Big Wheels Keep On Turning!!

When I was in the 3rd grade we moved from the peaceful South to the noisy, chaotic North, specifically, Staten Island, NY. To say it was a culture change would be the understatement of the century. I have many memories of that year in my life, I was at an impressionable age and there were many things to impress me!

Sitting here at the table this morning, a vivid memory from that time in my life came rushing back to me, I had no choice but to share it with you, I only hope I can do it justice.

It was the seventies, the culture was rich with wacky colors for refrigerators, short shorts, Elton John, Disco and roller skating. Children were thrilled with slinkys, Schoolhouse Rock and BIG WHEELS. For those of you younger readers, here is a picture.

My family lived on a dead end street, in a duplex and there was a sidewalk that ran along in front of all the homes on the street. For Christmas that year, the toy store must have been giving away Big Wheels - because it seemed every child had one, well, every boy that is. And they would ride, and ride and ride up and down in front of our house, and every other house on the street. Have you ever heard a "herd" of Big Wheels? It is thunderous and even as an eight year old, I likened it to dozens of hands scratching on a chalkboard...ANNOYING! I don't know how my mom resisted the urge not to put big boulders on the sidewalk in front of our house to stop the race.

This morning, my little sweet thang found a toy from her past. Her Winnie The Pooh car...she got it for her first birthday...it was cute then, to see her little legs pushing herself all around the house, getting frustrated when she hit the carpet and couldn't make it GO! This morning as I sat trying to clear my brain, recover from surviving a night of only about three hours sleep and wishing I could be anywhere but here, well, let's just say, the sound of that cart on my kitchen floor, over and over again brought back that long ago memory. Suddenly, I was eight years old, waking up on a Saturday morning to the sound of the mighty herd of Big Wheels stomping by my window. The only difference is that now, thirty-six years later, I could do this...
Take a picture and then take the toy away!!!

I know - I am the meanest mom in the world! :-)

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!
Bev

Flames Burn High Into The Night! (a re-run)

Since I blogged about it yesterday, I decided to share an OLD post from November 2, 2007 about our first Family Campfire night. It was a while ago, but the scene has been recreated time and time again.
Enjoy the weekend!
Bev


Tonight we held the inaugural Whitaker Family Campfire. We celebrated the site of the planned family fire pit by roasting hot dogs and toasting marshmallows! It was a first for Ms. Hannah - who did not like the hot dog or the marshmallows! She is however, an outdoor girl - so she was happy just to be sitting by the fire, with Georgia, our Labrador and her daddy! We are looking forward to many more evenings like tonight! Cool weather, warm fire and family time! Happy Fall Ya'll from Our Family To Yours!

I'll Take The Moon Over Georgia and A Million Stars In The Sky

You may have noticed two missing posts...well,I took them down. No need for such whining. I wrote it out of my system and have it saved for posterity so the need to share it with the world is over.

Hope you have had a great Friday. Mine has been okay. Chillin' at home with my family, the best place in the world to be as far as I am concerned.

I was doing some Internet browsing this afternoon and came upon some poems and lyrics that were astoundingly entertaining and fun to read. It got me to thinking about nighttime and the glories of this summer night.

One of our little family's greatest treats in the summertime (and the fall) is to gather around the firepit in our backyard, roast hot dogs and marshmallows, play with the dogs, laugh as they roll around precariously close to the fire, and enjoy one another's company. Evening turns to night and the air gets a little chill to it and if we are really lucky, the moon comes out and shines through the trees. We live far enough from city lights to actually enjoy a star filled sky as well. It is a good life, made better by moments like this.

I found lots of songs and poems dedicated to the night, the night sky, the stars and the moon. It is apparently a popular and romantic topic for others just as it is for me. So may I say, with a little inspiration from Bill Monroe,Patsy Cline,Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell, Ray Charles and Cory Smith.

Tonight, there may be a blue moon shining over Kentucky, but thankfully, when the sun goes down in Georgia and the moonlight shines sweet and clear through the pines,I am blessed to be with my little family, enjoying this mild summer night and all the love and laughter that is sure to come with it.

Enjoy the weekend everyone!

Bev

A Letter to the Summertime

Dear Summertime,

Why must you let the sun come up so early? Why are your days so long? Obviously, you have never been a mom to a four year old!

Signed,
a sleep deprived mommy!!!!

Wordless Wednesday - A Bathtub's Story

Happy Wordless Wednesday -- except - I think I need some words to explain today's picture...don't you?

It is my bathtub. I love my bathtub. Always wanted a jacuzzi garden tub and so it was on the list of requirements when we built this house. But we built it and it was just plain.. only the tile work surrounding it...kinda boring and I really didn't enjoy bathing there.

About a year or so after we built the house, my friend Andrea agreed to paint a mural for me. I chose a scene from our Italian trip, a little bit of the view of the Adriatic Sea, from a little castle in Trieste, Italy. She recreated it amazingly well. Now, most nights will find me surrounded by bubbles, music playing and gazing out at the sea as I soothe the days troubles away with my nighttime ritual.

Oh - and the nighttime bath ritual was taught to me by my friend Molly, she is a mom of five kiddos, and wife to that Jimbo character that leaves her a lot to travel. She is right...the nighttime bath really does restore some sanity to life!!

So, if you ever need me around eleven o'clock, on most nights, you can find me by the Adriatic Sea!!

Living Happily In The Moment!

Bev

His Name Was Elbert Dunn

I remember him well. Tall, thin, clean cut with a wave of light brown hair falling on this forehead. He and the pretty young girl came in the store and were immediately likeable. It was a slow Saturday, early Spring and the shop was not busy. I remember sitting with them, helping them pick out the right style and cut of tuxedo, the color combination of a cummerbund and tie to match her dress. He was a cut-up kind of guy, the class clown, Mr. Charm, it was a fun meeting. My friend Robin and I were working that day, we spent more time with the two of them than we usually did, given the slow day and the likability of the young couple. They were from a small town, outside of our city, prom was coming, graduation time and life, probably as they imagined, together, was just starting.

Oh, and did I mention he had an odd name? It wasn't Tom or George or Michael, it was Elbert. Elbert - such a ridiculous sounding name for such a well rounded, happy, funny guy. After writing all his information down on the order form, measuring him for the size of shirt, pants, and coat and probably some final jokes, we said goodbye to him and his girl.

I worked in that shop for almost six years. There weren't many people in town, who needed a tuxedo that we didn't fill the order and I remember very few of them sitting here almost thirty years later, but I remember Elbert Dunn. Why, well, for all of the above reasons, he was kind and funny and we invested in his world for a short time, but also because we never got to see him again. I really can't remember the exact details, if it happened prom night, or graduation night or somewhere in between...but at some point, Elbert Dunn got behind the wheel of a car for the last time, and at some point on that ride, the young, funny, smart guy, lost his life.

I think we learned of it when the tuxedo came back, or maybe it was weeks after in the paper...I honestly don't know - but I do remember the sadness that crept into my heart when I heard. It was such a waste, the pain of that young girlfriend, his friends, his parents and family, it must have been a devastating loss for them. I remember my friend Robin and I being devastated and we only knew him for an afternoon. But we had worked for a week to make him look like a star on his big night. We had washed and ironed his shirt, hemmed and pressed the pants, cleaned the coat and shined the shoes. Well, most probably it was Joel or David that shined the shoes and probably either one of them that bagged the whole suit and hung it on the rack, but we worked as a team, all of us, to make that young man's night a fun reality. We had invested in his life...and now it was gone.

Seems to happen every year doesn't it? News of proms, parties, and graduations of high school students fill the news and papers and now the Internet. Young, smart, promising lives are out and about, shown off, celebrated. And it seems every year, there is news of at least one, sadly sometimes more, of these young people losing their life or becoming injured. It makes me so sad.
A friend sent an email out on Sunday asking for prayers for her niece, who having graduated on Friday night, was involved in a boat crash on Saturday and was in hospital with a head injury. Thankfully, it seems this young girl will make a recovery and go on to enjoy that long life and promise that was hers to claim on Friday as she walked across a stage and received her diploma. I am praying for her and would love it if you would as well. Her name is Hannah.

Hearing her story, reminded me as I am every time I hear something like it, of that young man, who today would be nearing forty, probably married, with children, a job and friends. He touched my world. His name was Elbert Dunn.

Memorial Day, 2009

Happy Memorial Day!Thank you to all who have served and sacrificed for our country. Today is a day that makes me proud to have been an Army brat!!

Sunday Sampler - Week One

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments.

Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose Worth's unknown, although his height be taken.

Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom:
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved. [1]

William Shakespeare, Sonnet 116

Today is the start of my summer Sunday series, a little poetry, a little dab of inspiration, hopefully a bit of brightness to start our bloggy week.

I selected Shakespeare's Sonnet 116 to start us off, because, really what is more universal than love. We all do it, we all have those we love in our lives, in our homes and in our hearts. This sonnet is about true love. Love that never waivers or falters through time, through adversity, through trials and troubles it is never moved. Love that in its truest form does not seek to change or alter the object of that love. True love that endures in spite of and because it is simply love.

I (and I am betting you too) can relate to this through the many relationships that exist in the world, parents, siblings, friends, lovers and spouses, children and grandchildren. True love in any form does not move or change. It only expands and grows stronger.

Bring on the tempest...my love for those I hold dearest in the world can take it.

Living Happily In the Moment!

Bev

And for some more reading on the subject: 1 Corinthians 13. I believe it sends the same sentiment!

Great Loot - Straight From The Boot

Oh...what is in this bag? I love a gift, and an unexpected one is even better...what could it be?
WOW - It is an Italian Goody Bag, straight, fresh off the plane from ITALY!!! I am so excited. My friend Jim -- okay - I can't call him that-- he is Jimbo to me, since I was fourteen I have called him that when we used to ride all over town in his jeep and give my parents heart attacks, so no matter his station in life, he will always be Jimbo to me... anyhoo. He travels a bunch for work, one of the places...ITALY!! How cool is that? In fact, this past trip, he was there for two weeks and ended up being delayed and had to stay for another week.. yeah...tough huh? A whole extra week in Italy!!!! I went to Italy and got delayed for an extra day... but it was still fun.

Anyway.. Jimbo knows me -- knows I love anything Italian, so I got an Italian surprise. Now...here are the contents...


I know, ya'll are jealous aren't you? And that chocolate probably won't be around for much longer...probably not the lovely orange and lemon "juice" either!!

And there was one other item in that bag...
Yes, my favorite homemade pear preserves...my friends know me well.

Now...enjoy your weekend. I have had a rough week and am thoroughly going to enjoy my Italian goodies...what a way to celebrate the weekend!!

Living Happily in the Moment!
Bev

Football Friday!!!!

And you thought yesterday's post was random...hold on -- this might be even worse.

What a day, what a week! I don't think I have ever been so happy to see a Friday come around, since high school and Friday meant early morning Prayer Breakfast, a Pep Rally, and a football game at night. WOW- those were the days...so carefree, so much fun, can someone find a time capsule and shoot me back to 1984?

This week's Friday holds no early morning anything - hopefully. I will be praying...but not in the presence of fifty or so of my closest friends. I am quite certain there will be no organized pep rally - although the resident rising kindergartner is sure to be peppy and rally all my senses throughout the day. There will be no fun high school football game to attend, no hard bleacher to sit on and pretend to watch the team charge to victory... but I do get to go to an honest-to-goodness restaurant with a girlfriend and have adult conversation and fun for a few child-free hours...so YAY -- Friday is here!!!

Thursday's bittersweet last day of pre-K went rather well...momma didn't cry too much -- and little Hannah held up pretty good also. We are both glad it is over! Many thanks to those of you that reached out to check on us. I really appreciate.

And you know that helpless and sad and sad and helpless feeling I described yesterday? Well, I was finally able to "get" to the friend that has been hurting and although I still have no power to stop the hurt...it did help my heart to see and know that things are on the upswing and maybe, just maybe, it helped my friend as well. I hope so.

I did a little shopping yesterday...shhhhhh...don' be telling anyone...but like a moth to the flame,if I get anywhere near Kohl's - I have to go in. Once inside,I found a few items I could not live without and one item that I liked much better than the outfit I originally started the day wearing...so yes -- I bought it and yes ....I changed in my car! I tell ya -- I am beginning to be a wild one!

I told you it would be a random posting...I hope everyone has a safe and happy Memorial day...have a little fun, shake out the cobwebs and get ready for summer---it is rapidly upon us.

Enjoy!

Living Happily In The Moment!
Bev

Oh - and Tracy....he was singing to me...get a life!!
(Haha - isn't this how we started out last year???)

R-A-N-D-O-M!

Today's post is brought to you by the letter R for random!

-Today is a bittersweet one...filled with emotion. Last day of Pre-K for my girl and it is breaking my heart. She has no idea or concept of what it means, so I am left alone to grieve for her and for me.

-Ever have a friend that needs you and you just can't get to them? Ever have someone that you love, hurt and you can't make it better? Ever felt helpless and sad and sad and helpless? That has been my week...I want the hurt to go away...please!

-I am so totally happy that Kris won American Idol...just over the moon happy. If you missed that show last night -- you missed a good one... plus we all got to see my boyfriend, David Cook - also known as last year's American Idol. Don't be jealous -- he had to take just one more opportunity to sing for me!! (my friend Tracy is rolling on the floor with laughter right now!!)

-My child got to enjoy "water day" at school today and has declared that she will wear her swimsuit under her clothes everyday - just in case she happens upon another water day this summer!! HELP!!!

-I always thought Memorial Day was the last weekend in May -- when did it move?

-Zac Brown's cd is awesome and I play the 2nd track - over and over and over. I wish I could be that girl for someone...and I wonder if I ever was?

-I am writing this at night on Wednesday...and now I am tired.
Randomness is done...brain is t-i-r-e-d!!!

Living Happily In the Moment!
Bev

When You Come

When You Come
by Maya Angelou

When you come to me, unbidden,
Beckoning me
To long-ago rooms,
Where memories lie.

Offering me, as to a child, an attic,
Gatherings of days too few.
Baubles of stolen kisses.
Trinkets of borrowed loves.
Trunks of secret words,

I CRY.


I didn't write this poem, obviously. Maya Angelou is the brilliance behind it, but I love it. I never really liked poetry, still am not a huge fan, but I have come to appreciate it as I have gotten older and as a writer even tried my own hand at poetry writing.

This poem was in a book that I picked up awhile ago, a collection of her poetry and for some reason it spoke right to my heart. Haven't we all been in this place? Someone or something, or maybe just the memory itself, takes us back to a spot in our past, good or bad. We are hurled back and just as a child is drawn to an interesting place, like an attic in the poem, we can't help ourselves the looking back, the gathering of feelings, the heartache, and the splendor.

I hope you can appreciate the poem, maybe connect with it in your own way. For me, it is summation of a journey I began a few months back and am still on...the journey back to myself, through my past. And yes, along the way, I cry. I cry buckets of tears, some are silent and secret, some are loud and meant to be shared, but they all wash the pain away and help me see clear.

Living Happily In the Moment!
Bev

Taking a Breather!

Well, apparently there is no one out there...my phone never rang ONCE yesterday!! Not once!! Hahaha!!

So this week is crazy for us -- last week of work for me (really only one more day left - I am gonna try not to weep with gladness here!!) and last week of school for my Hannah. I am finding myself incredibly sad for her...she loves her school friends and next year they will all be going to different schools. I am hoping to schedule some summer time play dates for her but the reality is that probably her time with her treasured "first" friends is coming to an end.

I well remember my first friends and of all of them, I only have one left in my day to day world. Friends are so important to me and just knowing that Hannah is going to be out of contact with hers in a matter of days is breaking my heart. Thankfully she is blissfully unaware of this happening, at least for the time being, only one of us will be hurting over it.

The blog maybe a bit dim this week, it will be busy and emotion filled and rather than bring all of you "down" with me, I may not write so much this week. But I will be back...never fear...I will return.

And you can always CALL me on the phone...if you really want an update on our life!!

Living Happily In the Moment!
Bev

Hello, Hello, Is There Anybody Out There?

I miss talking on the telephone. I miss hearing the voice of my friends. I love email and text messaging, but I love real, live communication the best. Today's age of technology is amazing and I am a big fan of blogs, messengers, facebook and all the other instant forms of communication -- but I miss hearing your voice on a regular basis.

It is funny to me that I have one friend who seldom calls, but will email on a regular basis and I have one equally as close friend who NEVER emails but calls on a monthly basis. Guess which one I know more about and feel better connected to? Yep - the calling one. Strange phenomena if you ask me.

Chalk this blog post up to a lonely girl on a rainy night just wishing for time and attention and some good old fashion communication. I love sitting and talking, across a table or across a phone line. I miss you...yes - YOU - so hey, pick up that phone, make mine ring, meet me somewhere and let's sit and talk. I am betting you will feel better too.

And if you are just my online buddy, maybe we have never met, maybe we live too far apart, then don't stop the emails, or the messages, or the blog comments. I still love those too...I just need a mixture to make my world a happier place and maybe one day we can cross the cyber line and hear and see each other. I sure hope so.

Living Happily In the Moment!
Bev

Reflecting on Seventeen Years!

Seventeen years ago yesterday, I walked an aisle and married a man.

It seems like just yesterday and yet it seems like a million years ago instead of just seventeen. I think I thought all of life's ills and troubles were over, the hurdle of finding a life partner was done and only good times lay ahead for us. I think every bride and groom think that, don't they?

Ours has been a full life together, we have not been sheltered from trouble, we have not been isolated from loss, hardship or death. We have enjoyed laughter, fun and good times as well. Together we have seen a miracle happen with the birth of our daughter and yet, we are human and frail and sometimes forget how blessed we are in this life of ours. He has made mistakes, I have made them too. If you want a blissful, happy, carefree example of marriage...please don't look at us. We are real people with a real life.

I wish the sentiment, "and they lived happily ever after" was all I had to write today. Wouldn't it be nice if life was like the fairy tales, but we all know better. I can't write that today, because it doesn't adequately sum up a life together. I have learned through the circumstances of my life, and the circumstances of my married life that if not for the hard times, the sad times, the lonely, desperate times...then those happy times would mean nothing. If I were not reminded every now and again by life's experiences, I would take every happy moment for granted, never realizing how precious it truly is, never knowing what a treasure it is and how lucky I am to live it.

I prayed for and the Lord blessed me with a life partner, I take that gift for granted far too much. I find myself quick to judge and blame and fuss about him, but as I hold the mirror up to my own self, I know that I am far from the wife I should be. That is the wonder of marriage; the comfort, if that is indeed the right word, that we are committed to working it out, despite our flaws, faults and failures.

Our marriage was not completed by a ceremony seventeen years ago yesterday. The ceremony celebrated our desire to continue life together and gave us a great party to start us off. Marriage is the journey and not the destination. Sometimes it is smooth and happy, other times it is a bumpy ride, but even through the bumps in life, I think it is worth it. Marriage is hard, I think it is supposed to be...I think it is supposed to make us into better people...at least that is my hope.

So once again, happy anniversary to my hubby, sometimes I wonder why I put up with you...and then I remember, it is because you put up with me too!

Living Happily In the Moment
Beverly

And The Journey Continues...

Happy Anniversary to me and that incredibly young looking man sitting beside me in this picture! I promise I did not "rob the cradle" -- he was well over 21!!

Seventeen years ago I walked an aisle and got hitched. It was a great day and I am having fun remembering some of the high points of it today. Wishing you all a happy Saturday.

Living Happily in the Moment,
Beverly

There's A Little Black Spot on the Sun Today!

I heard this song yesterday afternoon while driving home from that horror event called my daughter's pre-K graduation! I used to love this song, way back when, forever ago, in the time when music was great and life was carefree and fun! Okay, so the drama is running high this morning...anyway, I still love this song. I listen to this cd probably more than most in my collection...it brings back great memories. As I was listening yesterday I realized that it was summing up my mood very well...."there's a little black spot on the sun today.." and all. I was really sad - sadder than I thought I would be, I never expected the emotions of the day, which is probably exactly why they hit so hard.

Today I woke up in a better frame of mind, hard not to when a sweet little child is crawling in your bed wanting to cuddle, but my brain is still singing this song. I guess for at least a little bit I am going to be the "queen of pain" around my house as my heart and brain adjust to the fact that my baby is not a baby anymore and soon she will be walking into school alone, picking out her lunch, carrying her own tray and sitting at a desk learning stuff! Yea, don't even ask about the Kindergarten Open House - it might as well have been a house of torture. Ugh! Let's just say momma is glad yesterday is over!!

Enjoy the music...

Living Happily In The Moment!
Bev

Wow --- I Believe There Has Been A Mistake!

Today was Pre-K Graduation day for our girl. Excuse me... but I do believe there has been some mistake...I think it was only last week that she came home from the hospital? What has happened here? Now she is strutting across stages getting certificates of achievement...momma don't like it, momma don't like it all!

Here are some pictures from the day. I am too emotionally drained to write much more today. For someone who doesn't cry, at all in public, or alone much for that matter, I have cried all day...and since we have to go to her new kindergarten tonight for an open house, I might need to pop an aspirin or two and try and regain my myself.

Future College Professor!!

Living Happily in the Moment! (or trying to anyway!!)

Bev

Today, Last Year!

This was the view out my door one year ago today. Do I need to tell you how sad I am that it is not my view today? So sad, so very sad!! I love my Edisto and miss it so very much!!!

Boo Hoo!

Bev

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!

My parents return home today. They have been away for about three months, with about three visits home in between. I am excited to have them back and only 9 miles down the road once again.

Guess who is more excited? Yep, you are right, that granddaughter they have spoiled rotten. She will be so glad to have her MeMa and Papa back at her "beck and call" and so will her tired mommy.

I don't think I ever realized how much I depend on them for all sorts of things until they went away this time. I have enjoyed taking care of their house for them, it has given me a place to hang out while Hannah is at school and enjoy some peace and quiet and it has been good for me, but not as wonderful as it will be to have my parents home, safe and sound.

WELCOME HOME MeMa and Papa!! We have missed you!

Living Happily in the Moment!
Bev

Oh - and a special Happy Birthday to my friend Abe. WHOO HOO - -now I am not the only old one in our bunch!

Happy Mother's Day

I am so thankful to be a mom. It holds more meaning for me than I could ever express so I am just going to skip it for today. Today I will concentrate on other moms in my world. The women who have helped shape me into the person and mom I am today.

My own mother, my greatest example of love and nurture. I have always been a daddy's girl, but truthfully, now I can say I am a mommy's girl too. As I have gotten older, my mom has become an even more important person in my life. I depend on her for wisdom, for help, for encouragement and understanding. Even if she is not particularly fond of things I do or decisions I make, she is always understanding...I don't have to wonder if she is on my side - I know she is. She has taught me well and I remember all the lessons, I am trying hard to emulate her in the ways I mother my daughter. I just hope one day my daughter feels about me, the way I do my own mom. I can't imagine getting through my day without her.

My Aunt Nell. She was there at the hospital when I was born and has been in my life ever since. Growing up I wanted to be like her in many ways, I even pursued the floral trade because she owned one. I have turned to her for advice on the major issues in my life and she comes through for me every time. No matter how busy, she is always ready to listen to my tales and offer advice. This past year I have leaned on her probably more than any other time in my life, she had helped me in ways that even she doesn't know about. She is my mom's best friend, and with the two of them in my world, I have more than I could ever hope for in the mother category.

My grandmothers, though both gone now, were special to me in their own ways. My mom's mom, my MeMa, and I never really got to know one another, she spent most of my teenage years in a nursing home battling Alzheimer's and died when I was eighteen..I never got to know her, hear her stories or learn life lessons from her. But even so,I feel connected to her through my own mother and other families members who knew her, in that way she has given me advice and taught me many things. My daddy's mom, my MaMa, was with me until four years ago. Although I never felt extremely close to her, I know she loved me and the times we did spend together were special and live in my memory still. Her life was full and she taught me many things. I think I get at least some of my strong will and independent streak from her...and if that is so, they are traits I treasure and embrace.

There are other women in my life that mothered me in various ways on this journey of mine, my mother in law, Sunday School teachers, school teachers, friend's mothers and even some of my own peer group have served me in the care and nurture category. I love them all.

Lastly, there is one other mother in my world that four and half years ago helped me become a mother. She is Hannah's birthmom and I love her very much. There are no words to describe our journey together. It is bittersweet and sacred to me.

I am someone who waited all her life to be a mom. I spent many, many years feeling terrible on this day in May. I have sat in church and watched as women all around me where acknowledged as being moms, while I was forgotten simply because I didn't have a living child. I have cried many tears, and through all of that I have tried to concentrate on the fact that I had a mother to celebrate, but even so, this day has always been a struggle for me. I thought that becoming a mom would cure it all for me. It hasn't. My wound is still deep and some scars you never lose. I really still take no joy in celebrating Mother's day for myself, but I am extremely happy to celebrate my mother and all the other women in my life, whether they are mothers or not. It is a happy day, it is a moment to be happy and treasure.

Happy Mothers Day!
Bev

Road Trip

Today we hit the road with our friends Tony and Lisa and headed north to Spartanburg, SC. The plan was that the boys would ride bikes and Lisa and I were to follow in their Jeep. Unfortunately, the bike that Danny was going to borrow didn't materialize, so Danny rode in the jeep with us on the way up and then Tony let him ride his Harley on the way home.

We left around 9:30 AM and made our way through the lovely South Carolina landscape to Spartanburg and The Beacon Drive-in. The ride was great, not a cloud in the sky and the sun beaming down. There was also quite a bit of wind whipping our hair around in that jeep - but we didn't care... it was fun.

The Beacon holds lots of memories for us. It was started and run until recently by our former youth director's uncle and as youth and young adults, not a trip was taken to Gatlinburg, TN for our bi-annual retreats, without us stopping at the Beacon and eating ourselves silly. The main items on the menu are hamburgers and pork bbq sandwiches and the best way to eat them is "a-plenty" style, meaning they are served with french fries and onion rings piled so high you have to eat them first before you find your sandwich. It is not a dietary center. You can hear the arteries clogging if you listen close, but it is yummy.

After the yummy lunch we saddled back up the horses and headed for home. The drive home was equally as enjoyable and my hubby had fun riding the Harley. A great big thank you to our friends Tony and Lisa. We always have fun with you guys...and we look forward to many more memory making adventures to come.

Living Happily In the Moment!
Bev

Now Where Is That Self-Cleaning Button?

Good Friday, everyone!

This post is a sad attempt at keeping me from having to do housework. You see, I have a house -- and for some reason, it is not self-cleaning. I believe I specifically ordered that function when we found the house plans and had this place built, but for some reason, it has never functioned as it should.

I am looking around this place this morning and much to my horror, the floors need mopping, the carpets need vacuuming, dishes won't get clean - no matter how long they are left in the sink, it is becoming ridiculous!! There is even dust on things -- how did it get there... and why isn't it just going away? Why must I have to actually do work around here - this is home after all -- somewhere to come to, relax, hang out with those I love -- why does it have to compel me to work all the time?

I could stay here and lament this horrible dish fate has set before me today, but since obviously the self-cleaning house has not been invented yet, I must leave you, my blog readers and go forth and clean. For the house it doth seem messy and the clothes they do need a-washin' and the child doth need attention!

Hope you have a great Friday...and you are not having to clean a house like I am!
Bev'

The Whole Shack Shimmies!

This was a favorite song of mine a long time ago and it has seen a revival of sorts again in my cd player lately. I thought it would be a great "take me back" Thursday video. I am a little sad today thinking about it as my cd has been lost. So after today, I guess there will be no more Love Shack for me.

ENJOY!

Happy In the Moment and Grateful For It Too!

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."

Yesterday I posted about an ordinary day turned memorable by a fun lunch with a friend and some pretty flowers. Later in the afternoon I was chatting with an online blogger buddy and talking about being thankful for the moments of that day. Being thankful for the ability to soak up precious time with those we love and not ask for anything more. To be thankful for our station in life, even if it is not exactly where we want to be, to find the gratitude and the grace to go on, rising above circumstances and finding contentment in even the smallest details and moments.

After chatting with her, I found the above quote. I am not sure who to give credit to for this gem, I just knew the moment I read it that it summed up what my heart was feeling in ways my words had not yet done.

I am in a weird junction in my life, my world is changing and shifting once again. There are situations I wish I could blink my eyes and make disappear, there are people I wish I had more of in my daily life and there are some I wish I had less! There are places I want to go and things I want to do that are just not possible at this time, in this life, as I know it. I am finding that searching for the happy moments and finding gratitude in all things is helping me meander my way through this particular point in the maze that has become my life.

I have begun to stop asking for more of and just be happy and thankful for what I have, realizing that it is indeed enough. To ask for more is selfish. God has given me so much, such precious people to love, how can I ask for more and more and more?

This way of thinking, this change in my daily thought pattern, has indeed helped me and just as I witnessed yesterday's meal being turned into a feast, through thankfulness my past has begun to make sense and peace has begun to infiltrate my present...

The quote above says it all and says it best. I hope that you will also find something and someone to be grateful for in your world.

Living Happily and Gratefully In the Moment!
Bev

A Purple Tulip Kind Of Day

It is raining. It is a soft, sweet rain and it is making my already fabulous day - even more so.

After dropping my child off at school and doing a few very important "work" errands - I was able to meet a friend for lunch. It was one of those lunches that ranks up there for me...loads of laughter, great food...the only thing wrong with it was that it ended.

One time, another friend and I met up and actually sat from lunch to dinner in a restaurant. We were having so much fun chatting and laughing and catching up we didn't even notice the shift change and the darkening sky. I would have liked for today to have been that way -- just to sit and laugh and talk from one meal to the next.

Of course, that did not happen -- I had a child to fetch and my friend had to return to work, so life continued on.

Oh...I hear thunder rumbling in the distance... I love that sound, soon the rain will be plip ploping on my roof...what a great afternoon.

On the way home, Hannah Joy and I stopped at the grocery store for a few items, and I could not resist buying a bunch of purple tulips. They are beautiful and it makes me so happy to see them drooping over the edge of the vase.

Like last Tuesday, when I marked my body to remember a great personal epiphany...I think these purple tulips or any I happen upon in the future are going to remind me of this day. Just an ordinary day, filled with fun, a friend and lots of laughter.

Even housework can't cancel out this happy moment!!

Bev

Mother's Day Tea 2009

Today was the Mother's Day Tea at Hannah's preschool. It was a wonderful event. The tables were beautiful, the kids sang, escorted us to our seats and gave each of us moms a flower. We had a scrumptous lunch and yummy dessert. It was such fun.

I never thought I would get to enjoy Mother's Day - and today for the first time I think I really did.

Enjoy the pictures... and yes, she is "scratching at a flea" in that picture!

You can put a little girl in a dress, but you can't take the pretend dog out of her!!

Living Happily In the Moment!

Bev

600

We have hit another milestone on this old blog, my dear and faithful readers. As I went to post yesterday’s events, I learned that that post marked my 600th.

Six hundred posts. Six hundred times I have sat before this computer and poured out some part of my heart. Six hundred times I have decided what I wrote was half-way decent and others could read it. Six hundred – that is a lot.

I can’t help but think that if all the pages were bound together it would be a book. I am starting to see that my energy needs to be re-funneled. No, I am not giving up this blog. It is a part of my life that I truly love, but I am going to start concentrating on getting my book up and running, and perhaps sending out submissions for some freelance work, actually try and get paid to do what I love to do so much. That is a reason to celebrate for me.

Thanks for reading. Thanks for showing up for even one of these six hundred posts. You inspire me, encourage me and keep me sane.

Living Happily In the Moment!
Bev

Saturday Night...Living It Up at the SnoCap!

We are just in from a classic car cruise-in in a neighboring city...it was fun, except it poured down rain! I would have loved to share the pictures I took of all the cars...but I forgot my camera in the car and truthfully was just too lazy to walk back over and get it. So, use your imagination --- there was an orange one, a yellow one, a red one and a few black ones, and they were all old.

Can you tell I get really excited by car shows???? Hee hee!

After the car show, we all (and that would be me, my husband, child and one other guy!) headed to a local drive-in called the Snocap. Actually, it is now a sit-in - because the drive in speakers don't work... but it is still a great hangout and holds sentimental value for most of the residents of the town as well as those of us on the other side of the river.

This is my husband's pride and joy --- his car and his child.

Cute aren't they!

That was our Saturday night....and what did you do?

Living Happily In the Moment!

Bev

This Little Piggy...

This morning I woke up with a fever, cough and cold. I am pretty sure it is a combo of no sleep and the shift from a little bit of spring type weather to full blown summer time over a few days time. There is however a little thing called the Swine Flu that is floating around this nation and for a little bit this morning I was certain perhaps I had caught it.

I don't remember kissing a pig but I have "kissed" my share of pork chops this month - spicy ones, baked ones and even a few grilled ones. I conducted a quick web search, I have been assured by the CDC that I am relatively safe, unlike this poor child...

who undoubtedly needs to be rushed to the nearest emergency room!

Hope you all are staying happy and healthy in the moment!

Bev