A mini...

I wanted to write a nice post tonight, but the words just wouldn't flow, so I deleted what I wrote. Plus, I want to post pictures from my trip, but I'm having a hard time figuring out the picture folders on Vista. So... I'll just have to write about it another time. I had a wonderful mini-vacation this week. Two nights and three days were perfect. Wouldn't it be great to do that every week? In my dreams I could do it. I have a whole new appreciation for the Jersey Shore. Well, at least the Stone Harbor part of it. It was really heavenly.

I'll be back soon!

Life's a Beach

It's a little cool outside this morning and I'm sitting on the porch in my nightgown. A breeze is blowing and it feels so good! The hummingbirds are really active; it's a great sight to look up and see.

Rob and I had a great time on our beach vacation. It was an easy 2.5 hour drive to get there, with about half of it through farmland. We went right to one of the Delaware Seashore State Park locations in Rehoboth. We stayed on the beach till about 6:00. I'm so glad Rob likes the beach as much as me. As usual, the later in the day it got, the less we wanted to leave. We finally checked into our hotel, then spent the night doing the typical boardwalk thing, ending with soft-serve ice cream. Yum! On Monday we went to Bethany Beach, where I vacationed for many years. Here's a picture of the house we rented for about 8 years. It used to be red.

Here's one that we rented for about 3 years. It's a duplex and we rented the downstairs. It was our little yellow house then.

I loved being back in Bethany; I have so many memories. I started vacationing there when Emily was one. My mom always vacationed with us, and of course that was years before she had the stroke. I vacationed with Tony when I was married, and then my neighbor and her daughter when I was divorced. It was a great place to vacation. Myrtle Beach is my favorite vacation spot now, but I'll definitely be back to Bethany again. It's so close! They've built dunes and planted lots of sea grasses since I was last at the DE beaches. It looks so much more natural now.

We packed up on Tuesday morning and headed to Cape Henlopen, where we spent part of the day at another of the Delaware State Parks. I've never done the beach parks before, but it's easy parking, and they have bathhouses. It really worked out great. We found a nice spot to set up our chairs and umbrellas right next to a very large Amish family. The young men in the water on their boogie boards were only distinguished by their bowl haircuts and beards. The women, on the other hand, wore very simple black or blue dresses, which they wore into the water. It was so interesting to watch them. I tried to be discreet.

We ended our vacation by dropping our things off at the house and heading to my pool. The water there was delightful! I'm so spoiled by Myrtle Beach and the calm, 80+ degree ocean. The waves in DE were enormous, fueled by tropical storm Emily. Rob loved it, but I was scared, and took a bad tumble the first day that really hurt my ankles. The water was freezing, to me. I tried to think of it as invigorating and luckily it was hot enough that you just got in. No one seemed to mind the temperature.

I'm home again till next Monday, when I'll join my cousins for a few days of their vacation in Stone Harbor, NJ. I can't wait!

This and That

This and That
I'm so excited to be going to the beach with Rob. We'll leave in the morning as soon as he gets here. They're calling for thunderstorms and very hot weather. We'll have fun no matter what.

I can't believe I'm sitting here eating potato chips.

I visited my parents after work and stayed till my mom was in bed. I'm amazed at the level of care and love that my mother receives. She, in turn, really cares about the people who work in her 'home'. She knows everyone's name and treats the staff and especially the caregivers like they're her real friends. They are her friends. She's genuinely interested in knowing about their lives. We spent a lot of time tonight with Jackie, one of the med-techs. She's from Kenya and has lived in the states for a year. She works 3 jobs and is paying for her brother and sister to attend university in Kenya. As she was leaving my mother's room, my mother said, 'you forgot something'. Jackie asked what it was, and my mother replied, 'my kiss'. Jackie reminded her she always comes back before she gets off work to kiss her. How sweet is that? Jackie was in the hall when I was leaving. I thanked her for caring so much for my mother. I asked her if I could give her a hug. I hugged her and gave her a kiss.

Sometimes I do silly things like this when I have a client who has a lot of hair taken off:

One of my favorite clients, Ruth McHenry, died this week just a few months after being diagnosed with lung cancer. She was 83. I had been doing Ruth's hair for over 20 years, and for the last few years she came in every Friday to have it styled. It was always so inspiring to me to see an older person who was so 'with it' both physically and mentally. She regularly drove to Atlantic City. She went to the diner almost every day for breakfast or lunch. She lived alone and took care of her house. She drove everywhere she needed to go. In my salon she greeted so many of my co-workers by name. In turn, everyone knew she was Miss McHenry. She never let me give her a discount! She reminded me of things I forgot. She picked up our conversations where we left off from Friday to Friday, not forgetting a single detail. I shared freely with her about everything. Although she was my father's age, she was like a grandmother to me. Ruth was from Germany, and once told me she thought of me as the daughter she never had. She said, 'I always wanted a Heidi'. We were very close. Ruth's husband died about 6 years ago after a very lengthy illness, and I think I helped her through that time. In the end, she had two nephews (her husband's), and a niece in Germany. She had an old neighbor who helped her out with doctor's appointments after her diagnosis, and who visited her every day (and kept me from seeing her in the end). There were only about 8 of us at her funeral, and I was the only one who spoke. She made a difference in my life, and I won't forget her. I wanted to write about my relationship with Ruth, because she was important to me.

How's that for some This and That?

I love ice cream but eating it causes me to gain weight more than any other food I eat. I bought a flavor last night that I don't love just so I wouldn't be tempted to eat too much. Turns out I love it. I also try to fool myself into thinking I'm taking a smaller portion by packing a lot into a little bowl. It works, sometimes.

I have some fun stuff coming up. Rob and I are going to Rehobeth Beach, DE Sunday through Tuesday. This will be only the second time we've gone away together. I can't wait! The following week I'm going to Stone Harbor, NJ for two nights to visit my cousins on their vacation. In the meantime, Emily was invited to be a guest, along with another friend, to vacation at Deep Creek Lake, MD for a week. I saw pictures of the rental house. It's humongous and right on the water and they have a boat. She's leaving tomorrow, and I'm so happy for her. When she gets back she'll spend a week with her dad at the beach. It will be quieter than usual around here for the next few weeks.

I just deleted a bunch of stuff I wrote, and I'm too tired to recreate it. This will have to be a 2-paragraph post, with a few extra lines.

Later!

A good start to the day

I've been outside for about an hour and need another, but alas, work calls. Still, I'll fit in a few words and enjoy this breezy morning a little longer.

I've spoken to Kathyand she's doing really well after her successful surgery. She's walking as much as she can, and keeping the wonderful hospital staff laughing. It's not hard for her to find humor in most any situation.

I spent so many hours cleaning my house yesterday. There's nothing like looking at the results of your hard work; it's so satisfying. However, I disliked almost every minute of the job. Oh well, I keep a very neat house and I do the cleaning when I have to. There's just so many other things I want to do with my time. My salvation after cleaning was to go to the pool for an hour. The water was delightful, the sky blue with fluffy white clouds, and the surrounding trees vibrant green. I think I swam my laps with a smile on my face. It was so hot that I had my book on the edge of the pool and when I wasn't swimming, I was reading while in the water. How wonderful is that? And how wonderful to come home to a very clean house.

My siblings and I had had such a good experience at my parent's house last night. I was worried about some issues that I knew would come up and some possessions that I knew would be in contention. It went wonderfully. At one point I said, I feel so warm and fuzzy. Silly me. We had a great Chinese dinner delivered, and sat around the table eating, catching up on our families. Ah... And I did get the TV and the whole Bose surround system. And lots of things with sentimental meaning. More stuff for my very crowded basement. Oh well.

And that's that, for now. The 'party is over' (my time on my porch) and it's time to get ready for work.

Happy Tuesday!

Sitting on my porch feels like vacation

I'm sitting outside on my porch. I'm really thankful to have this little covered porch. I spent hours and hours with my friend Patty on her large covered porch last night and it was amazing. The house I've stayed at on Edisto Island had many porches overlooking the Edisto Creek and that was an image I'll never forget. We never sat on the porch at the house I grew up in. I'll have to do that one day. My porch has a view of my garden, which I love, and of three homes on my cul-de-sac. It's a fine view. I wish I could sit out here every morning with regular coffee. I'm thankful I can sit out here at all (glass half-full).

A little catch up...My parents are doing well at The Annapolitan, their home of 3 months. My father has settled into his routine of spending most hours of the day downstairs in the 'library' reading or watching TV. He goes upstairs only for naps or to go to bed at night. He seems very content. My mother loves, loves, loves the caregivers and considers them her friends. Her favorite things to do are to sit outside on the glider and feed/watch the birds, and to sit in her bright comfortable room and listen to her favorite music on the TV. Oh, and they both love to eat and love the food there. Having my parents move into their new home has been the best decision ever. My mom has still had some falls, but only been bruised, thank goodness, and only one trip to the ER. They still don't get along, but that's nothing new. My siblings and I are in the process of clearing out their house. It's been slow, because no one wants to take the time to do it. My sister Ilene from GA is here this week, and she's gotten a lot of things done, as have Lisa and I. Tonight the four of us siblings will get together to decide who wants what. I'm nervous about that, but will hope for the best outcome. There's not much I want, and nothing is a deal-breaker for me. I just want peace. And the TV, if it works out that way.

Ilene and I made this Tomato and Corn Pie for dinner on Saturday night after Summer raved about it. This is the picture from the website, but ours looked exactly like it!

It was very labor-intensive to make, and thank goodness there was two of us working together. We also made the quinoa salad I love and eat every week. My sister Lisa was a big help with making that. Corn on the cob rounded out our meal, and the three of us sisters had a great night together.

There's a delightful breeze blowing, as I sit here. The hummingbirds are really active this morning. The only thing looming for me is housework, but I can put that off for as long as I want. My neat house is deceiving! I think I'm going to savor this time on my porch. It's a wonderful refuge.

Like a Virgin

A virgin blogger, that is. It's been forever since I've written a real post. Everything is well here. Emily, Rob, my parents, my family, my job, my house, my garden, etc. I'm so thankful I can say that.

Today has been so long! You know me...fitting a million things into one day. I watered my garden this morning. I've been doing that almost every day lately, though usually at night. It takes at least 30 minutes, of time that I enjoy. I planted more zinnias and basil before heading in to get ready for my day off. I met my GA sister (who flew in yesterday) after breakfast and headed over to visit my parents for a few hours. Afterward, she and I went to Middleton Tavern in Historic Annapolis for lunch. I started out with broiled rockfish (Maryland's state fish!) topped with lump crabmeat and mushrooms. I was disappointed from the first bite. It had an off-taste and so many bones. I wasn't going to complain but my server asked how my lunch was, and I was honest. My new selection, Filet Mignon medallions with asparagus, lump crab and Bearnaise sauce, was outstanding. We used an Entertainment Book coupon for one free entree, which made an expensive restaurant affordable. Ilene and I spent the rest of the day at the mall, ending at Trader Joe's. My purchase of the day, besides lunch, was jelly beans. I just love them. I finally made it home at 6 PM. I'm so tired!

One of the reasons I hadn't been blogging was because of my crummy 7-year old laptop. It took forever to boot up. The power connecter had to be jiggled just right not be on battery power, and my old battery only held 50 minutes. I saved everything onto my external hard drive in anticipation of it 'running out of juice'. I drove myself crazy trying to decide what to do for computing. I've wanted a iPad for so long, but have never been able to justify buying one, especially since I own a iPhone. I finally made a decision, and without a lot of research but with enough knowledge of what specifications I needed, I bought a new laptop yesterday. I'm so excited. It's modern! It's light and thin and it's so fast. There's a lot I have to get used to, but I will. I still want a iPad, but I'll save that for some other time in the future.

I don't want to make this too long, but I do have more to say. I guess that means I'll have to post again soon. Hold me to that, OK?

I'm still here!

I'm still here! Working, reading, visiting my parents, going to the pool, being a mom, girlfriend, etc. Spending every minute that I can outdoors. Enjoying the summer! For some reason, I haven't felt like writing. I'll be back, though. I have blogging in my blood.

Myrtle Beach 2011

I'm trying to get used to being back home after vacation. Emily and Phil are away, and the house is very quiet. It's the 4th of July and I don't have any plans other than visiting my parents. Today is day one of no caffeine and I'm already feeling sluggish. I love vacation because I can drink coffee every day. No caffeine today is getting ready for the effects of no caffeine tomorrow. Today is also day two of diet/eating only healthy. I'm probably 7 lbs overweight but it feels like 100. It's time to feel better about that. I'm also ready for the busy-ness of work tomorrow. I love vacation but I also love my job. I miss it!

Here's a peek at my vacation. Click on the image, then view it as a slideshow for the best pictures. I sure wish I was sitting in one of those chairs right now! The good news is that I have lots of great memories.



Happy July 4th!!!

The best day yet!

I'm sitting on the balcony, looking out over the ocean. The sun is shining bright at 7 AM; it's sure to be another hot day. We've had all hot days with breezy to windy winds. Our good umbrella has been an issue every day. I'm convinced that you either need a shade tent, which I don't want, or a wooden-pole umbrella like the ones you rent. They stand straight and don't hardly shiver under the strongest gusts. Twice I've asked the rental guy to use his hole-digging tool for us. Yesterday I borrowed someone's shovel to dig a deep hole for our umbrella pole. Even with that, we've had to prop our chair against the pole or hold on. It's been windy!

It's night now. It was the best day yet! Oh wait, I think I've thought that every day.

Here's my usual day:

Wake at 6:30. I can't help it. Sit out on the balcony in my pj's.
Put the chairs and umbrella on the beach at 8:00 and sit out for a while.
Come back to the condo and have breakfast and prep food for dinner or lunch, have breakfast, etc.
Go out to the beach at 10:30. Read. Listen to music. Go into the water. Watch people. Go up for a quick lunch then come back down. Stay till at least 6:00. Wonder how the day passed so quickly.
Come in and wait to shower. I'm always last.
Eat dinner and clean up.
Sit on the balcony.
Change back into pj's.
Read in bed.
Repeat.

The kids have gone somewhere most nights. We ate out twice. Went shopping once (I sat on a bench, actually). I don't like to shop but I do like to people-watch. I've been happy to hang out at the condo. I've gotten into bed early most nights with a book. For a person who rarely relaxes, I've done a pretty good job.

This little palm is just outside our condo. I was surprised how well the picture came out. I took it with my iPhone.

Tomorrow is our last full day. Darn.

Life's a beach

I'm having a lazy morning here at the beach. I put my chairs out a few hours ago, but for now I'm just sitting on a rocker inside the condo looking out at the beach and ocean. It's a great view!

We had an uneventful drive to our overnight destination of Smithfield, NC. Here's me, in the driver's seat. Notice the bag of jellybeans by my side?

Emily was a perfect front-seat passenger, and it was an easy 6-hour drive. We shopped at Dewaynes, then went to our nice, clean, inexpensive motel. We had dinner at Cracker Barrel, then went to a few stores at the outlets. My goal was to find new madras shorts at the GAP outlet, like I did last year. Success! Their men's shorts fit me really well. The best part of the night was the sky! Too bad it was setting over a huge outlet center instead of mountains or a meadow, but it was still amazing. I've never seen blue streaks radiating up! This photo is unedited.

We got to the beach about 2:00 yesterday afternoon. It's so nice to be back.

Time to enjoy my day. Hope you enjoy your's too.





I was SO happy that the inexpensive motel I picked from Priceline was so clean.

I'll take coffee in that half-full glass

I should be busy doing something, but I don't have to. That's the good thing about waking up at the crack of dawn. The extra time you have is yours. It's a bonus.

I saw on the news, starting in November 2012, all cigarette manufacturers will be required to cover 50% of the front and back of every pack of cigarettes with one of 9 graphic pictures. Here's an example of three of them:

I think it's a great idea, and yes, I'm a former smoker. I've said it before: quitting smoking is one of the things I'm most proud of doing because it was one of the hardest things I've ever done.

In other big news, I am now the very happy owner of a weave-it afghan, made by my friend Happyone (Karen). Follow the link to see pictures! Karen wrote that she was making the afghan as a surprise for a friend. I really hoped that friend would be me. She came to the salon yesterday to have her hair done. With her, she had the afghan and a bag of home-made chocolate chip cookies for me and my co-workers. I'll treasure my afghan always. Thank you Karen!

I'm so disgusted with the ants in my house! I've put the liquid Terro on squares of shiny cardboard all over the house. The ants have swarmed in the foyer by my garage entrance, by the front door, and on my kitchen counter. The foyer was the worst, but now most of the ants have disappeared. The front door area is better. The kitchen counter ants have just arrived. It's so hard not to use Raid spray or crush the ants. Yuck.

Summer left a comment the other day about my trip and the 'familiar' things. Yes, Cafe Risque is one of them. You drive for miles and miles along I-95 seeing signs for it. When it finally comes into sight, it's little more than a building that looks like a nondescript house. There's the Shetland Pony ranch, Kings Dominion, the model Log Cabin Homes, the upside-down truck, the clock tower in Richmond, South of the Border, etc. I have my 20-oz bag of generic Jelly Belly jellybeans ready to go. I never go on a road trip without them. And my denim Big Dog dress? It's still officially retired. I do wear it around the house sometimes but I only wear it out for watering my garden. It really shouldn't be seen in public. I'll still be wearing a traveling dress. It makes those stops so much easier.

Time to get ready for my last day of work. I have two clients who want to change their haircolor, so it won't be an easy day, but it will be a short day and one that ends with vacation. And coffee! I'm a glass half-full person, if nothing else.

Good blogger

I seem to be on a blogging roll. It may be that I have more time. Rob's been busy with his family, and Emily and Phil are busy being high school graduates. I spent most of today doing things around the house, preparing for my upcoming vacation. I'm a short-timer! We're leaving Friday morning, headed south. We'll spend the night at our usual stopping ground of Smithfield, NC. I love that place because it's only 5 hours from home, has a Prime Outlets Center, Cracker Barrel, and Dewayne's. There's no sense in stopping for the night if there's nothing to do. I love to eat at Cracker Barrel, but not while I'm driving because it takes so long. We're staying in a cheap motel ($44!) that I got through Priceline. I hope it's OK.

You might know I'm comforted by things that are familiar. I love recognizing sights along the road. I can even tell you where my favorite tree is in the middle of nowhere. I'm not crazy about I-95, but I like the things about it that are familiar.

This will be my familiar view on Saturday

We're staying in the same condo in N. Myrtle Beach, SC as last year, with the same group: my sister from GA, Ilene, and my nephew and his friend, and me and my two. I can't wait.

In other news, I have ants. The little ones. I don't have many in one place; I have one or two in many random places. I just sprayed the perimeter of my house with Cutter Bug Control. I bought Terro Liquid Ant Bait, and I'll put that around the interior of the house right before we leave for vacation. The war is on. Why, then, you might ask, do I have these decorative ants on my sidewalk? I don't know.

this that and Father's Day

My laptop is almost 6 years old. Isn't that amazing? I have no clue what I'll replace it with when it finally kicks the bucket. It's so old that the letters have worn off 10 of the alphabet keys. I have such a hard time making electronic decisions. I annoy myself because I research everything to death. I'd like someone else to do the research and just tell me what to buy.

I still want a iPad. I knew I didn't want the first one. I was sure I'd get the second one. Now I'll wait till the third, or the fourth, or the fifth. I hate how fast technology changes and how disposable everything is. The newest is never new for long.

Happy Father's Day, dear old dad

My sister and I joined my parent's for a luncheon celebrating fathers at The Annapolitan. They served a choice of crabcakes or prime rib, salad, baked potato, and greenbeans. Dessert was a nice sheetcake. Here we are...

It's always interesting to observe visitors with their family. Some never have visitors. Others, like my parents, have them frequently. One resident, Fran, who I met when my parents moved in, is very intelligent and talkative. Her daughter came for the Mother's Day luncheon and they sat like stones, not saying a word to each other. The same thing happened today and I'm guessing they don't like each other much. I think a lot of the residents are happy to be where they are without being watched over and told what to do by their children. I think a lot of the children are glad to have someone else watching over their parents. I'm glad in so many ways that my parents are where they are and that I can be a visitor. Of course, I really wish they could be healthy and self-sufficient at home. And of course, I do so much more than just visit.

I'll end with a funny thing. Here's a screenshot of a text between Emily and me:

I called her as soon as I got it saying, "You're in Philadelphia??" She had no clue what I was talking about. I told her she texted it to me. Turns out her iPhone auto-corrected "Phils dad" to "Philadelphia". Cute

No man-cave for me

I was sitting outside this morning, really enjoying being outside. Listening to the birds. Surrounded by nature. I was thinking how much being outside means to me. Then I thought of all the people that stay inside all the time, and prefer it. They don't feel like they're missing out on something when they're inside, like I do. Then I thought of how bright my house is. I have 24 windows plus two skylights plus a french door. Lots of light. I don't understand how people like dark houses, but I know that many do. I think maybe I'm not into cozy. If I were a man, I wouldn't have a man-cave.

In other news, I'm beat from working two 11-7 days in a row. It's hard being on your feet and busy for that many hours in a row. One more day to go, then I get to do my Saturday thing :)

I'll be spending Sunday with my parents; they're having a Father's Day luncheon at The Annapolitan. My sister Lisa will be there too. I can't believe how well the transition has been to their new abode. Still no regrets, only praise.

And that's a slice. Over and out for tired me.

Bad Blogger

My name is Cheryl and I'm a bad blogger.
I think the problem is two-fold. First, if I don't write regularly, I get out of the habit. And if I don't write, I forget the things I've done that are blog-worthy. Second, I don't think I've had anything interesting to say. Work is good, as usual. Busy. It's quiet in the house. The kids have been away the last few days, and Rob didn't come down this week. I don't mind being alone (though I miss them), so it's been OK. This sounds depressing, but I'm not depressed. I'm sitting on my porch right now eating potato chips, of all things. Now, that is depressing.

Consider this to be a filler post. I'll be back another day when I've had some caffeine.

Oh what a day!

I was reading over the last post. I was so happy on that day! I've had some stress thrown in...mainly the stress of my daughter being away at the beach. Grrr. Life can't always be a bowl of cherries, right?

Today's plan was to take my father for lab work and then in to see his doctor. I suspected he had a UTI. My plan was to be back home after that and await Rob's arrival at 2. On Tuesday, my mother said she hit her wrist in a doorway while traveling on her new scooter. She thought she needed X-rays. The nurse at The Annapolitan tried to get Kaiser authorization to have a portable X-ray done there. I tried too but it didn't happen. Today was the first day I could take care of it, unfortunately. I felt bad about that; bad that she had to wait that long. I won't go into all the details, but I had to balance my mom in a wheelchair and my father, and the lab, pharmacy, X-ray, and each being seen by the doctor. Then back to The Annapolitan to wait for an appointment for my mom with an orthopedic doctor in another facility. I got lost. She needed more X-rays. Long story short, her wrist isn't broken, but badly bruised and swollen. It looks broken. I picked them up at 8:30 this morning, and settled my mom back in at 4:30. I had to cancel my plans with Rob. Once I got over myself and realized I was doing the right and necessary thing, I was fine with it. My parents needed me, and I was glad to be there for them. I was 80% patient. I only hope that one day I'll be lucky enough to have someone there for me if I need them.

It was over 100 degrees today. Fortunately I wasn't out much until I got home. I got my bathing suit on and hit the pool at 5:30. I swam 10 laps! I read my magazine. I chilled, and the previous part of the day became a distant memory. I came home and watered the garden while listening to one of my favorite albums, Reasons Why by Nickel Creek. I was out till almost dark.

I'll end with the last of the albums, the graduation party from Sunday. It was so much fun. I think all my hard work paid off (if I must say so myself).

Insouciant me

I had to look insouciant up in the dictionary. I've never used it before, but it characterized me, today...'having or showing freedom from worries or trouble.' I just wish this day had about 36 more hours, it's been so good.

My life has revolved around getting ready for the events of the past four days for at least the past month. I never once said, 'I can't wait till it's over.' When that thought crossed my mind, and it did, I made myself think, 'I can't wait till it's here.' I knew the days would come, and that I would be ready.

I think the best part about prom, graduation, and the graduation party itself was Emily's happiness. She glowed. She basked in the attention. She knew she was well-loved. It was all about her. I was so happy to do it all to make it wonderful for her.

The Infamous Graduation Album. Not really infamous.



I curled Emily's hair for graduation. It really looked fabulous. It was SO much work that it would have to be a very special occasion for me to do it again. My thumbs still feel burned! Because there were only 47 Seniors in Emily's graduating class, each family got 8 tickets. Phil had 9 family members; I was really happy they all were there. Rob and my sister Lisa came with me, and Emily's dad and step-mom were there. It was a happy day.

I'll post party pics in my next post.

Emily and Phil left for Ocean City, MD after the party. It's a rite of passage here in Maryland. Senior Week at the beach. Go figure...we hold our kids close all these years, then let them go unsupervised to the beach for a week. I spoke to the kids so many times about safety, responsibility, dangers, etc. I had to let them go. I hugged Emily tight and yes, the thought crossed my mind that I might never hold her again. I can't wait till this week is over and she's home again.

I woke up this morning and sat on my porch, listening to the rioting birds and taking in the beauty of nature. I drank my coffee that I love so much. I watered my gardens, something that gives me much pleasure. I took care of a whole lot of paperwork and phone calls for my parents. Then I went to my pool! It was a lovely day. I stayed for almost 4 hours, swimming and reading my book. Heavenly. I think I had a smile on my face the whole time. I ended my day by sitting on the porch again, writing most of this post. It's been such a good day. It would be selfish of me to wish for more.

In the middle of busy

I'm in the middle of busy! The awards ceremony yesterday was sweet. It was also Prom Day, and it was wonderful. Today was sous chef day, if that's the right word. I chopped and assembled for hours and hours. My refrigerator is filled with labeled gallon storage bags. Almost everything is ready to go for Sunday's party. Tonight was the Senior Family Picnic. It was catered with ribs, bar-b-q chicken, potato salad, beans, etc. I ate like I'd never get to taste a rib again. SO full! Tomorrow is more cooking and cleaning and getting ready for the party on Sunday. It's also Graduation!!!

Here's a link to Emily's prom pictures. I think the pictures are larger when viewed as a slideshow. Enjoy! Personally, I think Emily looks stunning. I'm prejudiced, of course.

A quick post

It's bright and early. Too early. I've been waking up before 5AM most mornings and I've never been one to fall back asleep. Darn. Luckily, I'm a morning person. I'm doing wash and figuring out what to do next. I think I'll clean my bedroom.

Today is Emily's prom. I may be more excited than she is. We'll be going to the awards ceremony at her school from 10:00-12:00. From there we'll head to my salon to have Emily's hair done. Make-up after, then home. Then getting ready, pictures, etc. The kids are going to the prom in a party limo. I think it holds 30 or 40 people. The prom is on a ship sailing out of Annapolis. How fun! There's a full sit-down dinner on board. I'll be driving to the dock to take pictures.

I better get running or my time won't be used wisely. Right now there's so much to do!

BTW, a few people have told me they can't post comments. Boo. I've checked my settings and don't know why. E-mail if you'd like till I get this figured out. I miss comments.

Happy Thursday. I hope it's a good one for you too, Jamie.