Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Week 5 - Let it snow Let is snow
Monday, February 10, 2014
Week 4 - Clean up time
We decided to do some cemetery clean up in the sleet and snow. We did manage to get a lot accomplished.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Unplanned Suprise Week 2
Sometimes the best things are unplanned like the snow that surprised and paralyzed the small city of Chattanooga. The puppies loved it and we were all a little sad to remember how Mac loved the snow and cold.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Wilderness Wildlife Week 1
We arrived in Gatlinburg to a cold brisk Saturday. The talk was how much snow and ice was on the ground in the mountains. Sunday brought the sun and heat and by Monday the ice and snow was a muddy mess. Welcome to my world. This was the best we could find.
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
The End of 2013 - To Do Things I've Never Done
This year I wanted to do things I had never done. It is not a like a mid-life crisis but more like life is too short to not to live to the fullest.
1) I have always wanted to see a movie on Christmas Day. Christmas Day is usually spent exhausted or running from place to place. Why not a movie?? Les Miserable was so awesome we saw it 7 times at the theater! See the movie let to some interesting conversation and made me miss college sitting around and discussing literature.
2) Start saying no more often. This was not well received by most but it's just to hard to accept every single invitation and go places you really do not want to be. I stuck to it. I am too old and don't have the energy to be places that are not positive.
The power of no. I realize as I start to age and things start breaking down on my body I am running out of time. Oh, I am not in imminent throws of death but hey life is getting shorter and I want to make the most of it. I have a bucket list. Well sort of an imaginary one that I make up as I go along but hey it works for me. I wanted to give thought and prayer to all my decisions on how I spend my time which meant I had to say, no. This was not well received. Mike described it like this, if movie stars are judged by their twitter feed whether good or bad mine was off the charts because the feeds were a buzzing. No, I am not mad, sad, depressed, distressed or having marital trouble and yes, I still like/love and want to be around you. It's just not about you any more. I just do not want to try and do it all anymore only to come to the realization I was not doing anything well and no one was happy because it was not enough. Age may have given me that wisdom but I can't do it all and trying made me feel like a failure. So, I realized when I said, yes, to something out of guilt, really I was saying no to something I really wanted to do. Taking back my life has not been easy but far more rewarding than I am imagined. I had to learn I am not responsible for others reaction to my decision or their harsh judgment. All, I can do is graciously decline and move on.
3) A picture a month. I hope I can take our photo once everyone month and get it on the wall. We shall see! Almost but not quiet especially when trying to complete a picture a week!
4) The Pink Lady Slipper and elusive orchid found in the Great Smokey Mountains where they thrive but cannot be transplanted. The are a protective plant and their whereabouts are often hard to find. We managed to find a beautiful spread hidden out of side. It was amazing even if it did rain and rain and rain some more. The pink one was actually moving from all the energy it used to try and open.
5) The yellow lady slipper was the cherry on the sundae. A yummy find!
6) Ahhhh Hawaii, the bucket list was long. I wanted to surf and it was just as thrilling as I thought it would be and on my anniversary.
7) Eat at Roy's - check (been there done that but still yummy and going on the list!)
8)Four-wheeling - check
9)Zip lining never done that before - check
10) Waipo Valley- check
11) Find new local places to eat, Big Island Grill (Loco Moco) Café Pesto! - check and check
12) Paddling - check
13) I was not looking to add a new camera to new things list but Pele is an angry goddess. Bring your offering or she will take one from you.
14) Saw an island being formed, with lava
15) Read a book! A real book with pages.
16) Eat new places. Chuy's a happy accident. I was drawn by the pink cheesy building with dinosaurs on the top. This is not a place I would have been drawn to normally but hey never been there or done that till month of July and it was AWESOME!
17) Jet ski with a GoPro it was amazing!
18) Said, yes to a midnight milkshake run to Sonic. Ok, so it was 8:50 am but when 9:00 is your bed time it feel like midnight. We sat in the car and watched our vacation pictures on my phone and laughed, talked and remembered.
19) Peanut butter bacon milkshake! Yuck!
20) Eat new places at Disney (Sanna)
21) EPCOT food and wine
22) Photo with Daisy and Donald Duck
23) Dress up at like Duck Dynasty at a Halloween Party.
24) Homemade hot chocolate, why not!
25) Learn to make bread and not too bad at it.
26) Homemade eggnog!
27) GoPro
The year 2013 saw the end of the puppy with the softest ears in town, Mac. His death was unexpected, quick and peaceful and though I know it is was his time to go it still hurts my heart to think about him. I had him since he was 8 weeks old, and in the 11 years I had him, I never had a bite of food I did not share, go to the bathroom (aka head scratcher) by myself or sleep by myself. He slept on his dog bed by my side of the bed since he was about a year old. He snored, had puppy dreams and clawed the wall when he twitched in his sleep and he could tell time especially breakfast. Mac did not spring forward or fall back and he did not care how you felt or what the weather was like outside, get up and feed him no later than 7:00am or he would pace the room and sigh constantly. You could not fake sleep. He did not buy that routine! I miss my "Mac" a roni!
Besides Mac, I lived as exciting as I could for 2013 and it was mostly great!
I don't know what 2014 will bring!
1) I have always wanted to see a movie on Christmas Day. Christmas Day is usually spent exhausted or running from place to place. Why not a movie?? Les Miserable was so awesome we saw it 7 times at the theater! See the movie let to some interesting conversation and made me miss college sitting around and discussing literature.
2) Start saying no more often. This was not well received by most but it's just to hard to accept every single invitation and go places you really do not want to be. I stuck to it. I am too old and don't have the energy to be places that are not positive.
The power of no. I realize as I start to age and things start breaking down on my body I am running out of time. Oh, I am not in imminent throws of death but hey life is getting shorter and I want to make the most of it. I have a bucket list. Well sort of an imaginary one that I make up as I go along but hey it works for me. I wanted to give thought and prayer to all my decisions on how I spend my time which meant I had to say, no. This was not well received. Mike described it like this, if movie stars are judged by their twitter feed whether good or bad mine was off the charts because the feeds were a buzzing. No, I am not mad, sad, depressed, distressed or having marital trouble and yes, I still like/love and want to be around you. It's just not about you any more. I just do not want to try and do it all anymore only to come to the realization I was not doing anything well and no one was happy because it was not enough. Age may have given me that wisdom but I can't do it all and trying made me feel like a failure. So, I realized when I said, yes, to something out of guilt, really I was saying no to something I really wanted to do. Taking back my life has not been easy but far more rewarding than I am imagined. I had to learn I am not responsible for others reaction to my decision or their harsh judgment. All, I can do is graciously decline and move on.
3) A picture a month. I hope I can take our photo once everyone month and get it on the wall. We shall see! Almost but not quiet especially when trying to complete a picture a week!
4) The Pink Lady Slipper and elusive orchid found in the Great Smokey Mountains where they thrive but cannot be transplanted. The are a protective plant and their whereabouts are often hard to find. We managed to find a beautiful spread hidden out of side. It was amazing even if it did rain and rain and rain some more. The pink one was actually moving from all the energy it used to try and open.
5) The yellow lady slipper was the cherry on the sundae. A yummy find!
6) Ahhhh Hawaii, the bucket list was long. I wanted to surf and it was just as thrilling as I thought it would be and on my anniversary.
7) Eat at Roy's - check (been there done that but still yummy and going on the list!)
8)Four-wheeling - check
9)Zip lining never done that before - check
10) Waipo Valley- check
11) Find new local places to eat, Big Island Grill (Loco Moco) Café Pesto! - check and check
12) Paddling - check
13) I was not looking to add a new camera to new things list but Pele is an angry goddess. Bring your offering or she will take one from you.
14) Saw an island being formed, with lava
15) Read a book! A real book with pages.
16) Eat new places. Chuy's a happy accident. I was drawn by the pink cheesy building with dinosaurs on the top. This is not a place I would have been drawn to normally but hey never been there or done that till month of July and it was AWESOME!
17) Jet ski with a GoPro it was amazing!
18) Said, yes to a midnight milkshake run to Sonic. Ok, so it was 8:50 am but when 9:00 is your bed time it feel like midnight. We sat in the car and watched our vacation pictures on my phone and laughed, talked and remembered.
19) Peanut butter bacon milkshake! Yuck!
20) Eat new places at Disney (Sanna)
21) EPCOT food and wine
22) Photo with Daisy and Donald Duck
23) Dress up at like Duck Dynasty at a Halloween Party.
24) Homemade hot chocolate, why not!
25) Learn to make bread and not too bad at it.
26) Homemade eggnog!
27) GoPro
The year 2013 saw the end of the puppy with the softest ears in town, Mac. His death was unexpected, quick and peaceful and though I know it is was his time to go it still hurts my heart to think about him. I had him since he was 8 weeks old, and in the 11 years I had him, I never had a bite of food I did not share, go to the bathroom (aka head scratcher) by myself or sleep by myself. He slept on his dog bed by my side of the bed since he was about a year old. He snored, had puppy dreams and clawed the wall when he twitched in his sleep and he could tell time especially breakfast. Mac did not spring forward or fall back and he did not care how you felt or what the weather was like outside, get up and feed him no later than 7:00am or he would pace the room and sigh constantly. You could not fake sleep. He did not buy that routine! I miss my "Mac" a roni!
Besides Mac, I lived as exciting as I could for 2013 and it was mostly great!
I don't know what 2014 will bring!
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