Weird Dream

I had a really bizarre dream last night.

For some reason, I applied for a job at Wal-Mart.  They were BLOWN AWAY that someone of my caliber wanted to come work for them.  They interviewed nobody else and hired me on the spot.  I was being offered $150 an hour to work in their dressing room area.

I was conflicted.

Weird, huh?

Yep. I'm Back.

Blogger.  I tried.  And I wish I knew how to quit you.  (Okay, very lame Brokeback Mountain reference.  Sorry.)

But it's true.  I have stuff to say.  And some things can't be limited to a Facebook post or two.  Know what I mean?

I hold a lot of snark in there because I know who my audience is.  I know that there are kids from the youth group that see my stuff.  While I want to be "real" with them, I want to be responsible, too.  It sucks being a grown up.

What I like about this is I know that if you are reading here, you are doing so of your own doing.  I'm not a blip on your newsfeed.  You purposefully clicked a link to read bits and pieces of my profound wisdom.  Maybe I'm talking to nobody and just getting something off of my chest.  Maybe I need advice.  Maybe I just have something snarky to say.  Who knows?

I'm going to give this another try.

Wait.  Not try.

This:

Stuff To Say

I think I still have stuff to say.

I'm re-thinking this.

I might just keep it private but post.  We'll see.

Shutting Her Down.

Well folks. I truly believe that Facebook has killed my blog. It's a sad, sad day. I'm not deleting it. I've got too much stuff in here that means the world to me. Often, this place was like a diary. I worked through some good times and bad here. And my "fans" have been fantastic. It's just time to close up shop. It will show up as private in about another week. If you would like to continue to read my old entries, please let me know through either Facebook private message or e-mail. I'm only willing to add people that really know me. I promise, I'm not adding secret stuff or anything. I still have my writing for the newspaper, which I will continue. And I already have a few chapter titles for the book I'm going to write someday. I would imagine I'll even pull a few older blog entries for stories for my book. Hence another reason to discontinue blogging. Who knows. I may pick it up again someday. One never knows for sure. Know this - - you guys have meant the world to me. More than you will ever know. Thank you for listening to me ramble all these years. It's been fun. Much love to all of you. B

Shutterfly Rocks!

I've started making these photobooks on Shutterfly. I'll just say it - - awesomeness.


 

Couch to 5K

I started the Couch to 5K training yesterday.

*pause for laughter and shock*

I sure did.  And I won't lie, it kicked my butt.  I can barely move today.  I think I may have even pulled something.  I think.  I can tell you this, I will stretch MUCH better before I do tomorrow's session.  My abs are even sore.  Wow.

I'm doing my first 5K in October.  It's not a full on run.  It has obstacles in it, too.  It's the Foam Fest.  It actually sounds fun.  Me and some girlfriends are doing it together.  So where I used to go on Scrapbook retreats and sit around and eat all weekend, I'm now choosing a healthier hobby.

Yes - - I *am* that awesome.

Your Mind = Blown

I broke up with scrapbooking.  And I gotta tell you - - I actually feel good about it.  I had a ton of crap.  A. Ton.  I only have a few things left to sell.  I kept my Cricut, Gypsy, colored cardstock, paper trimmer, a few adhesives and my scissors for school projects.  As far as scrapbooking 12 x 12 layouts?  I'm done.  Unless I do digital stuff.  Which I may or may not dabble in.  I canceled my subscription to the Trends magazines today.

I've been making photobooks with Shutterfly and I really like those.

A lot changed when the scrapbook store closed.  At the time, I still had Shannon.  And that was an awesome outlet for me.  Then we lost Shannon.  And frankly, it just hasn't been fun since then.

So.  End of an era?  I think so.

I can tell you this:  It has felt GREAT to de-crapify all of the clutter in this house.  I'm becoming a serious minimalist.  I like my life to be crisp and clean.  No clutter.

I'm proud.  I didn't even cry when I said good-bye to the last load hauled out of here this morning.  It just felt right.  And I'm totally okay with that.  As Shannon would say, "Calm = Happy."  I'm calm.  And I'm happy.  I called her my Yoda for a reason.

Here's to new adventures.  And I raise my glass to toast the good old days.  Good memories.  Good friends.  Time to move on.

Cheers.

Honda and Bewbies

I can't remember what all I've told you about here.  The details don't really matter at this point.  The long story condensed into one sentence is this:  The windshield trim piece to Penny is STILL not fixed.

Both sides were supposed to be.  Honda was invoiced by the glass shop to fix both pieces.  But one was either not fixed or they did it wrong.  It matters not.  It's not right.  And it needs to be. I discovered it yesterday afternoon.  I saw the customer survey e-mail and was going to fill it out.  I thought I'd better check the work first.  Glad I did.

I made a call.

The van is now back at the shop and I am in a rental this time.

I give props to the Service Manager for trying real hard to make sure I'm happy.  But come on Man.  He should have thoroughly checked that thing out before sending it back to us.

Ay yi yi.

On top of all of that - - I have to go get my bewbies squished today.  That's right.  Pancakes are on the menu today.  I can't wear deodorant either.  And if you are familiar with these parts, it's supposed to be well over 100 today.

Good times.

I'm gonna blog later about the squishing.  I've documented a colonoscopy prep before.  I think it's only fair to give my boobs equal time.

Home Sweet Home!

We made it safely home.

Did I mention that I was dreading the heat?  Uh, yeah.  About that.  It's supposed to be 107 here today.  Blech.  I don't even want to leave the house.

I'm already unpacked.  (Because that's how I try to roll.)  Chaos drives me crazy.  I even had the kids put their things away.  We did laundry before we left, so I brought home a suitcase full of clean clothes.  That makes today such a happier day.

Here's a couple of pics from the drive back home.

Can you find the real Winnie?

Mamaw was hot, so the air was cranked up.  Justin stayed warm with his fleece blanket.

Cameron watching a movie.  With the "real" Winnie.  I don't know how this kid is ever comfortable.

And behold - - the most gorgeous site when I got home:

I missed him SO much.  This was pretty close to the longest we've been apart.  The kids were with me, so he was all alone.  He said it got pretty lonely around here.

Like his shirt?  I had ordered it last week.  He saw one at Sea World while we were there.  He thought it was funny.  I hope he'll actually wear it outside of the house.  He said he won't wear it to work.  Imagine that?  The cool thing is - - it's SO not him.  He would never talk to me or treat me that way.  But it's still good for some chuckles.  I love it.

Okay.  Back to life.  I have a super busy week next week.  Like insane.  Today, I'm going to get a few things done around here.

I promise to work harder on blogging more.  I've enjoyed it again.  It's a nice outlet.

Have an AWESOME day!

Day Five at the Cabin

Our last full day.

We got up this morning and drove down the mountain to White Sands.  We've been before.  It's pretty awesome there. We didn't stay too long because it was HOT!

We rinsed off the extra sand with a couple of gallons of water.  We went back into town to eat lunch and then we headed over to a car wash to vacuum the sand out.  Lots and lots of sand.

Then we headed back up the mountain to the cabin.  First we stopped at the opposite side of the train trestle that I hiked to the other day.  I took the boys picture.

We're going to head out in the morning.  We'll stop for breakfast at a local cafe and then the long drive home begins.  I dread re-entering the heat.  Thank goodness for the pool.

It's been a fun little vacay.  I'm ready to see Mr. B's smiling face in person.  Doing Face Time has been nice.  But you can't beat the real thing.  I may even smooch on him a little.  *giggle*

Time for bed.  Long day tomorrow.  The good news is that I'm mostly packed.  Just gotta load up.

Day Four at the Cabin

Today was a touch lazier.

I was right.  I woke up pretty sore from that hike.  If I'd been smart, I would have gone and done it again.  Instead, I was lazy.  I played three games of Candyland with Cameron.  He beat me two out of three games.

I sat out on the deck for a while trying to get a good picture of the hummingbirds feeding.  This was about the best one I got.  Keep in mind, I only have my little point and shoot with me.

We finished the evening off with watching The Bourne Supremacy.  I think Mom and Dad are hooked now.  One more to go.

I was getting ready for bed when my nose started running.  I went to wipe it only to realize that it wasn't snot.  It was blood.  I had a gusher coming out of my right nostril.  A common occurance for me at this altitude.  Got it under control, the kids are close to asleep and I am not far behind them.  Tomorrow we are going to White Sands National Monument.

The time away has been relaxing and peaceful.

I won't lie though - - I sure miss Mr. B.  And I'm not the only one.

Check back tomorrow for more adventures.