Spring Break

We had our Spring Break last week.  It began as a very, very rainy vacation but ended with warm weather.  I love Spring because the sun arrives after a very long absence.  The gray days of January and February blow on by and we can bask in the sunshine.

Tim and I decided that we would stay close to home this year.  There were lots of places we had yet to take the kids and our time in this area is drawing to a close.  Our first stop was the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC.  

Caroline had been before at the age of 16 months and Brooks was a mere ball in my tummy.  March was not a beautiful time to visit, as the flowers were not yet in bloom, but we were still awed by the mansion.  We took an audio tour which lasted approximately 2 hours.  Our favorite rooms were:  the bedroom of Edith Dresser Vanderbilt, the bowling alley, the winter garden, and the library.  We even got to spend time in the rarely shown personal library of George Vanderbilt.  He had over 23,000 books in his collection.

We also travelled into the Great Smoky Mountain National Park to the Cataloochee area where we could see the Elk.  The Park began re-introducing Elk into the area in February, 2001.  We took an extremely rustic, winding road through the junk yards of North Carolina before we reached our destination.  However, the ride was rewarded by the viewing of over 30 live Elk - some within 50 feet of our car.  The largest rack we found had 11 points!

Sunday we travelled to Sevierville to stay at the Wilderness Lodge Water Park Resort.  We had a good time - especially the boys.  They rode all of the slides over and over, and played in the wave pool.  The 2nd morning, Caroline and I detoured to the outlet mall.  Amazingly enough, I am no longer much of a water park girl.  Guess it's because I am now 40 (gasp)!

Our next stop was Abingdon, VA.  We ate at a local pizzeria - Cole was astonished that you could go to a restaurant where they only made pizza.  It was a relatively long wait, but the pizza was perfect on a chilly, rainy night and we all had a good time. 

 The next morning we got up to ride down the Virginia Creeper Trail.  We travelled to a local bike shop in Damascus, VA to rent our bikes.  The shop then took us by van to the end of the trail and dropped us off. 

 The Creeper is a 17 mile bike trip down a gradual slope.  We coasted most of the trail (descending 1800 ft.) - the last 4 miles are flat.  The scenery was beautiful and the trees were beginning to sprout new leaves.  We crossed 30 bridges and enjoyed the sounds of the river most of the way down.  The last several miles were a laugh a minute as we all lamented our numb bums!  Tim even negotiated a deal with Cole.  If Cole would quit whining and complaining on the trail, Tim guaranteed that we would not have lunch at Subway.  Cole took him up on that (he hates Subway) and didn't utter one more gripe for the last 20 minutes.  Gotta love a creative dad!

We travelled back home Tuesday night for Tim to be back at work on Wednesday.  While cooped up in the hotel rooms, the kids discovered "Jon and Kate Plus 8" - they wanted to watch every single episode!  We even offered to rent a movie, but they all declined and opted to watch that family's craziness!  Craziness indeed - we only have 4 and our life is hectic enough!

The Results... (drumroll, please!)

Let me start my day by saying THANK YOU to my faithful friends who have encouraged, prodded, and inquired about my progress on the goals I set for myself last April.  I especially want to thank my wonderful husband who has orchestrated many of the events - ensuring that I would accomplish a few of the lofty goals I dreamily jotted down.  

No, I can't check them all off today.  I took the liberty to revise a few.  I am excited to show you all I have done in the past 365 days....

Ok, here's the nitty gritty:

Accomplishments.....

1. I did 40 miles.  Didn't run them all, walked a bunch of them with friends, some were done in step class, I think I ran over half - and the rest were on foot but slower with chatting.

2. Climbed Mt. LeConte and LOVED it!  My favorite goal of all.  The only way up is on foot, and the only way down, too.  We had the prettiest 2 days for hiking - blue skies all around. We even hiked through snow at the top.

3. I read 40 books.  If you want to see what I read, become my friend on goodreads.com.  They are dated with some reviews I wrote.  I'd love to be your friend and see what you read, too!

4. I know a bit more about graphic art.  Enough to know how to design a page and describe it to the one coding for me!

5. No piano lessons in this town.  I would like to pick it up again in the next few years.  Our unexpected move put a crimp in this goal.

6. Tim learned to add ringtones to my phone - and I'd do it this week - but I washed the darn iphone on Monday and it is no longer in service. AGHHHHHH!

7. I think my kids would still say I need to play more games.  But I am the only one who has beaten Cole at Go Fish!

8. I painted 2 bathrooms in the house - after taking down the wallpaper!

9. I can now read enough HTML to edit my entries.  I'd still like to be able to know more. 

10. I had 2 formal parties and served dinner to an extra family of 4 almost every Thursday last summer while their kitchen was being revamped.  I'm checking this one off!

11. I understand "travelling" in basketball a little better; although I still think it's hard to see.

12. I will be taking up tennis once I am living in Texas.  I'm hoping to join a bi-weekly group already in progress!  Yippee!!!

13. My freezer is loaded with meals and I've been making some fresh ones, too.  I think I am in control - just in time for baseball season (back to sandwiches again)!

14. My dear friend Shanda and I had a garage sale last  June.  It was great fun.  The kids sold lemonade while her husband Tom acted as a tremendous salesmen.  We sold a ton and had the best time together.  My Aunt Marilyn even helped me set up the night before!  (Tim was carting boys to and from the ball field).

15. I took pictures of Caroline's bedding to sell on Ebay - then we decided to stick with what she had and her room looks so cute!

16. Cole is a super reader!  He loves Junie B and Magic Tree House.  He's also into reading the funnies in the paper - just like his older brother, Brooks!

17. Last fall I sat with my friend Vina and scored a whole baseball game - and it was the official score book!  Quite an accomplishment. (I only lost track once!)

18. Tonight I am watching the end of The Bourne Ultimatum.  I have enjoyed all 3!

19. This one is interesting.  All boxes are unpacked from our move into this house.  We have already packed a few boxes in anticipation of our upcoming move to Texas.  I am overwhelmed with the thought of packing it all up again!

20. The chocolate chip pancakes were gone in minutes at the Pancake Pantry.  Yummy as always!

21. Ok, I didn't take yoga, but I did start BodyFlow which is similar and I love it!

22. Caroline's friends loved the Chocolate Fountain Birthday Party!

23. Did not take a cooking class, but I did watch two entire seasons of Top Chef - does that count?  My favorite was this past season and Carla was my favorite competitor!

24. Reed and I took a short jaunt along the Appalachian Trail on his field trip to Clingman's Dome.

25. Tim and I really did go skinny dipping in St. Maarten for all of 5 minutes - in rough surf!  Gotta love the sign in the parking lot (which we saw after we returned to the car) - specifically the "nudity is prohibited" part:

26. I am still contemplating a 5k in May.

27. I took all 4 kids on a cub scout overnight camping trip (while Tim was in Nashville).  Caroline and Brooks assembled the tent.  I had a great time and I decided Hobo packs tasted pretty good.  I was freezing the whole night, even though I had the "warmest" sleeping bag!

Reed participated in a ceremony to retire old flags on this campout.  He retired one that his grandfather had flown on their flagpole.  It was my first time to witness this type of ceremony, too!

28. My mom bought me a belly dancing kit for our cruise.  I actually tried the sport and determined that I am not very good.  Vina assures me that if you work the muscles, your stomach really will roll.  I must just need more practice.  Oh, and my parents brought back a belly dancing sarong from Egypt for me - with dangles and all. No, I don't have any pictures to share.

29. Our basement has been vacuumed twice and is clean!

30. I have enjoyed participating in the BodyJam classes, but I don't go often enough!

31. I am stuck in April from last year in my "read the Bible through in a year" book.

32. We had the best ski trip to Snowshoe, WV, over MLK weekend.  All of us had the fun of skiing a few blacks!

33. I'm an inch away from the splits.  I forgot this was one of my goals, so I am going to keep stretching until I get there again.

34. 10 new foods I tried:  blood sausage, fungi, pompano, yucca, alligator - fried & jerky, plantains at The Parrot Club, brussel sprouts, Temptation Melon, sail fish, and persimmons from my backyard - YUCK!

35. I have had more questions from salespeople when I spout off my credit card number - having it memorized makes ordering via the internet so much easier!

36. The kids and I have had several occasions to do new things this year.  We've camped, travelled to see friends in Alabama, ridden bikes, hiked, and more!  They are such a blessing to me!

37. I think I could identify a copperhead - right before running in the opposite direction.  Next I need to refresh my recognition of rattlers and cottonmouths!

38. I am not very good at Guitar Hero, although I can get to the medium level on "Hit Me With Your Best Shot"!

39. Ok, so rowing again was not a possibility.  They didn't offer any other classes this year.

40.  I'm leaving the 1/2 marathon for another year.  If it is any consolation, I did hike 14 miles round trip to Mt. LeConte and back.  Plus, my friend Deanna, invited me to do the Susan G. Komen 3 Day Walk next year - it's 60 miles total.  I'd better get to training for that one!

It's been a busy year just trying to check off all 40 of these goals!  I am planning to continue with my goal setting; however, I don't plan to have 40 every year.  Our move to Texas will bring a new level of excitement and stress as I attempt to adjust to another new city - and as I help 4 children adapt to their new environment.  I may just need to consider "our adjustment" to be all 41 goals for next year.  

WooHoo!  That's 40 goals (most with a check) and I'm off to my day of celebration!  'Cause I'm 40 and doing my best to embrace it!  :)

Look Out Wisdom, Here I Come!

I've been a little behind in my Bible study homework lately.  My trip to Texas and an illness the week before precluded me from working as diligently as I usual.  In the past several years, at this point in my studies, I have usually already quit doing the homework.  So, I was extra proud of myself for making up my work before the video started yesterday morning.

I'm in the middle of Beth Moore's study of Esther.  It has been wonderful so far.  I loved the third week when I learned that many, many other women feel "it's tough being a woman in a mean world"!  I was absolutely and completely relieved that some other women find living difficult!  The next week we talked about how "it's tough being a woman when beauty is a treatment" - well, I would agree back then that those treatments were probably a bit different from today.  I do enjoy a little special treatment now and again, and again, and again.

Anyway,  as I was "catching up" yesterday I found a sentence that was unexpectedly applicable to my current situation.  "In my opinion, a woman only grows lovelier the first four decades of her life.  Then, as they say, she grows wise. (Wise enough to pick the right hair color, I hope)."  Thank you very much, Beth Moore.

So, here I am on the eve of my 40th birthday.  I guess you could say this is my very last day to become any lovelier.  It's my last 18 hours and 50 minutes to increase in beautifulness, deliciousness, delicateness, pleasantness, adorableness, stunningness, scrumptiousness, and pulchritudinousness - thanks to the Thesaurus.  Today I will avoid (for one more day) becoming awful, disagreeable, drab, homely, ugly, and unsightly.  Lucky for me - and for you!

I really don't know what to think about this news.  I mean, really, it makes me want to just crawl back into bed and give up.  Although, I do think there is some good to becoming wise.  I can count many occasions when I've thought back on comments I've made and thought, "hmm, that wasn't a wise thing to say".  I know plenty of women who are older than me (and since I'll be 40 tomorrow, that means they have already ended their first 4 decades).  I certainly esteem them for their wisdom.  I look to them for advice.  I look to them for parenting pearls.  I look to them for coping strategies, to determine which wrinkle cream really works, and what to eat to avoid the pot belly.  I even look to them for beauty suggestions - like whether I should go gray, or not.    Guess what!?!  I never noticed that they were no longer lovely!!!

Lovely, as defined by the Free Online Dictionary, means: "full of love; inspiring love or affection; beauty that appeals to the emotions as well as the eye; enjoyable; delightful; a beautiful person, especially a woman".  Ok, so the end of my 4th decade is arriving at 4:29 am tomorrow morning.  I HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT! and no, I'm not pregnant.  

I am planning to use all of the NEW wisdom I will be gaining to figure out how to stay LOVELY for the rest of my life!

Thirteen

How on earth did I ever become the mother of a 13 year old?  Well, obviously, I know how I became a mother, but how has my daughter already lived for 13 years?  I'll tell you how she's lived.  Sweetly, harmoniously, and nurturingly.  

She takes care of her brothers.  She takes care of herself.  She takes care of friends.  She'd prefer not to take care of the gekko.  She's not caring for the crickets and she avoids feeding the dog... but she will pet Sassafras, especially when it's bedtime.  She even takes care of me occasionally.  Last week she made a cake for her grandfather on his 80th birthday!

She is quite agreeable to joining in most activities.  She loves to play games, especially with her cousins.  She is astonished by the conniving and cruelty this age can bring.  She is independent and enjoys time to herself.  She loves to text and is happy to now be a member of Facebook. 

Since the age of, ummm, 17 months, she's been nurturing.  Brooks was born 3 days before she was 17 months old.  She has always been happy to care for her brothers, from the birth of the very first one!  She's observant and inquisitive.  She's responsible and dependable.

We're moving to Texas and she is excited.  She loves to make new friends and is always happy for a new adventure.  Of course, the promise of nearby shopping is also exciting. (here she is meeting Amy, James, Teresa, and Sydney for the first time!) 

 and meeting Deanna.... 

Here she is meeting Elisabeth, Eppy, Amy A, with Sharalynn at E's baby shower... (don't look at my hair - I think it was in haircut shock!)

She loved her camp experience at Hollymont last year.  She's a Choctaw by tribe (camping tribe, that is) - just like her mom.  She can't wait to repeat the trip again this year. 

We surprised her with two special presents this year.  First, we are planning a trip to New York City to stay with a very special friend of mine, Sharalynn.  We are hoping to go this summer after we move. (here she is meeting Sharalynn and Tim for the first time!)

 Secondly, I bought an amethyst ring in Austria when I was fourteen years old.  I wore that ring on my left hand until Tim replaced it with an engagement ring!  I had the stones re-set in white gold for Caroline and was thrilled to present it to her - after all - the amethyst is her birthstone! 

 This year her birthday fell on Friday.  It was the same night as the 7th/8th grade semi-formal.  We had a dinner party for 7 of her closest friends - complete with stuffed shells and the chocolate fountain.  They had a great time together.  I'm quite sure it was a night she will never forget.  

Thirteen years ago that night, I was experiencing an evening I'll never forget, either.  February 20, 1996, was my first night to discover the excitement and wonder that the birth of a new baby daughter would bring.  

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Ah, the memories!

Update

I haven't given up - really!  I have debated putting the old blog down for good, but I can't bear to do it.  Thanks to my 6 or 7 faithful readers.  I have a meter on my page to gauge the reading activity.  I thought it was so much fun last year to see the cities represented as people visited.  I've had many from cities I had never heard from.  Believe it or not, there have been tons of hits from far-away countries.  Don't worry, I can't tell WHO is reading... only WHERE you are reading from.  The saddest and most alarming fact is that those reading from other countries were only interested in "The Naked Girl at the Slumber Party" post.  I'm sure they were disappointed upon finding my post.  Nothing but good, clean fun on this site!

So, this short note serves 2 purposes.  First, to tell you I am planning to revive the old blog.  Second, to erase "Torture" from the top of the blog.  My friends are advising that I really should take down my post entitled "Torture" with a picture of Tim and I .  Evidently it's bad PR.  

Hang in there, my friends!  This is a big week for me and I have lots to report!