappoint you. That's a cold, hard reality of life that we can't escape until the day we die. BUT there are so many wonderful, good people and wonderful, good things in life, they more than make up for those that hurt. Over time, I've learned that sometimes you just have to shake the dust off and move on - accept the fact that sometimes people are just jerks. But there are so many good people out there - focus on that!

ENOUGH with that though! Life has been treating me quite well, really - and I've kept busy - I have dropped a number of things in my life that were becoming toxic and not really good for me - and have replaced those activities with new things that have brought me much pleasure and joy. My Girls Night Out group is 9 and a half years old now - so hard to believe! Coming up in just a few months on our 10th birthday - and it's such a special thing in my life.. Who would have thought when I started this almost ten years ago that it would grow into what it has? Not just the NUMBER of people that are part of it now but the people themselves - awesome friends! I'm also looking forward to starting a new book club with a few friends and have resumed doing some volunteer work with local theaters, as well as my usual volunteer activities with Palmetto Health Foundation and a couple other things that keep me busy.

I have become a "professional networker" in a manner of speaking - all these networking groups have kept me busy and I've made the best friends in them. One of the best things about GNO and the networking groups is that they are filled with women who aren't interested in pettiness, drama and all the nonsense that some women like to get caught up in - but instead, they are interested in helping and supporting one another! After all, isn't that what we SHOULD be doing?

It's hot as HELL right now - over 100 degrees for about 3 days in a row - too hot to want to do much of anything - so as we speak, I am sitting here typing away and updating this blog rather than going out on a Friday night! But that's okay too - sometimes you just have to say "forget it" and stay home on a Friday night and refresh yourself and rejuvenate.

My husband of over 14 years, Dennis, the love of my life and my best friend, just turned 50 recently. 50 is a milestone. I've teased him a lot about it and he has accepted the teasing good-naturedly..but he is what keeps me grounded so much of the time and makes me stop and think. Sometimes I can't see the forest for the trees, and he helps me remember to look for that. Sometimes I get all caught up in something that I think is SO important, and he reminds me that it really isn't. Thank God in every relationship, there's always somebody who's level-headed - in our marriage, I'm the hotheaded one and he's the level-headed one. I'm definitely the emotional one and Dennis is the logical one. it works well for us!

I PROMISE I will get back to writing and posting on this blog and will try to be sure to do so weekly. And maybe post some more updated pictures when I have them.

QUITE A SUMMER!!!

2010-08-18T15:03:00.000-07:00

Wow, I realized this week that I have not updated the blog again for awhile.. a couple months, actually... this has been QUITE a summer, had a lot going on, so updating the blog has just NOT been on my mind!

I had my surgery on Friday, July 2... the week leading up to it was hellish... I endured a couple of not-too-pleasant tests, some lab work, needle sticks, prepping for a pre-op colonoscopy (FUN- NOT!) and not being able to eat real food for 2 days leading up to surgery. When the day of surgery actually arrived, I had to get up at 4:00 a.m. and leave home at 5:00 a.m. to be at the hospital at 5:30. I was sure glad the day had finally arrived - it was almost over!

My surgery went well, I only stayed in the hospital six days this time - that's my shortest hospital stay so far, out of the five times I've been in there. By the time I came home, I was basically pain-free, except a few occasional twinges. Within a week, I drove my car, although the first time I tried, it did wipe me out! Driving is harder - and more physical - than I realized!

So here we are in August. I have not yet gone back to work, because of lifting restrictions and being concerned about hauling around my work equipment too soon. I have a ten-day trip to the beach coming up on 8/31, so I'm waiting until I return from the beach, then I'm going back to work. I've really actually been enjoying my time off, having lunch with friends and lunch with my mom, going out with a few friends, doing a little shopping, going mall walking, and even taking a couple of day trips. The summer has flown by, with my surgery and recuperation and all - it's hard to believe that it's past the middle of August and it's back-to-school time already!

I'm feeling pretty good - and SO incredibly blessed... It's such a tremendous relief to have the surgery behind me and be doing pretty well... for the first time in several years, since my difficulties began, I feel REALLY great (for the most part, except for an occasional bad day) and am finally looking forward to getting back to my normal life without another surgery looming ahead of me.

So I'm headed to the beach on August 31 for 10 or 11 days... when I return home, it's back to work, hopefully for a couple weeks starting SLOWLY, to readjust to the working routine. I actually DID have a transcript request from a client this week for a transcript of a short preliminary hearing in bond court that I did four months ago, so I had to dig that out and do the transcript of it and send it in.. so I actually got a LITTLE taste of working again before going back officially.

I feel so incredibly blessed to have my health back, and to have such wonderful friends that have shown so much concern for me.. and my wonderful family! I'm looking forward to a relaxing beach vacation for several days, then getting back into the work routine... then in October, we are headed to the mountains for a week - Pigeon Forge, Cherokee and Bryson City. So excited to go up there, it'll be awesome.

We're coming up on my favorite time of year - fall. SO many fun things that go on in the fall - the Greek Festival, the State Fair.. cooler weather... and of COURSE, Gamecock football - Go Gamecocks!

Will try not to wait too long before I update my blog again. Thanks, everyone, for your support this summer during my surgery and recuperation... I think I'm on the mend now! Until next time!

The countdown begins!

2010-06-27T20:52:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm just a few days away from "the big day" - Surgery Day! Amazingly, at this point, I'm not really feeling nervous... a little anxious, perhaps - but not really nervous... of course, if you ask me on Thursday night if I'm nervous, it may be a different story... I just think that my docs have been SO positive about everything being very fixable, and it hasn't sounded like it would be the ordeal I've been through before, so I'm not feeling quite so nervous about it... Mostly, just want it OVER with.. almost GLAD that it's staring me in the face now, because in just a few days, I'll have it BEHIND me finally, and can start recuperating and getting back to normal!

I'm not one that likes to have my normal life interrupted, so I'm just ready to get on with this thing and have it DONE. I've got places to go, people to see, things to do, etc., etc., so I need to get on with it, get this thing done, and get over it.

This past week was a good one... I finished up the work I had outstanding, so now I have my desk cleared. I went out of work again this week for surgery, until after I've recuperated.. so I have the next couple days free to just do "whatever." Last Wednesday we had a gathering of friends at Blue in the Vista - to celebrate Dennis' birthday, and a chance to see a few friends before heading to the hospital. On Thursday night, my Girls Night Out group - about 18 of us - gathered for the monthly Ladies Night at Capital City Club - a great time was had by all.

I had planned on joining a couple friends this coming Monday night at Mo-Mo's Bistro - but alas, have been "grounded" now... I caught what appeared to be a bit of a bug this weekend, a slight fever and some stomach discomfort... feeling okay now but "grounded" for fear of getting out in crowds and catching anything right before surgery.. that would be disastrous, because it would mean postponing the surgery - and I do NOT want that! I want it over with!

But it was wonderful to see some friends last week and have a good time. Now I just have to pack a bag for the hospital, and then get through a couple of rather grueling days of pre-op tests - some x-rays and a colonoscopy (fun, fun!) on Wed. and Thursday.. then home Thursday after that is over, to rest up for surgery on Friday... I honestly dread Wednesday.. and Thursday morning... more than the surgery itself. Uncomfortable tests are NO fun... and the PREP for the tests is ughhh. But once all that's over with then I just have to get through the surgery on Friday... and hopefully by lunchtime on Friday that will be over, I'll be in my room resting... and hopefully by Friday night will be propped up watching TV.

I appreciate the prayers, thoughts and good wishes that have come my way from so many wonderful friends... It's ALMOST over.. and soon I will be getting back to my normal life.. I will have some catching up to do the end of the summer... I look forward to getting out by the pool a little bit and heading to the beach at the end of the summer, and hopefully making up for the stuff I have NOT been able to do so far.

Love to all!

Another Weekend Over - A Little Closer to "The Big Day"

2010-06-13T19:51:00.001-07:00

Well, another weekend has ended... the past week was fairly uneventful... worked a little, was on call a couple days, got some more transcripts done and sent into my office. Last Monday night, June 7, was my monthly Girls Night Out gathering.. this month, we went to Hennessey's downtown.. an awesome place... we had the biggest group we've had in a LONG time. I was excited to see so many newcomers attending - and a few ladies I haven't seen for awhile.

I made some comments in the past week to a few people about just how much this Girls Night Out means to me... I started the group myself about seven years ago with just a small handful of friends. It started out as something very different.. but has grown incredibly. Friends started inviting other friends, and so on ... now newcomers join us every month. Friends invite friends.. then THOSE friends invite other friends... ad infinitum. We get together and have the BEST time. I have made so many incredible friends myself through this group, just from others in the group inviting friends of theirs that I did not already know. It's been such an incredible blessing in my life.. I'm so glad I started this... and it's been such a smashing success. There are some awesome ladies in the group I would not have ever met or otherwise known, if it had not been for this. I look forward to our gatherings every month.

The rest of the week was pretty quiet... worked a couple days, on call a couple days... A couple of things I had planned for the week sort of fell through.. I had intended to go to Corked to the De Vine Divas wine tasting on Wed. night, then to the movies with a couple friends to see Sex and the City - but that fell through at the last minute, due to some conflicts... we will try again soon and if we can't get together to see it before my surgery, we'll have a gathering later on when it comes out on DVD and watch it then. A couple other things that I had planned to do this past week in the evenings fell through too, and I ended up changing a few plans around. The weekend has been pretty quiet - yard work for Dennis, a little house work for me... it was just WAY too hot this weekend to get out and do much of anything.

Every day that passes brings me closer to my "big day" - July 2 and surgery again. I have a lot of mixed feelings - I'm not at all looking forward to all this. On June 30 and July 1, two days in a row, leading up to the surgery, I have to have some tests/procedures done pre-op that my doctor wants me to have done. So starting July 30, I'm not going to have a very good time... that will be a rough week, ending with my surgery early in the morning on 7/2. BUT at least it will be over then, and I'll be on the road to recovery! So I'm not looking forward to going through all this but looking forward to getting my surgery over with and being better and getting back to my normal life once again... getting rid of these symptoms and this recurring infection and feeling GREAT again. That will be awesome.

In the meantime, for the next almost 3 weeks, I just plan to spend time with my family, see several friends, do a little more work, and get myself ready for the big day. My last day of availability for work is 6/22.. I have told my office I can't work any more after that date until my recuperation period is over... I will have to catch up some transcript work before I go in the hospital and do a few other things, so I need to be off after that date... I AM looking forward to celebrating Dennis' birthday - first next Sunday, which is his actual birthday, with lunch and the State Museum (hopefully) and then dinner out somewhere. Then on 6/23, with several friends in the Vista. That will be a fun time, a great chance to celebrate with friends, and see a few people before I'm out of commission for a few weeks again. Got a lot to "cram" into the next 3 weeks! Or 2 and a half, really. But I think I'm up to that challenge!

Time to Update Again! Finally!

2010-06-06T09:23:00.000-07:00

I just checked my blog - been thinking lately that it's been a long LONG time since I updated it... and I realized today that it's been exactly ONE year since I updated it! June 6 of 2009... wow! I sure never intended to go that long!

A lot has happened in the past year. Last August, I became very sick and found myself in the emergency room one Sunday morning, deathly ill... by that afternoon, I was in the OR - for SEVEN hours! Almost two weeks in the hospital... whew! by the grace of God and lots of prayers from family and friends, I made it through that ordeal!

As "luck" would have it, I find myself facing another surgery now - in just under four weeks - due to a complication that arose from last summer's surgery and has not healed on its own during these many months... so I'm going back in the OR on Friday, July 2 to have it repaired. Many have wondered what my problem is, precisely, and why I need another surgery.. seems I developed a fistula as a complication from last summer's surgery... and it's causing some uncomfortable and painful symptoms.. most of the time I'm pretty good, but I do have not-so-good days when the symptoms flare up. The doctors like to give these things at least six months from the outset of the problem, number one, to see if it will heal on its own, and number two, to make sure everything is healed and in good shape from the last surgery. So when I go in the hospital on 7/2, it will be 11 months exactly since my surgery.

I had hoped this would heal on its own and I would not require surgery... but that didn't happen, so we'll deal with it and take care of it however we have to. I know I have a LOT of people thinking about me and praying for me - so I can't go wrong. I'll get this thing over with on 7/2, come home from the hospital after a few days, and spend the rest of the summer (6 to 8 weeks) recuperating comfortably at home - won't have to get out and carry my equipment around and travel around the state and work in the 100 degree heat! So I'd say that's good timing! By fall I should be great - good as new - and ready for football season!

SO much has happened in the last year since I updated this blog. I've made numerous changes in my life... I realize that last summer, my life (even before getting sick) had become toxic... I had a lot of things in it, a lot of commitments, obligations, demands on my time, and a lot of PEOPLE in it that were toxic - and not good for me. I got out of several things, got rid of several commitments, cut a few negative people loose, and have been much happier and at peace since then... How LIBERATING to get rid of so much "clutter" - I decided at the beginning of this year that 2010 was the year I do things for ME. and make time for MYSELF.

One of my favorite things in this world is my Girls Night Out group - which is the group I started a few years ago with a few friends.. and wow, how it's grown! I look forward to our outings every month - and spending time with my friends and just catching up... It's one of the best things I've ever done, starting that group. I've also gotten involved in a couple other groups that I've really enjoyed, and met some awesome people in the past year that I've been very happy to call my friends. I've also devoted much more time to spending with my husband and family, and just making time for myself, without tons of of commitments and demands on my time. For the first time in years, I've learned what it's like (again) to have free evenings, evenings at home, evenings that I can go out and just do what I want - OR stay home with a good book or a movie and cook dinner with my husband - instead of running to and fro to one thing or another. Wish I'd made these changes in my life sooner - but at least I've made them now!

Another huge change in the last year was church - Dennis and I spent 11 years in the Lutheran church, and although we liked our church, for years, there was a part of me that just wasn't fulfilled. I longed to go back to my religious roots, and return to the Episcopal church. I made the decision that that was precisely what I was going to do while I was lying in the hospital last summer. So once I came home and had recuperated for a little while, I wrote the necessary letters removing us from the membership rolls of our current church and placing us back on the rolls of the Episcopal church we left in 1998. Been back at my old church ever since, and feel like I've truly "come home."

I really feel, in the past year, that I've made a lot of changes in my life that have brought a sense of peace, contentment and happiness into my life. I have to say, I'm not at ALL looking forward to going in the hospital in 4 weeks and undergoing surgery again - but I'm sure looking forward to AFTER - and truly getting my life back and being free from these problems I've been having - and boy, am I going to celebrate once that's all done! I've already told Dennis we ARE taking some kind of vacation in the fall, going somewhere, just the two of us, and having a good time! I just have to start thinking on where I want to go!

We did manage to get to the beach in April for a few days - it was really nice, relaxing... and for Mother's Day weekend, Mom and I headed up to the NC mountains.. first to Asheville, where we spent the day before Mother's Day shopping.. then having dinner out.. then on Mother's Day, we headed to Cherokee, to the casino! We played the slots, I treated Mom to Mother's Day lunch at the hotel, and then we played the slots some more! On Monday, the day after, we went back to Asheville to the Farmer's Market, then headed home.... I think we just may make that an annual Mother's Day tradition!

In the next four weeks, I feel like I have a lot to "cram" in to my life - I'm trying to do a few things, see friends, see several people, before I got into the hospital, because I know I'll be out of commission for a little while. This coming week looks to be pretty busy - Girls Night Out on Monday, a wine/cheese party a friend is having on Tuesday, and an outing with a few friends Wed. night to a wine tasting and to see the Sex and the city movie! I'm also planning a pre-surgery get-together/birthday get-together for Dennis, with friends in a couple weeks - so busy busy! Lots to do in the next month!

Will try to be better about updating more regularly - I've actually missed doing it.. but one thing and another has happened in the past year and time just gets away from me before I realize it!

Now, onto the week ahead!

Vacation and Other Contemplation

2009-06-06T10:09:00.000-07:00

It seems like vacation flew by WAY too fast.... we went to the beach for the week and left on Saturday, May 23. Mom and I drove down early that morning and actually arrived in Myrtle Beach by 10:00 a.m.! Dennis and my stepdad had something they were doing that day so they could not come unti that night. Mom and I got there and shopped at the outlets for awhile, enjoyed lunch at Sea Captain's House overlooking the ocean, then went to the condo and relaxed. That afternoon, we did some more shopping, enjoyed dinner at Abuelo's, our FAVE Mexican restaurant at the beach, and then went back to the condo to unpack and wait for the men to arrive!

Sunday and Monday were spent largely lying out by the pool, soaking up a LITTLE sun (unfortunately I got a little burned so tried not to go out in the sun TOO much more that week) and walking the beach. On Tuesday, we drove up to Calabash, NC and had lunch at our favorite hole in the wall seafood place, the Seafood Hut, then visited Callahan's - a MUST do for a trip to Calabash.. then went to Ocean Isle to visit the Silver Coast Winery.

Wednesday, a bit more shopping, a bit more lounging by the pool/walking on the beach... and then on Thursday, we headed up to Wilmington, NC and Cape Fear/Wrightsville Beach. We drove around Wrightsville Beach and looked at the beach houses, then went to the Cape Fear Riverfront, enjoyed lunch at The George on the Riverwalk, took a trolley tour and then did a boat ride down the river. Wonderful day!

Friday, unfortunately, it was time to pack up and leave to come back home. We arrived back home around 3:00 or a little after on Friday afternoon, and I unpacked and relaxed the rest of the evening. Vacation flew by WAY too fast - it always does! But I look forward to hopefully heading back in late August for several days and then Labor Day weekend as well!

I've been contemplating some of my relationships lately. One thing I've always had a hard time doing is cutting people loose, even when I feel I need to. I don't do this lightly at all. But I've realized recently there are a handful of people that I needed to do this with, so I've taken steps to do so. The older I get, the less I feel like I want to spend my time, effort and energy with negative and difficult people. I'm far from perfect, and I have my faults - and I'm not always right when I'm dealing with others... but there are times when some people are just difficult - and actually mean. I always extend an apology to someone if I feel that I've wronged them or not acted in the best way that I should have.. and I expect the same courtesy from someone else. When someone hurts you - and then doesn't even care - then it's pretty obvious that person is not really a friend.

Unfortunately I've had 3 or 4 people just lately that I have thought were friends - but turns out they really aren't - and I feel the need to remove them - and their negativity - from my life. It's amazing how wonderfully liberating it is once you've made the decision to do that - and have taken the steps to accomplish it. It's like a weight has been lifted from your shoulders! It's a pretty good feeling, actually.

I'm trying to start anew and not let people get to me - when you let others make you feel badly and let them get to you, you are giving them POWER over you. You are letting THEM control YOU. I've vowed to do my best not to do this anymore. Removing negativity is like being cured of a cancer - negativity IS a cancer. And it poisons the atmosphere around you. When people get to the point that that is what they do to you, and they bring out negative feelings in you, it's time to cut them loose!

I've always loved the saying, "Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much" - and that is what I'm striving to do from this point on! Shake the dust - and move on! When you shed these burdens, you get a renewed strength - and it's indeed very liberating and uplifting! I'm on my way!

Looking ahead to summer - I plan to enjoy myself with friends and family, relax and just have a good old time this summer! Here's to summer!

MAJOR CATCHING UP!!!

2009-05-03T19:12:00.000-07:00

I really have some MAJOR catching up to do! I have not posted on this blog for about five months! When I first started my blog, I never thought I'd go that long! Once the holidays got underway, I was super busy, then the first of the year came, and I have been absolutely swamped with my duties as President of Junior Woman's Club since that time! Work got busy for awhile too, so with all that going on, I just let the blogging go for awhile!

Fast forwarding to May, 2009 - my year as President of JWC is almost over... on Thursday, May 14 I will hand the gavel to my successor. It's been a good year for JWC all in all, and I've enjoyed having the honor and privilege of serving as President. Soon I'll be a Past President, and I'm looking forward to that! Seems hard to believe - seems like I just recently took the gavel and started my year - time sure flies!

I've been blessed greatly in the last few months to have made several awesome new friends... and to have kept busy and have a lot going on in my life! And through Facebook, not only have I connected with new friends, I've reconnected with old ones - and people I have not seen or heard from or talked to in years! Facebook's been so awesome for that sort of thing!

I just came home today from our GFWC-SC annual convention down in Mt. Pleasant.. a great time to see/reconnect with woman's club and Junior woman's Club friends from around the state... always a good time! Tiring long weekend, but a good one! Now I'm off to bed shortly because I'm going for the day tomorrow (Monday) with my mom up to Cherokee, NC to Harrahs' Casino for a little fun! Leaving early in the AM.. then leaving there around 5:30 or 6 to head home.. Fun fun time! Those special times when Mom and I go off on one of our little adventures are priceless!

Dennis kept busy while I was gone this weekend - doing some yard work and planting some new flowers in our flower boxes.. everything is started to look great! And with this warm weather now, I'm about ready to relax on the deck with a Smirnoff Ice! Yum!

Well, off to bed in a few - wanted to FINALLY catch up with my blog - I'll try my best not to let five months lapse again - in fact, I need to start posting every week again or every couple days! And maybe, at some point, I'll find some more pictures to post too! All the ones I have on there right now are getting old!

It's the Holiday Season!!!!!

2008-12-01T09:14:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's been super busy again. I had a GREAT birthday week - celebrated three nights in a row... started off on Wed., the 19th @ Capital City Club with friends enjoying cocktails.. then on Thursday night the 20th we met our friends Christy, Michael and Kevin at the Vista - first we enjoyed a yummy dinner at Tsunami with Christy and Michael, then stopped in at Wet Willies mmmmmm..... then walked around Vista Lights for awhile, and ended up hooking up with Kevin... went through a few of the shops and had a very nice evening.. ran into tons of people we knew.

On Friday, my birthday, Mom and I headed up the road to Charlotte for a day of shopping and lunch at Cheesecake Factory, before heading home to meet Dennis and my stepdad for dinner at Olive Garden for my birthday dinner.

On Saturday, we went to our nephew's wedding in Abbeville... drove up that morning, went to the wedding and reception in the afternoon, then left and enjoyed dinner at Yoder's before heading home. Love Yoder's!

Thanksgiving week was a short week.. I had my Palmetto Woman's Club meeting on Monday night, then had a very busy work day on Tuesday, and then had Wed. off - packed my suitcase, and when Dennis got home from work, we loaded the car, and left around 3:00 to head up to the NC mountains with my mom and stepdad. We went up to Cherokee, and got there around 7:00 p.m., checked in, went to dinner at the hotel, then spent about 2 or 3 hours in the casino playing the slots!

on Thanksgiving morning, after breakfast, we spent time in the casino until lunchtime, then headed back to the room to mix bloody marys and hang out... after that, we headed to the hotel's Thanksgiving buffet, and had a wonderful dinner! Then more time in the casino that afternoon/evening before turning in... Friday morning, we got up, had breakfast, and then went to Asheville to the farmer's market and browsed and enjoyed some hot cider and browsed the Christmas shop before heading home.

Saturday wasn't the greatest day, being Carolina fans... it sure didn't go our way! Unfortunately, I could not join my family and our friend Kevin to watch the game so they carried on without me.. I kept checking the score every now and then.. but I had to do some work since I had been gone for 3 days and was a little behind. Saturday night we went out to dinner and and then started our Christmas decorating.

On Sunday, we finished doing our Christmas decorating and finished the tree and got everything done - yay ! now we can relax and enjoy it for the season...Of course, this week is going to be hectic - my JWC board Christmas get-together is Tuesday night at my house, then we have the JWC club party Wed. night, and then a dinner party at my mom's house Thursday night.. then up to Rock Hill on Friday night for the Madrigal Feast at Winthrop.. busy week! But looking forward to all of it - and then heading to Charleston Saturday for my office party, then on to Myrtle Beach on Sunday for a couple days! 'Tis the season to be busy!

VERY busy week!

2008-11-02T19:01:00.001-08:00

Well, I haven't posted for over a week, so I figured it was time again. This past week has been SUPER busy - one of those weeks I met myself coming and going!

Started out Monday night with my Palmetto Woman's Club meeting... my friend Deb joined me for that, and it was great to have her come too! On Tuesday evening, I had orientation with the new JWC provisionals - as President, I attended that - and we had a TERRIFIC evening.. a wonderful dinner was served, thanks to Carolyn - and we had a very nice evening getting to know each other.. of course, 9 out of 10 of my provisionals were there so it was great to spend that evening with several friends.

On Wednesday night, Dennis and I headed up to Capital City Club and enjoyed the evening with cocktails and several friends. Our friends Neel and George came and we hung out with them for awhile - so that was a lot of fun! Thursday night we met our friends Andy and Mary Alice for dinner, then headed to the Koger Center to see the ballet Dracula - that's been my favorite ballet since Columbia City Ballet started performing it in the early '90s.

On Friday night, since it was Halloween, we had planned to have a few friends over for cocktails and to just hang out while we handed out candy.. but we ended up canceling the gathering because a couple friends got sick, and since I started feeling a bit under the weather myself, we just decided to postpone our gathering and just hang out ourselves at home and take it easy.. my mom and stepfather joined us, and we made dinner and had a couple drinks and had a good time handing out candy to neighborhood kids!

On Saturday, we loaded up the car and met our friends Christy and Michael for an afternoon of tailgating and an evening of Gamecock football! We had an absolutely awesome time tailgating at Carolina Field House with Christy and Michael and some others who ended up joining us as well, and then the game was AWESOME - an awesome victory! Our friend Michael wasn't too happy, since he's an avid Vols fan - but he was a good sport about it! He and Dennis made a bet on the game - so now, we can look forward to being treated to dinner by Michael at Bonefish Grill - woo hoo!

Today, Sunday, we went to church, then came home and I got caught up on a little work and Dennis cut the grass and worked out in the yard, probably for one of the last times this season, since the grass is starting to go dormant - finally! All in all, a great week - and a fantastic weekend! Not used to the time change yet, but I'll get there!

SPAGHETTI, FOOTBALL AND PALMETTO PLACE!

2008-10-21T13:44:00.000-07:00

It was a super busy weekend... on Friday night, we had a spaghetti dinner fundraiser we were helping with.. in fact, Dennis and my mom cooked all the spaghetti and sauce... spent several hours working on that... and serving spaghetti, then EATING spaghetti.. then going home and crashing! We had thought we'd go out afterward - but were TOO tired! We went home and crashed and got a great night's 'sleep.

On Saturday, we did a little yard work - fortunately the yard work is winding down with fall and the grass starting to slow down and most everything we needed to get done already finished.. but we did a LITTLE and then changed and went to Icy's and joined several friends - Joe and Erin, Andy and Mary Alice, and Tammy, and my mom and stepdad, to watch the Gamecocks on the big screen TVs!

On Sunday, Dennis went to church but I wasn't feeling totally great so I slept in. Sunday was a rather lazy day, and then Sunday evening we went to Travinia's for the annual Palmetto Place pre-golf tournament cocktail party/silent auction... several JWC friends were there - and we had a great time hanging out especially with Neel and George. A great time was had by all!

On Monday I had to go to Charlotte to take care of some work-related business... and then had lunch at my favorite restaurant, Cheesecake Factory.. hit the kitchen store in the mall and then headed home.

Busy few days! Whew... I'm already tired and it's only Tuesday afternoon!

Falling into Fall!!!!

2008-10-12T18:01:00.001-07:00

This past week was super busy with several meetings, including our monthly JWC meeting - not to mention work! So it was great to head into the weekend with some terrific plans!

Friday night Dennis and I headed to the State Fair, where we loaded up on our annual quota of greasy, junky fair food! Then we walked through the exhibits and the animals, played a couple games, and enjoyed the nice fall evening and the sights and sounds of the fair!

On Saturday morning, after packing the dogs up to the kennel for the weekend, we headed up the interstate to Greenville. We arrived at the mall in Greenville shortly before 11 a.m., and had an early lunch and walked around for about an hour... then our friend Alan met Dennis at the mall and they headed off to the golf course for the afternoon, and I continued to shop then met Stephanie (Alan's wife) at the mall. We sat and sipped a drink in the food court and talked and talked.... then continued our shopping and later met Alan and Dennis at Don Pablo's for dinner.

After dinner, we rented movies and headed back to their house for the evening, where we spent the night - and slept in the Sleep Number bed in their comfy guest room! (Now I want one of those things!) We had a terrific time sipping champagne and watching movies. (I love Failure to Launch - cute movie!)

Sunday we slept in a bit, got up and enjoyed the pot of coffee Stephanie made, then we headed out to an early lunch about 11:00 at Rafferty's in Greenville, then headed to the Peace Center for the 2:00 matinee of A Chorus Line.. we met up with our other friends Michael and Christy for the show. Following the show, we said goodbye to Alan and Stephanie and got on the road toward home, meeting up with Christy and Michael in Chapin (they live there) for dinner at Bomb Island Grill before continuing the rest of the way home. We caught some of the Arizona-Dallas NFL game on the TV while eating dinner and had a great time catching up with Christy and Michael (and making some preliminary plans to head to the TN-USC game together in November)

All in all, a fabulous weekend with friends - just what we both needed and what the doctor ordered after a busy, somewhat stressful week!

Fun Fall Weekend!!

2008-10-05T18:38:00.000-07:00

We had a great weekend this weekend.. started off Friday night by heading up to Capital City Club for dinner - we enjoyed the first Friday seafood buffet - and enjoyed clam chowder, chilled shrimp, smoked salmon, scallops, crab legs, etc. YUM! On Saturday, we got up early and headed up to Hendersonville to go apple picking. We packed a picnic lunch and arrived at Stepp Farms in Hendersonville around lunchtime, shortly afternoon... We spread out our picnic in the picnic area and enjoyed lunch, and then went browsing the gift shop, had some cold apple cider, got our apples, then took a wagon ride through the orchards.

After we left Stepp Farms, we headed a couple miles or so down the road and went to Granddad's, another orchard and farm. We browsed their gift shop, walked through the pumpkin patch, visited the small petting zoo, sampled their cider, and bought some pumpkin bread. Then we left and headed up the road a bit further, into Asheville. We went to the Asheville Farmer's Market and spent some time there, browsing one end of the Farmer's Market to the other, sampling cheeses and other things.

We ended up buying some tomatoes and other produce, some cold apple cider to take home, some Amish butter and cheese, and got a cup of hot cider this time to enjoy while walking around. Then we headed across the street to look at the pottery and flowers and visit the Christmas shop.

Finally, we left the Asheville Farmer's Market and headed toward home, stopping en route for dinner at the Blue Ocean Seafood Restaurant, which is just off the interstate near Clinton. We've passed it a hundred times or more and always talked about going in but never did. It was delicious! A new place for us to go when we are up that way.

On Sunday, we just did the usual things - church, a couple loads of laundry and a little yard work for a couple hours. Then Dennis headed off to play tennis and I did some work for my office. Then Sunday evening we headed out to dinner with a friend. We bought our discount fair tickets to go to the fair next weekend - yay! Other than the Greek Festival that is one of my favorite things to go to each fall, so I can eat my way around! I an almost taste the vinegar fries and elephant ears now! MMMMM!

I've got several different groups of pictures to post on here whenever Dennis sends them to me - we still have pictures from a couple other things to post - and we took some pictures in the orchards this weekend too so hopefully I can post them all soon!

NICE WEEKEND

2008-09-29T14:54:00.001-07:00

So the weekend was pretty good..... Friday night, Dennis and I were really good and had nice, healthy salads for dinner, then we went out to Town Theater to see Westside Story. Following the show, we headed over to Ruth's Chris, to the bar, where we sipped Irish coffees and watched the last bit of the debate on TV before heading home.

On Saturday, we did some yard work and other chores until about 2:30 or 3:00 in the afternoon, then I had to head in and shower and change, and head out to get my hair cut and then met up with Dennis and the rest of my family at Icy's to watch the USC-UBA game on the big screens at Icy's... while there, we also found some other friends too, so it was a fun time. I must say, I'm a bit happy and a bit not-so-happy about selling our tickets for this year - part of me is glad we did it for this year and am enjoying just watching on TV and not getting in the traffic and crowds - not to mention, getting our money back for all the tickets - but part of me misses going in person too - hopefully we'll get back to the games next year!

On Sunday, we decided to skip church (tsk) this week and get up and get a few things done early - Dennis cut the grass and worked in the yard for a couple hours, and I did some laundry and tidied up inside... then we went out for an afternoon get-together with friends, and then to dinner after. All in all, a very nice weekend!

I just got home awhile ago from a rather lengthy deposition at an engineering firm today - so I'm rather wiped out! But headed back out shortly for awhile! NO rest for the weary!

FUN TIMES WITH FRIENDS

2008-09-25T21:05:00.000-07:00

So this week's been a bit less hectic... Tuesday night I had an evening at home - we cooked Chinese stir fry with shrimp and chicken - and invited my mom down to join us, since my stepfather had a meeting to attend... after dinner, the three of us sat out on the deck enjoying the nice fall evening with coffee. Very nice, relaxing evening!

Wednesday night was my Girls' Night Out - a group of us went to Mad Platter for Diva for a Cure Night - and painted pottery and drank wine.. we had a blast. I can't wait to see how my pieces turned out. I was pretty ambitious - I painted TWO small, personal-sized chip and dip trays - one for me, one for Dennis.. so now, while watching some football on TV - or a movie - we can have our snacks too! I also painted a set of four coasters... I painted the chip and dip trays in Gamecock colors (of course!) and painted the coasters pink with palm trees on them.. hopefully, everything will turn out nicely!

Tonight, Dennis and I headed out for dinner @ Carrabba's with some new friends of ours, Dave and Deb. We enjoyed a nice dinner, wine and good conversation. Very nice evening, and I hope to do it again soon with them. I needed the break tonight, after being on the computer working on transcripts all day. Fortunately I'm off tomorrow (Friday) - and I can do a little more catching up, before we head out to Town Theater - we are volunteering at Town Theater as house managers/ushers on Friday night - and after we finish our volunteer duties, we get to sit down and watch the play. Looking forward to seeing Westside Story - and we haven't volunteered at the theater for awhile so that should be fun!

Brand New Week!

2008-09-23T06:45:00.000-07:00

I got a picture from the Jaycee Alumni Social held last Wed. night @ Garden Bistro - so I've posted that group picture - hard to see it, it's kinda small - but there it is! Still working on getting other pictures posted from lately.

The weekend was great - we headed out to a wine tasting at Wine Styles to benefit the Walk for Life on Friday evening - saw several friends there and enjoyed tasting several wines. Afterward, we headed to the Greek Festival to eat. Yum! Dennis managed to snag seats at a table RIGHT by the dance floor - and the dancers came out and performed while we were eating - so we got dinner and a show! Afterward, we brosed the jewelry and other items and walked around for a short while, then headed home.

Saturday we worked in the yard, then after showering and changing, we made homemade tacos and sat and listened to the game.. we had thought about going OUT to a place with a couple friends to watch the game somewhere, but in the end decided to just relax and home and listen to the game while preparing/eating dinner. Sure glad we beat Wofford - go 'cocks!

On Sunday morning, we headed to church, then out to breakfast after... then came home and worked outside for awhile... what a beautiful, nice, cool fall day it was! Sunday evening we had leftovers for dinner and watched TV - all in all, a nice, relaxing weekend!

Monday night I had my first woman's club meeting for the year - it was good to go back and see people.. and my friend Debbie attended as a guest too. Today I have to drive to Aiken for work this afternoon - but at least when I come back, I don't have anywhere to go tonight - an evening at home - yay!

BEEN BUSY - AND SLACK!

2008-09-19T13:41:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been nearly two weeks since I posted - can't believe it!

Anyway, work has been incredibly busy, somewhere to go every night too - tonight we head to a wine tasting AND the Greek Festival - Opa! Hopefully some yard work and then relax and watch the game tomorrow night. Go 'Cocks! I miss going to the games this year but kind of glad we sold our tickets this year -so much to do and lots going on!

I've discovered Facebook and now I have ANOTHER new addiction - as if I needed another one!

Oh well - happy weekend - and I hope to post some vacation pics that I'm behind on SOON!

A week at the beach!!!

2008-09-06T08:17:00.000-07:00

We returned home Thursday evening from our week at the beach... we were supposed to come home on Friday evening, but with the approach of Tropical Storm Hanna, and a voluntary evacuation at the beach, we decided to pack up and head out a day early, to avoid bad traffic and bad weather. So we cut our trip a day short, but we had a great time anyway!

Day 1: Mom and I left Thursday morning to head down, ahead of Dennis and my stepfather. We stopped in Florence for an early lunch, then headed on and arrived early afternoon at the condo. After unpacking the car and taking all our stuff inside, we broke out the rum and sat and had cocktails and relaxed in the condo for the afternoon. Later in the day, we changed and went out for dinner at PF Chang's, one of our favorite places to hit down there. After dinner, we strolled around the Market Common and browsed the shops.

Day 2: We got up and got dressed and headed out for an early lunch at Ruby Tuesday over at the mall, then went to the mall and the outlets, and did some shopping. Late afternoon, we headed over to our favorite Mexican restaurant, Abuelo's, and had an early dinner, then headed back to the condo to relax. That evening, Dennis and Roy got there.

Day 3: Spent some time walking the beach and hanging out by the pool, soaking up some sun. Saturday evening, we went out for seafood at The Fish House, a fairly new seafood restaurant at the beach. Yum! What's a trip to the beach without seafood?

Day 4: More time by the pool and soaking up sun, walking on the beach. Went out for dinner at Texas Roadhouse Grille and had BBQ ribs. Yum!

Day 5: Spent about an hour or so by the pool, then went in and showered and changed and Dennis and I headed out ourselves to go for lunch - we went and had BBQ. Mom and Roy did their own thing today. After lunch, Dennis and I stopped at Barefoot Landing and visited Bon Apetit, the dog bakery. Our beagle, Gracie, had her picture taken there in 2001 and her pic is still on the wall! We filled a bag with gourmet doggie treats to take home to the little ones. Then walked around Barefoot Landing a little, visited the Christmas Mouse, one of my favorite Christmas shops, then headed down to Garden City and just took a nice drive. We drove all the way down Atlantic Avenue, looking at all the beach houses. Then we parked and went out on the Garden City Pier. After strolling the pier, we went back to the outdoor bar that is attached to the pier, listened to the live music and had drinks. Afterward, we headed back to Myrtle Beach to the condo, and then went out for dinner.

Day 6: I got a little too much sun and burned a bit, so I decided to stay out of the sun. So after having lunch at the condo today, we headed out and went to the outlets and walked around a bit. Then we went over to the mall and hit the bookstore and had coffee. Then we met up with my mom and Roy later and had dinner at Chestnut Hill, a wonderful restaurant with a great early bird menu, overlooking the water. Went back to the condo and played our favorite domino game, Mexican Train.

Day 7: Took another nice walk on the beach, and relaxed around the condo. Another game of Mexican train in the afternoon. I tried to do a little crocheting but got tired of that! Several of our friends who are fellow condo owners at the condo were also down for the week and we were all getting together starting at 5:00 for a cocktail party around the pool.. so we mixed up our pitcher of bloody marys and got our appetizrs ready to take down and then joined everyone by the pool. Lots of great food and cocktails - and enjoyed seeing everyone. After the party wound down, we went over to Gary and Betty's condo and joined Gary, Betty and Ellen for a game of Mexican train.. seems lots of our condo friends enjoy the game too!

Day 8: Today should NOT have been our last day here, but after getting up early Thursday morning, and listening to weather reports about Hanna, and hearing about voluntary evacutaions, we decided we better pack up and head out.. so after washing our linens and towels, and putting everything away in the owner's closet and locking things up, we headed out and enjoyed lunch @ Hamburger Joe's, a great local place that is sort of tucked away. Our friends Gary and Betty told us about it and we tried it once before... yummy! After having lunch, we stopped and filled up with gas and headed out of town. Got home around 5:00. Unbelievably, since we got back a day early, we were able to make a dinner meeting that we thought we were going to miss... so we got home at 5, and headed right back out at 6:30! The dogs were glad to be sprung from the kennel though - and happy to see us!

Great time - even if we lost our last day - I have lots of pics we took at the beach, so I will post them soon! Looking forward to going back down for a long weekend in late October!

STRESS, STRESS and MORE STRESS!

2008-08-27T12:33:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a busy few days I've had! Last Friday I had to get up early in the AM and drive to Barnwell, which killed most of my day.. since that came up, I had to cancel my plans for Thursday night.. we originally planned to attend the VIA social and then go to Capital City Club for dinner after, but because I was trying to catch up work and knew I had to travel on Friday, I opted to stay home and get some things caught up. Hated to miss things, especially the VIA social, but it couldn't be helped.. there will always be another one, I guess!

After getting home Friday from Barnwell, we attended a church social on Friday night.. that was nice, fun and relaxing. On Saturday, we worked around the house doing yard work and laundry and straightening up since our cleaning service was coming on Monday. Sunday morning went to church and then home and more of the same. It was a pretty productive weekend.

This week has been crazy so far. And it's only Wednesday! I've had lots of work for my office to catch up on because I'm leaving tomorrow for 8 days at the beach! So whenever I'm going on vacation, I always have to scramble to get things caught up! I spent Monday and Tuesday working like crazy to get my work caught up. I was supposed to attend my third and final crochet class Monday night, but because of trying to catch up AND the horrible, nasty weather outside, I did not go. I plan to re-take the class in a few months anyway and just repeat it so I can brush up on things. So I guess I'll do it again the first of the year!

Tuesday night I had my summer social for Junior Woman's Club.. it was an awesome evening, with close to 60 in attendance and lots of guests - a fun time was had by all! After the social, we had our board meeting, and it was getting pretty stormy out.. so I headed home. Today I've been running errands all day, plus I have been on call for my office today - fortunately they have not called me out! Tonight we head up to Capital City Club for the monthly Chairman's Reception member mixer and then dinner after... when I get home, I'll throw a few more things in my suitcase and then we leave in the morning for the beach. I can hardly wait to get down there and get a drink in my hand and sit by the pool... a few days of relaxing - just what the doctor ordered!

I tried to post the pics from the Capital City Club gala and the files were corrupt or something.. SOOOO no pics of me, Neel and Christy :( oh well! There was a good pic of Dennis and me too - but I could not post them.. so hopefully I'll get some more new pics to post soon from somewhere!

All in all it's been a hectic few days - but productive too, I guess! Beach, here I come!

Stitching Chains, Friends and Reflections

2008-08-21T07:32:00.000-07:00

Monday night, I went back to my crochet class. Ughhh.. I must say, even though I'm enthused about learning a new hobby, I'm frustrated to be behind the rest of my class! Of course, a lot of the other people in the class have more time to practice in between sessions than I do.. so I will definitely get the knack of it - but it will just take me longer! I am leaving for vacation in one week at the beach for about 8 days.. I plan to take my yarn and crochet materials with me and practice there! My goal is to actually MAKE a pot holder and a dish cloth SOON. My mom made one of each already (she is taking the class with me) and she gave them to me! So hopefully soon I will make a set of my own.

While I was in the class, my cell phone rang and it was my friend CC letting me know that our friend Lydia's husband, Troy, had passed away. I was up at the hospital for awhile on Monday afternoon with Lydia, and was there when they went in to see him for the last time and turned off the ventilator. It was a very sad, emotional afternoon, and I left the hospital with a lump in my throat. I knew the call would come sometime that evening about Troy's passing, so I was expecting it, but to actually get word of it made me feel that lump come back again. I've had trouble sleeping a lot in the past week because of this. A friend's husband, who was a year younger than ME, dead from a massive heart attack. He was also a friend of Dennis' a long time ago, when they worked together.. Dennis went water skiing with him and things like that.. so this was a contemporary.. a friend.... at our age you just don't expect this. Life is so precious. As I said a few days ago, it really makes you stop and reflect.

Tuesday night, after e-mailing back and forth with several people about sending flowers, memorials, finding out funeral arrangements, etc., I really felt I needed a night out with friends to celebrate LIFE and get my mind off of Troy's death... and fortunately, it was my Girls' Night Out group night. About 18 of us got together at Copper River Grille, had cocktails and dinner, and hung out for a couple hours.. It was GREAT to see everyone and we had a few newcomers that had come out with the group that night, and it was great to meet them too! It was a great evening out, just what the doctor ordered. Especially after having to drive to Sumter earlier in the day for a probate court hearing for my office. Very long, busy day!

On Wednesday, I ran a few errands and went and got my hair cut.. Came home and worked for awhile, and then when Dennis came home, we attended the visitation at the funeral home for Troy. Saw several friends there and got to see Lydia for a few minutes and pay our repsects. Afterward, we went out for Chinese for dinner. Yum! Came home and crashed on Wed. night - going to the visitation was an emotional experience, kind of draining.

Today I am catching up on more work. My mom and stepdad left early this morning for Pittsburgh for my stepdad's 60-year HS reunion. Wow! They will be there until Sunday, they should be home sometime Sunday evening. Tonight we have the VIA social down in Five Points to attend, and then are meeting friends at Capital City Club for dinner... busy, busy as always!

I have some pics to post from the Capital City Club gala last Saturday night, so I will do that shortly.

Capital City Club Celebrates 20 years!

2008-08-17T17:29:00.000-07:00

Friday night we stayed in because we had a big evening on Saturday. After doing some yard work on Saturday, we got ready and headed down to Capital City Club for their 20th anniversara gala. Capital City Club opened in the spring of 1988 and this year celebrates their 20th anniversary in existence. The entire club was decked out and there were festivities in every part of the place... one room had a blind wine tasting going on, another room had a scotch tasting going on.. there was a martini bar set up in another area, plus a piano singalong in the dining room, with a seafood buffet and coffee/dessert bar.. in the ballroom, a dance floor was set up and a band was playing and there was still MORE food and another bar. All in all, it was a wonderful evening. We had a great time, hanging out with friends - we hung out with Chris and Brenda for awhile, and Christy and Michael for awhile, and some new friends, Cameron and Jenny and George and Neel, and others too. I've got a few pics from the gala and I'll post them as soon as Dennis sends them to me.

Dennis is still feeling under the weather this weekend. He did get out today and do some yard work, and so did I.. but we knocked off early, got cleaned up and changed and headed out to dinner with my mom and stepfather. We started out going to Very's and got there and realized they aren't open on Sunday! So we ended up at Fazoli's instead.. I had my mouth set for something Italian! Now we're home to relax the rest of the evening and watch the new episode of Law and Order tonight.. I must admit, I've become a Law and Order JUNKIE!

Boring Week!

2008-08-15T17:25:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a pretty boring, uneventful week. I traveled for work on Tuesday, then attended the cooking class I already posted about.. on Wednesday, I had two depositions scheduled.. one in the morning, one in the afternoon... I did my morning one, then met my mom for lunch... during lunch, I started feeling really yucky, so I called my office and asked them to send someone else to cover my afternoon job assignment, and I went home, where I stayed in the chair wrapped in a blanket - and attempting to do a little crocheting! We've been passing some kind of bug around in my family, and my mom started it all.. then Dennis started feeling yucky on Tuesday night/Wednesday, then by Wednesday afternoon I didn't feel so hot myself.

I felt better on Thursday, and worked again Thursday, but Dennis ended up staying home, which is really unusual for him. He basically slept all day. Today he went back to work but e-mailed me this morning and asked if I could come pick him up at noon. He carpooled with his carpool buddy from work today, and did not take his own car. So I made the drive out to Gaston, and my mom tagged along, and we picked Dennis up, stopped for some lunch, then came home. Got him settled and then ran errands the rest of the afternoon while he slept again. Came home early evening and now Dennis is watching TV, and I will join him in a few to watch a movie. Hopefully he will feel better tomorrow, since we have a gala to attend at Capital City Club. This month marks the club's 20th anniversary, and there is a big gala at the club tomorrow evening, which we have already paid for! A great excuse to get all dressed up. Anyway... hopefully Dennis will feel up to it tomorrow - I think he will, since he's rested for two days basically.

It's raining outside right now - I actually love the sound of rain coming down - I love a rainy day or evening, as long as I don't have to get out in it.. that was one of the worst things about this past Wednesday.. it was so rainy and nasty out, I hated to even get out at all! We really do need the rain though. Helps the grass and the flowers.. and washes off my car!

This week has been somewhat difficult - my friend Lydia's husband, Troy, is still in critical condition in ICU. He has not awakened and we went up to the hospital yesterday again to see Lydia. She was very emotional when we got there, of course... and told us that the doctors have told her that it would be a miracle if he woke up and were still Troy. There is significant brain damage and very little brain activity at this point. She has some tough decisions to make it sounds like. This has weighed heavily on me. It's so terribly sad and distressing for one of your contemporaries, someone who has JUST turned 40, to suffer a massive heart attack and end up like this.. It's scary and hits so terribly close to home. Very disconcerting indeed. I have been praying all week for them, and I know God always answers prayers, even if sometimes the answer is no or not the answer you hoped for.

I pray again tonight, as I turn in for the evening that God's healing and comforting hand will continue to touch Lydia and Troy and their family.

Happy Weekend!

Bon Apetit and Reflections

2008-08-12T18:18:00.000-07:00

Tonight Dennis and I went to another cooking class at the Fleur de Lys cooking school with Chef Francois.. this is one of our favorite activities, although we have not been in 3 months. We are also signed up for another one in mid-September... tonight's class was glazed shrimp over rice and poached pears covered in chocolate sauce - yum! We got the recipes to add to our recipe collection - and I really DO hope we try this one. At least the pears! I could have lapped up that chocolate sauce WITHOUT the pear - just a spoon was all I need!

Before going to the class though, we went by Providence Hospital.. my friend Lydia's husband, Troy, suffered a massive heart attack just yesterday morning and isn't doing real well. Just found out this morning and so I wanted to go by and see Lydia and get an update.. It really makes me stop and think. Troy JUST turned 40.. he's about a year and a half younger than me.. and several years younger than Dennis.. puts things in perspective really fast. Just last night someone really aggravated me because I thought they were being very petty and ridiculous about something, and I got upset about it. Then this morning, I found out about Troy, and it quickly made my little "nuisances" pale in comparison. Makes you REALLY stop and think. Most of us just have nuisances, not real problems. I think the key to letting go of some stresses is to remember that. Most of us really have little NUISANCES. As a dear friend of mine has told me several times, "don't sweat the small stuff" - so this reminder is a good one. Definitely a wakeup call and something to remember.

Anyway... as I go to bed tonight and reflect on this, I pray God's healing hand will touch Lydia ant Troy - my best thoughts, wishes and prayers are with them!

A New Hobby? Maybe!

2008-08-11T19:56:00.000-07:00

Tonight was my first crochet class... I signed up for this class several months ago, it's three sessions, three Monday nights in a row... tonight was session one. We learned how to make chains and stitches... Ugh, talk about awkward! I was actually making chains and doing stitches by the end of the evening, but it will take LOTS of practice to get comfortable with it.. I plan to spend a couple nights, at least, this week, sitting and working on it some.. hopefully by next week's class, I will feel more comfortable with it.

In the last few months, Dennis and I have been trying to learn to play bridge. My mom is an awesome bridge player, and my stepfather, although not quite as good a bridge player as she is, plays pretty well too. I've been wanting to learn for years, and never took the time, so now Dennis and I have been trying to learn that.. I'm taking on lots of things that I HOPE to find new hobbies in eventually, although right now, they are very frustrating. Bridge and crochet at once - yikes! Both are challenging and taxing; yet I know that if I end up learning both, I'll enjoy them!

Tomorrow night we attend another cooking class at the Fleur de Lys cooking school on Millwood. We enjoy those - that is Dennis' big thing - did I ever mention that HE is the real chef in the house? Can I pick 'em or what? He LOVES to cook and is QUITE good - I've told him many times he really ought to attend chef school just for the heck of it! Anyway... we have been attending cooking classes at Fleur de Lys with Chef Francois for about two years now - lots of fun! We always order a bottle of wine, sit back and enjoy the cooking demonstration, then enjoy the meal! Now we just need to start TRYING some of the recipes! We haven't been to Francois' cooking class for three months now, so I'm looking forward to returning! Bon Apetit!

Happy Birthday, Mom and Weekend Recap

2008-08-11T04:51:00.000-07:00

Friday night Dennis and I enjoyed a nice dinner @ Carrabba's and then coffee and reading at Books a Million, so that got the weekend started off quite nicely. Saturday was my mom's birthday, so we headed to Abbeville for the day.

First, we mixed up two thermoses of mimosas for the trip, then packed the car with a cooler and the mimosas and even decorated the car with Happy Birthday Mom signs and streamers hanging all over the backseat. We picked them up around 9:30 and headed for Abbeville. We arrived around 11:30 or shortly after at Yoder's Dutch Kitchen, where we enjoyed a delicious lunch, then headed for the Abbeville town square, to enjoy browsing the antique shops. We went into Trinity Episcopal Church, which is always open, and the organist was playing, so that was quite a treat, to catch him in there.. he played several of our favorite hymns while we sat and enjoyed.

After wandering around the square for awhile, we headed over to the Abbeville Opera House, where we enjoyed a matinee performance of "Smoke on the Mountain Reunion" - enjoyed by all! After the show, we browsed a couple more shops, then headed for dinner at another restaurant on the square, Windows on Main Bistro. They have YUMMY shrimp and grits! We arrived home about 9:45 Saturday night, tired but having had a great day.

On Saturday, while we were away, my stepsister and her family rolled into town for a few days' visit. We have not seen them for several years, as she and her husband and children have been living in French Guiana down in South America for years now. They are spending some time in the states and have been here for about 3 weeks already, sightseeing and visiting with some of her old friends in NY and PA. They are here for a few days before going on to Florida to Disney World and then Miami, before heading back home.

We headed down to my mom's house late Sunday afternoon for a cookout with them and also my stepfather's nephew and his wife, who drove down from Pinehurst, NC for the day to visit with everyone too. We had a nice time hanging out by the pool, cooking out and visiting. My stepsister plans to treat everyone to a Brazilian style dinner on Wed. night so I will look forward to that!

Tonight my mom and I are attending the first session of a three-session crochet class at Midlands Tech that we have signed up for. I have to work for awhile today and then we'll be heading to the class tonight. I'm looking forward to learning a new hobby that HOPEFULLY will be something I will enjoy doing.. My mom used to crochet and hasn't tried it for years, so she is going to go brush up on her skills while I learn how myself... let's hope when the three sessions are over, I have a new hobby to enjoy doing on trips and while watching TV - I've wanted to learn how to crochet for years, so hopefully it won't be TOO difficult! I'll let everyone know how it goes!

A Trip down Memory Lane

2008-08-08T19:26:00.000-07:00

Well, I returned late last night from my trip to Biloxi, MS - and down memory lane! It was a short trip - just gone four days.. but a great time! My mom and I always have a wonderful time together when we travel. I did take some pics with my fairly new digital camera, and when I get a chance to sit down with Dennis and figure out how to get the pics off the camera onto the computer, I'll post them. But here's a quick rundown of my trip:

Day 1: We got up EARLY EARLY and left shortly after 7:00 a.m. to head for Biloxi. After a few quick rest stops and a stop for lunch in Auburn, AL, we arrived in Biloxi at the Beau Rivage in the afternoon... fortunately, we gained an hour going there, so we arrived at a good hour in the afternoon and still had quite a bit of time left in the day to enjoy ourselves.

After showering and changing, we headed down to the casino to play for awhile, then had dinner at a fabulous Mediterranean restaurant called Olives. We ate there last year when we visited the Beau Rivage and remembered how wonderful it was, so we had dinner there again. After dinner, we headed back into the casino and played some more, and eventually turned in around 11:00. We were still on Columbia time so to us, it was midnight and we were beat after a long day of travel.

Day 2: We got up early in the morning and headed to the casino buffet, where we enjoyed a fabulous breakfast, then went around 9:00 a.m. and picked up our rental car. We decided to rent a car since we were with a tour group and did not have our own vehicle. We wanted to be sure to drive over to New Orleans and Slidell, LA while we were close by. We lived in Slidell, LA when I was 9 and 10 years old, 31 years ago, and I had not been back to Slidell since then. I've been back to New Orleans, just three years ago, just before Katrina hit, for a long weekend for Dennis' birthday - and wanted to visit New Orleans again and wanted to see our old neighborhood, etc, in Slidell too... so it was indeed a day for traveling down Memory Lane!

We got in the rental car and headed toward Slidell - it takes somewhere between 45 minutes and an hour to get there from Biloxi. We enjoyed a very nice drive through Biloxi and Gulfport, along the coastal road the runs along the gulf. Still definitely some residual damage from Hurricane Katrina evident but it looks much better than it did a year and a half ago when we were last there. They are definitely making progress.

We arrived in Slidell and stopped at a convenience store/gas station for a pit stop AND to get a cold drink. I was surprised to see that in the GAS STATION - yes, the GAS STATION - they actually sell LIQUOR! Not just beer and wine but the HARD stuff. I am so NOT used to that here in SC! I can't imagine being able to walk in and pay for gas AND buy liquor! Now that's what I call civilization - haha!

After leaving the gas station, we headed through town and found the old neighborhood where we lived, thanks to a little help from our GPS, which we brought along on the trip with us. We drove down the street and drove through the neighborhood - it looked pretty much as I remembered it but it also looked like the neighborhood had taken a bit of a beating from Katrina. I had heard after the hurricane that the Slidell area was underwater for awhile - and you could see that a lot of the homes in our old neighborhood still had visible signs of damage and of being repaired.

We drove up to our old house and parked across the street and got out of the car with the camera. While we were standing there, getting ready to take pictures, a man drove up in a car and asked if we needed help or were looking for a particular house.. When we told him why we were there and that we used to live there many years ago, he started talking to us about some of the different neighbors. I have a great memory for things that I don't need to remember quite often, so I remembered a lot of old neighbors' names and names of my school classmates from the year I lived there, so I rattled off several names to this man, and he remembered some of them.

He took some pictures of us in front of our house and told us a little about the neighborhood over the years, including the aftermath of Katrina... our house and neighborhood were under SEVEN feet of water after the storm - people lost everything and many houses have been gutted and redone, including our old house.. he told us to go up and look in the windows, because nobody was home right then and the residents of our old house were good friends of his and wouldn't mind. We walked around and looked in and were absolutely shocked to find that everything was totally different inside.. they tore out walls and redid everything. The great room was still the same but the old dining room was now a combination kitchen/dining area.. and the garage was gone was now a den area! So strange to see our old house - so familiar and yet so different now.

We had a nice conversation with the man and enjoyed looking at the house and neighborhood and taking some pics. After reminiscing a few more minutes, we climbed into the car and took off. We drove over to my old elementary school and parked out in front... school was not in session yet but they were having registration and a few people were there getting things ready for the first day of school, so it was not desserted. I walked through a few of the hallways, looked down the hall where my old classrooms were, and then went to check out the old playgrounds which now had some buildings on them. The school looked somewhat the same but a few things had changed over the years... it looked like they had added on, which isn't surprising in all that time.

My mom took a couple pics of the school and me in front of the school, and then we climbed back in the car and drove around Slidell a little longer. We looked for the old restaurant down the street from our house that we used to like to go out to eat at but the spot where it once stood was empty. Don't know if that was from Katrina or if it was just gone anyway. Anyway.. a nice, sentimental trip down Memory Lane. I have been wanting to visit Slidell again for years, and finally got the chance... I wish I knew if some of my old childhood friends and classmates from that time still lived there, but did not really have a way of finding out. The man we talked to at the old house indicated that many people had moved away from the area in the 25 or so years he's lived there so I am guessing many are long gone..

Once we left the Slidell area, we drove across the bridge over Lake Ponchartrain into New Orleans. Just three years ago, as I said before, we spent a long weekend there for Dennis' birthday, at the W Hotel and Harrah's Casino, so we knew where that was. We drove through downtown New Orleans for a little while and took in some sights, then found a parking spot in a public garage near Harrah's and the Riverfront, and parked the car and walked a short distance down to Laffitte's, a creole restaurant, and had lunch. We got the shrimp creole and red beans and rice and split both - yum! Nothing like eating real creole style food right in the heart of New Orleans!

After lunch, we went into Harrah's Casino for about an hour and played the slots.. then went into the shops at Canal Place by the river for a short while, then decided we better get in the car and start heading back. We left New Orleans and drove back through Slidell and then got on our way back to Biloxi.

After arriving back in Biloxi, we checked out the factory outlet stores for a short while, then headed back to the Beau Rivage, where we showered and changed, and headed back to the casino to play for awhile and have dinner. Then we turned in around 11:00ish again and got a good night's sleep after a long but WONDERFUL day.

Day 3: On Wednesday morning, we slept in a little this time.. and then got up and enjoyed another delicious breakfast, followed by a leisurely day of playing the casino, exploring the hotel, checking out the outside pool area which overlooks the water, and browsing through the boutiques and shops at the Beau Rivage. After enjoying a delicious dinner buffet that evening and taking more pictures, we played in the casino again for a little while and then turned in, as we had an early morning again on Thursday.

Day 4: We got up early on Thursday morning, enjoyed breakfast in the coffee shop - croissants and lattes. Then had to meet our tour group to head for home. It was a rather uneventful day - a long trip back to Columbia... we arrived home Thursday night tired but having had a WONDERFUL trip - we are already looking forward to returning sometime in 2009 - with the tour group again perhaps - and perhaps on our own too - there are several other places we'd likek to visit that we didn't make it to this trip - so we will see the Beau again next year!

Like I said, we took a good many pics on this trip - and I will post them with descriptions SOON - hopefully it won't take me TOO long to get them off my camera!

Today, Friday, was a day for sleeping in a LITTLE bit (I had taken today off too!) - and then catching up on some e-mails and washing laundry from the trip and running a few errands too. Dennis and I enjoyed dinner at Carrabba's tonight, followed by reading and drinking coffee in Books a Million. Then home so I could post on the blog and turn in shortly - tomorrow is my mom's birthday and we are all heading to Abbeville for lunch @ Yoder's Dutch Kitchen and a matinee at the opera house to celebrate her birthday! Happy Birthday, Mom!

Busy Weekend - and Beau Rivage, Here We Come!

2008-08-03T19:27:00.000-07:00

Another weekend has passed quickly. I went an entire week without posting this time. This past week was pretty hectic.. I traveled for work two days, and spent the rest of the time trying to get caught up before leaving on my trip tomorrow. That's the worst thing about taking a vacation - you have to run yourself ragged before you leave, catching up on work and getting ready to go.

Friday night we joined friends up at Capital City Club for dinner - we opened several bottles of wine among the eight of us - and had a terrific time! Saturday we did some yard work and I cleaned the outdoor furniture on the deck.. then Dennis and I headed out later in the afternoon to the other side of town for some tax-free shopping at Columbiana Center and dinner. I love the tax-free holiday - there were some awesome sales going on to start with - and with no taxes, it was a great time to get a few things!

Today I attended the district meeting for the woman's clubs in South Carolina.. it was a great meeting, and it was great to see several friends from around the state that I had not seen since our April convention. After the meeting, we headed out to dinner, then I came home to pack for my trip to Biloxi!

Early tomorrow morning, my mom and I roll out for our second annual trip to the Beau Rivage Hotel and Casino in Biloxi, MS.. we are planning to rent a car on Tuesday and drive over to New Orleans and Slidell too - we used to live in Slidell, about 31 years ago, and I have not seen it since I was 10 years old.. I have been back to New Orleans, but not Slidell. There's a tropical storm brewing in the gulf of Mexico as we speak - so I hope we do NOT run into that!

Anyway, I know my mom and I will have a wonderful time - this is her birthday trip so we are going to celebrate her birthday - and hopefully win a little money on the slots! haha! This will be quite a week - we return Thursday night from Biloxi, then I have to go to Charlotte on Friday for some work-related stuff, then we head to Abbeville on Saturday, which is my mom's ACTUAL birthday - we are all going there, to have lunch at the famous Yoder's and see a matinee at the opera house - can't wait!

Too short of a weekend!!!

2008-07-27T13:40:00.001-07:00

Well, I must say.. this weekend was WAY too short... Friday night I headed out with Tammy, Cindy, Angie, Elizabeth and Chris to Bar Louie @ the Village at Sandhill.. we enjoyed cocktails and appetizers.. then we headed over to the movie theater to see Mamma Mia - only to find out that the movie was SOLD OUT! Arghhhhhh! Undaunted by this turn of events, we headed back in to Bar Louie for a few minutes, then strolled on down to the grassy circle and headed in to Wild Wings, where we got drinks at the bar and went outside to a table to listen to the last bit of the concert going on and hung out for quite awhile. Dennis and Kevin were there already, since they had plans to get together that evening, so we crashed their "male bonding" time - but I think they rather enjoyed hanging out with six women! Needless to say, I still did not see Mamma Mia - so I hope to try AGAIN another night! A fun time was had by all though so it kinda worked out great!

On Saturday we just did yard work and I worked some on some work for my office, then we headed out for yummy BBQ at Little Pigs for dinner, with my mom and stepdad.. then it was over to Home Depot to buy some flowers for Dennis to plant today!

Today, Sunday, we went to church this morning, then just spent a quiet afternoon... cooking Mexican at home for dinner tonight! I'm taking a little break right now from working some, so I thought I'd catch up on posting some pics - several are pics of our three "children" - our three dogs, Gracie, Prissy and Chase.... I found another pic from my installation as President of JWC, so I've also posted that, and some pics from our recent cruise with friends from Capital City Club aboard the Southern Patriot.

Still have to get pics of the new car - that will be next!

Busy Week, Charlotte, Etc.!!!

2008-07-24T14:30:00.001-07:00

This has been a pretty busy week for me workwise... on Monday, I had depositions all day, then spent Tuesday and Wednesday in Charlotte for a class and exam - my mom went with me and we made an "overnight getaway" out of it... we did manage to hit two of our favorite restaurants in the world, Cheesecake Factory for lunch and PF Chang's for dinner.. YUM! Got a little shopping time at two Charlotte malls in too! My class went well and I passed my exam! Sweet!

Came home Wed. night and then had to get up this morning to head to Sumter for a morning depo at Tuomey Regional Med Center, then back to Columbia for an afternoon depo here in town. Then back home to my office to do more work. Thankfully, I'm off on Friday and heading out with several girlfriends to see Mamma Mia while Dennis heads to the ball game! busy week - but looking forward to the weekend!

Busy Weekend!

2008-07-20T20:00:00.000-07:00

Wow, a busy weekend this weekend... the other night, we got together with our friends Christina and Glenn, which I forgot to post the other day... Glenn has a 2-year contract in Saudi, so he's home every other month for a month.. fortunately, we were able to get together with them and do some catching up! Friday night, we went to a wine tasting at Gourmet Shop in Five Points - haven't been there for awhile! Our friend Tammy joined us. We tasted several wines, then headed to Yesterday's for a bite to eat and a couple drinks while catching up with Tammy.

Saturday night we went to my friend Charlene's engagement party. We enjoyed some delicious BBQ and a couple glasses of wine.. a very nice evening... I'm so happy for Charlene and Brian. I think engagement really agrees with her - she looks wonderful! Congrats, Charlene!

Dennis had usher duties at church this morning, and I had lay reading duties.. afterward, we hit the thicket for breakfast, then did some shopping this afternoon at Lowe's and Wal Mart before heading to dinner and then home to relax for a bit. Pretty busy weekend - but it went by wayyyyy too fast. I've got to get ready for my little overnight trip to Charlotte Tuesday/Wednesday. I've got to go there Tuesday to take a work-related class that ends with a test on Wednesday. But hopefully I'll manage to hit two of my favorite restaurants while I'm there, Cheesecake Factory and PF Chang's! Yum!

Enough for tonight - time to turn in!

International Days!

2008-07-17T18:57:00.000-07:00

I seem to be making the "ethnic rounds" the last couple of days...last night, I got together with the Girls' Night Out gang -known affectionately as GNO - we gathered at Sumo's for happy hour and dinner and had a blast! I think Sumo's has the best Japanese food in town. That was the first time I've been in there since they burned down about a year ago.. I have eagerly been looking forward to going back now that it's reopened. And I was very happy to see that they built it back just like it was before - same layout and all! We had a rather flirtatious cook - I think he enjoyed cooking for a dozen women!

Tonight I had dinner with Joan at San Jose, so I did the Mexican thing. It was great catching up with her - haven't seen her a whole lot lately. We enjoyed a nice cold beer, some nachos and some catching up time! Afterward I went and met up with Dennis at Richland Mall - he was getting his hair cut so I had to wait for him - but entertained myself trying on clothes for awhile! Of course, one of my favorite pasttimes!

I'm so glad tomorrow is Friday - it seems like it's been a long week. It promises to be a busy weekend though - a wine tasting on Friday night, a service and reception at church Sat night for our pastor who is leaving, and then we have to leave that to attend an engagement party. No rest for the weary!

CATCHING UP!

2008-07-14T20:11:00.000-07:00

Wow, I can't believe it's been four days since I posted on the blog - that's the longest I've gone since I started it! Just had an incredibly busy weekend and Monday, I guess. After a long work day on Friday, I headed up to Capital City Club for a committee meeting - I'm on the club's events committee, and our meeting was at 4:30 on Friday afternoon. Afterward, I headed back toward home, out to the NE, and met Dennis and some other friends of ours at Vino 100 for a wine tasting. We enjoyed tasting a few wines, then the six of us headed over to Carrabba's for dinner - we took two bottles of wine in with us - and finished both! An incredibly fun evening was had by all!

Saturday, after getting up and spending the day on yard work and various projects around the house all day, we knocked off early and got ready and headed up to the lake to enjoy an evening cruise on the Southern Patriot with the gang from Capital City Club.. we enjoyed some great food and cocktails - and a beautiful evening! The weather was perfect - very nice evening and NO stormy weather for a change! We sat on the upper deck with our friends and enjoyed some great Jimmy Buffett music and a wonderful time! I will post a couple pics from that soon, when I get them from Dennis.

On Sunday, I was bad - and lazy - instead of getting up and going to church, I slept in and let Dennis go without me. He had ushering duties, so he had to go - I felt so wiped out, I just got another hour and a half or so of sleep, then got up and did some work. Vacation bible school started Sunday night @ church but we opted to not go to the first night because we were just too tired! Tonight, though (Monday) we did go - enjoyed dinner and fellowship and an interesting program.. every night this week, they are doing a different program of some interest for the adults while the kids do their own thing in the other building. Tonight's program was presented by a guy who used to work for SLED in the forensic toxicology area - about crime scene investigation. Now when I watch Law & Order, I'll know a thing or two! (maybe!) Anyway, it was a VERY interesting program.

Got home tonight and booked my hotel room for Charlotte next week - I have to go up to take a class to get my NC notary.. it's SO easy here in SC - you just fill out paper work and you've got it.. in NC, you have to sit through an all-day class and then take a test at the end of the day. I'm going up next Tuesday and Wednesday - the class is Wednesday, but I'm going up Tuesday. My mom is going with me, and we're going to hit the mall of course, and probably Cheesecake Factory for dinner! She'll relax while I'm in class on Wednesday, then after it's over, around 3:00, we'll hit the mall again for a short while before heading to our OTHER fave restaurant in Charlotte, PF Chang's, for dinner, before coming home - not really looking forward to an all-day boring class - but I am looking forward to the restaurants and the mall - I always love going to Charlotte!

Time to turn in for tonight! Glad I could find a few minutes to catch up this blog!

ANOTHER NEW LUNCH SPOT!

2008-07-10T12:36:00.000-07:00

I have another new lunch spot to go to now... today I had lunch with my friend Kelly at Zoe's - the place on Forest Drive that used to be Fran's. I had not been to Fran's in years, and recently drove by and saw that it had reopened as Zoe's. Kelly suggested Zoe's, and I wanted to try it, so we went there! Had an excellent chicken salad wrap and fruit on the side.. it was yummy! We had a great time catching up! Afterward I ran a couple errands and headed home. Need to get some more WORK done - that W word again!

My stepdad had laser eye surgery this morning to correct a detached retina. He discovered the problem on the 4th of July and went to the doctor again on Monday to follow up, and they scheduled the surgery for this morning. When they started doing it, they discovered the retina had detached in TWO places - so it took longer than they expected.. but it went well, and he's now at home recuperating, so fortunately, that went fine! He shouldn't be out of commission too long, a few days or so.

Last night we went up to Capital City Club for happy hour - caught up with several friends up there and enjoyed cocktails and a fun time hanging out.. we ended up deciding to stay for dinner and had a great dinner. Dennis got his b-day dinner free since he just had a birthday. We saw quite a lightning show out the windows of the main dining room. We even got the bartender last night to create a new drink for us with our name on it - it's ALMOST Long Island Iced Tea, but since it lacked the tequila, it wasn't exactly - so we called it the Stanley Special! So now we have our own drink at Capital City Club! Yay!

Tonight, we are making dinner at home, and just hanging out here.. nice for a change! Glad to have a night at home - doesn't seem to happen too often lately!

BUSY DAY

2008-07-08T19:08:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, it seems that the days I don't work are my busiest. Today I had lunch with Steph at Ruby Tuesday - I LOVE their Garden Bar! We spent about two hours chatting and catching up - since she moved to Greenville in April, I haven't seen her... so we had a lot to chat about! After lunch, ran a couple errands, then home to do some WORK for awhile... then I had to run down to my Junior Woman's Club committee meeting tonight - we had a terrific time! We had a fabulous dinner, thanks to Lauren - yum! Lasagna, chicken parmigiana, salad, bread - and WINE.. lots and lots of wine! We had a fab time eating, drinking wine and discussing lots of things - and acting a bit silly and cutting up too! I left at 9:00 and came home, got my jammies on and now I'm posting on my blog!

Tomorrow is a travel day for me - although it won't be too bad.. just to Winnsboro! I have depositions at Fairfield Hospital, then back home to do some more work from home.. and then to happy hour @ Capital City Club tomorrow night - another full, busy day!

REDECORATING!!

2008-07-07T19:29:00.000-07:00

Ever start one of those "projects" where you put a new piece of furniture in a new spot? Whenever I start this, I fail to remember - until it's too late - that whenever I do that, I'm going to have to move something else - and then when I move that something else, it leads to moving a hundred other things!

My shelves are in the garage - all painted a beautiful, satiny chocolate brown.. they look wonderful! Just one more coat of paint tomorrow night, then probably by Thursday, we'll be moving them into the living room. In order to do that, I had to move the table and lamp that were already in the spot where the shelves are going.. and in order to put THAT where I wanted it, I had to move a plant stand with a fern on it.. and so on and so on. Moving something new into a space is NEVER as easy as just moving one thing! Oh well... I will manage! I think everyone should redecorate every now and then! It keeps things interesting. When I was a teenager, I used to move the furniture around in our house every so often - just for the sake of moving it. My parents would come home from work and find everything rearranged! I always got bored after awhile - no different now!

I was off from work today - so I did a LITTLE work at home, and then ran a couple errands, had lunch with Mom and then back home to start moving things around! Now I'm tired - and I'm debating with myself whether to do any more work tonight! But I may just go watch Law & Order! Tomorrow I have lunch with Steph - she moved to Greenville about four months ago and I haven't seen her lately.. she's cruising into town tomorrow to run some errands and we are meeting for lunch! She's been very busy with getting her new house up in Greenville in order - a job that seems to never end!

Time to get back to Law & Order!

WEEKEND RECAP

2008-07-06T18:39:00.000-07:00

There wasn't much to post about yesterday... it was a typical Saturday around here... we slept in a little, then got up and spent the day doing housework and yard work.. Dennis did the yard work and worked out in the garage some (trying to organize it!) and I did some housework/laundry, etc. Dennis ran out and got Chinese takeout for dinner, and then we turned in and watched TV. Not the most exciting day!

Today, Sunday, we slept in a bit and decided to skip church today and just get a few things done. Today was our pastor's last day @ church - our senior pastor, that is... he just got elected Bishop of the SC Synod of the Lutheran Church - and so we are losing him. To be honest, Dennis and I really did not want to deal with the "Pastor Herman's last day" situation and preferred just to stay away. There is a special service and reception for him and his family on July 19 and we plan to attend that; but we just felt like staying home today and avoiding the "last day" thing.

I have had a set of light brown wicker shelves in my garage for almost a year.. I brought them home from my mother and stepfather's beach condo to repaint and use in my house - and I have not gotten around to repainting them YET.. until today! I wiped them down, sanded them down and put the first coat of chocolate brown paint on them today. Going to finish them this week and move them into the house! The color looks great on them. Glad to FINALLY get that done.

So all in all, I guess it was a productive weekend. Gotta have those every now and then. I'd much rather have been out doing something else but I'm glad I got so much done. Now I still have to clean all the old magazines out of the coffee table and do a few more "projects" - but I got some major stuff done this weekend - I cleaned out and reorganized three closets too - so that was a major thing!

Hard to believe that a long, three-day weekend is almost over! Start of a new week. I'm off for the next couple of days - guess I'll be working a bit from home - and tackling some more of those things on my "to do" list! We took a couple pics of the dogs tonight - hopefully Dennis can send those to me soon from his computer and I'll post them when I can!!

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!!!

2008-07-04T16:15:00.000-07:00

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY TO ALL!!

Today being the 4th of July, I took a minute to reflect on what this day really means. For most of us, it usually means, picnics, barbeques, spending the day with friends and family while swimming, grilling, sipping cocktails.... but hopefully, somewhere in there, while doing all of those fun things, we have all taken at least a moment to reflect on how fortunate we all are to live in the USA, where we can enjoy such things and have the freedom to do them. I love this country and like Lee Greenwood says, "I am proud to be an American - where at least I know I'm free!" Hats off to all the veterans out there too and THANK YOU and GOD BLESS YOU for all you have done for all of us!

We spent a nice, relaxing lazy day. After sleeping in rather late today, we got up, had lunch, then headed down to my mom and stepfather's house and spent some time lounging by the pool in the sun. Then the dark clouds rolled in and the thunder started, so we went inside and hung out for awhile, made daquiris, and then headed back out to the covered porch, where we sat sipping banana daquiris and enjoying the nice, soaking rainfall. After awhile, once the rain stopped, we fired up the grill, and we grilled hot dogs and brats. We enjoyed a traditional 4th of July feast - hot dogs, brats, homemade potato salad, baked beans, cole slaw - and cold beer!

Later, we went back out and sat around the Jacuzzi for awhile, then had our watermelon for dessert - what is the 4th of July without watermelon? Then home to settle in for the evening before the fireworks start popping - had to get home and get the dogs inside before that starts - the fireworks terrify them!

Today has felt like Saturday all day to me - I know I will be confused for days to come. Now that tomorrow is REALLY Saturday, I guess it's back to housework, laundry, yard work, and all those other "fun" things!

I forgot to post last night about the new car... Dennis FINALLY bought a new car last week! Yay! On Monday, June 23 we went to the dealership and looked around - and decided on a new Hyundai Santa Fe SUV... it's a great vehicle! Dennis picked it up on June 25 and met me at Capital City Club, and we rode home together in it. After 12 and a half years of driving his Honda, it was time. So now we are enjoying the new vehicle and loving it! As soon as I get some pictures of the new car, I'll post them. Hopefully soon.

I did figure out late last night how to add links to other people's blogs - and to post a few pictures.. so I posted some pictures of my installation as President of Junior Woman's Club of Columbia, which took place on Thursday, May 8 @ Capital City Club. Those were the only ones I could still find on my computer, although I know I had others. But at least it got some pics on my new blog!

Happy 4th everyone - what's left of it - be safe doing fireworks!

REFLECTIONS

2008-07-03T21:18:00.000-07:00

I guess maybe because this is a BRAND NEW blog and I'm like a child with a new toy - but I'm going to go ahead and make ANOTHER post tonight... technically, since it is after midnight, it's now really DAY TWO of my blog! haha!

I've read other friends' blogs quite a bit the past few months, since I first started being introduced to blogging - and it's really quite enlightening to read what others write about on their blogs. One friend of mine recently wrote about how much her family and friends mean to her. So I thought I'd take a moment to share with all of you, my friends, what mine mean to ME.

So many people that I know frequently ask me "how do you do all that you do?" Everyone who knows me knows how absurdly involved I am in the community - and - well, EVERYTHING! Sometimes I jokingly reply that I don't really sleep! Actually, I do - but the answer is really quite simple- I MAKE time for what is important to me.

I started my girls' night out group (GNO) about five years ago - and it's grown into the most amazing group of women - bigger than I ever imagined it would be. People ask me all the time how many people on the e-mail list for that group - well, I don't really know - I haven't counted.. BUT it's quite a few. I'm also asked how/why I started the group. Why? Because I feel that other than family, there is nothing more important than making time for FRIENDS... After family, friends are the most important people to me. I love meeting people and making friends. I love spending time with friends. I'm happiest in my life when I'm with my family or my friends. And when I'm with BOTH life can't get any better.

I love spending time with my husband, my mother and stepfather and other family members.. and I love to spend time with my friends from GNO and JWC.. I've been a member of Junior Woman's Club for several years now, and I've met some of the best people in the world in that club. I've made lasting friendships in both groups that I hope I will continue to have for years to come. I think sometimes we all get so caught up in our daily lives that we forget what's important.. we are so busy running from meeting to meetnig, from one function to another, or from one work project to another, that we forget about PEOPLE. It's easy to do. But I try really hard to remember what's important. If I forget, sometimes something happens to remind me, and get me back on track.

So my hat's off to all of YOU - my family.. my friends.. those who mean the most to me in the world. YOU ALL have made my life what it is!

I hope everyone enjoys my posts - I'll try to update daily, for awhile - and then maybe every couple/few days once things get going! And as SOON as I figure out how to add links to friends' blogs and add pictures, I'll start doing that too - hopefully in the not-too-distant future! In the meantime, please enjoy the posts! And add your comments - let me know what you think!

HAPPY 4th!!!

2008-07-03T21:02:00.000-07:00

HAPPY 4th EVERYONE! It's the start of a long, three-day weekend... This week has been slow workwise for me... but I'm enjoying it.. have spent a couple days lounging by the pool at my mom's house - for those of you who don't know, she lives three houses down from me! So it's a short walk (and an even shorter drive) to her house, and to the pool! I had lunch with my friend, Renee, on Tuesday - we had an early lunch at Applebee's, and then I spent about 3 hours by the pool, after which I went home and changed and did a little work.. .every now and then, I DO have to find time to sneak in a little work! More time by the pool Wednesday for a couple hours, then back to work again!

Tonight, Thursday night, Dennis and I had dinner up at Capital City Club with my mom and stepdad, then came home and watched some TV. SO nice to think of being able to sleep in in the morning and then go back down for MORE lounging by the pool, then grilling out! Looking forward to a nice, lazy 4th of July holiday!

Day 1 of Blog!!!

2008-07-03T20:50:00.000-07:00

WOW.. I can't believe I finally created a blog - several of my friends have one - and I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon! This is a totally new thing for me. First I had to figure out how to create a gmail account - then I went from there!

Of course, I already have the GNO blog! But this one is just MINE.. I will post on this blog about ME.. MY life...MY family, and everything I am up to!

Can't wait to start filling it up!