Sunny day and turtles and stuff

I spent Sat at Furman doing some pics for a co-worker & his family. Nice guy, his wife was the same and they have 2 beautiful kids. I completely enjoyed spending a couple of hours with them doing the pics. I spent most of yesterday going through and cleaning them up. Doing some B&W's ...etc... I'll take them to him on Friday.
This guy here (above) was chilling, keeping an eye on us and keeping cool. It was a hot day! Sunny, beautiful and hot. I'm so glad warm weather is finally here. Don't even mind the itchy pollen eyes. It's nice to have energy--which I lose during the Winter months--to be able to open my windows and doors and feel the breeze, the fresh air. I'm finally getting some long overdue housework done too, another plus! Yeah, all in all, been a good few days off.

Great Saturday

What a beautiful day yesterday was! This is the 1st day in about a month that I've been felt like and been able to get out and just...loafer all day. No extreme coughing jags, no getting tired after a few minutes, no asthma wheezing, no naps! 

I have a neighbor who works weekends, so I spend some saturdays, especially during this winter, with her son on his days to visit her. He called me yesterday and I invited him to go take pictures with me. We rolled down the windows, opened up the sunroof and enjoyed the sunshine. I went to Furman to take some pics, got some great ones of the water fountains and the lake, and enjoyed hanging with my 15 year old buddy. He's a great kid! He'd never been to the top of Paris Mtn, at the radio towers, so I took him there and got some more really great pics. I couldn't believe how many people were coming in and out up there while we were there. It is a beautiful spot to go and overlook the whole area, from Furman to Greer. 

I promised to take him to Poinsett Bridge next time. He liked that cuz it's supposed to be haunted! 

I had a poetry reading to go to at 8pm and his mom called once she got home, so I invited them to both go with me and my group. She couldn't, but let him go and she met us out at Barnes & Noble after. The poetry reading was by an ex-professor of my neice's and she had asked me to go. I'd never been to one before, and was excited about going and about meeting this prof that she and her husband think so highly of. I got there and met my usual gang, and the prof. He handed out flyers with copies of what he was going to read, and on the front, he had dedicated the reading to me!! That was exciting and a bit of an honor! He was really good, and after I got home, I e-mailed him one of my pics that one of his poems made me think of. He's going to go to my website and look at some more of my stuff to "get inspiration". How cool..??!! 

All in all, it was a great day!  

BTW....there will be another reading on May 16th at 8pm. If anyone reading is interested, let me know and I'll get directions to you.   

Official Now

OK....it's official. Got the call from my Doc this morning. I am now a type 2 diabetic. Hopefully it can be controlled with diet changes--goodbye Mtn Dew, old friend. I kinda feel a little numb about it, cried a little earlier. But I hate to cry, especially because of something stupid I've done to myself. Being upset is not going to help the situation. So, time to suck it up and do what I need to do. 

Life

This is from one of the most beautiful e-mails I've ever received and I say Amen to that!

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become kinder to and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie or for not making my bed or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.

I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon, before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4am and sleep til noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60s & 70s and if I wish to weep over a lost love, I will. I will walk the beach in a swimsuit that is stretched over a bulging body and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose, despite the pitying glances from the current jet set. They too will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful, but then again, some of life is just as well forgotten. I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can a heart not break when you lose a loved one, when a child suffers or even when someone loses a beloved pet? Broken hearts are what gives us strength, understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turn gray and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what others think. I rarely question myself anymore and I've earned the right to be wrong.

I embrace my aging. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am here, I will not waste time lamenting what may have been or what could be. And I shall eat dessert whenever I feel like it! 

(author unknown)

Sick of Being Sick

OMG....I can't believe I'm sick again!!! Everything from the chin up is stopped up, my throat hurts, my chest hurts...WAHHHHHHHH. I HATE being sick! I'm hoping this is just allergy junk and will go away on its own...???!!! I just finished one round of antibiotics.

And...AND......I did some lab work my doc requested...I knew the lipids were not going to be good-and they weren't-but my fasting blood sugar was way too high, higher than it's ever been before. Now that scares me! Diabetes runs in my family. We'll see what she says when I go back. Just go with the flow til then and deal with what happens as it happens. It can always be worse, huh?! 

Who knows...maybe this will be that kick in the butt I need to finally give up my Dew's and lose some weight. Yeah, that's the ticket---try to keep a positive spin on the whole thing no matter how ^&%$*(&% mad at myself I am!!

Road Trip!!!

To Monroe, NC.

To hang with Kimmy for a few days. I was going to leave Fri morning and really surprise her, but my niece called Thurs and her son's 2nd BD was today and they had a party for him today. So, I put off the trip til tomorrow morning. It would have been fun to show up on Fri morning and really surprise them, but maybe next time. I am bring her another surprise--if you read this Kimmypoopoo, you'll have to wait until I get there, but you're going to LOVE IT!

I actually-----cleaned my car------for this. I can actually seat 4-5 comfortably in it again. It just doesn't look like mine anymore. I even--are you sitting down?--washed it, vacuumed it and cleaned the windows----AHHHHHHH, can u believe it????

Gotta go dry some clothes now...

Buh-bye

OMG

OMG!!!!!!!