Did you Ever Want to Run Away?

Charleston, SC is the place to run to.

January may not be the most scenic time to visit Charleston, but it is still an awesome place to visit. (I want to come back in the Spring to see the flower gardens)

Beautiful views, food that makes your taste buds jump up for more and an awesome buggy ride through the old part of town.

And what's up with the Pineapple Fountain? It's beautiful. But, why a pineapple? Not sure about that one. I do know we had a wonderful relaxing time. Those are moments you can never replace. Live like you are dying. You'll never regret it.

The Lunch Bunch Reunion

In 1979 & 1980, a bunch of silly girls use to go to lunch together. All in one car. Two things. Cars were bigger & we were smaller.

It was great !

We have all gone our separate ways, live in different towns. But one thing we all have in common, is we all love the Lord with all our hearts. God has been good to us all.

Thanks girls for great memories and a wonderful time together. Until next year.

I Love Fall

I love fall.

End of story.

Ok... not so much.

I love the colors of the changing leaves. They remind me of life. Life is FOREVER changing. Sometimes it's beautiful and awe inspiring. Later, it can be dry, dull and downright ugly.

I love watching how the cool weather make the dogs run extra fast, chasing each other as if they know winter is on their heels. It's way cool to watch them skid into the leaves.

I must get a picture of that.. :-)

But, fall always brings cool breezes, fresh air and the smell of.... what is that smell?

Cool crisp air... but, what is that smell??? I'm sure Yankee Candle has a smell that tries to imitate the smell of fall. That would be an impossible smell to duplicate.

Pumpkins, Leaves, Cool Air, Football Games, Crunching as you walk... but what is that smell??? I guess it's just.. fall.

Washing Machine Blues...

I know I have a problem.

I love doing laundry.

There I said it.

I love the way it feels when it comes out of the dryer.

Warm, fluffy, fresh, smelling like Downy ...awww. There's nothing like it.

It all started when my son, bless his little 6ft. 3 inch heart, ... as I was saying... It all started when my son walked through the kitchen with his muddy shoes on. He paused at the sink. Possibly to quench his thirst. When he left the sink, he also left his size 12 shoe prints on my new rug, that adorned the floor in front of the sink.

Vacuumed. Nothing. Vacuumed again. Nothing...again. The lovely red mud color still lays on the rug like a tired ol' cat.

So, I do the logical thing. I throw the rug in the washer. Use a little Oxyclean and wash!

Apparently, this was not a "washable" rug. How do I know? you ask?

Let me back up a bit. I have a "front end loading washing machine". This was purchased because of the amount of water it would save. Energy efficient.

Can I just tell you... water is water.

My washing machine, light lit up that said, " Load Complete". The logical thing now to do, would be to open the washing machine and throw the rug in the dryer.

Right?

I opened the washer, only to have five or more gallons of water rush out of the machine like an ocean wave days before the hurricane hit !

I yelled. I might have even said a "word".

When the wave finally settled on my laundry room floor,and the particles of rug lined the machine.... I gasped at the mess that now laid before me. The rug, was no more.

I tried to find something positive in this incident. I thought. And thought some more.

Then it came to me.

We are kind of like the rug. We are really not made for this world. We live in this world, and we sometimes get walked on, and carry scars of this world. When we try to clean things up ourselves, we fall apart. We sometimes even get carried away by a big wave. Which in the end, is another big mess. Some messes effect others. Only the one true God can clean up our mess. He can make the rug new again. Now, it might carry the stains of our past messes. But, it's invisible to God. We are new again.

And the good part. God will clean up the mess NOW. I have to wait till Wednesday for a repairman. Sigh.

Just a Thought.

Cousins... Aunts.... Uncles.... Siblings... Nephews... Nieces.... Family..

It's a mystery.... You know the joke of you can pick your friends, you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your family. It's so true. But, another mystery is the connection family members have. We had a "Cousins Reunion", Aug. 2009. Some of my cousins, I hadn't seen in ten-twenty years. As crazy as it seems, we picked up where we left off. Greetings, hugs, stories, laughter, more stories, joking, harassing, remember whens', and then hugs again, and then on our way to our separate lives. Forever connected as family & enough love to keep time still until the next time we meet.

The Life Seen Through Katie....

It's a Dogs Life.

How simple. Sleep, eat meals that are prepared for me by the master of the house. I don't have to cook, clean up plates & messes.... just eat.

Then after meal time. Sleep. The only question would be where? In the garage on my cot with the fan. (yes, we provide a fan for our dog) Or on the porch basking in the warm sun rays? Aww this time, I'll rest in the soft lush grass under a shade tree and listen to the birds chirp.

After a few hours of this leisure activity, I'll sashay over to the owners son and follow him around a while. He does tend to get into some messes.

Time to drink water. I wish they would put more ice cubes in my water dish. It is 98 degrees outside after all. My only complaint.

My favorite time of the day is when the UPS man comes. He is so scared of me. You should see his eyes widen when I come charging his truck. He gets all jittery and starts throwing dog bones my way. I love dog bones. I'm not going to bite him. But, he doesn't know that. I sure do get a lot of dog bones though. hehehehe

I chase lizards, keep all snakes and unwanted guest away from the house and alert the owners when a deer is near her flowers. I win points on this one.

Yah.. all in all, I'm pretty much a big deal around here.

Did I mention I'm ready to go to the beach?  Charlie has heard this daily.  What is so special about the beach?

Wake up when you want.  Throw on your swim suit, an ample amount of sunscreen, a ball cap, sunglasses, while dragging your beach chair, towel and a large bottled water to the beach shores.

Carefully place your chair in the direct rays of the sun. Towel in chair, hat on head. butt down. Ahhh... The sound of waves hitting the beach. The sand under your feet. Your eyes cannot contain the entire ocean in one glance. The warmth of the sun bronzes your body with a steady breeze coming off the ocean to keep a constant cooling effect.

Later, there is a possible sand creation, and game of botchy ball to be had. Or there is the uninterrupted time to read the book that you've meant to read for a long time.

No house to clean, no work, no deadlines, no piles of laundry, but most importantly NO Alarm Clocks !!!

Did I mention, I'm ready to go to the beach?  I can hear it call me.