It's Time for Me :)

“There comes a time when you have to stand up and shout: This is me damn it! I look the way I look, think the way I think, feel the way I feel, love the way I love! I am a whole complex package. Take me... or leave me. Accept me - or walk away! Do not try to make me feel like less of a person, just because I don't fit your idea of who I should be and don't try to change me to fit your mold. If I need to change, I alone will make that decision. When you are strong enough to love yourself 100%, good and bad - you will be amazed at the opportunities that life presents you.” - Stacey Charter

So, this is my new motto. For pretty much all of my life, I've lived for other people. I like for everyone to be happy. I've taken a step back lately to look at what's truly important in my life, and I'm focusing on that.
*I have a wonderful husband who loves me for me, and who puts up with me like no one else on this planet ever would!

*No, I don't have a ton of friends, but this is by choice. The ones I have I know I can count on no matter what. I learned a hard lesson about trust and friendship this year, and I know I am blessed to have a small number of awesome people in my life. These are the ones who have stuck by me, not judged me, and helped me get through my failed "best friendship." A friendship should be a give and take, and looking back, I can see that that's not what that was. But, I'm stronger because of it, though my trust level is pretty low right now.

*I have a great job that I love. It doesn't pay the greatest, but it's rewarding. It frustrates me at times, and I get burnt out at times, but my bills are paid and I have a little left over. :) That's all I can ask for I reckon.

*I'm going back to school this spring! I can't wait!!! I minored in psychology my first go round, so I'm going back to finish my second Bachelor's and at least my master's. I'm hoping I have enough patience and will-power to finish my phD, but we'll see about that. :)

I'm finally at a place in my life where I can see how truly blessed I am, and I'm happier than I've been in a long, long time. Life is good!

Karlee Grace

I'm gonna try and get better about this blog. I've been kinda slacking seeing as how I haven't posted anything in a year!

There's been a lot going on in my life, but the best news lately is that my sister had a baby! Those of you that know me well know how hard it has been for her to have a second child, but Karlee Grace was born on November 1, and she is perfect. :)

Zeke is liking her, so far. :) I miss having them so far away. I'm going to miss so much of her growing up - I was there for so much of Zeke's. Reckon there will just be tons of miles put on my car soon!

The Wooden Bowl

I know this has gone around several times before via email, but it especially struck a chord with me today for some reason, so I decided to post it.

The Wooden Bowl

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year-old grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and ailing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess.

'We must do something about father,' said the son. 'I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor.' So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence..

One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, 'What are you making?' Just as sweetly, the boy responded, 'Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up. ' The four-year-old smiled and went back to work. The words so struck the parents so that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done.

That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, Neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

On a positive note, I've learned that, no matter what happens, how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.

I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles four things: A rainy day, the elderly, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights..

I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as making a 'life..'

I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.

I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands.You need to be able to throw something back sometimes.

I've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you But, if you focus on your family, your friends, the needs of others, Your work and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you

I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.

I've learned that every day, you should reach out and touch someone. People love that human touch -- holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.

I've learned that I still have a lot to learn..

Five Important Lessons

1 - First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady.
During my second month of college, our professorgave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one:'What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?'Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen thecleaning woman several times... She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50's, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last questionblank. Just before class ended, one student asked ifthe last question would count toward our quiz grade. 'Absolutely,' said the professor.. 'In your careers you will meet many people. All are significant. Theydeserve your attention and care, even if all you dois smile and say 'hello.'I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned hername was Dorothy.

2. - Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain
One night, at 11:3 0 p.m., an older African Americanwoman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car hadbroken down and she desperately needed a ride.Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generallyunheard of in those conflict-filled 60s.. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance andput her into a taxicab.She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and aknock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. Aspecial note was attached.It read:'Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only myclothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dyinghusband's bedside just before he passed away.... Godbless you for helping me and unselfishly servingothers.'Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole.

3 - Third Important Lesson - Always remember those who serve.
In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less,a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.'How much is an ice cream sundae?' he asked.'Fifty cents,' replied the waitress.The little boy pulled is hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.'Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?' he inquired.By now more people were waiting for a table and thewaitress was growing impatient.'Thirty-five cents,' she brusquely replied. The little boy again counted his coins.'I'll have the plain ice cream,' he said.The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill onthe table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitresscame back, she began to cry as she wiped down thetable. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies.. You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he hadto have enough left to leave her a tip..

4 - Fourth Important Lesson. - The obstacle in Our Path.
In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on aroadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of theking's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came byand simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way. Then a peasant came along carrying a load ofvegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, thepeasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushingand straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticeda purse lying in the road where the boulder hadbeen. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for theperson who removed the boulder from the roadway. Thepeasant learned what many of us never understand!Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.

5 - Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts...
Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at ahospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz whowas suffering from a rare & serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who hadmiraculously survived the same disease and haddeveloped the antibodies needed to combat theillness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister.I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking adeep breath and saying, 'Yes I'll do it if it will save her.' As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did,seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then hisface grew pale and his smile faded.He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, 'Will I start to die right away?'.Being young, the little boy had misunderstood thedoctor; he thought he was going to have to give hissister ALL of his blood in order to save her but he had chosen to save her anyway.

Zeke is 10!

Wow, where does the time go? My nephew is 10 years old as of last week! Makes me feel quite old. I am, however, quite proud to call myself his aunt. He is the most caring, compassionate child ever. He's always worried about hurting someone's feelings and will sometimes do things he doesn't want to do just so others will be happy.

I still remember the day he was born, and how tiny he was at only 5 pounds. I was so excited for my sister! For the first 3 years of his life, he and I were like peas and carrots :-) I saw him pretty much every day. Then I moved away to Tuscaloosa and didn't get to see him near as much as I'd like to. He started growing up and didn't like to be hugged and kissed anymore. Once I moved back, I made every effort to spend as much time with him as I could, and now he's moved away. :-( He's SO happy though. You can just tell by being around him. He is liking his new school, and he's made lots of new friends. (Though, he makes friends EVERYWHERE he goes!) He can ride his bike in his neighborhood and doesn't just have to sit inside all the time. Missing most of his baseball games next year is gonna be tough, though.

Went to visit him this past weekend for his birthday party. Had a great time, though next time I'll stay at his house so I can spend more time with him, my sister, and my brother-in-law.

Zeke, I love you and I miss you. I'm proud of you!

Done with the drama

I've had more than my fair share of drama this year, and I've been doing a lot of thinking. I have wasted entirely too much of my time worrying about all of this stupid stuff and childish people. It's wearing me out emotionally, and I have to release it.

So, it all ends today. No longer do I care what people think or say about me. If you are immature and insecure in your own life, that can't be my problem any longer. The people that know me and love me know the truth, and everyone else can kiss my grits. If there are questions or things you wanna know, ask me. I won't lie to you!

I can be hard to deal with if you don't know me, but I can also be the best friend you've ever had.

I do have a few things that I'd like to get off my chest to a few people ('cause I know you're reading), and that will be all I have to say.

Brenda Harrison: I don't know what in the world your problem is or where your problem with me came from. We were all friends until a few months ago when you lost your freaking mind. I am NOT sleeping with Rusty. We are just friends. Me talking to him anywhere in public is none of your concern. I am SO freaking sorry that you're too immature and insecure to deal with me yourself. You have my number if you ever decide to act your age and talk to me about why you hate me so much. You can log into Lauren's facebook page and check my profile all you want. I know you do. Lauren and Rusty have both told me that you do every single night. So freaking pathetic!

Tammy Johnson: I have no idea why you ever had a problem with me. You say I'm "inappropriate" with your husband, but my personality is JUST like his. You just don't like it because I'm a girl. I am NOT sleeping with Joe. He is one of my best friends, and there's nothing you can do about that. Unlike Rusty, he doesn't let you choose who his friends are. You've never given me a chance, you just decided that you don't want to know me and you'd rather hate me and talk about me. That's fine with me from this point on.
I've tried to be nice to you, tried to speak to you. And you choose to make up lies about me. For instance (heard by me from Rusty Harrison): "Joe and Stephanie disappeared together for 45 minutes the night 8 of us went to the casino supposedly to go to the bathroom, and Robbie and I were wondering where they went." That's bullshit and you know it. Ask the other 2 couples with us if they remember anything like that. I can promise you they don't because it didn't happen. Just grow the hell up!

Tonya Hughes: I don't know if you're still involved in this or not, but I know you were at some point. I NEVER slept with Chad. Ever. The people that were sleeping with him then were friends of yours, but I can promise you I never touched him nor did I want to. You just hated the fact that I was always around. Sorry I like the races and you don't. Not my problem. Don't talk about people when you don't know what you're talking about.

Candy Sisson Boyd: I don't know if you're still involved in this either. The problem with you is that I don't even know you! Wouldn't know who you were if you walked through my front door. I understand that you always have to side with your sister, but you might wanna get to know the person you're talking about first.

Now, I'm done. I'm releasing all of my drama and hatred for you all and replacing it with pity. No longer will my Facebook statuses involve anything you may say or do. Go ahead and spread your lies and drama all around town. I no longer care.

Summer 2009 So Far...

So, it's been a while since I posted anything on here. Sorry! Been kinda busy this summer.

So far, I've been fortunate enough to go to the beach twice. Went June 11-14 with Robbie, Matt, and Brooke for Brooke's birthday! We had a great time.

Then, a few weeks later we spent a week at Gulf Shores with Jimmy, Stacie, and the kids, and Haley & Bryce came down for the weekend. It was the first time I really had a lot of time to spend around any of them, and we really had a good time. Look forward to hanging out a lot more with 'em all!

Me and Stacie @ Geno's

Me and Robbie @ Geno's

Me, Savannah, and Kaleb getting ready to Skycoaster!

Tons more pics to see, but no time to put many more on here. Check 'em out on my facebook.

On a sadder note, my baby sis and her family are getting ready to move to Slidell, LA. Zeke leaves this weekend and starts school on August 1. Joe and Jenn move on August 7. I'm sad that they'll be moving, but I know it's an awsome opportunity for them, and it's only 3 hours away. Jennifer's never lived anywhere other than Meridian, MS her entire life, so she is ready and excited for this change. I wish 'em the best!

Other than that, been working a ton (when I haven't been at the beach!). Hope everyone is having a great summer so far!