Wednesday, October 31

Happy Halloween!

Here's a little Halloween/travel list for you, dear readers! (Carla, check out number 8.)

Sunday, October 28

Pictures explained

I finally got a bunch of pictures uploaded this weekend. Here's a few images from my life the past few weeks.

Let me preface this first group of pictures by saying that there are lots of women in my mom's family (granny june, my three aunts, five granddaughters, one granddaughter-in-law and her daughter), and we are all very close! After sequestering away at almost every family get-together and leaving the men to watch a football game or something, we finally decided why don't we just have a girls-only get together (no kids, no guys). We started it last year, and it was a rousing success! So, on the last weekend in September all the women in my mom's family gathered at the Normandy Lake house for the 2nd annual York Women's Sleepover. We stayed up very late Friday night talking and snacking. Saturday morning we slept in, ate breakfast, and then went down to the lake for a chilly swim. Saturday afternoon we had a great potluck dinner! It was so much fun. I'm really glad we started doing this, and I'm already looking forward to next year.



Lex was the only boy who got to be there. This was the first time he met his great aunts and cousins, so someone was holding him the entire time!



On my way home from the sleepover I saw it! The car I thought didn't exist. A pink classic Mustang. I had to take a picture.


On October 4th AbiLyn turned three years old! I can't believe it. She's getting so big. She had a princess birthday cake, and her friends and family came to help her celebrate.


Here's Lex at the party wearing his farmboy shirt!


October 7 was Lex's dedication. He looked so beautiful even though there was a bit of controversy over a boy in a gown. (FYI: I was on the side of him wearing the gown. It was a boy's gown, and after all it's tradition.) Oh, if you're not familiar with the practice of baby dedication, click here. In the first picture that's five generations on Liz's side...Grandaddy and Mom Glenda, Mama Dugan, Dad and Mom, Liz, and Lex (pastor's holding him).


(These are the people who were anti-gown.)


My birthday was October 15, and David got me the most beautiful flowers. For some reason I can't get the picture to turn and save that way, but you get the idea.


On October 17 we went to Walking with Dinosaurs with Mackenzie and Taylor. It was amazing. Life-size dinosaurs. These pictures don't really do it justice...awesome!


Friday, October 26

Learning Never Stops

In my work I often have to research terms and products to find out correct spelling, capitalization, etc. Well, today I needed to know if, "In the term Phillips-head screwdriver does Phillips have to be capitalized?" I thought no. I was wrong. The Phillips-head screw and screwdriver are, in fact, named after Henry F. Phillips. Go here if you would like to be as knowledgeable about useless stuff as I am.

Happy Friday!

P.S. Maybe I'll make this a regular feature (Friday Item of Useless Knowledge)!

Thursday, October 25

Random Items

First random item:
I'm sporting a look today that is not working at all! I'm trying to get creative with ways to stay warm because I haven't gotten out my fall/winter stuff and I won't have time to do it until this weekend. So, today I'm wearing a long denim skirt, earthy closed-toe sandals, a striped oxford shirt, and a gray wool hoodie. (Eew, this outfit even sounds atrocious!) Anyway, the problem is that the shirt is too big, and my hoodie is sort of pushing out the middle of the front of my shirt, so I look like I'm wearing a maternity shirt! I guess I'll just have to keep my hoodie zipped or something. Really, I just can't wait to get home and put on PJs.

Second random item:
Two, it's a well-known fact that I don't handle change well. The weirdest changes bother me deep down inside somewhere, and today I had to fight that unsettling feeling yet again. Let me start at the beginning and maybe you readers won't get bored. I got my first checking account the summer I got my first job. I was 16 and working at McDonald's. I got a student checking account at the local bank that McDonald's used...First City Bank. It was a Murfreesboro company, and they were so sweet and very small town-ish. Anyway, a couple of years later the inevitable happened. They were bought out by a national bank...First American (this bothered me...new ATM card, new checks, new letterhead on my monthly statement-see what I mean...I'm weird). Couple of years later First American was bought or merged with AmSouth (again, this bothered me). I got married. I transferred my lovely little checking account to my new husband's checking account (which then became a joint checking account) still at AmSouth. Well, well, well. A few months ago AmSouth was bought by Regions. Here's where the problems began. Murfreesboro already had several Regions branches and several AmSouth branches, so they're consolidating. That's right. The lovely little branch closest to my house that I've been going to since I was 16 is closing. This morning the teller informed me that this was their last day to be open, and then directed me to where the nearest Regions branch is. Okay, here's where I go into "big baby" mode. I don't want to go to that Regions branch. I liked my AmSouth branch. It still looked like First City Bank which is where I banked to begin with. Sniff...tear.

Friday, October 19

OMG!

Please, just click here.

Monday, October 15

Going crazy!!!

I forgot the headphones for my iPod today. That's not a problem when I'm in my car (I can hear it through my car stereo), but I normally listen to music all day at work. I'm dying! I'm thinking about going out and buying some at lunchtime!

What Type of Reader Are You?

Apparently I'm a "Dedicated Reader." Click below if you want to take this quiz, too.

What Kind of Reader Are You?
Your Result: Dedicated Reader
 

You are always trying to find the time to get back to your book. You are convinced that the world would be a much better place if only everyone read more.

Literate Good Citizen
 
Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
 
Book Snob
 
Fad Reader
 
Non-Reader
 
What Kind of Reader Are You?
Create Your Own Quiz

Friday, October 12

Summer Reading

I realize the summer is over, but I'm still working on my self-imposed summer reading project. I've been reading the "Little House" books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I loved these books when I was a girl, and I hadn't read them since elementary school. I've really enjoyed it. Thanks to Regina Beckett for loaning me the collection. She has the entire set in hardcover with all the dustjackets still intact. These books are now out of print, so I've tried to be very careful with them. I think my favorite thing about them though is the childishly cursive writing inside each cover: Regina Lewis. Cutest thing ever!

Anyway, here is a passage from The Long Winter that I thought was really sweet, especially since I have two little sisters.
“That was over. But they did not speak until they had walked out of town. Then Carrie said, ‘You did that beautifully, Laura.’
‘Oh, it was just buying something,’ Laura replied.
‘I know, but I feel funny when people look at me. I feel…not scared, exactly…’ Carrie said.
‘There’s nothing to be scared of,’ Laura said. ‘We mustn’t ever be scared.’ Suddenly she told Carrie, ‘I feel the same way.’
‘Do you, really? I didn’t know that. You don’t act like it. I always feel so safe when you’re there,’ Carrie said.
‘You are safe when I’m there,’ Laura answered. ‘I’d take care of you. Anyway, I’d try my best.’
‘I know you would,’ Carrie said.
It was nice, walking together. To take care of their shoes, they did not walk in the dusty wheel-tracks. They walked on the harder strip in the middle where only horses’ hoofs had discouraged the grass. They were not walking hand in hand, but they felt as if they were.
Ever since Laura could remember, Carrie had been her little sister. First she had been a tiny baby, then she had been Baby Carrie, then she had been a clutcher and tagger, always asking ‘Why?’ Now she was ten years old, old enough to be really a sister. And they were out together, away from even Pa and Ma. Their errand was done and off their minds, and the sun was shining, the wind was blowing, the prairie spread far all around them. They felt free and independent and comfortable together.”

Thursday, October 11

Announcement

Okay, I'm back. Expect some lengthy posts and pictures in the next couple of days. I just wanted to post an announcement that all my family videos are now posted using Godtube. This means that the related content at the end should be clean. So, it's safe to watch. The clips, commercials, etc. that I still post from Youtube will still link to Youtube and you should proceed with caution.