Three funerals and a wedding? Circle of life.

This has been such a strange year. It seems like in a year where everything is coming together for me personally, a new marriage, a new step-daughter, a new home, that I am losing friends & co-workers left and right.  Young people too.  I will have been to three funerals by the end of this week and the age of those lost range from 26-43.  

In a time when I struggle to comprehend God's plan, my husband reminds me that there is a plan and to trust in it because there is no way we would be together without Him.  In a time when I want to break down and be sad, I have the great gift of a home that has over an acre of yard that needs work and my attention and just this once, I can shovel and mow and not think.  In a time when it would be so easy to focus on the loss of death, I am reminded constantly that there is also the gift of life.  You see, in my same office where we have lost two young co-workers in two months, we have also experienced the joy of watching several co-workers become parents, most for the first time.  

Last Friday, I left work early and spent the afternoon at homecoming with my husband, step-daughter, some friends, and their brand new grand baby.  I held that precious child and reminded myself that every life is a gift and every child is a joy.  

God doesn't explain His reasons but He has them.  My father was 27 when he passed away from cancer and it took me 30 years to realize that God called him home because He loved him and daddy had suffered enough. Time, it is all we have so we make the most of it. 

Sorry for the rambling...this is just where I am this morning. 

Wedding Recap: Finding my Perfect Happiness

What can I say about our wedding?  It was perfect.  It was so much fun.   It was a beautiful day.

I was surrounded by amazing family!

Our wonderful wedding party. 

We had such a good time playing and being silly.

Everything turned out just lovely!

I don't know what I dreamed in the past but I can't imagine a more perfect wedding.  It was simply wonderful, fun, and very us.

*Most photos courtesy of  Lori Carr Photography

Marriage, New House, & Luke Bryan!

I haven't blogged in a little while mostly because I have been really busy getting married...





Moving into my new house and unpacking which never seems to end...


And spending some QT with Luke Bryan. Priorities! So I promise when life calms down a little I will post all about the wedding which was beautiful and the new-old house which I love. Until then just know all is really, really good!



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Things I wish I could ask my Grandparents

Maybe it's because of the wedding but I have found myself crying all morning because I miss my grandparents. I miss all four of my grandparents so very much. I find myself wishing I could ask then some questions about life some really important and some just important to me. Here are some things I would love to know:

-how do you set up and keep a compost pile?

-how do you live with a man for 30 years and not kill him?

-how do you learn to agree about stupid things kitchen appliances without it becoming a discussion? Why can't I just have my kitchen? I'm not making suggestions on outdoor tool and grills. Just let me do the house, please!

-I want my grandmother'a recipe for the "Don't fence me in" cookies that nobody can find!

-how do you get past the annoying things you do that make each other crazy?

-kids...how do you raise them to turn out well? Help please! I mean none of my parents or aunts and uncles ended up on drugs or alcoholics.

-house cleaning tips. Come on you didn't really spend all day, every day cleaning, right? There have to be things you did to make it easier and fast. I saw those gardens!

-speaking of gardens I want to grow those tomatoes you use to grow. I haven't had a good one since any of you grew them.


I am sure there are twenty two other things I would ask but mostly I would just tell them I miss them and love them.




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Being a Bride: 5 Thought

This is not my wedding dress...just one that didn't make the cut.


So the day is getting closer and I have a few thoughts and bits of advice about getting married. Here in no particular order are the things I have learned along the way.

-Never try to sell and buy a house in the same 3 week period that you are getting married. You don't have time to cry, stress, and pull your hair out about one thing because there are five others happening at the same time. Every single day. The good news is, I didn't have time to be a Bridzilla because I have too busy being a buyerzilla. You think it's easy trying to make a ginger happy when you are messing with me on my dream home?

-Don't worry about 'stuff'. The great thing about having all the house buying problems has been that the wedding planning has been nothing but a distraction and a welcome one at that. I never have worried about anything going wrong on my wedding day. I know it probably will. It isn't a big deal. As long as he makes it, I make it, the minister makes it, and our families make it, we are good. We have the rest of our lives to work on getting to perfect.

-Have your dream wedding, whatever that is. I'm wearing cowboy boots under my dress and I have just enough sport related stuff at the wedding that you know, it's me getting married. It's not my mom's idea of a perfect wedding but short of having the ceremony at the Ballpark, it's mine. Since I got engaged at the Ballpark, I'm good!

-Realize in the end that it isn't about who can't or won't show up but about the people that love you as a couple and have been there to support you individually and as a unit. They will also be there in the future. All that truly matters in the end is that love wins.

And last but not least you realize, OMG, I'm getting married!!!

Simply me

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Is it all worth it?

Sadie is packed and ready to move. She is about the only one. I am so completely stressed out trying to get everything done. I sit here now and think....is this stress all worth it? I am grumpy. I cry over nothing. I pick stupd fights with my fiancé for breathing wrong.

I don't remember closing on a house being this hard 15 years ago. I have never been married so I can't even speak to that part. I do know that everything happening at the same time is really stupid. I want to run away.

And then everything that can go wrong does....
The car suddenly stops working for no reason at all except apparently that the theft protection device in the key failed after 8 years. Ok?

The appraiser on the house insists there is a foundation problem, which doesn't exist because, we already had it checked and it was fine, but now we have to have a structural engineer inspect it. Ok, thought I had that handled. Not so fast! The company that was going to do it decided to deny the request. Furthermore, they referred me to a company that refuses to do Pier and Beam foundations. Well ok, can you all just stab me now? We are closing in less than 2 weeks and I can't find anyone to pay to actually inspect the stupid foundation which is fine anyway.

Work...is just a little ball of stress.

Then I worry about everything in between the wedding and the house. Changing my address. As in, I haven't changed it and it suddenly occurred to me that I probably should since I don't live there anymore. Changing my name. I mean, I have had my name for 44 years. How does one just change it after that long? All this stress makes me feel....Fatter than Shamu! I am never going to fit into my wedding dress!


Oh and I have 3 concerts left and I can't find the tickets. I packed them....somewhere! Is this all worth it? Ask me in a month, I guess.


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