Three Things
I didn’t do three things today that I should have done. I feel like poop about it because I can’t get today back, but it’s over and done with now.
What I did do was get my tree decorated and get my Christmas decorations out. It rained all day, so no fun outside activities. I’m trying to get my house in order for the Thanksgiving holiday. Cain will be home Tuesday night and then we have family coming over on Thursday.
A great man was buried today. I am so blessed that I knew Billy Gray my whole life. He was such a great example of what a Christian should be. He always reminded me of the guy that played the Tin Man. :) He and his wife, Sue, are just wonderful, wonderful people. He will be greatly missed.
Night.
Exploring Day 2
Honey and I walked about two miles into the woods and had a wonderful time. We sat for a while, just listening. We saw this cute little Carolina Wren and his mate, and a Red-headed woodpecker, and chipmunks and squirrels. It was a beautiful day and we sure did enjoy ourselves. I love the way the woods smell. I could’ve stayed out there all day.
I loved today. I sure enjoyed getting out of the house and being with my dumplin’. :)
Exploring
We went exploring on Pigeon Mountain today. We had a great time but it’s kind of hard to take pictures and walk with Lucy, too; sometimes anyway. I was SO ready to be out of this house. I haven’t done much in the last month because I’ve been taking care of Humphrey. He gets his last set of puppy shots on Nov. 30 and I’ll be so glad because that way I can start doing more things. :)
It was finally a little cooler today. It felt wonderful out there. As I’ve mentioned a thousand times before I HATE warm weather in the fall/winter time. It has been in the low 70’s but today it only got up to 59. Felt great! :)
We are watching Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, or whatever it’s called. So far it’s a good movie (if you like this sort of thing) but I have NO idea why the people that made this movie felt the need to have so much cussing in it. You know that children will want to see this movie and it’s just as shame. There’s no sense in that; none at all. I also appreciate that Megan Fox is stunningly beautiful, and I know that sex sells, but this movie should’ve been for youngsters, you know?! I’m just saying… (it is a good movie though).
Thanksgiving: six days away. Yum, yum! :)
So Sore…
Here is an outtake with Humphrey. He was more interested in eating the flowers than having his picture made. :)
I am SO sore from the gym this morning that I can hardly move. It’s totally worth it but ugh, my back and arms are in such pain.
I know it’s just 7:30 but I’m going to bed and I’m going to read. :) Lately I’ve been getting up around 5:30 and I’m totally fine with that, but tonight I’m just really sleepy.
Night!
Monkey Man
Here’s my little Monkey Man. Actually he’s Brooke’s Monkey Man but still… he makes noises that makes him sound like a monkey when he’s playing and it’s just adorable. Humphrey the Monkey…that’s what he is. :) Here he is chewing on my quilt, which is what he does right before he goes to sleep usually. It’s quite funny.
Boring day today. I enjoyed my day, but it was boring. I sat out on my porch and read my magazines and sadly, that was pretty much it.
Nothing to say tonight. Have a great evening. :)
My Cain
“Be such a man, my son, and live such a life, that if every man were such as you, and every life such as yours, this earth would be God’s paradise.”
Happy 20th Birthday to my Cain. :)
Your Daddy drove me to the hospital in Jackson, Mississippi early in the morning on this day 20 years ago. Then I was in horrible, rotten, awful pain ALLLLLL day until you finally decided to grace us with your presence. You were sitting on my stomach when you breathed your first breath. I remember it like it was yesterday…mainly because of the pain. ;)
When I was pregnant with you (at the age you were yesterday) I went ’round and ’round thinking of names that I’d like to name you. Some of my choices were Julian (loved it, but your Dad? Not so much…), Zack (thank gosh I didn’t do that!), Dakota (Uncle Tony beat me to it), and so on and so on. One night I was reading my Bible and I read about Cain and Abel. Now this may sound silly, but during the time I was reading their story, I was thinking to myself, “I need to give God a GOOD Cain because the first one…well, you know, he didn’t end up so well. It was decided that second: you were Cain. I wanted to give God a good Cain. :)
I love you so much, Toukie. Your Dad and I couldn’t be more proud of you (well, unless you bring that Biology grade up). ;) Seriously, you’ve turned into one fine young man and I just love every thing about you.
I think I accomplished what I set out to do when I named you Cain. :) Happy Birthday, son. I miss you and can’t wait to see you next week.
Grace
I didn’t take this picture. My Dad took this picture yesterday at church. This is the Billy Gray Quartet, and quite possibly Billy’s last performance. He is battling cancer and from all we’ve been told, it looks like the cancer is winning. :( Billy’s brother, Denny, has also recently found out that he has a brain tumor and is not doing well either.
I’ve known Billy and Sue Gray my whole life. Their niece, Teresa (Denny’s daughter), is one of my lifelong friends and I love them all so, SO much. They are truly amazing examples of what Christians should be. I am so honored to know them and to call them my friends.
We missed the birthday party that the church held for Billy yesterday because we were driving home from Jackson, Ms. I hate so much that we missed it. I called Billy and Sue today and instead of me consoling Sue, SHE consoled ME. What a beautiful example of grace and God’s loving spirit. It shines through her like nothing I’ve ever seen, and I know that I have been so blessed to know this family. I’ve been overwhelmed today by … I don’t know. I’m not deeply religious but I can certainly feel God’s spirit (guess that’s what you’d call it) with me today.
On a happier note, today is my nephew’s 8th birthday. I will probably get to see him tomorrow (on Cain’s birthday) at a dinner at my Dad’s house. :) I can’t believe the little booger is 8 already! Seems like just yesterday when he was born.
Enjoy your afternoon. :)
Missing
This is an old picture I took back in 2004 with my first digital camera. It was a little Kodak and I wish I still had it.
I’m missing old friends tonight, and missing folks I haven’t been in touch with in a while. Cain’s football season is over and I hope to reconnect with my buddies–if they’re even still out there. I feel really lonely lately and I’m sure my lack of having friends around is mostly my fault. :(
At this last game our friend said that he and his wife figured it up and they figure that they spent at least $300 a weekend going to the football games this year. That sounds about right after renting hotel rooms and buying food. So that adds up to be about $1,200 a month during football season. Marshall and I are desperately looking for a camper that we can take up to Kentucky next year so that we can park it at an RV site all season. We can sleep there and eat there and save a ton of money. Wish us luck in finding one!
We stayed in Meridian last night. After we left the field and ate supper with our buddies we realized that we wouldn’t get home until 4 this morning. Even though we really didn’t have the money to stay, we stopped anyway because we knew we’d never make it home. I’m glad we stopped, too. We were both asleep within an hour of getting to the hotel (and that was around 10 p.m.). We were exhausted. The drive home this morning was wonderful, too. We were home by noon.
Peace out!
Ready To Rock & Roll
I woke up around 5 this morning and tried my hardest to go back to sleep but it just didn’t happen. We are on the 5th floor of our 6-floor hotel and so I enjoyed watching the sun break through the darkness out of our very large hotel window.
Looks like it’s going to be a good day for football. Warmer than I’d like for it to be though. I’d MUCH prefer being bundled up and freezing (seriously) than to play football in warm weather. :( AND quite frankly, I’m tired of this warm weather, period. It has been in the low 70’s and it’s NOVEMBER FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! Enough!
I need to move north. I really do.
Have a great Saturday!
We’re Goin’ To Jackson…
We got up really early this morning and drove the 7 hours (after stopping to eat breakfast) to Jackson, Mississippi. Cain is playing his last game of the season tomorrow.
We went by our old house here in Pearl, where we lived for seven years. The house looks exactly the same. The colors haven’t changed on the house –it looks exactly as we left it. I felt a teeny-tiny twinge of “what if” (we had stayed here), but that didn’t last long. I absolutely positively hated living down here. Hated it. Things HAVE changed though. The city of Pearl exploded into a major city. We were shocked to see so many restaurants, hotels, & shopping centers (even a Bass Pro Shop which delighted my hubby).
We met with our friends, Donna & David, and Mary & Eddie and checked out Bass Pro Shop. That place is HUGE. We got Cain a couple of birthday presents (since we won’t get to see him on his 20th birthday, which is Tuesday. We had supper at Lonestar and had a great evening. We are staying at the Cabot Lodge here in Jackson and it’s a very nice hotel with a very nice king size bed. I have GOT to get a king size bed. It’s nice having all that extra room.
Later, gators.
Sleepy Gal
This is a photo of Humphrey taken with my phone. He was exhausted after a full day if being mean to Lucy.
It’s a little after 9 p.m. and I’m heading to bed. I’m so sleepy and I’m going to take advantage of that. AND my eye has been twitching for about five days now, almost non-stop. It’s making me crazy. :( maybe it’s telling me I should sleep more.
The Wind!
Cain (32) caught the runningback and caused a fumble and #41 picked up the ball and scored a touchdown this past weekend. Cain had a great game.
The wind is pretty ferocious today. It’s wind from Hurricane Ida leaving the area and boy has it been blowing hard. There are limbs in the yard and it’s also blowing a ton of leaves out of the trees. That’s fine with me though because I can get them raked up faster. :)
We’re watching the CMA awards and I’m seriously considering listening to country music now. I can’t believe I’m saying that, but the music on here has been really good. :)
Peace out.
Hurricane Ida
Today we are getting the remnants of Hurricane Ida and it has rained and rained all day. I suppose that’s ok though because I’ve got most of the wash finished and I also finished a book that I’ve been reading.
I am so sleepy that I can hardly keep my eyes open. I’ve been up since around 6, which is usually when I get up, but today I’m unusually tired. I didn’t even do as well in gym class as I normally do. I had to stop during one of our arm exercises because a) my arms felt like they were going to fall off, and b) I just had no “get up and go.”
Cain will be 20 in one more week. I was his age when I gave birth to him. He seems so young–but looking back on myself, I felt so old. I guess I wasn’t old at all.
Later.
Clean Machine
I’ve been cleaning like a mad woman today. I know I talk about this all the time, but our little house needs SO much work done to it. We do little things here and there when we can, but there are other things that I wish we could do right now.
Like gut the sucker and start over. :)
Cain’s last football game is this coming weekend. I can’t believe the season is over so soon. That means I won’t get to see him every weekend like I can now. :( It’ll just have to do me that he gets a few days off for Thanksgiving (not enough as far as I’m concerned) and he will be home almost the whole month of December. Yay!
Have a good one!
Home Again
This is Mary, left, and her mother, Sarah, finishing up our breakfast that Sarah made for everyone this morning before we left for home. I’m telling you, her homemade cinnamon rolls are just the most amazing things ever. We had such a wonderful time.
We got home a little after one this afternoon and Marshall mowed the yard while I straightened the house. It has been a wonderful weekend. We enjoyed seeing our son, and we had a terrific time with our friends. :)
That’s all, folks. G’night.
Hey! We Lost-AGAIN!
Cain can tackle you with one arm AND while running the other way. :)
Cain had his first start on defense tonight and he did a GREAT job. I was so proud of him. He hurt his nose pretty bad and also hurt his thumb but I think he’ll be ok. :) His team lost, but he did great and I’m just really very happy about that.
Last night we stayed with Jubba and Sarah, and they are our friend, Mary’s parents. They have a beautiful cabin on a lake near Manchester, Tenn. and we are staying here again tonight. We have had SO much fun. I just wish we had more time to spend here with them. Sarah made a delicious breakfast for us this morning and she and Jubba rode with us to the game and we thoroughly enjoyed talking with them.
Hope you have a great night. :)
Tennessee
We are in Woodbury, Tennessee, staying with some of our friends. Mary, whose son plays ball with Cain, has the sweetest parents who let us all stay at their amazingly beautiful cabin (on a lake, even!) for FREE! This place is so beautiful and we have had a great time tonight.
Cain’s game is tomorrow at 1:30 and after the game we will all be coming back to the cabin. I’m really looking forward to the game but I can’t wait to get back here and explore a little bit before we have to head home.
We ate at a Mexican restaurant tonight. I don’t eat Mexican food but I did anyway. I won’t anymore though. My tummy was like, “Um…nuh-uh. Forget it.” So, no more Mexican for me.
Peace out.
I Love Google
This was my view from the woods yesterday when hubby and I sat under a tree and relaxed and listened to all the goings-on. It was so enjoyable and the leaves are just beautiful.
I got up and headed to the gym this morning. I had a GREAT workout. In class we did everything in reverse order and even though I thought I might pass out, I hung in there until I felt like my arms might fall off. I had to stop two or three times during one of our arm exercises but I did just fine.
I just love Google. Today is the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street and this is what Google did:
Cute, huh? :)
Later, gators.
Enjoyed a nice day on my back porch with Lucy and Humphrey. It was warm out there, around 71ish. It felt great but TRULY I’d rather have cold weather. It IS November after all.
I really just need to move to Colorado. I really do.
Marshall and I went on a hike through the woods. I enjoyed myself greatly. The colors are hanging on and it was just beautiful. We sat down near a tree and just listened and watched. It was great–really great, EXCEPT for the stupid mosquitoes. Don’t they EVER die?!
Peace out.
Slacker
This morning I got my fat butt up and headed to the gym. I haven’t been in a while, and while I do have some valid excuses for not going to class, there have been days I just didn’t go. No more of that bullcrap. The results I get from going are too fabulous for me just to be a slacker. And I know once you get out of the habit it’s so hard to start going back. I’m not going to let that happen.
I’m seriously ready to put the Christmas tree up. And no, I’m not kidding. The holiday doesn’t last long enough as it is as far as I’m concerned. Cain has a game this weekend or I’d go ahead and put it up then. Maybe I can convince Brooke to do it. Oh, and also, a couple of friends (thanks Lisa and Jen!) let me know that 98.1 The Legend in Chattanooga is playing Christmas music 24/7 and you can listen online, too. :) Click HERE if you’d like to listen. You’re welcome!
It’s a beautiful day outside. I hope that when hubby gets home from work we can get some yardwork completed. Brooke broke my very favorite rake last year so I’m going to have to go buy another one. :( I hope I can find one like that one. It was great because the leaves couldn’t get all stuck in it.
Have a good one!
Babysitting
This is a Crowned-slug caterpillar. Neato, huh? It was very tiny -maybe about an inch- and I almost stepped on it while getting out of the truck one day. It’ll grow up to be a moth.
I’m a babysitter now. Humphrey, my daughter’s puppy, requires a LOT of attention that I’m more than happy to give. Of course, that means I can’t go anywhere or do anything because he hasn’t had all of his shots yet and I FOR SURE don’t want him to get parvo or any other horrible disease that kills puppies. I had a blue heeler puppy that I loved SO much a few years ago and it got parvo and died before we could do a thing about it. I didn’t think my broken heart was ever going to heal over that and I fo’ sho’ don’t want to go through it again.
I got up at 5 this morning and was ready to rock and roll. I showered and got dressed and then went to work on my house. My honey cooked supper for me and it was delicious. He is such an angel. :) Anyway, I cleaned off the screened in porch and the deck (it was quite a mess) and it looks beautiful. We sat out there for most of the evening.
I’m so sleepy that I can’t keep my eyes open. I think I’ll hit the hay. Have a great evening!
I Missed WordPress
Obviously, I’m back on WordPress. I promise that I won’t move again. Hope all of you have followed me here. :)
Well, all of my Halloween decorations are put away and now I’m ready to get my Christmas stuff out, even though the rest of the family said no way–not yet. ;) Not too much longer though. I can’t wait.
Did you remember to set your clocks back last night? I did, and I’ve been up since quite early. I was very excited to start my day. The sun was even out and we were SO happy to see it. When hubby got up, we rode over to the foot of the mountain and I took a few photos. We weren’t out long because Cain texted me and said he was on his way back home from his friend’s house.
Cain left to go back to school this evening and I wasn’t very happy about that. As usual, he didn’t stay here and visit with me and his Dad for very long. In fact, I feel like I’ve barely even got to see him. :(
Have a good night. :)
Still Awake
Hubby and I rode around on the mountain today and drove my beautiful car in places it shouldn’t have been driven. ;) Anyway, this is where we ended up — a piece of Little River Canyon that is just absolutely beautiful. We had a great time.
I want to be asleep right now. I’m not. Last night I fell asleep a little after 2 a.m. and at 2:37 I woke up when hubby jerked my pillow out from under my head SO hard that I’m surprised that my neck didn’t snap. I should’ve pushed him out of bed.
Just a few more days until I’m in Florida. Have I talked about that already? :)
Night!
Dot Dot Dot
I TRULY don’t have anything to say today.
I need to have my heart checked again. It has been a while.
We go to Florida in just a few short days. A-woo-hoooooo! We’re going to be near THREE state parks. Can you just imagine the photographic possibilities? Yay! :) I’m so looking forward to going to Florida. We haven’t been in a few years. Well, I’ve been twice in the past year but I haven’t been with my family in a while. We’re staying down a full week, too. I’m VERY excited.
Nighty night.
Greenlife
See how cute?! :) Rowan is always smiling. Sure she has rough patches every now and then but I think it’s safe to say that 98-percent of the time she is happy as she can be. We love her bunches.
Today Marshall, Kandi, and I went to the Chattanooga Market. We went and *I* forgot my camera. :( That was my first trip to the market and it was so neat. There are lots of great things to see.
After there we headed to Greenlife Grocery and did a bit of shopping. I love that store. :) We came home and cooked out then worked on our project for a while. We had a great day. :)
Swimming
:) :) How cute is Rowan? We had a great time in the pool today. She looked SO cute in her little Speedo hat. She also rocked some little cherry sunglasses which she actually wore for a really long time. I can’t believe she kept them on.
We enjoyed ourselves in the pool for most of the afternoon. We cooked out and then sat on Dawnia’s screened porch when a rainstorm moved through. It was a great way to spend the day.
I took Axl Rose to the vet this morning. Turns out she did have a bite under the left side of her jaw. The vet gave her a shot and then sent us home with some antibiotics. He said if she’s not better by Monday that I’d need to bring her in to have the wound lanced. You know, she drives me batty because I’m constantly having to run her off from around my birdfeeders. I scream and yell and rant and rave but if anything happened to her it would just devastate me. I hope she’s ok.
It’s TOO Hot!
This is a Clouded Sulphur butterfly. It’s one of those little yellow butterflies that you see fluttering in crazy patterns from one place to the next. They rarely, if ever, keep their wings open. I took about 8 gazillion shots of this beauty today in hopes that I’d catch him about to fly from one place to the next–and I did! Yay!
I met my Dad, stepmother, and her uncle over on Pigeon Mountain and we spent nearly all day taking pictures of butterflies. I’d say we had a very successful trip but it’s SO hot that we had to call it off around 3:30ish. We were miserable.
When I got home hubby and I just relaxed here at the house under the air conditioner (why is it called an air CONDITIONER?). He watched old western movies and I uploaded all my photos from the 5 hours we were out (about 500 pictures).
Axl Rose (my kitty) isn’t feeling well. I’ll be taking her to the vet tomorrow. :( I’m not sure what on earth is wrong with her. I brought her in and crated her in hopes that it was just the heat, but she’s still not eating or drinking. I found her this morning under the azalea bush and didn’t really think anything about it. When I got back though, she was still under the azalea bush. I offered her food and water and she just meows. :( Hope my little buddy is ok.
Good night.
Wow
First off, I was absolutely brokenhearted over hearing that Farrah lost her battle with cancer. When I was a little girl, 8 or 9, I suppose, I was a HUGE Charlie’s Angels fan, and of course, Farrah was my favorite. I had the classic Farrah poster hanging on my wall and I wanted to look just like her. :) I had a Charlie’s Angels t-shirt and I had it up until a few years back and it just disappeared. :( I’m heartbroken that she is gone. What a fight she put up; so sad that she lost the battle.
THEN if that’s not bad enough we learn that Michael Jackson died of a heart attack. This news is still so new that I don’t think my mind has processed it quite yet. Whatever Michael did or did not do (all those accusations) are between him and God. We are not to judge, right? That being said, I really liked him. I was a teenager in the 80’s so I was watching tv when Thriller made it’s debut. I was watching tv the night he did the moonwalk across the stage. I was blown away. Anyone can tell you how completely into music I was, and MJ was IT. Of course, my sister and I listened to him back in the 70’s, too. One of the benefits of having an older sibling is that you’re much cooler than you would be if you were just out there on your own. She is the one that introduced me to Steve Martin & SNL, but this isn’t about her. :)
Entertainment Tonight: I am disgusted that you posted a photo of an already dead Michael Jackson on your website. What a shame that the internet has created a “Who has the story first” quality that, in situations like this, makes me absolutely sick. It’s all about who gets the most “news” out FIRST, no matter who it may hurt.
Other than the news of the loss of these two, I had a great day. I spent the day with my Dad and stepmother. I helped Dad learn a few things on flickr, then we walked around the yard and took pictures.
What a day…
RIP, Farrah.
RIP, MJ.
Are You On Facebook?
This is a bad picture of a fox squirrel. We don’t see these around here too often anymore. This guy was NOT cooperative and this was the best shot I got of him.
I got up at 5:30 this morning and got ready and drove to Sand Mtn. to get my mother. I drove her to Cleveland, Tenn. for a doctor’s appointment. We had lunch at Cracker Barrel, then I drove her home. We enjoyed one another’s company so that was very nice.
The project that hubby, Kandi, and I worked on last night was quite successful. We’re very excited. :) I’ll tell you more about it later.
My right leg is swollen so large that it feels like my skin might burst open. Gross, huh? It hasn’t done this in a REALLY long time. I’ve had tests ran on it to see what’s going on and the doctors couldn’t find anything. They initially thought that I might have poor circulation but they ran dye through the veins and everything was just fine. It’s a bit painful and I hope that this is a one-time thing.
Are you on Facebook? Me TOO! I’ve reconnected with so many friends on there, even several friends that I’ve known since grade school. I love reconnecting with everyone. Anyway, if you’re there, you can add me as a buddy. My link is http://facebook.com/rachelpennington.
Later, gators.
Title? I Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Title
Pump class was great. :)
Came home after buying a few things we needed for a new super-secret project we’re doing. Marshall, Kandi, and I worked on the project for the rest of the afternoon.
You’ll know soon enough what’s going on. It’s going to be great!
