15 hours

In 15 hours I will be sitting in Seat 9E on flight 2303 to begin my 1st part of my journey to my sisters. I have my 1 huge red suitcase packed except for last minute essentials. I have a manicure and pedicure scheduled this evening and the limo has been booked to pick me up at my door at 3:30am, yes, I said 3:30 AM. I guess I should try to go to bed around 8:00 to get a full nights rest. I feel like all of this is a big dream. I am just so thankful I am able to go and wish my other family members could join me. I hope to come back home feeling refreshed and renewed. I even got a travel pass for Curves in case I come upon one in Louisiana or Florida. The next time I blog, I will have my vacation pictures to share. I'm kinda excited, in case you couldn't already tell.

5 Days

In 5 days, I will be sitting in this spot with my sister, where we sat last year. I will see her in 3 days, when I fly in to her town, and I can't wait! Our Thelma & Louise trip begins Sunday morning, very early. It is about a 7 hour drive to Sandestin Beach, Florida from her house. (I check the Oil spill update daily, and so far, beaches are open and hasn't hit our beach). We already know where we will stop for breakfast. We like to sing along to our favorite gospel CD, Alan Jackson. We end up crying...then we start laughing and do a lot of talking and catching up. With 10 grand kids between us, there are plenty of stories to tell. I am so thankful that I get to go on this trip again and spend time with my best friend. It never gets easier living so far away from one another, but we make up for it when we are together.

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go........I'm leaving on a jet plane

Happy Father's Day

I have a one of a kind dad. Growing up, my sister and I could usually work him to our advantage. My dad suffered with Epilepsy after a work accident, when a machine fell on his head. I watched my mom take care of him and it was very scary for us when he would have a seizure. Eventually he stopped having the seizures with the help of the right doctors and treatments and of course, God. It was a miracle that he survived the accident. And when he was able, he went back to that same job and worked until retirement. I admire him for always being our provider with the help of my mom, who also worked at the same place.
My dad has a strong faith in God, and I can always remember Sunday mornings at our house. He would blow the bugle (sound made with his mouth) and tell us to get up and get ready for church. We dreaded hearing that sound cause we wanted to sleep.
My dad has never met a stranger. He is very giving. He is one of the best joke tellers. He loves his Birthday. He likes to tell people about a month before his birthday that it will be his birthday. I can always keep track of his age by my grandson Noah's age. Noah is 9 and my dad is 79. I have so many good memories of my dad as a father. I have lots of regrets though, like the time I popped out some of his buffalo nickel collection that were in the bottom drawer safely tucked away. I went to the candy store down the street and spent them. You would have thought the clerk would have been a little suspicious when I paid with ALL buffalo nickels....
I guess I will always be daddy's little girl, or sometimes called "Baby doll". I am thankful to say I still have my dad with me and can celebrate today with him. I feel sad for all of my friends who can't say that this morning, and I am thinking of all of you.
We will be spending today with some very special people. My daughter's in-laws invited all the families for lunch. We will have lots of generations and I hope to take lots of pictures to share.
So, to my dad, and all the other great dad's, I wish a very Happy Father's Day!

church with Abby & Jack

My daughter-in-law usually picks me up for church on Sunday mornings when my son is working. This morning we got to church a little early, so I saw the perfect backdrop for picture taking. I just so happened to have my camera in my purse, imagine that! Abby had on the precious dress Aunt Steph got her for her birthday. She was very proud to model it for me.
I ended up working in the nursery and playing with Jack, since they were short a worker and his mommy was helping out in another classroom. It felt good to be able to help out.After church we went for a quick lunch at McD's where Abby loves to play in their playland after she eats. Jack is enjoying his burger and fries. This boy can really eat! And he's such a clown.

I really enjoyed my Sunday. And, I got a surprise visit from Steph, Noah & Carter. They stopped off to use the bathroom on their way home from Chicago. It was great to see 4 of my 6 grandkids today.

100 workouts and proud of it!

I am proud to report that I earned my "100" workout T-shirt this morning when I scanned in for my Curves workout. I can't believe I made it this far. I started this new chapter in my life back in October. Curves would like for you to workout at least 3 times per week, which I tried to keep up with. Of course there were some sick days here and there. I set a goal last month of going every time they are open and I am usually in the parking lot at 5:55 am waiting for the door to open at 6am. Although I have not dropped a lot of weight (due to my eating habits), I have lost inches and am toning and feeling so much better, mentally and physically. I do enjoy going, and that's so important that you enjoy your workout routine, whatever you do.

I have met some wonderful people along the way and we motivate one another. There are all shapes and sizes and no intimidation. I know my heart loves me for going. My doctor told me back in October I needed an exercise program to help my high blood pressure and so I decided to give Curves a try. I am more aware of my portion sizes and snacking has decreased. The night eating has also stopped. Very rarely will you find me standing in the kitchen at midnight getting a bowl of cereal. I am trying to make better choices. It's a struggle.
I plan to walk for the Relay for Life on June 18, along with fellow Curve members. Come on out if you live in the area and join us.
Now, I am working towards my "200" workouts T-shirt.

Celebrate June

I have a new outlook this month. In 22 days I will see my sister. It's been 1 year. Yes, we have web cams, facebook and email but it's not the same. We are looking forward to sitting on the beach together with our feet in the warm sand and getting up early to walk along the beach. She always manages to find money lying around, like last year, finding a wet $10 dollar bill. We are looking forward to sharing a huge plate of nachos and sipping a dream sickle.
I am in Curves training until my trip. I promised myself that I will work out every morning they are open and so far I have been doing just that. I'm usually sitting outside the building 10 min. early waiting for the door to open. So I didn't lose the 50 lbs. I wanted to lose before my trip, but I am moving more and making better food choices. The great part about seeing my sister is, we still love each other no matter what size we are. We have a strong bond that goes way beyond the physical appearance. We will probably do a lot of talking about our grand kids. I can't believe that between us both we have 10, with me in the lead.
Our journey to Florida for her work conference will start by me flying in to her hometown a few days before we actually leave, then her and I driving the 7 hours to our destination, beautiful Sandestin Beach. We will be there for 6 days, then we will drive back to her house and I will have a few more days to spend visiting with other family members before flying back home.
This will be my 3rd year being able to go. I feel very blessed to be able to go. It is a much needed vacation. So, until then, I will keep gazing at the glass of sand and shells on my desk at work until I am actually there.