and what a year it has been. 2010 started off with a bang as we celebrated sully's first birthday and the birth of my nephew, brooks - all in the same weekend! february brought the first "real" snow charleston has seen in 10 years which worked to sabotage the night of a much anticipated valentine's date with my husband. with february also came the decision to build a house and the start of a grueling construction process. the next few months were filled with sully's first steps, planning and more planning for mine and john's summer wedding, design decisions for the house, mom's long awaited retirement, the visit of two special friends and their little boy in april, 3 bridal showers, the return of a friend who had been living in france for 8 years, a revelation that my love for photography should be invested in, resulting in the purchase of a bad-mama-jama camera (thanks john!), and a hiatus from blogging for about 3 months (sorry, sorry). then summer arrived and on june 5th, the stress of all that wedding planning proved its worth as john and i made this thing official and said "i do" at a charming old barn in the pasture land of fort mill, south carolina with 180 of our closest friends and family. it was bliss. i'm embarassed to say, though, that i only just visited the social security office today to legally become mrs. courtney ackerman greider. oops! less than one month after our nuptuals, construction on the house was done-zo and we closed. falling in line on the very last day that we could qualify for the $8,000 tax credit - that john just mailed out this morning. i know.... what is wrong with us? at the crack of dawn on july 17th, movers showed up at the little apartment that was sully's first home and hauled all of our belongings out to summerville in the sweet neighborhood where everyone waves and sunny days seem just a little bit sunnier. trying to fill a house over double the size of what we had before was no easy (or cheap) task. in fact, it was pretty exhausting, but in the past few months we have turned that empty dream house into a home. there might be worse things to complain about than having too much space. ;) july breezed into august which breezed into september where i celebrated my 29th birthday. i find myself sometimes pushing against the days that lead me into the year that i turn thirty. i like 29. just old enough to be considered mature, but not too old to still act young. you know? september also brought the fantastic news that my bf, carissa, was pregnant. which, of course, gave me the baby itch. but we won't tell john. shhhhhh! and in october, the birth of another nephew jackson (to john's sister) made that itch even stronger. and no, i won't be ending this post by saying that i'm pregnant. in the future, yes. or hopefully. but for now, just hopefully. later that same month gamecock fans across the state went berzerk as we watched our team beat the number 1 team in the country, alabama. a victorious season for a team that's long overdue. coming off of that victory, was yet another victory - i found a new daycare for sully. it was one of the best decisions i have made, to date and he couldn't be more content. but with the sweet, comes the sour. days before thanksgiving my sister was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. as i type she is at her second chemo treatment with her newly bald head. the big "c" may have brought on its share of undesirables but they are no match for her humorous and heroic attitude. holidays in our family have been filled with just as much laughter and joy as all those past. and maybe a few extra bald heads in show of support. the christmas season came and went with a new collection of absurd and hilarious stories to add to the pot. and today i prepare as three boys - my two stepsons and 18 year old brother-in-law - will be coming to visit and celebrate the new year this weekend. i call it "the landing of the hurricanes." but there could be no better way to end a year full of such change and new beginnings than to celebrate with the ones i love. i pray for peace for the families of those who have passed on in 2010 and send light and love to the lives that came in 2010 and are soon to come in 2011. i send warm wishes to those who don't have the luxury of being with their families this season. and raise a glass of bubbly to 2011 and all that it shall bring. HAPPY NEW YEAR!
12.30.2010
christmas snow
how lucky that we got to see snowflakes fall on christmas day at my paren't house in lancaster and then woke up to this on the morning after christmas...
12.21.2010
you win some, you lose some
I scrounged up this picture of Tucker, circa 2005, in a dusty old album on my work computer. . . wearing a sweater my mom gave me for Christmas one year because she thought it had ME "written all over it". Yikes!
Sorry Mom (and Tucker).
12.16.2010
12.15.2010
tinsel time
i'll admit i was a little sad for the 3 s's (summer time, sweat, sandy beaches) when I came across this picture earlier today...
maybe it's the bad-mama-jama glasses. not really sure.
but thankfully my spirits were restored when I spotted this, circa christmas '09...
jingle on, jingle bells!
12.14.2010
resolve
He sits there in the corner. Watching me as I rush by, getting kids fed and dressed and taxiing them to their various daily destinations. He never complains, only patiently waits for my attention. Sometimes days, or even a week go by, without me bothering to do stop, even for a minute, to make room in my life for him. Because he knows that I will come back and when I do, with the utmost attention and fondness. So he waits, quietly, peacefully. I pulled this bit from an article in Elephant Journal. It inspired 2 shiny, new resolutions....
- Sadly this article reminded me of my dog, though the author was addressing her yoga mat. My sweet 7 year old Boxer gets the love, attention, and basic necessities required from any competent dog owner. But I won't pretend that he gets the same amount of activity that he did in days when it was just the two of us. So I resolve to take him for a walk - a real, all the way around the neighborhood, exhausted and panting on the floor afterwards, walk no matter what the weather - atleast once a week.
- My yoga mat hasn't been waiting patiently for a few days or even a few weeks. More like months. Months that seem like decades in a body that feels worn and flabby. So I also resolve to attend one yoga (or pilates) class each week. As a little thank you to my body for time well served and a bonus to my mind for working so hard.
12.13.2010
12.06.2010
break free
when you're in the thick of it all,
it can be easy to lose sight of what's
important. (remember what they
say about not seeing the forest
for the trees!) so here's a bright idea:
rather than feel crowded by your
obligations, take a deep breath
(or 10), clear a space for yourself and
focus on what truly matters. you're
happy. you're healthy. and you're
loved. everything else is just details.
compliments of the december issue of Self magazine
it can be easy to lose sight of what's
important. (remember what they
say about not seeing the forest
for the trees!) so here's a bright idea:
rather than feel crowded by your
obligations, take a deep breath
(or 10), clear a space for yourself and
focus on what truly matters. you're
happy. you're healthy. and you're
loved. everything else is just details.
compliments of the december issue of Self magazine
12.01.2010
stand by me
what do you say when a woman you love... a woman you admire... a kind, intellegent, witty woman tells you that she has breast cancer? where do you find the right words to console her in the way that she needs to be consoled? does she need to laugh? cry? break something? how will she tell her eight year old son who adores her that "mommy has breast cancer"? is she scared to lose her hair and do you ask that question for it's possible she hasn't even thought of it yet? and where do you find the strength to not cry even though it feels like someone just punched you in your gut?
2 weeks ago, at 8:30 on a sunday night, these were the questions rolling through my mind when my sister, my only sister, called to tell me that the biopsy results were in and with one word, the course of her life was forever changed...
malignant.
rewind 3 weeks before this call. i was driving home on one of those gorgeous, orange-sky indian summer afternoons. i was thinking about my sister. growing up she was more of a mother-figure to me than a sister. being 11 years my senior she always gave me partial credit for christmas gifts she bought our parents, let me visit for long weekends when she was away at college, influenced my love for classic rock, and introduced me to a variety of priceless eighties movies that i otherwise would never have known but are now my favorites.
i flashed back to a saturday afternoon when i was younger. my sister and i watched "stand by me" that afternoon and when the theme song played at the end, she took my hands and we danced. and laughed. in the den of the house we both grew up in and where our parents still live happily today. i went in my room that afternoon and wondered what i would do if my sister "left" like gordie's brother did, in the movie. it was the first time i remember being worried about losing someone i loved. i could have only been 7 or 8. and i cried.
now, she is so much more than a mother-figure. she has become my confidant. my best friend. the person who "gets my giggle box turned on" as my mom says, the first one i call with gossip, and a lady who i admire more than words can express. driving home that afternoon, with the tangerine sun blazing into my car's windshield, i realized how blessed i was to have her in my life. 2 days later, she called to tell me she found a lump.
i live all of 180 miles away from the small town that we grew up in. where she moved back to after graduating from college. where she teaches middle school english and has made a beautiful family with her husband. although i love the coastal waters of charleston, i would be an outright liar if i said i didn't miss the nearness of my family. weeknights when they gather for a birthday celebration. impromptu visits to say "hey". sunday lunches after church. i miss so many of those special moments and it makes the life my husband and i have chosen here in charleston seem questionable at times. but never before have i wanted to be home more than when she called with her biopsy results. never have i so wanted to make an impromptu visit to her house, with a tub of ben & jerry's and a hug. the distance from her house to mine seemed like an eternity that night. the first of many nights.
my sister, voice quivering over the phone lines, felt the need to explain that she was "only chattering because [she] was standing outside". it may have only been 40 degrees but i'm no fool to believe that's the only reason she was chattering. she was weepy. and coming from a family that doesn't have very many weepy moments that is a difficult emotion to face. we are lovers of the laugh. even in the worst of times. i often find myself creating a joke to avoid a potentially sad or emotional moment. but there are no more jokes when it's cancer on the table and to hear even the slightest tremble in my sister's voice was enough to silence my laugh.
this unwelcome visitor has brought along with him an mri, a diagnosis of stage 3 invasive ductal carcinoma that has spread into some lymph nodes, a blur of hurried acceptance, and a ct and bone scan which are going on as i type this post. the restlessness of waiting on those results until friday is almost overwhelming. the impossible waiting game.
my courageous and beautiful sister, over the next few months faces chemotherapy, radiation, and a double mastectomy. "atleast i get a free boob job," she says. an eternal optimist and jokester. but let me tell you from personal experience that, unless she is booking rooms for bike week at myrtle beach, you never want to be faced with having to ask your sister to pick out a head scarf for you to give her as a gift. though somehow we even found a joke in that when she said she would kick my (ear muffs) ass if i bought her one of the "love your bald self" t-shirts.
upon getting this upsetting news my sweet and funny nephew told my sister that he knew of a good hospital in phoenix called "tempur pedic" that he had seen on wwe. i mean, who wouldn't want to battle cancer in a hospital halfway across the country with a bunch of wrestlers? and although he thought it was "cool", he also wanted assurance that mommy wouldn't be bald forever. for all the laughs that i'm sure my sister will need throughout the next few months, i'm glad to know this 8 year old comedian will be there.
my sister is incredibly brave and will beat this unforewarned disease but not without a mighty fight. so, for now, we are all covering ourselves in pink - pink thoughts, wishes, t-shirts, and bracelets. and praying that this wife, mother, daughter, sister, niece, teacher, friend and fighter will look back on this battle in 40+ years with blurry remembrance. and until then maybe she can humor herself in memories of long-past reenactments of her as johnny castle and me as baby in the final dance scene of dirty dancing. :)
TEAM PAIGE!
2 weeks ago, at 8:30 on a sunday night, these were the questions rolling through my mind when my sister, my only sister, called to tell me that the biopsy results were in and with one word, the course of her life was forever changed...
malignant.
rewind 3 weeks before this call. i was driving home on one of those gorgeous, orange-sky indian summer afternoons. i was thinking about my sister. growing up she was more of a mother-figure to me than a sister. being 11 years my senior she always gave me partial credit for christmas gifts she bought our parents, let me visit for long weekends when she was away at college, influenced my love for classic rock, and introduced me to a variety of priceless eighties movies that i otherwise would never have known but are now my favorites.
i flashed back to a saturday afternoon when i was younger. my sister and i watched "stand by me" that afternoon and when the theme song played at the end, she took my hands and we danced. and laughed. in the den of the house we both grew up in and where our parents still live happily today. i went in my room that afternoon and wondered what i would do if my sister "left" like gordie's brother did, in the movie. it was the first time i remember being worried about losing someone i loved. i could have only been 7 or 8. and i cried.
now, she is so much more than a mother-figure. she has become my confidant. my best friend. the person who "gets my giggle box turned on" as my mom says, the first one i call with gossip, and a lady who i admire more than words can express. driving home that afternoon, with the tangerine sun blazing into my car's windshield, i realized how blessed i was to have her in my life. 2 days later, she called to tell me she found a lump.
i live all of 180 miles away from the small town that we grew up in. where she moved back to after graduating from college. where she teaches middle school english and has made a beautiful family with her husband. although i love the coastal waters of charleston, i would be an outright liar if i said i didn't miss the nearness of my family. weeknights when they gather for a birthday celebration. impromptu visits to say "hey". sunday lunches after church. i miss so many of those special moments and it makes the life my husband and i have chosen here in charleston seem questionable at times. but never before have i wanted to be home more than when she called with her biopsy results. never have i so wanted to make an impromptu visit to her house, with a tub of ben & jerry's and a hug. the distance from her house to mine seemed like an eternity that night. the first of many nights.
my sister, voice quivering over the phone lines, felt the need to explain that she was "only chattering because [she] was standing outside". it may have only been 40 degrees but i'm no fool to believe that's the only reason she was chattering. she was weepy. and coming from a family that doesn't have very many weepy moments that is a difficult emotion to face. we are lovers of the laugh. even in the worst of times. i often find myself creating a joke to avoid a potentially sad or emotional moment. but there are no more jokes when it's cancer on the table and to hear even the slightest tremble in my sister's voice was enough to silence my laugh.
this unwelcome visitor has brought along with him an mri, a diagnosis of stage 3 invasive ductal carcinoma that has spread into some lymph nodes, a blur of hurried acceptance, and a ct and bone scan which are going on as i type this post. the restlessness of waiting on those results until friday is almost overwhelming. the impossible waiting game.
my courageous and beautiful sister, over the next few months faces chemotherapy, radiation, and a double mastectomy. "atleast i get a free boob job," she says. an eternal optimist and jokester. but let me tell you from personal experience that, unless she is booking rooms for bike week at myrtle beach, you never want to be faced with having to ask your sister to pick out a head scarf for you to give her as a gift. though somehow we even found a joke in that when she said she would kick my (ear muffs) ass if i bought her one of the "love your bald self" t-shirts.
upon getting this upsetting news my sweet and funny nephew told my sister that he knew of a good hospital in phoenix called "tempur pedic" that he had seen on wwe. i mean, who wouldn't want to battle cancer in a hospital halfway across the country with a bunch of wrestlers? and although he thought it was "cool", he also wanted assurance that mommy wouldn't be bald forever. for all the laughs that i'm sure my sister will need throughout the next few months, i'm glad to know this 8 year old comedian will be there.
11.21.2010
11.20.2010
11.19.2010
giving thanks, 19
today... so grateful for amazing books and the power that they have to inform and transform.
People think a soulmate is your perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that’s holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life. A true soul mate is probably the most important person you’ll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake. But to live with a soul mate forever. Nah. Too painful. Soul mates, they come into your life just to reveal another layer of yourself to you, and then they leave.
And thank God for it.
- Richard from the book Eat, Pray, Love
And thank God for it.
- Richard from the book Eat, Pray, Love
11.18.2010
giving thanks, 17
... my sweet husband who, I may at times take for granted, is the greatest love i've ever known. my partner in life.
love is a little haven of refuge from the world -- Bertrand Russell
love is a little haven of refuge from the world -- Bertrand Russell
11.16.2010
11.15.2010
giving thanks, 15
... modern medicine and the men and women who power through the late nights of studying and hours upon hours of classes to become doctors.
11.14.2010
giving thanks, 14 and a big happy birthday
Happy birthday, Soulshine! Introduced to me a mere 3 years ago, I never imagined what a rewarding outlet you would turn out to be. Today I am thankful for you.
My pioneer post - http://simplysoulshine.blogspot.com/2007/11/just-me.html
My pioneer post - http://simplysoulshine.blogspot.com/2007/11/just-me.html
11.13.2010
11.12.2010
giving thanks, 12
... flowers! lilies, hydrangeas, peonies, roses, pansies, sunflowers, tulips, dasies. all of the wonderful, aromatic flowers that make this world more beautiful.
11.11.2010
giving thanks, 11
... my papa sully who served in the US Navy during WWII. a well-respected, funny, and honorable man whose name i proudly passed on to my son. thank you to all veterans who have sacrificed to make this a better nation in which to live.
11.10.2010
11.09.2010
giving thanks, 9
my civinette's sweatshirt, circa my sophomore year of high school. still oversized with a nice ravel on the sleeve. nothing like cozy-ing up in that perfectly worn sweatshirt on a cold day with a cup o' joe....
11.08.2010
giving thanks, 8
the anticipation of that buttery warm feeling that comes only from being at my mom and dad's house on thanksgiving and christmas morning.
11.07.2010
11.06.2010
giving thanks, 6
the new house that John and I worked so hard to get and the neighborhood that i fall more in love with every day.
11.05.2010
giving thanks, 5
... lunch with 2 dear friends who moved miles across the country 5 years ago and are back for a visit.
11.04.2010
giving thanks
... my family. New family and old. For the years of laughter and warm memories and all the possibilities to come...
11.03.2010
giving thanks
... the bills on the island in my kitchen. Wierd? Maybe. But the optimist in me would like to remember that those bills represent a luxury in my life. Something extra that maybe I don't have to have. But I do.
11.02.2010
giving thanks
... the smell of the salt in the Charleston air. Growing up, that smell always reminded me of vacation. Now, it reminds me of home.
11.01.2010
giving thanks
It's the month of thanks-giving and I am feeling especially grateful and fortunate this year. For everyday of this special month, I will be posting something i'm giving thanks for on November 25th (and every other day for that matter).
Coming in at the top of my list....
I am grateful for Sully's silliness. Especially at bedtime. There is this wierd invasion of the body snatchers thing that happens 30 minutes before his final "nigh, nighhhhht" and he gets overtaken with goofiness. I can't help but join in on his antics - it's refreshing and the very best part of my day.
Coming in at the top of my list....
I am grateful for Sully's silliness. Especially at bedtime. There is this wierd invasion of the body snatchers thing that happens 30 minutes before his final "nigh, nighhhhht" and he gets overtaken with goofiness. I can't help but join in on his antics - it's refreshing and the very best part of my day.
10.19.2010
is it wrong...
to laugh at your own blog post? My wonderful sister-in-law is, right at this very moment, in labor in Atlanta. Filled with anticipation to hear that my new little nephew Jackson has made his arrival, I started reminiscing on Sully's birth. So I re-read my own "birth story" that I blogged last year. I laughed out loud (and maybe cried a little). A re-post felt completely necessary, so here goes...
http://simplysoulshine.blogspot.com/2009/03/my-sully.html
http://simplysoulshine.blogspot.com/2009/03/my-sully.html
10.15.2010
(cue Steve Carell in a TV ad for The Office)
Mom: Ew. Ew. (note that it warranted a double "ew")
Me: Why are you "ew"-ing at him?
Mom: I don't like him at all. I never have.
Me: What??? I love him. Why don't you like him?
Mom: I don't know. I've never liked him.
Me: You've GOT to be the only person I know that doesn't like him. He's so funny. I don't get it.
Mom: I just.... don't really like the way he looks. Okay!
She would kill me if she knew I posted this on my blog but I just couldn't help myself. Poor Steve Carell never stood a chance, I guess. Too bad because the day after we had this little convo I heard on the radio that ol' Steve raked in a cool 34 mil in 2009.
Mom: Ew. Ew. (note that it warranted a double "ew")
Me: Why are you "ew"-ing at him?
Mom: I don't like him at all. I never have.
Me: What??? I love him. Why don't you like him?
Mom: I don't know. I've never liked him.
Me: You've GOT to be the only person I know that doesn't like him. He's so funny. I don't get it.
Mom: I just.... don't really like the way he looks. Okay!
She would kill me if she knew I posted this on my blog but I just couldn't help myself. Poor Steve Carell never stood a chance, I guess. Too bad because the day after we had this little convo I heard on the radio that ol' Steve raked in a cool 34 mil in 2009.
10.14.2010
pumpkin time
This past weekend Paige, our Mom, and I loaded up the boys and headed out to McLeod's Pumpkin Patch in McBee, SC. Although the weather was almost unbearably hot, I did manage to snap some great pictures of the boys (and maybe I squeezed in time for some of their famous peach enchiladas w/ a whopping dollop of ice cream)....
 |
| Sully |
 |
| Sully |
 |
| Brooks, Riley, & Sully |
 |
| baby Brooks |
 |
| Riley, Brooks, & Paige |
 |
| Me and Sully |
 |
| Riley & Brooks |
 |
| Riley and Sully |
10.01.2010
turquoise and orange
Can we just talk for a second about how much I am loving the orange-blue color scheme blazing the trails of the design world. Not to thwart my handy dandy old faves of blue-brown, black-white-red, red-yellow-blue (wierd, I know) and so on... but these colors are making me want to completely re-think the decor of my house. Which would probably not fly over well with the hubby considering he detests orange. It's this whole college football rivalry that can't be truly understood by anyone who isn't a south carolina native who's been comanded to choose a side - clemson tigers or carolina gamecocks - since they were in diapers. I'll admit, i'm a guilty party, cheering ferociously for my gamecocks and boo-ing at any sight of anything remotely representing those nasty tigers (purple & orange). Hence my previous distaste for the color. But now that I've seen it in the right light (and not pressed up against purple) I'm in love (or a serious like).
9.23.2010
along came a spider
I married a plumber. I love him *let me just throw that out there before I start* but... when you marry a plumber there are certain expectations that have to be forsaken. For example: I can't always expect that he will be home to eat the dinner I slaved over for 2 hours or that he won't have to leave in the middle of the night to go on a call. I can only pray that I won't find one of his cruddy work shirts tossed on top of a pile of my clean unmentionables. I accepted defeat when we discovered his work van couldn't fit into our new garage and would have to live in the driveway at night. And I am almost used to finding customers phone numbers on every piece of paper laying around our house - birthday cards, bills, memorabilia, ANYTHING. But, then, there is that one. That notoriously obnoxious quality that aggravates me to a point of endearment (strange, I know). The foundation of what people anticipate when a plumber is called into their home or place of business.
The plumber's crack!
And boy does he have one. This thing gets SEEN. Case in point, the Boone Hall Plantation Pumpkin Patch circa Halloween '09 - John bends down to put his shoes back on after going on the bounce mound. I guess that's what you call it - it bounces and its a mound so I think "bounce mound" sounds perfect. Anyway, I hear the couple beside me snickering so I look down. John is showing full-on crack right there in the middle of hundreds of innocent bystanders. I swear I wouldn't have been surprised if kids started running and screaming. I'm just glad Sully was too young to understand.... I can only shrug it off as a walking satire.
Anywho, he calls me on my cell this weekend (I was out of town) to tell me that he's been bitten by a spider on, wait for it......... wait for it.......... the top of his crack. bahahahahaha. I know. I'm a bad wife. But I could hardly control my hysterical outburst. "Serves you right for always letting your crack hang out," I said. I began to wonder if this unsuspecting spider was laying somewhere gagging and dying at that very moment.
But I pulled myself together and tabled my laughter when I got home the next day to find half of his lower back inflamed and burning hot. After two full days of begging him to go to the doctor and a few blisters on the inflamed spot (I know, gross) he finally went.
Him: Babe! I just don't have time today. My work schedule is packed.
Me: Great. When you're dead on Friday, I'll be sure to go by your office and get your check.
I'm so warm and fuzzy sometimes. It's a gift I can't control. But, it turns out my "fuzziness" paid off because his bite ended up being the workings of a brown recluse and had he waited much longer there's no telling what would have happened. Scary! They gave him a shot of steroids to which I jokingly begged for him not to beat me up if I burned dinner that night. So now he's left with 2 antibiotics, a nasty red patch on his back (and crack, let's not forget), and his "war stories" of getting the steroid shot. I have to remind him that it wasn't that long ago I was giving birth to our child and enjoying the bliss of epidurals and blood oxygen tests (which, ps, is some of the most disgusting needle pain i've ever felt). Warm and Fuzzy!
The plumber's crack!
And boy does he have one. This thing gets SEEN. Case in point, the Boone Hall Plantation Pumpkin Patch circa Halloween '09 - John bends down to put his shoes back on after going on the bounce mound. I guess that's what you call it - it bounces and its a mound so I think "bounce mound" sounds perfect. Anyway, I hear the couple beside me snickering so I look down. John is showing full-on crack right there in the middle of hundreds of innocent bystanders. I swear I wouldn't have been surprised if kids started running and screaming. I'm just glad Sully was too young to understand.... I can only shrug it off as a walking satire.
Anywho, he calls me on my cell this weekend (I was out of town) to tell me that he's been bitten by a spider on, wait for it......... wait for it.......... the top of his crack. bahahahahaha. I know. I'm a bad wife. But I could hardly control my hysterical outburst. "Serves you right for always letting your crack hang out," I said. I began to wonder if this unsuspecting spider was laying somewhere gagging and dying at that very moment.
But I pulled myself together and tabled my laughter when I got home the next day to find half of his lower back inflamed and burning hot. After two full days of begging him to go to the doctor and a few blisters on the inflamed spot (I know, gross) he finally went.
Him: Babe! I just don't have time today. My work schedule is packed.
Me: Great. When you're dead on Friday, I'll be sure to go by your office and get your check.
I'm so warm and fuzzy sometimes. It's a gift I can't control. But, it turns out my "fuzziness" paid off because his bite ended up being the workings of a brown recluse and had he waited much longer there's no telling what would have happened. Scary! They gave him a shot of steroids to which I jokingly begged for him not to beat me up if I burned dinner that night. So now he's left with 2 antibiotics, a nasty red patch on his back (and crack, let's not forget), and his "war stories" of getting the steroid shot. I have to remind him that it wasn't that long ago I was giving birth to our child and enjoying the bliss of epidurals and blood oxygen tests (which, ps, is some of the most disgusting needle pain i've ever felt). Warm and Fuzzy!
9.17.2010
8.18.2010
8.16.2010
two good moments today
- School started back in Summerville today. I was stopped in traffic in front of our neighborhood elementary school watching all of the adorable and eager kids walking across the parking lot towards their first day. I spotted a dad, in his army fatigues, carrying a baby in one arm and a video camera in the other. He was video taping his daughter, i'm assuming a first grader, in her cute little dress and blonde hair walking into her first day of school. It was such a precious moment and true representation of parenthood - especially for this moment our country's history. I had to wonder if dad had recently returned from overseas or maybe he was about to leave. You never know. And regardless, I had to choke back the tears.
- On my lunch break, I was driving through the College of Charleston campus and saw a young boy and girl (18/19ish). They were standing behind a car, maybe coming or maybe going, but she dropped her bag and leaped into his arms. He scooped her off the ground and they must have hugged like that for a good thirty seconds. Normally, I would have had thoughts like "gag me". But for some reason today I embraced witnessing that sweet moment between two young people in love. It made me a little jealous that John and I don't hug like that anymore. Jealous enough that I might just try it tonight!
8.12.2010
I have said before that I do not know
what the most important lesson is that I will ever teach my children.
I do know that when they are older and telling their own children about
their grandmother, they will be able to say that she stood in the
storm, and when the wind did not blow her way...
she adjusted her sails.
-- Elizabeth Edwards
* I snagged this quote from a good friend who has been facing some challenging winds lately. She is a strong lady who lives this quote and I am inspired by it.
what the most important lesson is that I will ever teach my children.
I do know that when they are older and telling their own children about
their grandmother, they will be able to say that she stood in the
storm, and when the wind did not blow her way...
she adjusted her sails.
-- Elizabeth Edwards
* I snagged this quote from a good friend who has been facing some challenging winds lately. She is a strong lady who lives this quote and I am inspired by it.
7.30.2010
"you can choose what you do; you can't choose what you like to do"
I'm reading a fantastic new book - The Happiness Project. Loosely related to the (dare I say) self-help family, it is the author's year long quest to recover genuine life happiness and to live that happiness every.single.day. It was recommended by my book savvy bff, Carissa (props to her), and is also where I found "emotional contagion".
I'm reading the chapter "May: Be Serious About Play" and she (the author) is reconnecting with the kinds of "play" that make her happy. Honestly happy. Not the activities she wants to enjoy, but the ones she truly enjoys. During the process, she writes that someone asked her "What did you like to do when you were a child? What you enjoyed as a ten-year-old is probably something you'd enjoy now."
This peaked my curiosity. What did I like to do when I was little and would it have any relevance on things i'm doing now?
When I was 5 I enjoyed...
barbie dolls - could've played with them for hours
making mud pies with old pie tins and "cooking" with my Fisher Price stove
swinging outside
dressing up with mom's clothes and shoes
pretend work: waitress, teacher, nurse
playing "house" in my tree house in the woods
disney movies - a "magic kingdom family disney movie" always aired on sunday nights
future goals: to be a teacher during the day and work at mcdonald's at night. and to live in my little-girl bedroom with my husband when we got married (sounds more like a nightmare than a fantasy).
When I was 10 I enjoyed...
exploring in the woods
dressing up with mom's clothes and shoes
rollerskating and bike-riding
real cooking - or rather, making concoctions that only i would eat
swinging
reading - but not school-assigned reading. i loved ramona quimby and charlotte's web.
barbies, on occasion - though i'm certain i wasn't admitting it to my friends
dancing - mostly ballet
disney movies
future goals: sadly, i don't remember. but if i had to guess i would say to be a teacher or a doctor. i was very interested in being a doctor until i realized that i wouldn't give shots, was disgusted at the thought of cutting someone open, and didn't like nasty smells. i do know that i wanted my parents to come and live with me and my husband in our house (we're making progress).
When I was 15 I enjoyed...
driving my worn-in chevy blazer
reading - un-school related reading
keeping a journal of my thoughts and activities
writing poetry and short stories (constantly writing at this age)
watching 90210 when i got home from school - yea, i said it
swinging on front porch swings
flirting with boys - oh so important
camping
sleeping late
my future goal(s): to be a teacher. to learn to play the guitar (which i did many years later). to fall madly in love (also did that... a few times). to get married, start a family, and have a dog (done, done, and done). to be extremely wealthy with lots of "stuff". to buy a beach house for my parents to retire in (maybe one day).
Sometimes we try and force ourselves into these little boxes of what we should like to do instead of taking stock in what we DO like to do. This exercise helped me to realize a few things. I have always been interested in cooking and given the money and time would chef-up tremendous meals every night. I probably should have been a teacher. I am still obsessed with dress up - clothes, accessories, and especially shoes. Although I really want to read great classic literature I am usually distracted, happily, by new best-selling fictions. I traded in my roller skates and bike for a car and boys. The times when I kept a journal were some of my happiest and most self-aware. It is likely that I will never again be afforded the luxury of sleeping late - late being anything after 9:30am. It probably wasn't the best move to quit dancing at the age of 11 and it might be interesting to try my hand at adult ballet - I would totally rock a too-too! Though it might be hazardous to say aloud, I prefer to sit on the couch and watch mindless TV over heaps of other activities. I miss the smell of campfires in the Fall but exploring in the woods holds no interest. I'm excited to have an excuse (with Sully) to re-watch all of those great Disney movies. Swinging is an activity that should be enjoyed at any age whether on a playground or a porch - it encourages freedom and simplicity.
a few new goals for 2010:
-buy a bicycle and actually use it
-go roller/ice-skating
-buy an outdoor rocking chair and find a park near our new neighborhood with swings
-write a children's short story
-start a journal - realistically i will aim for one entry per week
-arrange a weekend camping trip this fall
I'm reading the chapter "May: Be Serious About Play" and she (the author) is reconnecting with the kinds of "play" that make her happy. Honestly happy. Not the activities she wants to enjoy, but the ones she truly enjoys. During the process, she writes that someone asked her "What did you like to do when you were a child? What you enjoyed as a ten-year-old is probably something you'd enjoy now."
This peaked my curiosity. What did I like to do when I was little and would it have any relevance on things i'm doing now?
When I was 5 I enjoyed...
barbie dolls - could've played with them for hours
making mud pies with old pie tins and "cooking" with my Fisher Price stove
swinging outside
dressing up with mom's clothes and shoes
pretend work: waitress, teacher, nurse
playing "house" in my tree house in the woods
disney movies - a "magic kingdom family disney movie" always aired on sunday nights
future goals: to be a teacher during the day and work at mcdonald's at night. and to live in my little-girl bedroom with my husband when we got married (sounds more like a nightmare than a fantasy).
When I was 10 I enjoyed...
exploring in the woods
dressing up with mom's clothes and shoes
rollerskating and bike-riding
real cooking - or rather, making concoctions that only i would eat
swinging
reading - but not school-assigned reading. i loved ramona quimby and charlotte's web.
barbies, on occasion - though i'm certain i wasn't admitting it to my friends
dancing - mostly ballet
disney movies
future goals: sadly, i don't remember. but if i had to guess i would say to be a teacher or a doctor. i was very interested in being a doctor until i realized that i wouldn't give shots, was disgusted at the thought of cutting someone open, and didn't like nasty smells. i do know that i wanted my parents to come and live with me and my husband in our house (we're making progress).
When I was 15 I enjoyed...
driving my worn-in chevy blazer
reading - un-school related reading
keeping a journal of my thoughts and activities
writing poetry and short stories (constantly writing at this age)
watching 90210 when i got home from school - yea, i said it
swinging on front porch swings
flirting with boys - oh so important
camping
sleeping late
my future goal(s): to be a teacher. to learn to play the guitar (which i did many years later). to fall madly in love (also did that... a few times). to get married, start a family, and have a dog (done, done, and done). to be extremely wealthy with lots of "stuff". to buy a beach house for my parents to retire in (maybe one day).
Sometimes we try and force ourselves into these little boxes of what we should like to do instead of taking stock in what we DO like to do. This exercise helped me to realize a few things. I have always been interested in cooking and given the money and time would chef-up tremendous meals every night. I probably should have been a teacher. I am still obsessed with dress up - clothes, accessories, and especially shoes. Although I really want to read great classic literature I am usually distracted, happily, by new best-selling fictions. I traded in my roller skates and bike for a car and boys. The times when I kept a journal were some of my happiest and most self-aware. It is likely that I will never again be afforded the luxury of sleeping late - late being anything after 9:30am. It probably wasn't the best move to quit dancing at the age of 11 and it might be interesting to try my hand at adult ballet - I would totally rock a too-too! Though it might be hazardous to say aloud, I prefer to sit on the couch and watch mindless TV over heaps of other activities. I miss the smell of campfires in the Fall but exploring in the woods holds no interest. I'm excited to have an excuse (with Sully) to re-watch all of those great Disney movies. Swinging is an activity that should be enjoyed at any age whether on a playground or a porch - it encourages freedom and simplicity.
a few new goals for 2010:
-buy a bicycle and actually use it
-go roller/ice-skating
-buy an outdoor rocking chair and find a park near our new neighborhood with swings
-write a children's short story
-start a journal - realistically i will aim for one entry per week
-arrange a weekend camping trip this fall
7.29.2010
6.24.2010
what a coincidence that i would happen upon such a relevant article on babycenter.com this afternoon - "how to raise a happy child". the 2nd topic, "make room for fun", reads:
Although nonstop entertainment and ice cream for dinner may seem like every child's dream, what actually makes your toddler happiest is much simpler: you. And that's the first key to creating a happy child says Hallowell. "Connect with them, play with them," he advises. "If you're having fun with them, they're having fun. If you create what I call a 'connected childhood,' that is by far the best step to guarantee your child will be happy."
Although nonstop entertainment and ice cream for dinner may seem like every child's dream, what actually makes your toddler happiest is much simpler: you. And that's the first key to creating a happy child says Hallowell. "Connect with them, play with them," he advises. "If you're having fun with them, they're having fun. If you create what I call a 'connected childhood,' that is by far the best step to guarantee your child will be happy."
taking time
I was waiting outside one of my favorite Charleston spots (Kickin Chicken) for a to-go lunch order on Tuesday. Thinking. People watching. I looove to people watch. And coming down the sidewalk I spotted a group of 3: Mom, Son (3ish), and Grandmother (i'm assuming). Mom was sprinting to get inside while Granny and baby boy were strolling a good 20 feet back - they were hand holding and laughing. And Mom was missing it! Granted, I don't know the circumstances. Maybe this wasn't even her son. Maybe Granny rarely gets to see baby boy so Mom was giving them space. Maybe baby boy was mad at Mom and didn't want to hold her hand. Maybe Mom had explosive diarrhea. I don't know. My eyes can only interpret what they saw... and that was a Mom who was not present in a beautiful moment with her Son and Mother.
It made me sad. Not really sad for the boy because he looked content. It made me sad for Sully; and for me (if that makes any sense)… sad for all the moments where that may have been me – rushing and not pausing to enjoy hidden moments that may never come again. Although Sully and I have many, MANY great moments together, I know there are times that I miss out and don't even realize. Like when I opt to surf the internet while John takes him for a stroll outside or when I coerce him to play with his toys so I can catch up on Young & the Restless.
And it’s not just with Sully. There are so many things happening in my life that I speed through and don’t appreciate until they’re over. I have this strange tendency to enjoy events more in theory than when they actually occur because I allow stress to dominate my other emotions. It can be one of the great obstructions from life’s pleasures and one that I frequently combat. Case in point - the day I was fitted for my wedding gown. I should have been GLOWING. Instead I was hurried and flustered because it was a “hectic” day. I had to make a conscious effort to stop and savor that moment. Indulge in the fact that the wedding dress I had been waiting months for was lying in the back of my car and it was just as beautiful as I had anticipated.
Sitting there in the Kickin Chicken parking lot, I resolved myself to get caught up in the little moments with Sully (and with everything for that matter). As fate would have it, I got a lesson all too soon. Sully had a seizure (his first) 4 hours after my lunch revelation. Seizures are not a part of my vocabulary. No one in my family has ever had one, I have never had one, and don’t have any friends that have them. So when the daycare called to tell me, unthinkable images began to sprout through my mind. Fortunately (I guess you could say), the doctor said it was due to a fast spike in his fever brought on by pneumonia and a double ear infection which apparently is common. Regardless of how serious or not, that was enough of a jolt for me. Like a sign from God. It feels so cliché saying it but I will anyway – we are not promised any amount of days on this earth and right now, starting today, I want to make sure that whether its 20 days or 20,000, I live them the best that I possibly can. That I max out as much caring and sharing, fun and laughter as I possibly can so that Sully’s life can be full of great days and one day he we can look back and think "what a wonderful life".
6.22.2010
good-bye old friend
Goodbye to you old friend... and what a saddening end... you held back from being sour.... but only for an hour... your tainted words must cease... so life will have more peace...
I'm done with the harsh words...
finished with the "i'm sorry's"...
completely over the humiliation of public tantrums...
and wiping my hands clean of a friend who never steps up.
Good-bye to you...
Good-bye to your negativity and good-bye to your degradation.
My life is too full to accomodate your unhealthy vibes!
Today I say NO MORE!
6.15.2010
6.14.2010
wifey
that's right! on the perfect day of june 5th, i choked back (happy) tears as my dad escorted me down an aisle of fresh grass to the oh-so-handsome groom standing at the other end. there, overlooking breathtaking hillsides of pasture in the heat of a southern afternoon, we said "i do" and shared a night of dining and dancing with our friends and family in a beautifully restored 1940's barn.
i'll say it again - perfect!
it's incredible to me how one day, one afternoon even, gave me so much more than just a husband that i adore. it added a new meaning to my life. a security i've never completely known. it offered me the clarity of appreciating the friends and family who truly, deeeeeply love us - those who will be there to celebrate in life's joyous moments and on whom we can lean in the harder ones. beyond invaluable.
i am blessed. we are blessed.
i'll say it again - perfect!
it's incredible to me how one day, one afternoon even, gave me so much more than just a husband that i adore. it added a new meaning to my life. a security i've never completely known. it offered me the clarity of appreciating the friends and family who truly, deeeeeply love us - those who will be there to celebrate in life's joyous moments and on whom we can lean in the harder ones. beyond invaluable.
i am blessed. we are blessed.
5.12.2010
No. You're not seeing things. Stop the presses. It's really me. Typing. On blogspot. For the first time in months.
I would try to list a million excuses, and chances are it wouldn't be that difficult to come up with them, but there really is no honest excuse except that i'm a total SLACKER!
You know that feeling... like when you intend to call a friend you haven't talked to in ages to thank them for a sweet card or gesture or maybe you just happened upon them at the local market and promised a phone call to set up a lunch date. Yesterday passed and you got wrapped up in work, today you're still dragging from the wine you had last night and just don't have the energy, but tomorrow - TOMORROW you will call.
Soon enough it's 4 weeks 3 days and 22 hours later and even though you've told yourself every single day to call, you just didn't and it almost feels like it's too late to even bother.
That's how i've been feeling about my little blog-e-roo. I've seen some terribly quirky things that reminded me of this special nook in my life. And though I wanted badly to post those terribly quirky things it just felt so inadequate when i've been MIA for this long.
Nevertheless, here I am and I have more updates than I know how to type and more than i'm sure you care to read. So this is me dipping my toes in the pool. Check out some things I probably would have blogged about had I not been slacking....
* A signed contract to build a house at the beginning of February. Set to be complete at the end of June.
* A continually growing love for Sully (if you can believe it) who turned one and took his first solo steps since I last wrote.
* A wedding date set at a beautiful old barn in SC - June 5th - and the flurry of stress and excitement surrounding it that i'm sure will make into the pages of a future blog
* Several amazing parties in honor of mine and John's love
* A knee replacement surgery for Dad and his successful recovery
* A visit from my favorite DC-ians (did I say that wrong?)
* The birth of a nephew and news that another niece or nephew is on the way
* A new Canon digital SLR camera (that i've been dying for) as a present and HUGE surprise from John on Mother's Day
* 2 new favorite websites that deserve a blog post of their own
* A vegetable lasagna recipe that John has fallen madly in love with
* A birthday shout out to Tucker who turned 7
* A case of pink-eye for the little guy and some crazy expensive medicine that comes in a little itty bitty bottle
* A best friend's surprise 30th birthday party
* Sully's first experience with egg dye - we did pretty good
* News that my best friend is relocating with her family to Portland, Maine (a new place to visit!!)
* An obsession with paint colors, and just colors in general
* An invitation to the graduation of my cousin who I babysat after I graduated high school (talk about feeling old!)
* A snow storm in Charleston on Valentine's weekend - aka. mine and John's first scheduled date in 6 months that was interrupted when the babysitter called to say the power went out. Charleston's first snow in 10 YEARS on our one date night!!!
* The engagement of two dear friends
* A new hair color - back to my roots brown
Now I promise that we'll talk again soon. I won't stray away for too long because there's lots to be said. :)
I would try to list a million excuses, and chances are it wouldn't be that difficult to come up with them, but there really is no honest excuse except that i'm a total SLACKER!
You know that feeling... like when you intend to call a friend you haven't talked to in ages to thank them for a sweet card or gesture or maybe you just happened upon them at the local market and promised a phone call to set up a lunch date. Yesterday passed and you got wrapped up in work, today you're still dragging from the wine you had last night and just don't have the energy, but tomorrow - TOMORROW you will call.
Soon enough it's 4 weeks 3 days and 22 hours later and even though you've told yourself every single day to call, you just didn't and it almost feels like it's too late to even bother.
That's how i've been feeling about my little blog-e-roo. I've seen some terribly quirky things that reminded me of this special nook in my life. And though I wanted badly to post those terribly quirky things it just felt so inadequate when i've been MIA for this long.
Nevertheless, here I am and I have more updates than I know how to type and more than i'm sure you care to read. So this is me dipping my toes in the pool. Check out some things I probably would have blogged about had I not been slacking....
* A signed contract to build a house at the beginning of February. Set to be complete at the end of June.
* A continually growing love for Sully (if you can believe it) who turned one and took his first solo steps since I last wrote.
* A wedding date set at a beautiful old barn in SC - June 5th - and the flurry of stress and excitement surrounding it that i'm sure will make into the pages of a future blog
* Several amazing parties in honor of mine and John's love
* A knee replacement surgery for Dad and his successful recovery
* A visit from my favorite DC-ians (did I say that wrong?)
* The birth of a nephew and news that another niece or nephew is on the way
* A new Canon digital SLR camera (that i've been dying for) as a present and HUGE surprise from John on Mother's Day
* 2 new favorite websites that deserve a blog post of their own
* A vegetable lasagna recipe that John has fallen madly in love with
* A birthday shout out to Tucker who turned 7
* A case of pink-eye for the little guy and some crazy expensive medicine that comes in a little itty bitty bottle
* A best friend's surprise 30th birthday party
* Sully's first experience with egg dye - we did pretty good
* News that my best friend is relocating with her family to Portland, Maine (a new place to visit!!)
* An obsession with paint colors, and just colors in general
* An invitation to the graduation of my cousin who I babysat after I graduated high school (talk about feeling old!)
* A snow storm in Charleston on Valentine's weekend - aka. mine and John's first scheduled date in 6 months that was interrupted when the babysitter called to say the power went out. Charleston's first snow in 10 YEARS on our one date night!!!
* The engagement of two dear friends
* A new hair color - back to my roots brown
Now I promise that we'll talk again soon. I won't stray away for too long because there's lots to be said. :)
1.21.2010
RE -/'re/
prefix: again, anew
as in REVITALIZE, to give new life
to familiar favorites; as in
REARRANGE, to put elements into
a fresh and appealing order; as
in RENEW, to restore or renovate
with an updated approach; as in
REFRESH, to review and perfect
essential skills; as in REVIVE,
to flourish again, to enliven
as in REVITALIZE, to give new life
to familiar favorites; as in
REARRANGE, to put elements into
a fresh and appealing order; as
in RENEW, to restore or renovate
with an updated approach; as in
REFRESH, to review and perfect
essential skills; as in REVIVE,
to flourish again, to enliven
1.04.2010
an email i received today...
See how many you can answer on the following quiz:
1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.
How did you do?
Chances are, not so great.
The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday.
These are no second-rate achievers.
They are the best in their fields.
But the applause dies..
Awards tarnish..
Achievements are forgotten...
And accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.
Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:
1. List two teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of one person who has made you feel appreciated and special recently.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
Easier?
The lesson:
The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials... the most money... or the most awards.
They simply are the ones who care the most.
1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.
How did you do?
Chances are, not so great.
The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday.
These are no second-rate achievers.
They are the best in their fields.
But the applause dies..
Awards tarnish..
Achievements are forgotten...
And accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.
Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:
1. List two teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of one person who has made you feel appreciated and special recently.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
Easier?
The lesson:
The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials... the most money... or the most awards.
They simply are the ones who care the most.
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