CATCHING UP!!!!!

Well, here I am again... I have not updated this blog since 2011.   I don't know where the time has gone.

It's been five months since Mom passed away.... I cannot believe how things have changed.   As I look back at old blog posts, I realize just HOW MUCH my life has CHANGED.  My mom was my best friend (other than Dennis, of course!) and I feel lost without her... we did EVERYTHING together.   The past year has been rough, getting the diagnosis a year ago, going through several cycles of chemo, watching my mom get weak and sick, then finally, getting to the point that we knew things were not going to get any better, knowing she would leave us soon.

Sunday morning, Oct. 20, 2013, Mom went home to be with the Lord... her body finally died that day, although I felt like I had lost her awhile before that.    My heart is still heavy five months later, but I am getting there... it just takes time.   I know that you never really get over losing someone - you always miss them, and it's something you don't "get over" - you just learn to live with it, you get used to them not being around anymore.  The pain subsides with time and things don't always feel so bad... it DOES get better.   I have had a couple people tell me "it never gets any better" or "it never gets any easier" - I disagree with that.   My father has been gone for 20 years - and even though I still miss him, I know that it gets better, because when he died, it devastated me, and over time, that got better.  I now am to the point where I can think of him and laugh and smile..... I know that I will get that way with Mom.. it just takes time.   My parents raised me to be strong, and I will not let them down.  I know they are together again, reunited, in a beautiful, much better place, in the presence of God.... I know that one day, I will join them and be reunited with them... I look forward to that glorious day, when I am reunited with them and others I love who have already gone, and we are God's presence forever.  Who would NOT look forward to that?

I thank God every day for my husband, my other family, and friends... NO ONE can take the place of your parents, and it's hard to become an orphan, at any age.. but I am so very blessed.. I have so many wonderful people in my life who care about me and love me, and I am not alone.  It has been a rough journey this past year, and picking up the pieces and going on proves to be a challenge some days... but I know I am up to that task.  When people ask me, "how are you?" it's difficult to answer sometimes... I often say, "it depends on when you are asking."   But I can say that I AM okay... I'm not GREAT yet... that will take time... But some days I am GOOD.. and I'm always OKAY.  And I will take that for now.   It's a start.   But there are days that instead of crying now, I catch myself humming - and find that I have a smile on my face.   This life is a beautiful, precious gift from God... and I know that Mom would be the FIRST to say "get on with your life and get back to living."    So I try to go ahead and let myself have a good cry when I need one, then I get back to the process of getting on with life.  

God is with me... He walks beside me through this journey.. and on those days when I feel that I just cannot walk, He carries me.   He will not leave me.. He will not abandon me.  He put certain people in my life because He knew I would need them.  And He has blessed me greatly.

Yes... I am going to be GREAT one day soon!   I'm inching my way toward that every day.  And I AM OKAY!

Will try to make a conscious effort to update this more regularly now!   Something I need to get back to doing!

Happy Spring!

WHIRLWIND WEEK!!!

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!

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!!!

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!

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"

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!

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

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!!!

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!!!!!

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!

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!

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!!!!

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!!

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

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

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!

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!

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!!!

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!

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!