Twilight?

A beautiful day out on the lake .....

ends perfectly with this..... I hope your weekend was as beautiful as mine. Happy Memorial Day!

wheeeeeeee!

Whoa. Only 6 days since my last post, but it feels like EONS. First things first, I guess. I got a job. A real life, wake up at the same time everyday, put make up on in the morning, bugging out on the first day, JOB. I'm fairly certain that Mark is happier than me. I actually haven't told many people. I guess because I've been kind of lazy for the last year and a half and if I didn't make it, I didn't want to seem like a giant loser. No going back now I guess. Cat's outta the bag. It's on the Internet. I did manage to keep a three day weekend, (score: Heather 1, job 0) which makes me incredibly lucky. I'm working in the billing department at a clinic in the big K. It's going alright. Enough said about that. : )
Pictures. I feel so guilty. I haven't taken a picture in almost a week. I miss it. : (  I'm also doing a wedding in June. Holy crow. Still bugging out about that, but imma be takin' that risk, boo. It should be fun.

My bestie, CoCo turned 30. We have officially kissed our twenties goodbye! I love that crazy bitch. (I feel no remorse calling her that because 1. she knows it's true and 2. she calls me that, too.) I STILL haven't celebrated with her, because her sis took her away to VEGAS for a birthday weekend without me, but am hoping to have a lunch date with her one day next week. Doesn't really compare, does it? Love you, CoCo!

Mark and I celebrated my return to the work force by not cleaning up after ourselves all week and ordering out tonight. We tried the new place Copeland's here in town and it did not disappoint. Homemade potato chips? Sign me up! Everything was great. I highly recommend you check it out. Yum...

On to things of very little importance. I'm pretty pissed Off the Map didn't make it to Season 2. I was really liking that show. On the plus side, Grey's is back. STOP reading here if you haven't watched the season finale yet (what did we do before Tivo and DVRs? Oh, wait, I still have neither of those) ...... OK. Meredith and Derek fighting and making up? That's Grey's! Alex being a complete ass? Totally Grey's. Christina doing whats best for Christina? So Grey's. It's back kids. Can't wait till fall! : )

Of even lesser importance? I am exhausted. I've been to bed this week every night at 10. Dudes.. that's a record.

Hope your week has been a good one! Here's to a weekend filled with relaxation and moderate quantities of booze. (if you so choose.)

Later gaters...

*Love Song- 311

explosion and perspective

I had grand intentions of firing off part of this post yesterday, but blogger was down and it made me feel Freeeee!!!!!! So, even when it came back on this afternoon, I forgot to blog. Oops. This one is important to me, and so much better late than never.

First. Yesterday, Mark and I had an argument. See? We are actually normal people who don't want to suck face all day long and have our own moments of marital skirmish. : ) On his way home from work yesterday, Mark called me and was going on about how he was going to get this wood chipper from a friend. Great! He told me about how he planned to do it and even though I was thinking there were better things we could do with the money he would use to buy it, I was happy that he was happy.... The conversation then moved to what our plans were for last night. I asked him would he go with me to a band concert at our high school Alma Mater IF we got done mowing early enough. He exploded on me, wondering why I was changing our plans...BLAH BLAH BLAH... When I told him I was disappointed, he asked why was I so mad and what do you know, 3 seconds later, he hung up on me.

I'd like to interject at this point that Mark is a wonderful husband. He truly is, but he knows what buttons to push when he is mad. My ULTIMATE pet peeve is being hung up on. It's rude and hurts my feelings. Two things I do NOT tolerate.

 So, when he got home, I had already changed into shorts and a t-shirt and had my ipod in trying to start the mower. (With no luck, dammit. WHY, WHY must mechanical things always fail me when I am in the middle of an argument? -Wait, that's got to be a God thing. God must have wanted us to kiss and make up.) Anyway, he walks out into the back yard and looks at me, gesturing that he wants to talk. With enormous effort, I pulled my earphones out and in my sassiest, southern, pissed off voice, said: "OH! Now you wanna talk to me?" Yeah, total bitch baby.

Of course we ended up working it out. We always do, because that's just us. He also fixed the mower. (The spark plug was uncovered. Dammit.) We finished the yard and our elderly neighbors walked over to the fence row and invited us over for beers. We gladly accepted because they are awesome! This is the first time in five years that we've had anything more than a few fence row chats or a few laughs. Can I just say that these two people are wonderful? They entertained us with tales from their early life as a young married couple. We also learned the MR. had been to jail and that Mrs. had gone and bailed him out. (He had been caught with moonshine in his vehicle...which might not have been as bad if he hadn't been sipping it on the way home!) The entire time they talked, they were holding hands and laughing and I realized something.... 56 years of marriage is a lot to celebrate. There were ups and downs good times and bad times, but they made it. They're STILL making it!  And in today's day and age, that's really saying something. So, I'm celebrating my argument. I'm also hoping that in 49 years or so, Mark and I will be grey and wrinkled and that I'll be telling some silly young couple (without even knowing it) to celebrate it all.

*Jessie's Girl: Rick Springfield

too many irons in the fire

I sat down this morning and made a "To Do List". It wasn't short. Read on...

• Clean House
• Laundry
• Dinner
• Give the dogs a bath
• Return Movies
• Walgreens
• Kroger
• Pot Plants

That's just today. The things I have committed to doing the rest of this week are insane as well...

• 10AM Thursday- Interview
• 11AM Thursday- Doctors Appointment (Gonna have to cancel that one)
• 12PM Thursday- Sit with a friend who had surgery
• 5PM Thursday- Take pictures for a friend's children who are in a dance recital
• 9PM Thursday- Grey's Anatomy (Ok, technically, thats not a committment, but STILL. Not missing it. )
• 10AM Friday- Sit with Friend who had surgery
• 2PM Friday- Go pick up boat tires
• 10AM Saturday- Fun Day for Mark's Work
• 6PM Sunday- Kyle's Graduation from College!
• 9AM Monday- Babysit

Where is May going?????? I don't want to sound like I am complaining, either... I want to do each and every one of these things...I just wish they didn't all decide to occur on the same weekend! And if I land the job? It's seriously going to complicate things.. 

*Kings of Leon-  Molly's Chambers

Mamas I Love...

Here I am with Mark's mama, the sweetest mother in law on the face of the planet. She always knows how to make me laugh and is an expert in southern cooking and flower planting. I love her very much. : )

Here is my sis... She is a great mother to my sweet nephew, Ryan. She is my go to girl for all things fashion and family oriented. I admire her many, many talents. I'm lucky to have her in my life..

Here is my grandmother. I idolize her for her kindness and charm. She also happens to be the blue ribbon winner of lace cookies, hugs and iced tea. She has a wild flower garden that she has kept up for over 50 years that would break your heart. I love her so, so much.

And then there is MY mama. She has compassion and grace. She knows the proper way to say things and her love of God is truly inspiring. I admire her strength and charisma. She makes a MEAN Beef Stew and is in love with her grandson...I love her...

Happy Mother's Day to all of my favorite mamas... and to all of you mamas who are reading this....Enjoy your day!

*Open Arms- Journey

love and the English

It's no secret that I have a love affair with English royalty. Just recently I have indulged myself on The Tudors, Elizabeth, Elizabeth the Golden Age, Sense and Sensibility and just tonight, The Young Victoria. Ahhhh....

I don't really consider myself to be a romantic kind of girly girl. I like hunting, being outdoors, camping, and anything else where I can be outside and feeling vital. When it comes to the passionate and usually torrid love affairs of early England, I. AM. A SUCKER. To me, there is simply nothing more romantic than billowing dresses, bowing and curtsy-ing, speaking both languidly and proficiently, stolen glances and forbidden love. I really cannot help myself.

Tonight, while watching The Young Victoria, I was reminded of how much I really love my husband. I know I tell him everyday, but there was something so familiar about the way that Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were laying together on the morning after their wedding that reminded me of the so rare Saturday mornings that my husband and myself do exactly the same thing. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were married only twenty years. He died at age 42 of Typhoid. Queen Victoria had his clothes laid out for him every morning and night until she died 39 years or so later... she was 81.

Love like that is so rare, it seems. That mushy, lovey-dovey, never stop looking at me that way kind of love...

I am so grateful and humbled that I have found that...

Thank you, mi amore....

unity

These few words were spoken no more than two hours ago by our President, Barack Obama.

"And tonight, let us think back to the sense of unity that prevailed on 9/11. I know that it has, at times, frayed. Yet today’s achievement is a testament to the greatness of our country and the determination of the American people. The cause of securing our country is not complete, but tonight we are once again reminded that America can do whatever we set our mind to. That is the story of our history. Whether it’s the pursuit of prosperity for our people or the struggle for equality for all our citizens, our commitment to stand up for our values abroad, and our sacrifices to make the world a safer place. Let us remember that we can do these things not just because of wealth or power, but because of who we are, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. "

And already people are fighting. They are fighting over stupid things like freedom of speech-which actually isn't a stupid thing at all, more so that the people who are so free to say what they like are the stupid ones...you may well count me as one of them. As much as it is their right to say one thing, it is my right to say another, or to even disagree. It's not a one way street people, remember that when you post you facebook statuses and then get pissed off because someone doesn't agree with what you are saying...

I'm cross, if you can't tell. I too posted a facebook status. One that hoped for unity for our country and within the two hours that passes, I saw countless people fighting. On the whole, it is completely discouraging and disheartening. Is it so wrong to try for unity? I know everyone doesn't have to have the same opinion, I jut wonder why it's so flipping hard for people to compromise.. or even shut the hell up and listen!

Osama bin Laden is dead. That may not end the war, but as someone who had a friend in one of the towers that day, it's sort of a relief. My friend Tony DIED that day. He died because some asshole thought it would be a good idea to drive a plane into a few buildings to prove a point. The only point that was proved by that, (IN MY HUMBLE OPINION) was that in the face of adversity, we are UNITED. People. Not politicians. Not Red States or Blue States. Just regular old me and you.

I am saddened and will continue to be saddened by the people. I will continue to be relieved by Osama bin Laden's death. I will continue to pray for our troops. Most of all, I will continue to be proud to live in this great country..because I love it here, and no matter what anyone wants to say, I will always believe that we are united. Some way, somehow.