What A Wonderful World

Yesterday, Chris and I went for about a 5-mile hike at one of our local parks.  The weather for February was outstanding...temps. in the lower 70's!  Now, that's my kind of winter!  We both worked up a good sweat...and it felt so good!  Of course, I didn't forget to take my camera along.  There are always so many sights to see...and I didn't want to miss a thing!

 

 

 

Brings to mind of one of my favorite poems...

The Road Not Taken

by

Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth; 

Then took the other, as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same, 

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back. 

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. 

I'm so glad that I often choose to take the road less traveled...how 'bout you?

 

True Blue Cure For Cabin Fever

Chris and I are both about to go bonkers sitting around waiting for THE phone call to come.  We hope and pray he gets some good news regarding the 2nd interview he had last week. Of course, as the recruiter reminded him today, the New York and surrounding areas received a large amount of unexpected snow, so many are without power. Therefore, we might not hear anything as soon as we'd like. We're hanging in there and trying hard to remain POSITIVE.

Now, for anyone who has ever dealt with a job loss, you know that it often limits the activities you can partake in, which might lead to "cabin fever".  With the weather being as nice as it was today, and has been the past several days, we decided to leave the confines of our house and go for a nice stroll at the park.  So glad we did, too!  The breathtaking scenery was a real mood lifter!

Check out the magnificent lake view...

        
Birds serenaded us at every turn...

The bright colors seemed to explode...

Nothing much prettier than Georgia in the fall...unless, of course, you're talking about Arkansas! I can't help but be a little partial, you know!

By the time we got back home, we both felt like completely different people with renewed perspectives.  Sometimes, that's all it takes...a little walk in nature and a little talk with God to make things right, once again.

"I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to reach my destination."~Jimmy Dean


P.S.  Just wanted to say thanks to all of you for your encouraging words on my last post. I didn't mean to come across as a "Debbie Downer", but I think the stress was getting to me.  Whatever God has planned for our family, I will do my best to face it with grace. Thankfully, the Good Lord knows my heart and, if I should stumble, He will love me just the same. I'll try to visit as time allows!  Miss y'all a bunch!      

♥TOGETHERNESS♥

I know...you must be shocked that I'm back, again, so soon!  Quite honestly, I am, too!  Chris is downstairs watching yet another episode of "Pawn Stars" and Abby's waiting on her bestie to arrive for a sleepover.  So, why not seize the moment, right?

I'm trying to take a step back in time, if you will, and share some of the fun activities we did over the summer.  On one Sunday afternoon in May, we decided to go for a hike at one of our local parks.  Here's a little tidbit for you...our parks are ranked some of the BEST in the nation.  How 'bout that?  Needless to say, what we thought was a really good idea left us all sweating like a bunch of pigs!  I'm not kidding!  We were all soaking wet by the time we were finished!  It has been one harsh summer!

We were lucky enough to take in some beautiful sights...this being one of them.

We even saw a deer wandering through the woods.

We came across some blackberry bushes and the girls had to pick some for tasting.  YUM!

Then, on Mother's Day, we went to another one of our local parks for a picnic and a walk.  Can you tell that we like being outdoors and going exploring?

Chris and the girls are enjoying lunch and trying to figure out which trail to venture down.

Now, for those of you who aren't fans of slimy reptiles (myself included!), these next two pictures just might send you over the edge.  You've been WARNED!

Yes, that's Brittany holding a grass snake for the first time with her BARE hands!  I almost croaked right on the spot!  I mean, it was Mother's Day and that's how they chose to honor me???

Oh, you know that Abby wasn't about to be outdone by her big sis!  So, like Steve Irwin himself, she grabbed hold of that snake like she'd been doing it her entire life!  I could not believe my eyes!

Of course, I was running away from them screaming like the sissy that I am!  No...and don't even ask!  I DID NOT hold or lay a finger on that critter! Thanks, but I'll pass!

Now, you have to know that we couldn't pass up the chance to goof off on the playground, being that we're all just big ol' kids!

Yep...we can pretty much take a random day and turn it into so much more.  That's just how we roll! 

Well, Chris is asking me to join him downstairs to watch some TV with him.  Please don't let it be something BO-RING like Golf Central! I'm willing to sacrifice only so much, you know?  I promise that just as soon as I can find an ample window of free time, I will pay each of you a much overdo visit.  Thank those of you so much for hanging in there with me through all the chaos in my life! As Gloria Gaynor sang..."I Will Survive"!  Big hugs to you ALL!

Thanksgiving Memories

Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone...hope yours was a good one! Brittany and Chris got home on Tuesday evening. Seeing her walk through the door put a HUGE smile on my face! As you can see, Maddie was thrilled to have her home, too!

I think Brittany was just as happy to be home as we were to have her!

I had dinner on the table, so we all sat down and ate together as a FAMILY, again...felt like old times! Her ex-boyfriend, Patrick (remember him?), stopped by for a little while to talk with her on the front porch. I know this is terrible of me to say, but I really wish he would just go away and move on with his life, but that's a whole other chapter!

I took the girls to the dentist on Wed. morning for their check-up and cleaning, then we went out to lunch at Chick Fil-A and had the best time! My mother-in-law and brother-in-law arrived from South Carolina late that evening. The unfortunate part is that they both were sick. My brother-in-law stayed wrapped up in a blanket almost the entire time they were here and coughed and hacked something awful. I did my best to keep my distance, but it didn't help. Chris got sick with a terrible cough almost as soon as they left to go home. Yesterday, I started feeling bad. I've been coughing and just feel run down. I guess it is true..."What goes around, comes around".

I slaved over a hot stove for an entire day, at least. Thankfully, everything turned out great and my cornbread and squash dressing was a huge hit! Here's the spread we had, minus the desserts...

Here's Brittany and my brother-in-law and mother-in-law filling their plates with food.

And here's Chris and Abby making their rounds.

Time to dig in!

After all was said and done and I got the kitchen cleaned up and leftovers put away, the girls and I decided to head out to the local park for a walk...we felt STUFFED!

My two beautiful daughters...

We saw so many ducks enjoying their time on the water.

Just silly ol' me!

The girls can never resist romping around on the playground!

Of course, Mr. Squirrel had to make an appearance.

We couldn't get over the size of the thorns on that plant...OUCH!

So, as you can see, our time together was action-packed from start to finish! Brittany left to head back to college yesterday afternoon. The house sure is quiet without her around, but she'll be home, again, in another two weeks or so for Christmas! I can hardly wait!

For now, I think I'm just going to take it easy for the rest of the day. Bella describes exactly how I feel...BLAH!

Enjoy your Monday!