Baby Garner

As most of you know, I have been increasingly wanting to learn more about natural healing and the medicinal use of herbs. I attended a symposium at Warren Wilson College yesterday and I had a fantastic time. I met lots of interesting and wonderful, intelligent people, and I also learned very much from them.

I did all of that in an environment that had me foaming at the mouth and kicking my tail for attending Spartanburg Methodist College. WWC has the most beautiful campus I have ever seen. It’s tucked away in a valley of the Swannanoa river in the Blue Ridge Mountains of NC. It has a farm, complete with livestock and a compost pile that is added to every day by the students, faculty, and cafeteria. It’s got cabins right off the farm that are used for classrooms for the studies that use the farm. It’s got several outdoor classroom areas set up and they are utilized as much as possible. It’s got lots and lots of gardens with tons of azaleas and dogwood trees in full bloom. It was Eden. It’s common to see benches on college campuses. It’s uncommon to see them tucked away so that while you may be sitting in a garden, you have some solitude and privacy. They had LOTS of these little quiet benches tucked away. The buildings have walls of windows looking out onto the mountains and my favorite thing was their eco-friendly gym. Set in a shady area, they had some exercise equipment that was certainly unique, like an eco-friendly elliptical machine and my personal favorite…a swing. That’s right. There is a SWING that has been hung from a bar supported by two trees so that anyone can re-live their childhood fun any time they want to. It’s truly a beautiful place.

Some of you had asked me to share what I learned, so here we go. Some of it, you may have already known, but hopefully, you’ll learn, too, and be able to share what knowledge you have with me to help me in my education.

I’ll start at the beginning of my notes and work my way from the Herbal First Aid class to my Weed Eating class. Yes, I took a class on what weeds one can eat. Who knows? Maybe I’ll find myself out in the wild starving some day…I don’t eat seafood and I’ve never been a good hunter, so it’s not entirely impossible.

Ginger– To take internally, make into a tea, purchase some candied ginger, or a ginger syrup– Ginger warms our bodies, so it’s wonderful for hypothermia, colds and flu, as well as nausea. It aids with digestive issues, also. Topically- It’s an anti-inflammatory and anti-spasmodic.  It aids in relieving menstrual cramps and will help bring on a menstrual period. It works by moving our blood. To apply topically, soak a cloth in ginger tea and apply to area of pain.

Tumeric is another anti-inflammatory. You can make it into a tea by mixing a teaspoon of tumeric powder into hot water. Topically, use the powder and a drop of hot water to make a paste to put over the swollen area or a bruise and use wrap/gauze to hold in place. IT WILL STAIN….so don’t wear clothes, use towels, or sleep on sheets that you don’t want orange spots on.  Tumeric capsules are wonderful in aiding allergies and sinus issues, as well.

Solomon Seal aids with Carpal Tunnel syndrome.

“Wood Bettany” (scientific name is pedicaularis) is a FANTASTIC muscle relaxer. When muscles have been overworked or pulled or for tension headaches….not migraines. It’s best taken via a tincture (an alcohol extract that is absorbed quickly into the body), tea, or you can smoke the leaves and flowers.

Kava is also great for relaxing, but really is helpful when stress is a factor and is something that will help with migraines.

Yarrow- Fresh leaves, dried leaves, or as a powder, they help cuts and scrapes by aiding in the coagulation of blood and the flowers are used to sweat out a fever.

Believe it or NOT– cayenne pepper powder and cinnamon help stop bleeding! I think restaurants all over the globe should share that with their staff, as often as cuts happen in a restaurant kitchen.

Yuhun Payao – This Chinese herb stops bleeding. It can be used as a powder or taken in a capsule. To utilize as a powder, put the powder on a piece of silk and place on wound. Now, apparently, when you order this herb, it comes with a red pill (Matrix fans out there are giggling with me. The red pill is apparently for when someone’s been bleeding so much they go into shock. Of course, I personally would also be seeking professional medical help if someone’s going into shock on me, but that’ll help them.

We all know from growing up in the South that you chew up a bit of tobacco and put it on a bee or a wasp sting. Well, don’t chew too much or the nicotine will get to you.  I always thought that the tobacco hurt worse than the actual sting, though. It does draw the venom out. Did you know that Plantain leaves (not the banana shaped plant, but the weed looking one) are also wonderful for that?!? Heck! I have that in my YARD. All over my yard actually. Same thing as the tobacco….pop a couple of leaves in your mouth to moisten them and then stick them on the sting.

Cumfrey- Helps regrow tissue and aids in reducing fresh scars. Use as a salve.

Nettles (or “stinging nettles”)– fresh leaves have an antihistamine effect and a tea made from dried leaves will prevent allergies. If made into a tincture, it will help very much so with hives. An interesting way to take nettles is to take some vinegar and infuse it with nettles and then use the vinegar in a salad. If you harvest before the plants flower, there will be no pollen.

Another person in the class said that he’d broken his toe and the pain was awful, but he stung himself with a nettle and it helped with the pain. He basically killed the toe pain with another pain, the sting… but to him, the pain from the nettle was much easier to take.  Another one of those “Well, I’d break down and call the doctor if it were me” moments there.

Speaking of nettles, you can eat them. Not the nettles needles themselves, but the leaves. They taste alright…kind of bland. Still, if it’s going to help with my allergies, I’ll throw some ranch dressing on those bad boys and eat it until the cows come home. They’re also great in soups.

I’ll also be throwing some dandelion greens in with my salad. Those are like a super food!! No kidding! Which is INSANE because they’re ALL OVER my yard, too. Not only are they high in vitamin C, but they aid in liver function and digestion. You can use their flowers for wine or to make jelly with, you can make coffee from their roots and one person in the class (a true original hippy) said that he and his wife take the yellow flowers, dip them in a batter and deep fry them. I ate a yellow flower and some leaves. I prefer the leaves. LOL

Everyone knows Elderberry is awesome for an anti-viral and to help maintain your immune system. The flowers are great for fevers. You can dry the berries, make into a tincture, or even elderberry juice. Personally, I use elderberry syrup and I’ll spike my kids drinks with it when we’ve got something going around the house.

Burdock root can be stir fried or steamed, or even added to a soup. I ate it raw. That wasn’t that awesome. I bet mixed in with some stir fry it would be great. Burdock strengthens our immune systems and is an anti-inflammatory. Burdock also aids in asthma, too. Guess who’s going to be hunting down some burdock this week in my parent’s yard?? ;-D

For an asthma attack, Lobelia is the way to go. It’s best used in a tincture or a capsule.

Red clover– the one with the pink flower NOT crimson clover– it’s got genestine which aids cancer patients. I forget how exactly he said it, he was so excited he was talking a mile a minute and I think I was spitting out the oxallis leaves at the time.

Lastly, for today, wild cherry is fantastic for use as a cough syrup, but be careful. It’s got a cyanide compound it. It works best as a tincture.

I’m super excited to learn all this and I can’t wait until my next chance to learn even more. Thanks to all my family and friends for their support. I love you all, too. Really big thanks go out to Richard and Anam. You guys lift my spirits while keeping me grounded. <3

Ok, not really…I drove where their living room USED to be. Maybe I should start at the beginning?

My father and his family moved to a very old home (I think it was constructed right after the Civil War) in the early 1950’s. That home was about a 20 minute drive from where I’m sitting now, on my back porch at 2:39 A.M.. I say “was” because at some point, the family had to sell the land and the home was destroyed and now a subdivision sits there. With a road that runs right through where their home used to be.

I drive out there sometimes, tonight being one of those nights. Becca wouldn’t sleep no matter what, she was cranky and crying, so I tucked her miniature nightgown clad body in her car seat and took her for a mid-night drive. I ended up over there on Allison Circle. I noted that my deceased aunt’s home is now for sale, which caused me some dismay, mainly because we can’t afford to purchase it. It’s adjacent to not only my uncle’s property, but a small patch of land belonging to my father, as well. It’d be nice to have that three acres plus what my father will probably leave me or would sell us should he and my mother ever need the money.

I drove by very slowly looking for a tree that’s not there anymore. It was a beautiful tree. It had low slung branches that were great for climbing and scraping knees. It had a tire swing at one point. It was where we sat for all of our family reunions, except for Thanksgiving and Christmas since it was cold outside. It was a huge, old, beautiful thing. Now, it’s gone. There’s a home sitting there now that probably was built in less than a month by the cheapest builder to bid the job.

Still, I creeped through this neighborhood in my minivan and I stopped briefly there in the middle of the road, where their house used to stand and I thanked God for them and sent a prayer up that I missed them. I missed how her hair was always braided almost like a crown around her head. I always envied that. I can’t braid. Crazy, right? I can’t whistle, either, for the record, and I was in college before I was able to snap properly or even hit 5 foot tall.

Anyways, back to my Grandmother and Paw-Paw. I miss hearing his laugh…it had almost a raspy cough tone to it sometimes. I sat there in my car and remembered sliding down the stairs for lack of a better word. Going bump bump bump on our butts down the steep hard wood stair case was something my brother and I both loved doing every time we went over there. I remember the melted Coca-Cola bottles at the top of the stairs on the little shelf in the hall. I remember the constant hum of the bees that moved into the chimneys that flanked both sides of the house. I remember the smell of her cooking the moment I hit the door. Gosh, I’d give almost anything to be able to hear her say, ” I don’t charge for questions on (whatever day it is).” That’s where I picked that up from. Every time I say that, I think of her. Bless her beautiful short self. She was shorter than me. Sincerely, I saw over her head.

We all have those people that we remember clearly and won’t ever forget. Some have passed on to Heaven and others, have passed on to another stage in life. Tonight just happened to be my drive, literally and metaphorically, down memory lane. I do miss them so, and I miss that tree just as much. I wish I at least had a photograph of it. Instead, I just have the scars on my elbows and knees that it gave me to remind me that even strong, beautiful, old trees must move on eventually.

I have an amazing husband. Yeah, I know we all think that of our hubbies. Mine’s super cooler than most, though. He gives me leeway and not only allows, but supports my quirks and wants where many men would say “That ain’t flyin’.”

For example, my best friend—is a guy. Not just any guy: an attractive single guy with perfect teeth, humor, brains, and a deep and passionate spirit. He’s friggin’ awesome and I just adore him. Richard’s more than ok with that, too. He supports me and my friendship with John. However, even John says that he’d be very jealous if his wife had a guy that she was as close to as I am to him. It is kind of an anomaly. I looked around and I don’t know of any other married women who has as strong of a friendship with a straight man that I have with John. Is it that strange? It does freak my parents out a bit. I know it freaked his mom out a bit when I drove 3.5 hours to see him for only about half an hour. She practically jumped off the front porch to meet me, though. Sweet, sweet woman that she is even took my kids in the back yard to play for a bit, so I could catch a few moments of quiet time. Oh, well. This blog isn’t about how some social circles seem to push us towards only having same gender friendships.

This is about Quiet Time. Quiet Time and Water. (Just flow with me, here, ok? I’ll get there….)Quiet time is that rare and precious gem that mystifies us with children. That’s the other thing that Richard allows me. No, he didn’t take the kids for a few hours….he is watching them for two days so that I can escape up to Hot Springs, NC How freaking fantastic is he?!!? Anyways, Hot Springs is a tiny, tourist trap, run down kind of town. I’m tempted to use the phrase “piss ant”, but that’s too derogatory and it’s not that awful of a place. The drive here sure was, though. They don’t believe in signs much around here and haven’t got those yellow and black “>” signs on their sharp curves. Thank God I drove during the daylight and that I don’t text and drive….(John just spat on his laptop….since I texted and drove earlier today with him, but I was at a redlight and I only did it the one time and then I called him since he told me to stop it. Girl Scout’s honor!)

The town has no cell service for my provider and not even my GPS works here. I rented a room at a Bed and Breakfast, but my room isn’t in the main building of the Inn, it’s a couple of miles up the road and on the bank of a river. Which is great because I didn’t bring any DVDs’, there’s no tv in here, and there’s no internet. So, I’ve got the sound of the river to provide me with noise, should I choose to actually have noise. I’ve found myself opening the door a time or two just to hear something, though. It was a little unsettling at first, to be honest, to be left alone with my thoughts in this much quiet. I’m the only one in this building, so there is no noise from another room.

So, here I sit. Truly alone. It is an INCREDIBLE feeling. Man alive! I could live like this for a decade, if not longer. I’ve got my Bible; my laptop….which is not blaring iTunes, for once; a trashy romance novel that I’ve not even cracked open; and some bottles of water and an imported Coca-Cola without HFCS. Yeah, buddy. I am in Heaven. I mentioned before that I had begun to like being quiet and enjoy my solitude. That was an understatement. I have begun to crave these tranquil moments like the soil craves water during the heat of summer.

Which brings me to the water…..When I open the door and hear the water rushing by, I think of our lives. We all start out somewhere…just as water always has a source: Melting snow, rain, spring, etc. We all take a journey that seems infinitely long at times and too short at others. We’ll hit rapids and we’ll hit calm pools. We’ll have obstacles to overcome and we will not let them stop us. We just roll right over them and continue our journey.

We encounter people during our journeys that sometimes seem to carry us…like water in a pail. Others, we carry as the water carries and supports canoes and kayaks among the many other types of boats. Like water, some people can consume us. There’s good consumption and bad consumption. Bad water can make us ill, but clean water can provide us with refreshment and much needed nourishment. Just as some people come in our lives as toxins, albeit a harsh statement, it’s true. Others come into our lives like a fresh breeze and lift us up and help us when we need it the most.

The men in my life are my water. My three rivers. Richard, John, and Anam. They support me when I need it. They gracefully allow me to support them when they need it. They keep my mind and spirit clean and healthy. They calm my soul. They are the river beside me….encouraging me and guiding me through my journey of life and allowing me to be able to grow on my own and have my own journey. If there’s an obstacle, they say “You’re strong. You can do this.” If I’m in rapids and feel like I’m drowning, they say “Here. Hang on. We’ll pull you to safety.” If I’m in a calm pool and I’m enjoying just chilling out, they’ll let me be. They know I’ll come swimming over to them when I’m ready. When I am unsure of which direction I need to go, instead of pushing me in the direction they want me to go, they each give me their advice on where they think I should go and then support my decision. I am a truly blessed woman to have each of them.

I hope the river of your life is as overflowing with happiness and fulfillment as mine. I hope you don’t have any obstacles that you feel you can’t overcome and if you do feel down and dejected, call out. I’ll hold out my hand to you and try my best to pull you to still waters so you can rest. I hope your river thrives and flows freely. …And mostly, I hope that each of you can look at the water in your lives and be grateful for it and them. Our journeys are shorter than we think. Never miss a chance to say “Thank you” and “I love you. “

Thank you, Richard. Thank you, John. Thank you, Anam. I love you, Richard. I love you, John. I love you, Anam. I don’t take one moment with either of you for granted. You are the rivers of my life. I would not be who I am nor where I am without you.

Lastly, if you’ve never sincerely tried to be alone with your thoughts and without noise or anyone else, try it. You might like it, too. Don’t be afraid to fly without a safety net. Go somewhere four hours away. Leave the ipod at home. RELAX! Clear your mind and get out of that normal routine of yours if just for a day.

“Who am I? Who am I?” Jean Valjean sings as he’s debating whether or not to show his true self to save another man who has been accused of being himself, an escaped convict.

Convict. That’s a label, isn’t it? Even after people have served their time and paid their debt to society, they’re still labeled as a former convict and low-life. Lots of employers won’t hire them, which stinks because everyone’s got to make a living. We all make mistakes. Theirs just ended up with them having a label slapped on them. They’re not alone.

We all have labels, whether we put them on ourselves or if others do. Sometimes, these labels are ones that define what we do, but not who we are. Sometimes, they describe exactly who we are. Sometimes, they are not deserved, but we get stuck with them, anyways.

Hester Prynne was forced to wear a red letter because she fell in love with a man that wasn’t her husband (mind you, she thought her husband was dead….everyone thought her husband was dead and this affair was a good couple of years after her husband had reportedly drowned….). Still, they made a child and she and the baby had to wear the letter “A.” How’s that for a sucky start to life? You get stuck with a label because of something your mom did, and even then…it wasn’t that bad of an offense. It’s not like she started a war or even murdered anyone. Both Hester and Pearl accepted their label with humility and grace. Pearl even put her “A” back on after it had been torn off to show that she was proud of who her mother and father were.

I wish I could accept some of my labels with humility, grace, and with a sense of pride. I think we all wish we could. Highly intelligent people that have been labeled as “nerds”, for example. There are some nerds that embrace their nerdi-ness. Others loathe it, but they can’t change who they really are. We can change our habits, our likes/dislikes, but we can’t change who He made us to be.

Another example is that I have this one friend who doesn’t understand some of my feelings or thoughts and dismisses them off with the label that I’m “Southern.” While it is true, I am from the South, the use of that as a label is incorrect. It often has nothing to do with why I am the way I am.

Whenever we’re out and about, it’s almost instant that we see someone and label them. We see a woman with two small children and we think instantly “Mom.” She might not be, though. She may be the babysitter. We see a pregnant teenager and some of us would think “slut.” She might be a rape victim, though. We see a single guy in his late 30s and we instantly think that something’s wrong with him or he’s gay. What if his “The One” just hasn’t come along, yet?  We don’t know. We just don’t know.

Yet, too many times we slap a label on something as if it should be packaged in a generic package and put on a shelf. As if there was ANY such thing as normal and everyone on the Earth was the same. We’re all unique. We may have things in common with others, but we all have things that are different, too. We shouldn’t be lumped into pre-conformed pigeon holes and we shouldn’t do it to others.

When I started homeschooling, I had some people say to me that I needed to be careful so that my child wasn’t  “behind.” Behind WHAT, exactly? All children are each on different levels, as are we grown ups.

Each of us have different backgrounds, different beliefs, different levels within those beliefs if they’re structured beliefs like religion, and each of us have a different patchwork quilt of friends and family that make up our lives and help us be who we are.

I’m a Christian.It’s one of those labels that it does stereotype us and it is something we are all at once. I go to church. A great church. Love my church. My church will not always line up with my beliefs, though. No church will. That will not change that I believe these things and feel this way.

I believe that there is a God. I believe He sent a son, Jesus, and that Jesus died on the cross. I believe there is only one way to Heaven/Salvation and that is through a relationship with Jesus Christ/God. So far, so good, right? Here’s where I take a path that veers off the typical “church” path. I have recently come under fire from several people for these beliefs, as well. I am pro-gay rights and gay marriage. ‘Nuf said. Also, I am for the legalization of marijuana. As I told a friend recently– I believe it should be federally mandated and have the ever living fool taxed out of it. And then we should stick filters on it and warning labels on it and show what a pot smoker’s lungs look like versus a non-smoker’s lungs in tv advertisements aired during cartoons so that even kids get the idea that  “This is your lung. This is your lung on drugs.” In the mean time, the country will be making all kinds of moola off of it and people can exercise their free-will and make their own choices as to what they’re doing to their bodies.

I also believe that if people want to live their lives in whatever manner they want to and go to Hell, that’s their choice. Every person has their own journey. No two people will ever have the same journey nor will any two people have the same walk with the Lord.

Why should we label our relationships with the Lord, then? He’s a “strong Christian.” She’s a “new believer.” Labels on something that can’t possibly be labeled. Why have I had the label “lost” assigned to me as one person in an email did because I don’t believe what she believes? Why should I believe what she believes and what makes me “lost?” I know exactly who I am and where I am. What’s more, God knows who I am and where I am.

Her label hurt my feelings, though, as many times labels do hurt the person they’re placed upon. I felt judged. I felt that one of those people who should be my sister in Christ and love me totally as I am had judged me. Perhaps she’s not familiar with Matthew 7:1-5

1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” –NIV

This is right up from one of my favorite passages: Matthew 7:7-10

7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”

That’s mostly for another blog, though, but does relate in that we shouldn’t place labels or judgement on others.

Yet, we still continue to label each other and to judge each other. I guess we do it to make it easier for us to understand each other….or to try to understand each other. We try to fit people into compartments in which we can classify them easily. The only thing that’ll do that is to become closer involved in each other’s lives and be better friends. After all, don’t we all fit into many different compartments? I am a wife, a mother, a soulmate, a daughter, a sister, a cousin, a niece, a homeschooling parent, a Christian, a friend, a “liberal,”  an advocate, etc… most of these labels are who I am and what I do. I’m so much more than just those labels, though. We are ALL so much more than our labels and what others have judged us with.

Instead of being quick to judge and slap a label on someone, we should all strive to say “Hi” and get to know the person first. You might be surprised to find that your label wouldn’t have fit on that package, anyway. Better yet, let’s all go out and not only meet new people, but let’s re-examine the ones we already know or think we know. Then, in one great big movement, we’ll all throw out our “label makers” and just embrace one another in total acceptance and harmony. I know I’m in. This is exactly how I’m going to try to live the rest of my life. I will try my best never to label or pass judgement on another person again. I will apologize to those that I did label and ask their forgiveness. What was it Arlo Guthrie said? It was to the effect of “If one person does it, they’ll think he’s really sick and they won’t take him. And if two people, two people do it, in harmony, they may think they’re both faggots and they won’t take either of them. And three people do it, three, can you imagine, three people walking in singing a bar of Alice’s Restaurant and walking out. They may think it’s an organization. And can you, can you imagine fifty people a day,I said fifty people a day walking in singing a bar of Alice’s Restaurant and walking out. And friends they may thinks it’s a movement.”

So, instead of singing “You can get anything you want at Alice’s Restaurant,”  (after all, that movement was done a few years ago) let’s all make a movement to strive to live each day without making labels. ….of course, you can still sing Alice’s Restaurant if you want to. I know I will….right after I get through belting out “My soul belongs to God I know. I made that bargain long ago. He gave me hope when hope was gone. He gave me strength to journey on. WHO AM I? WHO AM I????….2-4-6-0-1!!!!!!” I’m Susan. Nice to meet you.

As we get older, we all change. Some of us change dramatically quickly and others of us change in a fashion that’s so slow that we wake up one morning and look in the mirror and say, “When did THAT happen?!”

We are always constantly growing and, most of us, are constantly doing soul searching every so often and discovering new things about ourselves that enlighten us and make us happier beings. It can be something minor like “Oh, wow! I never really listened to Rap music and it turns out I like it! (and I do, apparently… thanks, Lynn! ). Or, it can be something major like “Oh, wow! I really want to live my life as a man!” (and I don’t…. no worries, Richard ).

I have discovered a lot of things about myself over the past year…more so this past year than even when I was in college, strangely enough.

I’ve gotten better at distinguishing who my real friends are versus those people that just linger…and I’ve stopped wanting to be around Lingerers. I stopped wanting a whole bunch of “friends” and only want a few close, true friends.  I used to be a social butterfly and now…I want to be almost a loner. Honestly. I LOVE solitude. I get a kick out of driving places alone. I RELISH going to the grocery store (pun, anyone?!?!) even for one item because in the car, and subsequently in my head, it’s quiet. I walk the aisles of the store and, in my head, I want to waltz up and down the produce aisle in glee. It’s the best aisle for it, really…. all that open space between their big displays. No glass jars to worry about crashing into, just soft produce that will spill down like a beautiful, bountiful waterfall of yummy goodness onto the floor. Alas, I won’t dance. Don’t ask me.

Still, the feeling of just being alone with my thoughts is overwhelmingly intoxicating. I can actually hear the words to music. I can actually process things that have occurred during that day and I can take in things people said and REALLY get what they’re saying.

Who’d have thought? I’m an anti-social social butterfly. I admit it. And that’s ok. My true friends love me even if I am being quiet. In fact, some of my favorite moments have been with my best friend, just silently walking. I mean, if you’re going to be alone with your thoughts while you’re with someone else, being with someone who’ll just let you be alone is the way to go.  No idle chit-chat about superfluous stuff. No talking just to hear themselves talk. No real NEED to exchange words and complete comprehension that you NEED the silence. Comfortable, Blessed silence and solitude, even though I’m next to them physically.

It is strange, for me, still. Being alone. I’ve been co-dependent so long that I forgot how to be alone and I’m having to teach myself how to do that. I LOVE it, truly. It’s just strange and unfamiliar still.

Even when I’m not alone, I am REALLY enjoying this whole new “quiet” self that’s developing. It’s AMAZING what people will say when you just shut up and let them talk. They’ll get comfortable and tell you all kinds of stuff. Stuff that you might not have ever known otherwise and some stuff, you didn’t ever want to know. Most importantly, they’ll tell you things that tickle your brain sometimes. Things that make you reconsider your thoughts and feelings on issues or events or even other people. I admit freely that I used to be one of these people that just chatted on and on (what?!?! Moi!??! NE-VER!!! I mean, come on, now….if you’re reading this, you know I’m a chatty person—ok, a reforming chatty person, but still, I have talked most of your ears off at one point or another).

Now, I’m kicking myself for not being one of these quiet people that I’m becoming. All these years….all the people I have known. I could have really learned something from them all instead of just running my mouth.

Wouldn’t the world be an awesome place if we all just shut up and listened, though? Truly listened? Wouldn’t we each be better people if we just shut up and cut all the small talk and gossip and just listened to each other? To ourselves? To God (Or to the Great Spaghetti Monster if that’s your thing….)?

So, tell me, World. What’s on your mind? I’m listening. Finally.

When I was a senior in high school, there was a song called “New Age Girl” by a band called “Dead Eye Dick.” They were a one-hit-wonder band and this was their only real hit, mostly famous for it’s line, “She don’t eat meat but she sure likes the bone.” *evil grin* I thought about being a vegetarian and, when I finally moved out of my parents house and into a dorm and took control of what food I ate/provided myself, I tried it. I did good. I gave up meat for a whole 3 months and then caved and went to eating mostly poultry. I still ate red meat some, but poultry was the backbone of my meat diet.

Later, at a different college and stage in my life, I joined PETA. Yup. I also joined NOW (National Organization for Women) that year, too. Oh, that was the year Rush Limbaugh ticked me off by calling all members of NOW a “Femi-nazi.”  Grrrrr. That’s another story for another day.  So, here I was a meat eating member of PETA. I didn’t tell a single one of them. I was scared those people would duct tape me to a tree, pour water all over me and leave me like that on a cold January night. They scared me. I don’t scare easy, either.

As the years went by, I have tried to live a “green,” eco-friendly, “crunchy” lifestyle as possible. Partially because I was raised by a frugal mom and a former hippy, and partially because I have always felt we each need to do our part to take care of this Earth that we’ve been put on. Taking care of animals just seemed natural because they’re part of our eco-system, too.

I was given a fur coat when I was 7. I read the label and it was made of rabbit and I honestly hated wearing that jacket after I read the label. I cried. There was some cold, naked bunny out there that had given up it’s fur for my jacket (Hello?!? I was SEVEN. I didn’t realize that the bunny had given up much more than it’s fur so that I could wear a cute coat to church on Sundays.) In high school, when all the other girls were getting brown leather bomber jackets, I said I wanted one so I could look like the other girls, but secretly…. I wanted to go to Space Camp, but knew there was no way in heaven my parents could afford that. I didn’t think my parents could afford the leather bomber jacket, either, but somehow… that Christmas morning, that’s what I got. I wore it. I wanted my parents to know I was grateful for the sacrifices (overtime) that they’d made so that I could be just like everyone else. That’s what most high school kids want, right? To be just like everyone else.

When I accidentally spilled nail polish on it at a sleepover at Jenny White’s house, I was horribly upset not because I’d ruined the jacket, but because my parents worked their tails off so I could have such a nice luxury and I had been careless with it.  I then “stole” my dad’s canvas London Fog coat and haven’t drooled over leather since. I started trying to buy shoes that were made with vinyl, even though they’re cheaper both in price and usually in quality, I felt better about buying them. Same with everything else…I avoid leather and fur.

I never thought that I was trying to fit into a culture or a lifestyle. I just thought I was doing what I felt was right. Now, I have found myself eliminating red meat from my diet totally, eliminating pork from my diet, and I’ve decreased the amount of poultry I eat to about 25% of what I used to.  Recently, I’ve started eliminating dairy, too, to find that without it in our diets, our skin conditions are clearing up. I started eating tofu…and I found that I like it. A lot. I started driving by cattle ranches and crying knowing that most of those adorable cows that my kids are yelling, “MOOOOOOOOOOO” at will end up on someone’s plate at Ruth’s Chris or in someone near and dear to my heart’s hot dog bun. (Tee-hee)

I see pigs and I don’t think bacon, I think pet!! (Did I mention I tried to have one, once?  Just didn’t work out in this city house…I need to make friends with someone with a farm that’ll let me keep my pet piggy there…. oh, yeah, Kara’s got a farm….. oh Karaaaaaaaaaaa…..) Anyways, after that Honeybaked ham sandwich said “Bah-Ram-Ewe” to me….and to this day, I swear that sandwich moved it’s mouth and talked, I couldn’t eat pork for a year. It paved the way for giving it up entirely.

About 9 months ago, a new friend breezed into my life in such a way that I know our friendship was meant to be. She’s a vegan, at least she tries her best to be. No one’s perfect. Last week, she struggled when people from two circles of her life got upset in a Facebook post.

Lately, I have realized that I’m leading more of a “vegan” lifestyle than I thought. I don’t want to label myself as that, or anything else for that matter, though. I just want to be me. I don’t want to try to fit into anyone else’s mold. I won’t be able to. I just want to do what I’m comfortable doing and live my life without having to define my beliefs and lifestyle. I want to let my freak flag fly and I want to embrace it without having to justify it to anyone.

Why do people want us to fit into compartments, anyway? Do they think it’s just easier than accepting us for who we are, in the entirety that we are? Not a single one of us fits into one circle completely without fitting into any other circle. We’re all multi-faceted. Why is it that some people don’t accept us as such?

I love my friend and all her facets, just as I love all of my friends and their facets. I know they love me, too, with all of my many sides. I’m one very blessed woman to have so many truly amazing people in my life. People that accept me for who I am, without judgement and without caring that I feed my kids beef when they request it or that I have a leather bomber jacket with nail polish all over the left front pocket hanging in my closet still. People that are ok with the fact that I do eat processed foods every now and then and I have been known to hit the soda when I’ve had a hard day (which, in case you didn’t know, if you ever see me with a full on soda….it’s been THAT BAD of a day). People that are just as ok that I spend extra money on my meat from Earth Fare, my vegetables from an organic co-op, and I pay extra for fair trade coffee and that it takes me months to find a pair of shoes I want to purchase because they don’t have any animal products in them.

I can only pray that everyone finds friends like mine.  Each of my friends are a jewel and I love you all.

I saved the best for last. I’m grateful for my husband, Richard. The word “husband” does not sum up all that this man is to me, though. He completes me; he is my best friend; he is my rock:  He’s my everything. When I have royally screwed up, this amazing man has forgiven me and never brought it up again. He stood by me during rough times and stood back when I needed him to. When I have been down, he lifted me up. When I began to stray from the right path, he waited patiently and gently nudged me back. He is the most generous man I know. The man has never told me no (well, except for telling me we can’t have a pig nor a goat as pets… Which reminds me, I haven’t asked him for a chicken yet, hrrrrrrrrrm….). He’s never told me no otherwise, though. I’ve never really had to ask for much, either. He’s given it freely and completely and sometimes, when he didn’t want to, he gave it anyway with a smile and a shake of his head.

I know very few men that would be comfortable with their wives having as many guy friends as I have. Yet, Richard sits back and lets me be myself and doesn’t restrict who I build friendships with. When I’m having a rough time with one of them, he’s there to offer advice and hugs, but has never once told me to stop caring about someone. He knows I couldn’t stop caring if I tried and he loves me for that, too.

I thank God every single day for you, Richard. I would be nothing without you. Then. Now. Always.

Strange happenings….As most of you know already, I’m on a mission. It’s not a diet. It’s not a fad. It’s not a mid-life crisis….ok, well maybe it is. I am a changed woman.

In fall of last year, I wasn’t happy with what I saw in the mirror. I started dieting. I saw a photograph of me taken at the Women’s Retreat for our church. I honestly didn’t recognize myself. I STARED at the photo wondering who that woman was that had on a pink shirt like me and jeans like me with brown hair like me. Then it hit me. It was ME! I was THAT FAT.

The fire that was half-dying roared to life.  I let the holidays slow me down, but in the spring, I gained back my momentum and I have lost a total of 31 pounds since I started back in the fall. I am SO HAPPY. I won’t stop. I don’t WANT to stop. I started exercising and I LIKE IT! I look forward to those bike rides where my legs are burning and I push on. I get excited when I go for a walk/jog, now. I have this grin on my face before and after (sometimes during, but not always).

This strange thing is happening to me. I am finding my arms getting more toned. My legs are shaping up. I am dropping clothing sizes like a toddler drops a bowl of food. I am finding myself looking in the mirror more and I’m happy about what I see there. I’m not to where I want to be, but I’m happy. I find myself looking at food totally different. Dave Ramsey taught me to be smart about how I spend money, now I’m learning to be smart about how I spend calories. I’ll pass on the cheese sticks, thanks. That “a’plenty” at The Beacon?….nah, just the sandwich, please. I’m turning down things that I just used to eat and not think anything about. I can walk on by Little Debbie. She’s not crying because she doesn’t miss me and I’m not crying because I don’t miss her.

We only get one body. We’re only here for a limited time. Sure, I’m praying my place in Heaven is secure, but I don’t want to go there tomorrow. I want to hang out here as long as I can. There is too much that I want to see and too many things I want to do. I’m going to get this body back into a healthy condition and I’m going to keep it there. I’m also going to start working on my “Bucket List.” I don’t know why I waited until now.

Look out, world. I’m on fire and I’m still just a pile of kindling. Watch my glow get bigger and brighter.

Susan’s Bucket List

1) Ride on a motorcycle

2) Go to the Grand Canyon and take the donkey tour and the helicopter tour

3) Watch Old Faithful in person

4) Find that redwood tree with the road in the middle of it and drive through it.

5) Go to New York and tour all the Ghostbusters locations.

6)Australia!!! SCUBA dive in the Great Barrier Reef, Sky-gaze the skies that we don’t get to see here.

7)Get my college degrees finished up.

8)Backpack in Europe

9) Walk along the Great Wall of China

10) Swim with Dolphins and Manatees (obviously, not at the same time)

11) Go to Hawaii, rent a kayak and blare the Magnum PI theme song while I’m kayaking.

12) Own a restored VW Microbus. Have it painted chartreuse and have “11 long haired friends of Jesus” words put on the back. Watch people’s reactions as they try to get it.

13) Drive a Lamborghini Cointach–I dunno. I just think they’re PRETTY

14)Sky dive

15) Rent a plane and buy a banner that reads “Free appetizers and beer at Mulumbaika Cafe in Myrtle Beach for the next two hours! Hurry!! ” to watch how many people leave the beach. (ok, not really on my list, but it’s funny to think about).

Thanks for reading this and thanks for being my friend. I hope I started a little fire in you, too.

Peace out and lots of love!!

We don’t take a lot of week long vacations. We prefer weekend trips. We got into this habit when we were broke and couldn’t do much. Here are some of the places we’ve visited and some ideas for cheap trips.

1. Lake Lure and Chimney Rock –  You don’t need to drive to the beach and fight traffic to find a beach.Lake Lure has a beach, water works, and picnic area.  It’s $8 for adults and $6 for kids 3 and up. Take a boat tour of the lake for $14 per adult and $7 for kids. Right now, Chimney Rock’s elevator is closed for renovations. This means more walking for you, but also it means cheaper prices! $14 for grown ups and for kids 6 and up it’s $6. Under 6 is free! They have some beautiful trails and you can walk up to the top of Chimney Rock for fabulous views of Lake Lure. There’s also a relatively short (1.5 miles, I think, one way) hiking trail to Hickory Nut Falls. It’s gorgeous.  Lodging can be a bit expensive right there on the lake. I suggest you find something in Hendersonville, NC that’ll suit your needs. It’s only 20 minutes or so away, so it’s not unreasonable to go back to Hendersonville for sleep.  Hendersonville also has a great park that’s got walking/biking trails and playgrounds for getting those wiggles out before you head home. Lake Lure has some bottomless pools that are pretty cool to look at.

2.Lake Norman State Park is also a great place to find a beach. They’ve added what they call a WaterWorks area, which looks like a few slides from the photos I’ve seen. It’s in Troutman, NC. Wanna save big time on hotels? Camp! There’s a campground there in the park.

3. Stone Mountain, GA is a wonderful park with something for everyone. It’s got a sky gondola that takes you up the mountain where they even have church services on Sundays. It’s really neat to walk around on the rock, but windy, so take a jacket. The park itself has minigolf, a train ride around the mountain, a “4-D” movie, a ropes course for older kids, and parades at Christmastime. You can’t forget the laser show, either. It’s a 22 minute long commercial for all things Southern, pretty much, but they’re in lasers shown on the rock wall of the mountain. It was actually pretty cool, if you can get past all the rednecks that yell out when “Sweet Home, Alabama”  starts up. You just can’t theme anything Southern without playing it, for some reason. Coca-Cola and Chick-Fil-A are big names that are featured because they were founded in Atlanta, which is nearby. Speaking of Atlanta, while at Stone Mountain, visit the Fernbank Museum. GREAT little museum. It’s got dinosaur skeletons and TWO wonderful children’s areas. Good luck  trying to get the kids out of that. If you stay in Stone Mountain at one of the Marriotts, it will be a little more expensive, but this is offset because you can get a package that’s good for not one day in the park, but two days in the park. So, if you spend one day and you’re done, you’ve already got your tickets that don’t expire for another trip! There are cheaper places off site to stay. There’s a water park there, too, as well as The Ducks!! The Ducks are DUCWs from WW2, I think. They’re vehicles that can be boats or can be trucks on land. The tour takes you around the mountain and then into the lake, where the tour guides let the kids “drive.” Each guest gets a quacker noise maker and they play upbeat music like “Who let the dogs out” but you’re supposed to sing “Who let the DUCKS out” and quack your quacker. Another good luck getting your kid away from that. It’s extra, but it’s something really cool. It’s a great weekend trip.

3. Columbia, SC —not just for day trips! Stay overnight and go tubing, visit the zoo, walk the Riverwalk park off of Huger, visit the State Museum (which has a kid’s area in the basement), visit Ed Venture (the children’s museum is great for the 3-8 range, but I feel it’s over-priced, personally.) I plan on buying a membership to another children’s museum that has a reciprocal program that includes EV. (EV’s membership is $160 in order to get the reciprocal program. Oak Ridge, TN’s Children’s museum membership like that is only $120 and I bet you I can find one cheaper than that…. give me a couple of hours and I’ll post it. Buying memberships to zoos and museums is an awesome, awesome way to save money on trips. Plus, you get the benefit of being able to go to that attraction when you are home any time you want. ) Columbia also offers our state’s Capitol building which is great to walk around. If you go on a weekend in the fall, you might be able to catch a Gamecocks Football game or the State Fair.

4. Helen, GA (stole this one from Lynette!) She traveled there for a weekend full of tubing, mini-golf, checking out waterfalls, and there’s a model railroad there, too, for all of you that have train fanatics in your group. There’s gem panning and if you go in the fall, there’s a corn maze and wineries, too, if that’s your thing. The town is made to look like an Alpine Village. How cool is that? There is a wide variety of accommodations available. Check out www.helenga.org for more information.

5. Chattanooga, TN– There is so much to do here! There is a fabulous Aquarium that takes up two buildings, the River Adventure and the Ocean Adventure. Ticket prices can add up depending on family size, but it’s well worth it, I feel. There’s an IMAX theater and river tours on a boat for additional cost. Right out front, though, for free, is a really neat water play area. It’s designed to look like a creek in the middle of town. Kiddos kick off their shoes and play in the water while parents sit down on a bench or toss down a blanket to sit by and watch. The whole area there is great just to hang out and wander around. There are lots of city parks with cool things to do and the Chattanooga Zoo, while small, isn’t expensive at $8 for adults and $5 for kids over 3. It has a very nice carousel. The merry-go-round is $1 extra, though. The park that it’s located in has a waterplay area, too, for free.  Also in the area, there’s Lake Winnie amusement park which has BOGO wristbands on Fridays if you bring in a Coca-Cola can. We love that park. It’s also got a sprayground and a playground, too, and picnics are welcome. Since it’s a wristband, you can leave and come back anytime during the day.

Rock City Gardens are GORGEOUS! There are some really great formations there (well, except for the fairyland cavern area…that was cheesy).  Still, on a clear day, you can see seven states from the top of it. That’s so cool!  At Christmas time, they have a night tour which is really pretty with all of the lights. Nearby is Ruby Falls and the Incline Railway. Honestly, the Incline Railway was a bit of a let down, but the kids liked it. Ruby Falls is a waterfall inside a cave. It’s really pretty and on a hot day, it feels fabulous down there. Watch out for weekends, though. Crowds get bad and the tour goes from being a 1 hour tour to a 2.5 hour tour because you have to keep waiting for other groups to pass by. It was a really pretty sight, though. They let you walk behind the falls, too, and look down which is really neat.

I didn’t mention the train museum, either. There’s a train museum with different length train rides and some cool trains you can climb in and on and through. The famous Chattanooga Choo Choo is in down town and has been turned into a hotel where you can spend the night in a remodeled train car. This is closer to the expensive side, so we’ve not done it.

There’s so much to do in Chattanooga, you’ll find yourself wanting to go back. Things we’ve not done yet include the highly rated Creative Discovery Children’s Museum and The Ducks (which are like those at Stone Mountain, GA). The children’s museum gets really crowded on weekends, too, I hear. We’ll have to go during the week sometime. It’s $11 per person, kids 2 and up.

6. Blowing Rock/Boone- Blowing Rock City has The Blowing Rock, which has a story behind it about someone falling over and the wind picking them up (I forgot the whole story). It’s a small fee to check out, but neat. The town itself is a cute little town with lots of little stores to check out. There’s a nice park right there in town that the kids can play at as a reward for being good in the shops. Tweetsie Railroad (I know y’all saw this coming) is a fabulous little theme park and isn’t horribly expensive. If you go after 3, the next day’s admission is free, so you can get that extra 3 hours in and only pay for one day. Food is allowed, so tote your own picnic or leave it in the car and get your hand stamped. There’s picnic tables in the parking lot and a great area to lay down a blanket for a picnic, too. Take your own drinks in and just enjoy not having to spend that extra $. It’s got a deer park and a train ride with “cowboys and indians” and all kinds of rides for the kiddos, even the older kiddos. If the chair lift isn’t your thing, you can take the bus ride to the top.  We love Tweetsie because it’s clean, it’s family friendly, and all of the employees seem genuinely HAPPY to have a job and work there. They are all very great with kids and I have yet to see one that wasn’t smiling. Right next door is Mystery Hill, which is a pretty neat hands on musuem and gem panning. In Boone, there’s mini-golf, all kinds of hotels to choose from, dining, and Appalachian State football! There’s a corn maze/farm right up the road if you go in the fall, also. You are practically on the Blue Ridge Parkway, which has lots of beautiful overlooks and scenery as well as Grandfather Mountain. Grandfather mountain has a nice bear exhibit, and is home to “The Mile High Swinging Bridge” It’s a mile above sea level, not a mile above the ground as one might think. It’s got a great picnic area and some hiking trails and a neat nature museum, too. Right down the road is Linville Caverns. They’re small, but super. They still have bottomless pools and fish in them…blind fish. Isn’t that cool?? Linville Falls is a little further down the road and about a 1.5 mile hike, so we’ve not done them yet. I hear it’s beautiful, though. The falls are free, for anyone to stop and check out as most everything on the Blue Ridge Parkway is. Linville Caverns is a cheap $7 per grown up, $5 per kid over 5. Grandfather Mountain’s $15 per grown up and $7 per kid over 4.  All that within a 2 hour drive. How awesome is that?!?!

7. Gatlinburg is a gimme. The mountains, the national forest, the cool things to do in the national forest that are free…the walking around the town of Gatlinburg, the mini-golf on the side of a mountain and the aquarium make this a wonderful weekend trip. Pigeon Forge is just up the road one way and that has a world of stuff to do from outlet malls to Dollywood. Dollywood’s pricey, but if you go after 6 on one day, you get the next day free, so it’s great to be able to have that extra time in the park.

8. Myrtle Beach in the WINTER- Fantastic prices! Even at the places that have indoor pools/indoor water parks. You won’t find me going there during anytime past May 1st. Seriously. I refuse to pay that much for a hotel room. Some rooms are as cheap as $35 a night!! You can still check out the Broadway at the Beach area and Magiquest is open year-round with a free “garden” quest that takes place by sending the kids on a scavenger hunt of sorts through the Broadway at the Beach marketplace. I think the amusement rides are open on some days, but when we don’t want to spend the money, we steer the kids away from them. The aquarium is pretty nice, but is pricey, so if you go during the winter, it’s less crowded and you can use the money you saved on rooms to take this in.  There are some nice parks in the area, but check with a couple of locals first. Once, I was going to take the kids to a park to find out (thankfully before we got there) that it was where the local homeless community hangs out and was full of panhandlers.

9. Camping ANYWHERE! Don’t like camping? Check out a campground with cabins. They have pools, playgrounds, bike rentals, and you can just spend the day there at the campground hanging out meeting people from all over, enjoying being disconnected from tv, internet, and just being with your family. Take food along and cook there! A lot of them have nature trails, or are near things like creeks or lakes you can fish in (most are catch and release, though).

I’ve got more, but the kids are getting up, so it’s time for me to transform into Super Mama! Where-ever I go, I try to find a room that’s got a kitchen or at least a micro-fridge. I try to cook as many meals in the hotel room as I can and we sometimes stop at rest areas or city parks for sandwiches. It really helps us a lot. It’s $25-$30 average for us to go for fast food like Chick-Fil-A or Subway and $50 something for a sit-down meal for all of us. It might cost $15-$20 more for the room with the kitchen, but it’s more economic than paying to eat out. If I can’t get a room with a kitchen, but one that has a microwave, I use my tupperware stack microwave cooker for pasta and toss in some sauce I’ve warmed up in another container, for example, or I’ll just serve different types of sandwiches all weekend.

I hope I helped some of you with cheap trip ideas. We live in an amazing area with lots of possibilities within a 4 hour drive. Go out and enjoy!!!

I have a confession. Dennis, I’m sorry. The real reason I didn’t want to take the SCUBA class with you is because I was embarrassed to admit that I was PETRIFIED of the idea of taking a perfectly good breathing apparatus out of my mouth underwater. I did want a woman teacher, but I also didn’t want to face that fear in front of people I know. I didn’t want anyone I know to see me come out of my confident facade as the nearly freaked out mess I was Saturday for a little while.

Instead, I faced my fear (after 3-4 small anxiety attacks) in a class of 5 teenage boys and 1 just barely not a teenage boy firefighter.  I did it. I laid down on the bottom of a pool and I took my regulator out and then stuck it back in my mouth. I have a small mouth. The mouthpiece on my regulator was HUGE. I gulped pool water (and that’s ok with me…know why? It’s chlorinated pool water… ya catching my vibe, Mandi? ). I had to open my mouth wide open and let water rush into it in order to put the regulator back in and clear it. I was so happy I conquered a fear!!!!!  Since I passed that test, I could stay underwater for the rest of the class and I did. I hung out with the guys and we played underwater football with one of those torpedo float thingees. I loved it. I can’t wait to get certified totally. I am still working on that other issue of swimming in fresh water, but I’ll take some  more baby steps and get there.

I also did something REALLY cool for me and it had NOTHING to do with SCUBA, well almost nothing. I’ve lost so much weight that I needed a new swimsuit. I bought a nice one piece, and the biggest thing different…. NO SKIRT! I went all leg. It’s the first time since I was pregnant with Christopher that I wasn’t wearing something to try to hide or cover up my toosh. I know it’s still big and so is the belly, but they’re shrinking away and are NOT coming back. I’m stoked! (I know….I know… simple pleasures….dot dot dot).

I spent today with the church family at Vaughn Chapel Baptist in Lenoir City, TN. I was over the moon to see everyone, again. I hated to leave. The pastor spoke on Galatians 5:16 and walking with Jesus and not giving in to sins of the flesh (it lists a whole bunch, not just the sex ones). He reminded me that people are watching, even when we don’t think anyone is. God is watching always, of course. It was a great short and sweet sermon.

The reason I love VCBC is the people. I never once felt like a visitor. I didn’t have to fill out some piece of paper and throw it into the offering plate, I didn’t have to wear a name tag. Heck, everyone knew us before we got there, it seemed. Our van’s SC license tag stuck out like a sore thumb among all of the TN ones, but we didn’t stick out at all. We fit right in. We were treated just like we come there every week and we’re their family, too. Brittany picked up Becca out of her car seat and Becca soaked up every minute of the attention. Wesley was grabbed up by Micheal, who pulled him up in a big bear hug before I was even done making sure I had the sippy cups out of the car. My kids were on cloud nine! There were three shining stars that weren’t there today, but that’s ok, we’ll catch them next time.

When we were in the car on the way home, I told Richard how I felt and he replied “We’re not driving 6 hours to go to church.” I said, “It’s not six, it’s four and a half and we won’t. We’ll just move here.”  I got a “heh”  in response, but that’s probably because he couldn’t figure out if I was joking or serious. By the way, Babe: both.

Ok, this blog’s long enough. I’m headed off to dreamland. I have to pick up our Summer buddy in the morning and I promised Wesley a train museum tomorrow since he missed out on the train ride at the Chattanooga one.

I leave you with this:

Things I learned this past week:

1) If you go SCUBA diving or swimming in a lake or quarry– wash your gear off. It stinks!!

2) It is possible to go home to a place you’ve never been.

3) I need a minuscule mouth piece for SCUBA.

4) Mandi Lamb goes to a restaurant and checks out the shoes on other ladies, but won’t ask them where they bought them.

5) People look at you funny in a SCUBA class when you say, “I checked the motion sickness line.”

6) I am forever more taking along a jug of sweet tea I’ve made at home on trips. It was SO EASY to refill tupperware cups and sippy cups instead of running into a store or a drive through every time someone piped up “I’m thirsty!”

7) When you’re at a hotel, there’s people of all walks of life in there. It’s just a coincidence that all the ones over 70 are incredibly nosy people.

For some reason, I guess as part of an urban-renewal plan, a LOT of cities are building VERY nice parks in the not so very nice parts of town. What’s up with that? Because it’s a nice park doesn’t mean I’m not scared to leave the car for fear that it might be on cinder blocks when I get back from walking that trail beside a storm drain ditch you call a “greenway.”

9)Cathy Potter likes candles.

10) I like SCUBA and I CAN TOO do anything if I try hard enough and pray about it.